Section Two - Special Educational Needs Policy
Special Educational Needs Policy –
Section Two
Rationale
Not all pupils progress at the same speed, and there are some who fall well behind what is expected of their age group. How we handle such pupils at such a formative stage in their lives is desperately important.
Special Educational Needs policies endeavour to get beyond the approach which merely blames the pupil. It is wrong to say a pupil is stupid or lazy, and it does nothing to help them out of their difficulty. It is true that some pupils will need special schooling, but with help the majority will be able to stay and develop within the mainstream system. For this reason, every school now has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who specifically oversees how the needs of those who fall within this category are addressed. Mrs. Flannery is the SENCO for Early Years and Mrs Hunter for the rest of the school.
The language of ‘Special Educational Needs’ emerged from the 1993 Education Act. It is applied to those with a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision. Every school now has an SEN Register, and pupils may find themselves on this for a variety of reasons - including emotional or behavioural difficulties, dyslexia, autism, or impairments to do with vision, hearing, speech or language. Being on the Register is not a stigma, but an important step towards meeting a pupils’s need.
The register itself has five stages; we have some carefully drawn up diagnostic guidelines called ‘triggers’. Pupils at stages 1 or 2 who have difficulties which will be managed within the school, whereas children at stages 3 to 5 have input from outside professionals (e.g. the services of an educational psychologist).
Initially, a ‘special need’ may be identified by a teacher or a parent. The SENCO will then work with the teachers to draw up an Action Plan. The Action Plan will have very specific short-term targets. Progress is then reviewed, usually twice a year. Parental involvement is necessary.
The school has some very detailed guidelines on SEN provision.
Updated June 2008
Updated June 2009
To be reviewed Sept 2010