Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

If you have any SEND queries, please contact Mrs Carolan senco@lgw.odbst.org

Intent

Our vision for all children here at Longwick C of E Combined School is to be happy and engaged. We know that children learn best when they are happy and highly involved in their learning, and this underpins all that we do. We aim to enable children to develop and grow and to be confident, independent, curious, resilient, creative, and empathetic individuals. We encourage children to assess and take risks, and promote the development of communication skills through all that they do. Our vision is for children to develop a love of learning through a combination of positive relationships, child led learning opportunities, an enabling environment and high-quality teaching and learning. Our aim is to enrich children’s experiences and build their cultural capital, enabling them to flourish in an ever-changing world. We follow a Keep up not Catch-Up approach and expose all of our children to access the full breadth of the curriculum, this has been a particular focus this term.

At Longwick C of E Combined School, every child is recognised as a unique individual and we celebrate our differences and encourage all children to strive to be the best that they can be within a supportive and nurturing Christian community. The ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values. We believe that our experiences of school should be happy and positive, enabling us to nurture a lifelong love of learning and for all children to develop a sense of belonging to our school community. We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers to encourage independent, happy learners who thrive in school and reach their full potential from their various starting points.

Our intention for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) is to ensure that all children receive a high-quality and ambitious education regardless of need or disability. We believe that it is important for our pupils to be equipped with the tools and skills necessary to enable them to become active and independent learners.

Through our high-quality planning, teaching and provision we strive to:

Identify SEND early on and through intervention and adapted teaching strategies; ensure that progress and opportunities are maximized.
Ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is differentiated to enable children to access and understand and purpose of learning.
Provide an accessible learning environment which is tailored to the individual needs of all pupils.
Develop children’s independence and life skills.
Regularly monitor the progress of children with SEND, using a child-centred approach.
Provide high quality and relevant training for all staff members supporting children with SEND.
Work closely in partnership with parents and carers.
Work with external agencies and other professionals to develop our provision for children with SEND.

Implementation

At Longwick C of E Combined School, every teacher is a teacher of SEND. Inclusion is at the heart of all that we do as a school and is enhanced by a collaborative approach between senior leaders, teachers, support staff, external agencies and parents.

At Longwick C of E Combined School, pupils with SEND will:

Be included in all aspects of the school day.
Be provided with quality first teaching that is differentiated to their needs.
Be respected and their contributions valued and acknowledged.
Have access to specific 1:1 or small group intervention to support their learning if required.
Take part in social and emotional support interventions if required.
Receive additional support with their speech and language development if required.
Work alongside external agencies to support specific areas of need if required.

Impact

As a result of our SEND provision, children at Longwick C of E Combined School feel happy, safe and respected.

Behaviour is positive and diversity is celebrated.
Children demonstrate high levels of engagement in activities, developing their confidence and speaking, listening and social skills.
Children with SEND make good progress from their varying starting points due to the use of differentiation, adapted teaching strategies, resources and small group intervention which meets the needs of the pupils.
On leaving Longwick, children with SEND have developed independence, resilience and a belief in their ability to achieve. They are well prepared for the next stage of their journey and have the tools and life skills to enable them to thrive.