Sedgefield Primary School

  1. SEND Information
  2. SEND Provision

SEND Provision

Statement of Intent for Supporting Equality

At Sedgefield Primary School, all children are equally valued.  Through our school’s ethos, mission statement, aims, policies, practices and provision, we strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe. We are committed to giving all our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards.

We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and background.  We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement of different groups of learners.

To access more information in relation to ‘Durham SEND’ (Durham Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) view Durham Local Offer

 

Aims

We aim to provide a happy, healthy and safe school by:

  • Recognising, reflecting and celebrating the skills, talents and contributions of all our children, so that everyone feels secure and knows that they are valued;
  • Celebrating diversity and appreciating and valuing the differences we see in others;
  • Through our behaviour system, Family Groups and PSHE lessons, ensuring that children take responsibility for their own actions;
  • Helping children to understand that everyone has the right to learn, be cared for and be happy in school;
  • Providing high quality pastoral care, support and guidance, driven by the leadership team and PSHE Leader;
  • Safeguarding the health, safety and welfare of children with linked policies and the caring ethos of the school, which permeates all we do;
  • Listening and responding to the concerns of children and parents/carers;
  • Taking care to balance the needs of all members of the school community.

 

How We Support SEND

Sedgefield 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.

 

With the permission of parents/carers 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/carers and the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) to find ways to support each child with their needs, including giving parents/carers ideas on how to help their child at home.

Our school staff set targets for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) children which are shared with parents/carers, either during Parents’ Evening or a Review Meeting.

 

If your child has Special Educational Needs our SENCO, Mrs E Smith, will:

  • Ensure the right support is put in place for your child
  • Advise other teachers and teaching assistants on how to help your child and ensure they have an up to date Pupil Support Plan and Provision Map detailing how their needs will be met in school
  • Arrange training for staff so they understand your child’s needs
  • Work closely with you on a regular basis to talk with you about your child’s needs and listen to any ideas or concerns you might have
  • Work with other professionals (if necessary) who may be able to help your child, e.g. speech and language therapist /medical professional/educational psychologist

The Pupil Support Plan and Provision Map detail what the school, the class teacher and the SENCO plan to do to help individual children learn. All teachers are 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.

 

A Pupil Support Plan and Provision Map are written especially for any child with SEND. They 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 we will look at the child’s progress again (usually at least twice a year)

A copy of the child’s Pupil Support Plan is given to the 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 this is done with the support of the school.

An Education, Health and Care Assessment is only appropriate for a small number of children.

 

 

How do we identify and assess children with SEND?

Most children, including those with some special educational needs have their needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

A special educational need can be a number of different things. For example, a child may be having problems with reading, maths or behaviour, which can be helped by putting extra support in at school and by working in partnership with parents/carers. Difficulties 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.  Through observations and ongoing assessment our teachers may begin to have concerns about a child and therefore may suspect they have some kind of additional need.  They would discuss this with our SENCO and with parents/carers.  It may be appropriate to refer for additional assessments to be carried out by outside specialists.

At Sedgefield 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 Pupil 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.  the child will be supported as outlined in the section above.

 

Pastoral Medical and Social Support

At Sedgefield Primary School we consult with a wide range of Agencies and Partnerships to ensure the pastoral, medical and social needs of SEND children are met.

 

How we support Looked After Children (LAC) with SEND

All LAC have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which is updated regularly injunction with Local Authority staff and carers.  The PEP outlines the child's needs and how they are supported (including any Special Educational Need).

 

How we consult with our SEND pupils

The SEND children attending our school are aged 4-11 years, so consulting with them to seek their views about how we are meeting their needs has to be age appropriate.

We use the following strategies:

  • Make close observations during school to identify the types of activities and experiences that most engage each child so these can be developed further and be used inform future planning
  • Involve SEND children with planning their own activities and encouraging them to share what they would like to learn and participate in
  • Extend any resources that they show a preference for
  • Most importantly, ensure the children with SEND are happy, motivated and make expected levels of progress throughout their time in school.

 

Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support.  Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

  • Termly parents/ carers evenings;
  • Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;
  • An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
  • Through a review of a child’s SEND Support Plan or the Annual Review of their Statement of SEND or EHC Plan.

 

Additional Help

Please contact the school to arrange an appointment with Mrs E. Smith (SENCO - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) if you require additional help or support.

 

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