Educational Inclusion

In our school, we aim to offer excellence and choice to all our children, whatever their ability or needs. We have high expectations of all our children. We aim to achieve this through the removal of barriers to learning and participation. We want all our children to feel that they are a valued part of our school community. Through appropriate curricular provision, we respect the fact that children:

• have different educational, social, emotional and/or mental health, sensory and physical needs;
• require different strategies for learning;
• acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates;
• require a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.

Teachers respond to children’s needs by:

• providing support for children who need help with cognition and learning, language and communication, social, emotional and mental health and sensory or physical needs;
• planning to develop children’s understanding through the use of all their senses and of varied experiences;
• planning for children’s full participation in learning, and in physical and practical activities;
• helping children to manage their social/mental health needs and to take part in learning effectively and safely;
• helping individuals to manage their emotions, particularly trauma or stress, and to take part in learning.

Special Educational Needs Support

Children with special educational needs support have learning difficulties and/or a disability that calls for special provision to be made. All children may have special needs at some time in their lives. Children are recognised as requiring special educational needs support if:

• they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age;
• they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities that are provided for other children of the same age.

Many of the children who join us have already been in early education. In many cases, children join us with their needs already assessed. All children are assessed when they enter our school, so that we can build upon their prior learning. We use this information to provide starting points for the development of an appropriate curriculum for all our children. At any time a parent carer, pupil, teacher or TA may raise concerns about a learning difficulty or disability that may be hindering a child’s progress. At this time it may be considered appropriate to complete a cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review. An initial meeting will be set up with parent carers and pupils to discuss concerns and gather information. Then the class teacher and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) may assess further to address the concerns raised. At Kilmersdon Primary School the SENCO is Miss Jessica Burgess.

Our SEND Policy and Information Report can be found on our POLICIES page as well as information on supporting pupils with medical needs.

Somerset Local Offer

Somerset’s SEND Local Offer is our local hub of information and guidance for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), their families and professionals in Somerset.  Explore services available to support you and how to access them.

Somerset Graduated Response Tool

Quality first teaching underpins all educational provision. It focuses on inclusive practice and breaks down barriers to learning. For the majority of children this can be achieved by identifying specific barriers, followed by personalisation and differentiation using strategies as identified in the Somerset Graduated Response Tool. The Somerset Graduated Response Tool breaks down SEN into four broad areas of need. This targets specific support for teachers to plan and for any interventions to take place. You can learn more about the Somerset Graduated Response at:

https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/the-local-offer/education/what-to-expect-from-education/