Netherfield CE Primary School

At Netherfield CE Primary School we are committed to supporting all pupils to achieve their full potential. Our Special Needs Co-ordinator, Mrs Elms, leads this area of work and liaises closely with other agencies to provide the best possible support for pupils, parents and school staff.

We respond proactively to the changing needs of our children to ensure that the high-quality provision we offer is best suited to the needs of each cohort. 

The SEND Code of Practice (2014) defines special educational needs as follows:

‘A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or

has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.’

Within school, we maintain a regularly-reviewed register of children for whom additional or different provision is required. This is shared with staff and ensures that classroom staff have access to up-to-date information on each child’s needs and requirements in respect of the four areas of SEND (Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Sensory and Physical.)

In our school ‘all teachers are teachers of SEN’ (SEND Code of Practice, 2014) and we recognise that high quality classroom teaching is absolutely fundamental to ensuring the best outcomes for children.

At Netherfield C.E Primary School we offer….

Teaching and Learning

• Learning is inclusive of visual, auditory, written, spoken and kinaesthetic learning.
• Activities and listening are broken up with breaks for more kinaesthetic activities.
• Children have regular breaks from auditory learning to engage with a different type of task.
• Understanding is demonstrated in a variety of ways.
• Instructions are given in small chunks with visual cues.
• Lessons have a clear structure with learning objectives presented orally and visually.
• Lessons are broken down into small, manageable chunks with regular check ins to monitor understanding in the class.
• Children work in a range of groupings.
• Where possible, children are taught in smaller than average teaching groups.
• Additional adults to the class teacher are planned for and used to maximize learning.
• Lessons are planned to ensure the lessons are accessible for all students.
• Scaffolding is in place for all pupils to access the learning.
• Pupils are clear what is expected of them. Teachers give clear direct instructions throughout the lesson and model activities.  
• Understanding is checked by asking pupils to explain what they have to do.
• A vocabulary rich and oracy rich, curriculum and classroom.

Classrooms

• Our classrooms and learning spaces are organised - everything has a place.
• Classrooms are well labelled, including widgit picture symbols.
• Display posters, pictures and other visual cues are used to remind children of important information and rules.
• Visual timetables (widgit) are in all classrooms. These are spoken through in the morning, referred to throughout the day (arrow/peg/pictures taken down to show where the children are in their day) and where possible, timetables changed and discussed with the class at the end of the ready for the next day.

Assessment

• Praise is specific and named.
• Teachers use effective, live and specific feedback, dealing with misconceptions immediately.
• Teachers give any negative feedback in a constructive manner.
• We use assessment to evaluate learning and see where the children are with their learning.
• Targeted interventions which are planned, assessment and monitored to ensure impact.

We embrace a rigorous process to carefully monitor and act on the needs of our children. Where excellent classroom teaching is not able to fully address a child’s needs, we implement further support swiftly through additional intervention or referrals to appropriate services. All teachers and teaching assistants, along with senior leaders, are closely involved in setting targets and measuring progress towards them carefully and systematically.

At Netherfield, we are proud of our family ethos and strong sense of community. We firmly believe that for all children to achieve the best outcomes we need and want to work collaboratively with parents and families. We value highly the views of children and parents and subscribe passionately to the spirit of collaboration and co-production set out in the SEND Code of Practice (2014). Pupil voice and parent voice are represented throughout our SEN support plans and provision. Our staff recognise the immeasurable value of regular communication and co-operation, especially with families of children with special educational needs.

Our SEND Information Report will inform you of the types of support offered and available for your child at Netherfield C.E Primary School. We hope you find it useful. It is intended to give you clear, accurate and accessible information. This report was accurate when written, but services are regularly reviewed and could change. 

To find out more about the East Sussex Local Offer for SEND please click HERE