Special Educational Needs
My name is Ms Duggan and I am the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator ) for Illogan Primary School. I am available in school on Wednesdays and Thursday.
Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress please make an appointment to see your child’s class teacher in the first instance. However, I am available for advice and information so please do feel very welcome to make an appointment with the staff at Reception if you feel I can be of help.
Our SEND Information Report and SEN policy can be downloaded from the links below:
SEND Policy and Information Report 2024-25
Illogan-School-SEN-Local Offer-from-September 2023
Family Information Service Cornwall : Local SEND offer
Cornwall’s SEND Local Offer can be found on the following website and
provides information about the expected Education, Health and Social Care Provision available in Cornwall for children and young people who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.
https://www.supportincornwall.org.uk/localoffer
Illogan Primary School welcomes children and adults of all abilities and needs and we will make every effort to provide facilities that are required, in partnership with the Local Authority. Admission procedures for pupils with disabilities are the same as for all children, although special arrangements may be negotiated. We aim to ensure that disabled pupils are treated with the same high regard as all other pupils. As a school that values an inclusive approach, all children have access to after school clubs, trips, camps and outdoor learning. The school has an Accessibility Plan which timetables the improvements to the school that will enable access for all; children and adults alike. The school shares a site and works closely with Curnow Lower Special School. We are able to use their knowledge and skill base to further develop good practice at Illogan. Links between the schools also allows children from both schools to learn alongside each other in a truly inclusive manner.
The Code of Practice for Special Education Needs gives the school responsibility for identifying children with special educational needs and ensuring appropriate provision is made. We aim to identify any child with a special educational need at the earliest possible age; those experiencing on going difficulties will, after consultation with parents, be placed on the SEND Register of Need. Children with special educational needs may include those with physical disabilities, hearing or visual impairment, social, emotional and mental health needs, language or specific learning problems.
Each child on the SEND Register of Need has a Learning Plan. This is written by the class teacher who works with parents and carers to ensure targets reflect the needs of the child both at home and school. Targets are shared with most of our learners. Learning Plans are regularly evaluated by teaching staff and progress is shared with parents termly. The best progress is always made when home and school work together and when families make time to talk, play games and support learning in school. The role of the parents in identifying and helping their child with special difficulties is vital, and the school consults with parents fully to maintain a close working relationship. Our policy for Special Educational Needs is available to all.
Pupils with SEND are assessed against their individual targets as well as against age related expectations. Information about their progress is collected through evidence in books, discussions with the child and teacher assessments. Progress of children with SEND is monitored closely by teachers, the SENDCo and the Senior Leadership Team. Children with SEND generally make good progress against their targets.
For a very small number of children a formal assessment of educational need is made; an EHC plan is then written with appropriate targets and supports. The procedure involves the Educational Psychologist, the teaching staff and support staff, plus other professional bodies who may be able to offer advice. This can be a lengthy process and the school will offer as much support to parents as possible. The provision that is made for children with EHC plans is varied and may consist of short periods of specialist teaching, TA support, physiotherapy, or possibly a place in another school offering specialist provision. The formal plans for children are reviewed annually, and parents are fully involved in this process.
We work with a number of external agencies and have close links with our Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and the local Autism Team. We have staff who are trained to attend Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings and all staff work closely with parents to ensure we are all meeting the child’s needs and supporting the family in any way we can.
We understand that for a number of children with additional needs transition periods are extremely difficult. Within our school we work alongside parents to ease the move to the next class and the transition to secondary school or new schools within the locality. Children have the opportunity to talk about their new class / school openly at home and discuss any worries. Additional visits to their new class / school are arranged for children we feel are emotionally vulnerable and need support.
When children move from Year 6 to secondary school a meeting can be held with the parents, the children and the SENDCo from the secondary school. This ensures that all information about the child’s needs is passed on effectively.
We have a strong pastoral team including a Learning Mentor. They are trained to support both children with emotional needs and families in the community who need support or advice. The learning mentor works with children and deals with issues around family and emotions, grief, bereavement and falling out with friends. We are a Trauma Informed School and have members of staff specifically trained in this area.
Children with medical needs are catered for and a named adult is responsible for administering medication in consultation with parents. Medication is kept in a safe place, only accessible by staff. Staff are trained to use specific equipment i.e. epi pens for children with severe allergic reactions.
For additional information on how we support children please see the following policies on the School Policies or Academy Polices web page.
Anti-bullying policy
Behaviour policy
Child protection policy
Children in care policy
Intimate care policy
SEND policy
Accessibility Plan
Useful Links
Sibs UK
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-families-children-with-send/