Willowdown Primary

WillowdownPrimary

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

This area of the website provides parents of children with SEND or parents with concerns about their child with information and advice which will signpost you to the school’s services and resources in line with the Somerset Graduated Response Toolkit. We hope that you find this information useful to give you the background knowledge regarding our SEND provision; however, we are also happy to speak with you either on the telephone or personally at school. We would like to thank our SEND parents for their help and input in developing this offer in partnership with the school. 

Inclusion Team

At Willowdown we have an inclusion team, who work together with other members of the school team and parents, to ensure all children thrive and make progress.

Members of the inclusion team

  • Shonah Cross - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
  • Matt Cave- Headteacher
  • Katie Sharp- Deputy Headteacher (Maternity)
  • Chantelle May - Acting Deputy Headteacher
  • Sam Gardner- Parent Family Support Adviser
  • Teri Loader - Behaviour and Forest School Lead

The SENCO and other members of the inclusion team can be contacted through the school office (info@willowdownprimaryschool.org.uk). 

Link Governor

Kaye Case - Chair of Intervention Board

Documents will be shown in alphabetical order.
To list in date order, the folder should contain the word 'letter' or 'minute'.

 SEND Policy School Information Report

Accessibility Plan

Local Offer

Graduated Approach
At Willowdown, our aim is to ensure that all children fulfil their potential, make the best possible progress and enjoy their learning experience through the Universal Offer and High Quality Teaching. As a school when we plan any learning opportunity, our learners and their needs are the central focus.

However, for some of our learners, there are occasions when additional support is required to allow us to support the next steps in their learning journey.  Additional support may be given for a set period of time or for a longer period to ensure every learner can access our curriculum effectively and are fully included in learning opportunities and school events. Our parents are informed, included and supported throughout such periods of provision.

How do we identify children with Additional Needs?

At Willowdown, we use the following criteria to help us decide if a child's needs are significantly greater than the majority of children of the same age:

In order for a child to be placed on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) register they must have a learning difficulty or physical disability that creates a barrier to their learning and means that without provision which is different from or additional to that normally available to their peers, they make significantly less progress than is expected.

Their needs may be in the following areas:

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

Our highly experienced staff are committed to identify additional needs as early as possible to ensure that appropriate support is put in place. Children’s additional needs are identified in the following ways:

  • Discussions with parents / carers
  • Pupil tracking and pupil progress meetings
  • Observations by teachers and other staff
  • Discussions / work with the SENCO
  • Liaising / discussions with previous schools / providers
  • Working closely with outside agencies

At Willowdown, teaching and learning opportunities are adapted and continually evaluated (with the support of external agencies when required) to ensure the needs of all of our learners are met.  Parents should not feel unduly anxious about such additional support, as it allows learners to receive the specific help they need to make the next steps in their exciting learning journey.

If you need any further information or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or the SENCO.

Local Offer

 

Local authorities are required to develop a ‘Local Offer’, which provides information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents/carers in a single place, helping them to understand what services they and their families can expect from a range of local agencies

  • Parent Carer Forum. Somerset Parent Carer Forum’s provide support and activities, for the benefit of Parent Carers and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Somerset.
  • SENDIAS Somerset SENDIAS provides information, advice and support about special educational needs and disability (SEND) for parent carers, children and young people (up to the age of 25). The service is free, confidential and impartial.
  • SEND short break activities. To signpost children and young people with a disability or additional need to many opportunities to access regular clubs and activities in the school holidays.

Accessibility

We work hard to ensure all children are able to access all aspects of the curriculum and the school environment.

Participation in the Curriculum

We provide all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum,, adapted to be inclusive of the needs of individual pupils and endorses the key principles in the current National Curriculum framework, which underpins the development of a more inclusive curriculum:

  • Setting suitable learning challenges.
  • Giving all pupils the opportunity to experience the “wider world” responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
  • Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils in line with our Inclusion Policy
  • As children’s special needs are identified, appropriate measures are put in place, using expert advice where necessary, to develop the children as independent learners within the bounds of their SEN/Disability.
  • Parents/carers are encouraged to help develop aspirational and appropriate outcomes for children with SEND
  • All children are fully included in all areas of the curriculum within the designated school times including school trips, plays and school clubs regardless of their SEND.
  • The ethos of the school celebrates diversity and encourages inclusion through assemblies, religious education and PSHE.

How accessible is the school both inside and outside?

Willowdown has disabled toilets and the school is all on one level with no steps. Where specific resources are required in order to access the curriculum, these will be sourced in line with the recommendations given.