St John's Church Of England Primary School

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEND)

St John’s C of E primary school is committed to providing an appropriate and high quality education for all the children in our school. We believe that all children, including those identified as having a special educational need and/or a disability, are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life. We are committed to an inclusive approach meeting individual needs.

Some children have barriers to learning that require particular action by the school. These children are added to the school SEND register, which is reviewed termly. We support children with a variety of needs including: Autism, ADHD, Speech & Language difficulties, Dyslexia, Sensory Processing Disorder, Dyspraxia and hearing impairment. 

The school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) liaises with staff and ensures all staff are aware of SEND within the school and receive high quality information and training. We aim to quickly identify pupils who are making limited progress and provide targeted interventions and support to meet their needs. Teachers take account of these needs and make provision as required to support individuals or groups of children and thus enable them to participate effectively in all aspects of school life. This provision may include highly differentiated learning, additional support and resources which  differ from that given to other children of the same age (please see below for a list of possible interventions and support we can offer). 

The SENDCO works closely with different specialist services, our local educational psychologist and inclusion partner, as well as having regular contact with local SENCO’s. This ensures we have up to date guidance and support/advice where needed.  We also access a wide range of services from the NHS such as speech and language therapists, community paediatrics and occupational therapists. These services help to provide parents/carers and staff in school with the right information to meet pupils’ needs. 

The school also belongs to the Child First Trust (https://childfirsttrust.com/) which enables us to access counseling, speech and language training and support, OT, play therapy and family support.

We are committed to working with parents and all staff work hard to understand each child and family's unique situation. We ensure parents are fully aware of the SEND process and informed of their child’s learning regularly throughout the year. 

Each child on our SEND register has an individual learning plan which details strengths and difficulties, children’s wishes for the future and how they are best supported. It also includes information on current learning levels, next step targets and the provision the school is providing. 

More information on the schools SEN arrangements can be found in the SEND Policy We need to add the most recent one which is November 2023 and the SEND Information report.  These are both reviewed annually and undertaken in consultation with staff and parents.

We have a separate medical policy for children with medical needs.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your child, please contact our school SENCO -  Mrs Karen Lee at klee@stjohnscofe.com.

STAFFING

School SENDCO - Mrs Karen Lee

SEN LSA’s - We currently have 7 LSA’s who work in school. They work closely with Mrs Lee and Class teachers to deliver a range of 1:1 and group interventions and support pupils who have an Education Health Care Plan.

 Class TA’s - Each Class has a class TA who will support throughout the morning and some afternoons. They are aware of the SEND needs in their class and will carry out interventions and support individuals and/or groups where needed.

The Four Main Areas of SEND

If your child has been identified as SEND, it will be determined which of the four areas will be their main area of need. 

The SEND Code of Practice 2014 (updated January 2015) sets out four broad areas of special educational need that include a range of difficulties and conditions: 

1. Communication and Interaction (C&I) 
2. Cognition and Learning (C&L) 
3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMHD) 
4. Physical and/or Sensory Needs (P&SN)

Students will be identified by their primary area of need. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit a student into a category. In practice, individual children or young people often have needs that cut across all these areas.

The SEND Code of Practice states that: Many children and young people have difficulties that fit clearly into one of these areas; some have needs that span two or more areas; for others the precise nature of their need may not be clear at the outset. 

Areas of Need and suggested advice/support 

1.   Communication and Interaction 

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

https://www.autism-anglia.org.uk/colchester

https://www.autism.org.uk/

https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/

https://www.neecommunity.org.uk/our-services/services-for-children/paediatric-speech-and-language-therapy/

1. Cognition and Learning

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 
• Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD) 
• Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD) 
• Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD) 
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) This includes a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and  dyspraxia.

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

1. Social, Emotional and Mental Emotional Health 

Children and young people with SEMH may have the following mental health difficulties: anxiety, withdrawn or feeling isolated, having challenging and disturbing behaviour, self-harming, depression, eating disorder, and substance misuse.or young people. 

 https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/set-camhs/

1. Sensory and/or Physical 

• Visual impairment (VI)
• Hearing impairment (HI)
• Sensory processing Disorder
• Physical disability (PD)

Medical Needs 

A medical diagnosis or a disability does not necessarily imply a special educational need (SEND). It may not be necessary for the child or young person with any particular diagnosis or medical condition to have any additional form or educational provision. At St John’s we have a separate Medical Needs register with individual care plans for each pupil ensuring their condition is properly managed, and therefore not hindering their access to education. These plans take into account the medical guidance and advice available. 

INTERVENTIONS

At St John’s Primary School we use a range of interventions in school to support pupils with their learning. The intervention and delivery, will depend on the needs of the child. These include:

• Targeted Intervention and pre-teaching to support gaps in learning
• Number Sense Maths interventions
• EPS Maths Intervention
• Little Wandle Phonics keep up and catch up groups (in small groups and 1:1)
• ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
• Pastoral/Counsellor/Nurture Support
• Speech & Language therapy interventions 
• Sensory breaks and resources (Depending upon need)
• Personalised curriculum
• Social Skills and play interventions
• Social stories
• Gross motor skills interventions such as Gym Trail
• Finger Gym activities to support fine motor skills

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

This area of need has always been of huge importance to us at St John’s.. To support children in this area we have a specialised LSA Mrs Norris who is in school 4 mornings a week. She works closely with Mrs Lee and supports pupils either 1:1 or in small groups. Mrs Norris has completed training to become an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) lead.

Mrs Norris is also available once a week for parents who would like to discuss any issues/concerns they have at home. Appointments are on Monday mornings. Please contact Mrs Lee (klee@stjohnscofe.com) if you would like to meet with Mrs Norris.

Further services & Support

Supporting you neurodiverse child - https://essexfamilyforum.org/resources/nd-pack

SENDiass - https://send.essex.gov.uk/search-support-groups-and-activities/send-information-advice-and-support-service-sendiass

Checklists

• Indicators of Autism
• Indicators of Dyscalculia
• Indicators of Dysgraphia
• Indicators of Dyspraxia
• Indicators of Speech, Language and Communication

School Nursing Team

In North East Essex, between the age of 0-8 years your child will be under the Health Visiting Service, from their 8th birthday onward they will be under the School Age Team up until the age of 19 or 25 for those with Special Educational Needs.

The team is made up of Specialist Community Public Health Nurses, School Nurses and Healthy Family support Practitioners, who all specialise in the delivery of care to School Age children and young people.

They deliver health advice and support both within School, within the family home, our family hubs and delivery sites or other community settings.

The team can help with:

• Providing confidential drops in sessions at every secondary school allowing young people to discuss any health or wellbeing concerns
• Provide community drop in sessions at family hubs and delivery sites.
• Provide support in key stages including school transition from primary to secondary, mid teen and year 11 help to ensure that young people are prepared for their next stage of life.
• Offer support in regard of common childhood issues (Bedwetting, diet, exercise, sleep and emotional wellbeing)
• Complete individual health needs assessments to identify any health and wellbeing needs, then putting support in place.
• Work alongside you to decide the best level of support.
• Work alongside other organisations when required to ensure the best possible outcome for you and your child.
• The school age team will accept self-referrals through school drop in sessions, Parents, teachers, GP and other health care colleagues can refer through to the service by making contact- 0300 247 0015