Special Needs

In November 2022, we welcomed an independent assessment for children with Special Educational Needs in our school. Here is the report:

Special Educational Needs at Christ Church CE VA Primary School

‘Together, with God’s love, we can achieve anything’

Welcome to our Special Needs page. If you are considering our school for your child’s education, or would like to find out more as to how we support your child with their Special Needs, we hope that you find the information below - as with the rest of our website - helpful.

The legal definition of Special Educational Needs is defined in the 2015 ‘Special Needs and Disability Code of Practice’ is as follows:

“A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child compulsory school age....has a learning disability / special need if he or she:

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others at the same age or

• has a disability which prevents or hinders him/her from making use of the educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools”

A child is not regarded as having learning difficulties solely because the language of the home is different from the language in which he/she will be taught.

Intent

At Christ Church CE VA Primary School, we believe all children are special, unique and should be valued equally as God’s children. We are a community where everyone is given the opportunity to enjoy learning and achieve their full potential in an emotionally supportive, respectful and inclusive environment. We believe that every child should have access to a broad, balanced, relevant curriculum with appropriate differentiation to account for individual learning and emotional needs that allows each child to fulfil their potential.

Implementation

All our teachers are teachers of children with additional needs and the progress of children with Special Needs in their class is their responsibility.

Mrs Emma Pearce is the school Special Educational Needs / Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) who has day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the school’s SEND Policy and co-ordination of specific provision made to support pupils with Special Needs and disabilities. She shares these duties with Mrs Manisha Mistry, who is also a qualified SENDCO. The school recognises the importance of early identification of pupils with special educational needs and teachers follow a graduated approach, as set out by the SEND Code of Practice (0-25 years), to ensure pupils are identified and supported accordingly. Should a child be identified to have additional needs, teachers will observe, assess and monitor progress closely. This child may be placed on the special educational needs register after an objective review and with parental consultation; this means they may need additional provision which could be in the form of an intervention; therapy or in some cases 1:1 support.

Teachers and the SENDCO work closely with pupils and parents to ensure they are involved in the planning and provision of the child’s education. Christ Church always endeavours to be inclusive to all children and we have the same high expectations and aspirations for all.

The information below gives you our Special needs Offer and our Policy for children with Special Educational needs and / or disabilities. 

Special Educational Needs Policy

SEN Employment Information

Although we’re a primary school, we’re always thinking about the future. Finding employment (even unpaid employment) can often be a challenge for young people with certain Special Needs or disabilities. There are employers that would be willing to give a young person a chance with some additional support in place. Many parents/carers whose children have special educational needs and disabilities might be worrying already about the job opportunities (or lack of them) that might be available for their children in the future. Some parents might be able to offer other young people a chance at supported internships now and this might open doors for their own children in the future. The documents below give information on this area.