What is SEN(D)?
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (often called ‘SEN’ or ‘SEND’) is a legal term for many people who will need extra support during their education.
The Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years
says:
‘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.’
It also says that a Disability is when someone has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.
Not everyone who has a particular condition or disability has a Special Educational
Need. For example, someone could have a degree of deafness or physical disability and be totally independent and make good progress without any extra support. It is only when they cannot succeed without special educational provision being made for them that they have a SEND.
What if my child has special educational needs or a disability?
The school offers a range of support strategies for children who have Special
Educational Needs and these will be different for each child. These might involve adapting teaching strategies and resources in order to help your child make good progress. The SEN(D) information report below explains some of the things that we can do to support your child.
Who can I talk to if I think my child has special educational needs?
If you are worried about that your child is not working at the expected level for their age or if you are concerned about their progress, you can always talk to your child’s class teacher.
We also have a fully qualified SEND coordinator who can meet with you to talk about any concerns or questions you might have.
Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Lead person at Moorside Community Primary School is the Head teacher Ms L Hall along with the leadership team. You can talk to the office staff if you would like to make an appointment with her or the leadership team.
Are there any other sources of support?
The Newcastle Local Offer website has information about different groups and organisations that might be able to support you. These might include:
Parent Partnership - Newcastle Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Information, Advice and Support Service
This service supports parents and carers by listening to concerns, explaining SEND policies and procedures and offer practical support to help in discussions with parents and other agencies.
Northeast Special Needs Network
This organisation supports families with disabled children/young people from birth to 25 years and has a team of Family Advice Workers who can provide practical, targeted support tailored to each family on a range of issues including education, social care, health, benefits, leisure and housing. They can work with parents and cares to prepare for meetings and go with them so their views are listened to.
Pass it on Parents – Newcastle parents of children with additional needs working together.
This service is run by parents of children with additional needs and provides information, support and advice from the local offer and other services.
Educational Needs Teaching and Support Service (SENTASS)
SENTASS offer support and guidance to teachers and parents and carers. With parents’ permission, the schools can ask SENTASS for advice on understanding and supporting children’s needs.
Newcastle Speech and Language Team
This team work with primary age children with significant speech and language difficulties. They work closely with the SENTASS speech and language teachers and schools can make a joint referral to the two teams to seek assessment and speech and language interventions for children.
Special Educational Needs Assessment Provision and Review Service
This is the local authority SEND team responsible for overseeing provision for SEND in Newcastle schools. They work with schools to ensure children are well-included and can support parents in finding the right provision and support for their child.