The SEND Code of Practice requires school's to have a qualified teacher designated as Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO). At Risby CEVC Primary School, the SENDCO is Miss Lizzie Wyatt and she works closely with our SEND Specialist, Mrs Trish Grenfell. Miss Wyatt & Mrs Grenfell are our SEND Team.  

Risby's personalised provision for children requiring additional learning support and those with special educational needs or disabilities.

At Risby CEVC Primary School, we have high expectations for all our children and we aim to offer excellence and choice to all our children, whatever their ability or needs. We do this by working hard to remove any barriers to learning and participation and we do this, because we want all of our children to feel that they are a valued part of our community. The school provides a broad, rich and balanced curriculum for all children and, through appropriate curricular provision, we respect the fact that children:

• Have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations;
• Require different strategies for learning;
• Have different learning styles;
• Acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates;
• Need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.

The class teacher is responsible for the progress of every child and planning is expected to meet the specific needs of individuals and groups of children in each class. Class teachers are required to identify pupils making less than expected progress, given their age and individual circumstances. This can be characterised by progress which is (but is not limited to):

• Significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline;
• Failing to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress;
• Failing to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers; or
• Widening the attainment gap.

Every child's progress is discussed regularly at half-termly Pupil Progress Meetings. These take place with the class teacher and the Headteacher. High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who need additional support. Where planning is appropriate and progress continues to be less than expected however a child may need different help from that given to other children of the same age. In this instance, the class teacher will work with the Headteacher, Subject Leaders - where applicable - and the SEND Team to identify appropriate additional support. Additional support will be targeted and contain measurable outcomes and will be put in place for a minimum of 12 weeks. 

At the end of the 12-week period, the child’s progress will be discussed at the Pupil Progress Meeting with the Headteacher. The discussion will focus on whether the intervention has been effective and should stop, or if it should continue. If the intervention has not resulted in the required progress being made, the class teacher will meet with the SEND Team and they will look at whether the child has an underlying learning disability.

Where a pupil is identified as having special educational needs (SEN), the class teacher will arrange a meeting with the SEND Team and the child's parents to discuss a personalised package of support.

If through discussion with the SEND Team and the class teacher, the school identifies that support is needed from outside services, we will consult parents prior to any support being actioned. In most cases, children will be seen in school by external support services such as the Educational Psychology Service, Speech and Language Therapists, health professionals, social services or other specialists.

The SEND Team has an important role to play with the Headteacher and Governing body in determining the strategic development of the SEND policy and SEND provision in the school. The SEND Team always work in conjunction with the class teacher, so you have two points of contact if you have any concerns about your child. Please either talk to the class teacher, call the office or email sendco@risbyprimary.com

What advice and help is available for me in Suffolk?

The Suffolk County Council Local Offer is available to view at:

https://infolink.suffolk.gov.uk/kb5/suffolk/infolink/localoffer.page?localofferchannelnew=0

The Department for Education's guide for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 years, who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), is available via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers