Special Educational Needs Policy 2014
Pamphill CE VC First School
SENCO: Miss T Christopher
Qualifications:
 PGCert Specialist Dyslexia Teacher (2012)
 PGCert: National Award Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (2013)
 Masters of Arts (MA) Inclusion and SEN (2014)
SEN Governor: Mrs Mary Royle
Pamphill’s Beliefs and Values Around SEN
“The purpose of education for all children is the same; the goals are the same. But help that
individual children need in progressing towards them will be different. Whereas for some,
the road they travel towards the goal is smooth and easy; for others it is fraught with
obstacles.” (Warnock Report, 1.4)
At Pamphill CE VC First School, governors, staff, parents and children work together to
create a happy, caring, learning environment in which an individual child can learn to value
excellence, achieve his/her full potential and discover for themselves a genuine delight in
learning.
All pupils are entitled to an inclusive and broad and balanced curriculum. We believe that
every teacher is a teacher of every child or young person including those with SEN. All pupils
have individual needs and we recognise that some pupils may require more support than
others. Therefore it is our responsibility to recognise and plan accordingly so that every
child can reach his/her full potential.
Our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) is Miss Tania Christopher and she works
closely with all staff to ensure that the provision for all children, but particularly those with
additional needs is personalised and appropriate.
Aim (The Longer View)
Pamphill’s aim is to raise the aspirations of and expectations for all pupils with SEN, we
provide a focus on outcomes for children and young people and not just hours of
provision/support. We acknowledge that a significant proportion of pupils will have special
educational needs (SEN) at some time in their school career. Many of the pupils may require
help throughout their time in school, while others may need a little support for a short period
to help them overcome more temporary needs. Pamphill School aims to provide all pupils with
strategies for dealing with their needs in a supportive environment, and to give them
meaningful access to the National Curriculum.
Objective (How will we do it?)
1. To identify and provide for pupils who have special educational needs and additional
needs
2. To work within the guidance provided in the SEND Code of Practice, 2014
3. To operate a “whole pupil, whole school” approach to the management and provision of
support for special educational needs
4. To provide a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who will work with the
SEN Inclusion Policy
5. To provide support and advice for all staff working with special educational needs
pupils
Identifying Special Educational Needs
The Code of Practice (2014:97) describes 4 broad categories of need.
 Communication and Need
o Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs
(SLCN).
o Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and
Autism.
 Cognition and Learning
o Children who may have learning difficulties which result in them learning at a
slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation.
o Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and
dyspraxia
 Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
o Children whom may present themselves as being withdrawn or isolated, as well
as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behavior. These behaviours
may reflect mental health difficulties.
 Sensory and/or physical needs
o Sensory or physical needs may refer to children with vision impairment (VI),
hearing impairment (HI) or multi-sensory impairment (MSI), physical disability
(PD).
These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for.
The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit a
pupil into a category. At Pamphill we aim to identify the needs of the pupil by considering the
needs of the whole child, which will include not just the special educational needs of the child
or young person.
At Pamphill First School we monitor the progress of all pupils to identify those at risk of
underachievement. The SENCO carefully monitors the school’s tracking system and
comparative national data and expectations to monitor the level and rate of progress for
identified children.
We use a wide range of tools to determine SEN including:
 Standardised tests
 Parent information
 Professional discussions

Medical information
It is important to note what SEN is not but it may impact on progress and attainment;
 Disability
 Attendance and Punctuality
 Health and Welfare
 English as an Additional Language (EAL)
 Being in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant
 Being a Looked After Child
 Being a child of Serviceman/woman
At Pamphill First we recognise that not all children with SEND will necessarily cause concerns
academically and we will have the same high expectations and hopes for all children.
In the new Code of Practice there are two types of need
 School Support
 Education, Health & Care Plans
The majority of children will have their needs met at School Support.
A Graduated Approach to SEN Support
At Pamphill we have a 3 stage graduated approach to SEN.
Step 1: Bottom 20% List
The beginning of the school year the staff meet to discuss data from the previous year.
Class teachers identify 20% of children in each year group whose progress has been slow or
whom may benefit from additional interventions. Interventions are part of our daily guided
teaching. The subject coordinators monitor the success of the intervention and liaise with
the SENCO if they believe a child needs additional SEN Support. At this point parents will
be contacted to have a meeting and give consent.
Step 2: SEN Support
If a child requires support above and beyond what the school delivers they will be put on the
SEN Register as requiring SEN Support. The support might be in the form of Speech and
Language, Occupational Therapy, Dyslexia Support etc. Once a child is put on SEN Support
progress is monitored termly during a meeting with the parents and class teacher. During
the meeting an IEP will be completed and achievable targets will be set. The timescale for
being on the SEN register varies hugely from one child to another. They can be on the
register for as little as a term or it could be ongoing, depending on their level of need.
Step 3: Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) (0-25)
Educational Health Care Plans are for children who require support to access the curriculum.
Outside agencies, parents and the school will be working together to provide an inclusive
education for the child. There will be opportunities during the year for Annual Reviews which
is an opportunity for family members and professionals to meet to discuss the next year’s
targets. For more information please contact the SENCO.
Children will only be put on the SEN Register if they are on SEN Support or have an
Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).
Detailed below is the process by which our school identifies and manages children and young
people with SEN.
At Pamphill we aim to provide quality first teaching in all lessons. Teachers are responsible
and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including
where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. High quality
teaching which is differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils
who many have SEN. Pupils are only identified as SEN if they do not make adequate progress
after they have access interventions and good quality differentiated teaching.
The quality of teaching is regularly reviewed. There are termly observations made by the
Head Teacher, SENCO and Subject Coordinators. As well as moderation meetings where the
quality of children’s work is assessed, including the work of children who are at risk of
underachievement.
The decision as to whether to make special educational provision lies with the SENCo and
Head Teacher. If a class teacher has a concern with a child’s learning the SENCo will be
informed. An observation of the child in the classroom is then undertaken to see what could
be done to help. This is then followed by a meeting with the appropriate staff to discuss
pupil’s progress alongside national data and expectations of progress. If further additional
support is required the class teacher would arrange a meeting with the parent to discuss
concerns and possible links with outside agency involvement.
Links with Outside Agencies
If a child requires a higher level of need the school might need to make arrangements to
draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals. In this case
the parent will be informed and will be required to give written permission for their child to
be assessed by other professionals.
Outside agencies that may be consulted by Pamphill CE VA First School include the SEN
Specialist Services (SENSS), Social Services, the School Health Service, the County
Psychological Service, the Behaviour Support Services, the Hearing and Visually Impaired
Service, the Speech and Language Service, Poole Hospital Child Development Unit and any
other service that may prove useful in supporting staff and pupils.
The consultation with these outside agencies is intended to ensure:
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early and accurate identification and assessment of special educational needs so that
the child / young person’s requirements are provided;
continuing social and academic progress of children / young people with special
educational needs;
personal and academic targets are set and met effectively;
consideration is given to the most appropriate form of evaluation and planning
meet the special educational needs of individuals – e.g. Person Centred Reviews.
Managing Pupils Needs on the SEN Register
If a child has an Educational, Health Care Plan (EHCP) or they are on SEN Support they will
be on the SEN Register. Parents will need to give their permission for their child to be on
the SEN Register. The child’s progress is carefully monitored by the SENCO. Parents will
be invited to attend meetings with the class teacher to review Individual Education Plans
(IEP) targets and to plan targets for the forthcoming months; the SENCO can be present if
requested.
Criteria For Exiting The SEN Register
If a child has made progress and specialised support find no need for a child to continue to
be on the register they will be removed. Parents will be informed and will be required to sign
a letter registering that support is no longer necessary. If there are any concerns about a
child’s progress in the future the support required can be reviewed.
Supporting Pupils at school with Medical Conditions
The school recognises that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so
that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Some
children with medical conditions may be disabled and where this is the case the school will
comply with its duties under Equality Act 2010.
Some may also have SEN and may have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which
brings together health and social care needs, as well as their special educational provision and
the SEND Code of Practice (2014) is followed.
At Pamphill we take great care to support pupils with medical conditions in school. The Head
teacher will arrange a meeting to put together a ‘Health Care Plan’.
Storing and Managing Information
SEN information is stored in a secure filing cabinet. Emails to outside agencies are sent on a
secure email address where only children’s initials are used.
If a child was to transfer to a new school a hard copy of their IEP’s and any additional
paperwork will be sent. There will be a meeting between the Pamphill SENCO and the SENCO
from the new school to transfer information. SEN paperwork follows the child and must be
kept for 25 years.
Children who are on the SEN Register are recorded on SIMS. This is to alert future schools
of a child’s educational needs.
Dealing with Complaints
The School welcomes parents’ comments and suggestions; parents/ carers can make an
appointment to speak to any member of staff including the SENCO throughout the year for
any reason.
Please see the schools complaints procedure on the website.
This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 025 (2014) 3.65 and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents:
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Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE 2013
SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (2014)
Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014)
This policy was created by the school’s SENCO with the SEN Governor in liaison with the
SLT, all staff and parents of pupils with SEND – refer to co-producing policy in the spirit of
current reform.
Approved by Governors:
Date:
Policy Review Date:
Appendix 1: Terms Used In This Policy
SEN
SENCO
SEND
SLCN
ASD
SpLD
VI
HI
MSI
PD
EAL
EHCP
SENSS
IEP
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Special Educational Needs
Special Educational Needs Coordinator
Special Educational Needs & Disability
Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Asperger’s Syndrome
Specific Learning Difficulties
Vision Impairment
Hearing Impairment
Multi-Sensory Impairment
Physical Disability
English as an Additional Language
Educational Health Care Plan
SEN Specialist Services
Individual Educational Plan