Dent CE Primary School
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy
Persons Responsible: N Edwards (HT and SENCO)
Adopted by Governing Body: Autumn 2015
Review: Autumn 2016
Philosophy
This policy outlines the purpose, nature and management of special educational needs in our school.
The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all the staff working at Dent CE Primary
School. Dent aims to provide all pupils with strategies for dealing with their needs in a supportive
environment.
In particular we aim to:
 ensure that all pupils, whatever their special educational needs and disability, receive
appropriate educational provision through a broad and balanced curriculum that is relevant
and differentiated, and that demonstrates progression in learning
 enable each pupil to experience success and fulfil their potential
 ensure that pupils with SEND have equal opportunities to take part, as far as it is
appropriate, in all aspects of the school’s provision
 identify, assess, record and regularly review pupil’s progress and needs
 involve parents/carers in planning and supporting all stages of their child’s development
 provide all pupils with strategies for dealing with their needs in a supportive environment,
and give them meaningful access to the National Curriculum
Special Educational Needs
A child has special educational needs if she or he has learning difficulties that call for special
educational provision to be made.
A child has learning difficulties if she or he:
 has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
 has a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities
of a kind provided for children of the same age in other schools within the LA
The Code of Practice describes the possible barriers to learning under four broad areas:
 communication and interaction – speech and language difficulties and autistic spectrum
disorders
 cognition and learning – moderate learning difficulties , specific learning difficulties
 behaviour, emotional and social development
 sensory, medical or physical – hearing, visual or physical
Staffing
The Head, who also is the Special Needs Co-coordinator, manages SEND planning and provision
throughout the school. Teachers regularly communicate with the SENCo to discuss SEN issues.
Special Educational Needs Coordinator [SENCo]
The SENCo is responsible for:
 the day to day operation of the school’s SEND policy
 co-coordinating provision for children with special educational needs
 assessment of progress and monitoring the impact of strategies for children with SEND
and monitoring LA staffing and interventions
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liaising with and advising fellow teachers and teaching assistants
overseeing the records of all pupils with special educational needs and disability
liaising with parents/carers of children with special educational needs and disability
liaising with external agencies including the Local Authority SEN department, educational
psychology services, advisory teachers, health and social services and voluntary services
reviewing the SEND policy in consultation with the Head Teacher, staff and Governing Body
liaising with the Governor with responsibility for SEND
attending meetings and courses related to SEND matters
Identification, Assessment and Provision
At Dent early identification of a child with special educational needs and disability is the aim,
encouraging dialogue between parents/carers, pupil, class teacher and SENCo. When the class
teacher or learning support staff identifies a pupil as having a difficulty, they will liaise with the
SENCo and parents/carers. Class teacher and support staff are responsible for initial assessment of
the pupil within the framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum.
Whether or not a pupil is making progress, is seen as a significant factor in considering the need for
SEND provision.
Early identification
Pupil progress is established through:
 evidence obtained by teacher and learning support staff observations/judgements
 information from parents/carers
 their performance in National Curriculum judges against level descriptors and pivots
 pupil progress in relation to objectives in the Early Years Foundation Stage
 standardised screening or assessment tools
SEN Provision
The main methods of provision are:
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Wave 1 provision: called quality first teaching: full time education in classes, with additional
support by the class teacher / support staff through a differentiated curriculum
Wave 2 provision: short periods of individual tuition or as part of a small group work with
either a teacher or learning support staff
Wave 3 provision: normally as a result of received external advice, periods of withdrawal to
work one to one with a support teacher or teaching assistant. One to one support in the
classroom from either the teacher or learning support staff.
It is the class teachers’ responsibility to be aware of the range of needs which might arise in their
classrooms and to recognise that educational and disability needs can be met through a variety of
groupings, teaching arrangements and approaches.
Monitoring pupil progress
Pupils’ progress is monitored through:
 continuous observations and assessment
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parental/carers contributions
reviewing strategies currently used as a basis for planning
evaluating the provision of additional or different action made through School Action
Wave 2 provision] ,School Action Plus and children with a Statement of Special Educational
Needs
[Wave 3 provision] Progress is a crucial factor in determining the need for additional
support. Good to outstanding progress is that which:
narrows the attainment gap between pupils and peers
prevents the attainment gap widening or improves upon the pupils previous rate of progress
is equivalent to that of peers starting from the same baseline but less than the majority of
peers
equals or improves upon the pupils previous rate of progress
show an improvement in self-help and social or personal skills
shows improvement in the pupil’s behaviour
A Graduated Response
The Code of Practice advocates a graduated response to meeting pupil’s needs. This response is
based on two principles:
 provision for a child with special educational needs and disability should match the nature of
their needs;
 there should be regular recording of a child’s special educational and disability needs, the
action taken and the outcomes.
School Action [Wave 2]
School Action is characterised by interventions that are different from or additional to the normal
differentiated curriculum. School Action can be triggered through concern that despite receiving
differentiated teaching, a pupil:
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makes little or no progress despite targeted support
shows signs of difficulty in literacy or maths
shows persistent emotional or behavioural difficulties not addressed by usual behaviour
management strategies
has significant sensory or physical problems
shows communication or interaction difficulties
At School Action
 the class teacher seeks assistance from the SENCo
 information is collected, including information from health or social services [with
parental/carers agreement]
 additional interventions /strategies to support pupil progress will be implemented
 if needed, additional in class adult support will be allocated
 information and concerns shared with parents/carers
 termly reviews to assess the impact of interventions on pupils progress
School Action Plus [Wave 3]
School Action Plus is characterised by a sustained level of support and, where appropriate, the
involvement of external agencies. Placement of a pupil at this level will be made by the class teacher
and SENCo after consultation with parents/carers.
School Action Plus can be triggered by the following factors:
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little or no progress
attainment at substantially below age related expectations
difficulty developing literacy or maths skills
emotional or behavioural difficulties that often substantially impede the pupils learning or
that of the group
 sensory or physical needs requiring additional equipment or advice from external specialists
 on-going communication or interactive difficulties that impede the development of social
relationships
Exceptional Needs Funding
This is available for a very limited number of children across the County to meet needs that do not
regularly occur in schools and which require additional resources e.g.. Emergency medical funding.
A Statement of Special Educational Needs /Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)
A Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Educational Health Care Plan is a legal document
issued by the Local Authority which sets out details of the special educational needs that a child is
considered to have. A Statement or EHCP issued by Cumbria LA outlines the special educational
provision that a child will receive to meet his/her needs. A statement is reviewed annually and the
review, plus supporting documentation, is sent to the LA. The LA decides whether to maintain,
amend or cease a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
The Head Teacher who is also the Designated teacher for Children Looked After:
 promotes a culture in which looked after children believe they can succeed and
aspire to further and higher education
 ensures that the teaching and learning needs of the child looked after are
reflected in his/her Personal Learning Plan and have responsibility for its implementation
 ensures that the views of the children looked after are taken seriously and inform
decisions about teaching and learning strategies and personal targets
 where necessary, prioritise children looked after for tuition
 promote good home-school-agency links
 be a source of support for all staff working with children looked after
Admissions arrangements
Dent CE Primary School follows the Local Authority and Diocesan procedures for admissions.
Complaints Procedure
Complaints are dealt with in line with school procedure. The Code of Practice outlines additional
measures the LA must set up for preventing and resolving disagreements.
Policy date: Autumn 2015
Review date: Autumn 2016