Gusford SEND Information Report 2023-2024
At Gusford Primary School we are committed to providing an inclusive, balanced and rich curriculum for all. Details of our commitment can been found in the information below.
This SEN information report complies with:
Section 69 (2) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Regulation 51 and schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.
Section 6 of the “Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice: 0 – 25 years.”
What is SEND and what are the main areas of SEND?
A child has a Special Educational Need if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability that means they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age and require special educational provision, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.
A pupil may have SEND if their progress:
is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same
baseline
fails to match or better the child’s previous rates of progress
fails to close the attainment gap between the pupil and their peers
widens the attainment gap
We also look at progress in areas other than attainment: where a child needs to make additional progress with wider development or social needs in order to make a successful transition to adult life. In some cases, a child may have an identified disability and reasonable adjustments may need to be made for them within the mainstream setting.
The four areas of SEND are:
• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory, Physical and Health
Communication and interaction: Children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.
Cognition and learning: Support for learning difficulties may be required when children learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of need, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) , where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through profound and multiple learning difficulties (PLMD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical difficulty or sensory impairment. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Physical and sensory: Some children require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi – sensory impairment (MSI)will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Children with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
Some children with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
Social, emotional and mental health: Children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment difficulties.
What types of special needs support are available for my child in school?
Class teacher input through targeted high-quality teaching (often called Quality First Teaching)
Specific group work with a small group of children
Specific group / 1 to 1 intervention, which may be run outside the classroom or by outside agencies
Adapted curriculum and reasonable adjustments
Admissions for children with special educational needs and disabilities:
Where a school is named in an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC) plan, ALT has a duty to admit the child to the school. Children with special educational needs but without an EHC plan will be treated as fairly as other applicants. Gusford follows the ALT admissions policy which is available to download from the support and information system below.
Who are the best people to talk to about my child’s difficulties with learning/ special needs?
1. Class teacher
2. SENCo
3. Headteacher
4. Governors
If you need further advice the school Parent Liaison Officer is Mrs M Hockley and the school SENCO is Mrs P Coleman. They are available for support.
How will my child be included at school life?
Welcome meeting
Tour of the school
Meet the new teacher day
Transition booklets and transition days as required by pupils’ individual needs
Strong links with local high schools to manage transition
Lunchtime nurture/clubs
Breakfast & after school club (independent provider)
Staff run after school clubs
Regular staff training in response to pupils needs
Pupil surveys and pupil voice
Pupil are involved in creating their own one page profiles and well-being plans as required
Can this school meet my child’s needs?
Every child’s needs are considered on an individual basis.
Speech, Language and Communication
Literacy and Numeracy
Behaviour and Social Skills
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and / or Physical (including Vision & Hearing)
What facilities are provided to help children with disabilities access the school?
At Gusford our Teachers are key in providing the support our children can assess to enable them to be successful. We prioritise early identification of needs and targeting intervention to meet the needs of each individual pupils. If a child is not making progress at this stage our SENCo can offer further advice and guidance both to teachers and the family. Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure every pupil with SEND is able to reach their full potential.
An example of accessible facilities are:
Physical – Ramps, lifts, Hearing loops
Social – Well-being groups
Emotional – Emotional Literacy Support Practitioner
Cognition and learning – Individualised stage appropriate curriculum, cognition intervention programs, catch up groups
Mental Health – children’s mental health champions
Gusford’s accessibility plan is available to download below it details how pupils with disabilities can participate in the curriculum (Inclusive curriculum)
Improving school’s physical environment to the extent to which pupils with disabilities can take advantage of the education, benefits facilities and services we offer (ramps, quiet areas)
Improving the education delivery of information to pupils with disabilities that is readably accessible to pupils without disabilities. (large print, coloured paper, hearing loop)
What steps are taken to prevent my child with special educational needs and/or disabilities being treated less fair that other pupils?
As a school we have worked together to produce our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Universal Offer. Please scroll down further to find the link. Our Universal Offer describes how we ensure all pupils have access to an education that meets their needs, preventing any child from being treated less favourably than others.
At Gusford we follow our Equalities Policy which is founded on three principles:
Every pupil should have opportunities to achieve the highest possible standards and the best possible qualifications for the next stages of their life and education;
Every pupil should be helped to develop a sense of personal and cultural identity that is confident and open to change, and that is receptive and respectful towards other identities; and
Every pupil should develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that they need in order to participate in our multi-ethnic society, and in the wider context of an inter-dependent world.
Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy is available to download below.
What are the arrangements for making complaints, for the resolution of disagreements, mediation, and parents and young people’s right to appeal?
School complaints procedure
Where else can I find support and information?
If you need support accessing this information the Parent Liaison Officer or SENDCO will be happy to support
GP
Parent Liaison Officer
School SENCO
The Parent Partnership
School Health / School nursing team
Autism Suffolk
Autism and ADHD
Children’s centre
Dyslexia
SENDIASS
Common Assessment Form (CAF)
Gusford Admissions Policy
Gusford Equality Policy
Gusford Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy – See below
How does the school communicate with me?
Parents meetings
Review meetings with Class Teacher and / or the SENDCO
Edukey – SEND IEP and provision review access (cloud based)
Newsletter
Website
Twitter
Parent mail (email & text)
Meetings with outside agencies
Annual Reports
How well do Special Educational Needs and Disabilities pupils do in our school?
You are always welcome to speak to our SENCO and assessment co-ordinator. Further information can be found in our OFSTED report or on Find School’s Performance Data
How does the school identify and assess children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
Information is gathered from:
Parents/ carers
Pupils
Outside agencies
Assessments
Education and Healthcare needs assessment
Concerns identified by our class teachers
Following information gathering teachers complete 2 ADPR (assess, plan, do, review) cycles to inform conversations with parents and the SENDCo as decisions are made whether to move to Stage 2 of our SEND offer – Targeted response.
If you feel your child may require an ASD/ADHD assessment then the following information may help.
Parent Referrals
The SEND team at Gusford is led by Mrs Pippa Coleman (SENDCO). You can contact her via the school office (01473 682148) or via email on admin@gusfordprimary.net
SEND Information
