Joydens Wood Junior School
Special Educational Needs at Joydens Wood Junior School
For details of Kent County Council Local Offer for children with SEND please visit:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs
Our SENDCo at Joydens Wood Junior School is Mrs S Hensher
In September 2014 a new SEND Code of Practice was brought in to law. Below are the new definitions of Special Educational Needs and Disability.
Definition of SEN
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 him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:
- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
- Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream
schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.
SEN Code of Practice (2014, p 4)
Definition of disability
Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is’…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’ SEN Code of Practice (2014, p5).
Please refer to our policy page to see our Special Education Needs and Disability Policy.
For more information on the new Code of Practice please view the Department of Education’s guide.
If you are concerned that your child may have special educational needs please share your concerns with your child’s teacher who will speak to Mrs Hensher. Your child’s class teacher will be continually assessing your child’s progress, if they have any concerns they will arrange a meeting to discuss them with you. From here a plan of action will be organised on how we will support your child. This may include a request for additional support and advice from external agencies.
Please click here for SEND parent information report.
Please click this link for government advice for SEND resources:
SEND Home learning links:
Please click here for home learning
Please click here for parent information for home learning
Please click on the following IPAD apps for useful information to support Dyslexia/reading and writing difficulties and Dyscalculia/numeracy difficulties
- IPAD app for learners with Dyslexia/Reading and Writing Difficulties
- IPAD app for learners with Dyscalculia/Numeracy Difficulties
- IPAD app to Support Dyslexia
Additional suggestions from Mrs Hensher for SEN learners if children are working from home:
- Normalise the experience - reassure children that lots of adults and children are in the same situation
- Help children stay connected to their friends - friendships are a key resiliency factor for children and young people - this is where social media and technology can be used as a positive - use Skype and video calling to keep in touch
- Try to keep routines at home as similar to the school day as possible, but don't try to replicate a full school timetable - keep expectations manageable
- Don't put too much pressure on academic work - it might be more important to be spending time together, building relationships and enjoying shared activities together
- Use visual timetables/now and next boards so that children know what is happening and what's coming next
- Expect stress - this is an uncertain and unpredictable situation - stress and anxiety are normal
- Build in active learning breaks, such as time outside
- Make the learning fun and practical - (the suggestions on the class pages may not be suitable for your child) - eg follow instructions to build/cook something together, try using a range of different materials for writing - eg sand/paint/chalk etc
- Share books together or read to a younger sibling or even the dog!
- Make expectations very clear - try a small target followed by a small reward
- Supervise children with screens - manage their time carefully
- Play - play is fundamental to children's wellbeing and development for children of all ages! It's also a great way to reduce stress for adults!
- Try to have some fun and if the learning session isn't going well- then take a break and try again the next day!