SEND

What is SEND?

As a school we follow government guidance for SEND: The special education needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years (DfE 2014).

Within this guidance the definitions for pupils with SEND are:

• A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
• A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

This is a broad definition covering all children and young people from 0-25 years of age. 

The SEND code of practice (2014) identifies 4 broad areas of children’s needs:

1. Communication and Interaction
2. Cognition and Learning
3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
4. Sensory and/or physical needs.

A child may have a need in one or more of these 4 areas of need.

What should I do if I think that my child has a special educational need or disability?

We would encourage you to share any concerns that you may have as soon as possible. Please contact the following school staff:

·   Class teacher – please discuss any initial concerns with your child’s 

                        class teacher

·   SENDCo – (Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator) If you would like to discuss your child’s needs further please contact  Miss K Potts

·   Teacher in Charge of Language Support Centre – Miss K Potts

Language Support Centre

We have the Language Support Centre for Developmental Language Disorder (previously known as Specific Language Impairment) in Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 based within our school.

Places within the Support Centre are allocated by the Local Authority’s Admissions Panel. Children can be referred to the Admissions Panel by their child's nursery, school SENDCO, Speech and Language Therapist and Educational Psychologist.

There are 21 places across the school in this provision.

Children placed in this provision are predominantly based within the mainstream classroom alongside Specialist Teaching Assistants. They are withdrawn as necessary, to be supported by a Specialist Teacher and skilled Teaching Assistants in order to deliver individualised programmes.

All staff have additional training in this field. We are noted as having exemplary practice in this specialism.

Who can I contact to provide additional advice and support for my family?

In school:

• SENDCo – Miss Potts
• A member of the Inclusion team - ( Miss Potts, Mr Lippett and Mrs Coppola)
• Class Teachers
• Teaching Assistants
• Higher Level teaching Assistants – Mr Lippett, Mrs Coppola, Miss Hobbs, Mrs Allen and Miss Kemp
• Senior Leadership Team – Mrs Hardisty, Mrs Mantell and Miss Butterworth

Please phone 01752 302600 or email admin@thornbury.plymouth.sch.uk

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Our Approach to supporting pupils with SEND

We are very proud to have an inclusive environment within school and use consistent approaches throughout the school.

• All pupils in school receive high quality teaching. This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children matched to their individual needs.
• Child-centred approach – this means that we focus on the child as an individual, encourage children and their parents/carers to express their feelings and be a part of the decision-making process, and tailor support to the needs of the individual child.
• Within each year group, classes are supported by Teaching Assistants, who can support small group work or intervention programmes where needed. Children are supported by the teacher and Teaching Assistant at different times across the weekly timetable.
• All our Meal Time Assistant’s know our children extremely well and are available at lunch time to support their needs. They spend time feeding back to the class teacher at the end of every lunch time, any issues or matters they feel the teacher should be aware of. There are currently two nurture groups that run at lunchtime for younger children.
• We offer a range of extra -curricular clubs, as well as a breakfast and after school club and nurture lunch time clubs.
• Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) support – provides support to children who may need help understanding or managing their feelings and emotions. We have trained ELSA’s across the school – Mrs Allen,  Mrs Francis, Mrs Surcombe, Mrs Warren, Mr Dolton, Mrs Kingwell and Mrs Swaffield.
• Miss Potts is our Trauma Informed Schools (TISUK ) practitioner.
• Child centred planning -focuses on the child as an individual, encourages children and their parents/carers to express their feelings and be a part of the decision-making process, and tailor support to the needs of the individual child.
• All children with SEND will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This will include personalised targets for your child.
• Your child’s class teacher will invite you and your child to come into school to discuss suitable targets for the IEP.
• You will then be invited into school (three times per year) to discuss and review your child’s progress towards these targets.
• If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) they will also have an IEP, as well as a one- page profile which the child would create with support, which including their strengths, interests and ways that they would like staff to support them.
• Support is regularly reviewed and evaluated in order to provide bespoke support for each child.
• Provision may include some additional support sessions to focus on specific skills, this might also include children with English as an Additional Language.