The BOUNCE Approach®
for SENDCOs

The child who has interventions in place and is still struggling to access learning.

The child whose behaviour plan has been reviewed repeatedly and progress remains limited.

The child who receives support from multiple professionals and continues to struggle across the school day.

The child who appears capable on paper but cannot consistently demonstrate it in practice.

The child whose attendance, wellbeing, behaviour, or engagement continues to raise concerns despite everyone’s best efforts.

The child whose needs seem more complex than any single assessment or intervention can explain.

The child who leaves you asking: “What are we missing?”

You are not missing provision.

You are not missing care.

You may simply need a wider lens.

Most SENDCOs oversee children receiving a range of support.

They have interventions.

They have plans.

They have targets.

They have reviews.

They have dedicated staff working hard to help.

Yet some children continue to struggle with learning, attendance, behaviour, emotional wellbeing, relationships, or participation.

This is often the point where SENDCOs begin asking: “What is still getting in the way?”

The BOUNCE Approach® helps explore some of the factors that may be influencing a child’s ability to access support successfully – including nervous system regulation, sensory differences, communication styles, belonging, identity, and emotional development.

The BOUNCE Approach® is a neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed framework that helps schools understand what may be influencing a child’s behaviour, regulation, learning, relationships, and sense of self.

It does not replace existing SEND systems.

It strengthens them.

SEND systems often ask: “What support does this child need?”

BOUNCE asks: “What conditions does this child need in order to benefit from that support?”

Together they create a more complete picture of the child.

Six foundations. One framework.

It helps explain why some children continue to struggle despite appropriate interventions, support plans, and provision.

It provides a framework for understanding the nervous system, sensory, communication, and identity factors that may be influencing learning, behaviour, attendance, and wellbeing.

It helps identify barriers that may not be captured through traditional academic, behavioural, or SEND assessments.

It creates a shared language across teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral staff, therapists, families, and external professionals.

It supports more effective graduated response planning by helping staff understand what may be getting in the way.

It provides practical tools that can be embedded across a whole setting, creating greater consistency for children.

It helps evidence impact in ways that matter to families, senior leaders, governors, local authorities, and inspectors.

The children BOUNCE helps us understand

When you join the Learning Portal, you are not getting a theory. You are getting a complete toolkit – over 50 CPD-certified courses, interventions, assessments, and resources, organised around the six BOUNCE pillars and available whenever you need them.