SEND at Boarshaw Primary
Welcome to our SEND page at Boarshaw Primary School. We hope that the information we provide will help you in understanding how we support and strive for all pupils, including those with SEND, to reach their full potential.
If you have any questions regarding our Special Educational Needs and Disability provision, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing the school office at office@boarshawprimary.co.uk or afacchin@boarshawprimary.co.uk.
Our SENDCo is Mrs Abigail Facchin (Deputy Head). She holds the national award for special educational needs co-ordinator (NASENCO). Her contact details are;
email - afacchin@boarshawprimary.co.uk
Telephone - 0161 6539536.
Mrs Mandy Evans is our Children's Welfare Officer, working alongside families and pupils who may require additional help and support and Mrs Laura Windsor is our TA leading the support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Key Information
We are committed to providing an appropriate and high quality education to all the children living in our local area. We believe that all children, including those identified as having Special Educational Needs have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life.
We believe that all children and adults should be equally valued and included in school. We will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children and families can flourish and feel safe.
For more information, please look through the current information and policies below -
SEND Support at Boarshaw Primary School
The right support, at the right time
At Boarshaw Primary School, we want every child to feel that they belong, are understood and can achieve.
The Government is currently reforming the SEND system in England. The proposed approach is built around four levels of support, helping schools to identify needs earlier and provide support without families always having to wait for a diagnosis or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Our approach is always centred around the individual child. We have devleoped 4 tiered pathways to support pupils across the 4 broad areas of need. Click here to view them.
Tier 1 - UNIVERSAL SUPPORT
Inclusive support for every child
Universal Support is the high-quality teaching, adjustments and inclusive practice that should be available to all pupils.
Teachers consider the different ways children learn and make reasonable adaptations to help pupils access learning successfully.
This may include:
✓ Clear classroom routines
✓ Visual timetables and prompts
✓ Breaking instructions into smaller steps
✓ Additional modelling and examples
✓ Practical resources
✓ Extra thinking and processing time
✓ Movement or sensory breaks
✓ Adapted ways of recording work
✓ Support with organisation
✓ Calm and inclusive classroom environments
✓ Adaptive teaching
What does this mean for parents?
Your child does not need a diagnosis before teachers can adapt their teaching or put appropriate classroom support in place.
Tier 2 - TARGETED SUPPORT
A little more help when it is needed
Some children need additional support alongside the Universal Offer.
This is Targeted Support.
Support will be matched to the child’s particular area of need and may be provided individually or in a small group.
Examples might include:
✓ Additional phonics or reading support
✓ Maths intervention
✓ Speech and language activities
✓ Social communication groups
✓ Emotional regulation support
✓ Fine or gross motor programmes
✓ Sensory support
✓ Additional adult guidance
✓ Structured small-group teaching
Where a pupil has identified SEND, the Government’s proposals include the development of an Individual Support Plan to make it clear what the child’s needs are, what support is being provided and what difference that support is expected to make.
Parents and carers will be important partners in this process.
Tier 3 -TARGETED PLUS
Bringing specialist expertise closer to the child
Some children need more specialist assessment, advice or intervention in addition to the support available within school.
This is known as Targeted Plus.
A child may receive support from professionals such as:
✓ Speech and Language Therapists
✓ Educational Psychologists
✓ Occupational Therapists
✓ Specialist teachers
✓ Mental health professionals
✓ Other education, health or care specialists
The Government is also developing an Experts at Hand programme, designed to bring specialist expertise closer to mainstream schools and help staff and families access specialist advice earlier.
A specialist may:
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observe or assess your child
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work directly with your child
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recommend strategies for school
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provide advice to parents
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train or coach school staff
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help school understand your child’s needs more fully.
The aim is for children to receive specialist support earlier, rather than an EHCP automatically being the only route to accessing expertise.
Tier 4 -SPECIALIST SUPPORT
Highly individualised support for complex needs
A smaller number of children have significant or complex needs which require highly individualised specialist provision.
This is Specialist Support.
Depending on the individual child’s needs, this could include:
✓ Significant specialist support within a mainstream school
✓ Specialist teaching or therapeutic provision
✓ An Inclusion Base or specialist resource provision
✓ A specialist setting
✓ A special school
✓ An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), where appropriate
An EHCP is a statutory plan for children and young people whose special educational needs require provision beyond that which would normally be available through mainstream SEND support.
🌈 Our SEND Support Pathway
Universal
Inclusive teaching and reasonable adjustments
Everyone starts here.
⬇️
Targeted
Additional support and interventions
Some children need a little more.
⬇️
Targeted Plus
Specialist advice and intervention
Some children need specialist expertise.
⬇️
Specialist
Highly individualised specialist provision
A smaller number of children require significant specialist support.
Children do not have to move neatly through each level. A child might receive Universal Support and Targeted Plus specialist advice at the same time, for example.Support can also increase or reduce as a child’s needs change.
The important question is always:
"What does this child need in order to learn, participate, feel safe and succeed?”
🔄 Assess → Plan → Do → Review
We use a graduated approach to SEND support.
ASSESS
We identify your child’s strengths, needs and any barriers to learning.
PLAN
We agree what support, adaptations or interventions are needed.
DO
The agreed support is put in place.
REVIEW
We look at the difference the support has made. We then decide whether to:
continue it → adapt it → increase it → reduce it → seek further specialist advice.
What if I am worried about my child?
You know your child extremely well, and we want parents and school to work together.
If you are worried about your child’s:
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learning or progress
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communication or language
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attention or concentration
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behaviour
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friendships or social interaction
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emotional wellbeing
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sensory needs
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physical development
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independence
please speak to us.
Your first step -
Speak to your child’s class teacher.
They can talk to you about how your child is getting on in school, what support is already in place and whether anything further may be needed.
If concerns continue -
The class teacher may discuss your child’s needs with our SENDCo.
Together we can consider whether:
➡️ classroom adaptations need changing
➡️ additional targeted support is needed
➡️ your child needs to be monitored more closely
➡️ specialist advice would be helpful
➡️ your child should be identified as having SEND.
Common Questions
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Does my child need a diagnosis to receive SEND support?
No. School support should be based on your child’s needs, not simply on whether they have received a medical diagnosis.
We can begin making reasonable adjustments, adapting teaching and providing appropriate support when needs are identified.
- Does having SEND automatically mean my child needs an EHCP?
No. Many children with SEND have their needs successfully met through Universal, Targeted and Targeted Plus support within mainstream school.
An EHCP is generally needed where a child’s needs are more complex and require special educational provision beyond the support that would ordinarily be available.
🤝 Parents as partners
The Government’s SEND reform proposals place a strong emphasis on parents and carers being involved in decisions about their child’s support, including co-designing proposed Individual Support Plans.
At Boarshaw Primary School, we believe that successful SEND support works best when:
School , parent, child and professionals work together.
We will aim to make sure you understand:
What are my child’s strengths?
What are we concerned about?
What support is being provided?
Who is providing it?
What are we hoping the support will achieve?
How will we know whether it is working?
Further Information for Parents
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The Parent Carers Voice is a voluntary organisation who work with service providers, health and education in order to bring about positive change in the borough of Rochdale for families. They give parents a whole host of information around support for children with additional needs or disabilities, provide training, drop in sessions etc. Click here for further details about this.
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The inclusion toolkit https://padlet.com/RaisingRochdale/rochdale-inclusion-toolkit-aewue7foz5bni1vp
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Speech language and communication support all ages https://padlet.com/RaisingRochdale/raising-rochdale-s-speech-language-and-communication-support-4cr2iw4m11lwmok4
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Neurodiversity support
https://padlet.com/RaisingRochdale/home-page-neurodiversity-help-and-support-in-heywood-middlet-hh7d19d14xgv6i2s
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Mental health support https://padlet.com/RaisingRochdale/children-and-young-people-s-emotional-and-mental-health-home-1jho4sbhwcya7qnj
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Young people’s mental health support team https://padlet.com/TheYPMHST/young-persons-mental-health-support-team-home-page-wssh076adywsy9ps
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Parents can find further information on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in this DfE guide attached below:
SEN Guide to Parents
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SEND Code of Practice can be found here.