Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School

At Paddock Junior, Infant and Nursery School we are committed to the inclusion of all pupils. Every individual is valued and their achievement celebrated. We support the entitlement of all pupils to a broad and balanced curriculum. Each pupil is helped to achieve their maximum potential by identifying and meeting their needs and by overcoming potential barriers to learning.

We recognises as stated in the Special Educational Needs (SEND) 0-25 Code of Practice that:

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 the majority of others of the same age, or
• 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.

Children and young people with SEND have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.

Many children and young people will have Special Educational Needs or Disability of some kind at some time during their education. Paddock JIN School can help to support pupils to succeed, in communication and working alongside parents/carers. This support can include learning mentor intervention, short withdrawal and Teaching Assistant support, small group work, intervention in English and Mathematics. Children and young people with SEND may need extra help because of a range of needs. Paragraphs 6.27 – 6.35 of the 0-25 SEND Code of Practice outlines four areas of SEND need:

Communicating and interaction

Communication and interaction may mean that children and young people have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to make sense of language or to understand how to communicate with others, this can also include Autistic Spectrum Conditions.

Cognition and learning

Children and young people with cognition and learning difficulties may have barriers to learning which impact on their understanding of the curriculum, this can also lead to difficulties with organisation and memory skills, or have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning, such as in difficulties with literacy, numeracy and motor skills.

Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties

This may lead children and young people to having difficulty in managing their relationships with other people, may cause difficulty with regulating emotions and lead to lack of motivation, focus and challenging behaviour. Children and young people with this difficulty may become withdrawn or isolated and it can affect their health and wellbeing.

Sensory and/or physical needs

Children and young people with visual and/or hearing impairments, or a physical need may need ongoing support and additional resources or equipment. Some children and young people may have needs in more than one of these areas.

Disabilities

Many children and young people who have SEND may also have a disability. A disability is described in law (the Equality Act 2010) as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term (a year or more) and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ This includes, for example, sensory impairments such as those that affect sight and hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy.
The Equality Act requires schools:

• must not directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people
• must make reasonable adjustments