Welcome to Finmere CofE Primary School and Preschool

Special Educational Needs

‘Challenging all to shine.’

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

New Code of Practice

The ‘New Code of Practice’ is statutory from May 2015 and includes changes to the support and services children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive.

In brief:

1. At Finmere CE Primary we value the change in the law as it puts parents and their child first. Nothing can replace high quality teaching, appropriately differentiated for individual pupils. This is now seen as the first step in responding to possible special educational needs.
2. For pupils who need special education provision above and beyond the high quality differentiated teaching, the code sets out the principles of a graduated response. Some children may require specific support from the school or external experts (such as an Educational Psychologist or a Speech & Language Therapist.)
3. Categories of ‘School Action’ and ‘School Action Plus’ have been replaced with a new system called special educational needs (SEN) support.
4. Statements have been replaced with a single education, health and care (EHC) plan. These EHC plans are for children with complex needs. The EHC plan places the emphasis more on personal goals and will describe the support your child will receive while at school or in training.
5. Individual Educational Plan (IEPs) has been replaced with a Pupil Profile. The profile sets out strengths, outcomes and targets for the child; it identifies the child’s needs and stipulates the support strategies. The profile is reviewed three times a year.
6. ‘All About Me’ is a section of the EHC Plan that needs to be completed by the parent of the child (with support from school.) This is only required when an EHC plan is deemed to be appropriate. The document invites parents to describe their child and the difficulties they are experiencing to ensure the appropriate provision is secured to satisfy their individual needs.
7. ‘The Local Offer’ is provided by the local authority. It is a signposting mechanism to provide parents with information on what is locally available to support the needs of your child.

For more information please refer to Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) guidance: SEND

Expectations of the SENCO:

• To act as mentor & support for teachers
• To train staff and keep them informed
• To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children with SEN

Expectations of the Teacher:

• To have a clear understanding of your child’s individual learning needs
• To provide high quality 1^st teaching
• To write and review the Pupil Profile
• To lead the Profile meeting (with support from the SEN-co)

Expectations of the parent:

• To complete ‘All About Me’ section of the EHC plan where appropriate
• To attend and contribute to the Profile meetings three times a year
• To work in partnership with the school

Expectations of the child:

• To take full advantage of the support & strategies provided
• To begin to take responsibility for their own learning
• To try their best all the time, so that they achieve their potential
• To take their place in society with confidence

SEN-co (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)

The SEN-co at Finmere is Catherine Farrell. She can be contacted via the office email on office.3090@finmere.oxon.sch.uk or by phone 01280 848459.

Policies

Our policies can be found on the Policies and Information section of our website, under the 'Parents' tab on the main menu.

Admission Arangements

Finmere School is a fully inclusive school. The admission arrangements for children with special educational needs do not differ from those for other children. Admission is according to Local Authority policy and is based on the principles of equality of opportunity access. All children who live in the school’s catchment area are entitled to a place in the school in accordance with the Admissions Policy. This applies equally to children with SEN provided that it is agreed by the LA that their needs can be best met in a mainstream school.

Please see 'Parents' then 'information' for the school's Accessibility Policy and Plan.

 SEN Report to Governors June 2020