Inspiring Lifelong Success
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) - Supporting every child in our school
Deputy Headteacher - Inclusion Leader - Mr Richard Bates - r.bates@sandcross.school
SENCo - Mrs Emma Anders - senco@sandcross.school
SENCo - Joanne Murdoch - senco@sandcross.school
Sandcross is an inclusive school and as such, we recognise the importance of inclusion for all of our children.
‘Inclusion is a sense of belonging: feeling respected, valued for who you are; feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can do your best work.’
(Miller, Frederick A. and Katz, Judith H. 2002)
Wave 1
At Sandcross we track and monitor our children’s progress carefully, providing support for any children who need some additional support in one or more areas of their education, either academically, socially/emotionally or with behaviour.
From time to time, children may need additional help either to overcome a learning difficulty or to ensure that the curriculum fully extends their abilities. For most children, these needs can be met through the high quality teaching in class.
Wave 2
For some children, we do need to plan specific provision in more detail to allow them to access and succeed in their learning. They may have specific needs or disabilities that affect their ability to learn. For example:
These children are regarded as requiring SEN Support and may require additional support from school-based experts to deliver tightly focused and effective interventions to support learning. Sometimes the staff working with these pupils will receive advice or support from outside specialists.
Where additional support is required, an Individual Support Plan (ISP) is drawn up by the class teacher to help the parent and the school identify the child's needs and to target areas of particular difficulty. It should show the steps that are to be taken to support the child's learning and set a date for reviewing progress.
The ISP should give details of:
The plan should be discussed with the child and a copy of it should be given to the parents. The parents will be invited to give their views at the meeting held to review the progress made under the current plan and set targets for the next ISP. The ISP should reflect the advice given by the specialists who have been consulted.
Our school is lucky to have Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) are trained to plan and deliver programmes of support to children in their school who are experiencing temporary or longer term additional emotional needs. The majority of ELSA work is expected to be delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work will be appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills.
We also have an ELKLAN/ dyslexia trained TA working to support language and literacy needs across the school.
Wave 3
Where it is decided that external support is required, the SENDCo will work with parents to enable this. Those in need of the most intensive support may be given an Education Heath Care Plan (EHCP). The school would need to apply for this from Surrey.
Specialist help is always available within Sandcross through our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinators. They co-ordinate and oversee the work of the team of teachers, teaching assistants and external agencies who support the children to overcome their barriers to learning and achieve their potential through specific programmes of support.
Please see our provision map below.
Local Offer
The Children and Families Bill 2014 requires schools to publish and keep under review information about services for children and young people with special educational needs. The local authority must develop their offer and keep it under review. To find our local offer, please follow the link: https://www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk/kb5/surrey/localoffer/home.page
Handling Complaints Related to SEN Support
If parents or carers have concerns about the support provided to children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), they are encouraged to raise their concerns in line with this Complaints Policy. Complaints relating to the adequacy, appropriateness, or implementation of SEN support should initially be raised informally with the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). If the concern remains unresolved, it can be escalated to the formal stages of this policy. For complaints specifically about statutory assessments or provisions under the Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plans, parents may also contact the relevant local authority. This approach ensures concerns are addressed promptly and in accordance with statutory guidance. Please refer to the full Complaints Policy for additional details on the process.
https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/overview
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send