SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disability Provision

All students at St Edward’s School are entitled to an inclusive education.  Students that are identified as needing additional and different support with learning are added to the School’s Record of Need.  This ensures that staff are aware of their individual barriers and the provision that they will need to access our broad curriculum.

The progress of ALL students is monitored by the class teacher and Head of Year.  Students on the Record of Need will also be closely monitored by the SENCo, Mr Dave Dawson. Students can be placed on (or taken off) the Record of Need at any stage of their school life and have most often already been identified by their primary school.

Students with additional learning needs may be struggling with literacy (including Dyslexia) or find numeracy challenging.  Some of our students have a diagnosed condition such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attachment Disorder.  Others may have a physical or medical condition that affects their ability to access learning.  Mrs Cannings ensures that their learning experience is positive and that they have the same opportunities for success and enjoyment as all students.

Most students on the Record of Need simply require a slightly different approach to quality first teaching in the classroom in order to make good progress.  Teachers are advised of strategies to ensure each student has the best possible chance of reaching their potential.  They receive training about SEND through continued professional development.  In some cases, students may require additional intervention, such as literacy/numeracy or social skills support.  This is delivered as a set programme in a small group with trained specialists, e.g. Read, Write, Inc or emotional literacy sessions.

If a student is still unable to make expected levels of progress despite this support and there is sufficient evidence from teachers to support this, we may engage external professionals such as an Educational Psychologist or the Autism Spectrum Team for advice and support.  In some individual cases, it may be appropriate that some students follow a bespoke and personalised timetable with the support of outside providers.

The recent change to the Children and Families Bill affects the way in which schools are expected to support students with additional learning needs.  The new SEND Code of Practice was first introduced on 1st September 2014 which places greater emphasis on early identification of needs and the importance of quality first teaching in the classroom.  This document can be found at www.gov.uk.

Useful information:

• Services for young people with Special Educational Needs and their families can be found at Services to support children and young people with SEND – Dorset Council
• The ‘School Offer’ can be found here
• The School SEN Information Report 2021 can be found here
• SEND policy can be found on our website under Information/General/Policies
• The SEND department publishes a SEND newsletter also available termly on the website