Assessments key to good SEN support in schools, research finds

The Department for Education-funded review examined 541 research papers to identify which classroom approaches work for children with special educational needs (SEN).

The review found that study after study highlighted the importance of assessments.

"A recurrent theme across the literature is that the most effective support relies on a full and recent assessment of a child or young person's individual strengths and weaknesses," said the review.

When assessments fail to fully explore the underlying cause of the symptoms and behaviours, "support is likely to be sub-optimal", the review reported.

The review also noted that parents are often made to act as advocates when their children have SEN, which is both a "time-consuming and emotionally laden responsibility".

Schools should make parents comfortable enough to be open and honest about their child's needs, the review advised.

A shortage of research into effective and age-appropriate interventions for secondary school and college students with SEN was also identified.

Gaps in the research included a lack of studies on working with numeracy difficulties and a shortage of evidence on the effectiveness of teaching grammar via meta-linguistic approaches in mainstream schools.

The lack of interventions and strategies appropriate for secondary schools was also identified by school and college staff surveyed by Coventry University for a sister study.