Special Educational Needs & Difficulties (SEND)

SEN Governor's Report

The SEN Governor’s Report below can be downloaded or a printed copy can be requested from the school office.

SEND Policy

Our SEND Policy can be downloaded from Statutory Policies or a printed copy can be requested from the school office.

Commonly Asked Questions

Below are a selection of commonly asked questions about SEND. If you wish to know more or have any specific questions please contact our SENDCo, Heather Wright, via the school office.

office.5200@shenington.oxon.sch.uk

What are Special Educational Needs and Difficulties (SEND)?

A child has special educational needs and difficulties if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child is considered to have a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
or
has 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

SEND Code of Practice 0-25 Years (DfE/DoH 2015)

Who is in charge of SEND in our school?

Teachers are responsible for the progress that all children make in their class. All members of staff contribute to identifying SEND and supporting those with SEND. The Special Educational Needs and Difficulties Coordinator (SENDCo), Mrs Heather Wright, has the responsibility of the day to day coordination and management of SEND. The SENDCo assists class teachers and parents in developing inclusive practice, designing further adaptations and accessing specialist resources if they are needed.

How is SEND identified?

Early identification of SEND needs is crucial. Parents know their children best so as a school we have regular meetings with parents and rely on information provided to us to identify if a child has SEND. In our school, we believe that inclusive teaching is the first step in responding to any possible educational needs and difficulties and we regularly monitor teaching to make sure that practice is inclusive. The SENDCo, as part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), meets with the Head Teacher and each class teacher on a termly basis to review learning progress data for all children in the class (Class Review). During these reviews the possibility of a child having SEND is discussed and further checks are carried out, for example, detailed lesson observations by the SENDCo and a review of interventions. We will also consider whether a further, more specialist, external assessment for SEND is necessary.

What happens if my child is not making the same progress as other children?

If a child is falling behind, or not responding to inclusive teaching, we will bring together all the information we have about the child’s educational needs and difficulties and share this with parents. The school uses Oxfordshire County Council’s ‘Identifying and Supporting Educational Needs’ handbook (2014) as way of identifying if there is a SEND and what levels of support are required. The handbook helps us to make sure we are offering the provision expected from all schools in Oxfordshire. There are four broad areas of SEND:

Communication and Interaction Needs
Cognition and Learning Needs
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs
Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Following further consultation with parents, the child meeting the descriptors in the handbook and checks on teaching and learning, the child will be placed on the schools SEND register. This is shared with the Local Authority.

My child has SEND, what provision does our school offer?

For pupils with SEND the school offers a ‘graduated’ approach. Once a child is placed on the register then appropriate steps are put in place to support them. All children are individual, so it is important that we respond to their needs. Some children will respond well to minor adaptations whilst, others may need specialist support and input. Working closely with external agencies helps us to design the most appropriate support for children on our register. Adaptations can include:

Use of individual, pair or small group work
Individualised or small group interventions for specific skills and learning needs
Visual aids and multisensory resources to support understanding and progress
Adaptations to the physical environment providing access to learning

What specific resources does our school offer?

A wide range of support is available. Here are some examples:

Cognition and Learning

Literacy:
- Rapid Reading, Dandelion and Talisman graded book series - individual and small group
- Read Write Inc phonics programme - individual and small group
- Precision Teaching - individual
- Write from the Start - individual fine motor skills
- Pre-Teaching Vocabulary - individual vocabulary, speaking and listening focus
- LAP Pack - individual literacy programme
Maths:
- Springboard Maths - small group programme
- GAP Maths - individual concept development
- Numicon - individual and small group place value and concept development

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEAL - small group support in key stage one and two groups
Therapeutic Stories - individual and small group, dealing with anxieties
Walk and Talk - individual nurture work with key worker
Meet and Greet - individual, for when coming to school is hard
Working with Parents - support for parenting and dealing with challenging behaviour
Play therapist - individual

Communication and Interaction

Visual Support - timetables and ‘now and next’ cards to help structure the day
Photo books - to help plan for change and transition times
Pre-Teach - to reduce anxiety in new situations or teach vocabulary to aid participation
Social Stories - individually written personalised stories to help social understanding and eliminate unwanted behaviour

Sensory and Physical

Outside access - different sensory needs
Alternatives to written formats - ICT and Scribe
Keyworkers - individual support for pupils with complex medical needs, appropriate training is given based on need

What specialist support does our school offer?

We have a SENDCo and a team of teachers and teaching assistants, many of whom have specific areas of expertise and further qualifications. The school also has access to external specialist support services:

Educational Psychology – Laura Riberzani
Language and Communication Advisory Support
Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS); Physical Disability Team, Visual, Hearing Impairment Team, Communication and Interaction Team
School Health Nurse
SEND ICT and Augmentative and Alternative Communication Team
PCAMHs consultation and referral
Early Intervention Hub
Strong links with ‘The Warriner SENDCo Network’ and Swalcliffe Park School (residential school for boys with Autistic Spectrum Conditions)

Further services can be accessed through Oxfordshire County Council’s Local Offer.

How do we make sure our provision is as good as it can be?

We monitor our provision through regular reviews with parents, data analysis, work scrutiny and lesson observations. We often buy in consultants and outside agencies to help us do this. We monitor pupil progress through Class Reviews and review the success of interventions and provision maps. The school is committed to providing high quality professional development for staff and this is the best way of making sure our teachers can offer inclusive practice. We access a lot of our training through the Inclusion Development Programmes and The Warriner Partnership Training Programme.

How can I support my child?

There are lots of ways you can help. The best way to help is to talk to the teachers and let them know your concerns. Don’t be afraid to share information that might be useful to the school. Feel free to ask your child’s teacher for their advice and support, as they can arm you with lots of ideas and tips.

Who can support me with my child's SEND?

The school recognises that having a child with SEND can be worrying and we help parents by our close relationship. We have lots of links with local and national support groups (see Useful Contacts below) who have parent groups and networks and lots of useful tips. The SENDCo is always happy to talk to you to help you identify which direction to go in to access more help.

Who do I talk to if I am worried about my child or the provision offered?

A parent’s first point of contact is always the class teacher. Most concerns can be easily addressed this way but if you would prefer you can talk to the SENDCo or the Head Teacher. The school encourages parents to share their concerns. If you need more support in meetings at school we can put you in touch with SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service) (formerly Parent Partnership) who are happy to help.

What happens when my child moves year group or leaves to secondary school?

We offer extra transition visits to help children cope with changes like moving class or school. Children spend time in their new classes before the end of the year and we provide photo books to help them get to know new staff or new rooms.

We have well established transfer arrangements for Secondary School and can arrange additional visits for pupils. We have strong links with The Warriner, via the Warriner Partnership, however we will support parents with their choice of Secondary School.

What is an Education, Health and Care Plan?

Statements of Special Educational Needs have been replaced by Education, Health and Care plans (EHC) for children with the most complex needs. These plans led by the Local Authority are schools developed and reviewed by schools.

How do we get feedback from your child?

The children have an opportunity to give feedback on their learning at regular intervals and formally at every review point of their pupil profile (3 times a year).

How are Governors involved?

The Governor responsible for SEND makes 2/3 visits per year to monitor the provision and reports back to the Governing Body in a report. They challenge the impact of the SEND provision.

Medical Requirements

If your child has a medical need or requires medicine, please refer to our SEND Medical Policies.

Accessibility

Our Access Plan promotes and ensures equal opportunities for all. We have good access for wheelchairs and there is a toilet designated for the disabled.

Our Access Plan can be found in Statutory Policies or a printed copy can be requested from the school office.

Admissions

For information on admissions for pupils with SEND, please see our Admission Policy on the Admissions page or a printed copy can be requested from the school office.

Equal Opportunities

Our Single Equality Policy can be found in Statutory Policies or a printed copy can be requested from the school office.

Useful Contacts

Special Educational Needs and Difficulties Coordinator (SENDCo) – Heather Wright (contact via the school office).

Oxfordshire County Council's website details the Local Offer and signposts lots of useful support for parents.

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service) (formerly Parent Partnership): SENDIASS@oxfordshire.gov.uk or 01865 810516 (term–time only).

There are lots of national and local support groups if your child has a diagnosis or a disability, including:

Glossary of SEND Terms