SEND

The Sittingbourne School SEND Offer

Our Commitment to Inclusive Education

At The Sittingbourne School, we are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of their individual needs. We believe that every child has the right to access a high-quality education that meets their unique requirements. Our approach to Special Educational Needs (SEN) is based on the principles of early identification, effective intervention, and personalised support.

Understanding SEN

A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Making higher quality teaching normally available to the whole class is likely to mean that fewer pupils will require such support. This is known as the ‘core offer’. This means that a child with ADHD, ASD, etc may not necessarily be recorded as having SEN if their needs are being met in the classroom. Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has SEN and should not automatically lead to a pupil being recorded as having SEN.

Our Core Offer

We believe that high-quality teaching is essential for all students, including those with SEN. Our core offer includes:

High-quality teaching: We regularly review and improve the quality of teaching for all pupils, focusing on strategies to identify and support vulnerable learners.
Differentiation and adaptations: We differentiate our teaching to meet the individual needs of all students, ensuring that they have access to appropriate resources and support.
Early identification and intervention: We implement early identification and intervention strategies to address potential difficulties before they become more significant.

Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching. At TSS, we regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils, including those at risk of underachievement. This includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving teachers' understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and their knowledge of the SEN most frequently encountered.

Consideration of whether special educational provision (support that is more than the core offer) is required should start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment and the views and wishes of the pupil and their parents. This should then help determine the support that is needed and whether it can be provided by adapting the school’s core offer or whether something different or additional is required. At times, parents, teachers and others may have differing expectations of how a child’s needs are best met. Sometimes these discussions can be challenging but it is in the child’s best interests for a positive dialogue between parents, teachers and others to be maintained, to work through points of difference and establish what action is to be taken.

Meeting the needs of pupils with EHCPs

We are committed to meeting the needs of students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Many of the needs outlined in EHCPs can be met through our core offer. However, we recognise that there may be specific support requirements that are not available within our school. In these cases, we will work closely with parents and external agencies to explore alternative options. However, at times, there may be support outlined on plans that we are unable to provide at TSS. So that you can be clear what support we are able to provide, please arrange to discuss any concerns with a member of the SEND team.

Collaboration and Partnership

We believe that strong partnerships between the school, parents, and other professionals are essential for meeting the needs of students with SEN. We encourage open communication and collaboration to ensure that students receive the best possible support.

Please contact the school if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding our SEND offer.