We adapt the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN:
Academic
All children receive excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching. For your child this would mean:
- That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all children in their class.
- That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
- Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This could involve using different resources and more practical learning.
- Specific strategies are in place to support your child to learn.
- If your child’s teacher has decided that your child has a gap in their understanding/learning after carefully checking on your child’s progress they may receive some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
All children in school should be getting this as a part of excellent classroom practice when needed but other types of support are available for children with SEN.
Specific work with a small group of children
This type of support is available for any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning and will be put in place if the class teacher or SENCo think that they need extra support in school. The group, sometimes called Intervention groups by school, are:
- Run in the classroom or outside.
- Planned and overseen by a teacher but they are often run by a Teaching Assistant who has been trained to run the groups using the teacher’s plan.
- Working to address children’s individual targets to secure any gaps in their learning.
- Focused on specific outcomes to help the child to make more and rapid progress.
Specialist groups run by outside agencies
This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups and means they have been assessed as needing some extra specialist support in school. This may be from:
- Local Authority services such as the SENIT, an Educational Psychologist or Behaviour Support Service.
- Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Service, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.
For your child this would mean:
- They will have been identified by the class teacher as needing more specialist input in addition to Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.
- You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
- You may be asked for permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s needs better and be able to support them better in school.
- The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:
- Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better
- Support to set targets which will include their specific expertise
- A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g. a social skills group
- A group or individual work with outside professional
- The school may give your child some individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.
Individual support
This is usually provided through an Education, Health and Care Plan (known as a Single Plan in Gateshead). This means your child will have been identified by a specialist professional as needing a higher level of support than the school can provide from their SEN budget. This is a legal process, which is carried out by the Local Authority (LA), which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child. School will discuss with you if they think that this is required.
Emotional and Social
As well as providing academic support, school can also provide emotional and social support for children. This can include:
- Peer mentoring systems involving older children from Year 6.
- Social skills/nurture group interventions – provided by both internal staff and external agencies
- Self-esteem interventions including counselling from our school counsellor
- Family support through our Family Support Worker
- Anti-bullying policies which are taught within PSHE&C curriculum
- After school provision including various clubs
- Administration of medicines (You can find our policy on administering medications in school in the School Policies section of our website)
- Working 1:1 or in small groups with the NHS Trailblazers team to improve confidence, self-esteem or social skills
More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.
