SEND and Alternative Provision
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What does it mean to have a Special Educational Need?
A pupil has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:
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A significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age; or
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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.
Tyndale Primary School is ambitious for all our pupils and we believe that there is no ceiling on what can be achieved by anyone, regardless of their circumstance or background. We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment, giving every young person the opportunity to fulfil their potential now, and in the future.
The leaders at Tyndale Primary School are leaders for all pupils, enabling our teachers to be teachers of all pupils. Tyndale Primary School is committed to distributed leadership to secure the best possible provision and outcomes for pupils with special educational needs. We have the same ambition for all our pupils, and recognise the importance and impact of prioritising our responsibilities to pupils with special educational needs.
We work in partnership with pupils and their families in identifying and providing for special educational needs. Where appropriate, we also work in partnership with other agencies. We recognise the importance of communication being inclusive, accessible and culturally sensitive to achieve effective partnership working.
Identification and Assessment of Children with SEND
We work in close partnership with families and local settings. Many pupils with special educational needs will therefore be identified through the transition and induction process.
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.
Class teachers make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:
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Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
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Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
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Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
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Widens the attainment gap
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demonstrates high levels of dysregulation
This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs. Attendance and behaviour data might also be used to identify which pupils require additional support.
Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN.
Where a parent/carer has a concern about their child, parents are asked to speak with the class teacher(s)/form tutor so that appropriate observations and assessments can be undertaken.
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Pupil Passport A pupil passport 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. |
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Individual Support Plan Some pupils who require more specialised support will have Individualised Support Plans to complement pupil passports. For example, an individualised support plan will be used to:
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Universal Provision - High Quality Teaching
Tyndale 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.
Inclusion
At Tyndale, inclusion is a dynamic process measured by the impact we have on all pupils’ outcomes and experiences.
Principles for Inclusion at Tyndale:
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Equity for All
Every child is entitled to an ambitious, broad, and balanced education.
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Strong universal foundations for inclusion
Universal core routines, embedded teaching principles, strong relationships and a culture of collaboration and learning are enablers of inclusion.
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Shared Responsibility
Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. All staff play an active role in ensuring children with additional needs are visible and prioritised.
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High Expectations, High Support
We have high expectations of all children. High quality teaching fosters strong relationships, combining challenge with the support needed to succeed.
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Dynamic and Adaptive Practice
Inclusion is not static; we use adaptive, evidence-informed approaches that are responsive to needs to build flexible consistency.
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Graduated and Flexible Support
We systematically apply the assess–plan–do–review cycle, building access to evidence-informed tiered support (early, targeted and specialist intervention).
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Strength-Based Approach
We build systems that support children to opt into learning opportunities, focusing on strengths rather than deficits.
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Accessible Environments
Physical and learning environments are deliberately created and adapted to remove barriers and maximise accessibility.
SEND Provision
We recognise the importance of inclusion and ensuring that all children with SEND have appropriate support that allows them equal access to an inclusive and balanced curriculum to reach their potential.
All children will be valued and targeted at an appropriate level to make the best possible progress and promote their self-esteem. We work closely with parents/carers who are included in the decision-making process regarding a child’s provision. We support pupils based on needs and not diagnosis. Pupils will be supported to participate in all activities on offer throughout their school journey and adjustments will be made based on individual requirements.
We aim to provide an inclusive, balanced curriculum for pupils with SEND, ensuring accurate, up-to-date records of their support. We promote equal access, celebrate achievements, and foster responsibility for learning. We collaborate with external agencies and use resources effectively to support each pupil’s progress and well-being.
We aim to:
- Meet the needs of all pupils who may have additional needs by offering them a broad, inclusive and balanced curriculum
- Record accurately and keep up-to-date the provision made for pupils with SEND
- Publish information about the arrangements for the admission of pupils with disabilities, the steps taken to prevent them being treated less favourably than others and the facilities provided to assist access
- Build upon success and encourage pupils to recognise their own achievements and take some responsibility for their learning
- Use our resources effectively to support the progress of our pupils with SEND
- Work co-operatively with the Local Authority and other outside agencies, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of pupils who have SEND
We have designed our Academic, Behaviour and Character Curriculum to support all children to thrive and children with special educational needs or disabilities are fully supported throughout our curriculum and benefit most from our teaching and learning approach.
Our sensory provision has a positive impact on our children's wellbeing and learning. Children love our two sensory rooms in KS1 and KS2. Along with our sensory rooms, we have Calm Corners in every classroom and teaching space to support all children to thrive as part of the Tyndale Family.
We have a range of support and interventions to ensure all children have the best chance of success including Play Therapy, Dog Therapy, Lego Therapy, and many academic and pastoral interventions.
Alternative Provision
Our alternative provision is a focused, short-term intervention for our early years and key stage one children with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties which make it harder for them to learn full time in their class. Our alternative provision is designed to address the social and emotional needs that can hamper our children's learning. So as well as providing academic teaching, our alternative provision is designed to help our children develop vital social skills, to develop confidence and self-respect, and to take pride in behaving well and in achieving.
Our alternative provision places a special emphasis on language development and communication: nothing is taken for granted and everything is clearly explained by our staff, with the help of demonstrations and (where helpful) physical gestures. Children are given the time they need both to listen and be listened to. This provision also gives children vital opportunities for social learning – for example by encouraging them to share food at breakfast and ‘snack time’ and to help other children in the group. The friendly, supportive relationship between the members of staff is also itself an important source of learning – a model for the children to observe and copy.
The children accessing our alternative provision also spend time with their class in their classroom and their days involve time in class, time in the nurture classroom, forest school, our life-skills room and time outdoors.