In terms of children with SEND, the school follows the ‘assess, plan, do and review’ cycle.
Assess: We will ensure that we regularly assess all pupils’ needs so that each child’s progress and development is carefully tracked compared to their peers and national expectations. We will listen to the views and experience of parents/carers and the pupil. In some cases we will draw on assessments and guidance from other education professionals e.g. Educational Psychologists (EP) and from health and social services.
Plan: Where SEN Support is required the teacher and SENDCO will put together a plan outlining the adjustments, interventions and support which will be put in place for the pupil as well as the expected impact on progress and outcomes, including a date when this will be reviewed. Targets for the pupil will be shared with her/him using child friendly language and with parents/carers. All staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of the plan.
Do: The class teacher is responsible for working with the pupil on a daily basis. She/he will also liaise closely with TAs or specialists who provide support set out in the plan and monitor the progress being made. The SENDCO will provide support, guidance and advice for the teacher.
Review: The plan including the impact of the support and interventions will be reviewed each term by the teacher, SENDCO, parent/carer and the pupil. This will inform the planning of next steps for a further period or where successful the removal of the pupil from SEN Support.
This four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised.
The SEN Code of Practice, Chapter 6, recognises that children and young people’s needs and requirements fall into four broad areas:
Communication and Interaction – these children have a difficulty in communicating with others. This could be due to a speech and language difficulty or this may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication.
Cognition & Learning – children with learning difficulties learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs from moderate learning difficulties (MLD) to children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Sensory & Physical – some children require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. Many children with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and /or equipment to access their learning.
Social, Emotional and Behaviour difficulties – children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health 3 difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
Partnership with Parents
At The Sullivan Centre we firmly believe in developing strong partnership with parents and know that mutual trust and support will contribute significantly to the progress and attainment of all children, especially children with SEND. We know that parents have a unique overview of their child’s needs and this gives them a key role in supporting their child.
Parents are consulted about their child’s needs as soon as the school has identified a cause for concern. Working in collaboration and supporting parents is central to our mission.
When a child is placed on the register, parents are invited into school each term to discuss strategies used and progress made. There are opportunities for a consultation with the class teacher once a term.
Teachers will arrange termly meetings with parents/carers of children on the SEND register in order to discuss progress, look at targets for their Short-Term Target Plan and simply chat about how their child is getting on. At this point, parents will have the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have. The SENDCO may be asked to attend these meetings if needed.
Our SENDCO, Mrs Cole is more than happy to meet with parents to discuss their child’s needs.
