SEND Information Report
Our SEN Information Report – which is part of Durham County Council’s Local Offer – provides details about how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs in our school.
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The SEN Information Report was reviewed and updated on November 2024.
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At Annfield Plain Junior School we are a caring school where each child receives a high standard of education that is broad, challenging and full of opportunities to excite and motivate them in their learning.
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We want children to embrace challenge, value achievement and strive to be the best they can be. At the heart of our vision is that we are a Rights Respecting school. We encourage all pupils to actively understand their rights and responsibilities within our school community and their local community.
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Our school community believes that everyone has the right to achieve their full potential: socially, emotionally and academically. Therefore, we will work in partnership with our community to provide a safe, stimulating and challenging learning environment. The provision of quality learning and teaching is at the heart of our vision.
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This SEND Information Report should be read alongside the school’s SEND Policy, the Equalities Information and Objectives and the Accessibility Plan.
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Key Contacts
Contact can be made by phoning: 01207 234531 or by e-mail to annfieldplainjuniors@durhamlearning.net
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Our Head Teacher/SENCO is Mrs Tracey Dorward
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Our Deputy Head Teacher is Mrs Sarah McGregor
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Our designated SEND governors are Mrs Louise Strike and Mrs Carole Taylor
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SEND Admissions
For information on the admission of pupils with a disability, please visit the School Admissions section of our website and view the Accessibility Plan in our School Policies section.
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If you would like to discuss your child’s SEN in more detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
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The full range of local support available for children/ young people with SEND and their families within and outside of school can be found in the County Durham Local Offer
Our SEN Provision
All children have a range of strengths and weaknesses, and it is expected that all children will find some elements of the whole school curriculum more challenging than others.
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A child will be identified as SEN if the support they require to achieve is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ that of their peers.
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There are four broad areas of special educational need, which help to categorise the types of difficulty children may encounter. these are:
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Communication and Interaction
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This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication needs.
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Cognition and Learning
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This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.
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Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
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This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn.
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Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
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This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.
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Whilst these areas may help us to support a child at Annfield Plain Primary school we believe that every child is unique and should be treated as such.​​​​​​​
The kinds of SEN that are provided for:
At Annfield Plain Junior School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:
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ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
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ADHD
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Speech and language
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Attachment difficulties
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Sensory needs
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Cognition and learning
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Social, emotional and mental health
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Visual impairments
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Hearing impairments
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The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.
Our approach to teaching children & young people with SEN
Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.
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The Curriculum also included the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence.
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Annfield Plain Junior School prides itself in being inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need. All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.
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To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:
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Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
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Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
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Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
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Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
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To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
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To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
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To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
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Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
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To promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
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To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
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To regularly review the policy, procedures and practice in order to achieve best practice.
How we identify, assess and review children with special educational needs
Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.
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​Early Identification of Need
In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:
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Work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils
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Consult with relevant external agencies
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Use assessment tools & materials
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Use observations
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Use Short Note
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Use support plans
How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children & young people with SEN
We adapt the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN:
Special Educational Needs and/or a disability can affect many children throughout their school career and beyond. Whilst disabilities generally affect children long term, not all SEND difficulties should be seen as life-long. SEND is seen by our school as the child requiring provision that is additional to or different from the rest of the class. Here at Annfield Plain, we understand that every child is unique and a carefully planned approach is needed.
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Our school recognises there are particular groups of pupils whose circumstances require additional consideration by those who work with them to support their SEN. Some children, at some time in their school life might have additional or different needs and it may be that they will be on our SEN register for a short period or a long period of time. However, children’s needs will be frequently reassessed regularly in order to ensure that the provision is suitable and supports every child’s development.
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Our SENCO, oversees the operation of the SEN Policy and works alongside class teachers to coordinate provision for children with SEN. The class teacher will plan for the child and use regular assessments to ensure that progress in every area is made. This is Quality First Teaching and is where the work is highly differentiated and suits the needs of all children, it comes in the form of a lesson rather than an intervention programme.
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Alongside Quality First Teaching, which your child will receive in lessons, there may be a Teaching Assistant (TA) working with your child, either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher. Children may be taken out of the classroom for additional teaching sessions or interventions.
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More details on how we adapt information, our environment and our curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.
SEN Support
Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.
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This means that we will:
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Assess a child’s special educational needs
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Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
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Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
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Review the support and progress
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As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes & provision to meet those needs. Parents/carers and child/YP (where appropriate) views are integral to the this process.
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A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.
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Annfield Plain Junior School, termly assessment is carried out and by staff who work together to moderate children’s work. This moderation is supported by the Local Authority on a regular basis. The school uses a tracking system to analyse data and to identify gaps in children’s learning and to plan appropriate intervention when required. Different children require different levels of support to diminish the difference and to achieve age related expectations.
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Children/young people may join Annfield Plain with parents having a clear understanding of their child’s needs and as a school we see parents as partners in their child’s educational journey. In this case we work together with parents/carers and young children/person and education, health and social care professionals to design an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes & provision to meet those needs. Parents/carers and child/young person views are integral to this process.
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School staff may initially identify a concern the class teacher alongside the SENCo will discuss the child’s needs and a meeting with parents/carers and/or the child/young person would be arranged at the earliest opportunity. During this meeting, a Short Note would be completed with agreed outcomes for the child/young person and the next steps. The next steps may require the involvement of specialist support or advice, for example, Educational Psychology, SENDIASS (Parents Advice and Support Service) or another educational health and social care professional. It is important to understand that the involvement of professionals does not always seek to label or diagnose but to seek advice and strategies to enable a child/young person to reach their full potential.
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For some concerns, we may discuss the involvement of specialist support, for example, Education Psychology, SENDIASS (support for families), or Occupational Therapy. It is important to understand that the involvement of professionals does not always seek to ‘label’ or ‘diagnose’ children but to seek advice or strategies to help them to reach their full potential. As part of this approach, every child with SEN will have an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provisions to meet those needs. Parents/carers and child/young person views are integral to this process.
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A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
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The purpose of an EHCP is to make special educational provisions to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education (SEND Code of Practice p.142). It is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs. We currently have three EHC Plans.
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For more detailed information see the Local Offer
How children with SEN engage in all activities?
At Annfield Plain, we do our best to ensure that all children can access all things as best as we can. We do not see SEND as a barrier to accessing the full curriculum and ensure that children with SEND are fully included in all activities in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
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For example, if a child had a physical disability, they can always be incorporated into a PE lesson with adaptation and effort; we make that effort. We are prepared to seek advice, resources, equipment and training when needed in order to provide quality-learning experiences for our children. Over the last twelve months, our training has featured heavily on autism, ADHD, ASD, attachment, speech, and language, prevalent aspects of SEND, which we are currently supporting children with.
Support for Emotional & Social Development
At Annfield Plain Junior School, we are an inclusive school. We consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the emotional and social development needs of SEND children are met. Our school is a Rights Respecting school and staff believe that high self-esteem is crucial. We aim to support and promote the emotional wellbeing of all children. On a daily basis, the class teacher is responsible for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact should further advice or support is required.
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At Annfield Plain Junior School, we fund support for school counsellors and the emotional wellbeing and behaviour support team (EWEL team). Both work with many children, parents and families to provide an additional layer of pastoral care. Activities include therapeutic stories, lego therapy, CBT, person-centred approaches, zones of regulation. We also run a range of school social and emotional interventions: Listening Matters (connecting with children), Talkabout, Socially Speaking and Getting Along. All pupils access Relax Kids and a range of mindfulness activities.
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Annfield Plain Junior School also refers for support from specialist services, such as: Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), School Nursing Service, Sensory Support, Speech & Language, Looked After Team, Social Services and Medical Professionals. We have a large meeting space and often hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate.
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As a school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward and sanction system that is followed by all staff and pupils: Great to be Green. The children are rewarded with a daily sticker for positive and kind behaviour, leading to bronze, silver and gold certificates each term.
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We also work on “Bobby Brain’s Magic Habits For Life” which is integral with the school’s vision and encourages the children to show Motivation, Attitude, Gumption, an I-can attitude and clear, positive Communication. These themes are addressed through regular assemblies, lessons in class, through our weekly PSHCE and Philosophy for Children (P4C) lessons.
Looked After Children with SEND
We have a Designated Teacher for Looked after Children, Mrs Burgess, who works closely with the SENCO to ensure all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.
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Looked After Children with SEND are supported in the same way as all children in school with SEND through the Graduated Response, the Assess, Plan, Do Review cycle. The process will start with a Short Note and follow the identification of need an SEN Support Plan or EHCP to meet the requirements of the pupil and the addition of a PEP (Personal Education Plan).
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When a child becomes looked after his/her social worker must ensure that the child’s needs and the services to meet these are documented in the Care Plan. The Care Plan – of which the PEP is an integral part – is made before the child becomes looked after or in the case of an emergency placement within 10 working days. The PEP is a record of what needs to happen for looked after children to enable them to fulfil their potential and reflects any existing education plans, such as an EHCP, SEN Support Plan or Provision Mapping. The PEP should reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning which secures good basic skills, stretches aspirations and builds life chances. The PEP is the joint responsibility of the local authority and the school.
How we evaluate the effectiveness of SEN Provision
We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:
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Robust evaluation of policy and practice
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Book scrutinies
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SENCO/SLT/Governor monitoring
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Learning walks
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Performance management
SEN Transition
Effective transition, at all stages is essential to ensure that children feel safe within the learning environment. At Annfield Plain, we have systems in place to ensure that transition is as smooth as possible for all of our pupils.
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Transition into Year 3
Transition from Annfield Plain Infant School to Junior School is an exciting part of your child’s education. Although we are separate schools and aspects of both schools are different, there are many aspects which are the same, as we work very closely together.
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We aim to support our families through this important stage in a number of ways. During the latter half of the summer term, a transition programme takes place. The transition programme starts with a parent and pupil visit, where both a tour of the school and the meeting of key staff takes place. Following this, a sequence of weekly visits take place during the school day to introduce the children to our school and their new teachers, so that they become familiar with and confident in their new school. In addition, teachers meet from both schools to share vital information to ensure a smooth transition into junior school. Extra transition sessions are held for some children who staff feel may need the extra support. Transition books are made to support each pupil and their individual needs. In addition, both schools’ staff and pupils visit each other and share projects during the school year, which helps increase the familiarity of our school and school staff.
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Transition between classes
At Annfield Plain Junior School, we work closely within each milestone so children become familiar with the staff team in each class. Transition is treated the same for every class move and children are given the opportunity to take part in ‘Moving Up’ morning, where children spend time with their new class teacher in their new classroom. During the summer term staff meet to share information and for those children who require provision that is additional to or different from quality first teaching, we make additional arrangements to support these children through the transition. This can include spending additional time in their new classroom, visiting their new classroom with their current member of support staff, beginning transition arrangements earlier in the Summer Term or photographs of their new classroom to take home and talk about with Parents and Carers during the Summer holidays. The support provided is tailored to the needs of individual children and will be discussed with parents and carers and the child.
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Transition into Key Stage Three
Once secondary school places have been allocated, schools work together to ensure relevant information is shared. All Durham Secondary schools have transition days where your child can meet their new class teacher and their classmates. They will also have opportunities to participate in sample lessons.
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As part of our transition package, the SENCO will ensure that all SEND information is passed onto the next school to ensure that they are fully aware of any additional needs your child may have. The SENCO will work closely with families to ensure that the needs of the individual are met to the best of her ability. For example, extra transition visits for both parents and pupils, involvement of SENDIASS (formerly Durham Parent Partnerships) or support around the social or emotional well-being of the pupil. During summer term support plan review meetings, the Secondary School SENCOS are also invited to attend and meet the children and parents. If extra transition sessions are needed, the secondary schools will arrange them.
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Joining our school at other times
If your child joins our school during a key stage or mid-way through the academic year, systems are in place to aid their transition from their previous school. When you visit our school, the Head Teacher, Mrs Burgess, will give you a tour and your child will have opportunities to see their new classroom and meet their teacher. If your child has SEND, our SENCO will liaise with the SENCO from your child’s previous school to ensure that we have the required information to enable us to support your child fully. It would be beneficial if you could discuss your child’s needs with us and share any information you have when you visit. We buddy new pupils with good role models to support them in their transition into our school.
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Leaving our school
If your child leaves Annfield Plain, the SENCO will ensure that all SEND information is passed onto the next school to ensure that they are fully aware of any additional needs your child may have.
If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment with the SENCO, Mrs Tracey Dorward.
Disability and Accessibility
We are committed to providing a fully accessible environment that values and includes all pupils, staff, parents and visitors regardless of their education, physical, sensory, social, spiritual and emotional needs. We are committed to challenging negative attitudes about disability and accessibility and to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion.
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What we do to prevent pupils with disabilities from being treated less favourably:
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Annfield Plain Junior School is fully inclusive and we ensure there are no barriers to learning. Our building is on one level and has wheelchair access and disabled toilets provided. Any children with disabilities would have a personal risk assessment plan in order to ensure that they are able to access all areas of the curriculum whilst also keeping all children safe.
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Our curriculum can be adapted to meet all needs and we also attend SEN P.E activities for example, Boccia. We have high levels of staffing within the school. Children are actively encouraged to participate in all aspects of school life, including residential trips, it is our responsibility to put in place any adjustments to enable these first-hand experiences for all.
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The facilities to assist access are outlined in our Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.
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Our Accessibility Plan and the short, medium and long-term actions, will be reviewed and adjusted on an annual basis and a new Accessibility Plan will be produced every three years.
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The Accessibility Plan contains relevant actions to:
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Improve access to the physical environment of the school, adding specialist facilities as necessary.
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Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability. This covers reasonable adjustments within teaching and learning, specialist aids and equipment and the wider curriculum of the school, such as after school clubs, visits etc,
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Improve the provision of information to pupils, staff, parents and visitors with disabilities. All information will be made available in various formats within a reasonable time frame.
Consulting with our SEN Pupils, Parents & Carers
Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND
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Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO. The children have regular meetings with staff to discuss their progress and support.
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Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND
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We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support. Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.
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There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:
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Termly parents/ carers evenings;
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Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;
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An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
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Through regular reviews of their child’s SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.
Compliments, Complaints & Feedback
We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEN and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience.
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We would also like your views about the content of our SEN Information Report. If you would like to comment please complete the online form in the Contact Us section of our website.
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Compliments are always greatly received and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher.
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We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.
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Further information can be found in the Complaints Policy in the School Policies section of your website or by visiting the County Durham Local Offer website.
Key Policies for SEND
All of our school policies can be found on the website but the most important ones for parents of children with SEND are listed below:
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SEND Policy
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Equality Policy
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Equality Information and Objectives
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Accessibility Plan
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Anti-Bullying Policy
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Behaviour Policy
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Medical Needs Policy
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Complaints Policy
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If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.
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If you would like a paper copy of any of our documents on our website please speak to the school office, who will provide them to you free of charge.
