Guidelines for using specialist support services

When there are concerns regarding physical or medical needs, school can request support from health professionals or other specialist support services - see Referral Pathways section for more details of accessing these services. 

If specialist support services are visiting school, the SENCo, on behalf of the senior leadership team, should ensure that they are qualified, accredited  and insured.  The advice and strategies they provide should be practical and aim to improve the outcomes for children.

When working with individual children/young people, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that:

• parental consent is confirmed for any involvement with any specialist support service
• feedback from the outcome of the involvement is shared with parents/carers
• advice and recommendations that have been given are disseminated to all relevant staff
• advice and recommendations are implemented as part of the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle - see SEN support in school section.

Specialist support services can be also used in other ways:

• Whole School - teachers/senior leadership team may seek support from external medical professionals for advice on
  • Whole school policy writing regarding medical/physical needs
  • Whole school inclusion, ethos and vision
  • Whole school audits and action planning
  • Whole school training on medical/physical needs
• Classroom support - Specialist Support Services can provide advice and support to teachers on:
  • Adapting the curriculum content and delivery for all learners
  • Class based interventions
  • Meeting diverse needs in the classroom