Gusford SEND Provision 2023-2024
At Gusford Primary School we are committed to providing an inclusive,
balanced and rich curriculum for all. Details of our commitment can been
found in the information below.
What is SEND and what are the main areas of SEND?
A child has a Special Educational Need if he or she has a learning difficulty or
disability that means they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than
the majority of others of the same age and require special educational
provision, 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.
A pupil may have SEND if their progress:
is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same
baseline
fails to match or better the child’s previous rates of progress
fails to close the attainment gap between the pupil and their peers
widens the attainment gap
We also look at progress in areas other than attainment: where a child needs
to make additional progress with wider development or social needs in order to
make a successful transition to adult life.
In some cases, a child may have an identified disability and reasonable
adjustments may need to be made for them within the mainstream setting.
The four areas of SEND are:
• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory, Physical and Health
Communication and interaction: Children with speech, language and
communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty communicating with others. This
may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding
what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of
communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their
needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of
the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different
times of their lives.
Cognition and learning: Support for learning difficulties may be required
when children learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate
differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of need, including
moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where
children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated
difficulties with mobility and communication, through profound and multiple
learning difficulties (PLMD), where children are likely to have severe and
complex learning difficulties as well as a physical difficulty or sensory
impairment. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific
aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as
dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Physical and sensory: Some children require special educational provision
because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making
use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be
age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children with vision impairment
(VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi – sensory impairment (MSI)will require
specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Children with an
MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
Some children with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support
and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
Social, emotional and mental health: Children may experience a wide range
of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways.
These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying
challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect
underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression. Other
children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit
hyperactive disorder or attachment difficulties.
What types of special needs support are available for my child in
school?
Class teacher input through targeted high-quality teaching (often called
Quality First Teaching)
Specific group work with a small group of children
Specific group / 1 to 1 intervention, which may be run outside the
classroom or by outside agencies
Adapted curriculum and reasonable adjustments
Admissions for children with special educational needs and disabilities:
Where a school is named in an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC) plan,
ALT has a duty to admit the child to the school. Children with special educational needs
but without an EHC plan will be treated as fairly as other
applicants. Gusford follows the ALT admissions policy which is available to
download from the support and information system below.
Who are the best people to talk to about my child’s difficulties with
learning/ special needs?
1. Class teacher
2. SENCo
3. Headteacher
4. Governors
If you need further advice the school Parent Liaison Officer is Mrs M Hockley
and the school SENCO is Mrs P Coleman. They are available for support.
How will my child be included at school life?
Welcome meeting
Tour of the school
Meet the new teacher day
Transition booklets and transition days as required by pupils’ individual
needs
Strong links with local high schools to manage transition
Lunchtime nurture/clubs
Breakfast & after school club (independent provider)
Staff run after school clubs
Regular staff training in response to pupils needs
Pupil surveys and pupil voice
Pupil are involved in creating their own one page profiles and well-being
plans as required
Can this school meet my child’s needs?
Every child’s needs are considered on an individual basis.
Speech, Language and Communication
Literacy and Numeracy
Behaviour and Social Skills
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and / or Physical (including Vision & Hearing)
What facilities are provided to help children with disabilities access the
school?
At Gusford our Teachers are key in providing the support our children can
assess to enable them to be successful. We prioritise early identification of
needs and targeting intervention to meet the needs of each individual pupils.
If a child is not making progress at this stage our SENCo can offer further
advice and guidance both to teachers and the family. Reasonable adjustments
are made to ensure every pupil with SEND is able to reach their full potential.
An example of accessible facilities are:
Physical – Ramps, lifts, Hearing loops
Social – Well-being groups
Emotional – Emotional Literacy Support Practitioner
Cognition and learning – Individualised stage appropriate curriculum,
cognition intervention programs, catch up groups
Mental Health – children’s mental health champions
Gusford’s accessibility plan identifies how we are:
Increasing the extent to which pupils with disabilities can participate in
the curriculum (Inclusive curriculum)
Improving school’s physical environment to the extent to which pupils
with disabilities can take advantage of the education, benefits facilities
and services we offer (ramps, quiet areas)
Improving the education delivery of information to pupils with disabilities
that is readably accessible to pupils without disabilities. (large print,
coloured paper, hearing loop)
What steps are taken to prevent my child with special educational needs
and/or disabilities being treated less fair that other pupils?
At Gusford we follow our Equalities Policy which is founded on three
principles:
Every pupil should have opportunities to achieve the highest possible
standards and the best possible qualifications for the next stages of
their life and education;
Every pupil should be helped to develop a sense of personal and
cultural identity that is confident and open to change, and that is
receptive and respectful towards other identities; and
Every pupil should develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that
they need in order to participate in our multi-ethnic society, and in the
wider context of an inter-dependent world.
Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy and Equality Policy are
available to download from the support and information system below.
What are the arrangements for making complaints, for the resolution of
disagreements, mediation, and parents and young people’s right to
appeal?
School complaints procedure
Where else can I find support and information?
If you need support accessing this information the Parent Liaison Officer or
SENDCO will be happy to support
GP
Parent Liaison Officer
School SENCO
The Parent Partnership
School Health / School nursing team
Autism Suffolk
Autism and ADHD
Children’s centre
Dyslexia
SENDIASS
Common Assessment Form (CAF)
Gusford Admissions Policy
Gusford Equality Policy
Gusford Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy – See school
website https://gusfordprimary.net/parents/sen-disabilities
How does the school communicate with me?
Parents meetings
Review meetings with Class Teacher and / or the SENDCO
Edukey – SEND IEP and provision review access (cloud based)
Newsletter
Website
Twitter
Parent mail (email & text)
Meetings with outside agencies
Annual Reports
How well do Special Educational Needs and Disabilities pupils do in our
school?
You are always welcome to speak to our SENCO and assessment co-
ordinator. Further information can be found in our OFSTED report or on Find
School’s Performance Data
How does the school identify and assess children with Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities?
Information is gathered from:
Parents/ carers
Pupils
Outside agencies
Assessments
Education and Healthcare needs assessment
Concerns identified by our class teachers
Following information gathering teachers complete 2 ADPR (assess, plan, do,
review) cycles to inform conversations with parents and the SENDCo as
decisions are made whether to move to Stage 2 of our SEND offer – Targeted
response.
From September 2023 a detailed Universal Offer will be available on the
school website. If you require information before this date, please speak to
the school SENDCo.
This SEN information report complies with:
Section 69 (2) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Regulation 51 and schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and
Disability Regulations 2014.
Section 6 of the “Special Educational Needs and Disability code of
practice: 0 – 25 years.”
Click on the links below for more information
ALT SEND Wave Model Jan 2020
SEND Code of Practice January 2015
SEN guide for parents and carers
Suffolk SENDIASS
The SEND team at Gusford is led by Mrs Pippa Coleman (SENDCO). You can contact her via the school office (01473 682148) or via email on admin@gusfordprimary.net
SEND Information
Resources & Advice for Parents
