The Graduated Approach is a national system used across the UK to support students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It’s part of the SEND Code of Practice and helps schools carefully identify and meet the specific needs of each student.

The process involves four key steps:

• Assess: We look closely at the student’s needs.
• Plan: We decide on the best ways to support them.
• Do: The student receives this support and works with it.
• Review: We check how well the support is working and make changes if needed.

This cycle is repeated as needed to find the best support for the student.

At KGGS, parents and students are involved throughout this process. Usually, the first plan works well, and the student remains on our SEND Register with the agreed support. We review this at least once a year to make sure it’s still effective.

If the support isn’t working as hoped, we repeat the cycle — Assess, Plan, Do, Review — up to four times. Each cycle lasts about 6 weeks or one school term, so the full process can take nearly a year (about four terms).

Only after these four cycles, if we still don’t see enough progress, will we consider applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a referral to a Paediatric specialist.

This process ensures that we use all the support available through our OAP before moving to more formal assessments.

Please follow the link for Lincolnshire’s description of the Graduated Approach: https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/support-education/identifying-supporting-send/6

EHCPs and Referrals MUST have evidence of the Graduated Approach.