SEND

At Durrington Infant and Junior Schools, we pride ourselves on our high level of provision for those children who have additional or special educational needs. Both staff and parents are aware of the high profile that SEND holds within the school, and we constantly strive to develop and improve the support we offer. Our SENCO is Mrs Ensor, and a SEND team working across both schools supports this role.

The school's Governors are fully aware and informed of the monitoring of Special Educational Needs, and they effectively provide the time and resources necessary to meet the needs of the children. Special educational needs provision is an integral part of the school development plan.

Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/part/3/enacted) states that a child has a special educational need or disability (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 if they:

have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

In the Equality Act 2010, (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents) a person is classed as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

We believe that all children, including those identified as having special educational needs and disabilities, have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life. We recognise that pupils learn at different rates and that there are many factors affecting achievement, including ability, emotional state, age and maturity. We also understand that many pupils, at some time in their school career, may experience difficulties which affect their learning, and we recognise that these may be long or short term.

As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, the school follows the Graduated Approach to Assessment, which follows the four stages of Assess, Plan, Do and Review. This allows for a more personalised approach to the identification, planning and assessment of SEND. (The SEND Code of Practice 2014 (updated January 2015), is statutory guidance for organisations that work with and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25)

For more information on our SEND policies and practice you can read our SEND and Most Able Policies here.