Governors have agreed that the SEND Information Report should be reviewed every year and updated when necessary.

This policy was reviewed in the Autumn Term, 2016.

The next review will be in the Autumn Term, 2017.

Signed ______(Chair of Strategic Teaching & Learning Committee)

Date______

Definition of Special Educational Needs

Section 20 of the Children and Families Act (2014) defines Special Educational Needs (SEN) as:-
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty of disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
a) Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
b) Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind general provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.
A child under compulsory school age has a special educational need if they fall with the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.
Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

At The Westborough School we are proud to provide a safe, stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every member of the community is valued and respected.

Children learn through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) with strong links to our Outdoor Curriculum providing opportunities for all to achieve and succeed.

At Westborough we celebrate our achievements, gifts and cultural diversity, irrespective of individual differences within the protected categories of the Equality Act 2010. Together we work hard at making a positive contribution to our school as well as the wider community.

What is the Local Offer from Southend on Sea Borough Council?

Following the Children and Families Bill 2014 Local Authorities and schools are required to publish, and keep under review, information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.

The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.

The Southend on Sea Local Offer can be accessed at:

What is the SEND Information Report?

The SEND Information Report uses the Local Authority (LA) Local Offer to meet the needs of pupils with SEND as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.

What kinds of special educational needs might the children at The Westborough School have?

Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, emotional and mental health (previously behavioural, social and emotional difficulties)
  • Sensory and/or physical

Communication and interaction

Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.

Children and young people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication, social interaction and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Cognition and learning

Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.

Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical needs

Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties, which makes it even more difficult for them to access the curriculum or study programme than for those with a single sensory impairment.

Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

This should be read in conjunction with the school Medical Policy. This can be accessed on

Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning/ special educational need or disability (SEND)?

The Class Teacher

Responsible for:

  • Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be targeted work or additional support) and letting the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinators (SENCo’s) know as necessary.
  • Writing Pupil Progress targets and contributing at review meetings to the targets for the Individual Support Plans (ISPs), based on the smaller steps outlined in Performance Indicators for Value Added Target Setting, and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
  • Personalising teaching and learning for your child as identified on the school’s provision map and ensuring that the school’s SEN Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEN. Overseeing support that TAs provide for your child and ensuring that you are involved in supporting your child's learning, ie: attending SEN review meetings.

The Special Needs Team

Special Needs Co-ordinators: Mrs Alison Stratton, Senco, Key Stage 2

Ms Rohana Forbes, Senco, Early Years Foundation Stage &

Key Stage 1

Miss Jill Davies SEN Manager, Early Help Assessment and

Medical Information

Contact: westborough@ indicating which member of staff you would like the message to go to and information is requested.

Responsibilities of the Sencos:

  • Developing and reviewing the school’s SEN policy.
  • Co-ordinating support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
  • Providing specialist advice for teachers and support staff to enable them to support pupils with SEND to achieve their potential.
  • Ensuring that parents are involved in supporting their child’s learning, keeping them informed regarding progress and involved in reviewing process.
  • Liaising with all the other agencies who may be supporting your child, eg: Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, etc.
  • Updating the school’s SEN register and ensuring that records are kept.
  • The day-to-day management of all aspects of SEN in school, including support for children with SEND.
  • The Headteacher/Senco’s will keep the Governing Body informed on data and issues relating to SEND.

How are the Governing Body involved with other agencies?

The SEN Governor: Ms Tricia North

Information regarding Special Educational Needs (SEN), Looked After Children (LAC) and Team Around the Child and Family (TACAF) is given at the Full Governing Body Meetings which take place once each term. Training opportunities are available and there is a set budget to cover such expenses accessed through the link governor.

Contact: (Tricia North)

See also the school’s Complains Policy:

How are children with Special Educational Needs identified and assessed?

A pupil has SEN where ‘their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age’. Westborough has a clear approach to the identification of SEN through continuous monitoring of progress. For pupils identified as having SEN a fast and appropriate response is made.

Children are identified as having SEND through a variety of ways including the following:

  • Liaison with other relevant educational setting such as Nurseries, secondary schools and transfers from other schools.
  • Tracking information – is the child performing below age expected levels?
  • School based assessments carried out initially by the class teacher.
  • Further school based assessments carried out by the Senco where concerns have been raised, including assessment for dyslexia, difficulties with phonological awareness, reading and reading comprehension and maths
  • Concerns raised by parents
  • Concern raised by school staff/teachers
  • Concern raised by pupil
  • Liaison with external agencies
  • Health diagnosis

What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?

Class teacher input, through targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching).

This means:

  • That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
  • That all teaching builds on prior knowledge (what your child already knows, can do and can understand).
  • That different ways of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
  • That specific strategies are in place to support your child to learn.
  • Your child’s teacher will be fully aware of their progress. Should there be any extra support required this will be put in place either through in class support or an intervention.

Specific group or individual intervention work

Interventions/programmes which may be:

  • Classroom based individual or group work
  • An intervention which takes place outside of the classroom either individually or in a group including Catch Up Maths, The Read, Write Inc, Programme (systematic phonics for dyslexia), Speech and Language input, etc.

Support from Outside Agencies

This means a pupil has been identified by a member of staff or medical professional, or professional from education, as needing some extra specialist support from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

  • Local Authority services, such as specialist or Early Years Senco’s teachers
  • Health services such as Occupational Therapists, Speech and LanguageTherapists or Physiotherapists
  • Sensory support services such hearing or visual impairment specialist teachers
  • Outside Agencies such as the Education Psychology Service

Referrals to Outside Agencies:

You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional, e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. These services can be accessed through an Early Help Family Support Assessment (EHFSA) which is completed by the School’s SEN Manager, Miss Jill Davies. This will help you and the school to understand your child’s particular needs. In most cases, recommendations will be made that can be carried out in school.

Specified Individual Support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong.

This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which means that your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a higher level of individual or small-group teaching.

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

Your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school, which may include any agency that is listed above. For your child this would mean:

  • The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a Statutory Assessment or Education, Health and Care Assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.
  • After the request has been made a ‘Panel of Professionals’ at the Local Authority will make a decision as to whether your child meets the criteria (as described in the paperwork provided), for a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining their needs.
  • The Panel of Professionals will decide whether your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, the school will continue to support the pupil through their existing resources.
  • The EHC Plan outlines funding the school will receive from the LA to support your child. It will also outline how the support should be given.
  • An additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups which include your child. Other resources may also be secured through this funding but this is a collaborative decision involving education or health care professionals and yourself.

How can I let the school know that I am concerned about my child’s progress?

Should you have concerns about your child’s progress, speaking with the Class Teacher or Senco is advised. Westborough operates an ‘open door’ policy which means that it should be possible to speak to someone on the day of the request. Please avoid approaching the Class Teacher at the start of the day as a class awaits them.

How will the school let me know if they have concerns about my child’s progress in school?

If your child is identified, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail. They will listen to parental concerns and if appropriate plan for extra support. Should referrals to Outside Agencies be an appropriate route, this will be discussed. It may be necessary for the parent/carer to meet with the SEN Manager so that an Early Help Family Support Assessment EHFSA is completed.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) reviews are held with the Sencos on a twice yearly basis, normally in the Autumn and Spring Terms. Parents are also seen by the Class Teacher in the Autumn and Summer Terms. Team Around the Child and Family (TACAF) meetings are normally included in the SEN Reviews.

How is extra support allocated to children, and how do they progress in their learning?

The school budget, received from Educational Funding Agency (EFA) includes money for supporting children with SEND. For pupils with and Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) top up funding is received from Southend on Sea Borough Council.

  • The deployment of resources to children within the school who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is the responsibility of the Senco’s in conjunction with the Headteacher and school Governors.
  • The school Provision Map indicates where support is given within the school, by whom and the level of support that is given. It is regularly reviewed with changes being made as necessary to ensure that children’s needs are met and that resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

Who provides support for children with SEND in our school?

School provision

  • Teachers and Teaching Assistants working either with individual children or with a small group across all curriculum subjects as required. This includes reinforcement of instructions, support during tasks and verbal discussion about tasks.
  • Teachers and Teaching Assistants working with individuals/groups on interventions, eg: including Read, Write Inc. and Catch Up Maths programmes, individual and group reading, reading comprehension, Speech and Language, support for children whose first language is not English (EAL), support for writing and handwriting.
  • Support for pupils with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties through nurture, play therapy and counselling.

Local Authority Provision delivered in school

  • Educational Psychology Service (assessment of pupils needs)
  • Sensory support for children with visual or hearing needs (advice and support to school/checks on equipment)
  • Information Support and Advice Service (IAS)
  • Speech and Language Therapy (assessment/speech therapy/advice & liaison with school)
  • Support for pupils with emotional behavioural difficulties (advice/support)
  • Advice regarding pupils who have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum including Asperger’s Syndrome or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (advice/support)

Health Provision/Advice offered to school

  • Additional Speech and Language Therapy Services (advice to school)
  • School Nursing Service
  • Occupational Therapy (advice to school)
  • Physiotherapy (advice to school)
  • Emotional wellbeing and mental health services (EWMHS)
  • The Initial Enquiry Service (MIND) (single point of entry service to advise and direct parents to the appropriate service for their child’s needs)

How are staff trained to meet the needs of pupils with SEND Staff Training to meet the needs of pupils with SEND?