St. Paul’s Steiner School follows the SEN Code of Practice issued by the Government.
The definition of Special Educational Needs is:
Children have SEN if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:
- Have a significant greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age or;
- Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in the school.
The child’s class teacher will usually be the first person to notice if a child falls behind in the class and will raise a concern with the parent and SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator). Parents or any other teacher working with a child may also raise a concern.
The raising of a concern will lead to a first meeting with the teacher, parent(s) and if necessary the SENCO. At this point, the child may be referred to the school doctor who can recommend curative eurythmy or art therapy sessions. (There is an extra charge for these.)
Depending on the level of concern, the child can be placed on School Action (this is extra help for the child in-class given by the class teacher) or on School Action Plus (when outside agencies become involved in the child’s wellbeing).
When the child is on ‘School Action’ or ‘School Action Plus’, his/her name will be put on the SEN register: this is an Ofsted requirement. The child’s name is removed from the SEN register when there is no longer any concern.
School Action and School Action Plus also involves setting up an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) for the child. This outlines the strategies and provisions that will be used to help the child achieve measurable targets thereby monitoring his/her progress in class. We aim to work together with the parent(s) when devising the IEP as this benefits children’s learning. The IEP will be reviewed at an agreed date and the outcomes discussed.
When drawing up an IEP, it may be decided that the child will receive extra one to one lessons with a Special Needs Teacher.
If, after intervention, the outcomes of the IEPs are not successful, the School can apply for a Statement of Special Educational Needs. Parents can also initiate an application. The application process takes around 6-8 months. If a Statement is awarded by the local education authority, it may enable a child to have extra specialist lessons, therapies, or have a classroom assistant, depending on the nature of the child’s learning difficulty.
A child with a Statement of SEN will have continuous IEPs and an annual review with a representative of the local education authority to decide if the Statement will be maintained for another year or if the Statement needs to be amended.
If you have any queries regarding Special Educational Needs in St Paul’s Steiner School, please make an appointment to speak to the SENCO. Email: senco@stpaulssteinerschool.org