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SEN Information Report

Our SEN Information Report – which is part of Durham County Council’s Local Offer – provides details about how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs in our school.

The SEN Information Report was reviewed and updated in March 2023.

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Welcome to our SEND information page. Hopefully you will find everything that you need.

At Ebchester CE Primary School we recognise that all pupils are entitled to a quality of provision that will enable them to achieve their potential. We believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all our pupils including those with a special educational need or disability.

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Our school recognises there are particular groups of pupils whose circumstances require additional consideration by those who work with them to support their SEN.

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At Ebchester CE Primary School we ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs make the best possible progress.

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This SEND Information Report should be read alongside the school’s SEND Policy, the Equalities Information and Objectives and the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the school policies section of our website.

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Key Contacts

  • Head Teacher: Rachel Clasper

  • SENCO: Stephanie Rogers

  • SEN Link Governor: Craig Johnson

Contact the above on 01207 560349 or email ebchester@durhamlearning.net

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SEND Admissions

For information on the admission of pupils with a disability, please visit the School Admissions section of our website and view the Accessibility Plan in our School Policies section.

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If you would like to discuss your child’s SEN in more detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

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The full range of local support available for children/ young people with SEND and their families within and outside of school can be found in the County Durham Local Offer

Our SEN Provision

There are four broad areas of special educational need, these are: 

  • Communication and Interaction
    This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs

  • Cognition and Learning
    This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
    This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn

  • Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
    This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

SEN Provision

The kinds of SEN that are provided for:

At Ebchester CE Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:

  • Speech, Language and Communication Needs

  • Autistic Spectrum Disorder

  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

  • Cognition and Learning Difficulties

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The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

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At Ebchester we currently have a cohort of 95 pupils with 5.3% registered with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Kinds of SEN provided for

Our approach to teaching children & young people with SEN

Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

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The Curriculum also included the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence.

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Ebchester CE Primary School prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need.  All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.


To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

  • Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.

  • Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.

  • Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.

  • Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.

  • To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.

  • To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)

  • To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.

  • Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.

  • To promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.

  • To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.

  • To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.

Our approach to teaching

How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children & young people with SEN

We understand that children learn and develop in different ways. Teachers and teaching assistants recognise this and use different teaching styles, resources and plan different levels of work in the classroom to cater for the various ways children learn. However, many children, at some time in their school life, need extra help. Because of this we offer the following support for SEND children:

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We talk to parents/carers if they think their child has a special educational need and let them know what special help the school is giving. Miss S Rogers is appointed as the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)

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We have a written Special Educational Needs Policy – a copy should be made available for parents and is included on this website.

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Each child’s teacher will be finding ways to support them such as:

  • Changing the way activities are planned and delivered

  • Matching activities to the ability / need of each child (differentiation)

  • Adapting learning materials such as equipment and activities to suit each child’s needs

  • Offer small group support to promote skills identified in the child’s Support Plan

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With the permission of parents, we may seek additional advice from outside specialists such as health professionals, specialist teachers or educational psychologists who would:

  • Carry out further assessment of the child’s needs

  • Provide advice to schools on how to best support the child

  • Suggest resources that would help the child make progress

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Our teachers/teaching assistants work in partnership with parents and the SENCO to find ways to support each child with their needs, including giving parents ideas on how to help their child at home.

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Our school staff will set targets for SEND children which will be shared with parents, either during Parents’ Evening or a Review Meeting.

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More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you ca find in the School Policies section of our website.

How we adapt the curriculum

How we identify, assess and review children with special educational needs

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

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Early Identification of Need

In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:

  • Work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils

  • Consult with relevant external agencies

  • Use assessment tools & materials

  • Use observations

  • Use Short Notes

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SEN Support

If your child has Special Educational Needs our SENCO will:

  • Ensure the right support is put in place for each child

  • Advise other teachers and teaching assistants on how to help each child and ensure they have a SEN Support Plan detailing how their needs will be met in school

  • Arrange training for staff so they understand each child’s needs

  • Work closely with parents on a regular basis to talk with them about their child’s needs and listen to any ideas or concerns they might have

  • Work with other professionals (if necessary) who may be able to help individual children, e.g. speech and language therapist /medical professional/educational psychologist

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Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.

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This means that we will:

  • Assess a child’s special educational needs

  • Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes

  • Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes

  • Review the support and progress

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As part of this approach, every child with SEN will have an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes & provision to meet those needs.  Parents/carers and child/YP (where appropriate) views are integral to this process. This plan will contain several targets and an explanation of what school will do to help a child meet these targets. Staff will use quality first teaching and well-planned interventions to ensure that these targets are met. The outcomes of all assessments are shared with parents / carers at our Parent Evenings and during SEND review meetings. If other agencies are invited to work with your child, you will be invited to attend a meeting where the outcomes of these assessments and their next steps will be shared with you.

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A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.

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Education, Health and Care Plan

  • This is a very detailed assessment of each child’s needs. Parents or carers, the school and a range of professionals will all be asked to provide written reports.

  • At the end of the assessment phase the Local Authority will consider these reports to help decide whether or not to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan for the child.

  • Parents/carers also have the right to ask the Local Authority to carry out this assessment although it is usually best if you can do this with the support of the school.

  • Education, Health and Care Assessment is only appropriate for a small number of children. Your school SENCO or the Parent Partnership Service will be able to advise you about this.

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For more detailed information see the Local Offer

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Details of Identification and Assessment of Pupils with SEN

A Special Educational Need can be a number of different things. For example, a child may be having problems with reading, number work or behaviour, which can be helped by putting extra support in at school and by working in partnership with parents. It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for a child to use the same educational facilities that the school provides for the majority of children. For some children this may be a temporary difficulty, while others may have a long term need for special help.

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Types of special educational needs can include:

  • General Learning Difficulties – children whose learning progresses at a slower pace

  • Speech and Language Difficulties

  • Behavioural Difficulties

  • Dyslexia (difficulties with reading, writing and spelling)

  • Dyspraxia (problems with motor skills, organisation)

  • Autism

  • ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder – ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

  • Downs Syndrome

  • Cerebral Palsy

  • Other Physical or Medical Needs

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You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEN below:

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Support for children with learning difficulties (including support for numeracy and literacy):

  • High quality teaching is provided in all classes, differentiated to meet a wide range of different needs within each class

  • Children in the early years and KS1 learn phonics in small groups according to their current level of phonics development. These groups are re-assessed regularly and children change group as required.

  • Children who are not making expected progress receive additional support either in a small group or 1:1

  • Additional individual reading sessions are planned for those children for those children who are not making expected progress in reading.

  • Children are referred to the Local Authority Cognition and Learning Team as required and any advice is put into practice.

  • Maths groups are set to ensure those who find maths very challenging are taught in a small group.

  • Those children who are not making expected progress in maths may have small group intervention.

  • Children are provided with meaningful opportunities to write in a range of cross curricular contexts.  

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 Support for children with speech, language and communication needs:

  • High quality teaching is provided in all classes

  • Opportunities for speaking and listening are woven into all lessons

  • In the early years, the environment is well planned to ensure there is a wide range of opportunities for free play with well-trained adults supporting their language development

  • In Years 1-6, children routinely work with talk partners and in collaborative groups

  • A referral to Speech and Language Therapy is made to assess children where staff and/or parents have concerns

  • Children with more profound difficulties may have an SEN Support Plan which outlines strategies to be used in the class.

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Support for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties:

  • We have a positive behaviour policy that enables the school to have a calm and positive ethos.

  • Where children have additional difficulties, they may receive small group or 1:1 support

  • Where difficulties persist, referrals may be made to CAMHS.

  • Some children have specific behaviour plans and targets.

  • Additional support maybe provided during the day by support staff.

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We track pupil progress through:

  • Every day formative assessments which track pupil progress against the level descriptors for the National Curriculum

  • Analysing pupil progress data and setting appropriate targets

  • Using national curriculum testing

  • Using tests such as the year 1 phonics test, reading and spelling tests

  • Gathering information from the child, parents, carers and professional from other agencies

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Each teacher is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the provision they are providing for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. As part of SEN staff briefings, staff discuss relevant interventions needed for target children. Miss Rogers meets with class teachers each term to collect and analyse pupil progress data. She also meets with every class teacher to evaluate the provision for those children on the SEND register and set targets for future provision.

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We encourage all children to participate in every activity, regardless of special educational need or disability. Where this might be difficult (such as in the case of P.E.) we strive to remove barriers and put measures in place to support children in their engagement of the activity.

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For further information please view or download our Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.

Assess, identify and review

How children with SEN engage in all activities?

We enable all children to engage fully in all aspects of school life. To do this, we:

  • Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.

  • Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.

  • Ensure every child has the entitlement to a sense of achievement.

Engage in activities

How we evaluate the effectiveness of SEN Provision

We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

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We review the impact of our interventions every half term to ensure they are having an impact. In cases where an intervention is not working effectively, staff will consult with the SENCO to adapt or change it. We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

  • Robust evaluation of policy and practice

  • Book scrutinies

  • SENCO/SLT/Governor monitoring

  • Learning walks

  • Performance management

  • Consultation with pupils and parents

  • Sharing of good practice with other settings

  • Consultation with professionals and experts

Evaluate the effectivness

Support for Emotional & Social Development

At Ebchester CE Primary School, we believe it is important to develop the whole child, not just their academic ability.

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Social and Emotional Support

  • We are a ‘Rights Respecting’ school and aim to improve well-being and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential.

  • Our PSHE curriculum provides children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy and independent lives.

  • We encourage pupils and parents/carers to discuss any concerns with staff either in person or over the telephone.

  • Our playground support leaders support the younger children during playtimes. They plan and lead activities which encourage positive behaviour.

  • We hold regular parent consultations and provide tours of the school.

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Pastoral Care

  • Ensure children are provided with an SEN Support Plan where needed

  • Have experienced lunchtime supervisors who know the school well

  • Ensure all staff and visitors are DBS checked and fully trained in all aspects of the role

  • Use playground leaders to support children at playtime

  • Have a range of afterschool activities which promote healthier lifestyles

  • Use a ‘Buddy System’ to provide support to our younger pupils, whilst providing our older children with a role of responsibility

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Medical Needs

  • We work closely with other professionals, both in-school staff, the school nurse, outside agencies and parent/carers to support all public health and medical needs within the school.

  • We are able to meet with parents/carers to discuss any concerns with a confidential and supportive environment.

  • Four members of staff are fully trained first aiders.

  • We arrange school nurse involvement.

  • We support children with additional Speech and Language needs by working in small groups, on a 1:1 basis or by involving speech and language professionals who regularly work with identified children in school.

Emotional Support

Looked After Children with SEND

We have a Designated Teacher for Looked after Children, Miss S Rogers- who is also the SENCO – to ensure all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.

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Children who are LAC and have additional needs are treated the same way as any other child and their carer, who would attend the review meeting once a term. Children who have an EHCP will have social targets set by the caseworker or the virtual school linked to their care

Looked after children with SEND

SEN Transition

At Ebchester CE Primary School we recognise how important a successful transition is to our pupils with additional needs.

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How we support children/young people with SEN starting at our school 

New starters for Reception children are provided with the following opportunities:

  • Parent Open Information Event

  • Children’s visits to Reception class in the Summer Term

  • Pupils and Parents invited for School Lunch

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How we support children/young people with SEN moving between classes in our school 

 Transition from each year group is supported so that the children have met with their new teachers and are familiar with the new classroom environment and organisation.

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How we support children/young people with SEN leaving our school 

 We work in partnership with our feeder secondary schools to provide an enhanced level of transition for those who we feel would benefit from this. This may take the form of additional visits for pupils, one to one / small group working with secondary school staff or pupil mentoring from secondary schools.

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The period of transition depends on the individual needs of the pupil. If it is felt appropriate, secondary school colleagues will attend reviews to meet the current class teacher, parents and most importantly the pupil. We have found this strategy particularly useful in easing any worries or concerns parents and pupils may have.

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We are particularly keen to involve parents/carers as much as possible in their child’s transition to secondary school. School staff will take opportunities to work alongside parents/carers to visit secondary schools in advance of secondary placement applications being submitted to the Local Authority. This ensures parents/carers can make the most informed placement decision for their child. When a secondary school has been allocated to the child, parents are fully involved and consulted at all stages of the transition process.

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If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

SEN transition

SEN Specialist Expertise

SENCO and SEN Staff

Our SENCO is Miss Stephanie Rogers. She is currently completing the National Award for SEN Co-ordination from Bath Spa University and is working alongside Mrs Clasper to ensure all pupils’ needs are met. This role supports all families in the transition for all SEN pupils, working closely with multi-agencies and partnerships to ensure that their learning journey is a happy and successful one.

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At Ebchester CE Primary School, we recognise that our greatest resources are our trained professionals. Our teaching assistants are Mrs Atkinson, Miss Salmon, Mrs Clark and Mrs Ridley. The work of our teaching assistants plays an important role in supporting and accelerating the progress of all children, especially our SEND children.

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More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

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External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

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The external specialists may:

  • Act in an advisory capacity

  • Extend expertise of school staff

  • Provide additional assessment

  • Support a child directly

  • Suggest statutory assessment is advisable

  • Consult with all parties involved with the child

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These include:

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How We Secure Specialist Expertise

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN.

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This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:

  • Funding additional support from a Teaching Assistant who supports children in class and delivers targeted interventions

  • Buying in extra services such as Educational Psychology

  • Purchasing resources required to support pupil progress and development

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If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

SEN specialist expertise

Consulting with our SEN Pupils, Parents & Carers

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND

Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes.  The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO.  The children have regular meetings with staff to discuss their progress and support.

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At Ebchester CE Primary School, we hold termly meetings with parents and carers of children on our SEND Register to discuss their progress and individual targets. Our children are invited to contribute to the setting of their targets, where possible. These are reviewed and new targets set every term. The children are encouraged to discuss their learning and progress with staff and support staff.

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Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support.  Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

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There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

  • Termly parents/ carers evenings;

  • Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;

  • An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;

  • Through regular reviews of their child’s SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.

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Ensuring that all children attending Ebchester CE Primary School receive provision that maximises their enjoyment and achievement is central to all we offer. Consultation with families is key to securing success in this area.

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The SEND children attending our school are aged 4-11 years so consulting with them to seek their views about how we are meeting their needs has to be age appropriate, especially when many often have communication difficulties.

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We use the following strategies:

  • Have regular meetings and discussions with parents about what we have planned for their child and how to link this with interests and passions demonstrated at home

  • Make close observations during school to identify the types of activities and experiences that most engage each child so these can be developed further and be used inform future planning

  • Involve SEND children with planning their own activities and encouraging them to share what they would like to learn and participate with

  • Extend any resources that they show a preference for

  • Most importantly, ensure the children with SEND are happy, motivated and make expected levels of progress throughout their time in school.

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If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Consulting with pupils & parents

Compliments, Complaints & Feedback

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEN and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience. We would also like your views about the content of our SEN Information Report. If you would like to comment please complete the online form in the Contact Us section of our website.

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Compliments are always greatly received and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher. These positive comments will be published on this area of our school website.

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We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.

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Further information can be found in our School Complaints Policy which can be found in our School Policies section or visit  County Durham Families Information Service website.

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If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Compliments & feedback

Key Policies

All of our school policies can be found on the website but the most important ones for parents of children with SEND are listed below. If you would like a paper copy of any of our documents on our website please speak to the school office, who will provide them to you free of charge.

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  • SEND Policy

  • Equality Policy

  • Equality Information & Objectives

  • Accessibility Plan

  • Behaviour Policy

  • Complaints Policy

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If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Key policies

Disability & Accessibility

We are committed to providing a fully accessible environment which values and includes all pupils, staff, parents and visitors regardless of their education, physical, sensory, social, spiritual and emotional needs. We are committed to challenging negative attitudes about disability and accessibility and to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion.

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What we do to prevent pupils with disabilities from being treated less favourably:

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Our School is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity, prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably and valuing diversity for all children and families.

The facilities to assist access are outlined in our Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies  section of our website. 

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Our Accessibility Plan and the short, medium and long term actions, will be reviewed and adjusted on an annual basis and a new Accessibility Plan will be produced every three years.

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The Accessibility Plan contains relevant actions to:

  • Improve access to the physical environment of the school, adding specialist facilities as necessary.

  • Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability. This covers reasonable adjustments within teaching and learning, specialist aids and equipment and the wider curriculum of the school, such as after school clubs, visits etc,

  • Improve the provision of information to pupils, staff, parents and visitors with disabilities.  All information will be made available in various formats within a reasonable time frame.

Disability & accessibility
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