SEND

Our job is to help your child achieve the very best they can at school. You know your child best and you may feel that they need some additional help or support for some or all of their time at school.

This page is to inform you of the types of support available for your child at Exford C of E First School. It will help you understand who can help and how this support can be accessed.

All pupils in school receive quality first teaching in the classroom. This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs.

All our classes are supported by Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) who provide individual or group support. You will be informed if your child needs additional support such as a catch up programme or one to one tuition.

At Exford First School, a child’s progress is monitored, in the first instance, by their class teacher. The progress and attainment of all pupils is reviewed every term with our Named School SENDCo: Mrs Angela Hall, who is based at Dunster First School , at which time, provision may be adjusted to meet identified needs for all children, not just SEND children. If a teacher is concerned about the progress of an individual child in relation to a SEND need, then a discussion takes place with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) and additional support may be arranged. You will be kept informed at each stage. If you have any concerns about the progress of your child, you should discuss these initially with the Class Teacher.

How we keep you informed about your child’s progress

• You are informed about your child’s general progress at Parents’ Evenings in the Autumn and Spring terms and by an annual report that is provided at the end of the Summer term

• Class targets or an individual education plan (IEP) will keep you informed about your child’s termly targets

• Meetings can be arranged with the SENDCO and other professionals from Support Services or outside agencies to discuss your child’s needs and any strategies that may be used to support them.

We have a highly experienced team of staff who may be involved in supporting your child at Exford First School. These include:

• The Head teacher (Mrs Barnett)  
• The school SENCo (Mrs Angela Hall)
• Your child’s teacher, who will always make sure that tasks set are appropriate and accessible for your child. You can talk to your child’s teacher at the start or end of the school day for short discussions and further meetings can be arranged if required.
• Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), who support all pupils in class.
• Our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), who supports children who may be experiencing emotional difficulties.
• Our Parent Family Support Advisor, (Brandon Calaz), who supports families and works with individual children who may be experiencing emotional difficulty.
• Our SEND School Governor, who meets regularly with the SENCO to discuss SEND provision in school 

Approximately one in five children will have special educational needs (SEND) at some time during their school career. Children with SEND have learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities which make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. They will need extra support or specific programmes.

Schools and other agencies can help most children overcome their difficulties quickly and easily. But a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school. This means they may have difficulty with:

• some or all of the work in school
• reading, writing or maths
• understanding information
• expressing themselves
• understanding others
• organising themselves
• sensory perception or physical mobility
• managing their behaviour and emotions
• making friends or relating to adults

Each Class Teacher monitors the progress and attainment of all the children in their class. If the Class Teacher has any concerns about the progress or attainment of a child, they will be discussed with the SENCO at any point in the school year and scheduled meetings take place termly. Class teachers will assess your child to identify their strengths, needs and the extra help they require. This may involve:

• extra help from a Learning Support Assistant in class
• small group or individual support out of class
• use of additional resources

If your child continues to have difficulty even with this extra support, we may decide that further assessment is needed by the SENDCO or outside agencies. With your agreement, a referral may be sent to Support Services or an outside agency such as:

• The Integrated Therapy Service
• The Visual Support Service
• The Hearing Support Service
• Physical Impairment and Medical Support Service
• Health professionals
• Educational Psychologists
• A Social, Emotional and Behavioural Advisory Teacher (SEBS)
• The Child and Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

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SEND Support

The new SEN Code of Practice came into force in September 2014 and gives guidance to schools in meeting the needs of pupils.

If an SEN need is identified and your child needs extra or different support than most children their age, their name will be included in the School’s SEND register and they will receive additional SEND Support. If your child is included in this register you will be informed. Support for your child is provided according to their individual needs. We follow a four-part process as outlined in the new Code of Practice and is indicated below:

• Assess
• Plan
• Do

• Review

By following this process, we can ensure that your child receives appropriate level of support and that we can monitor effectively their progress,

Education Health and Care Plans ( EHCP)

• If your child’s needs are complex or severe, a request may be made by Parent/ Carers or the school to the Local Authority to carry out an Education Health and Care (EHC) Assessment of your child’s need
• If the LA agrees, an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will be issued. This document will describe your child’s SEN and the special help they should receive.
• For children who already have an SEN Statement, the transfer of Statements into EHC Plans will be a gradual process over a 3 year period.

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Further information about EHC Plans can found via the SEND Local Offer:

• SEN Local Offer

Or by speaking to an Education, Health and Care Plan Coordinator on:

01823 355847

If your child has an EHCP or a Statement of SEN and receives additional SEND Support, you will receive a termly individual education plan (IEP) to keep you informed of their targets.

Staff Training

There is a programme of on –going staff training both in school and elsewhere to ensure our staff have the skills and knowledge to support children with SEND. Recent training has included: Emotion Coaching, Emotional Literacy Support Assistant Training, 'Talk for Writing' training and Mastery Maths.