Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Our commitment to inclusion
At Bandon Hill Primary School, we are ambitious for all our pupils and believe there is no ceiling on what can be achieved by any child, regardless of their starting point, circumstance or background. We are committed to providing a nurturing, inclusive and supportive learning environment where every child feels valued, understood and able to thrive.
Our leaders are leaders for all pupils, enabling our teachers to be teachers of all pupils. We recognise that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) may require different approaches, adaptations and support to achieve success. Through strong partnerships with families, pupils and external professionals, we work together to ensure every child receives the provision they need to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.
We believe that effective communication is at the heart of successful inclusion. We work closely with parents and carers, ensuring that support is personalised, accessible and responsive to the needs of each child and family.
Vision statement
To create a welcoming and nurturing school where every child with SEND feels they belong, develops independence, and reaches their full potential.
Mission statement
To provide high-quality, targeted support that removes barriers to learning and helps every child make meaningful progress.
We do this by:
- Building independence: Rotating support staff to help children become more resilient and less dependent on one adult.
- Providing targeted support: Offering tailored help both in mainstream classrooms and small-group settings.
- Using evidence-based interventions : Delivering carefully planned interventions that are regularly reviewed.
- Creating calm spaces: Providing low-demand, quiet environments to support focus and wellbeing.
What does it mean to have a Special Educational Need?
A child has Special Educational Needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them.
A child may have SEND if they:
- Have significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age.
- Have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities generally available in mainstream schools.
Special educational provision is support that is additional to, or different from, the provision made available to other children of the same age.
What this means at Bandon Hill Primary School
At Bandon Hill Primary School, inclusion is part of everyday school life. Children with SEND learn alongside their peers and are supported through high-quality teaching, personalised adaptations and targeted interventions when required.
A typical day for a child with SEND may include:
-
A welcoming start to the day with familiar routines and visual support where needed.
-
Access to a personalised pupil passport which helps all staff understand the child's strengths, needs and successful strategies.
-
Carefully adapted classroom teaching, including visual resources, pre-teaching of vocabulary, scaffolded tasks and additional processing time.
-
Opportunities to access targeted interventions to develop reading, communication, emotional regulation or social skills.
-
Support from teaching partners where appropriate, working alongside teachers to promote independence.
-
Access to nurturing spaces and emotional support throughout the school day when required.
-
Full participation in lessons, trips, clubs, performances and wider school activities alongside their peers.
Our aim is always to remove barriers to learning while promoting confidence, independence and belonging.
Our SEND team
|
Karen Newsome, |
I am committed to ensuring that we have high expectations for every child to achieve their full potential, no matter what their starting point. I strive to ensure all children feel valued, a sense of belonging, understood and supported in a caring and inclusive community. Through working in close partnership with families and other professionals, we aim to remove barriers to learning and ensure that every child has the provision that they need to flourish, gain independence, equip them with life skills and ensure that they are able to access a meaningful and purposeful curriculum, whilst having a sense of true belonging.
|
|
Assistant SENDCo and Nurture Lead |
Positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do. I am passionate about ensuring that every child feels safe, included and supported, working closely with families and staff to remove barriers to learning and help each child achieve their full potential. |
|
Teaching Partner with responsibility for ELSA |
Helping you to help yourself is a key social skill that can contribute to a happy school life. I am committed to helping each child understand and recognise their emotions and well-being leading to helping navigate them with coping strategies. |
|
Teaching Partner with responsibility for Verbo and A-List |
As a deeply passionate A-List intervention teaching assistant, I am dedicated to delivering tailored reading and writing programmes that unlock every child's full potential. I thrive on inspiring a lifelong love for literacy, transforming learning challenges into confident milestones for my pupils.
|
|
Teaching Partner with shared responsibility for emotional regulation and Lego Therapy |
I am passionate about ensuring every child feels seen and heard. My role involves fostering an environment where each pupil can learn to understand and manage their emotions, whether through specialised interventions like Lego Therapy and nurture groups, or during emotional check-ins. |
Identification and assessment of children with SEND
We work closely with families, nurseries and previous educational settings to identify children who may require additional support as early as possible.
When children join Bandon Hill Primary School, information is gathered through transition meetings, discussions with parents and previous settings, and review of existing assessments or professional reports.
Throughout their time at school, teachers regularly assess progress and identify pupils whose progress:
-
Is significantly slower than that of their peers.
-
Does not match or improve upon previous rates of progress.
-
Does not close attainment gaps.
-
Demonstrates emerging social, emotional or behavioural needs.
Teachers may raise concerns through our internal referral process and discuss these with the SENDCo. Parents and carers are encouraged to share concerns at any time through discussions with class teachers or the SENDCo.
Attendance, behaviour and attainment data may also be used to identify pupils who would benefit from additional support.
Identification of SEND follows a graduated approach of Assess, Plan, Do and Review, ensuring support is responsive and evidence-informed.
Pupil Passport
All pupils receiving SEND Support or who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) have a pupil passport.
Pupil passports are developed in partnership with pupils and school staff. They capture:
- Strengths and interests.
- Areas of need.
- Successful strategies.
- Reasonable adjustments.
- Desired outcomes.
These documents are reviewed regularly to ensure support remains effective and relevant.
Learning Plan
Universal provision – high quality teaching
At Bandon Hill Primary School, high-quality teaching is the foundation of our SEND provision.
Teachers use evidence-informed approaches to ensure all pupils can access learning successfully. These include:
-
Clear modelling and explanations.
-
Breaking learning into manageable steps.
-
Visual supports and scaffolds.
-
Repetition and retrieval practice.
-
Regular checks for understanding.
-
Adaptive teaching and flexible grouping.
-
Explicit teaching of vocabulary.
-
Additional processing time where needed.
Our carefully sequenced curriculum supports the development of reading, writing, communication, language and mathematical understanding while ensuring all pupils can access ambitious learning.
Targeted support
Where pupils require support beyond universal provision, targeted interventions may be provided.
Examples include:
-
Rapid Catch-Up (letters and sounds)
-
Maths Meetings
-
Nurture Provision
-
Life Skills
-
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) support
-
Small group learning programmes
-
Social skills groups
-
LEGO Therapy
-
A-List
-
Verbo
Interventions are carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure they have a positive impact on outcomes.
Specialist support
Some pupils may require more specialised provision delivered in partnership with external professionals.
We work closely with:
-
Educational psychologists
-
Speech and language therapists
-
Occupational therapists
-
Physiotherapists
-
CAMHS
-
Behaviour Support Services
-
Sensory Support Services
-
Physical and Sensory Support Teams
-
Paving the Way
-
Playwise
Recommendations from specialists are incorporated into classroom practice and personalised support plans.
Staff training
We are committed to ensuring all staff have the skills and knowledge required to support pupils with SEND effectively.
Professional development includes:
-
Whole-school SEND training.
-
Specific training linked to identified pupil needs.
-
Collaboration with external professionals.
-
Ongoing coaching and professional learning opportunities.
Our SENDCo, Mrs Karen Newsome, leads SEND provision across the school and works closely with staff to ensure inclusive practice is embedded throughout the school.
Useful links
Teacher Handbook: SEND
With contributions from specialists across the sector, the handbook is a comprehensive resource for teachers and parents to use over time. It brings together practical examples of high-quality teaching – placing focus on removing barriers to learning, getting to know and understand individual learners, and bringing to life the graduated approach. To access this free resource, click on the link below and sign up to Whole School SEND:
Whole School SEND Online CPD Units
Free, flexible online learning to help develop inclusive practice.
SEND Information Report
Our SEND Information Report explains how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It provides information about how needs are identified, the support available, how progress is monitored, and how we work collaboratively with families and external professionals to ensure every child feels included, supported and able to succeed.
Oue SEND Information report can be downloaded from our School Policies and Documents page.
Sutton Local Offer
The Sutton Local Offer provides information, advice and support for children and young people aged 0–25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. It brings together details of local education, health and social care services, as well as information about Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), support services, activities and preparing for adulthood. The Local Offer helps families understand what support is available within Sutton and how to access it.
Sutton Information Hub
Greenshaw Learning Trust SEND Policy
The Greenshaw Learning Trust SEND Policy sets out the Trust’s commitment to ensuring that all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) receive high-quality, inclusive education. The policy outlines how schools within the Trust identify, assess and support pupils with SEND, working in partnership with families, pupils and external agencies to remove barriers to learning and enable every child to achieve their full potential. The policy is based on the SEND Code of Practice and applies to all schools within the Greenshaw Learning Trust.