In order to fulfil their responsibilities,  any SEND link governors should have read and be familiar with the basics of the  SEND code of practice and what it means for their school.

The SEND link governor should make sure they find out about the systems in their school and develop a good working relationship with your SENCo.  I’d argue It is really important that governors build a relationship of trust and support with their SENCo and that s/he knows that they have a genuine interest and wish to support the student with SEND in the school.

SEND link governors will then inform the governing body on all aspects of SEND provision and will carry out these responsibilities through various monitoring activities.  The following questions are suggested to assist a link Governor in gathering appropriate information and getting to know their SENCo.

It’s by no means exhaustive and I am sure there are other questions that will spring to mind during the conversation and from observation.

• when are the students initially assessed?
• by whom?
• how many students are there on the different levels of SEND support intervention i.e. Education, Health, Care, Plan (EHCP) or statement.
• what support do these pupils typically receive?
• who provides this support e.g. class/subject teacher, SENCo?
• who sets individual targets for the pupils?
• who monitors the progress of the pupils?
• how often are their needs reviewed?
• what paperwork is involved?
• how are the parents involved?
• how much do the pupils know about what is happening to them?
• how do they feel about this?
• how is SEND funded in the school budget?
• how many students have been added to/removed from the SEND support level of intervention?
• how is the issue of confidentiality addressed?

I’ll add to this blog post as i think of extra content, but please feel free to share if you can think of any important questions to add.