A pupil has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age; or

• A disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools.

To see what this looks like in practice, here is a glimpse into a typical day for Tom, a year 4 pupil at Whitleigh who has a Special Educational Need (communication, interaction, and sensory processing differences).

Tom’s day starts a few minutes before the main school gates open. To prevent him from feeling overwhelmed by the bustling morning crowds, his teacher supports a soft start transition.

He is greeted at the door by a familiar member of our support staff who checks in on how his morning started. Before heading to his classroom, Tom spends ten minutes in our sensory space completing a 'sensory circuit'. This support regulates his nervous system, lowering his anxiety and ensuring he is calm, focused, and ready for learning when he joins his peers for morning registration.

IEPs

Every adult who works with Tom has read and uses his IEP. This document is created with Tom and his parents, detailing his strengths, what he finds difficult, and the exact strategies/ reasonable adjustments that help him succeed.

During an English lesson, Tom’s teacher uses the strategies directly from his IEP.

• Visual supports

• Scaffolding and adaptations (word banks, use of technology, task lists)

• Adult support where appropriate

Break and lunchtimes

Social times can be challenging for children with SEN. At Whitleigh, we ensure children have choices that suit their sensory and social needs.

At lunchtime, Tom chooses to access our Nurture Space (The Port) This is a structured, calmer environment away from the busy main playground. At Whitleigh Primary, we also have The Retreat, where children may access a calmer, inside activity during lunch times.

During a busy afternoon maths session, Tom begins to show signs of sensory overload (fidgeting and losing focus), which is noted on his IEP as a trigger sign. Recognising this, his teacher prompts him to use his 'Brain Break/Movement Break' pass.

Tom safely takes a five-minute supervised break to walk a lap of the corridor or use our movement break visuals and get a drink of water. Because this support is proactive rather than reactive, Tom successfully regulates himself, returns to the classroom, and completes his independent work successfully.

At Whitleigh Primary, special educational provision means removing barriers, celebrating unique strengths, and making the reasonable adjustments necessary so that children like Tom can fully access a rich, ambitious school life right alongside their classmates.

The transition to school is carefully planned to give time for observations and assessments of children as they join the school. Where there are any concerns with regard to a child’s development against developmental milestones, the school will speak with the parent to identify next steps. We will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and key stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline.

• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress.

• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers.

• Widens the attainment gap.

This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs.

Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN. 

When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something additional is needed.

Consulting and involving pupils and parents

We will have an early discussion with the pupil and their parents when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty.

• We consider the parents’ concerns.

• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child.

• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are.

Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s record and given to their parents.

We will notify parents when it is decided that a pupil will be added to or removed from the SEND register.  

 Assessing and reviewing pupils' progress towards outcomes

We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review. 

The class or subject teacher will work with the SENCO to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil

• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour

• Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant

• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data

• The views and experience of parents

• The pupil’s own views

• Advice from external support services, if relevant

• The assessment will be reviewed regularly.

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress.

A pupil passport within the IEP document is a regularly reviewed document that contains the needs, strengths and individual strategies for every student with an EHCP or on SEN Support. These are developed in partnership with pupils and their parents/carers. Where appropriate, they might also include strategies recommended by other professionals.

Some pupils who require more specialised support will have Individualised learning plans to complement pupil passports. For example, an individualised learning plan will be used to:

• Track progress against long-term outcomes in Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCNAs) for pupils working below age-related expectations.

• Inform medium-term and daily curriculum planning and provision where children are accessing adapted curriculum pathways.

• Inform intervention planning.

Whitleigh Community Primary School ensures that a universal provision of high quality teaching is able to address gaps in foundational knowledge and skills. Through evidence informed classroom routines and a well planned curriculum, teachers are able to address reading fluency and accuracy, communication and language skills, writing composition and number facts. Furthermore our carefully selected and sequenced curricula ensure foundational subject specific knowledge is secure at every step. For some students, effective in classroom targeted support ensures gaps are identified and tackled quickly through our responsive and adaptive classroom practice.

Teachers at our school are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all pupils in their classes. To support pupils with SEND, we employ a range of high-quality teaching strategies, including:

• Modelling: demonstrating tasks and concepts clearly to enhance understanding.

• Chunking information: breaking down instructions and information into smaller, manageable parts to facilitate learning.

• Repetition: reinforcing instructions and concepts to aid retention and understanding.

• Checking for understanding: regularly assessing pupils' comprehension to ensure they are following along.

• Allowing time to respond: giving pupils adequate time to process information and formulate responses.

We recognise the importance of mental well-being for all pupils and have established a pastoral team, including a learning mentor, to support pupils' Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

To further support our pupils with SEND, we offer a variety of targeted interventions, including:

• Small group work

• Reading interventions

• Writing interventions

• Maths interventions

• Social skills groups

• Emotional literacy support groups

• Quiet lunchtime provision

• Speech and language support

Specialist support is provided for a range of individual needs. The school works closely with a range of professionals. We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEN:

• Multi-agency support team (MAST)
• Communication Interaction Team (CIT)
• Death awareness team
• Woodlands Outreach for children with physical difficulties
• Educational psychologist
• Plymouth Information Advice and Support Service (PIASS, formally Parent Partnership
• School nurse
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• NHS Speech and Language Team
• Local authority outreach teams

At our school, all staff members participate in regular in-house training focused on identifying and supporting our most vulnerable learners. To meet the diverse needs of our pupils, our team also undergoes specialised training in targeted frameworks and approaches. This includes Makaton, Intensive Interaction, and Parallel Play, alongside dedicated professional development in speech, language, communication and interaction, and neurodiversity-affirming practices.

Teacher Handbook: SEND

With contributions from specialists across the sector, the handbook is a comprehensive resource for teachers and parents to use over time. It brings together practical examples of high-quality teaching – placing focus on removing barriers to learning, getting to know and understand individual learners, and bringing to life the graduated approach.  To access this free resource click on the link below and sign up to Whole School SEND:

Whole School SEND Online CPD Units

Free, flexible online learning to help develop inclusive practice.

Other useful links

Link to the SEN Information Report:
https://www.whitleigh-pri.plymouth.sch.uk/page/?title=SEND&pid=29

Link to the Local Offer:
https://www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/childrenandfamilies/plymouthschools/primary/whitleigh