Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities

       Mrs Anderson SENDCO &                  

                   LAC Lead                                             

Introduction

All Suffolk Local Authority (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and /or disabilities and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.

The broad areas of SEND need are:

• Communication and Interaction.

• Cognition and Learning.

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties.

• Sensory and/or Physical.

What is the Local Offer?

The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 0-25. The LA refer to this as the 'Local Offer'.

Suffolk County Council's Local Offer

What is the Special Education Needs Information Report?

The Special Education Needs Information Report

Schools utilise the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy and the provision that the school is able to provide. Schools refer to this as ‘The Special Education Needs Information Report.

Maintained schools are funded annually for SEND via their delegated budget based on a formula set by the Local Authority. The first £6,000 of costs per child to the school is expected to be covered from this funding. Any pupils that have specific needs that requiring further funding, Birchwood will apply on a needs basis via the High Tariff Needs funding pool termly.