Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)

At King Athelstan Primary School we make provision for a wide range of frequently occurring special educational needs and disabilities.

It is expected that the teaching at King Athelstan will not only be of high quality but also inclusive, with focus around our whole school PRIDE values (Perseverance, Respect, Imagination, Delving deep, and Excellence). We strive for excellence in our approach to teaching and learning, personalising this to meet the needs of individual children. This includes embedding approaches traditionally used to support children with additional needs (such as Colourful Semantics and the Zones of Regulation) within whole class teaching, recognising that all children can benefit from some of these methods. For many children with additional needs, good quality teaching, which includes differentiation, support and challenge (known as Wave 1 provision), is sufficient to enable them to make appropriate progress.

We of course ensure that, where particular needs or gaps have been identified for individuals or small groups, these are addressed through intervention or additional support, which may be provided by the teacher, a Teaching Assistant (TA) or members of the Inclusion Team. Intervention at ‘Wave 2’ is part of our general support offering and is usually delivered through small groups with the aim that children catch up with their peers in the short term.

Some children need educational provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ that which is usually available. This is special educational provision (Wave 3). According to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015: “A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. Intervention at ‘Wave 3’ is usually longer term and individualised. Any child with this level of provision will have a ‘SEND Support Plan’, outlining their:

strengths and needs
attainment and progress
outside agency involvement
recommended strategies
planned provision.

This is written by the class teacher in consultation with parents/carers, the Inclusion Team and, where appropriate, the child. All regular cover teachers and staff who work with the child have access to this document in order to provide consistency in the teaching approaches used.

When children are identified as having SEND, they are allocated an in-school ‘case-holder’ from the Inclusion Team. This is in order to provide staff and parents with a single point of contact within the team, although many staff may contribute to the child’s support in school. Case-holders are allocated based on the expertise of staff and existing relationships with the child and their family. Most often cases will be held by Ms Govan, Ms Ramkissoon or Mrs Bennett.

Admissions arrangements for children with SEND

The admission arrangements for children with SEND but without an Education, Health and Care Plan follow the same process as any mainstream admission. We do not discriminate against or disadvantage disabled children or those with special educational needs and will follow the usual school admissions procedures. Admission arrangements for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan are made through the Local Authority’s SEN Team in consultation with parents/carers and the school’s senior leaders.

SEND Information Report

For more detailed information about our approach to meeting the needs of pupils with SEND please download our full SEND Information Report below. For any further information, contact the school SENCO, Alice Govan, on admin@kingathelstan.rbksch.org.