Support SEN

An overview of our schools SEND provision

Edgar Sewter Primary School values the individual needs and achievements of all of our pupils and is committed to providing each and every one with the best possible opportunities for learning.

We know that all of us have strengths and all of us find some things difficult. We celebrate these differences and know that some things we can’t do ‘yet!’. We aim to create a learning environment which is flexible enough to meet the needs of all members of our school community, working with children, parents and other agencies to provide the best possible support in order that all learners achieve their potential. 

Every teacher is a teacher of every child including those with SEN. All children are entitled to quality first teaching and, where necessary, intervention programmes and adjustments to ensure good quality personalised learning. Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class. 

Our school SENCO, Mrs Summers, has overall responsibility for leading our provision for our children who have SEN. She works closely with all teachers and staff in school and is a point of contact for parents, providing support, advice and guidance to all. Training and support is provided to teachers to improve understanding of strategies to identify needs and understand how to help pupils. We work together, learning from each other and from outside agencies to help children get the very best out of their time here, and feel safe and happy whilst they are doing so.

A Graduated Response to SEND Support

When a teacher has concerns about a child in their class relating to a possible or diagnosed special educational need, they speak to the SENCO and complete a SEND concern form. The SENCO and the teacher may then carry out assessments and observations, talk with the child and parents or external agencies, together coming up with a plan to move forward. 

Identification of a child’s needs is a whole school responsibility where we highlight particular children whose difficulties are preventing them from making progress.  Issues may be identified in one of the following four broad areas of need:

1. Communication and interaction

2. Cognition and learning

3. Social, emotional and mental health

4. Sensory and/or physical needs

Our schools provision map, which can be found below, outlines support and strategies used or available for children at our school to help children make progress. This is the first place that teachers can look to when a child is struggling, to get ideas of what may help them to overcome the barrier to learning in the first instance.

Where a child is underachieving or struggling despite good quality, personalised teaching the class teacher together with the SENCO and the child’s family consider whether the child requires support that is different from or additional to that which is normally provided for children of that age. If this is the case, the child is then added to the SEN register and a SEN next step plan (NSP) is drawn up to put in place additional actions to support the child to make progress. This plan sets targets, including both parents and the child's views. 

At Edgar Sewter Primary School, we think even more deeply about why children might be struggling. We follow the 7 Cs approach to SEND assessment written by Judith Carter which is a strengths-based approach. We use the strengths that our pupils have as a starting point, building self esteem and utilising these to help to support their learning when possible. We use the 7Cs listed below as a structure for both celebrating where children are excelling and identifying what would be beneficial to work on in their assess, plan, do, review cycles.

1. Curriculum

2. Control

3. Communication 

4. Compassion

5. Cognition

6. Co-ordination

7. Creativity

Using the 7Cs allows us to work on targets that may have a positive impact on many areas of need (for example, working on working memory), not just on one specific area (for example, working on your two times tables). 

For children who have cognition and learning needs, the school may use pebbles assessments to set targets and track progress. Pebbles assessments break down learning into very small, manageable chunks, allowing small targets to be set and achieved that can make a big difference and allow the children to feel successful. For a more comprehensive list of assessments used in the broad areas of need, please see the provision map.

NSP are working documents that all staff supporting the child have access to. Although NSP are constantly being reviewed, there are at least three (usually 5) formal next step plan reviews per year, and other structured transition meetings happening at the end of the year too. In these meetings, the SENCO meets with every teacher in the school and talks about all of the children in their class. They discuss any children who are struggling as well as all of the children who are currently on the SEN register. They review previous targets and discuss new targets, detailing any interventions or support that will be put in place both at school and at home. Parents’ and child views are sought and included regarding their strengths, thoughts on interventions and their progress towards the targets. It is important that class teachers, parents and the child all contribute to this process. We know parents know their child best and value the importance of working closely with families. 

As well as these NSP meetings, the school monitors and evaluates the quality of provision of all pupils in many different ways including, including:

• Lesson observations

• Data analysis

• Pupil Progress Meetings

• Child interviews

• Children’s work scrutinies

• Parent views: questionnaires, informal discussions, email correspondence and formal meetings.

• Provision mapping

• Intervention mapping

Continued professional development for staff including attendance at SENCO forums, training programmes, researching and having meetings with other ASSET SENCOs sharing good practice. 

During this monitoring and evaluation, there is always a specific focus on the progress, attainment and quality of provision for children with SEN. The SENCO is responsible for this monitoring and reports the outcomes to the SEND Governor. The SENCO meets regularly with the SEND Governor to discuss any current provision, successes and issues. These evaluation and monitoring arrangements promote an active process of continual review and improvement of provision for all pupils. 

We endeavour to meet the needs of all children in school.  However, where in-school intervention or support has had limited impact, or where the school feels they need further support or advice with planning a programme of support for a child, the SENCO will seek parental permission to refer the child to a specialist service or outside agency. 

A request will be made by the school, in collaboration with parents, to the Local Authority for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) if the child has demonstrated significant cause for concern. If a child is given an EHCP, the SENCO coordinates with the child's teacher to ensure that the provision listed in the child's EHCP is being covered in the child’s timetable. 

Children with EHCPs have formal Annual Reviews. The SENCO contacts parents to arrange these meetings and invites relevant outside agencies. Views from the child, parents, the child’s class teacher and any involved agencies are sought. 

Where a child has a particularly high level of need, additional funding may be sought through Suffolk’s High Tariff Need top-up funding process. 

Where a child has made progress and no longer requires support that is additional to and different from that of other children of the same age, the class teacher will talk to the child’s parents and the SENCO about removing the child from the register. If all are in agreement the child will be removed from the register, but closely monitored to ensure the progress continues. 

For those children that require additional support the following provision is available:

To support your children’s speech, language and communication needs here is the link to the

Parent Portal

At Edgar Sewter we use the zones of regulation to teach children how to regulate their emotions. Have a look at the poster below and please ask the pastoral team if you would like further information.