School Governors’ duties towards children with SEN (SEN & Behaviour Policy)

Governors’ Information duties – an SEN Policy

As well as ensuring individual parents are told when their child receives special educational help, governing bodies must publish an SEN policy which must contain the following:

1) Basic information about the school‘s special educational provision:

• the objectives of the policy

• name of the SENCO

• arrangements for co-ordinating educational provision for pupils with SEN

• admission arrangements

• any SEN specialism

• any facilities for pupils with SEN including those which help access.

2) Information about the school‘s policies for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEN:

• the allocation of resources to and amongst pupils with SEN

• identification, assessment and review procedures

• arrangements for providing access to the curriculum for pupils with SEN

• how children with SEN are integrated into the school

• criteria for evaluating the success of the SEN policy

• arrangements for considering parents‘ complaints about SEN provision within the school.

3) Information about the school‘s staffing policies and partnership with bodies beyond the school:

• arrangements for SEN training for staff

• use made of teachers and facilities from outside the school including support services

• arrangements for partnership with parents

• links with other mainstream and special schools, including arrangements when pupils change or leave school

• links with health and social services, education welfare services and any voluntary organisations.

Governing bodies must also publish the following information in their school prospectus each year:

• arrangements for admission of disabled pupils

• steps taken to prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably than other pupils

• facilities provided to assist access to the school by disabled pupils

• details of the accessibility plan prepared by the governing body

• details of any changes to the SEN policy and a report on its implementation.

Governors’ duties for school discipline

The behaviour policy

The governing body should set the framework of a school‘s behaviour policy through a written statement of general principles which takes account of the needs of all pupils, including any with SEN. The statement should cover:

• the ethos of the school

• the school‘s moral code

• positive and constructive rules of conduct; and

• the rewards and punishments to be fairly and consistently applied.

The Governing Body should consult the head teacher and parents of pupils before making or revising the statement, and take account of their views. The GB should advise the head teacher of its views on specific measures for promoting good behaviour. This might include such issues as bullying.

The head teacher must follow the Governing Body‘s statement of principles and have regard to any guidance they give. The head has day-to-day responsibility for discipline and responsibility for establishing and maintaining a behaviour policy that promotes self-discipline and respect for others, prevents all forms of bullying and secures completion of tasks. It can include reasonable measures to regulate the behaviour of pupils when they are off the school site or not under the control of a member of the school staff. The behaviour policy must be reviewed regularly by the GB and made known to staff, pupils and parents. It should be brought to their attention at least once a year.

The full report for School governors understand their legal duties to children with SEN from IPSEA can be downloaded from here
http://tinyurl.com/governors-duties-SEN

IPSEA is a registered charity offering free and independent advice to parents of children with special educational needs in England and Wales on:

• local authorities’ legal duties to assess and provide for children with special educational needs;
• exclusions of children with special needs/disabilities;
• actions or inaction by local authorities and/or schools which discriminate against children with disabilities

Website http://www.ipsea.org.uk/ Twitter @IPSEAcharity
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