Special Educational Needs
Special Educational Needs at St Crispin’s CP Infant School
At St Crispin’s we believe that all children should be given the opportunity to achieve their potential. We understand that children develop at different speeds and have differing strengths and weaknesses and it is with this in mind that our team work to ensure any problems are identified quickly so that appropriate help can be given. Our class teachers also look to recognise any child who is working at greater depth in areas of the curriculum and offer challenge and opportunity to practice and extend their talent, skill or interest.
Our focus on early identification begins during transition into EYFS when contact is made with families before their child starts school. Confidential discussions at this time enable us to support a smooth transition so that the child’s journey through school begins in a happy and enjoyable way.
At St Crispin’s all children are actively involved in their own learning and, in line with the Code of Practice for SEND, we work with our families to plan support, track progress and review targets. By valuing ideas from both home and school we are better able to adjust support to meet the continuing needs of our children.
Level of support
We aim to offer support and assistance to children in a variety of ways but, most importantly, in a way that will have impact on the individual child. Everyday tasks can be simplified, children can be placed in a smaller group with a higher adult to child ratio or an adult may work 1:1 with a child to assist with their understanding of a topic. This level of support is frequently provided to children who do not have special educational needs but simply require help with a particular area of the curriculum. We believe in keeping parents fully informed about any intervention or additional support their child is receiving and provide written information around this as well as maintaining regular discussions where necessary.
At regular intervals throughout the school year meetings are held between the SENCo and Class Teachers to monitor the progress of each child and plan additional individual or small group support (SEN Support). SEN Support can also involve working with outside agencies such as Speech and Language Therapy or Physiotherapy. Where a higher level of support is required a child can undergo ‘Statutory Assessment’ which can lead to an ‘Educational Health Care Plan’ being issued and multi-agency support being provided.
If it is felt to be suitable (i.e. initial support offered by the school has not enabled a child to make the desired amount of progress) we can involve the expertise of outside specialists such as the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, etc. We always include our families in any decision to request outside support for their child and keep them up-do-date with the service as well as inviting them into sessions where appropriate.
If you would like more information on the Mainstream Core Standards regarding the expectations placed on all schools when dealing with SEND, please refer to: https://www.kelsi.org.uk/special-education-needs/special-educational-needs/the-mainstream-core-standards. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss how St Crispin's works to meet these expectations, please contact our SENCo for a chat.
Local Offer
Every local authority must publish a Local Offer which details the support available for children and young people aged 0-25 years, with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and their families. It should include information about education, health and care provision as well as informing you about training, employment and independent living.
The Local Offer was introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) to provide parents/carers with information about how to access services in their area and what they can expect from local services. You can find more detail about Kent’s Local Offer here: https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs
The Harbour
We are excited to introduce our new look Harbour room which is accessible for children who require a sensory break or a quiet, nurturing environment.
For any further information which is specific to our school, please view our SEN Policy (which is available on this website),
Alternatively, you may wish to view the Kent PACT website which provides support for families with children and young people with SEND: https://kentpactnew2022.co.uk/ or the IASK website which has a variety of up-to-date, useful information http://www.iask.org.uk/. In addition, Kent have pubished an information handbook for families to support with ASC and ADHD which can be found here https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/106310/Kent-handbook-for-families-information-about-autism-and-adhd-in-children.pdf
If you would like to ask more specific questions please feel free to contact our SENCo: senco@stcrispins.school