St Nicholas C of E Primary School Special Educational Needs Coordinator- SENCo
SENCo- Mrs Maxine Mewett
Tel:01963 362308
What Are Special Educational Needs?
Definitions of special education needs taken from section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
A child has special educational needs if he or she has learning difficulties that call for special educational provision to be made.
A child has learning difficulties if he or she:
- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age.
- Has a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age in other schools within the Local Authority.
St Nicholas C of E Primary School believes that all children are special in God’s sight and that they have a right to learn in a happy, accessible environment. Some children start school with barriers that could affect their learning, and some find that there are hiccups along the way that mean they need support to achieve to the best of their ability. At St Nicholas School we value the abilities and achievements of all its pupils, and is committed to providing each pupil with the best possible environment for learning.
St Nicholas’ philosophy is to help every child realise his or her true potential, socially and academically. The school delivers a broad, full and balanced curriculum in an atmosphere where children feel valued, secure and happy. We are committed to ensuring that children with special educational needs have the same opportunities as other pupils and we aim to meet individual needs to promote successful learning.
Inclusion within St Nicholas C of E Primary
Our aim is that all children receive quality first teaching which maximises progress. We ensure that classroom activities are appropriately differentiated so that all children are involved, and that children have access to appropriate resources to support their learning and support is provided. Our team of TAs, HLTAs, Family Support Worker and Teachers are trained in specific areas of SEN and can offer personalised learning program to meet individual need.
Identifying Learners with SEND
All children are carefully tracked to ensure that they make sufficient progress for their age and capability. We meet on a termly basis to discuss the children and this is an opportunity to highlight any difficulties that any child is having that may be impacting on their academic or social development. Where issues are identified, an action plan between the school and the parent/carer is created and the class teacher is given advice on how best to support the development of the child. This is reviewed after a six week period. If at this point the child is still not progressing, we seek advice from external support services and the child will move to school action. Once the assessments have been completed and support has been received from the outside agencies, the child will be placed on our SEND register. This means that they will now have a Pupil Passport (PP), which will have guidelines on how to meet the child’s needs within school. This may be achieved through the use of addition support and an adapted timetable if necessary. The progress of children on the SEND register is monitored at 4 points throughout the year, with the aim that the additional support will have a positive impact. For children that have more acute needs, the school could apply for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) and would receive more support from outside agencies, if appropriate. When identifying the needs of our SEND learners, we aim to ensure that the child and parents/carers have an input into the support they receive and that they can see the impact of any extra support given.
What can St Nicholas C of E Primary School offer?
Our school offers a nurturing ethos in which all children are appropriately challenged in order to reach their true potential. We strive to ensure that our children are happy and able to enjoy a wide curriculum which includes both social and academic learning, as well as promoting learning in the outdoor environment. We also have disabled facilities within the school.
Our school has expertise in dealing with children with social and emotional difficulties. This includes staffing expertise and strategies to ensure that we offer a curriculum which is achievable and personalised according to particular need.
Our school is part of the Tower Learning Partnership (TLP), we have close links with the SEND team within the Partnership of schools and are working together to develop a consistent SEND approach together.
Involving Parents
At St Nicholas we feel that parental involvement is crucial in order for children to make progress and be happy. We hold termly review meetings in which parents of SEND children are invited to discuss the progress of their child and the next key steps in their learning, as well as more informal meetings such as coffee mornings/workshops. At these meetings there is an opportunity to include other agencies and seek specialist advice. We also offer an open door policy and encourage a supportive relationship between our parents and teachers. Mrs Spike the school SENCO, can be contacted via office@stnicholashenstridge.co.uk
Wellbeing
In ensuring the well-being of our children, we use a child centred approach to make sure that what we do is for the benefit and happiness of the children and families within our care.
All our children follow the 5 Golden School Rules which encourage children to be supportive to one and other. Our ethos is inclusive and our children are aware of how to support children that have additional educational needs. Integration into school life is key and all children are happy to play and work together.
School Information Report
Our SEND Information Report gives more detail on the school’s provision for children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, and our policy outlines the approach we take for children with additional needs. The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN.
Easy-Read-SEN-Information-Report-
See the SEN Policies link to find our SEND Information Report.
This report is part of the Somerset County Council Local Offer for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
SEND Information
Click here for Somerset’s Local Offer and local services to help you choose the right care and support
Click here for Somerset Choices
Click here for Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool.
Click here for the SEND Code of Practice
Click here for the SEND review right support right place right time-Green Paper
Somerset Local Area Joint Written Statement Of Action For Special Educational Needs And Disabilities (SEND).
View the full document below and a letter to Parents of SEND children.
SEND Newsletter 
The Newsletter shares some information about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 0-25.
This week’s SEND weekly newsletter is now available – Click to read the latest SEND Newsletter.
You can access previous copies of the SEND Newsletter here.