S.E.N.

Article posted by School Administrator

Nearly one in six children is considered to have special educational needs and successive governments have developed the statutory framework to respond to the diverse needs of individual children. The government’s vision has been set out in the strategy document Removing Barriers to Achievement. That builds on the proposals for the reform of children’s services in Every Child Matters.
Schools and early education settings have to have a written SEN policy.
“The SEN policy must contain the information as set out in the Education (Special Educational Needs) (Information) (England) Regulations 1999.”
SEN Code of Practice (2001) 1:24
The information that must be included in a policy is described fully in the SEN Code of Practice. It covers:

  • basic information about the school’s special educational provision
  • the school’s policies for the identification, assessment and provision for all children with special educational needs
  • the school’s staffing policies and its policy on partnership with bodies beyond the school.

Governing bodies must publish information about, and report on, the school’s policy on SEN. This must be freely available to parents. The school as a whole should be involved in the development of the policy and it should be subject to a regular cycle of monitoring, evaluation and review.
“The governing body’s annual report must include information on the implementation of the governing body’s policy on children with special educational needs and any changes to the policy during the last year.”
SEN Code of Practice (2001) 1:28
Definition of special educational needs
“Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
“Children have a learning difficulty if they:
a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making full use of the educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in school within the area of the local educational authority (LEA); and
c) are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.
“Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.
“Special educational provision means:

  • for children of two or over, educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the LEA, other than special schools, in the area
  • for children under two, educational provision of any kind.

Section 312, Education Act 1996
Definition of disability
A disabled person is defined as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has an effect on his or her ability to carry out day-to-day activities. The effect must be:

  • substantial (that is more than minor or trivial); and
  • long-term (that is have lasted or is likely to last for at least a year or for the rest of the life of the person affected); and
  • adverse.

All children with SEN must have their needs addressed, via a broad and balanced education. In most cases, a mainstream school will make this provision. This will involve engaging SEN children in all the regular activities of the school, as far as is reasonably practicable and compatible with:

  • the child receiving the special educational provision which his/her learning difficulty calls for
  • the efficient provision of education for the children with whom he or she will be educated
  • the efficient use of resources.

All mainstream schools must appoint a designated teacher to be the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), who will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy. He or she will co-ordinate provision for children with SEN, maintain the SEN register, and liaise with parents, staff and external agencies.
Heads should take practical steps to ensure that SENCOs have the time and resources they need for this demanding role. National standards produced by the Teacher Training Agency include a definition of the context in which the co-ordination of SEN provision within a school is likely to be effective, and set out the additional knowledge, understanding, skills, attributes and expertise required by those co-ordinating a school’s SEN provision.
Since January 2002 each LEA has had to provide Parent Partnership Services to ensure that parents and carers of children with SEN have access to information, advice and guidance on SEN matters so as to allow them to make appropriate informed decisions about their children’s education.
Further information and guidance on SEN are available from:

  • Special Educational Needs: Code of practice November 2001, ref. DfES 581/2001
  • Accessible Schools: Planning to increase access to schools for disabled children, DfES, June 2002
  • Social Inclusion: child support, DfES circular 10/99
  • The Education (Special Educational Needs) (Information) (England) Regulations 1999
  • The Special Educational Needs (Provision of Information by Local Education Authorities) (England) Regulations 2001
  • Inclusive Schooling - Children with Special Educational Needs, DfES 077/2001#
  • SEN and Disability Act 2001
  • Disability Rights Commission - Code of Practice (www.drc-gb.org/drc)
  • Ofsted, Evaluating Educational Inclusion
  • www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/. Look under Special Educational Needs Policy.

Status

Statutory
Purpose
We at St Edmund’s nursery school believe that each child has individual and unique needs. However, some children require more support than others. If these children are to achieve their full potential, we must recognise this and plan accordingly. We acknowledge that a significant proportion of children will have special educational needs (SEN) at some time in their school career. Many of these children may require help throughout their time in school, while others may need a little extra support for a short period to help them overcome more temporary needs. St Edmund’s Nursery school aims to provide all children with strategies for dealing with their needs in a supportive environment, and to give them meaningful access to the Foundation Stage curriculum.
In particular, we aim to:

  • enable every child to experience success
  • promote individual confidence and a positive attitude
  • ensure that all children, whatever their special educational needs, receive appropriate educational provision through a broad and balanced curriculum that is relevant and differentiated, and that demonstrates coherence and progression in learning
  • give children with SEN equal opportunities to take part in all aspects of the school’s provision, as far as is appropriate
  • identify, assess, record and regularly review children’s progress and needs
  • involve parents/carers in planning and supporting at all stages of their children’s development
  • work collaboratively with parents, other professionals and support services
  • ensure that the responsibility held by all staff and governors for SEN is implemented and maintained.

Relationship to other policies
This policy should be read in conjunction with the policies on the school curriculum and equal opportunities, and guidance on assessment, recording and reporting. The accessibility plan is an integral part of this policy.

Roles and responsibilities of headteacher, other staff, governors

Provision for children with special educational needs is a matter for the school as a whole. It is each teacher’s responsibility to provide for children with SEN in his/her class, and to be aware that these needs may be present in different learning situations. All staff are responsible for helping to meet an individual’s special educational needs and for following the school’s procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision to meet those needs.
The governing body, in co-operation with the headteacher, has a legal responsibility for determining the policy and provision for children with SEN. It maintains a general overview and has appointed a representative governor (the SEN governor), who takes particular interest in this aspect of the school.

The headteacher has responsibility for:

  • the management of all aspects of the school’s work, including provision for children with SEN
  • keeping the governing body informed about SEN issues
  • working closely with the SEN personnel within the school
  • ensuring that the implementation of this policy and the effects of inclusion policies on the school as a whole are monitored and reported to governors.

The governing body must ensure that:

  • the necessary provision is made for any child with SEN
  • all staff are aware of the need to identify and provide for children with SEN<
  • children with SEN join in school activities alongside other children, as far as is reasonably practical and compatible with their needs and the efficient education of other children
  • they report to parents on the implementation of the school’s SEN policy through the annual report to parents
  • they have regard to the requirements of the SEN Code of Practice (2001)
  • parents are notified if the school decides to make special educational provision for their child
  • they are fully informed about SEN issues, so that they can play a major part in school self-review
  • they set up appropriate staffing and funding arrangements, and oversee the school’s work for children with SEN
  • they, and the school as a whole, are involved in the development and monitoring of this policy
  • SEN provision is an integral part of the school development plan
  • the quality of SEN provision is regularly monitored.

The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for:

  • overseeing the day-to-day operation of this policy
  • co-ordinating the provision for children with SEN
  • ensuring that an agreed, consistent approach is adopted
  • liaising with and advising other staff
  • helping staff to identify children with SEN
  • carrying out detailed assessments and observations of children with specific learning problems
  • supporting class teachers in devising strategies, drawing up Individual Education Plans (IEPs), setting targets appropriate to the needs of the child, and advising on appropriate resources and materials for use with children with SEN and on the effective use of materials and personnel in the classroom
  • liaising closely with parents of children with SEN, so that they are aware of the strategies that are being used and are involved as partners in the process
  • liaising with outside agencies, arranging meetings, and providing a link between these agencies, class teachers and parents
  • maintaining the school’s SEN register and records
  • assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of progress of children with SEN through the use of existing school assessment information.
  • contributing to the in-service training of staff
  • managing learning support staff/teaching assistants
  • ensuring that midday supervisors are given any necessary information relating to the supervision of children at lunchtime and supporting them in relation to behaviour management and other issues for particular children
  • liaising with the SENCOs in receiving schools/and or other primary schools to help provide a smooth transition from one school to the other
  • taking part in LEA SEN moderation.

Class teachers are responsible for:

  • including children with SEN in the classroom, and for providing an appropriately differentiated curriculum. They can draw on the SENCO for advice on assessment and strategies to support inclusion
  • making themselves aware of this policy and procedures for identification, monitoring and supporting children with SEN
  • giving feedback to parents of children with SEN.

Teaching assistants should:

  • be fully aware of this policy and the procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision for children with SEN
  • use the school’s procedures for giving feedback to teachers about children’s’ responses to tasks and strategies.

Arrangements for complaints

Should children or parents/carers be unhappy with any aspect of provision they should discuss the problem with a class/form teacher in the first instance. Anyone who feels unable to talk to the teacher, or is not satisfied with the teacher’s comments, should ask to speak to the SENCO. For a problem that might need time to explore fully, parents/carers should make an appointment rather than rushing the discussion early in the morning before school.
In the event of a formal complaint parents are advised to contact the headteacher, or a governor if they prefer. The LEA Parent Partnership Service is available to offer advice.
Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation

The success of the school’s SEN policy and provision is evaluated through:

  • monitoring of classroom practice by the SENCO and subject co-ordinators
  • analysis of child tracking data and test results for individual children and for cohorts
  • value-added data for children on the SEN register
  • termly monitoring of procedures and practice by the SEN governor
  • school self-evaluation
  • the governors’ annual report to parents, which contains the required information about the implementation and success of the SEN policy
  • the school’s annual SEN review, which evaluates the success of the policy and sets new targets for development
  • the school improvement plan, which is used for monitoring provision in the school
  • visits from LEA personnel and Ofsted inspection arrangements
  • feedback from parents and staff, both formal and informal, following meetings to produce IEPs and targets, revise provision and celebrate success.

Date established by governing body
Date for full implementation
Date for review

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