Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND)
“Every human person is a masterpiece of God’s creation.”
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive, and we recognise that some children need additional support to fully access the curriculum and participate in school life. Our SEND provision is designed to meet the unique needs of each child through adaptive teaching methods, ensuring that lessons, resources and activities are tailored to their individual strengths and challenges.
We are also a trauma-informed and attachment-aware school, which means we understand that children’s early experiences, emotional wellbeing and relationships can significantly impact their learning, behaviour and social development. By recognising these factors, we create a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment where children feel secure, valued, and understood.
Our approach to SEND is holistic, addressing not only academic needs but also social, emotional, mental health and behavioural development. This ensures that children are supported in developing confidence, resilience, and independence, enabling them to thrive both in school and beyond.
Our SEND link governor and SENDCo meet termly to discuss:
- identification of and provision for children with SEND
- developments in the school’s SEND provision;
- progress and attainment of children on the SEND list and;
- evaluate SEND policies, procedures and quality of the provision to suggest improvements
We work closely with families, staff, local school networks and various external specialists, sharing strategies and resources to provide consistent support across school and home. Through collaboration, careful observation and personalised planning, we aim to empower each child to reach their full potential and enjoy learning in a way that suits their individual needs.
| Role & Responsibility | Staff Member |
|---|---|
| Special Educational Needs & Disability Coordinator (SENDCo) | Mrs L McCormick |
| Early Years SEND Advocate (EYSA) | Mrs C Brewerton |
| Link Governor: SEND | Ms R Denson |
SEND Statutory Policies
SEND Code of Practice
Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice : 0 - 25 years
This guidance is for the bodies named in section 77(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014, including:
- certain schools
- further education institutions
- certain early years education providers
- local authorities
- certain health bodies
Identifying SEND Needs
Children may require SEND support for a range of reasons, including learning difficulties, physical or sensory needs, communication challenges, or social and emotional needs. Identification is carried out through:
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Classroom observations
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Teacher assessments
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Parental and pupil feedback
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Screening tools and standardised assessments
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Consultation with external specialists
Early identification ensures children receive the right support at the right time to make progress and feel confident in their learning.
Support | Intervention Strategies
At St Sebastian's Catholic Primary School & Nursery, we have different waves of intervention –they are based on Quality First Teaching, including adaptive teaching in the classroom. We pride ourselves on making sure our warm and inclusive environment will help your child to thrive.
To intervene or not? That is the question…
All children at our school are entitled to be educated alongside their peers with reasonable adjustments made for their learning, wellbeing and social emotional needs. The majority of this is delivered in the mainstream classroom, and when appropriate, careful planning to further personalise the curriculum. This may include personalised unstructured times, breakout spaces for your child to regulate and additional support through clubs and parental support groups.
What are the interventions?
In working with you, we may find that your child needs additional support. This comes under 4 broad categories:
- Cognition and Learning
- Communication and Interaction
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Physical and Sensory Needs
Wave 2
At this point, you might find that your child goes onto a monitoring list to see if the adjustments | adaptations we make in class, or through a small group approach make a difference to their learning, wellbeing and/or engagement. This duration of support depends on the intervention being delivered, usually between 6-10 weeks and is then reviewed by the class teacher | SENDCo | SLT.
If your child has made sufficient progress, we will continue to monitor but would expect them to be transferring their learning and strategies within the classroom and on the playground, for example, within their friendship groups. This is a very important part of our graduated approach so that we can celebrate success but also make adaptations if the child needs them.
Wave 3
At this stage, we consider more focused support offered through external agencies | outreach partners. It may be that the provision overtime detailed on your child’s SEND Pupil Profile leads to an Education Health Care Plan. We will communicate your child’s journey with you at every stage through our graduated approach.
It is important that we know whether our interventions are helping the children develop the skills to build resilience, make the steps of progress expected of them and also to address when this is not the case.
Working with Families
Parents are a child’s first teachers, and together we can ensure their journey is positive and successful. We believe that strong partnerships with families are crucial to supporting children with SEND. Families are actively involved in:
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Setting personalised learning targets (Pupil Profiles)
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Reviewing progress and next steps
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Sharing strategies and resources to support learning at home
Collaboration with External Agencies
To provide the best support, we work closely with specialist services including:
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Behaviour Intervention Team (BIT)
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Educational psychologists
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Speech and language therapists
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Occupational therapists
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Health and social care professionals
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Local authority SEND teams
This ensures children receive a holistic approach to their learning and wellbeing.
Inclusion & Accessibility
Our school is committed to removing barriers to learning and providing an inclusive environment for all pupils. This includes (but not limited to):
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Adapting the curriculum and teaching methods
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Providing resources and tools to support learning
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Ensuring physical accessibility and safety
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Promoting a culture of respect, understanding, and empathy
SEND - Signposting for Families
SEND - Liverpool Local Offer
Here you will find lots of information about Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). The Local Offer helps you understand what services and support you can expect from a range of local partners.
SENDIASS
Barndardos SENDIASS - Liverpool & Knowsley
SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service. Liverpool & Knowsley SENDIASS is delivered by Barnardo’s.
The aim of SENDIASS is to empower parents, carers, children and young people by providing them with the right information and advice to make informed decisions, take the next steps they need to independently advocate for themselves.
If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person (0-25) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), living in the Liverpool & Knowsley area, SENDIASS is available to offer support. It is a FREE service designed to help families..
They offer a dedicated helpline for telephone and email information and advice (all helpline staff are level 3 IPSEA trained), information factsheets and packs, drop-in sessions in Liverpool and Knowsley, casework (for those that are eligible), training and workshops for families and professionals, and support to young people (who can get help without their parent or caregiver).
Policy Statement on External Links
St Sebastian’s Website includes links to related websites which are not maintained by the school. These links are provided so that users have additional relevant information which they may wish to explore.
St Sebastian’s is not responsible for the content of external websites. The inclusion of a link to a third party website, from the school’s website, should not be understood as an endorsement.