Questions and Answers
What is a Special Educational Need?
The SEN Code of Practice (2015) states that a child or young person has a Special Educational Need if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
Children or young people of compulsory school age have a learning difficulty or disability, if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or they have 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, for children aged 2 or more, 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 by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers.
For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind.
What is a disability?
The SEN Code of Practice (2015) defines a disability as
“a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”
What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?
The first thing to do is to talk to your child’s class teacher about your concerns. The class teacher will make a record of your concerns on our Initial Concern Form, discuss them with Mrs Long (SENCO) and copy the form to you. Actions as noted on the Initial Concern Form will be implemented and reviewed as noted. Should you wish to contact Mrs Long please do so via email or telephone.
What happens if my child is identified as having Special Educational Needs and / or a disability?
You will be asked to make an appointment to meet with Mrs Long (SENCO) in order to discuss what support will be put in place for your child. Further discussion will also be had regarding procedures and policy related to SEND.
Your child will be listed on the school’s SEND register and you will be informed of this formally in a letter from Mrs Long. A record of the additional support being given to your child will be kept and this will be shared with you. This record will take the form of an Individual Education Plan, a Behaviour Support Plan or a Care Plan. These documents will be co-produced and reviewed with you, your child and relevant staff.
Which school staff will be involved with my child if they have Special Educational Needs or a Disability?
Depending on the nature of the needs of your child, in addition to their Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant(s) working in your child’s class / Key Stage other staff within the school may also be involved. For example; other teachers, teaching assistants and midday staff. Anyone who needs to be aware of your child’s needs and strategies for supporting them will be given the relevant information.
Mrs Long (SENCO) will be responsible for overseeing the provision for your child.
Mrs Chiswell (Head Teacher) will be aware of your child’s needs and may be directly involved.
What should I do if I am concerned or unsure about the support my child is getting?
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s support first speak to your child’s class teacher. If you still have concerns, contact Mrs Long (SENCO).
How can I help my child?
Your child’s class teacher will discuss ways for you to help your child and many of these will be outlined in information given to all parents at the start of each school year. Reading with your child and practicing skills they have learned in school is often helpful and additionally your child may have activities specified on their individual plans for you to do with them. It is also important that your child is prepared for school each day. Try to ensure they have enough sleep the night before and arrive at school on time having had breakfast. If there have been any particular difficulties or upsets, please pass this information to the class teacher discretely so as not to further upset your child.
Will my child ‘catch up’ with the other children?
Some children are identified as having a Special Educational Need for a short time and do go on to ‘catch up’ These children would then be removed from the SEND register.
Other children move up or down the stages of SEND but may never attain at the same level as other children their age. It is important to remember that all children are different and average levels of achievement are averages. What is important is that your child is valued as an individual and progress is made according to their ability.
What happens if my child has a medical condition?
Health professionals provide training for relevant members of staff in relation to individual children’s specific medical needs. A large number of school staff are also First Aid trained.
Relevant information about your child’s condition will be shared with staff as appropriate. A care plan may be drawn up for your child. This may be written by members of school staff with your input and where appropriate the input of medical professionals. Alternatively, it may be written by medical professionals. Please also refer to the school policy regarding medicines
As a parent / carer of a child who has a Special Educational Need or a Disability what can I expect from the school?
We believe that supporting your child works best when parents and school work together and we will always seek to develop a positive partnership with you. We know that having a child who has SEND can be challenging. We will offer you support to access further services which may be of help to you and your family and the best we can for your child.
We provide; explanations of policy and procedures, the opportunity for you to speak briefly to staff working with your child at the end of the school day and in some circumstances at the start of the day. There is the opportunity for you to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team who is meeting and greeting in the morning outside school and the opportunity for you to make appointments to meet with your child’s class teacher and / or Mrs Long (SENCO) at any mutually convenient time.
Information regarding SEND (e.g. locally run courses, support group activities and information) which may be of interest to you will be shared via platforms such as the school website, school messaging services and / or email.