Supporting Children’s Needs

In accordance with the Children’s and Families Act (2014) and the Equality Act (2010), the school and Warwickshire County Council are committed to inclusive education, providing for children of different abilities within a mainstream setting. The school, supported by Warwickshire County Council, aims to deliver quality educational provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Quality First Teaching

The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice (2015) states that, “High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the starting point in responding to pupils who have or may have special educational needs”. The school aims to support children’s learning needs through high quality teaching, sometimes referred to as Quality First Teaching, which involves:

• Carefully planned lessons, with precise learning objectives.

• High expectations for pupil engagement with their learning.

• Focused teacher/teaching assistant interaction with pupils during lessons.

• Focused questioning, modelling and explaining by the teacher and teaching assistant during lessons.

• Developing pupils’ responsibility for their own learning and nurturing their independence.

• Effective use of encouragement and praise to engage and motivate.

Children experiencing difficulties with their learning are supported through Quality First Teaching. Class teachers will be able to explain how this approach is helping to address a child’s learning difficulties.

Targeted Interventions

Sometimes targeted interventions are run by school staff, in or outside the classroom. These interventions will often be delivered by a teaching assistant in small groups.

Specialist Support

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, SEND, is a term used in relation to children who are experiencing a significant learning difficulty or disability, which may require some specialist provision. It may be a specific learning difficulty, an emotional, behavioural, sensory or physical disability, or it may be a problem relating to communication or speech and language. When children are identified as having a specific learning difficulty or disability, their needs and requirements are carefully assessed and their progress monitored. If necessary, arrangements are made, in consultation with parents/carers, for specialist help and advice from a range of support services:

• SEND Supported (a specialist teaching service that the school commissions)

• Educational Psychology Service (also commissioned and funded by the school)

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Assessment and Review (SENDAR)

Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Children with more complex needs may be given an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). EHCPs replaced Special Educational Needs Statements in September 2014. An EHCP will describe the specific needs of the child and how the school and/or other agencies will set out to provide for these needs. An EHCP draws on advice from parents/carers and professionals working with the child. The majority of children with special educational needs will not have an EHCP, but will be included on the SEND Register and there may be review meetings involving the class teacher, the SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator) and parents/carers.

Admissions Arrangments for Disabled Pupils

The local authpority manages the school's admissions process. The link below takes you the relevant webpage for Warwickshire's School Admissions, which sets out arrangements for children with SEND.

Whilst this link references specialist settings, it explains that most children with SEND will be educated in their local mainstream school. In Warwickshire, over 10,000 children with SEND needs are supported in their mainstream school without an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If you think your child needs extra support, you should first speak to the school's SENDCO. An Education Health Care Assessment will help identify extra support needs and provision.

Admission to mainstream schools is through the usual school admissions process.

The SEND code of practice states that parents/carers may request a place at a particular school. It sets out the rights of parents/carers and the responsibilities of schools and local councils. Schools and local councils must consider the education of other children at the school when deciding on a placement.

The 'Range of SEND Provision' link below will take you to a graphic, which shows how most children with SEND can be supported in mainstream schools. Depending on the needs of the learner, consideration can be given to placement in resourced provision, state specialist provision and independent specialist provision.

SEND Complaints and Appeals

Parents/carers of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), who have a complaint about the support provided for their child, should visit the Warwickshire County Council (WCC) website, looking under:

• Children and Families.
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Complaints and Appeals.

WCC advice is that, in the first instance, parents/carers should contact the person they have been dealing with, or their manager. Most problems can be resolved this way. Parents/carers might need to talk to people such as:

• The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) at the school.
• The relevant social worker.
• The relevant health visitor.
• Another specialist worker, such as the EHC Plan Coordinator.