Policy for Special Educational Needs 2022

At St George’s we believe that we offer a safe and loving environment for both adults and children to learn and achieve to their highest level possible. Through our planning and teaching we help children develop skills, knowledge and understanding, recognising that all children are special and all children have needs.

As a school we recognise that all children learn in different ways and at differing speeds and that some children can have a variety of barriers to learning for which they will need to have support and provision in place which takes into consideration their particular difficulties.

Some children have special educational needs and therefore may need additional or different help from that given to other children of the same age, either throughout or at any time during their school careers. Teachers make provision for these children to enable them to participate effectively in curriculum and assessment activities. This policy ensures that curriculum planning and assessment for children with special educational needs takes account of the type and extent of the difficulty experienced by the child.

Legislation and Guidance

This policy and information report is based on the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and the following legislation:

• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which sets out schools’ responsibilities for pupils with SEN and disabilities
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, which set out schools’ responsibilities for education, health and care (EHC) plans, SEN co-ordinators (SENCOs) and the SEN information report

Definition of Special Educational Needs:

A pupil has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the others of the same age, or
• A disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools

Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is ‘additional to and different from’, that provided within the differentiated curriculum to better respond to the four areas of need identified in the SEN Code of Practice (2014).

• Communication and interaction, for example, autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, speech and language difficulties 
• Cognition and learning, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia,
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 
• Sensory and/or physical needs, for example, visual impairments, hearing impairments, processing difficulties, epilepsy 

Roles and Responsibilities

The SENCO

The school employs a Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) Mrs. C. Wallen, who can be contacted through the office on 01702 293522

They will:

• Work with the headteacher and SEN governor to determine the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision in the school
• Have day-to-day responsibility for the operation of this SEN policy and the co-ordination of specific provision made to support individual pupils with SEN, including those who have EHC plans
• Provide professional guidance to colleagues and work with staff, parents, and other agencies to ensure that pupils with SEN receive appropriate support and high-quality teaching
• Advise on the graduated approach to providing SEN support
• Advise on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
• Be the point of contact for external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
• Liaise with potential next providers of education to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• Work with the headteacher and Local Governing Committee to ensure that the school meets its  responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to reasonable adjustments  and access arrangements
• Ensure the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date

The SEN governor

The SEN governor will:

• Help to raise awareness of SEN issues at governing board meetings
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEN and disability provision within the school and update the governing board on this
• Work with the headteacher and SENCO to determine the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision in the school

The headteacher

The headteacher will:

• Work with the SENCO and SEN governor to determine the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision within the school
• Have overall responsibility for the provision and progress of learners with SEN and/or a disability 

Class teachers

 Each class teacher is responsible for:

• The progress and development of every pupil in their class
• High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils
• Working closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching
• Working with the SENCO to review each pupil’s progress and development and decide on any changes to provision
• Ensuring they follow this SEN policy

Identifying pupils with SEN and assessing their needs

We will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose 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
• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• Widens the attainment gap

This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs.

Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN.

When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed.

Provision

We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review to assess and review pupils’ progress towards outcomes.

The class teacher will work with the Inclusion Leader to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour 
• Other teachers’ and additional assessments, where relevant
• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• The views and experience of parents
• The pupil’s own views
• Advice from external support services, if relevant 

The assessment will be reviewed regularly. 

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required are identified on the pupil’s individual support plan. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress, termly reviews with parents are held to review individual support plans. 

Pupils identified with SEN are initially identified as SEN Support. If, following additional and different from provision the attainment gap grows and rate of progress does not improve a statutory assessment may be requested whereby a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning provision and identifying resources, is required and may result in an Education, Health Care Plan being written to support the provision to meet an individual’s needs appropriately. 

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plan)  

• Following Statutory Assessment, an EHC Plan will be provided by Southend Borough Council, if it is decided that the child’s needs are not being met by the support that is ordinarily available. The school and the child’s parents will be involved developing and producing the plan. 
• Parents have the right to appeal against the content of the EHC Plan. They may also appeal against the school named in the Plan if it differs from their preferred choice. 
• Once the EHC Plan has been completed and agreed, it will be kept as part of the pupil’s formal record and reviewed at least annually by staff, parents and the pupil. The annual review enables provision for the pupil to be evaluated and, where appropriate, for changes to be put in place, for example, reducing or increasing levels of support. 

Consulting and involving pupils and parents

St George’s Catholic Primary School believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital to the process of identification and meeting the needs of pupils with SEN. We will have an early discussion with the pupil and their parents when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
• We take into account the parents’ concerns
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are

Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s individual support plan and shared with their parents. 

We will formally notify parents when it is decided that a pupil will receive SEN support and involve them in the process if it is decided that a statutory assessment of need may be required to support them further.

If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child. The school’s SEN Governor may be contacted at any time in relation to SEN matters. 

The S.E.N. policy is available for parents who can make appointments to see the class teacher, the Head or the SENCO to discuss any concerns. Parents of pupils on Code of Practice levels are invited to meet the class teacher in school or online when reviews or new One Page Profiles are being completed to place on record their comments about their child’s progress and opinion on the child’s future requirements.

Access to the curriculum, information and associated services 

Pupils with SEN will be given access to the curriculum through high quality teaching, reasonable adjustments and the specialist SEN provision provided by the school, as far as possible taking into account the wishes of their parents and the needs of the individual.

The school curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. This includes learning outside the classroom.  The spiritual needs of pupils with S.E.N. are well catered for within the school’s R.E. policy and also in parochial preparation of children receiving the Sacraments.

The school will seek advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils, from external support services.

Complaints procedure 

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the Headteacher or SENCO, who will be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint

In-service training (CPD) 

We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with SEN. 

The SENCO attends relevant SEN courses, SEN Cluster Group meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff.  We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEN issues. The SENCO, with the senior leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision management.

Links with other agencies and voluntary organisations 

St George’s Primary School invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEN. The SENCO is the designated person responsible for liaising with the following:

• Education Psychology Service 
• Social Services 
• Speech and Language Service 
• Specialist Outreach Services
• Health Care Professionals, such as the Occupational Therapist

Monitoring arrangements

This policy and information report will be reviewed by the SENCO in line with school policy. It will be approved by the governing board. 

All SEN provision takes account of St. George’s School’s desire to be fully Inclusive no matter what level of learning or physical ability the children have. This will be considered with reference to the Equal Opportunities Policy to ensure equal access to all aspects of school life.

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This policy was agreed by the Governing Body in March 2021

Review date  March 2024