Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum

How We Support SEND

Shotley Bridge Primary School prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need. All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
To promote self worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.

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.

Types of SEND

At Shotley Bridge Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:

A special educational need can be a number of different things. For example, a child may be having problems with reading, number work or behaviour, which can be helped by putting extra support in at school and by working in partnership with parents. It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for a child to use the same educational facilities that the school provides for the majority of children. For some children this may be a temporary difficulty, while others may have a long term need for special help.

Types of special educational needs can include:

General Learning Difficulties – children whose learning progresses at a slower pace
Speech and Language Difficulties
Behavioural Difficulties
Dyslexia (difficulties with reading, writing and spelling)
Dyspraxia (problems with motor skills, organisation)
Autism
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder – ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Downs Syndrome
Cerebral Palsy
Other Physical or Medical Needs

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

At Shotley Bridge Primary School, we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development.

It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of additional opportunities that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning.

For further information you can view the Teaching & Learning Policy in the School Policies section of our website.

How we identify and assess children with special educational needs

Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

At Shotley Bridge Primary School, we follow a graduated support approach which is called “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.

This means that we will:

Assess a child’s special educational needs
Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
Review the support and progress

As part of this approach, we will produce a SEN Support Plan that describes the provision that we will make to meet a child’s special educational needs and agreed outcomes. Parents and carers will be fully involved in this process.

A small percentage of children and young people with significant learning difficulties might need an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Full details can be found on the Local Offer website.

You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEN below:

Staffing and any Specialist Qualifications/Expertise

Mr Bell

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.