Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Our Aims and Philosophy

At The Sandringham Federation, we are committed to an inclusive education for all. We believe every child should be supported to achieve their potential, regardless of their starting point or barriers to learning. Inclusion is central to who we are as a Federation and as a community.

We are proud of the personal, social and academic achievements of our pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Through high‑quality teaching, an inclusive learning environment, and strong pastoral support, we ensure pupils leave Sandringham & West Newton and Flitcham well‑equipped for the next stage of their education.

Our ethos is built on:

• Valuing all pupils and staff equally
• Reducing barriers to learning and participation
• High aspirations for every child
• Strong partnerships with families
• Listening to pupils’ views when planning provision
• Integrating professional advice into classroom practice
• Using assessment and progress data to inform support

We follow the Assess – Plan – Do – Review cycle to ensure needs are identified early and support is tailored, effective, and regularly reviewed.

Our Federation SENDCo is Mrs Chrissie Reddey, who can be contacted via the school office or by email at creddey@swn.dneat.org.

What is SEND?

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) defines a child or young person as having SEND if they have:

“a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them which is different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.”

All mainstream schools, including academies, follow the same statutory approach to meeting the needs of pupils with SEND. Schools are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of need, make the best possible progress.

We are an inclusive Federation, and wherever possible, pupils with SEND are supported within a mainstream setting, in line with family preference.  

The Norfolk SEND Local Offer

All schools must publish information about their SEND provision as part of the Norfolk SEND Local Offer.

The Local Offer aims to:

• Provide clear, accessible information about support available for children with SEND and their families
• Explain what schools normally provide for pupils with lower‑level SEND
• Set out additional support options for families who need further help
• Ensure provision is responsive to local needs by involving children, young people, parents/carers and service providers in its development

Our Federation SEND Information Report and SEND Policy are available on our website and outline the support available at Sandringham & West Newton and Flitcham Primary Academy.

Our SEND Aims

We aim to:

• Ensure statutory duties are met for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Enable pupils to become independent, resourceful and resilient learners
• Ensure every child achieves their potential
• Build strong, supportive relationships with parents and families
• Ensure pupil voice is central to planning and provision
• Integrate professional advice into classroom practice
• Use assessment, progress data and observation to inform provision

Further Information

If you would like further details about SEND provision at either school, you can explore:

• SEND Information Report
• SEND Policy
• Norfolk Local Offer

How we evaluate the effectiveness of our SEND Provision

We continuously ensure that provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children. We measure all student’s academic progress through summative assessments and where applicable, through targeted intervention. The progress of students with SEND is monitored by the teacher and the SENDCo. Information regarding progress is then used to evaluate the effectiveness of the support that is given. We will also gather information from the young person, parents/carers, Teaching Assistants and, where applicable, professionals from other agencies.

We place great importance on effective SEND provision and regularly review the impact of our intervention.

Evaluation methods include:

• Pupil and parent voice – questionnaires
• Assess, Plan, Do, Review outcomes
• SENCo/SLT/Governor monitoring

With the permission of parents, we may also seek additional advice from outside specialists. This extra advice may come from health professionals, specialist teachers or educational psychologists.  

These professionals may:

• Carry out further activities to show what the child finds easy and what they may need specific help with
• Provide advice to schools on how to best support the child
• Suggest resources (things) that would help the child make progress

If your child needs support from a range of professionals to succeed in school and in life, we will talk with you. We may, with your permission, ask the Local Authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment.

Interventions

As part of the Assess, Plan, Do, review cycle we adopt the following approach :

During their educational journey, a student may require a more bespoke and personalised approach to their learning. In which case, the student may receive some additional intervention as part of their provision. At Flitcham, we offer optional personalised learning interventions to identified pupils. 

For those pupils who have disabilities, guidance is sought and all reasonable adjustments are made.