SEND

A warm welcome from the SEN team

Mrs Johnson- SENCO (Maternity Leave 26-27)

Mrs Cox- SENCO (Maternity Cover 26-27), Speech and Language Therapist

Mrs Convey - SEN Assistant

Mrs Murphy - SEN Governor

What is SEND?

Children and young people with Special Education Needs (SEN) have learning difficulties make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.

Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability. A disability is described in law (the Equality Act 2010) as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term (a year or more) and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ This includes, for example, sensory impairments such as those that affect sight and hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy.

The UK's SEND Code of Practice identifies four main areas of Special Educational Needs:

The Four Areas of Need – TEYGAT - Family Hub

You can review the full Code of Practice on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

Every Child Achieving and Thriving (Schools White Paper): Published in February 2026, this policy details major reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and wider school strategies in England. You can review the full text on GOV.UK.

Catholic Schools Inspection, 14-15th December 2023

"Leadership of special educational needs, SEN, is a strength of the school with exemplary support of pupils with special education needs extending to religious education. A parent commented on ‘Christian values being reflected in the SEN department’. The highly skilled team of staff are trained supporting the individual learning requirements of a range of pupils with complex needs. This leads to all children whatever their needs being able to engage and make progress in every aspect of their religious education as well as participate in and take a full part in the school community." (Catholic Schools Inspectorate report on behalf of the Most Rev. John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark, December 2023)

Parent Coffee Mornings 2025-2026

Additional Meeting: 27th November 2025 at 2pm

Update to July 2026 Meeting: Tuesday 7th July at 2pm

2026-2027 SEN Policy and Information Report

Parent Support Links

Dyslexia Support: - https://cricksoft.com/clicker/, Nessy - https://www.nessy.com/en-us/dyslexia-explained - About Dyslexia and free resources, Toe-By-Toe - https://toe-by-toe.co.uk/.

Early Help - https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200170/children_and_families/600/concerned_about_a_child- Early Help can support you with difficulties you're having with: school, education or training, home and life relationships, health and emotional wellbeing, work, finances or housing, domestic abuse, social isolation, crime or anti-social behaviour.

ERIC Toileting Support - https://eric.org.uk/

Medway Small Steps - https://www.autism.org.uk/autism-services-directory/medway-small-steps - family SEN Support

Medway Community Healthcare - https://www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/self-help/speech-and-language-resources/ - Speech and Language resources

Medway Community Healthcare School Nurse Parent Self-Referrals- https://www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/services/child-health-service/school-health/parent-guardian-referral-form/ - This could support with toileting, sleep, behaviour, healthy lifestyle, diet.

North Kent Mind- https://northkentmind.co.uk/ - Parents can self-refer for mental health support

Parenting Online Courses- https://www.coramfamilylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/online-parenting-courses/

SENDIASS - https://www.sendiass.org/ - A Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service for parents & carers of children and young people with SEND.

The Pod- https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapies-the-pod/speech-and-language-therapy/ - Speech and Language NHS Support Videos

Medway Local Offer

Medway’s Local Offer gives information and advice for children and young people aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.

The Local Offer provides information about the services available to children, young people and their families across Education, Health and Social Care.

Knowing what is out there and having the right information in one place gives you more choice and therefore more control over the services you use.

We have developed our Local Offer in partnership with parents, carers, young people and professionals. This work will carry on as we continue to review the site to make sure that services are easy to find and understand.

The Local Offer will:

give you information about Education, Health and Care services
give you information about leisure activities and support groups
hold all the information in one place
be clear, detailed, accurate and accessible
make it easier to find out what you need to know
help you find the nearest and most suitable services
make service provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations

Link to the Medway Local Offer- https://admissions.medway.gov.uk/Synergy/localoffer/EnglishHome.aspx

Educational Health Care Plans

The purpose of an education, health and care (EHC) plan is to:

make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person
secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care
prepare them for adulthood as they get older.

To achieve this, we use information from an EHC assessment to:

find out and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents and child or young person
provide a full description of the child or young person’s special educational needs and any health and social care needs
agree outcomes across education, health and social care based on the child or young person’s needs, hopes and aspirations
specify what provision is needed and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and help them reach the agreed outcomes.

You can find more information on the EHCP Process through Medway Council here: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200307/special_educational_needs_and_disabilities_send_information_hub/1910/education_health_and_care_plans_ehcps