At Herne Bay Junior School, we pride ourselves on inclusion and celebration of the individual. We recognise that all children are unique in their needs and circumstances, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In line with our values, we are welcoming and enable opportunity as provision for children is adapted according to their needs. We want all children to experience success and make progress, not just academically but also socially and emotionally.
Our policies ensure our children are always included and access equal opportunities in every aspect of their education. Equity is at the forefront of HBJS’s provision, with every curriculum experience underpinned by our core values of thinking ‘boldly and bravely’ with lessons that are adaptive.
Pupils are supported by staff who employ Quality First Teaching practice. Learning environments are designed to develop independence and cater to the varying needs a class may have. Staff differentiate learning to cater for all abilities and learning styles with additional adaptations as needed.
Staff continuously consider how best to meet the children’s needs. Pupils with complex needs are identified and recorded on the SEN register. Provision plans are in place and a Graduated Approach of Assess, Plan, Do, Review is followed to ensure their journey is well supported. For some children, with severe and complex needs, they will have an Education, Health, Care Plan (EHCP). For these families, there is more need to work closely ensuring discussions about provision and progress occur.
Kent’s ‘Mainstream Core Standards‘ (MCS)
SEND Mainstream Core Standards – Kent County Council
The MCS summarise and present the provision that the local authority expects to be made available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities attending mainstream schools. It provides guidance for schools, parents and carers and professionals working with children and young people.
What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and how does HBJS identify them?
We aim to address children’s learning differences and needs and support their development in the most appropriate way possible and celebrate effort as much as achievement. Our school’s SEND policy document is available on this website, detailing our inclusive approach to SEND.
SEND Policy
Sammy Black is the SENCo at school. Alongside Tracey Hewitt and the teaching staff, children’s needs are discussed, identified and supported. Communication with parents at this stage is crucial. The SEN department host a weekly SEN surgery for parents to have more thorough conversations with the school’s specialists.
The definition of Special Education Needs and Disabilities from the SEND Code of Practice is as follows:
“A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. ”
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
– Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, 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 or mainstream post-16 institutions.” (Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0-25 years, January 2015, p. 15-16)
High-quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils will always be the first step in responding to pupils who may or may not have SEND. In addition to this Kent County Council provides the following clarification of what constitutes a child requiring SEN Support:
“SEN support is intensive and personalised intervention which is required to enable the child to be engaged in learning. It will usually involve significant amounts of resource from the educational setting. Each child identified as SEN Support will have outcomes which have been agreed through a process of collaboration and discussion. A personalised programme of support will be devised and be reviewed and adjusted frequently (at least three times per year) with close child and/or parental involvement.”
Early identification is key and as such we encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns. Through regular meetings and collaboration, the class teacher/SENCO will gather information about a pupil and their learning needs to identify any special education needs.
Parents are always informed if school staff consider that their child has or may have an additional need and parents and children (as appropriate depending upon age, understanding and capability) are involved in the planning to meet the need identified.
At HBJS, a range of specific, more specialised tests are used to assist in the identification of an individual child’s needs in order to plan targeted programmes for them and to use as a benchmark for measuring the impact of subsequent interventions. These can include:
- Dyslexia screenings to identify strengths and challenges within literacy skills
- Visual Stress assessments
- Speech Link and Language Link assessments for Speech, Language and Communication needs
- Social, emotional and behavioural assessments – e.g. Thrive Profiles
- Pupil observations
- Sensory Profiles
- Assessment of hand and fine motor skills
What are the areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
Additional and/or different provision is currently being made in school for children with a range of needs, including the following 4 main areas as identified in the SEND Code of Practice 2015:
- Cognition and Learning – including moderate learning difficulties; Specific learning difficulties – dyslexia, dyscalculia and developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
- Sensory, Medical and Physical – hearing impairment, sensory processing difficulties, epilepsy and diabetes.
- Communication and Interaction – including autistic spectrum condition (ASC), selective mutism, speech and language difficulties including developmental language disorder (DLD).
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health – including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attachment disorder, emotional and behaviour regulation, social difficulties, anxiety and general ability and readiness to learn.
Provision, strategies and approaches are drawn from the updated Mainstream Core Standards.
How do we support Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
SEND support is actioned within a four part cycle, known as the graduated approach, through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised, leading to a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes.
The four stages of the cycle are:
• Assess
• Plan
• Do
• Review
The class teachers use provision maps to outline specific interventions and outcomes which are regularly reviewed, evaluated and shared.
All our staff are trained each year on the needs of new students joining the school – this can include training from specialist agencies or consultants, as well as from our Inclusion Lead/SENCO or other staff with relevant expertise.
SEND training forms part of the continuing professional development of all teachers and LSAs and is organised in accordance with the needs of the students. The school works closely with the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) and our link Educational Psychologist, accessing training opportunities in staff meetings and on INSET days as well as other outside experts.
The Inclusion Lead/SENCO meets with senior leaders regularly to review and plan the training, guidance and advice that staff across the school need to ensure they meet the additional learning requirements of our students.
Our building is designed to ensure easy access with ramps, handrails and a lift for disabled access. We have an accessible toilet adapted with handrails to give support and encourage independence. We work closely with professionals such as Physiotherapists to ensure children receive the support they require.
How do we evaluate the effectiveness of provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
Class teachers and the Inclusion Lead/SENCO make use of assessment information/progress rates and pre- and post- interventions as well as making use of attainment and progress data for children with SEN across the school to evaluate the effectiveness. SMART targets are identified to ensure provision is matched to the individual and is achievable.
An Annual Review is held for children with EHC Plans; interim reviews can also be arranged throughout the year to discuss progress against outcomes, targets and next steps. Parents of children with EHCPs are supported in understanding the processes in gaining the right secondary school for their child.
What additional support for learning is available for children with SEND?
Some staff are deployed in classes to support children individually or in small groups. for children with a high need for provision, school applies for High Needs Funding. This additional funding allows school to ensure that a child can access a higher level of support and greater number of interventions.
We teach an adapted curriculum to ensure that the needs of all children are met.
We have a large number of intervention programmes in place for children who require additional support.
Who can I contact?
If you wish to discuss any of the above information or a specific need for your child, please contact the office to arrange an appointment with Sammy Black (SENCO)
Telephone: 01227 374608
Email: office@hernebay-jun.kent.sch.uk
Further support for parents:
SEND Information Hub
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – Kent County Council
The SEND Information Hub provides parents/carers of children with SEND with information about how to access services in their areas, and what they can expect from those services.
IASK
Furthermore, IASK offers support and advice to parents and families of pupils with special educational needs or a disability
Kent PACT
Kent PACT is a forum for parents and carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within Kent local authority. They empower parents and carers and help them to have their say about the support that their family receives: