Special Educational Needs and / or Disability (SEND)

Harrietsham Church of England Primary School maintains an inclusive approach to education and we aim to provide equality of opportunity for all children. All children are valued, respected and welcomed to the school whatever their additional educational need (This may mean a specific learning, physical, behavioural and emotional, communication and language or health need).

We recognise that there are some pupils who may require additional resources or extra support at some time in their primary school life and we aim to cater for the needs of all pupils. Early identification of a child’s needs is made in close consultation with parents and pre-school settings from school entry. Individual pupils are monitored through teacher assessment, pupil progress meetings and provision mapping.

The school has an Inclusion Leader and an Inclusion Assistant to offer support to parents/carers who may have concerns about their child’s progress. When appropriate, referrals are made to specialist learning services, Early Help and medical services. Any referral to an outside agency is undertaken with parental consent.

Categories of Need:

There are many different types of need at Harrietsham Church of England Primary School.

The four main areas of SEND are identified as:

Communication and Interaction
Cognition and Learning
Social, Emotional, and Mental Health
Sensory / Physical

Children with SEND will have primary need (i.e. their most prominent area of need) but they may also have additional needs in other areas. Harrietsham Church of England Primary School caters for all these areas of SEND need. Our support of children follows a tiered approach, gradually building up to the required level for each individual child.

Universal

High-quality teaching is the foundation for all learners. Staff know the child’s starting points and have high expectations for all children. They adapt their classroom practice based on feedback, training and the needs of children. Teachers use retrieval practice, modelling and scaffolding to support children and adaptations are made at a classroom level in line with best practice guidance.

We follow the advice of the Mainstream Core Standards, which are developed by KCC to ensure that our teaching conforms to best practice.

Here is a link to access the Mainstream Core Standards Document, including a helpful parent guide to offer additional support:

Mainstream Core Standards (KCC)

Targeted

Targeted support is typically delivered by staff with additional training and expertise. This may be in small groups or 1:1. Interventions run for a set time and the impact of these interventions are regularly reviewed.

Specialist

Sometimes we need to call upon the support and advice of other professionals and services. Examples include support from Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language therapists or health professionals.

At Harrietsham Church of England Primary school we value all our children and, in partnership with our parents, aim to ensure full and equal access to every aspect of learning.

The SEND Code of Practice:

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice provides schools and local authorities with statutory guidance on duties, policies and procedures relating to The Children and Families Act 2014. The code, which came into force on 1st September 2014, explains the duties of schools and colleges to provide reasonable adjustments, auxiliary aids, services and support for children and young people with SEN and disabilities.

The New SEN Code of Practice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

The SEND Strategy:

The aim of the SEND strategy is to improve the educational, health and emotional wellbeing outcomes for all of Kent's children and young people with special educational needs and those who are disabled. This strategy incorporates the Accessibility Strategy (under paragraph 1 schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2012).

Follow the link below for more details:

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs/send-strategy/strategy-for-children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities

The Local Offer/ The SEND Information Hub:

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires the Local Authority and schools to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25.

The Local Authority refer to this as the ‘Local Offer’. The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will help parents and young people to understand the range of services and provision in the local area and contribute to a more equal partnership in planning for the needs of children with SEND.

Follow the link below for more details:

http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

Policies:

SEND Policies / SEND Information Report:

Our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy and Information Sharing Report is regularly updated and sets out our school’s systems for identification, assessment, monitoring, reviewing and evaluation of Special Educational Needs provision for children with SEND.

Schools utilise the Local Offer to determine how they will meet the needs of SEND pupils in accordance with the school policy and the provision available within that particular school.

Information detailing the school’s approach to supporting children with SEND is detailed in the SEND information report/policy.

The policy was developed to comply with the revised Code of Practice and through consultation with parents/carers, staff and representatives from the governing body.

SEND Policy - May 2025 (Yearly Update).pdf

PDF File

For more policies that contain information about support for our children with SEND, please see our policies page here: Policies.

How to get help for your child:

We welcome any opportunity to work together with families to support our children.

Please feel free to contact us by telephone on 01622 859261, informally at the gate or in school, by email at office@harrietsham.kent.sch.uk or come into the school to make an appointment.

Here to help you are:

Mrs Rebecca Evans: Inclusion Leader (rebecca.evans@harrietsham.kent.sch.uk)
Mrs Rachael Hancock: Inclusion Assistant (rachael.hancock@harrietsham.kent.sch.uk)
Your child’s Class Teacher (available at the end of every day on the playground or more formally by appointment)
Mr Simon Betts: School Governor for Inclusion

Useful Websites:

Listed below are some websites that you may find useful and informative:

SEND Guide for Parents and Carers (DfE, 2014)
Information, Advice and Support Kent (IASK) - Offers confidential and impartial information, advice and support to children, young people and their families.
Kent Autistic Trust - A free service providing information, advice, support and training to individuals, families, caters and professionals affected by ASC across Kent and Medway.
ASD Ashford - A friendly parent group which aims to support families with children and young people with ASD.
Includes Us 2 - Is a charity that provides information, advice, support and social events for disabled children and their families.
Brogdale CIC - A Community Interest Company that aims to provide fun and exciting activities and work experience for disabled young people.
Speech Link Parent Portal - A parent support site for children with speech and language difficulties.
Kent Parent and Carers Together - A forum for parents and carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within Kent local authority.

Mrs Evans is our Inclusion Leader. For more information about Inclusion in our school, please contact her via the school office.

"Staff identify pupils who may have additional needs and adapt their teaching to support these pupils well."

Ofsted 2024