Our INTENT is to include everyone, and we aim to do this by ensuring all children experience a fully accessible environment, curriculum, and quality of experience by seeking to remove barriers to learning and provide highly focused quality learning experiences for all children.

This is in accordance with support and advice from external partners such as the Local Authority, specialist SEN support teams, Medical Professionals and Educational Psychologists. Our Policy for Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs outlines procedures for identifying, assessing, and making provision for children with special and additional needs.

A Special Educational Need is a legal definition and refers to children with learning problems or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age.

The Children & Families Act 2014 defines Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) as:

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

There are 4 broad areas of Special Educational Needs:

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

Kerry Carr is our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator, who works with staff, families and supporting agencies to monitor any child with a Special Educational Need/Disability and ensures they receive the appropriate support systems to reach or exceed their full potential. Our SEN Link Governor is Pat Camsey, an experienced Early Years Specialist for South Tyneside Local Authority. Her role is to monitor practice within our setting and provide appropriate challenge, support and guidance to staff. It is the role of both individuals to monitor the IMPACT of our systems for children experiencing a Special Educational Need.