Special Needs

SENDCO, Mrs S Hunt: shunt@sackvilleschool.org.uk

The Sackville Equal Opportunities Policy defines equal opportunities as the fair and equal treatment of all, regardless of gender, race, class, religion, age, or ability.

Sackville School is dedicated to the promotion of social and educational inclusion. Students attend school in order to further their education and our belief is that each one is unique. All students are entitled to a broad, balanced and differentiated education, which encompasses the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Special Educational Needs and disability reform – New Code of Practice 2014

The new SEND Code of Practice and Children & Families came into force on the 1st September 2014. The key purposes are to make provision more responsive and outcome focused, increase parental involvement and allow students to have greater input into their support and education.

Key changes

New SEND categories:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, mental and emotional health – note no behaviour
  • Sensory and/or physical

SEND stages:

  • There is no longer ‘School Action’ and ‘School Action Plus’
  • This has been replaced by ‘SEN support’ ‘K’.
  • Focus on ‘outcomes not hours’ – meaning the greater the needs, the greater the input they receive – more flexibility.
  • New Education, Health and Care Plans replace Statements.
  • Provides the option of a personal budget to meet identified outcomes (can be held by parent/carer).
  • Current statements will be converted by 2017 through a phased approach.

The code strongly sets out ‘quality first teaching. For all children with highly differentiated work, with adaptions and enhancements clearly evident’ at classroom level.

Local authorities, in our case West Sussex, set out and publish a ‘Local Offer’. This explains how they will work with parents and local schools as well as other services. The aim is for local authorities to provide a more joined-up process when delivering support for SEND children. It should also make the system less stressful for families as it gives parents more information about the expertise and services that are available within West Sussex to support them and their child. It should give parents more choice. As a school, we are required to produce a Local Offer that outlines the additional and different provisions we have as a school in order to assist SEND students with their learning and progression into adulthood.  This enables parents to make the right choice when selecting a secondary school for their child and outline the systems and support they should expect from us as well as answering some frequently asked questions.

A copy of our Local Offer can be found here

Sackville SEN Information Report