Meet the Mental Health Needs of Pupils with SEND

It's easy to put a change in a child with SEND down to their condition. The autism explains it, or the behaviour has always been there. Meanwhile mental health needs are far more common in these pupils than in their peers, and far more often missed.

Everything rests on three questions you can use anywhere with a pen and paper: why am I worried, what is the child feeling, and what would make things better for them? You'll find ways to track mood with a child who has little or no speech, using colours, animals, emojis or a squeeze of play dough. And you'll learn to tell a child who is alone and lonely from one who is alone and thriving.

The staff who work closest with these pupils usually notice first, and the approach is built on that.