SEND
HCCPS SEND School Information Report 2024-2025
At Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School, we are committed to creating a stimulating learning experience that is inclusive of all children. We want every child to reach their potential and emerge from school with a life-long love of learning. We adhere to the guidelines set out in the SEND Code of Practice 2014 and the Equality Act 2010.
What do we mean by Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?
A pupil has SEND where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.
The SEND Code of Practice identifies four broad main areas of need:
- Communication & Interaction - This area refers to children with speech, language and communication difficulties and/or social communication and interaction difficulties such as Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC).
- Cognition & Learning - This covers specific areas of difficulty such as Literacy difficulties or Maths difficulties. It also covers situations where a child’s development is delayed over several areas. It includes difficulties with working memory and processing information.
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health difficulties - This area covers social and emotional issues, as well as specific issues such as ADHD or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
- Sensory & or Physical needs - This covers sensory impairment such as hearing or visual difficulties, as well as physical disabilities.
A child may have needs that fall into more than one of the above areas.
How do we identify children with SEND?
Class teachers make regular assessments of all pupils and identify those whose progress:
- is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
- fails to match or better their previous rate of progress
- fails to close or widens the attainment gap between the child and their peers
Slow progress and low attainment do not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEND. When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we look at the rate of progress, age-related expectations and attainment. We also consult with parents and pupils. We use this to determine the support that is needed as set out below. We use a variety of tools to assess and track progress including some specialist assessments where needed.
We recognise that the Covid pandemic of 2020 has had long-lasting effects on some of the children’s attainment and mental health.
Our School Graduated Response to SEND
We provide mainstream education and make reasonable adjustments so that all children can access the national curriculum. Our graduated response is as follows:
Ordinarily Available Provision
We provide all children with 'Quality First Teaching' whereby teachers draw on a wide range of strategies and resources to support progress. Teachers make reasonable adaptations to the lessons to account for the range of needs and abilities within the class. This is called ‘differentiation’. It is normal to have different levels of learning going on at the same time.
Targeted Support
From time-to-time a child may fall behind or stop progressing, for a variety of reasons. If this happens, we may offer 'targeted support' which could be in the form of a group catch-up programme or intervention led by an adult for a specific length of time. It could also be in the form of specific resources that a child is given to use. The results of these interventions are carefully monitored to ensure that progress is being made. If the intervention works, then the gap between the child and their peers should close and progress should resume. If, despite interventions and targeted support, there is still a significant gap, between a child and their peers, then we move to the next level of support.
SEND Support and Special Educational Needs
This is the term given to all children who are deemed to have an ongoing Special Educational need. We record the names of these children on our SEND register, which is updated each term and shared with staff. It may be that support for these children comes from within the school team and resources, or that the school requests extra help from outside agencies such as Specialist Teachers.
The Assess, Plan, Do, Review process
This is the process that we use to ensure that the extra provision we provide for children with SEND is matched to their specific needs.
- Pupil Passport: A child may be given a Pupil Passport if they require specific resources, approaches or strategies to support their learning. It gives an overview of the strengths and difficulties in their general learning and is updated by the class teacher mid-year, or as needed.
- Assess, Plan, Do, Review Document (APDR): A child may be given an APDR when they have specific targets based around their needs which are to be reviewed on a termly basis. These targets are written in collaboration with parents, by the teacher and with input from the child where possible. SENDCos and outside professionals may also be involved in setting targets. Any provision that a child receives will be recorded on our central Provision Map data base, so that an accurate record of support and impact can be built up over time and easily accessed and reviewed. There will be no summer targets written as the focus will be on consolidation and transition.
Specialist support will only be sought in cases where the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle has failed to close the gap and there are still significant concerns.
- Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP): Where a child has significant ongoing Special Educational Needs, a parent or school may ask for an Education Health Care needs assessment. The Local Authority then decide whether an assessment will be carried out and whether an EHCP is issued.
There is more information on this process here: Cambridgeshire Online | Applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan)
Supporting children moving through phases of education
When children with SEND are joining or leaving the school we will liaise with the other setting to help your child settle into school and ensure that appropriate provision is in place. We also expect parents to share vital information regarding their child’s needs in advance as this is crucial to a smooth transition. We have strong links with our feeder preschools and local secondary schools.
As a child travels through the school, information is shared between teachers and the SENDCO maintains an overview and ensures that teachers are aware of the Special Educational Needs within their class, at the start of each year.
Consulting and involving parents and pupils
We see supporting SEND as a collaborative process that involves the child, their parents or carers, and the school. The most effective way of supporting children is when school and home work closely together. Parents will be kept fully informed and can ask for a meeting with the teacher if there are concerns. As the teacher knows the child the best, the teacher should always be the first port of call. Meetings can be requested via the school office.
Teacher/parent APDR meetings are offered on a termly basis and are longer than, and instead of, the usual parent consultation. These meetings will usually be with the teacher.
EHCPs are reviewed on a yearly basis with the SENDCo in consultation with relevant staff and outside professionals if already involved.
The SENDCo on the Hardwick campus is Leila Coe:
The SENDCo on the Cambourne Campus is Lisa Eadon:
This Information Report has been written in conjunction with the following school policies:
Useful links
The Local Offer sets out the Local Authorities approach to supporting SEND:
Recognising and Responding to specific SEND in the Local offer:
Statutory Assessment team (EHCPs and EHC Needs assessments)
The Cambridgeshire Ordinarily Available Toolkit, which this school uses.
- The SEND Code of Practice 2014
- The Equality Act 2010
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (legislation.gov.uk)
SENDIASS (parent partnership) offers impartial and confidential information, advice and support to parents and carers who have a child or young person with special educational needs: Cambridgeshire Online | SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)
Pinpoint: Charity for parents with children with SEN Needs, for parents and run by parents:Cambs SEND Parent/Carer Support from Pinpoint Cambridgeshire (pinpoint-cambs.org.uk)
To be reviewed yearly.