SEND and Pastoral Information
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Pastoral Team
Inclusion Lead– Mrs Annie Scott (Monday - Thursday)
senco@northdowns.surrey.sch.uk
ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants)
Mrs Cathy Preston-Heard (Monday - Wednesday)
Mrs Caroline Meadows (Wednesday - Friday)
Our ELSAs support pupils with a short term intervention for Emotional Literacy. This is the ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express our emotions. The ELSA is used to help those children who find it difficult or challenging to be able to help themselves. The child will be encouraged to use their new skills in the classroom or the playground.
HSLW - (Home School Link Worker)
Mrs Jo Hitch
The HSLW can offer support, provide advice and information to parents and carers, as well as supporting children and young people in boosting their self-esteem, helping them to deal with either temporary or long term problems such as bereavement, parenting issues, illness and domestic violence, to name just a few. They work closely with both schools and families and are able to link with a wide range of other agencies and sources of support and advice.
Summary of our SEND provision
Please see links below for full SEND policy and our SEND information report
North Downs Primary School is committed to inclusion and to removing any potential barriers (physical or otherwise) to learning and participation. Our school vision ‘Be the best you can be, every day’ embraces Inclusive Education.
We provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils and respond vigorously to pupils’ diverse learning needs.
We believe in equality of opportunity and we aim to create a supportive yet challenging environment that values difference and recognises the achievements of all children.
In our school, every class teacher has the responsibility for the teaching and learning of every pupil, including those with SEND.
Universal Support
We monitor carefully the progress of all our children. Some children may need additional support during their education as a difficulty affects their learning academically, socially or emotionally. This additional support to meet these needs for most children is usually within the provision of the classroom with Quality First Teaching.
SEND Support
For some children, there is a need for additional specific provision to meet their needs. These children are registered as SEND Support and in some cases may need input from external agencies for advice and strategies to support their specific needs within the classroom. Their needs could be based on:
- Speech and language,
- Communication and Interaction (e.g. Autistic Spectrum Disorder – ASD)
- Cognition and Learning - Reading and writing (e.g. dyslexia), Maths (e.g. dyscalculia), concentrating (eg Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD)
- Sensory and physical needs or impairments - movement and coordination (e.g. dyspraxia), hearing or visual impairment or other physical needs
Pupils identified as needing SEND Support will have an SEND Pupil Passport that gives details of their needs and how they are supported in school, as well as any external agency support they are given. The passport also lists motivators, strategies and interventions that are used in classroom or in the playground to support them and includes the child’s own comments. Their teacher updates these passports termly with support from the SENDCO and any relevant specialist advice.
The SENDCo has access to a range of specialist services that can be requested to provide additional support.
Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP)
In a very few cases, when there is significant concern about the child’s needs, the decision is made that much more detailed information is needed. After consultation with the parents, class teacher and outside agencies, the school may request an Educational Health Care Plan. This is a process where the school make a request to Surrey County Council via their Learners - Single Point of Access (L-SPA) and the SENDCO works with parents and any specialists supporting the child.
Those with an EHCP also have an SEND Passport that outlines their needs as written on the EHCP, their current EHCP targets (outcomes) as well as current strategies and support in place for the child.