SEND

If you have an SEN enquiry please contact the school office on 01473 728372 and they will put you in touch with Mr Bentley, the school's SENCO. Alternatively you can email - admin@st-marys-ipswich.suffolk.sch.uk

All staff at St Mary's are aware of the different physical needs of children; this means they recognise disability issues. All barriers to learning and participation are addressed, and specific pupils’ needs are planned for and supported. All children are encouraged to take part in all activities and where necessary, extra support is provided to ensure all children can partake in all activities.

Learning environments are adapted when needed, with for example, workstations, writing slopes and laptops. Furthermore, all teachers plan for all needs in the classroom and if necessary, in consultation with the SENCO: this may include sensory activities and use of sensory resources.

SEND Policy

Intimate Care Policy

OLOW Intimate Care Policy

SEND Information Policy

SEND Information Report

What are Special Educational Needs?

What are Special Educational Needs?

The Code of Practice 2015 states that there are four main areas of Special Educational Needs. These areas and their meanings are as follows:

Areas of Special

Educational

Need

Relating to difficulties with:

Communication

and

Interaction

Children may have a delay or disorder in one of the following areas:

Attention/ interaction skills:

May have difficulty ignoring distractions. Need reminders to maintain attention. May need regular prompts to stay on task. May need individualised motivation to complete tasks. Difficulty in attending in whole class. Interaction will not always be appropriate. May have peer relationship difficulties. May not be able to initiate or maintain a conversation.

Understanding and receptive language:

May need visual support to understand and process spoken language. May need augmented communication systems. Frequent misunderstandings. Repetition of language and some basic language needs to be used to aid their understanding.

Speech/expressive language:

May use simple language and limited vocabulary. Ideas/ conversations may be difficult to follow with the need to request frequent clarification. Some immaturities in the speech sound system. Grammar /phonological

Awareness still fairly poor and therefore their literacy can be affected.

Cognition

and

Learning

May have difficulty with the skills for effective learning such as use of:

Language, memory and reasoning skills
Sequencing and organisational skills
An understanding of number
Problem- solving and concept development skills
Fine and gross motor skills
Independent learning skills
Exercising choice
Decision making
Information processing

Children may have a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, or dysgraphia

Social

Mental and Emotional

Health

May have difficulty with social or emotional development which may lead to or stem from:

Social isolation
Behavioural difficulties
Attention difficulties (ADHD)
Anxiety and depression
Attachment disorders
Low self esteem
Issues with self image

Sensory

and

Physical

These pupils may have a medical or genetic condition which leads to:

Specific medical conditions
Gross/fine motor skills
Visual/hearing impairment
Accessing the curriculum without adaptation
Physically accessing the buiding or equipment
Over sensitive to noise, touch, smells, light and taste
Toileting and self care

Diagnosing Special Educational Needs

Parents often ask us how long it will take to get a diagnosis of special educational needs and this a difficult question to answer as a diagnosis often involves a variety of different professionals. If parents or the school think a child may have autistic spectrum disorder, dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder, speech and language delay, hearing loss or visual problems, a referral to a paediatrician will be needed for investigation. The route for this is usually through the child’s GP, who will make a referral to the child development clinic at the hospital. The school will provide information on the child’s difficulties and the child may be seen by an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist and paediatrician. Each professional will make recommendations to the school and these will be put into place. Even without a definite diagnosis the school will put interventions in place which aim to remove the barriers to the child’s learning. We are used to catering for a variety of needs and can put measures in place without a diagnosis so that parents can be confident that if a diagnosis takes time ( often up to six months) we will strive to meet the child’s needs.

Our bottom line when putting interventions in place is whether a child’s learning is being affected by a barrier which we can remove. We recognise that seeking a diagnosis can be emotional for parents and that waiting for one can add to the worries they have for their child and Mr Bentley is always available to discuss any issues or concerns.