At the heart of the work of every primary school class is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessment which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of the children. The majority of children will learn and progress within these arrangements. Those children whose overall attainments and achievement in specific subjects fall significantly outside the expected range may have Special Educational Needs (SEN).
For children who have a specific learning difficulty or a disability, our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy outlines the educational support we provide.
If a teacher notices a pupil experiencing difficulties with their learning they will seek guidance from the school Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo). Advice will be given, which may include alternate strategies to support the pupils learning. Both class teacher and SENDCo will hold a meeting with parents to discuss next steps which could include:
- Advise parents to make an appointment to see the GP
- Referral to the Speech and Language Therapist service
- Referral to the Specialist Teacher Team
- Referral to Educational Psychologist service
- Referral to EWMHS (Emotional Welfare and Mental Health Services)
When a child is placed on the Special Educational Needs register, consultation with parents will continue through:
- Parent consultation day.
- One Plan meetings at least twice a year, working alongside pupils, parents and sometimes specialist agencies to set specific targets that work towards achieving a long-term goal.
- For pupils with a Statement/ Education Health Care plan (EHC Plan) Annual Review meetings.
The SEND Code of Practice 2014 states that Local Authorities MUST publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for CYP in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have EHC plans.
Thurrock’s SEND Local offer can be accessed at: https://www.askthurrock.org.uk/kb5/thurrock/fis/localoffer.page