SEND

At Deneholm Primary School, we embrace the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational needs of every child is different; this is certainly the case for children with Special Educational Needs.

Within our curriculum, every child is given opportunities and support, in a safe, caring and stimulating environment, which should facilitate each child’s chance to reach their full potential. All staff are committed to meeting the needs of all our children and strive to break down any barriers that are preventing children from making the progress they are capable of. As a school, we recognise the importance of not only supporting children’s academic progress but also developing their behavioural, emotional and social skills to enable them to become confident, independent learners.

Who can I ask for help?

At Deneholm Primary School we are very happy to speak to you about any aspects of your child’s education. It is best to speak to one of the following in this order;

The class teacher
The SENCo – Miss Delucia
The Head of School

More information about the way we identify and support our pupils can be found here:

DPS SEN Information Report 24-25This document is set out to help Parents and Carers to understand what we do and how we do it, as well as the kind of support that we are able to provide. We follow the guidance in the SEND Code of Practice to help us make sure we do all that we can to meet the needs of our pupils.

SEND Code of Practice

Thurrock Council has set out what is available to support children and families in Thurrock. This is known as the Local Offer. (Click the link below to access this information)

Ask Thurrock (SEND & Local Offer)

Frequently asked questions

What are Special Educational Needs?

Usually called SEN, it means that a child has additional needs to the majority of children of their age and that they need extra help at school to achieve their full potential. This could be for a number of reasons and we support these needs in a variety of ways.

What is a Disability?

Under the ‘Equality Act 2010’ you are disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

At Deneholm Primary, we aim to consider the individual needs of each child and work together to try to support every child. This could be for a short period or for much of their time at the school.

Not all children with SEN are disabled, and not all disabled children have SEN.

What is the school’s approach to supporting a child’s learning?

Quality first teaching from her/his class teacher and may include some very minor adaptations to match learning needs.
It may be appropriate to consider making additional short term special educational provision to remove or reduce any obstacles to your child’s learning. This takes the form of a graduated four part approach of a) assessing your child’s needs, b) planning the most effective and appropriate intervention, c) providing this intervention and d) reviewing the impact on your child’s progress towards individual learning outcomes.
Specific targeted one to one or small group interventions may be run outside the classroom. These will be limited to a number a weeks to minimise disruption to the regular curriculum. You will be kept informed of your child’s progress towards learning outcomes.
It may be necessary to seek specialist advice and regular long term support from a specialist professional outside the school in order to plan for the best possible learning outcomes for your child. This may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory advisory teachers and the child development service. The school may need to prioritise referrals to these services. However, for a very small number of pupils access to these specialists may be through a Statement of SEN or an EHC Plan.

What is an EHC Plan and who can request one for one for my child?

The purpose of an EHC Plan is to make special education provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/her gets older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will contain:

The views and aspirations of you and your child,
A full description of his/her special educational needs and any health and social care needs,
Establish outcomes for your child’s progress,
Specify the provision required and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes
You, your child (where appropriate and aged 16 and over)and/or the school, usually the SENCo or Headteacher, can request that the local authority conduct an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan.

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

There may be suggested strategies or activities for you to do at home to support your child’s learning.
We sometimes run parent/carer workshops in school to help you understand the strategies used in school. In addition, we may be able to offer you individual training in specific support strategies relevant to your child.
The SENCo may also support you with strategies, resources and ideas for supporting your child’s learning at home.
You may have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child.

How is support allocated to children and how do they move between the different levels of support in school?

Deneholm Primary School receives funding from the local authority . These funds include money to support the learning of children with SEN and/or disabilities.
The Headteacher, in consultation with the School Governing Body, decides the budget for SEN provision on the basis of the needs of the children in the school.
The Head teacher and the SENCo discuss the effectiveness of the school’s current interventions and provisions and prioritise an action plan, which may include additional or alternative interventions, staff training and equipment needs.
This process is reviewed regularly to ensure the best possible intervention is provided to those children who require additional support to learn.

How will the school know that the support has made a difference to my child’s learning and how can I and my child be included in this review process?

Your child’s progress will be assessed both in terms of his/her regular learning within the class and with regard to specific intervention programmes.
The impact of the support given is carefully measured to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved and if not, what adaptations are necessary. It may be decided that a further period of support would be beneficial for your child.
You and your child will be kept informed and encouraged to be actively involved at all stages of this support.

How is my child included in all the same activities as his/her peers at school?

Deneholm Primary School is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all children.
School clubs, educational visits and residential trips are available to all children.
When necessary the school will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with SEN and/or disabilities are included in all activities.
You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.

How will Deneholm Primary School support my child in transition stages?

We liaise closely with the school or nursery your child is transferring from. We are able to discuss with the relevant teachers any individual needs and how best to support your child in school.
While at Deneholm Primary School we take care to ensure that during transition points (between classes each year and at the end of Key Stages) all staff are aware of individual pupils needs, learning progress and best support strategies.
Deneholm Primary School makes arrangements to ensure there is a smooth transition when your child transfers to his/her secondary school of choice. Please contact us for further details.
If your child has an EHC Plan, we will participate and/or facilitate its review in sufficient time prior to him/her moving between key phases of education. You will be kept informed of these arrangements and asked to attend the reviews.
From Year 9 all EHC Plan reviews will have a focus on preparing for adulthood, including employment, independent living and participation in society.

How will we support your child’s social and emotional needs?

We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative.

All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and emotional education) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult we offer a variety of things which include;

Lunchtime and playtime support through planned activities and groups.
In discussions with parents, counselling sessions with an outside provider to help support your child.
A tailored behaviour plan if we feel this is needed.
Close liaison with outside agencies such as our educational psychologist and emotional, social mental health team for ideas on how we can best support our children with social and emotional needs.
Development of an in-school nurture provision which follows the Nurture Principles and will be run each academic year. For more information please visit. https://nurturegroups.org/introducing-nurture/what-nurture-group-0
Our pastoral team who can work with our families to offer them additional support and information outside of school.
If your child still needs extra support, with your permission, the SENCo will access further support through the CAF process.

Who can I contact for further information?

The school office– 01375 373405
Miss Delucia —SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)
Thurrock SEN team– 01375 652555/sen@thurrock.gov.uk

Who are the best people to talk to at Deneholm Primary School about my child’s difficulties with learning, special educational needs or disability?

Talk to your child’s class/form teacher about your concerns.
It is likely that the class teacher will have discussed your concerns with Deneholm Primary School the school SENCo/Inclusion manager. You may wish to arrange a meeting with the SENCo.
If you continue to have concerns arrange to discuss these with Deneholm Primary School the Head of School.

How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning, special educational need or disability?

Your child’s class teacher may initially speak to you at the beginning or the end of a normal school day and arrange a further time to discuss the concerns.
The class/form teacher may also talk to you about any issues at a parent/teacher consultation meeting.
The SENCo may contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss your child’s difficulties with learning and any possible support strategies the school might be considering.

How will the school consider my views and those of my child with regard to her/his difficulties with learning, special educational need or disability?

At Deneholm Primary school we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in all areas of their child’s learning and we actively encourage discussions. We believe, where appropriate, that it is essential to understand your child’s views on any difficulties they may experience with their learning.
You will be able to share your views and discuss your child’s progress at regular meetings with the class/form teacher and others.
If your child has an identified special educational need you will be invited to a termly meeting with the class/form teacher and SENCo to discuss current progress, support strategies being used and expected outcomes.
If your child has a Statement of special educational need or an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) you and your child will be able to share your views at the Annual Review.

How does Deneholm Primary School ensure the teaching staff are appropriately trained to support my child’s special educational needs and/or disability?

At Deneholm Primary school we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
We regularly review the school training schedule and professional development for all teaching and support staff to ensure there is the appropriate expertise to support children with special educational needs.
At Deneholm Primary School we form close links with outside agencies who support the staff with their training needs.
Individual training can also be arranged when necessary.

How will the curriculum and the school environment be matched to my child’s needs?

At Deneholm Primary school we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
We carefully plan our curriculum to match the age, ability and needs of all children.
The class teacher will adapt lesson planning and teaching to match your child’s special educational needs and/or disability.
It may be appropriate to adopt different strategies or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning needs.
Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning.
Deneholm Primary school regularly reviews its Accessibility Plan to ensure that all children have the fullest access to the curriculum and the school site as possible.

What types of support may be suitable and available for my child?

This really depends upon the nature of your child’s needs and difficulties with learning. But our education provisions will match the needs of the four broad areas of need as defined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014;

Communication and interaction
Cognition and Learning
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and/or physical needs