Inclusion and Special Educational Needs

Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) 

Mrs Roberts leads the Inclusion Department at Holy Trinity and St John’s CE Primary School in her role as Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for inclusion. Mrs McGuirk is our SEND Co-ordinator. Class teachers are responsible for the progress of all of the children, including those with SEND. Other important team members include our Integrated Therapist who delivers speech and language and occupational therapy programmes and our 5 Higher Level Teaching Assistants who deliver specific Nurture, English and pastoral programmes. Our many class based Teaching Assistants deliver specific programmes under the leadership of the class teacher.

Mrs Roberts and Mrs McGuirk are available by phone or email - senco@htsj.school if you have any questions or need support with your child's special educational needs or disabilities.

As a Church of England Primary school we are keen to promote the church’s vision that all our school community will live” life in all its fullness” John 10v10. Our Mission Statement also reflects our desire:

to develop confident, curious independent, resilient

life-long learners within a Christian environment.

At Holy Trinity and St John’s CE Primary School all children are valued, respected and welcomed to the school whatever their SEND. We will support their learning and endeavour to fully include them in all aspects of school life. Our teachers:

1. Deliver Quality First Teaching in the classroom to all pupils
2. Set individualised targets that have challenge
3. Assess, analyse and reflect on day to day practice, supporting all pupils whatever their needs at the time
4. Identify concerns about individual pupils which are followed by efficient and effective processes where communication is key between staff, parents and carers, external agencies (such as the Speech and Language therapists, school nurse, Educational Psychology service, Specialist Teachers, Orchard House and paediatricians) and pupils

5. Support well-developed and effective intervention programmes that will enable any child to make accelerated progress in their learning

The points 1 - 5 are the key elements of the work of our teachers, with 4 and 5 relating in particular to children with SEND.

Mrs Roberts and Mrs McGuirk are available by phone or email - senco@htsj.school if you have any questions or need support with your child's special educational needs or disabilities.

What are Special Educational Needs?

A child has SEND if he or she has learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for him or her to learn than most other children of about the same age. Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their education. Our school can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily. A few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

So SEND could mean that a child has:

• learning difficulties – especially in acquiring basic English and Maths skills
• Emotional, mental and behavioural difficulties – making friends or relating to adults, understating or expressing emotions or behaving appropriately in school
• specific learning difficulties – with reading, writing, number work, visual or auditory memory or understanding information
• sensory or physical needs - such as coordination, hearing or visual impairment, which might affect them
• communication problems – in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying, meaning or implying
• medical or health conditions – which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects his or her education.

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers take account of this in the way they organise their lessons and teach. Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one or more areas may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed. You should not assume, just because your child is making slower progress than you expected or the teachers are providing different support, help or activities in class, that your child has special educational needs.

About a quarter of our children at Holy Trinity and St John’s CE Primary School are at the early stages of acquiring the English language (English as an Additional Language – these are described as our EAL pupils). Having EAL is not a special educational need in itself and their needs are met through quality first teaching, small group intervention and support from Mrs Farrall, our EAL FLO. We recognise that some children may have EAL and have a SEND.

Pupil progress is monitored three times a year at Holy Trinity and St John’s CE Primary School and data is formally shared with parents and carers at Parents' Evenings. Mrs McGuirk or the class teacher may contact you if we have a concern about any aspect of your child's development. If you have any concerns, the school has an open-door policy and staff will always meet with you to discuss any worries you have - no matter how small.

SEN Information Report

All schools must publish a SEND Information Report which details the support and provision available to all pupils with SEND.

Useful websites

The Kent Local Offer gives children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities and their families information about what support services are available in their area.  The other websites give useful information about organisations and support for parents of children with SEND.