What is ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability’?

A Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) is a difficulty or barrier that affects a child’s ability to learn and to access the curriculum.  It may be appropriate for a pupil with SEN to access provision which is ‘additional to, or otherwise different from’ the educational provision made generally for pupils of their age.

A disability is a long-term health condition which causes a difficulty or barrier to learn or to access the curriculum.

SEN is identified under the following categories :

SEN Support

Pupils with less complex needs but who still require support will be identified by a single category, known as SEN Support. The focus for this will be on what your child has achieved as a result of the personalised intervention provided.

Education Health Care Plans

An EHCP, or Education, Health and Care Plan, is a legal document in the UK that outlines the special educational, health, and social care needs of a child or young person aged up to 25.

The EHCP identifies the educational, health and social needs, and sets out the additional support to meet those needs.  You may be able to get a personal budget for your child if they have an EHC plan or have been told that they need one. 

The Priory Federation of Academies' SEND Policy in the Pupil Welfare Policies section

Who do I speak to if I think my child has Special Educational Needs and/or Disability?

If you have any SEN concerns regarding your child, our Academy has a designated Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), Miss G Keenan, who can be contacted on 01522 882800 or via lincolnenquiries@prioryacademies.co.uk

Miss Keenan is a qualified teacher with extensive experience within Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Following any initial enquiry, a response will be made within two working days and, if appropriate, a meeting will be arranged.

How will we decide if my child needs additional support?

We will meet with you to share information and decide on the appropriate next steps. Following the initial meeting, a cycle of assess, plan, do and review will occur. This is as follows:

Assess and Plan	A member of staff will collect information about a pupil who is of concern. This may include various assessments and observations. The information and appropriate next steps will then be shared with you.
Do	If your child is identified as having SEND, their details are placed on the SEND Register. If, through discussions, it is agreed that your child no longer needs to be on the SEND Register, their details will be removed. An Individual Profile is created using the above information. This outlines the necessary teaching strategies and intervention required to support your child. Your child will take an active part in the writing and reviewing of their profile.
Review	Review meetings, parents’ evenings and written reports will help to keep you fully informed at every stage.

What support is available for my child?

If a pupil has been identified as having a barrier to their learning, additional support will be provided to give them the opportunity to make progress. There are four identified areas of need within SEN. Your child’s need may come under one or more of these areas.

Cognition and Learning	This may include mild learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) where children may require varying support to access their learning as well as specific learning difficulties (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
Communication and Interaction	This may include difficulties speaking, understanding or communicating as well as autism spectrum conditions.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health	This may include a range of mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders or physical symptoms which are medically unexplained - this could include behaviour you may find challenging, as well as conditions such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder
Sensory and/or Physical	This may include a physical disability (PD) which hinders their ability to access standard provision - this may also include visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI)

It is important to remember that whilst these are some of the identified needs within the four broad areas of need, they are not the only needs or the only areas of support a child may require.

The support available will vary dependent on your child’s needs.  This may include a specific intervention package which is delivered outside the regular timetabled lesson, access to Information Technology and, in some cases, a designated mentor. Our provision map shows a range of interventions in place which may be used to provide support. The provision map is a working document and is updated as pupil progress is reviewed. The SENCO will oversee the impact of the named interventions. From the provision map, an Individual Profile is modified, identifying the provision and how it will be coordinated.

When a pupil’s learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong, they may require enhanced individual support from the Academy. With your support and alongside specialist services, we will collate information to request an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). If agreed by the Local Authority, an EHCP will incorporate resources and provision with specific outcomes that will support the individual needs of your child. The requirements listed in an EHCP will be embedded in a personalised Individual Profile.

Pupils who currently have a Statement of Special Educational Needs will have their provision updated to an EHC under the guidance of the Local Authority.

What support will there be for my child’s overall social and emotional well-being?

The well-being of all pupils is our primary concern across the Priory Federation.

Social and emotional development programmes are followed and when it is appropriate visiting speakers offer specialist information raising awareness in relation to Personal, Social and Health Education aspects.

A Pastoral Team oversees pupils as they progress through each year group, offering support, mentoring and guidance. We regularly monitor attendance, support pupils returning after absence and take the necessary actions to prevent prolonged absence.

Designated Safeguarding Officers are responsible for ensuring the well-being of all pupils in liaison with all Academy staff, these can be contacted on 01522 882800

Relevant staff are trained to support medical needs and this training is provided through specialist services.

We offer a wide range of activities to cater for the different interests of the pupils, some of which take place after school. Extra-curricular activities are available for your child to join, including physical activities, the Arts and music and drama. These are published through the extra-curricular timetable. In addition, we hold House events throughout the academic year.

Educational visits and trips abroad are available to provide alternative experiences for your child.

Where there are concerns for safety and access, a personalised risk assessment is written and shared with all parties. This will detail any reasonable adjustments that need to be made to meet your child’s needs.   The Priory Federation of Academies' Pupil Welfare policies

What specialist services and expertise are available?

Across the Federation, we have developed strong partnerships with a range of specialist services.

The Academy SENDCo will seek advice and support from these, if appropriate, as part of the cycle of support available as described in the Local Authority’s Family Directory.

The list below highlights some of the services we access:

• Educational Psychologist (EP)
• Specialist Teaching Team (STT)
• Health – Community Paediatrician and the School Nursing Team
• Working Together Team (WTT)
• Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
• Sensory Impairment Lincolnshire County Service (SILCS)
• Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Children’s Services
• Family Centre

We also have expertise from staff members within the area of SEN; these skills are utilised to meet the needs of the pupil. Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by specialist services that are relevant to the needs of specific pupils.

The Federation recognises the need to train all our staff on SEN information. The SENDCo, with the Senior Leadership Team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to Academy Development Priorities and to those identified through the use of provision management.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

We follow a 'whole school approach' to SEND and work to ensure that all of our pupils feel fully included. We are committed to ensuring that pupils with SEND can fulfil their potential and achieve their individual excellence. Adaptive and inclusive teaching ensures that all pupils can fully access the curriculum and can retain and recall new learning. A learning environment where pupils feel confident and secure in voicing their opinions is actively encouraged and valued. The Individual Profile will identify the necessary teaching strategies and styles of intervention required so that personalised learning can take place.

How will I know my child is progressing in their learning?

The progress of your child will be monitored termly.  If they are not making the expected progress in a particular area of learning, we will identify the necessary additional support they may need.

You will be kept informed of how your child is progressing through a range of options including:

• Appropriate daily communication
• Parents’ evenings
• Additional meetings as required
• Email and telephone correspondence
• Module reports
• Written reports

If you have any concerns about the progress or attainment of your child, this can be raised with the appropriate member of staff.

How can I access support for myself and my family?

The SENDCo is available to discuss any SEND queries or concerns you may have. Information from specialist services will be discussed with you and when this is not possible, shared through a written report.

If you have any SEND queries that need dealing with by the Local Authority, these should be directed to The Additional Needs Team.  Parent / Carers can also access further information from the local authority website :  SEND Local Offer – Lincolnshire County Council

The Lincolnshire Information, Advice and Support Service (LIASE), acts as an independent organisation offering support and advice to parents/carers who have a query or concern about their child’s needs.

How will my child be supported during times of transition?

Communication forms a vital part of the transition process. You are invited to visit our Academy prior to applying for a place through attending open days and an individual guided tour.

We have close links with our feeder schools; meetings are planned and information shared. Suitable support, which may include additional visits, induction sessions and liaising with other specialist services and relevant adults, can be discussed at these meetings.

For a pupil with an EHCP, the SENCO will attend the Annual Review meeting to support the transition process.

Further transition opportunities occur as pupils progress through the Academy. All students benefit from careers advice and guidance to support their post-16 provision.

Where pupils move on to another placement, their records and personal data will be passed on in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

How accessible is the setting?

We aim to ensure that each environment is accessible to all pupils, including those with SEND. Some reasonable adjustments may be as follows:

• Physical environments - lifts, lighting, wheelchair access, dedicated disabled parking places
• Assistive technology - use of specialist IT equipment
• Increased access to the curriculum and assistance during examinations
• Transport requirements

A range of specialist provision is available across the Federation, including:

• Sensory rooms
• Hygiene suites
• Swimming pool and fitness suite used for physiotherapy provision
• Designated areas for individual and small group work
• IT facilities with relevant hardware and software linked to the intervention provision

What does all the jargon mean? 

The following glossary of terms list different words and abbreviations that we use:

Annual Review	The review of an EHC plan which the local authority must make as a minimum every 12 months.
CAMHS	Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service
EP	Educational Psychologist
EHCP	A personal Educational Health Care Plan
Graduated Approach	A model of action and intervention to help pupils who have special educational needs. The approach recognises that there is a continuum of SEND and that, where necessary, increasing specialist expertise should be brought to bear on the difficulties that a pupil may be experiencing.
Healthcare Plan	This is a document which describes any significant medical conditions that a child may have which require special medication or adjustments.  The plan outlines the pupil's needs and what needs to be put in place to support them.  It is then shared with all those staff supporting the child.
Individual Profile	This outlines the necessary teaching strategies and intervention required to support the pupil.
LIASE	Lincolnshire Information, Advice and Support Service.
National Curriculum	This sets out a clear, full and statutory entitlement to learning for all pupils, determining what should be taught and setting attainment targets for learning. It also determines how performance will be assessed and reported.
Provision	Any extra help, support or equipment that a pupil receives.
Provision Map	A provision map shows a range of interventions in place which may be used to provide support.
Safeguarding	Ensuring the well-being of all pupils.
SALT	Speech and Language Therapy
SEN	Special Educational Needs.
SEND	Special Educational Needs and Disability.
SENDCo	Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, the person in school responsible for managing SEND.
SEN Support	A single category for pupils with less complex needs but who still require support.
SILS	Sensory Impairment Lincolnshire County Service
Specialist Services	Any professional from an agency or service who provides advice to the school and family.
STS	Specialist Teaching Service.
Transitions	A change or transfer from one school or class to another.