When and how to access support from the Sevenoaks Specialist Teacher for Social and Emotional Mental Health (SEMH)?

Schools can access support at a SEMH Drop-In session or at a Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) meeting.

Parental Agreement to Engage is required before these sessions can take place.

Before accessing support, schools are expected to have followed the Graduated Response (Assess, Plan, Do, Review) and established that, despite good quality teaching and targeted support, the child or young person has still not made progress.Schools will also need to provide evidence of what they have put in place with an evaluation of impact on a Personalised Plan or a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP).

Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) Meetings

LIFT meetings are held weekly during term time. SENCOs (with the agreement of parents) can refer children and young people for discussion and access advice and strategies to the LIFT forum, chaired by the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service Lead. Participants may include an Educational Psychologist, a Specialist Teacher, a Speech and Language Therapist, an Attendance and Inclusion Advisor, Early Help and SENCOs.  

Discussion at a Drop-In session or LIFT meeting will help the school to:

ASSESS           gather ideas for further strategies

PLAN                write or revise the child or young person’s personalised                                                                                              education or pastoral support plan with new outcomes or targets

DO                      evaluate the best ways of carrying out the suggested strategies

REVIEW           review progress to date and decide whether it is appropriate to                                                                               refer to other agencies or for statutory assessment

Following a LIFT discussion, it may be decided that it would be helpful for the Specialist Teacher for SEMH to visit the child or young person in their school. The Specialist Teacher for Social, Emotional and Mental Health is:

Steve Sherrell - Specialist Teacher for SEMH based a Valence School in Westerham

Once allocated to a child or young person, the Specialist Teacher will contact the school SENCO by email to arrange a visit within 2 weeks. The Specialist Teacher will discuss with the school the best way to manage the time of that visit.  It may include an observation, a meeting with the child or young person, discussion with school staff and if thought appropriate, parents/carers. In this case the school will arrange this directly with parents.