What are special educational needs?

A child has SEND if he or she has learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for him or her to learn than most other children of about the same age.  Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their education. Our school can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily. A few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

So SEND could mean that a child has:

•  learning difficulties – in acquiring basic skills in school
•  emotional and behavioural difficulties – making friends or relating to adults or behaving properly in school
•  specific learning difficulty – with reading, writing, number work or understanding information
•  sensory or physical needs - such as hearing or visual impairment, which might affect them in school
•  communication problems – in expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
•  medical or health conditions – which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects his or her education.
• physical impairment-  substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers take account of this in the way they organise their lessons and teach. Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area may be given extra help or different lessons to help them succeed.  You should not assume, just because your child is making slower progress than you expected or the teachers are providing different support, help or activities in class, that your child has special educational needs. 

As a school, when a child is highlighted as having a difficulty / barrier to learning they are assessed and progress monitored. Assessments take many forms from observations, discussions with the child and teacher, use of appropriate screeners and more formal assessment tools as detailed in the SEND policy. From the information obtained, support strategies and / or interventions are put in place. These are monitored and additional advice can be obtained with the consent of parents, if we feel that more individualised support is needed, utilising the Local Offer. 

A small number of our children at Cliftonville Primary School are at the early stages of learning English (EAL pupils).  Being EAL is not a special educational need in itself. We recognise that some children may be EAL and have a SEND.

Pupil progress is monitored six times a year at Cliftonville Primary School and data is formally shared with parents and carers at Parents' Evenings.  Mrs Standen or the class teacher may contact you if we have a concern about any aspect of your child's development.  If you have any concerns, the school has a very open-door policy and staff will always meet with you to discuss any worries you have - no matter how small.