SEND Staff
Our SENDCo across the federation is Jess Titterington, who is also a class teacher at Hensall Primary. As SENDCo, Mrs Titterington coordinates the support SEND children receive and works closely with parents and external agencies.
Contact details for Mrs Titterington: Tel 01977 672405 Email: jtitterington@wrfed.pmat.academy
Our SEND Governor is Anna Burr, who is available by contacting any of the federation schools. Contact details are on our websites.
Our Pastoral Support Lead Cara Whitehead (cwhitehead@wrfed.pmat.academy) works across the federation. They are available to support our SEND children and their families.
What are Special Educational Needs or Disabilities?
The term ‘Special Educational Needs’ (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age. At our school we appreciate that some children may have different or additional needs to others and may need extra support to access the curriculum. All Teachers in school differentiate their work to ensure that it meets all children’s needs.
Children who have Special Educational Needs, may need extra help in a range of areas, including
- reading, writing, number work or understanding information
- expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
- social skills including making friends or relating to adults
- behaving properly in school
- organising themselves
- sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school
How will you know if your child has Special Educational Needs?
You will be informed by your child’s class teacher if we feel your child needs to receive some extra, or different support. You will then be invited to meet with Mrs Titterington and your child’s class teacher to discuss a way forward for your child. The level of extra help is known as SEN Support. This could include:
- different teaching strategies
- extra support from an adult
- using particular equipment
If we feel that your child has a SEN that requires external support we will always seek your consent before we make a referral to gain specialist advice or support to help us meet your child’s needs. This could include a specialist teacher, Educational Psychologist or a speech and language therapist. You will always be informed by your child’s Class Teacher and/or Mrs Titterington of the outcomes and recommendations of any referrals made.
How do we meet the needs of SEND children?
If we feel that your child has SEND we will devise an Individual Provision Map which will outline what we feel they need in place to help them progress through the education system. This may be provision within school and/or through external agencies. The Provision Map will give specific targets and outline how children are being supported. It will also include information on specific areas you can work on at home with your child. Your class teacher will invite you in every half term to discuss and sign your child’s Individual Provision Map.
If your child’s needs continue to hinder their learning and development and we feel we need additional support in school order to deliver the required provision it may be necessary to apply for an Educational Health Care Plan (previously known as statements).
It is important to note that SEN children may require support on a short term basis or for many years. The needs of each individual child will be different.
In the White Rose Federation we firmly believe that all children make progress in different ways and at different speeds. Teachers take this into account and work hard to consider children’s strengths, different learning styles and abilities. This means that children may have different levels of support. If your child is making slower progress it does not automatically mean that they have SEN.
The SEND Report details who, within our federation, can help our parents with any concerns they may have about special educational needs and disabilities. It links with the SEND and Inclusion Policies and is updated on an annual basis.
Our SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Policy is reviewed and updated every year by the SENCO (Special Needs Coordinator) and shared with governors for approval. It contains the roles and responsibilities of the educational team in school to support children with SEND.
It links with our SEND Information Report and Inclusion Policy which is a practical document for parents explaining how we put into practice in our federation the philosophy within the SEND Policy.
Our SEND Policy and SEND reports can be viewed on our policy page here.
The link below gives parents lots of information on how to access guidance and support on choosing the right school for their child with special educational needs.