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Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

At St Peter's Eaton Square C of E Primary School we are passionate about supporting all children to be the best that they can be.

Check back regularly to see what's new!

What is a Special Education Need?

A pupil has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Some children while in education may find learning more difficult than others.

These difficulties can be barriers to their learning. The staff will assess your child to identify their strengths, needs and give extra support if needed.

There are four broad categories of SEND and they give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for:

  1. Communication and interaction – for example, understanding information and expressing themselves.
  2. Cognition and learning – for example, specific difficulties in reading, writing and maths.
  3. Social, emotional and mental health – for example, difficulties in regulating their emotions and managing their behaviours.
  4. Physical and sensory – for example, difficulties with over-sensitivity to sound. 

If you are worried or concerned about your child’s education, please feel free to speak to your child’s class teacher or make an appointment to see me.

Support for parents and children with SEND

Westminster SEND Local Offer have created this page to share resources and information that may be useful to families and those working with children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities. They will also add any relevant updates from specific services as they become available.If you wish to find out more about the Westminster Local Offer please use the link below:

https://fisd.westminster.gov.uk/kb5/westminster/fis/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope this page answers frequently asked questions.

Who are the best people to talk to at St Peter’s about my child’s difficulties with learning, special educational needs or disability?

  • Talk to your child’s class teacher about your concerns.
  • It is likely that the class teacher will have discussed your concerns with the school SENDCO, Mrs Foley. You may wish to arrange a meeting with Mrs Foley through the school office.
  • If you continue to have concerns arrange to discuss these with Mrs Carrington, the Headteacher, through the school office.

How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning, special educational need or disability?

  • Your child’s class teacher may initially speak to you at the end of a normal school day and arrange a further time to discuss the concerns.
  • The class teacher may also talk to you about any issues at a parent/teacher consultation meeting.
  • Mrs Foley (SENDCo), may contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss your child’s difficulties with learning and any possible support strategies the school might be considering.

How will the school consider my views and those of my child with regard to her/his difficulties with learning, special educational need or disability?

  • At St Peter’s we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in all areas of their child’s learning and we actively encourage discussions. We believe, where appropriate, that it is essential to understand your child’s views on any difficulties they may experience with their learning.
  • You will be able to share your views and discuss your child’s progress at regular meetings with the class teacher and others.
  • You and your child will be encouraged to help formulate the targets on your child's IEP.
  • If your child has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) you and your child will be able to share your views at the Annual Review.

How does St Peter’s ensure the teaching staff are appropriately trained to support my child’s special educational needs and/or disability?

  • At St Peter’s we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
  • We regularly review the school training schedule and professional development for all teaching and support staff to ensure there is the appropriate expertise to support children with special educational needs.
  • The school is able to access training programmes from different organisations including the Biborough Training and Outreach team.
  • Individual training can also be arranged when necessary.
  • We employ a speech and language therapist in school who provides regular training for staff.

How will the curriculum and the school environment be matched to my child’s needs?

  • At St Peter’s we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
  • We carefully plan our curriculum to match the age, ability and needs of all children.
  • The class teacher will adapt lesson planning and teaching to match your child’s special educational needs and/or disability.
  • It may be appropriate to adopt different strategies or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning needs.
  • If your child has an identified special educational need, your child may have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a Learning Plan showing his/her targets.
  • Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning.
  • St Peter’s regularly reviews its Accessibility Plan to ensure that all children have the fullest access to the curriculum and the school site as possible.

What types of support may be suitable and available for my child?

This really depends upon the nature of your child’s needs and difficulties with learning. But our education provisions will match the needs of the four broad areas of need as defined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014;

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and Learning
  • Social, emotional and mental health
  • Sensory and/or physical needs
  • At St Peter’s we have a 3 tiered approach to supporting a child’s learning:

Universal – this is the quality first teaching your child will receive from her/his class teacher and will include whole class inclusion strategies and some minor adaptations to suit particular learning needs.

Targeted - it may be appropriate to consider making additional short term special educational provision to remove or reduce any obstacles to your child’s learning. This takes the form of a graduated four part approach of a) assessing your child’s needs, b) planning the most effective and appropriate intervention, c) providing this intervention and d) reviewing the impact on your child’s progress towards individual learning outcomes.

Specialist – it may be necessary to seek specialist advice and regular long term support from a specialist professional outside the school in order to plan for the best possible learning outcomes for your child. This may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory advisory teachers and the child development service. The school will need to prioritise referrals to these services. However, for a very small number of pupils access to these specialists may be through an EHC Plan.

The current additional support provisions at St Peter’s include:

  • Individual and small group supported learning either with a teacher or Teaching Assistant
  • A school counsilor
  • A variety of specific intervention programmes including: Phonics support- Read Write Inc; language and communication activities/support groups; Word Aware programme to target vocabulary; targetted speech and language interventions; handwriting support; extra reading and reading volunteers; targetted social and emotional group interventions.
  • In addition, we are able to seek support and advice from a variety of outside agencies including Speech and Language therapist, Occupational therapist, Physiotherapists, Educational Psychology Service, Autism Advisory Team and Social Services.

How will you support my child to reach his/her learning outcomes?

  • The class teacher and other staff working with your child ensure that your child receives appropriate teaching and support in order to reach these goals. The IEP strategies and progress will be reviewed termly.
  • External agencies and specialists may also review your child’s progress and adapt their planning accordingly.

What is an EHC Plan and who can request one for my child?

The purpose of an EHC Plan is to make special education provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/her gets older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will;

  • contain the views and aspirations of you and your child,
  • contain a full description of his/her special educational needs and any health and social care needs,
  • establish outcomes for your child’s progress,
  • specify the provision required and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes

You and/or the school, usually Mrs Foley, the SENCo or Mrs Carrington, the Headteacher, can request that the local authority in which you reside conducts an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan.

You can find out more about EHC Plans here.

How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

  • There may be suggested strategies or activities for you to do at home to support your child’s learning.
  • We sometimes run parent/carer workshops in school to help you understand the strategies used in school. In addition, we may be able to offer you individual training in specific support strategies relevant to your child.
  • Mrs Foley, the SENCO, may also support you with strategies, resources and ideas for supporting your child’s learning at home.
  • You may have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child.

How is support allocated to children and how do they move between the different levels of support in school?

  • St Peter’s receives funding from the local authority . These funds include money to support the learning of children with SEN and/or disabilities.
  • The Head teacher and the SENCO discuss the effectiveness of the school’s current interventions and provisions and prioritise an action plan, which may include additional or alternative interventions, staff training and equipment needs.
  • This process is reviewed regularly to ensure the best possible intervention is provided to those children who require additional support to learn.

How will the school know that the support has made a difference to my child’s learning and how can I and my child be included in this review process?

  • Your child’s progress will be assessed both in terms of his/her regular learning within the class and with regard to specific intervention programmes and IEP targets.
  • The impact of the support given is carefully measured to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved and if not, what adaptations are necessary. It may be decided that a further period of support would be beneficial for your child.
  • You and your child will be kept informed and encouraged to be actively involved at all stages of this support, including setting IEP targets.

What support will there be for my child’s happiness and well being at St Peter’s?

  • At St Peter’s we believe that the happiness and well being of all our pupils is paramount. All members of staff take this aspect of school life very seriously.
  • You can be confident that in particular your child’s class teacher, the teaching assistants and the SENCo are available to provide support to match your child’s needs.
  • You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.
  • We have a school therapist to support our pupil's mental health.

How is my child included in all the same activities as his/her peers at school?

  • St Peter’s is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all children.
  • Educational visits and residential trips are available to all children.
  • When necessary the school will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with SEN and/or disabilities are included in all activities.
  • You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.

How will St Peter’s support my child in transition stages?

  • We liaise as closely as possible with the school or nursery your child is transferring from to identify any individual needs and how best to support your child in school.
  • While at St Peter’s we take care to ensure that during transition points (between classes each year and at the end of Key Stages) all staff are aware of individual pupils needs, learning progress and best support strategies.
  • St Peter’s makes arrangements to ensure there is a smooth transition when your child transfers to his/her secondary school of choice. Please contact us for further details.
  • If your child has an EHC Plan, we will participate and/or facilitate its review in sufficient time prior to him/her moving between key phases of education. You will be kept informed of these arrangements and asked to attend the reviews.

Who can I contact if I have a complaint about the SEN provision made for my child?

  • Initially speak with your child’s teacher and/or the SENCo. Hopefully they will be able to address your concerns.
  • You can then contact the Head teacher, who will seek to resolve your concerns and may direct you to the school’s Complaints Policy and procedure, if necessary.

If I have any other questions about my child at St Peter’s school, who can I ask?

At St Peter’s we are very happy to speak to you about any aspects of your child’s education. It is best to speak to one of the following in this order;

  • The class teacher
  • The SENCo
  • The Headteacher