Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Welcome to our page on special educational needs and disabilities. We hope the following information helps you understand how we value every child, no matter what their needs or starting points may be; how we identify and assess needs and put the right support in place; and how we remove barriers to them achieving their potential.

Our SENDCo is Mrs Luisa Kilby-Salt (sendco@clanfield.oxon.sch.uk) and she is in school each Tuesday, during term time.

Our vision draws inspiration from the Parable of the Sower which is found in the gospel of Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 in the New Testament. We aim to create ‘good soil’ for everyone to grow and flourish by promoting faith in themselves, faith in others, and the opportunity to consider faith in God. Our vision is to be a ‘Place to Flourish’ through Hope for the future, Compassion for all and Courage to face challenges to develop our individual talents and grow.

If the parable is considered in relation to the soil, there is another important theme for school life. For good things to grow, the soil must provide the right conditions for that growth. For children to flourish and produce good things, they need help to be ready to learn and encouragement to make the most of every opportunity.

This feeds into our attitude towards children who have additional needs. We are an inclusive mainstream Local Authority Church of England Primary School that fully complies with the requirements outlined in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (CoP, 2014) which can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send

Our SEND Policy (please see school policy page) outlines our aims and all our arrangements for SEND co-ordination and management, including identification, assessment and provision.

Information for Parents and Carers - FAQs

What is SEND?

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age,
has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

What is the SEND Register?

The government’s Code of Practice (CoP, 2014) says, ‘Every school is required to identify and address the SEND of the pupils that they support’ (6.2). At Clanfield CE Primary School we keep a register that all teachers have access to and it contains important information about the children who have difficulties or barriers to learning and in are in receipt of different or additional provision to their cohort. These pupils will require more focused intervention and support, and these are referred to as targeted interventions.

When progress is made a child may be removed from the SEND register.
Parents are always asked before their child is put onto the SEND register.

Who oversees SEND in this school?

The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) is Mrs Jane Rawson. She works in collaboration with the Head teacher and class teachers, assisting in the development of inclusive classrooms and teaching practices and the day-to-day management of SEND in school. She will meet regularly to assess the progress of all children in the school and review whether a child needs additional support. There is a SEND link governor as well. In our school this is Mrs Olivia Hawkins.

Early Identification and Parental Input

The Code of Practice (2014, 5.5) says, ‘All those who work with young children should be alert to emerging difficulties and respond early. Parents know their children best and it is important that all practitioners listen and understand when parents express concerns about their child’s development. They should also listen to and address any concerns raised by children themselves.’ We believe that knowing the children we teach is vital and we believe that the child and their parents are the centre of the process.

How will I know if my child has SEND?

A child does not automatically have a Special Educational Need because they are making slow progress or are not doing as well as their peers. The focus is on children who need teaching that is ‘additional to or different from’ their peer group (CoP, 2014). Identifying SEND needs early is crucial and parents know their children best, so we have regular meetings with parents and rely on the information they provide us in helping us to identify if a child or young person has SEND.

The school uses Oxfordshire County Council’s SEND guidance and assessment tool as way of identifying if there is a Special Educational Need and what levels of support should be offered. The assessment tool helps us to make sure we are offering the provision expected from all schools in Oxfordshire. There are four broad areas of SEND:

Communication and Interaction Needs (C&I)
Cognition and Learning Needs (C&L)
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH)
Sensory and/or physical needs (S/P)

Regular reviews are also carried out with teachers where the possibility of a child having SEND could be discussed. Further checks can be carried out, for example, detailed lesson observation by the SENDCo and a review of interventions the child has been part of so far.

We will also consider whether a further, more specialist, assessment for SEND is needed for example from another service provider, e.g. from an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist or a Specialist Advisory Teacher.

Following further consultation with parents, and if a child meets the descriptors in the assessment tool, and after all the checks on teaching and learning have been carried out, then the child will be placed on the schools SEND register. This is shared with the Local Authority.

What provision is offered?

The Code of Practice specifies the use of a ‘graduated approach’ where a cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) is described. This means support offered can be a little to a lot. Once a child is placed on the register an appropriate plans are put in place to support them. All children are unique, regardless of the category of SEND they have, so it is important that we respond to their individual need. Some children will respond well to seemingly minor adaptations to our inclusive teaching offer; others will need more specialist support and input. We work closely with outside agencies to help us to design the most appropriate package of support for children on our register.

Adaptations can include:

Use of individual, pair or small group teaching
Individualised or small group interventions for specific skills and learning needs
Visual aids and multisensory resources to support understanding and participation
Adaptations to the physical environment to help with accessing learning.

Children on the SEND register have a Pupil Profile which describes their strengths, the needs and individual barriers to learning. It also describes the provision that they will be receiving and will track progress through both formative and summative assessment. This will be reviewed three times a year as part of the APDR cycle.

SEN mini hub

In 2024 we developed our own mini hub. This is run by our SEN TA who has received training from 2 special schools. The headteacher over sees and monitors the work and the class teachers plan for the morning. Children have a flexible morning with a soft landing, movement break, visual timetable and indoor outdoor curriculum dependent on the needs of the pupil in the morning. The expectation is that the children are registered with their class ( their tribe) and the aim is that they will return to class when they are ready. The mini hub can support up to 4 children at a time. Children take part in phonics, english and maths activities and these are adapted on a day to day basis. The impact of this work so far is 4 children who accessed the mini hub last year are now in full time class in September 2025.

What is an EHCP?

An EHCP is short for an Education, Health and Care Plan. These are for children who have the most complex needs. They are created by the Local Authority in collaboration with parents and the school and the describe in detail the needs that the child has. This is reviewed annually in addition to the SEND reviews that take place three times a year. External agencies may also be invited to these annual reviews – for example if the child has speech and language therapy, the speech and language therapist will be invited.

It is vital that both the child’s voice and the parents’ views are central to this meeting and where appropriate the child can attend – especially for the first part of the meeting where the child's strength and achievements are celebrated.

How do you make provision for children with SEND at this school?

Some of the interventions we might use for Communication and Interaction are, turn taking social skills games, visual timetables, now and next boards, nurture groups, movement breaks/brain breaks and Social Stories to help with transitions and social situations.

At Clanfield we provide support for Cognition and Learning difficulties with small group and 1:1 phonics groups, Little Wandle Keep Up small groups, Precision Teaching, careful seating and pairing, coloured overlays / dyslexia friendly exercise books, outdoor learning, 1:1 reading, pre- teaching vocabulary, catch up Maths and Maths fluency groups, as well as a newer intervention - Number Stacks.

The provisions and interventions we use for Social, Emotional and Mental health are nurture, Drawing and Talking (https://drawingandtalking.com/), nurture, Zones of Regulation and also the blob tree, 1:1 support from TAs trained to listen, calm spaces, the Flower Room (a quiet area with calming activities, a sofa and space to reflect and talk). We have Senior Mental Health Leads (SMHL – Kim Rogers and Jane Rawson), have received extensive training and support from The Mulberry Bush (https://mulberrybush.org.uk/events-training/), and have bought in The Mulberry Bush’s SEMH curriculum – new for this year!

We use many other strategies, activities and tools to help with sensory or physical needs, such as alternatives to written formats e.g. ICT and Scribes, individual support for pupils with complex medical needs, appropriate training is given based on need, wobble cushions, lap weights, sloped writing tables, raised seating arrangement, quiet places to work or dens for quiet space, pencil grips and wrist weights, fine motor skills games.

How do we know our support is working?

We monitor our provision through reviews with parents, listening to your child’s voice, data analysis, work scrutiny and lesson observations. We may buy in consultants and outside agencies to help us do this. We monitor pupil progress through class reviews and review the success of interventions and provision maps.

The school is committed to providing high quality professional development for staff and this is the best way of making sure our teachers can offer inclusive practice.

How can I support my child?

There are lots of ways you can help. The best way to help is to talk to the teachers and ask questions if you have them. Don’t be afraid to share information that might be useful to the school, for example, share any worries your child may have. If you need to, ask your child’s teacher for their advice and support, they can arm you with lots of ideas and tips. It helps if your child comes to school ready to face the day, and if you have concerns be quick to bring them to the school’s attention, that way they can be dealt with more swiftly.

Who can support me with my child’s SEND?

Having a child with SEND can be worrying and exhausting. The school recognises this and we want to help parents by working closely together. We also have access to other specialists. There are also lots of local and national support groups who have parent groups and networks and lots of useful tips. The SENDCo is always happy to talk to you to help you identify which direction to go in to access more help.

What are the school's arrangements for supporting pupils with SEND in transfer between phases of education?

We work closely with pupils and their families to make sure any change, such as moving classes or changing schools, is as smooth and positive as possible. We plan transitions carefully by sharing information with new teachers or schools, arranging extra visits, and preparing children in advance so they know what to expect. For older pupils, we help them develop important life skills such as independence, communication, and confidence. We also work with parents and outside professionals to support pupils as they prepare for adulthood, further education, or more independent living.

Who do I talk to if I am worried about my child or the provision offered?

A parents first point of contact is always the class teacher; most concerns are easily addressed this way. If you would prefer, you can talk to the SENDCo or the Head Teacher. The school encourages parents to share their concerns quickly. If you need more support, we can put you in touch with SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Independent Advice and Support Services) who will be happy to help.