Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, or SEND, refers to the needs of children who have a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder for them than for other children their age.

Around 1 in 5 children has an SEND requirement at some point during their time at school. Some children have SEND requirements throughout their educational journey.

We believe that all children who attend our schools are unique and special. It is the duty of all members of staff to recognise and nurture the strengths and talents of every child. We strive to help every child develop their full potential academically, socially and spiritually.

This page gives information about how we support children with SEND. If there is any information that you would like to know that is not on this page then please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Rowena Thorp (SENCO) through the school offices or via her email address: r.thorp@hwfed.co.uk. Our designated Governor for SEND is Mrs Jackie Spowage who can be reached via either school office.

Your support for your child’s education is crucial to their progress. Please tell us if there are any adjustments we need to make to help you support your child.

Code of Practice

"The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools have a legal duty to publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published must be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year must be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the draft Special Educational Needs (Information) Regulations and reflects the information required for the local offer."

Schools should ensure that the information is easily accessible by parents and is set out in clear, straightforward language. This should include information on the school’s SEN policy, named contacts within the school where parents have concerns and details of the school’s contribution to the local offer. 

In setting out details of the broad and balanced curriculum provided in each year, schools should include details of how the curriculum is adapted or made accessible for pupils with SEN.

The North Yorkshire local offer can be found below.

For full details of the School SEN information report, please click on the link below.

North Yorkshire PACT group

"A collective voice for parents of children with additional needs and disabilities."

The Parent Partnership Coordinators can offer impartial advice and support which could include making a home visit to listen to any concerns you may have, or attend meetings with you. They may also be able to put you in touch with other organisations or parent support groups.

A Parent Partnership Coordinator can be contacted through North Yorkshire on 0845 034 9469.

Transition

Transition is very well planned for all children. We hold a meeting with any nursery or pre-school settings and secondary schools in the area to discuss individual children and their needs.

There is also a document called the Individual Provision Map that is passed on to the next school. This documents all the interventions that have happened in primary school along with other information such as interests, levels and recent achievements.

Children with SEND will also have extra visits to their new setting in order for them to become familiar with the routines of the day.

Once a secondary school place has been confirmed then a meeting will be set up with parents, the current school SENCO, and the SENCO from the secondary school to discuss how the transition for the child will take place to ensure a smooth and relaxed change occurs.

Further information about transition is available in the SEN Information Report for each school.

What is the Local Offer?

North Yorkshire County Council have published their local offer for children and families from 0-25. This outlines what is available for children and young people with SEND in our Local Authority. All schools are required to provide information to parents on how to seek additional support beyond that which is ‘normally available’ for their child. The main aim of the local offer is to enable families to see readily the support they can expect locally without having to struggle to find the information.