Reliable answers: quick notes
A few short notes on social, emotional and mental health assessment in schools, gathered from the questions readers ask most often.
Sensory needs
If you are looking into Sensory needs, start here: asked about, in every SEMH assessment. The point is that noise, light and touch sensitivities are easy to miss.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. That is the whole of Sensory needs for most readers.
Standardised tools
Standardised tools in one line: published questionnaires with age norms. Beyond the number, they compare a child to peers; they do not explain why.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
Keep the paperwork; it is the proof when something is queried later. Knowing this about Standardised tools prevents most mistakes.
When to involve health
When to involve health: the line most people need is persistent low mood, self-harm, eating changes, as prompts. In practice, the school refers; it does not assess these itself.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
If something changes, note the date; patterns only show up with dates on them. In short, When to involve health is worth a minute before you commit.
Relationships with adults
A short note on Relationships with adults. The figure to hold onto is one trusted adult as the aim; what matters is that it is the single factor most consistently linked with improvement.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
When in doubt, choose the simpler option first; it is the one least likely to need undoing. That is the whole of Relationships with adults for most readers.
Parent and carer views
If you are looking into Parent and carer views, start here: gathered early, and written down. The point is that home and school seeing the same pattern is itself a finding.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
Do the cheap checks before the expensive ones. Knowing this about Parent and carer views prevents most mistakes.
The graduated approach
The graduated approach in one line: assess, plan, do, review as a cycle. Beyond the number, each cycle is usually a term long and the review decides whether to change the plan.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. In short, The graduated approach is worth a minute before you commit.
Regulation strategies
Regulation strategies: the line most people need is taught, not expected, before they are needed. In practice, a calm-down space only works if the child has practised using it.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
Keep the paperwork; it is the proof when something is queried later. That is the whole of Regulation strategies for most readers.
Language
A short note on Language. The figure to hold onto is a speech and language check for younger pupils; what matters is that a child who cannot say what is wrong shows it instead.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
If something changes, note the date; patterns only show up with dates on them. Knowing this about Language prevents most mistakes.
Figures are general guidance; the primary source takes precedence.
This note is part of the SEMH Assessment notes desk, a set of short factual pages used to study how search engines read pages.
See also: another short note.