Definition of SEND

A child or young person has SEND 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 if he or she:

1.  has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.

2.  has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for        others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. SEN Code of Practice (2015 p.15) 

SEND at Minterne

At Minterne Junior School, we are committed to meeting the needs of all our pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) with inclusion at the heart of this.  We strive to ensure that all pupils:-

• become confident and resilient learners
• reach their full potential 
• make successful transitions to secondary school

High quality teaching that is differentiated for individual pupils is our first step in responding to children who have or may have SEN.  We monitor the quality of teaching and learning provided by all teachers and TAs on a termly basis and  follow the Mainstream Core Standards advice developed by Kent County Council to ensure that our teaching conforms to best practice.   

To help identify children who may need additional support we work alongside professionals (e.g. Community Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Local Authority) and also, track every child's progress three times per year.  We hold pupil progress meetings at this point too, where specific individuals are discussed with our senior leadership team (SLT) and appropriate support is identified for a pupil.  

For more information, please see our SEND Policy document and SEND Annual reports at the bottom of this page.

SEND Register

For some pupils who are requiring additional support to Minterne's 'universal offer' of support for all, in one or more of the 4 broad areas (communication & interaction, cognition & learning, social, emotional & mental health, physical & sensory) it may be necessary to add them to our SEND Register.  The SEND Register is a dynamic list that children can be added to, or removed from, at any time and we will always liaise with parents regarding this. This fluidity reflects the pupil's development and progress as they move through the school as some pupils may only need additional support for a short period of time.  

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

Mrs Spalding is the SENCo of Minterne Junior School.  If you would like to speak to her or would like to make an appointment, please phone the school office on 01795 472323 or email:  senco@minterne.kent.sch.uk.

If you have concerns regarding your child, you should contact your child's teacher in the first instance to discuss these.

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PARENTS, CARERS & FAMILIES:-

IASK support families of children and young people (0 to 25 years) with special educational needs or disabilities. They hope to empower children, young people and their parents to make informed choices about their education, outcomes and help to communicate views and opinions confidently.  They are a free, confidential and impartial service based in Kent. Staff and volunteers are independently trained in SEND.