Special Educational Need and Disabilities

Special Educational Need and Disabilities at Mawnan CE VA Primary School

Mawnan CE VA  Primary School is an inclusive school. We ensure that each and every child is secure in the knowledge that they are a special and valued member of our school community. We celebrate diversity and embrace the opportunities that this brings to enrich the experiences of adults and children alike. Our strong Christian ethos is visible and apparent throughout the school; adults and children have a great deal of respect for each other and relationships are accepting and supportive.

All of our children, regardless of their needs, are offered a teaching and learning experience that enables them to make the best possible progress educationally, socially and emotionally. All children are highly valued and fully included in all that we do. We strive to enable each and every one of our children to become a confident, secure, independent and resilient learners.

Our School Offer

We have a detailed SEND Policy, which explains clearly how our practice reflects the statutory requirements set out in the new SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 Years (April 2014). It is important to us that parents are aware of the procedures that we, as a school, have agreed to follow in order to support pupils with SEND.

Our School Offer complements our SEND Policy and, we hope, provides information that we believe is helpful to parents who have concerns about an aspect of their child’s learning, well-being or conduct in school.

We would like to ensure that our School Offer remains useful and relevant to all who use it. Your feedback and suggestions are most welcome, and will go a long way towards helping us to achieve this.

The local offer comprises a directory of services that parents can access. Cornwall’s local offer can be found here:

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/special-educational-needs-file/cornwall-send-local-offer/

What is Special Educational Need and Disabilities?

The term Special Educational Need and Disabilities (SEND) covers any learning difficulty or disability that requires provision that is additional to, or different from, that which can be provided through normal classroom teaching. It covers a range of needs, including: communication and interaction, cognition and learning difficulties, social and emotional, health or sensory difficulties or physical needs.

How will the school adapt to meet my child’s needs?

  • We spend time together as a school devising a curriculum that is stimulating, engaging, appealing and accessible.
  • Our teachers deliver high quality teaching, which is carefully differentiated or personalised to meet the needs of individuals.
  • The learning environment is rich in multi-sensory resources including models, images and equipment to support the learning process for each of our pupils.
  • We provide access to a range of individual and small group based intervention programmes as appropriate. We often adapt/amend/devise our own highly individualised programmes using elements of the above, and/or specialist resources to match the needs of specific pupils.
  • We promote independence in learning through the use of chromebooks and ipads.
  • We plan activities that promote taking responsibility and building on individual strengths and to promote success.
  • We make physical adaptations as necessary to allow our pupils full access to the school buildings and grounds. See our Accessibility Plan.

Who can I speak to if I am concerned?

We are a receptive, approachable team here at Mawnan School, and we appreciate that issues surrounding SEND can sometimes be difficult to talk about. We will always make time for you; to listen, advise and discuss next steps for your child. We welcome and actively encourage parental involvement, so please do not hesitate to get in touch:

  • If you are concerned about your child’s learning, well-being or conduct in school, we advise that you talk through with their class teacher initially.
  • For concerns regarding a SEND, you can contact– our SENDCo, Sue Plechowicz.

SEND Contact Information

Our SEND Team:

  • Sue Plechowicz, SENDCo

You can contact us via:

  • School Office telephone – 01326 250 660
  • SEND direct email – senco@mawnanschool.com

Moving to secondary school or a specialist setting

The move to secondary school represents a significant life experience for every pupil. It can be both an exhilarating and terrifying time; and, for some children with SEND in particular, we understand that it can also be overwhelming and unsettling. We tailor our transition support to closely match the needs of each individual.

Our support at this time may include:

  • A programme of exploratory ‘transition’ sessions, usually one adult to one or two children.
  • Extra visits to the new setting; additional opportunities to become familiar with new routines, key places and key people.
  • Working on a ‘Transition Book’ or similar.
  • Liaison with key staff at the new setting
  • Encouraging parental involvement – we believe that, by working collaboratively, we can instil a sense of security that will enable the child to explore their feelings surrounding this time with confidence.

If your child has an EHC plan, and you are considering investigating a move to a specialist setting, we will support your with this. We will be able to ensure that we are working within the deadlines set by the Local Education Authority (LEA) for the various parts of the process that is involved.