SEND report and infomation
Our commitment
All pupils, regardless of their particular needs, are offered inclusive teaching which will enable them to make the best possible progress and feel that they are a valued member of the school community. We strive to develop an inclusive learning environment, eliminating discrimination and prejudice, where all children can enjoy, learn and succeed in a safe environment.
We are committed to providing an outstanding education and we believe that all children, including those identified as having a special educational need or a disability (SEND), have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum that is accessible to them. Tolerance, courtesy, understanding and compassion are hard-wired to our ethos.
While our focus is on achievement of all children during their time with us, we never lose sight of the fact that children in our care are beginning their journey and that we are preparing the successful individuals of tomorrow for whatever path they choose.
Diversity and inclusion
We believe that inclusion is directly related to diversity and equality, which we promote for all children in our care, irrespective of their gender, age, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and background. We are highly committed to differentiated provision and achievement of different groups of learners, and are dedicated to promoting inclusive ethos across the school community.
We work within the Wokingham Borough Council guidance on provision for children with SEND in mainstream schools, which explains the ways children with different additional needs are provided for within the school. We also follow our ‘Equality and Disability’ policy and we also have an ‘Accessibility’ plan, both available on our policies page.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo)
Our SENDCo is Anna Bailey, who can be reached at 0118 9791054, annab@evendons-primary.co.uk
Ms Bailey is responsible for overseeing the Special Education Needs and Disability Policy and coordination of specific provision made to support individual children with SEND. Her role is to liaise with staff to monitor pupils’ progress and plan further interventions where progress is slower or much faster than expected, as well as keep families informed, discuss their concerns and lastly to collaborate with external agencies and specialists in order to provide more specialist advice (if needed).
Quality First Teaching
We strongly believe that all children are capable of learning. However, any child at some point may experience difficulties and limitations in different areas based on a wide range of factors. It is our duty to help them to succeed via the high quality teaching and care we offer.
Teachers use a variety of teaching styles and a wide range of learning equipment and technology to support learning to allow all children to access the curriculum. Daily observations and quality adult-child interactions allow the teachers to be highly aware of the needs of each pupil in their class. A thorough assessment system means that pupils’ needs are quickly identified and addressed accordingly.
Understanding SEND and the SEND code of practice
It is crucial to understand that, even if your child is making slower progress than you would expect, or even if your child requires additional support, it does not necessarily mean that they have special educational needs.
Children are all different and make progress at a different pace, based on a wide variety of factors that affect their learning and progress. They all learn in different ways and have different learning styles, which our staff take into account, adapting their teaching styles accordingly. Children who are progressing slowly or are having a particular difficulty in one or more areas of their learning, may be offered extra support to help them achieve their full potential.
The SEND Code of Practice
The SEND Code of Practice for 0-25 years old released in April 2014 is the Statutory Guidance for organisations who work with and support children and young people with SEND. This definition appears on page 4 of the document:
- A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her
- A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post–16 institutions
- For children aged two or more, 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, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers.
For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind.
- A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if he or she is likely to fall within the definition in paragraph above when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them (Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014).
SEND could mean that a child has:
- Social, mental or emotional and behaviour difficulties (i.e. making friends or relating to adults or behaving properly at school)
- Difficulty in the area of cognition and learning in acquiring basic skills in school
- Sensory or physical difficulties, such as hearing or visual impairment which might affect their learning, medical or health conditions which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects the child’s education
- Communication and interaction difficulties in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying and interacting with others.
The information in this report is accurate at the time of publishing; we regularly review and make changes to what we offer and keep this information as up to date as possible.