Special Educational Needs

At Millfield Primary School we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all of our pupils whatever their needs or abilities.

Specific objectives of our SEN policy

• To identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and ensure that their needs are met
• To ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities can access the activities of the school
• To ensure that all learners make the best possible progress
• To ensure that learners express their views and are fully involved in decisions which affect their education
• To promote effective partnerships and involve outside agencies when appropriate.
• The school website gives parents general information about support for pupils with Special Educational Needs, however, any parent who wishes to discuss their individual child’s needs is encouraged to meet with the Head Teacher or SENCO.

Within school there are a variety of different interventions used to support our pupils. The range of support made in the school is “ Needs Lead” and therefore varies each year in response to identified needs.

The New Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice

In September 2014 the government published a new SEND Code of Practice, which sets out statutory guidance for schools. This can be downloaded by following the link below.

New SEND Code of Practice

The new Code of Practice covers the 0-25 age range. There is greater emphasis on children and parents being part of the decision-making process. The categories of School Action and School Action Plus are replaced with one category of SEN. Statements are being replaced with Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs).

Local Authorities must publish the ‘Local Offer’, which sets out the full range of provision for children with SEN and disabilities. The Staffordshire Local Offer can be found by clicking here.

What are Special Educational Needs?

Under the new Code of Practice, a child is deemed to have Special Educational Needs, or SEN, if he or she has ‘significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age’, or his or her disability ‘prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in a mainstream school’. Special educational provision is needed for him or her, over and above that which can be met through good quality classroom teaching and differentiation.

Broad areas of need are identified as communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health difficulties and sensory and/or physical needs. They may be for a short period or throughout a child’s educational life. They may be identified before a child has even entered school or they may come to be recognised at a specific point in their education.

Millfield Primary School - SEN Information Report

The revised SEN Code of Practice (DfE, April 2014) states: 'The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN.' (p93)

Click here to view the SEN Information Report for our school.

Useful websites to support parents / carers of children with SEN