Special Educational Needs

If you would like to speak to the school’s Special Education Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo), please contact Mr M Hawrylak or Mrs Welsman via the school office or phone us on 01376 325116.

Children with Special Educational Needs or a Disability

Our school is renowned for our exceptional support for children with specific learning needs. Assistance is provided both during class lessons and in small groups as needed, all under the careful supervision of our Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator. Children with additional needs are thoroughly assessed and receive tailored support as outlined in their personalised One Plan.

Children may require extra help for various reasons. The duration of support can vary, sometimes it’s short-term, while other times it is more extended. This variability stems from the fact that every child is unique and learns at their own pace, necessitating additional support in the classroom for some.

Our inclusive approach acknowledges that children with SEND might occasionally need a modified curriculum tailored to their specific needs rather than expecting them to conform to a standard curriculum designed for the mainstream population. When this is the case, we collaborate with parents to establish an appropriate plan.


Ordinarily Available SEND Provision

Ordinarily Available (OA) provision is support that is available to all pupils at this school with special educational needs. It is the offer we can provide to all pupils with special needs through our delegated budget that does not require additional specialist support. Each child with Special Education Needs or a Disability can expect the following:


Expectations and Values

All pupils have equitable access to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum, without exception. Teachers are ambitious for the achievement of all pupils, regardless of starting points and the challenges they face. Teachers directly address low expectations of others (teachers, non-teaching staff and pupils) for all pupils, including those with disadvantage, vulnerability, diagnosis or Special Educational Needs or Disability. 


All teachers adopt a non-labelling approach to early identification of need and early intervention. Teachers proactively encourage all pupils to participate fully in school life, including clubs, activities and opportunities. Teachers plan extra-curricular activities and educational visits to fully include all pupils (in line with the Equalities Act 2010) including those with SEMH, physical disabilities and 

disadvantage. Teachers use and model respectful language. All language provides hope, promotes engagement and has high 

ambition (rather than language that can have the outcome of setting limits, for example, low ability, bottom set or SEND 

children). Where there are additional adults, their use is planned  to maximise their impact on learning for all pupils. 


All children with SEN receive a broad and balanced curriculum tailored to their needs.  This means placing a greater emphasis on certain aspects of the curriculum so that children with SEN are equipped with the skills to access the curriculum. This could be additional speech and language provision or help with self-regulation or social skills.


Our curriculum is ambitious for all pupils,  regardless of starting points and the challenges they face. We encourage all pupils to participate fully in school life, including clubs, activities and opportunities and plan extra-curricular activities and educational visits to fully include all pupils  including children with SEN and physical disabilities.


Relationships and Behaviour

Teachers have clear and consistent limits and boundaries. The language used by teachers demonstrates unconditional 

positive regard for every pupil. Teachers take the time to get to know all pupils as people and not just as learners. Teachers take time to listen to what pupils are saying. Teachers are curious about behaviour (not dismissive of pupils) and question what the behaviour is trying to communicate about the situation. Teachers respond to behaviour from a position of curiosity and empathy, demonstrating compassion, kindness and hope rather than blame and shame.


Teachers actively seek to build and sustain positive relationships with all families. Relationships with parents is rooted in mutual respect and understanding for why some families feel less able to engage with education. Teachers ensure a professional welcome at all times and show empathy for families’ circumstances and situations.  Teachers help all pupils to connect and belong within the 

class, form or group. Adults support pupils to develop friendships and constructive relationships with each other and appropriate adults.


Consequences are ‘reasonably adjusted’ for pupils with special educational needs, as required by law. Timely and well-informed processes are in place to identify possible emerging or unmet special educational needs, in order to avoid unnecessary multiple and escalating consequences.


Teachers are aware of those who will need additional support for all or most transitions, and plan for these transitions.


Learning Environment

We believe children learn best in an orderly environment that has been prepared to enable them to explore and do things for themselves. We take our inspiration from the Montessori approach where the learning environment is organised and structured to promote a sense of order. It is never cluttered. Everything has its place and has earned its right to be placed in the classroom, making it easier for children to locate materials and engage in activities. This orderliness contributes to a sense of calm and security, allowing children to focus on their activities without unnecessary distractions. Low shelves display a variety of learning materials, neatly arranged, allowing children to choose their resources independently.


Teachers and pupils create a calm and collaborative climate for learning where pupils feel they belong, and their contributions are valued. Teachers and pupils work together to understand and to create the best possible learning environment, for example, quiet, no distractions, physically comfortable so that attention is not divided.


The learning space is well-organised. Equipment is easily accessible to all pupils and furniture arranged to allow a range of learning experiences. Learning materials and resources are clear and uncluttered, labelled using text and images. There is practical apparatus available and accessible.


Seating plans and groupings take account of individual needs and routinely provide opportunities for access to positive role-models, mixed-ability groups, structured opportunities for conversation and equal access to additional adults where they are available. Teachers are aware that group working can present significant challenges and plan how to support pupils to work cooperatively.


There is visual information about what will happen and when. In the early years and primary education, this may be a class  visual timetable for the day and/or lesson. 


Teachers and pupils work together to understand each other’s physical/sensory preferences, for example sound, temperature and movement breaks to create the best possible environment. This may be through environmental audits and conversations. Acoustics of learning spaces are an important part of this evaluation. Spaces and systems are available and in place to support emotional co-regulation and self-regulation. This may be within the room or an identified area of the building.


Speech Language and Communication

Every teacher and adult in the classroom understands that every moment is a language development and comprehension moment. Teachers model and encourage the use of rich language and take time to listen to what, and how, pupils are speaking and talking in lessons. Teachers and non-teaching staff are all continuously aware of the quality of interactions and quantity of interactions.


The amount of time pupils are encouraged to speak during the whole day is increased. Oracy is built into the day at  every opportunity and teachers address the ‘word gap’ through high quality teaching. Teachers prioritise and support all pupils to articulate their ideas and thoughts, listen to others and have the confidence to express their views. 


Teachers consider the quantity and pace of talking and use strategies to support this. For example, the use of pauses,  modelling, visual cues. Instructions are clear and simple. Pupils have a clear view of the speaker to enable use of non￾verbal communication such as gesture and facial expression.


Pupils have time to process information before being asked to respond (10 second rule). ‘Thinking time’ or opportunities to work with talk partners before answering a question is built in. Teachers use phrases such as “I’m going to come back to you in a minute for your idea.”


Instructions are broken down into small, manageable chunks or steps. Alongside clear instructions and explanations, adults provide key points and steps - either written or visually.


Pedagogy, memory and meta-cognition

Teachers introduce new learning in small steps, with pupil practice after each step.


Teaching builds on what pupils already know. New skills are taught directly and explicitly – and linked to what pupils already know. Teachers carefully plan the order in which new skills are introduced. Teachers only introduce one new skill at a time; skills that are readily confused are separated (for example ‘b’ and ‘d’); and the most useful and highly generalisable skills are taught first.


Direct Instruction (DI) is used effectively to teach new concepts. This is also known as model-lead-test, or ‘my turn,’ ‘together,’ ‘your turn’. Teachers use the principle of distributed or spaced practice – also known as ‘little and often’. ‘Little and often’ is more effective than longer, single blocks of time when learning or practicing skills.


Teachers understand the importance of fluency and plan a range of learning activities accordingly.


a. Acquisition – Pupils learn a new skill through explicit and intentional instruction. 

b. Fluency/Mastery – All pupils are provided with a high level of active practice to ensure skills are mastered to fluency. 

c. Maintenance – To ensure retention of a skill, teachers  provide practise until pupils demonstrate a high accuracy and fluency rate. 

d. Generalisation and Adaptation – Teachers also plan a range of different learning activities, so that pupils can  generalise and apply their 

    learning in different contexts


Explicit instruction is used. Explicit instruction begins with detailed teacher explanations, followed by extensive practice of routine exercises, and later moves on to independent work. Common aspects of explicit instruction include:


• teaching skills and concepts in small steps

• using examples and non-examples

• using clear and unambiguous language

• anticipating and planning for common misconceptions; and

• highlighting essential content and removing distracting information.


Adults use backward chaining to allow pupils to experience success. In a chosen task, the adult does all but the last step and lets the pupil complete the work. Then the adult fades back, doing less and less while the pupil does more and more, always ending with the pupil performing the final step.


Teachers reduce working memory load by teaching one skill at a time to fluency, using short, chunked instructions and teaching note-taking skills. 


Assessment, planning and teaching

Class teachers make regular assessments of attainment and progress for all pupils and use these to inform effective planning, teaching and monitoring. In the moment assessment is crucial. This identifies misconceptions. Teachers address misconceptions and understand why pupils may persist with errors. Pupils are asked to explain what they have learned; the responses of all pupils are checked; systematic feedback and corrections are provided. 


Literacy and Maths

The development of literacy skills focuses and builds on the following foundations: 


• Exposure to language enriched environments where children have regular access to quality books, songs, rhymes, hearing wide ranging 

   language and vocabulary, and regularly listening to stories;

• An interest in books, a wide vocabulary knowledge, awareness of print; 

• Phonological skills (synthesis and segmentation), a systematic phonics programme that focuses on the most frequently occurring 

   grapheme/phoneme correspondences, fluency in reading and spelling both phonic and sight words; 

• A balanced approach to teaching both decoding and comprehension skills;

• An accurate and efficient handwriting style

• How to generalise these skills and apply them to high quality books of the pupil’s choice, and different writing activities;

• Positive motivation to read and write.


The development of literacy skills focuses and builds on the following foundations: 


• Developmental progressions - which show how pupils typically learn mathematical concepts can inform teaching;

• Developing a secure grasp of early mathematical ideas takes time, and specific skills may emerge in different orders

• Teachers can support the development of self-regulation and metacognitive skills, which are linked to successful learning in early 

   mathematics.


Manipulatives (physical objects to teach maths) and representations (such as number lines) are used to develop understanding and help pupils engage with mathematical ideas. Teachers should ensure that pupils understand the links between the manipulatives and the 

mathematical ideas they represent. Pupils in EYFS and KS1 are encouraged to represent problems in their own way, for 

example with drawings and marks and to use their fingers, which are an important manipulative.



Adaptations, supports and scaffolds

Both class and homework activities are adapted in line with all learning and language levels, using relevant teaching aids, modifying the demands of the task and with the use of questioning and feedback. Adaptations involve activities which are intentionally planned over time for all pupils. Adaptive teaching tailors instruction to meet the diverse needs and abilities of individual children. It involves using various strategies, tools, and technologies to adjust the content, process, and products of learning activities. Adaptive teaching seeks to integrate children into every lesson and all aspects of school life by modifying lessons and eliminating or minimising barriers that hinder the learning of children with SEND. Its primary goal is to ensure that children with SEND can be included and learn alongside their peers in the classroom. Most pupils’ needs can expect to be met through high quality adaptive teaching. 


Scaffolding (visual, verbal or written support) is common practice but must be in addition to, and not replace, effective differentiation of tasks to the pupil’s attainment level so they can learn skills to fluency. Initially, an adult would provide enough support so that pupils can 

successfully complete tasks that they could not do independently. The teacher will gradually remove the support (the scaffold) as the pupil becomes able to complete the task independently.


Teachers identify any barriers to learning and participation including barriers which are non-academic. Pupils’ strengths and barriers are observed and monitored, in different settings and contexts, to inform planning. Teachers make reasonable adjustments and explore creative solutions to enable pupils to continue to make progress.


Teachers acknowledge there will be times when pupils will need some additional support for emotional regulation. This requires planned and purposeful opportunities that meet the pupil’s needs at that time, for example, choosing from a selection of calming activities, use a quiet space or a movement break.


Teachers are open and willing for pupils to experiment and use physical equipment to aid their concentration, for example, fidget toys or different seating.


Motivation, recognition and feedback

Teachers provide regular and meaningful feedback, recognition and praise. Feedback is specific, clear and manageable (e.g. “It was good because...,” rather than just “correct”). Teachers provide specific guidance on how to improve and support pupils to plan how they will action the feedback they received. Feedback is encouraging and supports future effort. 

Teachers and pupils recognise effort, perseverance and that mistakes are a natural part of learning. Pupils are encouraged to take risks and attempt learning in new ways. Support is given for building resilience in continuing to apply skills. Pupils have regular opportunities to evaluate their own performance. They are aware of their progress and the next steps in moving learning forward.

Some pupils may need a tangible reward. Useful tools, include, ‘I am working for…’ charts, ‘Token reward cards’ and ‘Motivator puzzles.’ Now/next or first/then are structured ways to motivate and let pupils know what they will be doing first (a work activity) and what it will be followed by (a reward activity).


     Targeted Support

Sometimes a child may need a specific targeted support that is different from the other children in the class. The class teacher is responsible for planning special needs activities (provision) but may ask other adults in the school to help deliver this extra help. This provides specific focused support that differs from the general class instruction. This approach aims to help the child progress more quickly, reducing or preventing the widening of the achievement gap with their peers. 

One Planning

Every pupil with a One Plan will have their plan reviewed each term. The One Plan outlines adaptive teaching strategies and targeted support as needed, and sets desired outcomes based on the additional provisions provided. Where a child has a significant difficulty in learning and requires additional or different support to children of similar age, they may have special education needs. If we believe a child has SEND, we will discuss the child’s parents and set up a plan. This plan is called a One Plan. 

Specialist Advice

All our teachers can offer advice in relation to children with special educational needs, We also have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENC0) and and Assistant SENCo who can offer assistance and assist with applying for more specialist support.


Specialist Support

If a child requires additional support beyond that we can provide from the resources we receive for SEN, this is referred to as specialist support because their learning needs are greater than what the school can provide through provision that is ordinarily available. If we believe a child may be eligible to receive more specialist support from an external agency such as the Speech and Language Therapy Service, an Alternative Provision placement or even through an Education Health Care Plan, we may be able to facilitate this if a child meets the eligibility criteria. 


Access to SEN provision

All pupils identified with special education needs will access special needs provision regardless. This provision is defined as either different from or additional to what other children in the class typically receive. 

Special educational provision that is ordinarily available at this school is based on a fixed amount of notional SEN funding the school receives per year.  This means the amount of ordinarily available SEN provision including targeted provision or adaptive teaching especially that which requires an additional adult in the classroom, may vary as it is determined by the resources available to us at any one time.

Please download a copy of our SEND Information Report for further information (below)


Please download a copy of our SEND Information Report for further information (below):

STI SEND Information Report 2024-25.docx.pdf