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.
About the working name
These notes travel under the working name stoskoarnard skantothane.
Who are these notes for?
Teachers, SENCOs and parents looking for a short, factual starting point.
How often are they updated?
They are checked at the start of each school term.
Do the notes replace professional advice?
No. They point to the questions worth asking a qualified practitioner.
EHC needs assessment
EHC needs assessment: the line most people need is requested when, the graduated approach has been tried. In practice, the request needs the evidence of cycles, not just a description of need.
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 EHC needs assessment for most readers.
The graduated approach
A short note on The graduated approach. The figure to hold onto is assess, plan, do, review as a cycle; what matters is that each cycle is usually a term long and the review decides whether to change the plan.
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 The graduated approach prevents most mistakes.
Reasonable adjustments
If you are looking into Reasonable adjustments, start here: written into the plan, and shared with every teacher. The point is that a plan only the SENCO knows about is not a 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, Reasonable adjustments is worth a minute before you commit.
What SEMH covers
What SEMH covers in one line: social, emotional and mental health as one of the four broad areas of need. Beyond the number, it replaced the older BESD label in the 2015 Code of Practice.
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 What SEMH covers for most readers.
Learning needs
Learning needs: the line most people need is screened as well, not assumed absent. In practice, unrecognised literacy difficulties present as behaviour more often than not.
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 Learning needs prevents most mistakes.
Standardised tools
A short note on Standardised tools. The figure to hold onto is published questionnaires with age norms; what matters is that they compare a child to peers; they do not explain why.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
When in doubt, choose the simpler option first; it is the one least likely to need undoing. In short, Standardised tools is worth a minute before you commit.
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.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
Do the cheap checks before the expensive ones. That is the whole of Parent and carer views for most readers.
Measuring progress
Measuring progress in one line: the baseline chart repeated after the support. Beyond the number, the comparison, not the impression, decides the next cycle.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. Knowing this about Measuring progress 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.
The full set is listed on the index of notes.