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Frequently asked questions
What is screening?
A screening is a short, strategically designed one-to-one assessment. It aims to identify a profile of strengths and weaknesses which can help guide professionals and parents-carers to better understand the child or young person in their care. The NCIM screening protocol does not seek to diagnose, or to look for the likelihood of meeting a threshold for diagnosis.
Which children should be screened?
Every child should be screened. We have been trained on a model that SEND is obvious and observable. It often isn't. Just like a doctor cannot tell if a person has high blood pressure without testing for it. The same is true for a child's educational needs. Because of this, everyone needs screening.
Who can screen?
Any educational professional who has been trained and feels confident to work with a child or young person in this way can screen. It requires good literacy and numeracy skills and it requires being able to build trusting and respectful relationships quickly. If someone wants to screen for exam Access Arrangements then a further qualification is needed.
Does it cost to screen?
It can do, in both time and resources. However, the book 'No Child is Missed, No Child Misses Out' has been written to reduce that cost significantly. If you explore the Get Started and the Resources pages, you will find tools to use freely. You can also sign up for access to the Get Started pack to help you. This keeps the cost as low as possible to just time - and even this has been carefully curated for you so it is minimised.
Why is screening so important?
Screening children allows us to know and understand each child and to be able to meet their needs. Most children just need tweaks to personalise their education journey which allows them to thrive. Screening allows us to consider the needs of our classes and year groups better, too. When we understand everyone, we build inclusive settings where children and young people learn, achieve, feel happy, attend and want to belong.
Where can I learn more about screening?
Hooray! Well, you've come to just the right place. The best thing to do is to get hold of a copy of the book as it will give you a strong grounding in the theory and practice. Once you've got that, then you'll find the pages on this website much easier to understand and navigate. There's also blogs and podcasts so you can immerse yourself in how to introduce screening into your setting. Of course, you can also give us a shout-out on social media if you've got a burning question and you can't find an answer.
"a book I wish I'd had as a SENCO"
David Bartram OBE
"so necessary as a practical guide for teachers and leaders"
Margaret Mulholland, ASCL SEND & Inclusion Policy Lead
Tools and Training
Click on the sections below to access tools and training to help you get started.
Many resources in this section are free but some are costed.
"so many issues covered - fascinating"
Dr Emily McGhee - SENCO
"I am itching to share this book with my early years team!"
Kiri Turner, Nursery Manager and Early Years SENCO
"Do the best you can until you know better.
Then when you know better, do better."
Maya Angelou
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All advice on this website, including links to external websites, is provided in good faith to help and support you in developing an effective screening process in your setting. It is not intended as a complete substitute for specialist advice for an individual so we encourage you to seek expert guidance if you are concerned about a child or young person. For more information, please read our full Disclaimer here.