Special Educational Needs and Disability
SEND Vision:
At the Free School Norwich, every child is valued regardless of their abilities, aptitudes, interests or behaviour. They will engage in a broad and balanced curriculum where their skills and knowledge will be extended and celebrated. Almost all children learn in their immediate environment accessing high quality teaching from our talented teachers and teaching assistants. Teaching will be adapted throughout the curriculum to allow all children to reach their potential.
As a school, we believe in ensuring all children succeed and provision is tailored to meet their varied needs, so that they make the best possible progress.
Children will be at the centre of decisions made about their next steps. Their social and emotional development will be at he heart of any support which is implemented, working closely with every person who is important to them to ensure they grow in to independent and resilient learners.
Our Intent for pupils with SEND is:
- To provide full access for all pupils to a broad and balanced curriculum
- To ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early
- To ensure these pupils are assessed, monitored, planned for and regularly reviewed to improve outcomes and therefore make the necessary progress
- To enable pupils with SEND to achieve their potential
- To ensure pupils are prepared for adulthood
- To ensure SEND pupils are equipped for life in the wider community
- To ensure parents/carers are fully engaged in decision making, assessing progress and determining goals
- To gain the views of the child and enable them to have a voice
- To take into account the views, wishes and feelings of pupils/parents/carers
- To provide advice and support for all staff working with pupils with SEND
- To identify and refer pupils to the appropriate services where a need has been identified
- To implement the advice of experts and professionals involved from outside of the school
- To identify and direct parents to the best providers of support
- To provide detailed information about the arrangements for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEND
- To support key transition points to allow them to be as smooth as possible
Implementation:
- To annually review and adjust our SEND Policy, in conjunction with key stakeholders ensuring it is effective
- To will provide children with safe and nurturing environment where they are valued, included and resilient.
- The SENDCO will carefully map provision for all vulnerable learners to ensure that staffing deployment, resource allocation and choice of intervention is leading to good learning outcomes.
- To provide CPD to all staff to improve their delivery of an inclusive curriculum
- To provide our Teaching Assistants with specific training where required to support the needs of individual children
- To have robust transition processes in place for pupils who join us on entry, mid year and for our children who leave us for their next step in education
- The SENDCO will report termly to Trustees on the progress, barriers and successes for our children with SEND
- The school SEND register is kept up to date and regularly reviewed
- The SENDCo will initiate and complete relevant paperwork for referrals to other services or applications for funding e.g. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), Element 3 Funding, Speech and Language Therapy referrals.
- We will co-ordinate support for children with special educational needs both at home and in school to ensure a holistic approach through regular meetings with parents to capture their views as well as those of the child
- The SENDCo will liaise with external agencies and help the staff to implement their strategies and advice, supporting staff to do so.
- Regular learning walks and book looks will take place to ensure that SEND children are well supported and making progress
- We will strive to ensure that children are fully prepared for the next phase of their learning and that they develop appropriate life skills to help them live with growing independence
Impact:
- Our Children with SEND strive to be the best they can be, they thrive due to secure and trusting relationships and achieve their goals.
- They leave our school with aspirational goals, prepared for their next step in education
- We develop safe learning environments where difference and diversity is embraced and all pupils are respected and respectful
- Through embracing restorative practices, those children with social, emotional and mental health needs can thrive
- Children have a voice and feel heard – they are involved in decisions made about them
- Staff hold high aspirations are supportive and compassionate creating effective learning opportunities for all
- Parents feel listened to, supported and play an important role in decision making about their child
- Early intervention means that we can close emerging gaps early and/or identify needs and implement support quickly
- Relationships between staff, pupils, parents and wider professionals are at the heart of everything we do at The Free School Norwich
Key documents:
Who to contact:
SENDCo: Paula Butcher
PLAC and LAC coordinator: Darren Webster
Staff can contacted via the school office: office@freeschoolnorwich.org.uk
Phone: 01603 761044
For more information please read our SEND policy and our school’s local offer. Both can be found via the links above.
Complaints related to Special Educational Needs and Disability will be dealt with in line with our Complaints Policy (which can be found on our Policies page)
Useful links and advice:
Subject to criteria, Family Fund can offer financial assistance for children with life limiting and complex needs:
Our SEND Local Offer supports children with a wide range of additional needs, here are some links to charities which we work alongside to better our understanding of the children in our school.
