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SEN support and ordinarily available provision

Most children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) can have their needs met within an education setting's own resources, with support from commissioned services.

To find out more about the support that is ordinarily available to children in our local schools, please select the relevant link for your borough:

  1. Hammersmith & Fulham
  2. Westminster
  3. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (currently unavailable)

If your child is under statutory school age and our team identifies that they may have special educational needs and/or disabilities, with your consent we alert the Local Authority using an Early Health Notification form.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress at school, please discuss your concerns with the education setting your child attends. If you feel that your concerns are not being addressed, you may want to escalate this through your education setting’s complaints policy.

SENDIASS can offer impartial advice on your situation and support you in getting your views across. Find out more about SENDIASS

Education, Health and Care Plans and Assessments

Some children or young people (from birth to 25 years old) may require more support than can be met through the resources and interventions normally available. An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be required to ensure your child or young person receives the support they need.

Please find below links to the different Local Authorities where you can access further information about EHC Needs Assessments and EHCPs:

An EHCP is a legal document outlining the support a child or young person will receive to meet their special educational needs across education, health and social care and to achieve positive outcomes.

As part of the Local Authority processing the EHC Needs Assessment, they will ask for written consent to seek information from the range of professionals who know your child or are able to assess your child’s needs. If you have any questions about consent, please discuss this with your EHCNA coordinator within your Local Authority.

Medical assessment for EHCP

The Local Authority may ask the paediatricians from Cheyne Child Development Service (Cheyne CDS) to provide medical advice as part of the Education, Health and Care Plan Needs Assessment (EHCNA).

If your child is not usually under our care, the assessment is a one-off appointment to provide information on how your child’s health and developmental needs impact their education.

If your child is under the care of one of our consultants, we may be able to complete the EHCNA using the information we already have about your child.

The Cheyne Child Development Service will provide the EHCNA assessment if the child’s or young person’s GP is in one of the following boroughs:

  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
  • Westminster

Before your appointment

Please bring:

  • Your child’s red book (personal child health record)
  • Any recent relevant reports

Language support

An interpreting service is available for all appointments. Please let us know if you need an interpreter and the language you would like to speak.

What to expect at your appointment

Your child will be seen by one of our doctors.

The appointment will last around 45 to 60 minutes. Please attend the appointment with your child. The discussion with the doctor will include your concerns and how your child is managing at home, nursery or school. We will ask for detailed information about your child’s health and development.

This will be followed by a physical examination, including height and weight.

After your appointment

  • You may be given advice and strategies to help your child and your child will be discharged from our team.
  • Your child may be referred to another professional or to our team if we feel that there are undiagnosed neurodevelopmental needs.
  • We will complete the report required for the EHCNA, share it with the Local Authority and share a copy of the medical report with you and your GP.

Specific learning difficulties

We often get questions from parents about specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. For more information about how our local schools and Local Authorities support children who present with these needs, please see the following links:

  1. Read about specific learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyscalculia in Hammersmith & Fulham
  2. Read the policy and guidance for supporting pupils with dyslexia and literacy difficulties in Hammersmith & Fulham (PDF)
  3. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (currently unavailable)
  4. Westminster City Council (currently unavailable)

A report diagnosing dyslexia or dyscalculia is not required in order to access support in our local schools.