Children with SEMH find it difficult to achieve their academic potential and often need one to one support in their classes. This impacts on the whole school community in terms of allowing teachers to teach and other learners to learn. I find it is essential to address difficulties as soon as they become apparent and not to wait until the child is older.
It is not impossible to change children, staff and family mindsets and once the right approach is in place, positive improvements in the child's behaviour can be effected.
This then impacts on the child's learning and in the right environment, in the right circumstances, a pupil with SEMH at the end of Year 6 can achieve Age- related expectations or above in English and Maths.
It is important to remember that many children with SEMH have underlying difficulties which have not yet been recognised or diagnosed. Therefore it is necessary to take a holistic approach and look at the whole child; early medical interventions eg a referral to the paediatric service are often a necessary first step.