SEN Information Report
This report explains how our school meets the needs of children with Special Educational Needs.
Updated October 2023
Which Special Educational Needs are provided for at South Malling?
Children with SEN and disabilities are welcome at our school and we are determined that all children will achieve as well as they can in a welcoming, caring and inclusive community. In accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014, we work closely with children and their parents/carers on all aspects of provision and decision-making
At South Malling children are identified as having special educational needs through a variety of ways.
These can include:
Children performing far below their chronological age in a particular area
Concerns raised by parents
Concerns raised by teachers - children who need support which is additional to or different from most children in the class
Concerns raised from teachers from any previous schools
Meetings with specialists outside of the school
Medical and health diagnosis through doctors or hospitals
South Malling is an inclusive school and we work hard to meet the needs of a wide range of children with different SEN needs.
Currently this includes:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Dyslexia
- Physical conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis & diabetes
- Speech and Language delays and disorders
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties.
SEND Regulations 2014
South Malling Primary School is fully compliant with Section 69 (2) of the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEN and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 years Section 6 and Regulation 51 and Schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.
We recognise that every child is different; we have an inclusive ethos which reflects our commitment to the inclusion, safety and well-being of all our pupils.
Individual pupils’ needs are assessed and adjustments are made to the curriculum, as far as reasonably practicable, the physical environment and pastoral requirements to ensure that all pupils are treated equally.
How does South Malling identify if a child has a Special Educational Need?
We aim to identify children’s Special Educational Needs (SEN) as early as possible, so that the child achieves the best possible outcomes. For some children, Special Educational Needs can be identified at an early age. However, for other children difficulties become evident only as they develop.
Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has a Special Educational Need. Equally, attainment in line with chronological age does not necessarily mean that there is no learning difficulty or disability.
Difficulties related solely to limitations in English as an additional language are not a Special Educational Need.
A pupil has a Special Educational Need where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision—that is, provision which is "additional to or different from" what is available to all pupils of the same age.
We assess each pupil’s skills and level of attainment regularly throughout the school year. If a child is making less progress than we would expect for their age or individual circumstances, we will make some reasonable adjustments and support for up to 12 weeks. If, after this support, progress is still slow, the Inclusion Manager works closely with the class teacher to decide on next steps (such as further assessments or different support). Parents and carers are kept informed throughout the process.
We use a range of tools to help us identify if a child has a special educational need. These include:
• Checklists of observable behaviours
• Dyslexia screening tests
• Maths assessment tasks
• Speech Link and Language Link software
• Physical agility assessment activities (Jump Ahead)
• Emotional and Social assessments
• Executive Function skills assessments
We also work with external agencies such as Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Educational Psychologists when assessing some children. Parental permission is sought for all assessments.
Children may have difficulties in one or more of the four areas of special educational need:
• Communication and interaction – including speech and language difficulties and autism
• Cognition and learning – including developmental delay and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties – including difficulties with behaviour, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, an attachment disorder or anxiety.
• Sensory and/or physical needs- including visual and hearing impairment, dyspraxia, cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities or medical conditions which affect a child’s learning.
How will South Malling School support my child?
We have a range of support we can put in place for children with special educational needs or disabilities. This support will depend on your child’s individual needs and circumstances.
The range of support we can access is as follows:
- Support in class according to their specific needs.
- Pre and Post learning for maths and English.
- Speech and Language programmes
- External support provided to us from the local authority– CLASS, Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language therapists & Occupational therapists.
- Support for health needs and training for staff through the school health service.
- Pastoral support to ensure the child's views are always listened to.
Class teachers are responsible for any SEND children in their class. They will monitor the children’s needs and plan for any extra support required. Children with Special Educational Needs work with the class teacher as well as the teaching assistant; we use a team teach approach. The class team have regular meetings with the SENCo, to monitor each child’s progress.
The school SENCo, has overall responsibility for ensuring the progress of children with SEND across the school.
English as an Additional Language
We support students for whom English is an additional language. All staff are made aware of the need and adjust plans accordingly. We monitor their progress carefully and provide learning support and mentoring for those students who are not making expected progress. Please contact your child’s class teacher if you feel that your child needs more help in this area.
What support is there for children’s overall well-being and their emotional, mental and social development?At South Malling we place a high priority on everyone's Mental Health and Emotional Well-being and have a substantial team of support:
Mrs Burgess, trauma-informed practitioner
Sarah Burnard, Learning Mentor
Judy Yeomans, Play Therapist
TLG Coaches
Fegans Counsellor
We also access support from external sources such as the East Sussex Behaviour and Attendance service, CAMHS (Children and Adult Mental Health Services), The Virtual School (for looked after and adopted children) and Early Help (Children’s Safeguarding Services).
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship education is planned for and taught on a weekly basis in ‘Life Skills’ lessons, Collective Worship & Class Meetings.
These policies ensure that (to the best of our ability)all children feel safe and are protected from harm :
• Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education
• Positive Relationships
• Safeguarding
All relevant policies can be found here
How are parents and carers involved in reviewing children’s progress and planning support?
We are committed to working alongside parents and carers of children with SEND. We believe that the best outcomes are achieved when home and school work together to meet the needs of any child. Parents / carers are always welcome to come into school to discuss their child’s needs, support and progress. There are teacher consultation meetings twice a year; a written report is also provided at the end of each academic year.
All children with SEND have an Additional Needs Plan, on which clear outcomes are identified along with the provision in place to support the child to meet the outcomes. These plans are reviewed and shared with parents / carers at least three times a year and we encourage parents and carers to contribute with their views to these plans.
What training do staff have?
When we plan support for a child, we think about the knowledge and skills their teachers and support staff will need and arrange bespoke training as necessary.
There is an annual plan for SEND training for all of our staff which includes:
Writing & Reviewing Additional Needs Plans
Dyslexia
Autism
Sensory Processing DIsorder
Precision Teaching
Some staff have specialist training in mental health, attachment disorder, speech and language issues as well as medical conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and toileting needs.
Our Inclusion Manager, Ms Annie Schulte, has the National Award in Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (July 2017).
How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our provision?
We regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils to make sure no-one under achieves. Teachers meet with the Inclusion Manager for an Additional Needs Meeting at least three times a year to discuss the planned outcomes, support and progress for children with additional needs.
We use the East Sussex Quality Mark for Inclusion audit to ensure that we meet the inclusion standard thresholds expected by all East Sussex Schools. This is shared with our SEN governor, Mandi Ramshaw who reports to the full governing body.
We invite parents to meet with us so that we can work together and listen to their views. Our annual parent questionnaire contains questions related to SEN provision at school and we also invite parents to attend SEN forums twice a school year. The Ofsted parent view survey also provides us with feedback about our SEN provision. This feedback then feeds into the SEN action plan.
In our most recent visit from Ofsted (Feb 2020), it was noted that, “Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported with their learning. The inclusion leader ensures that there are effective interventions in place. Teachers make sure that work is carefully planned to help pupils succeed. Pupils who are disadvantaged and those with SEND achieve well.”
In May 2023, 17% of our Year 2 children were registered as having a special educational need. The percentages below show how many reached the expected standard for the end of Key Stage One.
| Key Stage 1 SATS | School SEN | National SEN |
| Reading | 20% | 27.9% |
| Writing | 0% | 18.8% |
| Maths | 20% | 32% |
In May 2023, 29% of our Year 6 children were registered as having a special educational need. The percentages below show how many reached the expected standard for the end of Key Stage Two.
| Key Stage 2 SATS | School SEN | National SEN |
| Reading | 52.9% | 38.5% |
| Writing | 29.4% | 28.9% |
| Maths | 35.3% | 36.2% |
How are pupils with SEN enabled to engage fully in school life?
All children, including those with a special need or disability are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities and school trips. We work with parents and pupils to listen to their views, feelings and wishes and do what we can to ensure that pupils with SEND have the same opportunities and experiences as everyone else.
Our school is mostly wheelchair accessible (our upper playground is not accessible by wheelchair). We have a lift, accessible toilet and changing facilities and there is visual signing around the school. We are aware of our responsibilities under the Equalities Act and make reasonable adjustments and provide auxiliary aids and services to prevent a disable child being disadvantaged.
We access support from the English as an Additional Language service in order to support children whose first language is not English to access the curriculum and to understand school life and to communicate with parents / carers whose first language is not English.
Some staff are trained in Makaton and we provide a British Sign Language interpreter service.
Our accessibility plan can be found here
How will South Malling prepare and support my child when joining the school and transferring to a new school?
New joiners
We encourage all new children to visit our school prior to starting. At this visit we invite you to a short meeting with our headteacher where we can find out as much information as to we can about your child. If your child has a SEND they may wish to visit more than once which is encouraged. We try to liaise with any previous schools to find out as much information as we can about your child and any extra needs they may have before they start. All of this information helps us to determine the type of support and arrangements needed to meet your child’s needs effectively ensuring that they are able to fully access the school’s curriculum.
Leaving us
When children are preparing to leave us for a new school we liaise with their new school and pass on any information that will help them. Any support plans or Health Care Plans will also be transferred to their new school. We also do our best to offer transitional support before they leave so that they feel confident about their new school. Some Year 6 children may have extra visits to their new secondary school, if this is offered.
Further information, advice and support.
General Support
East Sussex Local Offer Directory of Services
Amaze - for families with disabled children and young people in Sussex
ADHD
Young Minds - A guide for parents and carers - Supporting your child with ADHD
Autism Support
CLASS+ autism support for families and carers
Mascot - Autism Support Community
Dyslexia Information
About Dyslexia - Nessy
What do I do if I am unhappy about the support my child is receiving?
In the first instance we encourage you to come and talk to us, either the class teacher, SENCO or headteacher. We will always do our best to work together for the best interests of the children. If, after speaking to any of us, you are still unhappy about the way in which the school is addressing your child's needs then please follow the complaints procedure which can be found on our policies page.
How do I apply for a place at South Malling School?
If you are thinking of applying for a place, contact our school secretary, Mrs Cable on 01273 473 016.
If you want a place for a child who has an Education Health and Care plan, contact your Assessment and Planning Officer at East Sussex County Council. If you want a place for any other child with special educational needs, you should apply as normal and your application will be considered in the same way as applications from children without special educational needs.
• South Malling follows the East Sussex Admissions policy School admissions - East Sussex.gov.uk