The aims of our policy and practice in relation to special educational need and disability in this school are:
To make reasonable adjustments for those with a disability by taking action to increase access to the curriculum, the environment and to printed information for all.
To ensure that children and young people with SEN engage in the activities of the school alongside pupils who do not have SEN.
To reduce barriers to progress by embedding the principles in the National Curriculum Inclusion statement
To use our best endeavours to secure special educational provision for pupils for whom this is required, that is “additional to and different from” that provided within the differentiated curriculum, to better respond to the four broad areas of need: 1. Communication and interaction, 2. Cognition and learning, 3. Social, mental and emotional health, 4. Sensory/physical.
To request, monitor and respond to parent/carers’ and pupils’ views in order to evidence high levels of confidence and partnership.
To ensure a high level of staff expertise to meet pupil need, through well-targeted continuing professional development.
To support pupils with medical conditions to achieve full inclusion in all school activities by ensuring consultation with health and social care professionals in order to meet the medical needs of pupils.
To work in cooperative and productive partnership with the Local Authority and other outside agencies, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of all vulnerable learners.
At Sycamore Short Stay School the definitions used for SEN and disability are those present in the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This provides the following explanations:
Special Educational Needs: A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.
Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England