Special Educational Needs Provision
SEN Policy and Information Report
Introduction
We include and welcome all children and adults at St Mark’s Church of England Primary, where we aim to provide a safe and accessible environment and curriculum that takes into account the needs of all pupils, staff and visitors to the school.
We accept children into school regardless of their access difficulties or other identified disabilities.
We accept the Kent definition of a disability and are committed to following the county’s guidance regarding access, within the limits of the school building and grounds.
In the case where parents of a child with a disability approach the school for a place, we commit to working with them and all appropriate agencies to try and facilitate the needs of that child.
Similarly, if a child should develop or acquire a disability during their time at school, we actively seek ways in which to accommodate them so as to minimise disruption to their education and maintain social contacts.
This Access Plan is drawn up in compliance with current legislation and requirements as specified in Schedule 10, relating to Disability, of the Equality Act 2010. School Governors are accountable for ensuring the implementation, review and reporting on progress of the Access Plan over a prescribed period. Additional provision for children with Special Education Needs can be found in our Special Education Needs & Disability Information Report. This Access Plan should also be read in conjunction with the school’s policies regarding Behaviour, Safeguarding, Medical Needs & Administration, Equal Opportunities and Teaching & Learning.
The aim of this plan is to improve access for pupils who may have a disability of some kind. A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. A school has a duty not to treat disabled pupils less favourably and to take steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage. There are 3 strands to the planning duty:
– increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate
– in the school curriculum improve the physical environment of the school
– improve the delivery of information to disabled pupils.
In order to compile this plan, the school conducted an audit of current accessibility and identified barriers to access or inclusion within our school. The plan is drawn up to cover a 3 year period and is reviewed and revised annually as part of our School Development Plan. We recognise the need to provide adequate resources for implementing plans.
Mainstream Core Standards guide:
Parent version:
The Local Offer
Please click on the link below that will take you to the Kent County Council's (K.C.C.) Local Offer. K.C.C. say that the local offer is:
A local offer is for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years. It provides information and support services available to families in their local area.
'Local offer' is a term from the national government, we call our local offer the 'SEND information hub'. (Kent County Council 2023)
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - Kent County Council