SEN
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
The local authority has published its "Local Offer" outlining what the authority offers to support children with special educational needs or disabilities - SEND
You can find this by clicking on the following link:
www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children
As part of the implementation of the new code of practice, all schools were required to review their SEND policy in consultation with parents and stakeholders. When we carried out this process we were delighted to receive such strong and positive feedback from parents. A working party was established with representatives from parents, governors and staff.
Our school policy includes;
- The kinds of SEN provided for
- Pathway for identifying pupils with SEN and assessing their needs
- Arrangements for consulting parents and pupils and involving them in their education
- Arrangements for assessing and reviewing progress towards outcomes
- The approach to teaching pupils with SEN
- How adaptations are made to the curriculum
- The expertise and training of staff to support pupils with SEN +D, including how specialist expertise will be secured
- Evaluating the effectiveness of provision
- How pupils with SEN are enabled to engage in activities available to pupils who do not have SEN
- Support for improving social and emotional development
- How the school involves other bodies
- Arrangements for handling complaints
Please click the link below to see our SEN Policy:
Links between Infant and Junior Schools
Our experienced SEND leaders, Tina Godden, Willesborough Infant School and Julie Greenwood, Willesborough Junior School work together to ensure cohesive and progressive provision across the two school sites, from Reception to year six.
If you would like to contact our SEND leader here at the infant school, please either call on 01233 624165 or email at: senco@willesborough-infant.kent.sch.uk.
Transition into Reception
All Willesborough Infant School staff work together to produce a timetable of nursery and home visits for all children.
Pre-school multi-agency hand-over meetings are organised with the parents to ensure a smooth transition is put in place for all children. Additional nursery and home visits are organised for SEN pupils to build up their confidence and ensure that relationships are established to enable a smooth transition to school. All SEN children are invited to attend our pre-school Kittens session. These sessions run every week throughout May, June and July. They are led by the Headteacher and Assistant Headteachers, and are supported by Key Reception staff who will be teaching the children in September. The SEN co-ordinator, Tina Godden, supports Kittens sessions where SEN pupils attend. This provides her with an opportunity to identify the unique needs of the children, establish relationships with the child and their family and assess the additional support they will require in preparation for September.
Strong transition projects take place in term 6 for all pupils from one year group to the next. SEN and vulnerable pupils are given additional support at this important time. All Willesborough Infant School staff provide key information for the next class teacher and teaching assistant. There are timetabled opportunities for the next class teachers and teaching assistants to visit the children in their current class to form relationships and work with the current teacher to ensure that provision remains strong for the child. Joint parent consultation sessions with the current class teacher, new teacher and parents provide a formal opportunity for information sharing to take place.
Transition to Key Stage 2
Year two and year three teachers work together as a team at this important time for all children.
The SEN co-ordinators from the infant and junior school work together throughout the year to discuss and develop provision for children with SEN across the federated schools. Joint meetings are held with parents. Personalised transition timetables are implemented for SEN pupils including multi-agency transfer review meetings with the appropriate school involved. Additional school visits and collaboration with parents are an integral part of transition.
SEN support in school
Children with an Education Health Care Plan and those children in receipt of High Needs funding will have a Personal Provision Plan (PPP), which specifies end of key stage outcomes.
SEN support children will also have SEN outcomes and SMART targets that directly link to the end of key stage outcomes. The continued support and interventions the particular pupil receives will be present on a class provision map and will be reviewed with the parents at least three times a year.
Pupils with medical needs
If a pupil has a medical need they will have a specific Care Plan which is completed in consultation with parent/carers.
The plan is discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil. All relevant staff receive regular epipen, asthma and diabetic training delivered by the school/nursing team. When necessary, and in agreement with parents/carers, medicines are administrated in school if a pupil has a specific or long term identified medical need, but only with signed parental consent and with medicines in the original packages.
Enrichment activities
There are equal opportunities for all pupils to participate in activities, events and educational visits. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put into place to enable all children to fully participate.
Pastoral Support
The school offers a range of pastoral support for all pupils who are experiencing emotional difficulties. Pupils may attend a Positive Play group, Emotional Literacy group or Talk Time.
There are always plenty of opportunities for the children to speak to their Teaching Assistant, Class Teacher or our Family Liaison Officer. Some children may be eligible for specialist support through school referral.
If you would like further information or to speak to someone regarding Special Educational Needs and inclusion, you should contact Tina Godden via the school office.
A 'Parents Guide' to the new SEN Code of Practice outlines what provision should be made by schools. www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers
SEN Support Documents
pathway for parents send inf.pdf
Admissions Criteria Policy
The admissions process should be simple, fair and easy for parents to use in selecting the preferred school for their children.
This policy aims to achieve this and complies with current admissions legislation. The Governors of the Willesborough Schools Federation will work with Kent County Council in order to operate within the local authority's Co-ordinated Scheme for Primary Admissions. Prospective parents are invited to view the school in the autumn before their child is due to start the following September. These visits take place in November, December and January. The times and days for these visits are numbered and varied. Details for open days are provided on our school website from early October. Applications for school admissions usually have to be submitted to the Local Authority in early/mid January for entry in September. If you would like to visit the school please contact the school office.
Health and Special Access Reasons
Medical, health, social and special access reasons will be applied in accordance with the school's legal obligations, in particular those under the Equality Act 2010.
Priority will be given to those children whose mental or physical impairment means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Equally, this priority will apply to children whose parents/guardians physical or mental health or social needs means they have a demonstrable and significant need to attend a particular school. Such claims will need to be supported by written evidence from a suitably qualified medical or other practitioner which can demonstrate a special connection between these needs and the particular school that parents feel is the only school that can accommodate their child's needs.
This must be sent to the Primary Admissions Team with the application form.
Fine motor skills
Children use a range of resources to strengthen and support the muscle development in their fingers.
The bi-lateral use of both hands supports children's physical development. These interventions encourage the children to cross the mid-line to support them in identifying their dominant hand. This ensures that the dominant hand is going to get the practice that it needs to develop good fine motor skills. These will in hand support their ability to write, draw, use scissors and cutlery.
Gross motor skills
Gross motor skills support balance, control and coordination of the large muscles of the body.
They complement physical activities and actions carried out in PE and sports lessons.
Emotional Literacy
Our emotional literacy group aims to develop children's positive behaviours.
It gives the children an opportunity to express their difficulties in managing and controlling their behaviour. Children are given the chance to explain how different situations make them feel and reflect on their emotions.
Speech and Language
Some of our children have personalised speech and language targets which are set by the Ashford Speech and Language Team at the Rainbow Centre.
Speech and language therapists visit our children to review their targets and set new ones. Our speech and language specialist works across the school to provide 1:1 support and group sessions that link directly to these targets.
There are other children in our school who also receive speech and language support. They may have been identified by their class teacher. Their support might be linked directly to speech articulation, as well as activities to develop language skills such as prepositions, pronouns, verb tenses, following instructions and questioning.
Language Enrichment
Language enrichment groups give the children an opportunity to follow simple instructions and respond to questions by using full sentences.
Stories and puppets are used to inspire the children and support their language development.
This is also part of the EYFS daily practice as practitioners support the children in developing their construction of sentences and exposure to language in child initiated sessions.
Number Recognition
A range of games and activities are used to support the children's number recognition.
By using a range of strategies and manipulatives children increase their number knowledge.
Please click the link below to view the parent version of mainstream core standards for SEN: