All students who attend Marshfields School have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). This informs the school of the specific needs of each child and sets out targets for them to make individual progress in four key areas. 

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Sensory and Physical

Cognition and Learning

Cognition and Learning refers to difficulties that affect a students' ability to acquire, process, or retain information. This area of need covers a broad range of challenges related to thinking, understanding, and learning, and includes conditions such as: 

1. Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD): This includes dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. Students with SpLD may struggle with particular areas of learning, like reading, writing, or mathematical concepts. 

2. Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD): Students with MLD have a general difficulty with learning across most academic areas. They may require targeted support to keep pace with their peers and often work below age-related expectations. 

3. Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD): Students with SLD need significant support across all areas of learning. They may have difficulties with communication, motor skills, and self-care, in addition to cognitive delays. 

4. Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD): This involves profound cognitive impairments alongside physical disabilities and sensory needs. Students with PMLD often require intensive support for mobility, communication, and daily living skills. 

Students with cognition and learning needs may require differentiated instruction, specialised teaching strategies, and sometimes assistive technology to help them access the curriculum and make progress.

Communication and Interaction

According to the SEND Code of Practice, children and young people with Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN) have difficulty communicating with others. This may be due to challenges in expressing themselves, understanding what others are saying, or using social rules of communication. Each student with SLCN has a unique profile, and their needs may change over time. They may struggle with one or more aspects of speech, language, or social communication at different stages of their lives. 

Some students face difficulties with listening, understanding, and communicating, known as SLCN.

Characteristics of SLCN

Receptive Language: This refers to how children understand and process what others say. Students with receptive language difficulties may struggle with: 

• Listening, paying attention, and remembering spoken information
• Learning and recalling new words
• Understanding complex or longer sentences
• Grasping grammar rules like tense markers (e.g., understanding that "-ed" means past tense)
• Interpreting implied meanings or nuances 

Expressive Language: This is the ability to form sentences that make sense and are grammatically correct. Challenges may include: 

• Learning and using new words
• Structuring words in the correct order within a sentence
• Using necessary words such as “a” or “is”
• Applying correct grammar and word endings
• Forming sentences that are clear and easy to follow 

Speech: Speech relates to how children articulate sounds. Children with speech difficulties may: 

• Struggle to pronounce sounds accurately and place them correctly in words
• Have issues with fluency, including hesitation or repetition of sounds or words
• Find it hard to speak with clear intonation, pitch, or volume
• Face challenges in being understood by others 

Social communication: Social communication involves the ability to interact effectively with others, including the use of verbal and non-verbal cues. Children with social communication difficulties may struggle with: 

• Showing interest in or awareness of others
• Starting or maintaining conversations
• Using facial expressions, gestures, or actions to convey feelings
• Responding to conversations initiated by others
• Taking turns in conversation or play 

 

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

Students can experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders, or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or attachment disorder (paragraph 6.32, SEND Code of Practice 2015).   

SEMH is not a diagnostic category and does not indicate that a child or student has a clinically significant mental health need (although it will include those who do). Instead, it indicates that a child or young person requires additional support. So, they would need support that is different from or additional to what is normally provided through the school curriculum and pastoral system (paragraph 6.32, SEND Code of Practice 2015).  

There is often significant overlap between the different areas of need, and this is particularly so with SEMH. Students with SEND are more likely to experience SEMH difficulties than their peers with no SEND. For example, children with autism or learning difficulties are more likely to have conditions such as anxiety (National Autistic Society, 2024.). This suggests that SEMH can be indicative of an underlying, unrecognised need.   

Characteristics of SEMH

Academic Performance and Engagement: SEMH needs can deeply affect a student's academic success and engagement in various ways: 

• Difficulty focusing and processing information.
• Decreased motivation and interest in learning.
• Irregular attendance due to emotional difficulties like anxiety.
• Struggles to complete tasks or contribute to group work.
• Underperformance despite having the intellectual ability to excel. 

Social Relationships and Interactions: SEMH difficulties can also significantly affect a student's social development and relationships: 

• Struggles with forming and maintaining friendships.
• Trouble interpreting and responding to social cues.
• Increased risk of bullying or social isolation.
• Difficulties in teamwork and collaborative activities.
• Strained relationships with teachers and authority figures. 

SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) difficulties can manifest in two primary behavioural types: passive and active behaviours. These behaviours can reflect a student's internal struggles and impact their engagement in both academic and social settings.

Passive Behaviours: 

• Anxiety and low mood: Students may experience high levels of anxiety or low mood, leading to withdrawal and avoidance of interaction.
• Withdrawal: Students may isolate themselves, avoiding participation in class activities, group work, or social interactions.
• Task avoidance: A reluctance or refusal to engage in tasks, especially those that seem overwhelming or require risk-taking.
• Low self-worth: Feelings of inadequacy or poor self-esteem, leading to a lack of motivation and inability to accept praise or acknowledgement.
• Speech anxiety: Students may avoid speaking, either due to fear of judgment or general reluctance to engage verbally. 

Active Behaviours:

• Challenging and disruptive actions: This can include verbal or physical aggression, defiance, and non-compliance with school rules or authority figures.
• Restlessness and hyperactivity: Students may display high levels of energy, often seen as being unable to sit still or focus.
• Mood swings and impulsivity: Students may have quick and intense emotional reactions, struggling with self-regulation.
• Aggression: This can manifest as verbal (e.g., shouting) or physical aggression towards peers, staff, or property.
• Difficulties with transitions: Students may react disproportionately to changes in routine, leading to anxiety or aggressive responses. 

Sensory and Physical

Physical and Sensory Impairments 

Physical and sensory needs can significantly affect a student’s ability to access and participate in education. These needs arise from impairments in physical functioning or the senses, including sight and hearing, and are experienced differently by every child or young person. According to the Equality Act (2010), a physical disability is a “limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina” that has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out everyday activities. 

Needs may be visible or hidden, and their impact may be temporary, fluctuating, or permanent.

Hearing Impairment: Hearing impairment includes any degree of hearing loss in one or both ears, ranging from mild to profound. Some students experience temporary hearing difficulties, while others have a permanent condition. Depending on the cause, hearing loss might be sensorineural (affecting the inner ear or auditory nerve), conductive (caused by blockages or damage in the outer or middle ear), or a combination of both. 

To support students with hearing loss, audiological equipment such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, or bone-anchored hearing aids may be used. Many benefit from assistive listening devices including sound-field systems or teacher microphones, which can reduce the impact of background noise and improve access to learning. 

Without support, hearing impairment can affect a student’s speech, language development, and ability to process auditory information—particularly in noisy or complex environments. They may also experience fatigue from the extra effort required to listen and concentrate. Teaching strategies include visual cues, careful seating arrangements to support lip-reading, consistent lighting, and clear communication. Staff are trained to use assistive devices correctly and be aware that some students may use sign language as their primary form of communication. 

Visual Impairment 

A visual impairment refers to a loss of vision that cannot be fully corrected with glasses or contact lenses. This might involve difficulties with central vision, peripheral vision, or visual processing due to neurological conditions such as cerebral visual impairment. The severity of sight loss can vary significantly—from mild impairments to profound vision loss—and may be stable or progressive. 

Students with visual impairments often need learning materials to be adapted. Some will benefit from tactile resources or audio formats, while others may require large print, Braille, or digital tools that allow magnification or screen reading. Beyond academic access, visual impairment can also affect spatial awareness and safe movement around the school environment. 

T support these students we make every effort to creating consistent and accessible classrooms, using clear layouts and predictable routines. Encouraging independence while offering the right level of scaffolding. We know it is vital to challenge assumptions— students with vision impairments span the full range of cognitive abilities. 

Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) 

Multi-sensory impairment, sometimes referred to as deaf-blindness, is the co-occurrence of both vision and hearing loss. This combination can make communication, mobility, and access to information particularly challenging, especially when incidental learning opportunities are reduced. Many pupils with MSI have additional disabilities, making their needs complex and highly individual. 

Education for students with MSI requires a tailored approach that draws on all available senses. Teaching strategies look to maximise residual vision and hearing, and incorporate tactile, kinaesthetic, and other sensory methods. Communication may involve tactile signing or alternative communication systems. Routines, repetition, and consistency can help reduce anxiety and support learning. 

These pupils often need more intensive support than those with a single sensory impairment and schools rely on close collaboration between school staff, families, and specialist services. 

Physical Impairment 

A physical impairment can affect mobility, coordination, stamina, or the ability to carry out day-to-day activities. These impairments may be present from birth—such as in cases of cerebral palsy or spina bifida—or acquired later through injury, illness, or degenerative conditions. They may affect a student’s ability to access parts of the school building, participate in PE, or manage classroom tools and materials. 

Physical impairments are commonly categorised as musculoskeletal (affecting bones, muscles, or joints) or neuromusculoskeletal (arising from the nervous system). Pupils might experience fatigue, need specialist equipment, or require adult support for physical care or movement. 

In the classroom, adaptations include the use of height-adjustable desks, alternative seating, rest breaks, or modified learning resources. Occupational therapists and physiotherapists often play a key role in assessing needs and recommending adjustments. Promoting independence, self-advocacy, and inclusion in physical and social aspects of school life is essential and a priority for us here at Marshfields School. 

Sensory Processing Difficulties 

Sensory processing difficulties occur when the brain struggles to interpret and respond appropriately to sensory information. Some students may be hypersensitive—over-responsive to sensory input such as noise, touch, or light—while others may be hyposensitive, seeking additional stimulation or appearing unaware of sensory cues. 

Important: sensory processing needs often overlap with other neurodevelopmental differences such as autism and ADHD. This means a student’s sensory profile may interact with challenges in social communication, attention, or executive function. 

These challenges can impact everyday tasks like grooming, eating, transitioning between environments, or managing emotional responses. Some pupils become overwhelmed in busy or noisy spaces, while others may seem constantly active or unaware of personal boundaries. 

Understanding a student’s sensory profile helps staff adapt the environment and routines to support regulation and access. Strategies used by staff include built-in sensory breaks, reducing clutter and noise, offering calming activities or movement opportunities, and embedding sensory considerations into lesson planning.

Marshfields School utilises a broad range of strategies to support our students as standard provision. This is detailed in our Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision: Special School Context (OAIP - SSC) that has been adapted from the Local Authorities OAIP.