New Silksworth Academy is an inclusive school. No child will be discriminated against because of physical, learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties, or sensory impairment. We are passionate about ensuring all children reach their potential in all areas of school life.

We recognise that all pupils are entitled to a quality of provision which will enable them to achieve their potential.

We believe in positive intervention; removing barriers to learning; raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all SEND pupils.

At New Silksworth Academy we are committed to the concept of parents as equal partners in their child’s education. If parents are concerned about their child’s progress they should speak to their child’s teacher or to the Head teacher Mrs. E Robins.

As soon as staff feel that a child has Special Educational Needs they will talk to the parents and bring the child to the attention of the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) who is Mrs. S. Mincher

A termly meeting will take place between the SENDCo and the Link Governors in order to ensure the Governor is kept up to date regarding the provision for SEND pupils.

Special Educational Needs provision is the responsibility of the whole teaching staff and will be dealt with, on the whole, by presenting a differentiated curriculum to meet the individual pupil’s measurable targets agreed with the child, parents, school and where required outside agencies.

Currently staff are working with the following outside agencies:

Education services

- Special Educational Needs Support Service
- Educational psychology
- Portage (pre-school – home-based) Service for physical disability
- Autism Outreach Team
- Early Help Team Sensory Support including the Hearing impaired service and Visually impaired service,

Health/social services

- Speech and language therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Specialist consultant
- General practitioner
- Paediatrics
- Health visitor
- School nurse
- Child and Adolescent mental health service – CAMHS
- Social services.

A child with Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability will have a PSP (Personal Support Plan) which sets out targets that are currently being worked on and what additional provision is put in place for that child. The content of the PSP is negotiated, as appropriate, with the child and the child’s family

For many children, targets will be connected to learning and will often be specifically to do with literacy and numeracy. For other children, they may linked with social interaction, communicating with children and adults, emotional difficulties, overcoming physical issues (for example problems to do with fine motor control) … The targets depend on the needs of the child

The school offers many different forms of additional provision. This can include: additional in-class support; additional out-of-class support; one-to-one support; flexible groupings (including small group work); access to specific resources; mentoring; counselling; and access to a wide range of outside agencies*. The additional provision depends on the needs of the child.

School adheres to the 2014 Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and the Disability Act of 2004.

All staff in school continue to remove the barriers to learning, making all aspects of school life accessible to all pupils and ensuring all pupils reach their full potential.

Please click on the link below to view our SEN Policy, SEND Information Report & Accessibility Plan.