Special Education Needs and Disabilities
Our School SENCo is Miss Begley. She can be contacted on 01642 676768 or by emailing enquiries@thevillageprimary.org.uk
Message from Miss Begley
My job as SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) at Village Primary School is to work with you, your child, your child’s class teacher and sometimes specialists to help your child access their learning. We want every child to thrive here at Village and make the best possible progress that they can whilst being a part of our school. Sometimes, some children need something a little bit extra to access to the high quality teaching every child receives, or maybe they need to approach learning in a different way. If you are worried about your child, for any reason, read the information on this page or better still, please have a chat with me.
Our SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability) Information Report offers information for parents, in a single place, which helps them to understand what services they and their family can expect from a range of local agencies – including their statutory entitlements.
What is the Local Offer?
The LA Local Offer
The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 0-25. The LA refer to this as the ‘Local Offer’.
Link to local offer
Local Offer
The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
SEND FAQ
SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The Code of Practice states that:
A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability, which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has 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
- 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 or mainstream post-16 institutions
If your child is registered as having SEN this does not mean that they are not academically able. There are a range of SENDs that can be supported in different ways in school.
If we feel that your child needs extra support with their learning and there is a special educational need or disability, your child’s class teacher will contact you. You will be involved in the discussion around whether you consent to this and will be asked to sign a registration form. You will also be asked some basic question around your child’s health and development, which will support our understanding of your child’s needs. Once your child is registered as having SEND they will receive enhanced support at school which can come in many different forms.
If you have any concerns around your child’s learning and development please speak to their class teacher. If you have any outside agency involvement with your child (e.g. GP, paediatrics, speech and language, health visitor) please let your child’s class teacher know and they will be able to advise you on our next steps as a school. This may mean that the school SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator) Miss Begley will speak with you to discuss how we can support you and your child.
No. Your child can be de-registered at any time. If your child’s class teacher feels that your child has made significant progress and no longer requires extra support we will discuss removing them from the SEND register with you.
There are four categories of special educational needs and disabilities.
Cognition and Learning – this refers to the thinking skills and thought processes that a child has acquired. Learning needs can differ between subjects and situations.
Communication and Interaction – this refers to speech, language and communicating. This can also include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other diagnosed conditions.
Sensory and Physical – this can include hearing loss/impairment, visual impairment, sensory processing difficulties and physical difficulties. There is a variety of reasons for these needs including congenital conditions, injury or disease.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health – this is a broad term which refers to the social interactions, emotional well-being and mental health of pupils.
At Village Primary School we endeavour to deliver first high quality teaching and learning for all our pupils. If your child is registered as having SEND your child will receive support in school. This usually involves extra intervention work from both teachers and teaching assistants, highly differentiated resources and work or support from outside agencies such as speech and language support.
If your child requires more targeted and specialist support they may receive Higher Needs Funding (HNF). This is applied for by Village Primary School and you will be contacted by the class teacher and SENDCO if we feel that your child would benefit from this.
The next level of support is for your child to have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This is a legal document which stays with the child until they are 18. It is reviewed annually and ensures that children with higher needs are receiving the correct support from all agencies.
All SEND children will have an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), which details the need for support, support provided, targets and progress. Parents and carers are involved in the target making and RAG rating process and we value your support with this. IEP’s are discussed during parent consultation week and when necessary throughout the year.
Stockton Borough Council provides a Local Offer which can be used to find support. They also offer the SENDIASS service, which provide support and advice for parents of children with SEND.
The class teacher is the first point of contact to discuss your child’s needs. The SENDCO (Mrs Richardson) can also be contacted via the school telephone number 01642676768 for further discussion and support.
Village Primary School use a range of outside agencies to support your child. You will always be asked to give consent before any assessment or work takes place. Some of the agencies used include:
- Speech and Language Therapy (NHS Service)
- Speech and Language practitioners (Let’s Talk)
- Child and Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Educational Psychology Service (EP)
and many others.
Mythbuster
WRONG some of the most academically able children may also have special educational needs. Some of the richest people in the world have dyslexia, Autism and other educational needs and have gone on to achieve great things!
WRONG. All children develop at different rates and as a school we will support them in every way possible to ensure that they make progress and reach their goals
WRONG. We have robust communication with secondary schools to ensure that our children’s needs are catered fro when they transition to secondary school.
