Mrs Walker is our Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Manager, she can be contacted on 01245 320505 or via senco@st-marys-woodham.essex.sch.uk. 

Essex Inclusion Statement

 

This statement was developed by the Essex SEND Headteacher Roundtable and reflects the partnership working between school leaders from early years, primary, secondary, special schools and academies and the Local Authority in developing a school-led approach to SEND across the system.

Berlesduna Academy Trust stand for:

 

SEND being positioned at the heart of school leadership and not viewed as the exclusive preserve of the SENCO. We encourage every school to be an inclusive school and to take a whole school approach to inclusion and SEND.

 

Making sure that every child and young person in our schools/academies or settings, whatever their circumstance or ability, has a sense of belonging, feel respected, and is valued for who they are.

 

Delivering the right education which supports and develops children so that they become positively participating citizens in society.

 

Ensuring we equip children with the skills, knowledge and confidence to enable them move on to the next phase of learning and life with success.

 

Understanding that there are different types of provision that a child may need at different points in their lives, but that movement between provisions must have a specific purpose which will lead to better outcomes for them as they prepare for adulthood.

 

We recognise:

 

That an inclusive approach, including to admission and exclusion, with an appreciation of diversity, individuality and ambition for all to achieve their optimum potential is essential in raising attainment for all.

 

That school leaders must be confident that before a decision to exclude is made, that they can show that all reasonable options available to them have been exhausted and that this will lead to improved practice and provision available to meet all needs in the future.

 

That collectively we have a responsibility to provide for Essex children whatever their background and current circumstances and ensure that they receive a precise identification of their needs so that high quality teaching leads to positive experiences and outcomes for all.

 

That sometimes we may not have the appropriate provision or capacity to meet the needs of all children who want to come to our schools / academies or settings but that we will work together to ensure that this is addressed and leads to better practice in the future.

 

That there are currently capacity challenges with our PRU and Alternative Provision settings and our referral systems need to be regularly reviewed and where necessary changed so that they are effective and responsive to local needs.

 

We strive:

 

To ensure that all schools, academies and setting are equally and effectively inclusive.

 

We commit:

 

To challenge and be open to challenge and to show transparency in our thinking and actions, being able to clearly justify evidence-based decisions.

 

To examine the way we do things in our own settings to become even more inclusive through systematically reviewing our practice and through working in partnership to review practice in other settings.

 

To agree to work collaboratively with colleagues in schools, the Local Authority, parents and health and social care to create a new way forward to meet the needs of all Essex children.

 

To seek and accept any learning, training and development of inclusion for our staff, engage with research and to share our own good practice generously.

 

To ensure that we follow not simply the letter of the law but also the spirit of the law so that we all put inclusive values into practice in the decisions we make.

 

 

What steps do we take to prevent children with Special Educational Needs children being treated less favourably?

 

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-5 Years: Statutory Guidance identifies statutory duties placed on the school.  Whenever we take decisions relating to children with Special Educational Needs, we give consideration to the Code of Practice.

 

We have duty (a moral and a statutory duty) to ensure that our pupils, your children, are not discriminated against.  Therefore, we always aim to make reasonable adjustments (which may include the use of auxiliary aids and services) to ensure that children with Special Educational Needs are not at a disadvantage compared with to their peers.  This may mean that we use the expertise and advice of other services and educational specialists.  We may also use aids and personnel to support learning.  Or, we may use different learning and teaching approaches as we endeavour to meet the needs of the individual pupil. 

 

For children with disabilities it is important that thought is given in advance to what the pupils may require and what adjustments might need to be made to ensure that they are given the support that they need to succeed.  Our ethos of caring and respect for all means that we aim to actively promote equality of opportunity for children with disabilities. 

 

Any targets are specific and measurable.  Where necessary we work with other services to support individual need.  However, our staff aim to ensure that arrangements are consistently in place to support pupils with special educational needs to ensure that they get the support that they need.  All of our pupils engage in school activities, this includes children with special educational needs.  Our SENCO is responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring the effectiveness of our provision for pupils with additional needs and our Admissions arrangements for children with Special Needs are noted above. 

 

It is important that we regularly review and evaluate the impact of the support we offer to ensure that our pupils with Special Educational Needs succeed. 

Compliments and Complaints

 

St. Mary’s C of E Primary School aims to forge strong positive relations with everyone connected with the school and has an “open door policy.”   The Berlesduna Academy Trust Complaints Policy is available on the school website for parents should an issue be unresolved. Parents can express their views about the school on the Ofsted Parents View website.