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SEND

At Haxby Road Primary Academy we value the achievements and abilities of all our children and celebrate their successes. We strive to provide an inclusive education that not only engages, inspires and motivates children, but develops their skills ready for life beyond primary school. Provision for SEND is regarded as a whole school responsibility and any concern regarding a child should always be discussed with their class teacher in the first instance. The school’s Barriers to Success team monitors each child weekly in all aspects of school life, to ensure barriers are identified and early intervention is implemented.

Mrs D Wass is Haxby Road Primary Academy’s SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator)

 

Definition of Special Educational Needs

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty disability if they:

Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or:
Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post 16 institutions. – SEND Code of Practice 2014

 

Definition of disability

A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. – Equality Act of 2010

 

Special Educational needs for which provision is made

Haxby Road Primary Academy currently supports children who have a range of special educational needs (SEN). The SEND Code of Practice 2014 describes the four broad areas of SEN:

Communication and interaction, including speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).


Cognition and Learning, including severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), specific learning difficulties (SpLD), including Dyslexia.


Social, mental and emotional health, including attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as other issues that are rooted in mental health.


Sensory and/or physical needs, including a range of physical difficulties (PD) as well as hearing impairment (HI), visual impairment (VI) and multi-sensory impairment (MSI). 

 

Identification & assessment of children with SEN

At Haxby Road Primary Academy, we use a graduated response to identifying, assessing and responding to children’s special educational needs, as outlined in the 2014 SEND Code of Practice.

 

Initial Concerns

The class teacher identifies that a child is not making the expected level of progress and raises an initial concern, which is discussed with the parents, SENCo and any other staff involved in supporting the child’s learning.

The Plan, Do, Assess and Review cycle (as outlined in the 2014 SEND Code of Practice) is then implemented.

Quality teaching and reasonable adjustments will then be implemented and the progress of the child will be carefully monitored, assessed and recorded.

Assessment may be made in a variety of ways:

  • Informal assessment by the class teacher during daily observations and monitoring of progress, plus discussions with the child and parents.
  • Formal assessment, involving highly structured standardised testing where appropriate.
  • Summative assessment to ascertain the level of learning reached.
  • Formative assessment, whereby evidence of progress is used to adapt teaching strategies to meet learning needs.

If after following differentiated teaching strategies and interventions for at least a 6 week period, the child is still not making sufficient progress, the SENCo, in consultation with the class teacher and parents, may decide that the child has a special educational need (SEN).

The child will then be placed on the SEN register and parents informed that special educational provision will be provided to support the child’s individual needs.

 

Additional needs

If a child is on the SEN register, they will have a Learning Plan created to monitor progress and attainment. Learning Plans are created in discussion with the child and their parents, and informed by any outside agencies involved, which employ a small-steps approach, feature significantly in the provision that we make in the school for children with SEN. By breaking down attainment into finely graded steps, we can ensure that progress is measurable, and assessment more accurate.

Progress will be assessed and reviewed termly using some, or all of the previously mentioned assessment strategies, as required, along with reports from parents, staff and other outside agencies involved in the care of the child during more formal reviews. Pupil’s views are collected before every meeting to make sure their voice is heard.

If insufficient progress is made and the pupil continues to demonstrate significant cause for concern, the SENCo, in consultation with parents, staff, outside agencies and the Educational Psychologist, will consider making a request for a formal Statutory Assessment. EHCP
It is essential that detailed records of progress and assessment are kept for each child on the SEN register in order to provide evidence for moving forward to formal Statutory Assessment.

The Local Authority will consider the advice and information from all interested parties before assessing and making a decision to put an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP) in place.

Information from the assessment of the child’s needs is then used to:

  • Establish and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents and child. Provide a full description of the child’s SEN and any health and social care needs.
  • Establish desired outcomes across education, health and social care needs.
  • Specify the provision required and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes.
  • Where a pupil has an EHCP, the Local Authority must review that plan at a minimum of every twelve months.

Progress will be reviewed within school termly, together with the child, parents/carers, and any other professionals or outside agencies involved.

We continue our cycle of Plan, Do, Assess and Review throughout the process.

 

Policies for making provision for pupils with SEN

The policies outlined in this section apply to all pupils with SEN, whether or not they have EHCP’s. The school closely monitors the progress of all pupils, including those with special educational needs.The effectiveness of the provision for these pupils is evaluated by ensuring that they make adequate progress towards the desired outcomes identified for them during the planning process.

Progress is reviewed termly by the class teacher, SENCo and any other staff supporting the child, and will be reviewed more formally, in collaboration with parents, the child and any other outside agencies involved twice annually. If parents are unable to attend review meetings we will attempt to gather parental views in writing.

Pupils who are receiving support that is additional to or different to their peers, due to special educational needs, will be assessed on a termly basis in all their subjects in line with the whole school policy of termly assessment of progress.

In addition, these pupils may be assessed using more detailed testing, to evaluate their level of progress in their specific areas of difficulty.

The approach to teaching pupils with special educational needs will vary, dependent upon the individual needs or preferred learning style of the child.

A variety of extra-curricular activities run throughout the school year, both during lunch times and after school, and pupils with special educational needs are encouraged to participate.

School productions and trips are also fully inclusive of all of our children.

A selection of various interventions/strategies that may be used at Haxby Road Primary Academy are:

  • Whole school communication friendly classrooms, including class timetables, Now and Next, and Widgets
  • In class support, where a teaching assistant or teacher may support one or more children to understand the content of the lesson.
  • Small group, where a member of staff may deliver a short term literacy/numeracy programme or other targeted interventions to a small number of pupils, or specific longer term programmes of study which focus on social skills alongside academic progress.
  • One to one, where there may be a targeted intervention to support the child’s individual area of need.
  • Social skills groups or Lego therapy, where appropriate, led by trained teaching assistants within the school.
  • For some pupils, it may be necessary to provide supervision during unstructured times, such as break times and lunch times
  • Participation in the Lexia programme
  • Access to sensory boxes and calm areas
  • Implementation of 5 point scales, emotion aids and Social Stories
  • PIXL therapies

 

Consulting Parents

Parents/carers are involved at each stage of the Assess, Plan, Do and Review process.

Parents/carers are invited to discuss the needs of their child with the SENCo and/or class teacher at any point during the Assess, Plan, Do and Review process.This allows parents to share their knowledge about the child and engage in positive discussion from which there will be agreed actions relating to how their child’s needs can best be met.

It is essential that parents/carers have an active role in the planning and decision making regarding their child’s provision.In addition to this, parents/carers will be kept informed of progress and outcomes as a result of the aforementioned actions in a number of ways:

  • Informal liaison with the class teacher.
  • Parents Evenings when advice and support in helping their child at home can also be given.
  • Formal reviews of progress with the SENCo, class teacher, child, parents and any other outside agencies involved (SEN reviews).
  • During these meetings, parents/carers and professionals are able to contribute towards reviewing the effectiveness of the provision in place for the child and decisions made regarding the next steps.

 

Consulting the child

The child must be at the centre of every stage of the Assess, Plan, Do and Review process wherever possible.

During the initial assessing and planning stage, the child’s wishes and aspirations are taken into consideration along with the outcomes they seek, and the support they need to achieve them.
Where the child is unable to verbally communicate or provide written input, observations of the child may be made in order to gather information regarding their likes/dislikes, interests and difficulties.
The child will be able to discuss their own learning, provision and support in a number of ways:

  • Informally with their class teacher on a regular basis
  • Where appropriate, the child will attend more formal reviews to discuss and contribute to their progress and provision.
  • Where appropriate, the child may contribute to the review by providing written input, such as a ‘Self-Assessment Form’ which can be completed prior to the meeting with the help of a teaching assistant.

 

Bridges Provision 

Haxby Road also provides an internal alternative provision (Bridges) which is committed to creating a nurturing, inclusive environment where every pupil is supported to develop the communication, language and social interaction skills essential for lifelong learning and wellbeing. We recognise the unique strengths and needs of each child and are dedicated to enabling them to engage confidently with others, access the curriculum, and thrive within the school community.

Through a carefully structured approach, we provide tailored support that includes individual and small group teaching where appropriate, alongside high-quality teaching and non-teaching support within the classroom. Our staffing ratios are thoughtfully aligned to the specific needs of pupils, ensuring that each child receives the attention and guidance required to make meaningful progress.

We place strong emphasis on partnership working, maintaining regular communication with families and collaborating closely with external agencies to ensure a holistic and consistent approach to support. Continuous monitoring of pupil and staff needs allows us to adapt provision effectively and maintain a responsive, reflective practice.

Our provision is underpinned by an inclusive ethos that values diversity and prioritises belonging. We position Bridges as an intervention rather than a destination. As such, we consistently monitor for appropriate opportunities to reintegrate individuals into the mainstream setting. We are committed to ensuring that pupils and their families have access to appropriate resources, empowering them to overcome barriers, build positive relationships, and achieve their full potential.

 

Complaints

Complaints about SEN provision within the school are first dealt with by the class teacher during arranged meetings.Where a satisfactory conclusion cannot be reached, the parent can then make an appointment to see the SENCo/Headteacher during which further information can be exchanged and procedures altered as appropriate.

If a satisfactory conclusion still cannot be reached then the Governing Body must become involved.

The school participates fully if receiving requests for information for tribunals or assisting parents in formulating appeals etc.

SEND complaint-> Teacher-> SENDCO/Head teacher-> Exec Head and LGB

Ebor Academy Complaints Policy

Ebor SEN Policy

SEND Policy

 Medical Conditions and Allergies Policy

Local Authority Offer – CYC

Raise York

SEND Hub Information

SEND Outcome Framework

Autism Support Autumn 2026

SEND in the Curriculum

SEND within the curriculum

SEN Information Report

Haxby Road SEND Information Report

Contact Us

If you have any concerns about your child please see the class teacher as the first point of contact.

You can also contact the SENDCO – Mrs D Wass  via email at d.wass@ebor.academy


Or contact the school office to make an appointment.