If parents have concerns relating to their child’s learning then please initially discuss these with your child’s teacher. This then may result in a referral to the school SENCo whose name is Mrs. Kerri White. Parents may also contact the SENCo or the Head Teacher directly if they feel this is more appropriate. All parents will be listened to. Their views and their aspirations for their child will be central to the assessment and provision that is provided by the school.

Definition for children with special educational needs

At our school we use the definition for SEN and for disability from the SEND Code of Practice (2014).

This state: SEN: A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age. Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.

Disability: Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer.

Difficulties may occur with:

• All school work
• Specific areas of school work such as reading, writing, mathematics, understanding or processing information
• Self-expression or expressing and understanding what others are saying
• Listening or paying attention
• Establishing relationships, making friends or relating to adults
• Behaving appropriately in or out of school
• Personal organisation
• Motor skills: may be impaired or slow
• Sensory or physical needs
• A combination of any of the above