Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
For SEND enquiries please contact Miss C Morris, SENCo - senco@standrewscofe.co.uk
What is SEND?
Pupils have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special education provision to be made for them. St Andrew’s Primary School regards pupils as having a Special Educational Need if they:
Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of pupils of the same age, or;
Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age.
Under the SEND Code of Practice 2014 pupils identified as having a special educational need (SEN) will be considered within one or more of the following categories of need:
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and Learning
- Social, Mental and Emotional Health
- Sensory and / or physical
Many pupils with sensory and/or physical disabilities may require adaptations, made as reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
How will We Help?
All pupils’ attainment and achievements are monitored by their teacher who is required to provide high quality teaching and learning opportunities differentiated for individual pupils.
Where pupils continuously make inadequate progress despite support and high quality teaching, the class teacher will work with the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) to assess if a pupil has a significant learning difficulty and agree appropriate support. In some cases it may be necessary to seek assessment by or advice from an external professional such as a specialist teacher or educational psychologist. This will always involve discussion and agreement with the pupil’s parents/carers.
Assess, Plan, Do and Review
Where a pupil is identified as having SEND, we will take action to support effective learning by re-moving barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. This SEND support will take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the graduated approach - assess, plan, do, review.
For pupils with low level special educational needs the cycle of Assess, Plan, Do and Review will fit into the regular termly assessment and planning cycle for all pupils. These are known as Pupil Progress Meetings.
Statutory Assessment of Needs (EHCP)
Where, despite the school having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities of the pupil, the child has not made expected progress, the school or parents/carers should consider requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. Where a pupil has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the Local Authority must review the plan every twelve months as a minimum. Schools have a duty to co-operate and therefore St Andrew’s Primary School will hold annual review meetings on the behalf of Devon LA and complete the appropriate paperwork for this process.
Local Offer
Parents/carers are also encouraged to visit the Devon County Council Local Offer website www.devon.gov.uk/send. This website provides valuable information about different agencies, services and resources for children, young people with SEND and their families in addition to school resources and information.
Support and Advice
Devon Information Advice & Support provide confidential and impartial information, support and training for parents and carers who have children (age 0-25 years) with additional educational needs.
Helpful Links
