What do we mean by SEND?

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) refers to the needs of children who have a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder for them than other children of the same age.  SEND can cover a broad range of difficulties or disability and children may have wider ranging or specific problems.  These may relate to physical development, visual or hearing impairment or difficulties related to speech and language communication, behaviour or learning.

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their time in education.  Most children can be helped to overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily, but some children will need extra help for some or all of their time in education.  The needs of the child are normally achieved through the teacher’s knowledge of a child’s strengths, skills and abilities.

If it is decided that your child needs help beyond that which is normally available, or your child needs interventions that are additional to and different from those normally provided as part of the curriculum, the school may contact the local authority for extra guidance and support after consultation with parents/carers.

Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice.  This is called Quality First Teaching.

There are four broad areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Communication and Interaction

This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.

Cognition and Learning

This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn.

Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

The graduated support approach which is called, ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’

At The Stoke Poges School we follow a graduated support approach.  This means that we will:

• Assess a child’s special educational needs
• Plan the provision to meet the child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
• Put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
• Review the support and progress

As part of this approach, we will produce a SEN Support Plan that describes the provision that we will make to meet a child’s special educational needs and agreed outcomes.  Parents and carers will be involved in this process.

A small percentage of children and young people with significant learning difficulties might need an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.  Full details can be found on the Buckinghamshire SEND Information, Advice and Support Service website.

Our experience of supporting children and young people with a wide-range of needs includes pupils with:

• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Social, Emotional and Behavioural difficulties
• Speech and Language difficulties/disorders
• Moderate Learning difficulties

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority.  This is collected through the school census.