Our SEND policy and information report aims to:

• To ensure full entitlement and access for SEND pupils, including Gifted and Talented pupils, to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, including the national curriculum, so that they can reach their full potential.
• To provide a caring environment and a variety of worthwhile experiences.
• To identify and assess pupils with SEND as early as possible.
• To meet the needs of all pupils having SEND by making reasonable adjustments to education provision.
• To promote the highest possible standards of achievement for pupils with SEND.
• To involve parents/guardians, pupils and feeder primary schools in the identification, assessment and delivery of SEND provision.
• To continue to work closely with other agencies to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to meet the range and complexity of needs within the school.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Fundamental Principles

Weobley Schools’ Federation believe that all pupils have the right to a broad and balanced curriculum including pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The schools actively promote an inclusive ethos. We believe that all teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs. In addition, the High School have the Additional Resource Centre (ARC) and the LInC (Learning Inclusion Centre) provides an enhanced resource for pupils with barriers to learning such as Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) and Emotional & Social and Mental Health (ESMH) Difficulties. Under the direction of the SENDCO Curriculum support and provision is tailored to individual pupils needs through a graduated response.

• In the Primary School there is a big emphasis on providing Social, Emotional support through the ‘Thrive’ programme. There is also an Inclusion Mentor who provides specific targeted interventions to support the needs of individual pupils. All the teachers differentiate tasks and activities according to the needs of the children in their classes. Again, the SENDCO provides support for all staff enabling all children to make progress.

The Governors recognise their statutory duties towards pupils with SEND as stated in the Code of Practice. The Central tasks for Governing bodies:

• To make policy on special educational needs are met
• To decide how success will be gauged – Success will be tracked and monitored, retrospectively over a period of 3 years, against the cohort in the following categories:

• Participation in extra-curricular activities
• Attainment against pupil progress
• Exclusions (fixed term and permanent)
• Admissions and transfers
• To implement the policy
• To monitor policy implementation
• To set in place arrangements for reviewing the policy

The School Governing body has important statutory responsibilities towards pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.  The Governing body must:

• Do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs.
• Ensure that, where the local education authority has informed the head teacher or the appropriate governor that a pupil has special educational needs, those needs are made known to all who are likely to teach him or her.
• Ensure teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for those pupils who have special educational needs.
• Draw up and report regularly to parents on their policy for pupils with special educational needs.
• Ensure that pupils join in the activities of the school, together with pupils who do not have special educational needs or disabilities, so far as this is reasonably practical and compatible with the pupil receiving the necessary special educational provision, the efficient education of other children and the efficient use of resources.

The named Governor is: Mrs Julia Hall

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) – Role and responsibilities

• The SEND Co-ordinator in the High School is Mrs Rachel Day, National Award for SEND Co-ordination 2012
• The SEND Co-ordinator in the High School for exams is Miss Sally-Ann Richardson, National Award for SEND Co-ordination 2017
• The SEND Co-ordinator in the Primary School is Mrs Sarah Wallace, National Award for SEND Co-ordination 2015

All schools:

This policy and information report is based on the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and the following legislation:

Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which sets out schools’ responsibilities for pupils with SEND and disabilities

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, which set out schools’ responsibilities for education, health and care (EHC) plans, SEND co-ordinators (SENDCOs) and the SEND information report.

A pupil has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the others of the same age, or a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.
• Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools.

The SENDCO

The SENDCO Primary is Sarah Wallace

The SENDCO Secondary is Rachel Day

The SENDCO in the High School for exams is Miss Sally-Ann Richardson

They will:

• Work with the headteacher and SEND governor to determine the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school
• Have day-to-day responsibility for the operation of this SEND policy and the co-ordination of specific provision made to support individual pupils with SEND, including those who have EHC plans
• Provide professional guidance to colleagues and work with staff, parents, and other agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND receive appropriate support and high-quality teaching
• Advise on the graduated approach to providing SEND support
• Advise on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
• Be the point of contact for external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
• Liaise with potential next providers of education to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• Ensure the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date

The SEND governor

The SEND governor will:

• Help to raise awareness of SEND issues at governing board meetings
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEND and disability provision within the school and update the governing board on this
• Work with the headteacher and SENDCO to determine the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school

The Headteacher

The headteacher will:

• Work with the SENDCO and SEND governor to determine the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision within the school
• Have overall responsibility for the provision and progress of learners with SEND and/or a disability

Class teachers

 Each class teacher is responsible for:

• The progress and development of every pupil in their class
• Working closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching
• Working with the SENDCO to review each pupil’s progress and development and decide on any changes to provision
• Ensuring they follow this SEND policy

SEND Information Report

This policy and information report will be reviewed by the Weobley Schools’ Federation SENDCOs and SEND Governor every year. It will also be updated if any changes to the information are made during the year.  It will be approved by the governing board.

This policy links to our policies and Government guidelines

Accessibility plan

Behaviour

Equality information and objectives

Supporting pupils with medical conditions

Safeguarding

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022

Reviewed on: December 2022

By: Rachel Day and Sarah Wallace

Adopted by the Governing Body on: December 2022

To be reviewed: June 2024