Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Our approach

• Every child is entitled to a broad, ambitious curriculum, with the support needed to access it.
• Identifying additional needs is a continuous, partnership process between teachers, parents, and the child.
• Support is offered through a graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review), adjusted in light of what works.
• We are honest about what King's can offer and what may need external expertise.

Identifying additional needs

Class teachers monitor every child's progress in reading, maths, language, and social development. When a child appears to be making slower progress than expected, or showing patterns of difficulty, the teacher raises a concern with the SENCo. We may use standardised screening (e.g. reading age tests, working memory checks) and we always talk to parents early.

The graduated approach

• Assess. Gather information from the class teacher, parents, and any external professionals already involved.
• Plan. Agree a short, specific support plan with measurable goals. Share it with the family in writing.
• Do. Class teacher delivers the plan day to day, with support from the SENCo and teaching assistants.
• Review. Formal review every six weeks at first, then termly when settled. Plan updated or stepped down based on progress.

Working with external professionals

Where a child may benefit from external assessment (e.g. an educational psychologist, speech and language therapist, paediatrician), we discuss this with the family and signpost trusted services in Antananarivo, Réunion, or further afield. The cost of external assessment is normally the family's, though the school will contribute in cases of hardship and where the assessment is required to support the child's place at King's.

Parents as partners

• Parents are informed at the earliest stage when we have a concern.
• Parents are invited to every review meeting and receive a copy of every plan in writing.
• Parents are encouraged to share information about their child openly, including any prior assessments, medical reports, or strategies that work at home.

Limits of provision

King's is a small, mainstream primary school. We can support a wide range of mild and moderate needs well, particularly in literacy, language, attention, and social development. We will be honest with families if we believe a child would be better served by a specialist setting, and we will help them find one. We will not enrol or retain a child if we cannot offer them an education that is genuinely adequate to their needs.

Confidentiality

Information about a child's needs is held by the SENCo and shared with the staff who teach the child, on a strict need-to-know basis, with parental consent.

Related policies

• Equal opportunities & inclusion policy
• Safeguarding & child protection policy
• Behaviour policy