St Bartholomew's SEND Intent Statement
At St Bartholomew’s School, we believe that every child has the right to flourish. We are committed to providing a fully inclusive education where children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Our goal is to ensure that all children feel valued, respected, and empowered to achieve their full potential, no matter their starting point.
We provide high-quality teaching tailored to the needs of every child, ensuring that lessons are engaging, accessible, and challenging. Alongside this, we deliver carefully planned support, targeted interventions, and personalised learning strategies to meet individual needs. We believe that success in education includes not just academic progress but also wellbeing, confidence, independence, and social development.
We appreciate that some children may have different or additional needs to others and may need extra support to access the curriculum. All teachers in school adapt their teaching and learning to ensure that it can meet the needs of all children. Children who have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities may need extra help in a range of areas, including:
• Reading, writing, number work or understanding information;
• Expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying;
• Social skills including making friends or relating to adults;
• Behaving properly in school;
• Organising themselves;
• Sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school.
You will be informed by your child’s class teacher if we feel your child needs to receive some extra or additional support. You will then be invited to meet with our SENDCo, Miss Haworth and/or your child’s class teacher to discuss a way forward for your child. The level of extra help is known as SEND Support.
If we feel that your child has an additional need that requires external support, we will always seek your consent before we make a referral to gain specialist advice or support to help us. This could include a Specialist Teacher, Educational Psychologist or a Speech and Language Therapist. You will always be informed by your child’s Class Teacher and/or Miss Haworth of the outcomes and recommendations of any referrals made.
If we feel that your child has SEND, we will devise an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or an Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) which will outline what we feel they need in place to help them progress through the education system. This may be provision within school and/or through external agencies. The plan will give specific targets and outline how children are being supported. It will also include information on specific areas you can work on at home with your child. Your class teacher will invite you in every half-term/term to discuss your child’s IEP.
If your child’s needs continue to hinder their learning and development and we feel we need additional support in school, it may be necessary to apply for an Educational and Health Care Plan. It is important to note that children may require support on a short term basis or for many years. The needs of each individual child will be different.
At St Bartholomew’s, we firmly believe that all children make progress in different ways and at different speeds. Teachers take this into account and work hard to consider children’s strengths, different learning styles and abilities. This means that children may have different levels of support. If your child is making slower progress, it does not automatically mean that they have additional needs.
If you have any further questions or would like to speak with someone to discuss your child’s needs in more detail, please come into school and speak with the class teacher or contact us on 01254 884534 or contact our SENDCo senco@st-barts.lancs.sch.uk
Complaints for parents of children with Special Educational Needs:
The complaint procedure for special educational needs mirrors the school’s other complaints procedures. Should a parent or carer have a concern about the special provision made for their child they should in the first instance discuss this with the class teacher.
If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily parents have recourse to the following:
- discuss the problem with the SENCO
- discuss the problem with the Headteacher
- More serious on-going concerns should be presented in writing to the SEN Governor, who will inform the Chair of the Governors
Should you wish to make an appointment with any of the above, please contact the school office
The Local Offer
The Local Offer is a Local Authority’s publication of all the provision “they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.” (Section 4.1 SEND Code of Practice, January 2015) The Local Offer has two key purposes: To provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up to date information about the available provision and how to access it & To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its development and review.
For more information, please click the following image;
