| Walderslade Girls SENCo: | Mrs S Baillie | wssend@wgsp.org.uk |
| Greenacre Boys SENCo: | Mrs H Weston | gssend@wgsp.org.uk |
Special Educational Needs & Disability Department
‘A pupil has SEN where 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’
The SEN Department provides support to those students who have barriers to learning. Provision on both sites consists of a team who specialise in different areas of need and who provide support within the classroom and/or deliver small group interventions as necessary. Regular CPD provides a learning platform to all teaching staff on adaptive and differentiated strategies to best support students with varying needs within the classroom. In addition, student passports are provided for high profile students with SEND to ensure that their barriers to learning are identified and strategies clearly noted.
The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2014), places emphasis on quality first teaching from within the classroom to be fully inclusive. This means that teachers utilise strategies provided when planning and implementing lessons, ensuring the use of adaptive teaching to suit the needs of the children they teach. These are the first steps in meeting the needs of all students in the classroom.
Where the needs of a student are greater than which can be successfully met by the classroom teacher, the SEN team can organise for relevant screening, testing and intervention as appropriate. We are currently able to offer small group tuition for several interventions, and we have qualified ELSAs who can support emotional wellbeing and a trained MELSA who can provide support in how to develop pupils’ literacy and mathematical skills.
We have a referral system where staff and parents can put forward concerns for investigation of any un-identified SEND, or a request for additional strategies or possible school-based interventions that can support barriers to learning.
In addition to this, we have a team of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) and Higher-Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) who work closely with students both within and outside the classroom and in smaller groups where necessary. The SEN team are supported by the SEN Admin Assistants – Mrs K Bullock and Mr J Bradley.
We regularly organise termly coffee afternoons for parents to attend and to date have invited several speakers to attend including Medway Parents and Carers, Fortis Trust and Medway SENDIAS. We work with a number of external agencies including educational psychologists, occupational and speech and language therapists.
Questions about your child’s progress?
If your query or concern is subject specific, please speak to your child/ward’s teacher who will be able to assist. Otherwise, please email your questions or concerns to the SEN team email address above and a member of the department will be in touch.