SEN Information
The Children and Families Act (2014) has altered the way children in which Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are supported in schools.The new approach began in September 2014 and places pupils at the centre of planning.
- The key principles of the new legislation are:
- Young people and their families should be involved in discussions about the support they need, so they can share their knowledge and feed back to the school on the young person’s progress.
- ‘Education Health Care Plans’ (EHCP) will replace ‘Statements of Special Educational Needs’.
- New assessments for additional educational needs will follow the EHCP guidelines from September 2014. (Existing statements will remain in force until all children and young people have completed the transition, which will be within three years).
- A single school-based category called ‘SEN Support’ has replaced ‘School Action’ and School Action Plus.
- Pupil’s parents/carer
- Nursery staff, including SENCO and room lead.
- Specialist advisory teacher
- Relevant medical professionals
Enhanced Transition
All students who are allocated a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary and Nursery School will be invited to come and visit to support their transition. In order to provide extra support for SEND students with their admission and transition to Sacred Heart, an enhanced transition is offered. This also includes transitions between key stages. This involves a series of additional visits to their new classroom and time to familiarise themselves with the new staff and the new classroom.
Inclusion
As a Catholic School, we actively promote the values of respect and equality within all aspects of school life. Every member of our school community words together to ensure that, at Sacred Heart, we live out our motto of ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. The wellbeing of all our students is our primary concern and it is essential that all our students feel happy, safe and secure in our setting. We have a strong team of nurturing and caring staff who work closely together to ensure all of our students receive the support they need. We also collaborate with external agencies to ensure that students receive additional support and guidance as necessary.
In order to ensure that students with SEND are able to access all areas of the curriculum, class teachers ensure that their lessons are well planned and tailored to meet the specific needs of all students. The SENCO words closely with teachers to provide support and guidance in order to help inform the effective planning of lessons. SEND students are also provided with additional support from our teaching assistants. To further support teachers and teaching assistants in meeting the needs of all students, relevant CPD is made available, delivered by both internal and external experts.
In order to ensure that students with SEND are able to participate fully in extra curricular clubs and trips, the SENCO will work closely with staff, parents/carers and outside agencies to facilitate this. If adjustments are required to the trip of activity based on safety concerns, then we will ensure that the desired learning objective is achieved. Risk assessment will be produced as necessary along with additional TA support, to ensure that all students are fully included in all aspects of school life.
Communication
Good communication between home and school is an essential way of ensuring that students are happy within school and are able to realise their full potential. Therefore, we encourage parents/carers to contact us immediately if there are any concerns and as a school we will do the same. By communicating issues and concerns as they arise we can ensure that they are resolved as quickly as possible.
Parents/carers of students with an EHCP will also be invited an an annual review. This will be an opportunity to feedback on the support their child is receiving in school. The views of the family are an important part of the process of reviewing and modifying the support for our students.
Additional advice of parents and carers of students with SEND can also be accessed through the Westmorland and Furness Information, Advice and Support Service.