“We are Inclusive” is one of our school’s core values and we want all children at Newlaithes to thrive. Our vision for all pupils is for them to feel a strong sense that they belong, to believe in themselves, and to become the very best version of themselves.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
A pupil has SEND if their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from, or additional to, that normally available to pupils of the same age.
Persistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviour does not necessarily mean that a pupil has SEN. Where concerns arise, we assess possible underlying factors – including learning, communication, mental health, family or environmental factors – and identify the support the pupil needs.
Special Educational Needs can be categorised within four broad areas of needs:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH)
- Sensory and/or physical needs
These broad areas help us consider the full range of a pupil’s needs; they are not labels into which children must fit. Needs may overlap and change over time.
Some pupils may have a disability but not have special educational needs. The school will make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, whether or not they are recorded on the SEND register.
Our Universal Offer: Inclusive, high-quality teaching
The biggest factor affecting a child’s achievement is the quality of teaching. We believe in continually strengthening our universal offer so that teaching is as inclusive as possible and meets the needs of the great majority of pupils within the classroom.
This is the first response provided to children who may have special educational needs.
Where it would help adults to understand and respond consistently to a pupil’s strengths and needs, we may create a pupil passport in consultation with the pupil and their family. These will be reviewed on a termly basis and include the voice of the pupil and their family.
Having a pupil passport does not, by itself, mean that a pupil has SEN or should be added to the SEND register.
Our Targeted Offer: High-quality, evidence-based interventions
For some children, targeted interventions are necessary to help reduce the impact of barriers to learning or to provide children with knowledge or strategies to overcome them. In addition, some pupils may require provision to be different from that provided to other pupils. The best place for all pupils is in the classroom so we limit the timing and length of interventions, measuring their impact and children’s progress towards the SMART targets we set for them.
Targeted interventions may be provided to pupils with or without identified SEND. Where assessment shows that a pupil has a learning difficulty or disability requiring special educational provision that is different from or additional to that normally available, the pupil will be identified as receiving SEN Support. Parents and carers will be formally informed and involved in planning and reviewing that support.
Pupils who require this level of support will have a pupil passport and a termly SEND Support Plan. These plans will be reviewed between teachers, parents/carers and pupils on a termly basis (including parents evenings).
Our Personalised Offer: Specialist Provision
For some children who require substantial levels of personalised provision, we may provide or facilitate access to specialist assessment, advice and provision, according to each pupil’s assessed needs and the availability of the relevant service.
- Speech and Language Therapy
- 1:1 Thrive Interventions
- ELSA Interventions
- Specialist Dyslexia Teaching
- Bespoke sensory provision
Pupils who require this level of support will have a pupil passport and SEND Support Plan. These plans will be reviewed between teachers, parents/carers and pupils on a termly basis (including parents evenings).
Pupils who require this specialised and substantial level of provision in the long term will usually be considered for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
We also have The Orchard provision which is led by our SEN Specialist Teacher, Mrs Miller.
The Orchard
For children who have additional needs from multiple categories of needs, and who require a substantial amount of personalised or specialist support and/or provision, we have our Orchard provision pathways.
These personalised pathways are provided to children for individualised amounts of their timetable. Mrs Miller is the lead teacher in The Orchard and is supported by highly trained teaching assistants and members of the Inclusion Team. This means that there is a very high ratio of staff to pupils (usually 1:2 or 1:3).
The Orchard is Newlaithes’ personalised in-school provision for some pupils with complex and overlapping needs who require an adapted curriculum, enhanced adult support and access to specialist approaches for part of their school week. Pupils remain valued members of their classes and the wider school community, accessing learning alongside their peers wherever this is appropriate and beneficial.
The Orchard building is based near to our Forest School so that children can, as much as possible, learn in our wonderful outdoor grounds. Carefully planned opportunities to learn outdoors can support pupils’ wellbeing, engagement, confidence and self-regulation, and we are proud to be able to offer this type of specialist provision to pupils at our school.
Some pupils accessing The Orchard may have an EHCP, while others may receive SEN Support or be undergoing assessment. Long-term access to The Orchard will usually indicate that an Education, Health and Care needs assessment is appropriate, as this level of provision is additional to that normally available within a mainstream school. We will work closely with the pupil’s family and relevant professionals when considering whether an assessment should be requested.
Get In Touch
Our SENDCo is Mrs Caroline Ellis.
Our SEN Specialist Teacher is Mrs Abi Miller.
Our Speech and Language Therapist is Miss Olivia Burley.
Our Learning Mentor is Mrs Angie Rukas.
Our Behaviour Support Worker is Ms Alexandra Clark.
To contact our inclusion team, please email inclusion@stf.newlaithes.co.uk
All emails will be acknowledged within five school days.
Support with External Diagnoses
Whilst school staff play a critical role in identifying barriers to learning, we are unable to diagnose any conditions or specific learning difficulties. We will, however, offer our support to families who are pursuing diagnoses such as those for autism, ADHD and dyslexia. Please email any requests to inclusion@stf.newlaithes.co.uk,
All requests will be responded to within six weeks of us receiving them.
A diagnosis is never compulsory for access to SEN Support.