At St George’s, we use the definition of Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) given in the SEN Code of practice (2015):

“A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made to him or her.

A child or young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:

• Has significantly greater difficulty 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.

Special education provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age.’

The main areas of SEND encompass the following four broad areas:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
• Sensory and/or physical needs

Many children will have an overlap of their needs and will fall into multiple categories.

• When a child enters our school, we gather as much evidence as possible to enable the school to identify the needs as quickly and as early as possible. This process includes gathering information from parents, previous settings and any other relevant agencies involved before the child starts at the school.
• All pupils are monitored by their class teacher to effectively identify any difficulties which cannot be overcome within the normal classroom routines. Staff will complete a monitoring form and share their concerns with the SENCO and parents to ensure the child receives support.
• Concerns are raised with the SENCO when a child's progress is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline, fails to match or better the child's previous rate of progress or when the attainment gap between the child and their peers widens of fails to close.
• Parents who have concerns about their child's progress are encouraged to share these with the class teacher.

• The teachers regularly assess the needs of all children by looking at their day-to-day classwork and termly assessments. This information is used by staff to build a detailed knowledge of each pupil's strengths and areas for development.
• Progress is carefully tracked and discussed during pupil progress meetings, moderation and book scrutinies, which are held regularly throughout the year by members of SLT.
• Some children with additional needs may need support of an individual support plan (ISP) with specific, targeted outcomes to enable staff to not only support the child, but also track their progress more closely.
• ISP targets are reviewed regularly by staff involving the child and parent. This is monitored closely by the SENCO who provides additional support where required. 

• During the Autumn and Spring term, parents are invited into school to see their child's work and to make an appointment to meet with the teacher to discuss their child's progress. A full written report is sent home in the Summer term and parents are invited to make an appointment with the teacher if required. Parents are invited to see their child's work during our Celebration Day at the end of the year.
• All ISP's are reviewed at least termly in consultation with parents, carers and children where appropriate, and new targets are set ready for the next term.
• All ISP's are shared with parents and copies are sent home. The targets are usually able to be worked on at home too, to encourage a partnership between home and school consistency in the support being offered to the child.
• Parents are encouraged to raise concerns by email to class teachers in the first instance.
• Parents can make an appointment at any time to speak to the class teacher or SENCO by emailing the office.

At St George's we understand the importance of involving the child in their learning and endeavour to engage the child in the planning of their support whenever possible

• At the start of the year each child meets with their teacher to draw up a One Page Profile giving details of their likes & dislikes, strengths & aspirations and the ways they like to be supported. This forms part of their SEN profile for the year.
• Children with an Individual Support Plan are encouraged to be part of the termly meeting between the class teacher and parents or carers when the plan is reviewed.
• Children with an EHC plan are supported to review their plan before the annual review and present their review to the meeting. This might be with a picture, PowerPoint presentation or video as appropriate to their age, ability and interest.

• Provision is regularly reviewed and daa[ted by staff, supported by the SENCO & SLT
• The progress of each child is regularly tracked (See above section). The information gathered is then used to inform future planning of interventions and the support for that child to ensure the provision matches the needs of the pupil.
• The designated Governor for SEN, Mrs Olwen Shallis, liaises with the SENCO regularly and has responsibility to monitor effective implementation of the SEN policy and its impact on the pupils.

At St George's, we aim to give all children, including those with SEN, access to a rich, varied wide-ranging curriculum. To help ensure every child is meeting their potential, we adopt a wide range of approaches to support children's learning including:

• Lessons which are carefully planned, differentiated and tailored to suit all children.
• Creating stimulating environments both in and outdoors.
• A variety of visual and sensory resources to support learning.
• Personalised provision for all pupils, including those with SEN and/or disabilities
• Adult support is planned and adapted by the class teacher. This may be delivered through an LSA, or a qualified teacher working within the classroom, or where appropriate, this teaching may take place in a more suitable environment.
• We make reasonable adjustments to enable children with SEND to access trips and extracurricular activities with appropriate support, enabling them to have equal access and opportunities. 

• The SENCO attends relevant courses and meetings and signposts relevant SEN-focused external training opportunities for all staff.
• The SENCO provides relevant training and updates for staff during staff meetings and shares useful information and resources via Google Drive.
• SLT ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities as well as the identified needs of individual children.
• We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practices in relation to meeting the needs of all children. 
• External professionals with expertise in areas of SEN are consulted and work in partnership with the school staff.
• Where the family feel they may need additional support beyond school, an EHFSA is completed in order to enlist the most appropriate outside agencies.

At St George’s we believe that, with the correct support, all children are able to progress. We try to ensure that all barriers to equal access in our schools are removed or overcome through quality-first teaching. Class teachers are responsible for planning work and provision for each child, working closely with support staff to deliver high-quality first teaching daily to children and, in most cases, children with SEND work within the classroom alongside and with children who do not have SEN. The SENCO, and specialists from external agencies when appropriate, provide support with further assessment and/or advice on effective support to ensure we meet all the children’s needs

This may involve:

• Use of appropriate resources.
• Interventions for speech & language, social groups, motor skills as well as additional sessions for English & Maths.
• Additional adult support within the classroom, to reinforce comprehension of learning tasks and aid curriculum access, but also encourage independence.
• Where necessary, some 1:1 adult support
• Individual-based provision tailored to a child’s specific needs.
• In cases where the child is unable to access the curriculum within the classroom, then a bespoke programme of study is designed and, if required, additional arrangements are made for assessments and examinations.
• Homework set is appropriate to the child’s ability and needs and designed to help the parents in their support of their child.
• If the child’s needs require it, then a home/school book is implemented or an adult may hand information to the parent at the end of the day.

• Decisions concerting support are discussed with parents, staff and, where appropriate, external specialists as well as the child themselves.
• For some children with complex needs, the school receives additional funding from the Local Authority through an individual Education Healthcare Plan (EHCP). In these cases, the Head Teacher & SENCO base the child's additional support on the statutory provision and strategies detailed within the EHCP document.

The school has built strong working relationships with many external specialist services.
These include:

• The Education Psychologist (EP) who is in regular contact with the SENCO.
• Early Help Family Support Services (EHFSS)
• Local Authority (LA) advisors and support teachers – including a visual impairment team, a hearing advisory team.
• Parallel Learning Trust (PLT)
• The Speech & Language Therapy Service
• The NHS: GP's, school nursing, continence team, specialist nurses, occupational and physiotherapy teams, including The Lighthouse Centre.
• The NELFT Emotional Wellbring and Mental Health Service (EWMHS)
• Social Care
• Attendance Officer
• Brentwood Catholic Children's Society

• The school building is fully wheelchair accessible.
• We have an allocated accessible parking space in the school car park. 
• The school have two disabled toilets, one with a mechanical changing bed and hoist. Both have shower/wet room facilities.
• We ensure all classrooms create a positive, welcoming environment to enable all children to assess the curriculum and resources they require to achieve.
• All classrooms have an area outside for children requiring a quieter area or to enable tailored activities & resources.
• The SENCO has an office where children can concentrate on assessments or activities.

When needed. There are a number of intervention spaces throughout the school which are used regularly to work with children either individually or as a small group.

At St George’s, we aim to provide an environment where each child can feel safe, secure and enjoy school in a nurturing environment.

All staff work proactively to prevent bullying incidents. We recognise that children with SEND could be vulnerable to bullying. Our whole school approach to bullying acknowledges this vulnerability. Where there are concerns about bullying, these will be recorded and investigated, addressed and monitored by staff, where necessary, in line with the school’s anti – bullying policy.

All staff work exceptionally hard to raise self-esteem of vulnerable children by giving encouragement and recognising their effort and achievements. When needed, children are given time to talk through situations they find difficult and activities to support emotional and social development. Ongoing support can be provided and, when necessary, referrals for more specialist advice or support will be made. This may include:

• School counsellor (Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society)
• Social skills groups
• Early Help
• Educational Psychologist
• EWMHS
• Support from the Parallel Learning Trust (PLT)
• Rainbows

When a child’s needs require the involvement of Social Care, we are committed to working together with all relevant agencies and parents/carers to ensure the child and their family are fully supported.

At St George’s Catholic Primary School, we work closely with local pre-schools and secondary schools in order to ensure a smooth transition between educational settings.

If your child is joining us in Reception with identified needs, we will:

• Invite you and any other professionals involved to a meeting with the SENCO prior to your child starting at our school.
• Liaise with your child’s pre-school
• Invite your child to attend transition sessions.
• Visit your child in their pre-school setting (where possible)

If a child with an identified SEN transfers to St George’s from another school,

• Parents are invited to meet with the SENCO to discuss the needs of the child and to find ways to make the transition as successful as possible.
• Efforts are made to contact the previous setting to obtain all records and information as soon as possible.

Towards the end of each academic year, arrangements are made to ensure all children have a smooth transition into their next school year. This includes:

• Sessions for all children with their new teacher in the summer term
• Where possible, joint activities across year groups.
• Dedicated handover sessions for staff to pass on all relevant information to their new teacher.
• The SENCO ensures all relevant information about any child is shared with the correct staff members.
• Arrange a meeting for you with the new class teacher if needed.
• Produce a transition booklet with photos of the new classroom and the new teacher if needed.

If your child is moving to another school, we will:

• Contact the school SENCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child.
• Make sure that all records about your child are passed on, in a secure manner, as soon as possible.

If your child is moving to secondary school;

• A programme of events is planned annually with secondary schools to ensure that our pupils make a successful transition from Year 6 to Year 7.
• In year 5 there will usually be an opportunity to spend a day at either St. Thomas More or St. Bernard’s to enable all pupils to experience secondary school life. For pupils with SEND, they will be accompanied by their class teacher or their Learning Support Assistant if required.
• Our Year 6 teacher and SENCO will be able to guide you through the process of applying to secondary school and support you if you require assistance in completing the necessary paperwork.
• If your child has an EHC Plan then our Senco will arrange the Year Six annual review for the first half term in order that a suitable transition plan can be put in place.
• Our SENCO will invite the SENCO of your child’s secondary school, if known, to attend their final Annual Review so you will have the opportunity to meet them and discuss any concerns you may have regarding transition.
• The secondary school will arrange for your child to visit their new school and usually a teacher from the secondary school will come to St George’s to meet your child and discuss their needs with the child’s class teacher. Additional visits can be arranged if required.
• Copies of relevant SEN paperwork are transferred to secondary schools in the summer term, prior to the child leaving.

Where a child is looked after by the local authority and has SEN, the PEP targets will reflect the specific educational needs of the child.  The designated teacher and the SENCO will work together in supporting the child and their carers.

Pupils with SEN are allocated places in two separate and distinct ways. 

• Those pupils with statements or Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have a separate admissions procedure overseen by the SEN team at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.
• Those pupils who have SEND but do not have a statement or EHCP are admitted via the normal school admission criteria.

• In addition to the termly ISP meetings, parents are welcome to discuss any issues with the class teacher or the SENCo. Please make an appointment by emailing the school.
• If these issues are unable to be resolved or addressed, then the next person to contact would be the headteacher. 
• If, after this, the issue hasn’t been resolved, the school’s complaints policy is available here.

As stated in the government guidance:

‘Where a class, group or small number of pupils need to self-isolate, or there is a local lockdown requiring pupils to remain at home, we expect schools to have the capacity to offer immediate remote education’.

Should there be a case for children to work from home, St George’s will ensure:

• Work will be set by class teachers. It will take in to account the needs of the pupils in their classes and will follow a well-sequenced curriculum so that knowledge and skills are built incrementally, with a good level of clarity about what is intended to be taught and practised in each subject.
• Teachers will check work regularly to gauge how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum.
• Regular contact with children via Google Meet or a Telephone call, to ensure that pupils’ outcomes are kept at the forefront and that their emotional needs are being met.
• Class teachers will set work and provide resources for individual SEND children relating to the outcomes/targets on their EHCP or SEND support plans.
• We will provide printed resources, such as workbooks and worksheets for pupils who do not have suitable online access.

Parents of SEND pupils may continue to require our support at this time and the staff will maintain contact by telephone, email and Google Meet. The SENCO can be reached via office@st-georges.southend.sch.uk

Resources that support our pupils’ SEND needs will be uploaded on to the school website in the SEND section. These will continue to be updated throughout the school year.

External agencies will become involved if necessary following the usual graduated response process detailed above.

The Southend-on-sea Local Offer can be found on the Livewell Southend website. This gives lots of information about the services Southend provides for people with SEND.

Special arrangements due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on the school website.