Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

What are Special Educational Needs or Disabilities?

The term 'Special Educational Needs' (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age. At Blacko Primary School we appreciate that some children may have different or additional needs to others and may need extra support to access the curriculum. All Teacher in school differentiate their work to ensure that it meets all children’s needs.

Children who have Special Educational Needs, may need extra help in a range of areas, including

reading, writing, number work or understanding information,
expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying,
social skills including making friends or relating to adults,
being able to regulate themselves so they are ready to learn,
organising themselves,
sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school.

How will you know if your child has Special Educational Needs?

You will be informed by your child's class teacher if we feel your child needs to receive some extra, or different support. You will then be invited to meet with Mrs Richards and your child's class teacher to discuss a way forward for your child. The level of extra help is known as SEN Support. This could include:

adaptations through different teaching strategies,
extra support from the class teacher or the classroom TA within their learning,
using particular equipment,
targeted 1:1 or small group interventions.

If we feel that your child has a SEN that requires external support we will always seek your consent before we make a referral to gain specialist advice or support to help us meet your child's needs. This could include a Specialist Teacher, Educational Psychologist or a Speech and Language Therapist. You will always be informed by your child's Class Teacher and/or Mrs Richards of the outcomes and recommendations of any referrals made.

How do we meet the needs of SEND children?

If we feel that your child has SEND we will devise an Individual Provision Map which will outline what we feel they need in place to help them progress through the education system. This may be provision within school and/or through external agencies. The Provision Map will give specific targets and outline how children are being supported. It will also include information on specific areas you can work on at home with your child. You can request a meeting with your child's class teacher to discuss your child's Individual Provision Map.

If your child's needs continue to hinder their learning and development and we feel we are unable to meet their needs through ordinary available provision (OAP), we may then request an assessment for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) with the Local Authority.

It is important to note that SEN children may require support on a short term basis or for many years. The needs of each individual child will be different.

At Blacko Primary School we firmly believe that all children make progress in different ways and at different speeds. Teachers take this into account and work hard to consider children's strengths, different learning styles and abilities. This means that children may have different levels of support. If your child is making slower progress it does not automatically mean that they have SEN.

Key Documents:

Our Special Educational Needs Policy

Our Special Educational Needs (SEN) policy contains technical information and detail around our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and how we support SEND in school.

Our SEND Information Report

Our SEN information report about their provision and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Our SEND Support Flowchart

Our SEND flowchart details how we support pupils through our Graduated Response.

Our Accessibility Plan

Our Accessibility Plan details the changes we make to our school environment in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Lancashire County Council Local Offer

Our local offer brings together information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.

Parent Partnerships

The FIND Directory as part of the Parent Partnership Service at Lancashire County Council is a statutory service that offers information, help and support for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities [SEND].

The service has a role in making sure that parents and carers views are heard and understood and that these views inform local policy and practice.

Parent Partnership Services can help you by:

Giving accurate and neutral information about Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) assessment policies and procedures.
Arranging a face-to-face meeting to explain the SEND documentation.
Assisting you to complete the Parental Advice Forms.
Explaining the content of Statements of SEND.
Accompanying you on visits to schools so that you can make informed decisions about your preference.
Liaising between you, school and Lancashire County Council's Special Educational Needs Support Service [SENDSS] regarding a child's special educational needs.

Additional Support

Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Kate Richards on 01282 616669 or by e-mail if you would like to discuss your child's progress, IEP, intervention or anything else relating to Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities. Other additional links to support can be found below:

Our SEND Information Report, which can be accessed via the link above, is full of additional resources and links to support our parents with their child's needs.