Denise Burgess
Headteacher
Special Educational Needs
Meet our Inclusion Team
Vikki Borner
Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion
Kelly Harvey
SENCO Assistant
Nikki Rodd
Cover Inclusion Teaching Assistant
Emma Synott
Family Support Worker
All Bedford Borough (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.
All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.
The four broad ‘areas of need’ are Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.
Click here for our SEND Policy 2024 - 2025.
Click here to see our SEND information report 2024 - 2025.
Click here for our Inclusion Policy 2024 - 2025.
Great Denham Primary School Graduated Response (information on this can also be found in our school information report)
Assessment (formal or informal) recognises a child is making less than expected progress.
This could be characterised by progress which:
- Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
- Fails to match or better the child or young person’s previous rate of progress
- Fails to close the attainment gap between the child or young person and their peers
- Widens the attainment gap
- It can include progress in areas other than attainment – for instance where a child or young person needs to make additional progress with wider development or social needs in order to make a successful transition to adult life (COP, 2014: 6.18).
Assess Where progress continues to be less than expected the class teacher, working with the SENCO and parents, should assess whether the child or young person has SEN.
- A child or young person has SEN if: they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made
- A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if: they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or has a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools
- SEN provision is that which goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality personalised teaching. Children or young people with SEN require action that is additional to or different from the usual range of differentiated activities.
Quality First Teaching (QFT)
Assess what their particular needs are under the broad heading/s; Cognition and Learning; Social, Emotional and Mental Health; Communication and Interaction; Sensory and/or Physical
Plan Use the Bedford Borough SEND Support and Provision Guidance 2019 and the guidance on the following pages to put into place Quality First Teaching strategies
Do Put these strategies into place for a minimum of 8-10 weeks
Review Re-assess the progress the child has made, is the gap closing? Include views of parents and the child.
- If yes continue with strategies. Continue Assess, Plan, Do Review cycle within QFT.
- If no complete cause for concern sheet for SENCO and move on to Targeted support.
Personalised Support
Assess Where progress continues to be less than expected the class teacher, working with the SENCO and parents, should consult with specialists to support their own interventions with children and young people. Schools must seek parental consent before consulting any specialists.
Plan Use the advice from the specialists and Bedford Borough SEND Support and Provision Guidance 2019 to put into place SEN ‘Personalised Support’ to build on the arrangements for SEN ‘Targeted Support’ to match provision to meet a child or young person’s needs, this may include allocated adult support.
Do Put these strategies into place for a minimum of 8-10 weeks
Review Re-assess the progress the child has made, with SENCO, parents and any specialists involved, is the gap closing?
- If yes, continue with strategies with new or adjusted targets. Continue Assess, Plan, Do Review cycle.
- If no consider an EHCP assessment.
Targeted Support
Plan If agreed that the child has SEN meet with parents (and child where appropriate) and the SENCO and, in collaboration, use the Bedford Borough SEND Support and Provision Guidance 2019 to put into SEN ‘Targeted Support’ providing some additional or different actions to enable the child or young person to access independent learning and the curriculum. Create a Learning plan for the child outlining their targets (no more than 3) which relate to their area/s of need and the support that will enable them to meet these. Child is placed on the SEND register.
Do Put these strategies into place for a minimum of 8-10 weeks
Review Re-assess the progress the child has made, is the gap closing? Include views of SENCO, parents and the child.
- If yes, is Learning Plan is still required? If not child can be removed from SEN register. If plan still required continue with strategies with new or amended targets and continue Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle within Targeted Support.
- If no, move on to Personalised support.
EHCP Assessment
Assess If there is evidence that despite having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the SEN of the child, they have still not made expected progress, the teacher, parents and SENCO should consider making a request for an EHCP assessment.
Plan Evidence should be gathered from school, home and specialists to support the assessment request. An EHCNAF form should be completed and submitted to the Local Authority. Meanwhile, personalised support should continue with new or amended targets.
Do Put these strategies into place for a minimum of 8-10 weeks or until EHCNAF process is complete
Review
- If EHCNAF accepted new targets will form basis of EHCP plan and school learning plan.
- If refused, consider re-application with new evidence or re-assess the progress the child has made, with SENCO, parents and any specialists involved. Continue with or adapt strategies with new or adjusted targets. Continue Assess, Plan, Do Review cycle within personalised support.
The LA Local Offer
- The Children and Families Bill came into force in September 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.
- The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents to help them gain an understanding of the range of services and provision in the local area.
The School SEND Information Report
This utilizes the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet. Great Denham's information report can be found in our policies section.
For more information on services available in the Bedford Borough to support you, please click HERE.
Local SEND Information & Advice
The main source of information about SEND services, activities, EHCP processes, support groups, schools, therapies and local advice for families in Bedford.
Information about SEND services, EHCPs and local authority support.
Free, impartial advice and support for parents and carers regarding SEND, EHCPs, exclusions, school support and tribunals.
Bedford Family Hubs SEND Support
Information about local SEND services, support groups and early help for families.
Parent Support Groups & Forums
Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum (BBPCF)
Parent-led support forum offering workshops, coffee mornings, training and opportunities for parents to influence local SEND services.
Support, events and advice for families of children with SEND across Bedfordshire.
FACES Bedford - Autism & ADHD Parent Support
Parent support group for families of autistic and/or ADHD children and young people.
Autism & Neurodiversity Support
National advice, strategies, education support and guidance for autistic children and families.
Local support, helplines and workshops for autistic children and their families.
Advice, webinars and resources relating to ADHD and neurodiversity.
Resources, education advice and support for autistic children and young people.
Speech, Language & Communication
Support and information for children with speech, language and communication needs.
Advice, strategies and parent resources for speech and language difficulties.
Information and training about using signs and symbols to support communication.
Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing
Child and Adholescent Mental Health Services for children and young people requiring emotional wellbeing or mental health support.
Mental health advice and support for children, young people and parents.
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Emotional wellbeing resopurces and parent support.
SEND Rights, EHCPs & Legal Advice
SENSORY NEEDS & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SUPPORT
Information about sensory processing differences and support strategies.
Practical sensory and occupational therapy activities for parents.
SLEEP & FEEDING SUPPORT
Sleep advice for children including SEND-specific support.
Eric - children's bowel & bladder charity
Toileting and continence advice for children.
Information about restrictive eating and feeding difficulties.
Events & Information
Click the below image to view the latest Early Years Newsletter from Bedford Borough Early Help:
