Eastlands Primary School

Every Child Belongs

At Eastlands Primary School, we believe that every child has the right to feel valued, included and successful. We are committed to providing a nurturing, ambitious and inclusive learning environment where all children can thrive, regardless of their starting points, needs or barriers to learning.

In line with our vision of Empowering Children for Success in a Changing World, we have high expectations for every pupil, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We recognise and celebrate each child's unique strengths, interests and talents while providing the support they need to achieve their full potential.

We are committed to identifying needs early, removing barriers to learning and ensuring that every pupil with SEND has access to an ambitious curriculum, experiences a strong sense of belonging and achieves positive outcomes that prepare them for the next stage of education and later life. 

Our Inclusive Approach

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that all children should be fully involved in the life of our school and have equal opportunities to achieve, participate and thrive.

We support this through:

• High-quality, inclusive teaching in every classroom
• Early identification of needs
• Adaptive teaching and reasonable adjustments
• Evidence-informed interventions where appropriate
• Strong partnership working with parents and carers
• Close collaboration with external professionals
• A focus on developing independence, confidence, resilience and wellbeing
• Ensuring all pupils can access the wider life of the school

Children with SEND are first and foremost valued members of our school community. Their views, aspirations and experiences are central to the decisions we make.

At Eastlands Primary School, we recognise the importance of identifying needs as early as possible so that the right support can be provided at the right time.

Children may be identified as requiring additional support through:

• Information shared by nurseries, pre-schools and previous schools
• Concerns raised by parents, carers or the child themselves
• Teacher observations and ongoing assessment
• Monitoring of attainment, progress and wellbeing
• Advice from health, education and other external professionals

In Early Years, staff use a range of assessment tools and observations, including the WellComm Language Screening Tool, to identify emerging needs at the earliest opportunity.

Throughout school, teachers regularly monitor pupils' progress, attainment, engagement and wellbeing. Where a child experiences difficulties in accessing learning, making progress or participating fully in school life, staff work closely with families and the SENDCo and Inclusion Team to identify barriers and appropriate support.

Pupil progress is reviewed regularly through assessment processes and termly pupil progress meetings. Additional assessments may be undertaken where appropriate, and advice sought from specialist services when needed.

At Eastlands Primary School, we follow the SEND Code of Practice's Graduated Approach to supporting children with SEND.

The Graduated Approach is a continuous cycle of:

Assess

We gather information about a child's strengths, needs and barriers to learning through observations, assessments, discussions with families and, where appropriate, specialist involvement.

Plan

Together with parents, carers and the child, we agree outcomes and identify the support, strategies and adjustments needed.

Do

Support is implemented through classroom practice, interventions, targeted provision and reasonable adjustments.

Review

The impact of support is reviewed regularly and provision is adapted to ensure pupils continue to make progress and achieve positive outcomes.

This cycle enables us to continually evaluate and refine support to ensure each child receives the provision they need.

The first response to meeting pupils' needs is high-quality, inclusive teaching. Teachers adapt learning, resources and the classroom environment to support all learners. This may include:

• Adaptive teaching strategies
• Visual supports and scaffolds
• Pre-teaching and overlearning opportunities
• Additional practice and reinforcement
• Task adaptations
• Reasonable adjustments to improve access to learning

Class teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all pupils in their class, including those receiving support from Teaching Assistants or specialist staff.

How Do We Evaluate the Effectiveness of SEND Provision?

At Eastlands Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that SEND provision has a positive impact on children's learning, wellbeing and inclusion.

We evaluate provision through:

• Regular review of pupil outcomes and progress
• Ongoing assessment and pupil progress meetings
• Intervention reviews
• Pupil voice
• Parent and carer feedback
• Monitoring attendance, participation and wellbeing
• Reviews with external professionals where appropriate

We have high aspirations for every child and continually review our provision to ensure pupils with SEND make strong progress from their individual starting points and are fully included in school life.

Our highly skilled Teaching Assistants play an important role in supporting inclusive practice throughout the school.

In Early Years, children are primarily supported through high-quality interactions, carefully planned activities and inclusive provision. Additional support may be provided through small-group work or short targeted interventions when appropriate.

In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, Teaching Assistants work alongside teachers to support learning within the classroom and deliver targeted interventions. These may take place individually, in small groups or through classroom-based support.

Teaching Assistants help pupils develop confidence, independence and the skills needed to access learning successfully. They also work closely with teachers and the SENDCo to monitor progress and identify next steps.

Our Inclusion Team can also help signpost families to additional services and support when appropriate.

We believe every child should be able to participate fully in all aspects of school life.

Pupils with SEND are encouraged and supported to access:

• Educational visits and residential experiences
• School performances and productions
• Sporting activities and competitions
• Before and after-school clubs
• Leadership opportunities and pupil voice groups
• Wider enrichment activities

Individual risk assessments and reasonable adjustments are made where necessary to ensure activities remain safe, accessible and inclusive.

Please view our  Key Policies Webpage for the Accessibility Policy.

We promote positive mental health, resilience and personal development through:

• Our PSHE curriculum
• Protective Behaviours
• Trauma-informed practice
• Pastoral support
• Individual and small-group interventions
• School Council
• Anti-Bullying Ambassadors
• Digital Leaders opportunities
• Well-being Ambassadors 

For some pupils, personalised pastoral support plans may be developed in partnership with families to support emotional wellbeing and successful participation in school life.

We are committed to working collaboratively with families to achieve the best possible outcomes for every child, helping them to develop independence, build positive relationships, experience a strong sense of belonging and fulfil their potential.