Improving Provision for Students with SEMH Needs

Meeting the needs of every learner is an exciting but often daunting task, and with the increase in social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs among our children and young people, this has never been more true.

With a desire for inclusion at our core, we are always striving to do our best for each individual in our school community, so that they have the opportunity to flourish, whatever their starting point. But the reality is, this is sometimes easier said than done.

Challenges around SEMH provision

When it comes to SEMH provision, unavoidable constraints around resources, time, capacity and training means that many schools can sometimes struggle to implement support for students. Against a backdrop of multiple competing pressures, staff often do not have the time, mental space or finances to review current approaches and make any necessary changes.

Faced with a wide range of complex and diverse needs, some leaders and teachers can also struggle to know where to begin, especially in settings where there is currently little or no provision in place.

So, what can we do to improve SEMH provision, and make sure that every child and young person can fulfil their potential?

How does SEMH impact students?

A widely used and understood phrase, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) is a term that was first introduced in England’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice in 2014. Used to describe students experiencing a range of social, emotional and mental health needs, it replaced the terms BESD (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties) and EBD (Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties). This welcome shift in language removes any direct refence to, or labelling of, behaviour, and instead shifts the focus onto the underlying needs.

SEMH refers to a specific type of special educational need and includes children and young people who may find it difficult to manage their emotions or control their own behaviour. Typically, individuals in this bracket might struggle with things like forming relationships or understanding boundaries; they might regularly experience ‘big’ emotions like anger, frustration or sadness; and they may also suffer from panic attacks, depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Fostering a culture of inclusion and support for SEMH

All children deserve to succeed, both personally and academically, and with the right systems and supports in place, we can increase the likelihood of this happening in our settings.

Sometimes, we unintentionally place limits on our expectations of those with different types of special educational needs, and left unchecked, this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy: when we place a ceiling on an individual’s capabilities, they can fall short of their innate potential.

Often, individuals with SEMH needs already find themselves on the fringes of school life, academically, socially and emotionally, so it is imperative that we do everything in our power to remove barriers and improve inclusion for every child and young person.