SEND

Introduction to Special Educational Needs at the King John School

The King John School takes a whole school inclusive approach to students with special educational needs, working to help every child achieve their personal best, whatever individual abilities or needs they may have.

A child has special educational needs/disabilities (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. Schools and other organisations 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.

Special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulty with:

Communication and interaction in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying.
Cognition and learning- in acquiring basic skills in school. (Reading, writing, number work or understanding information).
Social emotional and mental health – making friends or relating to adults properly or any other aspect that may affect mood, behaviour or thinking.
Sensory and/or physical needs – which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves a treatment that affects their education.

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers at The King John School take account of this in the way they organise their lessons and teach – using a range of strategies to ensure all students can access the curriculum. Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed.

As a school we measure children’s progress in learning against National expectations and age related expectations. The class teachers continually assess each child and note areas where they are improving and where further support is needed. As a school, we track children’s progress from entry through to Year 13, using a variety of different methods and assessment tools.

Children who are not making expected progress are picked up within departments through our regular progress tracking methods. Discussions take place within the department in the first instance and with the SENCo and Head of Year as necessary concerning why individual children are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to aid their progression.

Children may be identified as having SEND through a variety of ways including the following:

Liaison with previous primary school
Child performing below age expected levels
Concerns raised by parent/carer
Liaison with external agencies
Health diagnosis through paediatrician/doctor

When students are identified as having a special educational need or disability they are placed on the learning support register. The majority of students are identified as ‘SEN Support’ as set out in the 2015 Code of Practice. A very small number of students will have complex and high level needs that cannot be met through the resources available to the school. These complex need students may be awarded an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) by the local authority.

The King John School has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), Miss Wall and an Assistant Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, Miss Cox who are responsible for the management of provision and /or support for identified pupils with SEND. They work closely with a team of dedicated SEND staff to support teachers and enable them to provide appropriate provision for children in their class with SEND.

The school makes provision in accordance with the Code of Practice (2015), the SEND and Disability Act (amended 2015); Index for Inclusion (updated 2016) the Discrimination and Disability Act (2010), the Children & Families Act (2014).