Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO):

Miss Emma Baron

SEND Governor:

Katie Brookes

Crow Orchard is an inclusive school and we believe that our values are true for all our children.  At Crow Orchard Primary School we aim to provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum for all our children. Some children have special educational needs which means that provision is made via intervention. This may be because of a learning difficulty, a health issue or a disability. The school also acknowledges that children who are exceptionally advanced or talented may also have specific needs.

What is SEND?

SEND = Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

According to the Code of Practice 2014:

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 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

The Code of Practice is statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities.

If you have any concerns regarding SEND, please contact us on the school office phone number or you can email the SENDCO - senco@croworchard.lancs.sch.uk

What are the roles and responsibilities of the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO)?

The SENDCO at Crow Orchard is responsible for ensuring the Special Educational Needs policy is followed throughout the school and for the co-ordination of specific and targeted provision made to support individual children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND.) Our SEND policy can be found in the policies page on this website. 

Pupil progress is monitored regularly and further interventions are planned for children who are making slower than expected progress. We have access to a broad range of external agencies and work closely with these in order to find the right support and specialist advice for our children.

What are the broad areas of need?

There are four Broad Areas of Need.  Some children may have needs which fall into more than one category. The categories are not used to define children but are instead used to plan the correct support/provision.

• Physical & or Sensory
• Communication & Interaction
• Cognition & Learning
• Social, Emotional & Mental Health

Children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders/Conditions are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.  They often have sensory difficulties which can impact on their learning.

How can I make a complaint?

If you are a parent of a child with special educational needs and wish to make a complaint, please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance. If the matter cannot be resolved, it will be passed on to the school SENDCO and or head teacher, depending on the nature of the complaint. The school governing body will be informed as and when necessary to resolve complex issues.

What is the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) local offer?

It is the responsibility of the Local Authority to produce a Local Offer.  The local offer brings together information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. 

The SEND local offer is:

• information, advice, support and services
• provided by education, health, Lancashire County Council (the local authority) and voluntary organisations
• local to Lancashire
• for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25
• available in one place on the Local Offer website- click the ink below to access the Local Offer

Here are some questions which have been devised with parents/carers and other agencies after consultation which you may find useful. These questions are answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information in order for parents/carers to make the right decisions about the best way to support their child's needs. The following are our responses to those questions:

How does Crow Orchard Primary School know if children need extra support?

We recognise that a child may need extra help and support when concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child themselves.  If a child is making less than expected progress or is not meeting key developmental milestones, or there is a change in the pupil's behaviour or progress.

What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?  

The class teacher should be the initial person to contact if you are a parent with a concern.  If you are still concerned, please make an appointment to speak to the SENDCO.

How will I know how Crow Orchard Primary School will support my child? 

All children at Crow Orchard Primary School are taught in small class sizes which means they will receive extra attention and support. Each child's programme of education will be planned and differentiated for by the class teacher and the learning facilitator working within the class. This differentiation will be inclusive within the classroom setting but may be tailored for individual support at times out of the classroom setting for short periods of time if the class teacher feels this would be necessary.  If a child has a more specific need, such as a focus on handwriting, then the child may be placed in a small focus group that will be led by the class teacher or learning facilitator. These small focus groups would take place as and when required and any interventions would be reviewed on a regular basis. Next steps would be planned in order to decide where the learning needs to be targeted in the future.  

How will I know how well my child is doing?   

Pupil progress meetings take place at the end of each term. This is when the SENDCO and class teacher will discuss the progress of all pupils with the headteacher. The discussions will prompt the next steps of planning support for the following term. School Success Plans will be written by the class teacher and approved by the SENDCO outlining the targets that your child will be working on for that term. These targets should be measurable and we would hope to see small steps of progress at the end of the term. The School Success Plan will outline provision that your child will receive, including any external support if necessary. This may be agencies such as Speech and Language Therapy (SALT). If this level of support is needed, with your permission, a referral will be made.  This plan will then be reviewed at the end of each term and shared with parents/carers. There will also be formal parent/teacher consultation meetings early in the Spring term.

How will the curriculum meet my child's needs? 

When a child is identified as having SEND, their work in class will be differentiated by the class teacher in order for them to access the same curriculum as all the other children, but to make it more accessible for them. This may include use of technology, sloping boards for writing, pen/pencil grips, sensory toys, word banks, sentences to scaffolding their writing, concrete materials such as counters for Maths and visual resources and cues. Teachers will allow extra time for your child to process instructions and will break down information into manageable chunks to help the child process what is being asked of them. A learning facilitator (if there is one within the class) may be directed to work with the child if required and depending on their level of need.

How will you help me to support my child's learning? 

The class teacher may suggest ways that you can support your child. The headteacher or SENDCO may meet with you to discuss different strategies that can be used if your child is having difficulties with behaviour/social/emotional needs. If external agencies are involved, they will often suggest programmes of study that can be used at home.

What support will there be for my child's overall well-being? 

 A nurturing approach is used across the school towards behaviour management which promotes a restorative approach. A shared set of school values are embedded in the school ethos at all times. Pastoral support is available within our nurture room (The Rainbow Room) where our Pastoral Lead Mr Murray works with children on specific targets and areas of need- this can be one-to-one or within a small group. If needed, external agencies may be brought in to support children and their families e.g. Family Well-being Team or Encompass Bloom

Useful Information

SEND Local Offer

Lancashire FIND

Lancashire FIND partnership

The Early Help Assessment and Plan

Lancashire SEND Information, Advice and Support Service

Independent Parental Education Advice (IPSEA)

Family Information Network Directory (FIND)

Please see the link to our local offer below.

Please see our SEND policy in the Policies section of the website.