SEND Support
Leaders have high ambition for pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND)- Ofsted 2023
At Waingels we welcome students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as part of 
our community and we strive to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to access a broad and balanced curriculum.
Some of our students will need additional support to ensure access to the curriculum. To achieve this, we work in partnership with parents and carers, valuing their views and contributions and keeping them fully involved in their child’s education. The child is also involved, where possible, in decision making about their support. We believe that the effective education of students with SEND can only be achieved through a whole school, holistic approach, endorsed by all staff.
Key Individuals in our SEND Department
Mrs Creedy (Maternity Leave) & Miss Street (Special Educational Needs Coordinators)
Email: Senco@waingels.wokingham.sch.uk
Tel: 0118 969 0336
Twitter: @WaingelsSEND
Other Key Individuals and Responsibilities
Senior Leadership Team Responsible for Behaviour and Inclusion: Miss N Street
The Den Team Leader: Mrs S Hall, halshl@waingels.wokingham.sch.uk
Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer:
Heath Advisor: Mrs Sarah Jones: jonsjs@waingels.wokingham.sch.uk
Documents and Further Information
Definition of Special Educational Needs
The SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25 (2014) defines Special Educational Needs as follows:
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability is he or she:
- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or 16.
- Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for other of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions” (SEND Code of Practice, 2014).
In addition, educational settings should examine carefully all aspects of a child’s learning and development to establish whether any delay is related to learning English as an additional language or if it arises from SEN or disability. Difficulties related solely to learning English as an additional language are not considered SEND.
Types of Special Educational Needs
The new SEND Code of Practice (2014) identifies four broad areas of need. These areas of need a summarised as follows:
1) Communication and Interaction: includes children and young people who experience difficulties in speech, language and communication with others. This may range from difficulty understanding instructions or lacking the ability to understanding or using social rules of communication. The profile for every child with communication and interaction needs is different and it will constantly change with individual’s development and time. Recognised needs within this area include speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and needs relation to Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome.
2) Cognition and Learning: includes learning difficulties which result in children and young people progressing at a slower rate to their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Recognised needs within this area are hugely varied including moderate learning difficulties (MLD) and specific learning difficulties (SpLD) including a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
3) Social, Emotional & Mental Health: child and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties throughout childhood which manifest themselves in many ways. This may result in a young person becoming withdrawn or isolated, displaying challenging behaviour, experiencing anxiety or depression, self-harming or other physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other recognised needs within this area include attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
4) Sensory and/or Physical needs: some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. Children and young people with a physical disability (PD) may require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available. Other recognised needs within this area include vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) and a multi-sensory impairment (MSI).
SEND Code of Practice (2014)
Below is a brief list of some of the changes brought about by the SEND Code of Practice 2014:
- The Code of Practice (2014) covers the 0-25 age range
- There is a clearer focus on the views of children and young people and on their role in decision-making
- It includes guidance on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health services and social care
- For children and young people with more complex needs a co-ordinated assessment process and the new 0-25 Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan) replace statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs)
- There is a greater focus on support that enables those with SEN to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood.
Identifying Students with SEND at Waingels
The school identifies students with SEND through:
- Following an assess, plan, do and review model;
- Consultation with their former teacher(s) and/or the SENCO of their previous school;
- Examination of school records;
- Screening procedures on admission (such as reading age or individual assessments);
- Admission interviews with parents/carers and the student;
- Observations during their first term at Waingels;
- Monitoring of progress, consultation with Tutors and subject teachers;
- Discussion with pastoral staff including Heads of Year and keyworkers;
- Observation and feedback from support staff and external agencies.
In line with new government legislation as set out in the New Code of Practice (2014), the school makes a judgement about the appropriate stage of each student on the SEND Register. Parents are encouraged to seek advice from the school or Local Authority for further information.
SEND Coding
- School Action and School Action Plus have been replaced by a single coding catering called SEN Support. This is sometimes displayed as a ‘K’ on SEND documentation.
- The Code of Practice (2014) advocates that the majority of students identified as having SEND will have their needs met through high quality inclusive teaching.
- All new successful applications for Statutory Assessment will result in an Education, Health and Care plan being granted. This is sometimes displayed as a ‘E’ on SEND documentation.
Assess, Plan, Do & Review- A Graduated Response
In line with the Code of Practice (2014) recommendations, Waingels follows the assess, plan, do and review framework to support the educational provision for students identified on the SEND register.
Assessment: Includes identifying the SEND support required to meet the need of the child/young person by carrying out an analysis of the child’s needs. This is done in collaboration with parents.
Plan: Where it is decided a student is to be placed on the SEND register, appropriate levels of SEN support needs to be agreed with associated outcomes. The school formulates a plan in order to meet the needs of the child or young person.
Do: Teachers remain responsible for the progress and outcomes of identified SEND pupils within their individual lessons. However, it is the responsibility of the SENCO to co-ordinate the provision and interventions of students with identified SEND. When appropriate, the SENCO should advise staff on strategies and guidance on how to meet the needs of the pupils.
Review: Following a systematic review schedule, the SENCO will monitor and review progress made by identified SEND pupils in conjunction with individual subject teachers and advise staff accordingly.
Parents are encouraged to contact the SENCO should they have any questions and/or seek further information regarding this process.
The Role of the SENCO
The role of the SENCo is to co-ordinate the school’s strategy for SEND and to support governors and fellow teachers in delivering quality first teaching to meet the needs of all students. The responsibilities of the SENCO include:
- Managing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy;
- Co-ordinating provision for students with special educational needs;
- Liaising with the parent(s) / carer(s) of students with special educational needs;
- Maintaining the records of all students with special educational needs;
- Liaising with the Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Year and the Inclusion Team
- Liaising with and advising Heads of Department and teaching staff;
- Managing the Inclusion and Intervention Team;
- Contributing to the continuing professional development of staff;
- Liaising with partner schools over new admissions and with local Colleges over post 16 provision;
- Liaising with external agencies including the Local Authority, Multi-Professional Team, health services and voluntary bodies.
High Level Need
When students are identified as needing further support to meet their educational needs, the school may need to co-ordinate a response in conjunction with various external agencies and professionals such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, behaviour support and CAMHs. After careful consideration and assessment, if it is agreed that a statutory assessment should be applied for this can be co-ordinated through the SENCO, parents or child. For further information, please contact the SENCO
Our School Offer
As part of the Local Authorities provision map every school is required to publish their school offer which outlines what provision is offered to SEND students. In addition to our provision map (below), the school’s SEN Information Report and SEN Policy can also be found on the school’s website here.
Parent Partnership
Our aim is to develop a partnership where professionals and parents work together in the best interests of the child. Waingels recognises that positive attitudes, sharing of information, procedures and awareness of needs are all important. The views and wishes of the young person are also taken into consideration. Parents are informed when the school considers that a student’s needs are significant enough for them to be placed on the SEND register. www.wokingham.gov.uk/signin
Other Useful Links
Family Information Service with Wokingham
SENDIASS: Giving Disabled Children a Bright Future
Please click the Wokingham Local Offer button below to view our directory page of support available for children and young people with additional needs.
