Ordinarily available provision (OAP) is support available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is support is provided while they attend mainstream schools, colleges and early years settings.
Education providers must have OAP that is flexible and responsive to the individual needs of each student. They should work closely with parents, carers, and professionals to identify and deliver the correct level of support. This includes developing comprehensive profiles of need. This will ensure appropriate tailored provision for each child or young person.
As education professionals, you support children and young people through the SEND Code of Practice. This means implementing OAP when needs are identified. This can occur even while formal assessment processes may be ongoing.
We encourage you to:
- regularly review your OAP
- clearly document it in your SEND Information Report
- align it with local authority guidance to ensure consistency of approach.
You can enhance your provision by collaborating with your Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo). You can also access further training and resources through local authority SEND support services.