ABSTRACT
The key characteristic of Stage Three is the involvement of one or more external specialists to provide advice and support to help the pupil make progress. Occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists may all have a role to play in Stage Three assessments, but may be restricted by their own terms and conditions of employment from getting directly involved in new cases in a school. Teachers should be willing to alert the special educational needs co ordinator (SENCO) to incidents they have witnessed around the school involving a child at Stage Three, particularly if it involves bullying or teasing. Parent consultation evenings can be a nightmare for parents of children with significant special educational needs, particularly in secondary school. In many respects the structure of the individual education plan (IEP) at Stage Three is identical to that at Stage Two, with the specific addition of the involvement of the external specialists.
