Our approach to teaching children & young people with SEN

At St. Godric’s, we pride ourselves on living out our mission statement – to love, respect and value everyone – to build and develop our school community to be an inclusive learning environment where all children can thrive and flourish.

Inclusive education means we support all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers;  this not only covers academic experiences but moral, social, cultural and spiritual. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

The Curriculum also included the social aspects  and skills that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence. These skills and aspects are encouraged at all ages and ability levels and through this, we endeavour to develop confidence, increase self-esteem and promote enthusiasm in all pupils.

All pupils follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum or National Curriculum at a pace and level that is appropriate for their needs. In some cases, it may be necessary to adopt inclusive practices to ensure that the needs of individual children are met. Some of the ways in which we may take to achieve this are:

• Quality First Teaching
• A range of different teaching and learning styles to meet individual needs
• Using a range of whole class, small group and 1:1 teaching
• Differentiated teaching material, resources and scaffolds
• Additional support in or out of class
• Carefully selected interventions delivered by trained members of staff to support individual needs
• Access to technology, such as computers, netbooks and iPads
• All staff are aware of, and are sensitive to, the needs of all pupils and will respond and adapt teaching and learning in a way that is appropriate for their needs
• Self-worth and enthusiasm are promoted through encouragement of independence at all age and ability levels
• To ensure suitable provision is provided to allow all children to fully develop their abilities, interests and talents
• Work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils and external agencies to ensure high-quality provision for children’s special educational needs and disabilities
• To identify all children who may need additional provision to support their needs (educational, emotional, social or physical) at the earliest opportunity
• Policy, procedures and practice are regularly reviewed and updated to achieve best practice and high-quality provision

How We Support SEN

At St. Godric’s, our aim is to provide an inclusive learning environment where all children can thrive and we recognise that children with Special Educational Needs and/or a disability may need some support to enable them to achieve this. We aim to provide this support in the best way we can.

Here at St Godric’s we understand that every child is unique and a carefully planned approach is needed and our school recognises there are particular groups of pupils whose circumstances require additional consideration by those who work with them to support their SEN. Some children, at some time in their school life might have additional or different needs and it may be that they will be on our SEN register for a short period or a long period of time. However, children’s needs will be frequently reassessed regularly in order to ensure that the provision is suitable and supports every child’s development.

Our SENCO, oversees the operation of the SEN Policy and works alongside class teachers to co-ordinate provision for children with SEN. The class teacher will plan for the child and use regular assessment to ensure that progress in every area is made. This is Quality First Teaching and is where the work is highly differentiated and suits the needs of all children, it comes in the form of a lesson rather than an intervention programme.

Alongside the Quality First Teaching, that your child will receive in lessons, there may be a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) working with your child, either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher. Children may be taken out of the classroom for additional teaching sessions or intervention.

How are Governors Involved and What is Their Responsibility?

Governors fully support our school vision and values and they are kept up to date on the progress of SEN pupils. Confidentiality is maintained and individual pupils are not named however, data is shared to support discussions around funding arrangements and the SEND Notional Budget. The Governors agree priorities for spending and evaluate the impact of previous funding allocations.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail, please contact the SENCO or the Head Teacher to arrange an appointment.