Contact Details and Definitions

Contact Details:
Every teacher is a teacher of special needs. Class teachers should be the first contact for any matters related to SEND.
 
SENCo: Kathryn Dailly kdailly@pendragon.cambs.sch.uk
Head Teacher: Emily Samuels head@pendragon.cambs.sch.uk
SEN Governor : Mrs K Thompson kthompson@pendragon.cambs.sch.uk
 
Definitions
 
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2015 states:
     
'A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.'

All teachers and staff at Pendragon undertake regular assessments to monitor progress and identify children with Special Educational Needs. These assessments are overseen by the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Coordinator. (SENDCo)

The Code of Practice 2015 explains that children can have a learning difficulty if their progress:
  • is significantly slower that that of their peers starting from the same baseline
  • fails to match or better the child's previous rate of progress
  • fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
  • widens the attainment gap
Children may also have needs that are not specifically academic; indeed, there are 4 main areas of need as outlined in the Code of Practice 2015.
  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, mental and emotional health
  • Sensory and physical
Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. They made need specialist equipment or support.
 
Disabilities may include:
  • Visual impairment 
  • Hearing impairment 
  • Multi sensory impairment 
  • Physical impairment
  • Mental impairment
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 states:
 
'A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.'

Additionally, children may be identified as having Special Educational Needs if their behaviour hinders their own or other children’s learning.

Children are not regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.