Special Educational Needs
We follow the definitions outlined in the Sen and Disability 0-25 years Code of practice (2014) when deciding whether a child has a Special Educational Need.
‘ (A child) 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…’ (Code of practice 2014)
‘A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for specialist educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.’ (Code of practice 2014)
At Finstall First School, we follow Worcestershire's Local offer and graduated response to ensure we meet the needs of all SEND children. All children receive high quality 1st class teaching which takes into account the needs of all learners in the classroom through differentiation in terms of teaching approach and work set. We adapt the curriculum, teaching resources and strategies to meet the needs of all learners including children with SEND. We are an inclusive school where all children are able to reach their full potential. Children with SEND are identified in a variety of ways and once identified support is matched to the child's needs either through support, intervention or resources. We value the support of our parents and have termly meetings to discuss progress against the targets in a child's Individual Behaviour Plan or Individual Education Plan.
A child’s needs are met using 3 levels of intervention often described as “Waves of Support”, which support their access to the curriculum.
Wave 1 – High quality 1st class teaching and differentiation for all pupils within an inclusive learning environment.
Wave 2 – Specific and time- limited interventions provided for some pupils who need support to accelerate their progress, usually within a group situation. Children in this category we have defined as ‘cause for concern.’
Wave 3 – Highly tailored interventions to support a minority of pupils in order to accelerate their progress. This category is called ‘SEN Support.’ We provide the Local Authority with information about children who are receiving this level of support.
Wave 2 - Cause for Concern
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When a child is identified as a cause for concern, a child is added to our Wave 2 year group provision map. Time-limited interventions are planned and carried out. These interventions are reviewed at regular intervals and changed or modified accordingly. Parents are informed about the interventions that their child will be receiving.
Wave 3 – SEN Support:
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There will be some children who will have more complex needs who will not make adequate progress despite receiving interventions over a period of time. These may be children who are not making adequate progress, either socially, emotionally or academically, despite a number of time-limited interventions. They may have a disability or medical condition which may hinder the progress they are making. The attainment gap between the child and their peers may not have narrowed or may even have widened. Therefore a child would progress to the next wave – Wave 3. Children at wave 3 receive an Individual Provision Map or Behaviour Plan with clear targets which are reviewed termly in collaboration with parents.