We understand that children learn and develop in different ways. Teachers and teaching assistants recognise this and use different teaching styles, resources and plan different levels of work in the classroom to cater for the various ways children learn. However, many children, at some time in their school life, need extra help.
Because of this we offer the following support for SEND children:
We talk to parents/carers if they think their child has a special educational need and let them know what special help the school is giving. Mr Bell is appointed as the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
We have a written Special Educational Needs Policy – a copy should be made available for parents and is included on this website.
Each child’s teacher will be finding ways to support them such as:
- Changing the way activities are planned and delivered
- Matching activities to the ability / need of each child (differentiation)
- Adapting learning materials such as equipment and activities to suit each child’s needs
- Offer small group support to promote skills identified in the child’s Individual Education Plan
With the permission of parents we may seek additional advice from outside specialists such as health professionals, specialist teachers or educational psychologists who would:
- Carry out further assessment of the child’s needs
- Provide advice to schools on how to best support the child
- Suggest resources that would help the child make progress
Our teachers/teaching assistants work in partnership with parents and the SENCO to find ways to support each child with their needs, including giving parents ideas on how to help their child at home
Our school staff will set targets for SEND children which will be shared with parents, either during Parents’ Evening or a Review Meeting.
If your child has Special Educational Needs our SENCO will:
- Ensure the right support is put in place for each child
- Advise other teachers and teaching assistants on how to help each child and ensure they have an up to date Individual Education Plan detailing how their needs will be met in school
- Arrange training for staff so they understand each child’s needs
- Work closely with parents on a regular basis to talk with them about their child’s needs and listen to any ideas or concerns they might have
- Work with other professionals (if necessary) who may be able to help individual children, e.g. speech and language therapist /medical professional/educational psychologist
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) / Provision Map details what the school, the class teacher and the SENCO plan to do to help individual children learn. All teachers should be aware that children learn in different ways. Some need to work at a slower pace to ensure they fully understand one thing before they move onto something new.
An Individual Education Plan will be written especially for any child with SEND. It should include:
- Short term targets for the child which are linked to their needs
- Details of any extra support the child will get
- Who will give the child help
- How often the child will get help
- How and when the school will look at the child’s progress again (usually at least twice a year)
It is good practice for schools to share copies of Individual Education Plans with parents / carers.
If a child’s needs are very complex and/or severe we may ask the Local Authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care Assessment:
- This is a very detailed assessment of each child’s needs.
- Parents or carers, the school and a range of professionals will all be asked to provide written reports.
- At the end of the assessment phase the Local Authority will consider these reports to help decide whether or not to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan for the child.
- Parents/carers also have the right to ask the Local Authority to carry out this assessment although it is usually best if you can do this with the support of the school.
- Education, Health and Care Assessment is only appropriate for a small number of children. Your school SENCO or the Parent Partnership Service will be able to advise you about this.
If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
