Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Please follow this page for the latest SEN-D information and changes to National and Local SEN-D offer, policy and guidance.

In this section of the website we will outline the changes to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEN-D) and what it means for our children at Great Chart Primary.

As of September 1st 2014 a new Code of Practice for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities was introduced by the Government with statutory guidance for schools following the changes made to the “Children and Families Act 2014”.

Part of the changes made include a requirement that all local authorities produce a “Local Offer” outlining what the authority offer to support children with SEN-D. You can find this by clicking on the following link: http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

As a school we are also required to set out our own “Local Offer” setting out what our school will do to support children with SEN-D. This will be set out in our new SEN-D Policy and Information Report.

SEN Policy

SEN Information Report

A “Parents Guide” to the new SEN code of Practice outlines what provision should be made by schools. http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers 

Mainstream Core Standards

Kent have published a new SEND Mainstream Core Standards guide as well as a Parent version:

Mainstream Core Standards Guide

Mainstream Core Standards - Guide for Parents

Click here for the latest Kent newsletter for parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Autism Education Trust

We regularly review the school's training programme and CPD for staff to ensure we can deliver high quality support for all Children with Send.

As part of our support for children with Autism our whole school has completed / accessed the Autism Education Trust, Making Sense of Autism Module.

This is an awareness-raising module for all staff in the school community. The module provides participants with an introduction to autism and the reasonable adjustments that need to be considered when working with autistic pupils.

Learning objectives

After completing ‘Making Sense of Autism’, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of getting to know the pupil as an individual.
  • Approach autism as a difference rather than as a disorder or impairment.
  • Understand the importance of identifying the strengths and needs of autistic pupils.
  • Know how three areas of difference can affect autistic pupils.
  • Appreciate how important it is to listen to and learn from the perspectives of autistic pupils.
  • Reflect on and implement reasonable adjustments to support autistic pupils you work with.
The Balanced System - Speech and Language Support for Schools

Please see below information regarding the balance system and a link to the balance system website:  

EKHUFT NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service are working with schools to establish the Balanced System® approach to meet the speech, language and communication needs of all children. This will provide an easy way for schools and parents to access speech, language and communication support. All schools have an allocated Link Speech and Language Therapist.  Your child does not need to be on a waiting list to access the Link Speech and Language Therapist as access will be via school in partnership with parents. The school SENCo will be able to discuss a child’s progress with the Link Therapist and identify further support required. This could include the implementation of classroom approaches for all children, targeted provisions such as small group interventions for those who will benefit from more focused support, and/ or more individualised support.

For more information about the Balanced System®:https://www.thebalancedsystem.org/what-is-it/