The Weatheralls Primary School

SEND Information Report

Reviewed: January 2024

To find information regarding the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Support in Cambridgeshire, please use this link:

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Local Offer information page:

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/SEND

1. What are the aims of our provision in regards to pupils with special educational needs and/or disability?

The aims of our policy and practice in relation to special educational need and disability in this school are

  • To make reasonable adjustments for those with a disability by taking action to increase access to the curriculum, the environment and to printed information for all.
  • To ensure that children and young people with SEN engage in the activities of the school alongside pupils who do not have SEN.
  • To reduce barriers to progress by embedding the principles in the National Curriculum Inclusion statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum
  • To use our best endeavours to secure special educational provision for pupils for whom this is required, that is “additional to and different from” that provided within the differentiated curriculum, to better respond to the four broad areas of need:
    • Communication and interaction,
    • Cognition and learning,
    • Social, mental and emotional health,
    • Sensory/physical.
  • To request, monitor and respond to parent/carers’ and pupils’ views in order to evidence high levels of confidence and partnership.
  • To ensure a high level of staff expertise to meet pupil need, through well-targeted continuing professional development.
  • To support pupils with medical conditions to achieve full inclusion in all school activities by ensuring consultation with health and social care professionals in order to meet the medical needs of pupils.
  • To work in cooperative and productive partnership with the Local Authority and other outside agencies, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of all vulnerable learners.

2. What are Special Educational Needs (SEN) or a disability? 

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

  • Special Educational Needs:  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. 

3. How does the school know if children need extra help?

  • On a day to day basis Class Teachers will be marking children’s work and will be aware if children have understood and met the learning objective for each session.
  • Pupil Progress meetings are held half termly, with the senior management team, where every child’s progress and attainment is measured against their own previous progress as well as national expectations.
  • Class Teachers know their children well and will notice when a child is behaving differently. They will encourage the child to share their worries with an adult they trust.
  • Staff will endeavour to be available to discuss any concerns with parents as soon as they arise.
  • Discussions with parents are highly valued and often offer supporting information to get a clearer picture of areas of concern.
  • If the child is not achieving their set target the teachers will monitor this closely to determine if gaps in their learning are developing.

4. What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?

  • Please speak to your child’s Class Teacher as soon as you have concerns.
  • You and your child’s Class Teacher may want to discuss your concerns with the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENDCo). Our named SENDCo is Mrs Lorna Kirk.

5. How will school staff support my child?

  • On a day to day basis in the classroom, teaching will be differentiated to meet the needs of every child.
  • Close marking and tracking of pupil progress will identify any children who may need extra help.
  • Extra help may include individual target setting, support from teaching assistants or specific interventions aimed at supporting the identified need.
  • Any interventions used will be run by Teachers or specifically trained Teaching Assistants and will be monitored by the SENDCo, through the Assess, Plan, Do, Review, Process
    • Assess: Data on the pupil will be collated by the class teacher and SENDCo in order to make an accurate assessment of the pupil’s needs.  Parents will be invited to this early discussion to support the identification of action to improve outcomes. 
    • Plan:  If review of the action taken indicates that “additional to and different from” support will be required, then the views of all involved including the parents and the pupil will be obtained and appropriate evidence-based interventions identified, recorded and implemented by the class teacher with advice from the SENDCo. 
    • Do: SEN support will be recorded on a plan that will identify a clear set of expected outcomes.  Parents and the pupil will also be consulted on the action they can take to support attainment of the desired outcomes. 
    • Review:  Progress towards these outcomes will be tracked and reviewed.
  • The School Advisory Body is responsible for the education and wellbeing of all the children in our school. One specific Advisory Body member is responsible for liaising with all parties. Our Advisory Body member for SEND can be contacted via the Governance Professional.
  • The effectiveness and impact of any interventions and/or support is monitored regularly and shared with all those who have been involved or have an interest in the progress. 

6. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

  • On a day to day basis in the classroom, teaching will be adjusted to meet the needs of every child.
  • Necessary adaptations will be made e.g. larger print, ICT support, individual support, word banks etc.
  • Some children may need additional support from an adult in school.
  • Some children may need targeted interventions.
  • School also seeks and takes advice from specialist services.
  • Any support accessed will be fully discussed and carefully monitored.
  • If possible following up on the child’s interests may enable the child to access learning more readily.

7. How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

  • Through discussions at Parent/Carer Consultations and end of year written reports.
  • At times, extra meetings could be held, initiated by either parents/carer or school staff.
  • On a day to day basis Class Teachers will be marking children’s work and will be aware if children have understood and met the learning objective for each session.
  • Regular Pupil Progress meetings are held where every child’s progress and attainment is measured against their own previous progress as well as national expectations.
  • Class Teachers know their children well and will notice when a child is behaving differently. They will encourage the child to share their worries with an adult they trust.
  • Staff will endeavour to be available to discuss any concerns with parent/carers as soon as they arise.
  • The Class Teacher will set targets to support the learning at school and at home.
  • External agencies meeting with parents/carers and school staff to discuss further support if required.

8. What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

  • Each child will take part in PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education).
  • Restorative behaviour management system.
  • There are many opportunities for the children to be supported or participate in creating a sense of well-being: e.g. Pupil voice, School Council, Individual Sensory Boxes, lunchtime activities, Wellbeing Support, Be Brave, Developing Strengths and Talents.
  • For those children who have experienced difficulties in maintaining secure friendships, lack self-confidence or are at times displaying anti-social behaviour patterns and targeted nurture activities will be offered to families. There is a very limited access to Play Therapy through the charity Blue Smile. These programmes may be adapted to support the specific needs of the participants. 

9. How are pupils with long term medical needs supported?

  • Where required, pupils with long term medical needs will be provided with a detailed Care Plan, compiled in partnership with medical professionals and parents.
  • Staff who volunteer to support medical needs will be provided with relevant training
  • For further details, please see the school’s Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs policy. 

10. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

  • Locality Team
  • SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
  • Medical clinicians i.e. GP, Visual / Hearing Impairment Services,
  • SEND Services
  • Joint Therapy Services
  • Community Paediatrician
  • Cambridgeshire County Council’s Local Offer information page: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/SEND

11. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

  • A discussion will be held between staff and parents/carers to consider individual needs (i.e. accessibility, funding etc.) to be as inclusive as possible.
  • Risk assessments will be carried out and reasonable adjustments made.
  • Children with Medical Conditions will be supported in line with the school medical conditions policy. 

12. How accessible is the school?

  • Risk assessments are carried out and reasonable adjustments made to make the school as accessible as possible for all pupils.
  • We consult external agencies as required.
  • School policies about premises and inclusion and Supporting Children with Medical Conditions in school policy can be found at: Staploe Education Trust - Policies for The Weatheralls Primary School

13. How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school or transfer to a new school?

  • The Reception Class teacher and Teaching Assistant will carry out home visits prior to the September start.
  • Visits are organised for pre-school children in the summer term before their start.
  • School staff visit pre-schools in the summer term before starting.
  • New parents’ information meetings outline all the information required and provides an opportunity for queries to be aired.
  • SEND discussions between specialist school staff to ensure those with specific needs are well catered for when moving schools.
  • Induction days for classes to visit their new classrooms and teachers at Soham Village College.
  • Additional visits to Secondary Schools where bespoke transition for higher levels of need are identified.
  • Individualised and group transition interventions to support specific needs eg Using Timetables, Making New Friends, Feeling Lost. 

14. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

  • Assessment of a child’s learning and well-being takes place in school every day with ongoing regular discussion between teachers, children and parents/carers. If a child is not making adequate progress, discussions will be held between parents/carers, child and the school staff to ascertain the problem i.e. a gap that needs to be closed, a learning or a language barrier, a medical need or perhaps a stressful situation which might be affecting their learning. The most appropriate type of support will then be discussed and the course of action agreed.
  • For a very small percentage of pupils, whose needs are significant and complex and the SEN Support required to meet their needs cannot reasonably be provided from within the school’s own resources, a request will be made to the local authority to conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs.  This may result in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan being provided.
  • The involvement of other professionals will be decided in agreement with parents/carers and children. The amount of support will reflect the level of need.

15. How are parents involved in the school? How can I be involved?

  • Sharing information with school staff.
  • Being aware of your child’s learning targets.
  • Completing home learning activities with your child.
  • Joining the HSA
  • Supporting your child with their learning in school and at home.
  • Completing Parent/Carer questionnaires.
  • Attending Parent/Carer consultations.
  • Attending any meetings or workshops in school to support your child.
  • Volunteering in school.
  • Completing home-school communication books or learning journals.
  • Becoming parent advisory body member.
  • Not feeling that any question is too silly and telling school staff if there is anything you don’t understand.

16. Who can I contact for further information?