Inclusion and SEN

What is SEN?

If your child is on the SEN register it means they have a special educational need. A special educational need is defined by the 2014 code of practice in the following way:
Children and young people with SEN all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.

If your child’s first language is not English, does that mean they have a learning difficulty?

The law says that children and young people do not have learning difficulties just because their first language is not English, although, of course, some of these children and young people may have learning difficulties as well.

How common is SEN?

Many children and young people will have SEN of some kind at some time during their education. Schools can help most children and young people succeed with some changes to their practice or additional support. But some children and young people will need extra help for some or all of their time in education and training.

What types of SEN are there?

Children and young people with SEN may need extra help because of a range of needs.

Communicating and interacting – for example, where children and young people have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to make sense of language or to understand how to communicate effectively and appropriately with others

Cognition and learning – for example, where children and young people learn at a slower pace than others their age, have difficulty in understanding parts of the curriculum, have difficulties with organisation and memory skills, or have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning performance such as in literacy or numeracy

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties – for example, where children and young people have difficulty in managing their relationships with other people, are withdrawn, or if they behave in ways that may hinder their and other children’s learning, or that have an impact on their health and wellbeing

Sensory and/or physical needs – for example, children and young people with visual and/or hearing impairments, or a physical need that means they must have additional ongoing support and equipment

Some children and young people may have SEN that covers more than one of these areas.

What are the levels of SEN?

Your child will usually only be placed on the SEN register if they are accessing additional help in school which is above what is offered to the majority of children.

SEN support

Any support your child gets from their school should meet their needs.

If your child has SEN, they will be able to access help – called SEN support – from school. This support may involve access to professionals such as the Educational Psychologist.

EHCP

EHCP standards for an Education, Health and Care Plan.  This replaces the old document ‘Statement’.

An EHCP is a legal document that describes the child or young person’s special educational needs and associated health and social care needs, sets out the provision and support they must receive and names a school or other placement. An EHCP will also outline the child or young person’s goals and ambitions in life and describe the outcomes sought for the child or young person. It can be requested from the local authority by the child’s parents, the school or a healthcare professional.

If my child has SEN does this mean that they require an EHCP?

No. In fact, only a small percentage of children with SEN have Statements/EHCPs. About 20% of children in schools nationally are said to have SEN whereas only 2-3% of all children have a Statement/EHCP. This means that around 85-90% of children with SEN do not have a Statement/EHCP. An EHCP is only issued if the child’s needs cannot be met within the resources normally available to mainstream schools in the area and if the school cannot reasonably be expected to provide the support. The vast majority of children with SEN will have their needs met at the school-based levels of support.

How does Rushy Meadow support children with SEN?

The SENCo (Kate Sims) meets with class teachers and TAs each term to discuss the SEN children in each class.  Every child is discussed and specific targets are put into place which are reviewed at the next meeting.  Parents are also invited to comment through a letter sent home at the end of a term to help inform the review of these targets and set new targets.  Support is put into place to help the children achieve these targets.

Support takes the form of:

• Interventions – 1:1 or small groups working on specific learning or social skills
• Work with a therapist or doing a programme set by a therapist – Occupational Therapy (OT) or Speech And Language Therapy (SALT)
• Extra adult support in class
• Differentiated work in class or extra resources

What should I do if I have questions?

If you would like to know about your child’s progress or work in class, you should arrange to meet the class teacher or speak to him/her at parents’ evenings.
Any other queries, please arrange to meet the SENCo – Kate Sims.