SEND
This page is designed to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about our school policies and provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). If you need any more information, please see our SEND Policy or contact the relevant school staff:
Headteacher – Stuart Spendlow
SENDCo - Bethan Hensman
SEND Local Offer (click here).
Ethos
The Governing Body and staff of Edward Richardson Primary School are committed to providing an appropriate, inclusive and high quality education to all of our children. We recognise that pupils learn at different rates and that there could be factors affecting achievement and progress; including ability, emotional state, wellbeing, age and maturity. We understand that many pupils, at some time in their journey at our school may experience difficulties. This may affect their learning and we recognise that these difficulties may be long or short term.
All children, including those who have (or may have) SEND have an entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, that is accessible to them. They should be fully included in all aspects of school life. We aim to give every child the very best chance to succeed by removing barriers to learning or adapting the curriculum, so that we can prepare them for a happy and successful future. We aim to foster a sense of community and belonging and to offer new opportunities to learners, taking into account their needs, social background and past experiences. We want our children to be resilient learners who are not afraid to take risks.
Please click on the link below for the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) which underpins the school approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I think my child has Special Educational Needs?
We recognise that there are variations in normal early development which might mean a child presents differently to their peers. However, we aim to identify any special educational needs and / or disability as promptly as possible.
The SEND code of practice (2015) states that:
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability
which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or
disability if he or she:
• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of
the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of
facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions
You should always discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher in the first instance. If we think a child might have SEND, we will begin a period of monitoring and implement some targets and make some adaptations to their learning provision. It might be appropriate to undertake some assessments and / or to speak to outside professionals to help us work out the nature of child’s needs and how best to support them. When considering if a child needs SEND support we take into account:
• The pupil’s previous progress and attainment
• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• The pupil’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• The views and experience of parents
• The pupil’s own views (pupil voice)
• Specialist assessment and advice from external support services, where appropriate
• The pupil’s attendance rates at school over time.
The school SENCO and class teacher will work together to support and plan for your child.
This will be logged and you will be involved along the way.
What happens if my child starts school at Edward Richardson Primary school and they have Special Educational Needs?
If a child’s needs have already been identified, it is likely that we will have had information passed to us from a previous setting, health visitor, portage service or a therapist. We will work with parents and carers and any other professionals to plan how best to suit meet the child’s needs.
How does the school meet the needs of children with Special Educational Needs?
If school and parents agree that a child has SEND, they will be placed on the school SEN register and a support plan will be written. This will be shared with parents / carers and reviewed termly.
We use the graduated approach which is a cycle of:
Assess – Where are we now? What can the child do? What are their needs?
Plan – What are we going to do? How will this help? What do we want to achieve?
Do – Implement the plan and carefully observe the impact.
Review – Is it working? Are targets being met?
The graduated approach informs the planning for pupils for SEND and is a continuous cycle. At each review point, parents and pupils are invited to contribute; pupil and parent voices are essential and form a key part of the provision for SEND pupils. Even if child can’t yet speak to tell us their views verbally, we will be vigilant for nonverbal communication telling us their preferences.
Who will make sure my child’s needs are met?
The responsibility of day-to-day learning lies with the class teacher, and is overseen
by the SENCO and Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Most pupils with SEND have all of their needs met as part of high quality teaching within their classroom, alongside their peers.
This may include teachers making adaptations to the planned learning and / or making changes to the learning environment. Some children may take part in small group learning (intervention) outside of the classroom and this will be detailed in their support plan. Some children who do not SEND may require intervention at various times and this is classed as normal classroom practice.
What kinds of Special Educational Need can the school provide for?
SEND can be broadly split into four areas, but often children have needs in more than one area. All teachers are trained to work with pupils who have the following needs:
Communication and Interaction
Children can often find understanding language, and communicating, difficult. This could be because of a difficulty with language or a condition such as autism, auditory processing disorder or a speech/language disorder or delay.
Some children have difficulty with making accurate speech sound which may mean they have difficulty making themselves understood. We can refer pupils to the NHS Speech and Language therapy and sometimes they will provide a package of work to be delivered by school staff and reviewed by the therapist.
Some children can find social communication difficult and lack the skills needed to manage a social situation. Sometimes a child has difficulty with their social interactions and may need support to manage this. Pupils with autism would fall into this category and staff are trained in working with pupils with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder). Our school provision is supported by The Working Together Team (WTT) which is made up of outreach specialist teachers.
Cognition and Learning
A child or young person may have a specific learning difficulty and experience problems with reading and spelling (dyslexia), mathematics (dyscalculia), coordination (dyspraxia) or writing (dysgraphia). Teachers are trained to support children with difficulties that may fall into these categories, and we can access support from outreach teams.
Other difficulties may occur, for example, working memory, attention, organisation skills, problem solving, comprehension etc. Those children with more severe learning difficulties may also experience difficulty learning basic skills, which may then lead to affect their overall development.
If a pupil is not learning at the same rate as their peers or is having difficulty accessing lessons, teachers ensure that they pitch lessons to meet the needs of the individual child. Some have a completely personalised curriculum whereas others will require additional adult support to access the curriculum. We may give parents advice about how to their child at home within termly support plan review meetings.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Some children may have difficulties managing their behaviour and/or emotions. This can include low mood or problems of conduct. Some children may have recognised disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder. Other children may find it difficult to interact socially with others. They may not yet have developed the necessary social skills, cues and understanding to work or play alongside others, to manage social situations, to take turns, to listen effectively to others, to understand literal language or implied meaning.
Some pupils display difficulties within their behaviour or wellbeing. We have specialist staff in school who run wellbeing groups (ELSA), and support with behaviour that challenges. The behaviour outreach support team (BOSS) may become involved if behaviour continues to challenge.
Physical and Sensory Needs
Some children have disabilities that affect their ability to access the environment or learning on offer. This could include visual or hearing impairment, sensory processing disorder, physical disability, congenital conditions or a disability such as cerebral palsy. We aim to ensure all children can access the school environment fully regardless of their physical capabilities. The sensory impairment team (SEST) that can support us with our provision for pupils with visual or hearing difficulties.
How is SEND provision monitored?
We have internal monitoring procedures as follows:
- Guidance from the SENDCo on identifying children with SEND. This includes regular formal and informal discussion with staff alongside input and staff training delivered by our partner agencies.
- Lesson observations – to ensure high quality teaching for all and to make recommendations within the classroom day to day.
- Regular review of Support Plans.
- Pupil progress meetings between senior leaders and teachers. Progress is monitored and those making less than expected progress are picked up and issues addressed.
- Staff meetings to share ideas and support colleagues.
- Termly reviews of EHCPs (alongside the support plan review) and an official annual review which may include partner agencies and relevant professionals.
How are parents and children involved in SEND provision?
Parents / carers and children are involved in planning and reviewing. If your child has SEND you will share in:
- Termly review meetings (as a minimum).
- Collaborative review and planning meetings to adapt and revise strategies to support individual children.
- Informal discussions to celebrate individual successes. This could be this face-to-face or via a communication booklet or email.
- Discussion with your child’s teacher to provide ideas for supporting your child at home.
You can request a meeting to discuss concerns at any time. Please make an appointment through the school office.