At Walliscote Primary, we are committed to providing a safe, secure yet challenging learning environment where all pupils feel confident and are able to flourish regardless of their additional needs. We recognise that some children require more support than others. If these children are to achieve their full potential, we must recognise this and plan accordingly. We acknowledge that many children will have a special educational need at some time in their school career. 

Claire Hardwidge is the Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo). She is a qualified teacher and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Mrs Hardwidge can be contacted on the school telephone number 01934 621954 or via email SEND@walliscote.extendlearning.org  

This report describes Walliscote Primary School's provision for people with SEND.  The report has been produced in accordance with the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and information has been included in line with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 Schedule 1.

SEND Information Report

Headteacher: Mrs Shelley Flanagan

SENDCo: Mrs Claire Hardwidge 

SEND Governor: Mr Kevin Hebbiditch

Contact details: send@walliscote.extendlearning.org or 01934 621958

This report is the responsibility of the SENDCO

The report was reviewed and updated: September 2025

This report will be kept under review throughout the academic year. Where amendment is necessary due to operational or staffing changes that do not materially affect the nature of the support, the report will be updated by the SENDCO.

Walliscote Primary School is committed to providing a high-quality education for all children. We believe that every child who attends our school, including those identified as having Special Educational Needs and disabilities have an equal entitlement to a broad, balanced curriculum. We are passionate about supporting all pupils in achieving a positive outcome and developing life skills for a positive future. The school’s links with outside agencies are strong and ensure that support is sought when necessary to enable disabled pupils and those with special education needs to access the learning that takes place.

Please click here if you prefer to download the SEND Information report 

Identifying pupils with SEN and assessing their needs

The Code of Practice 2014 defines SEND as:

“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 or disability if they: - - Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others or 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 school or mainstream post-16 institutions”

We will assess each pupil's current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and key stages, where appropriate.

Class teachers regularly check how each pupil is progressing, following our assessment schedule. If we notice that a pupil’s progress is not moving forward as expected, we look carefully at what might help. This could include situations where progress:

• Is developing more slowly compared to others with similar starting points
• Doesn’t reflect the pupil’s previous rate of progress
• Isn’t helping to reduce the gap in learning compared to peers
• Shows the gap is increasing

We also consider progress beyond academic learning, such as personal, social, and emotional development.

Slower progress and lower attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN. We take time to consider other factors that might affect learning, such as attendance and other barriers the pupil may be experiencing.

At Walliscote, we have a graduated response to identifying SEND. The majority of children within the school will have their needs met with high quality inclusive teaching and appropriate adaptation. 

Monitoring progress is an important aspect of the work we do at Walliscote Primary School. We follow the ‘assess, plan, do and review model’ (graduated response)  which involves parents/carers, pupils, staff and outside agencies at every step to ensure collaborative working. Children identified with SEND will have an Individual Support Plan (ISP) that is reviewed three times a year. It is vital that parents/carers, children, professionals and staff are regularly consulted so that all views are heard and included in the plan. If your child has an Education, Health, Care Plan (EHCP) the same regular meetings will take place and then the EHCP will be formally reviewed annually.

The kinds of SEND that are provided for

All teachers are teachers of all children. We work with children with many different types of special educational need. Special educational needs are defined into four categories:

Cognition and learning

Children with cognition and learning difficulties may learn at a slower pace. Some children will need support with certain aspects of learning such as spelling or reading whilst others have complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.

Communication and interaction

Children with speech, language and communication needs have difficulty in communicating with others. They may have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding something or not understanding the social rules of communication.

Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) 

Children may experience a wide range of social, emotional and mental health difficulties. These can show themselves in many ways. We work with children who are withdrawn, find it difficult to access learning, have suffered trauma or have difficulty with social interaction. Some children have diagnosed disorders such as attention deficit or difficulties with attachment.

Sensory and/or physical 

Some children have disabilities which prevent them from accessing the educational facilities provided. Most of these children require specialist support and equipment to access the opportunities available to their peers.

Our approach to teaching pupils with SEND

We are committed to providing a broad and balanced curriculum, which is adapted to ensure that all children in our care have equal access to it.  We teach our children in a way they will remember.  

All teachers are teachers of all children and are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class.

High quality, inclusive, teaching is our first step in responding to children who have a special educational need.  This will be adapted to meet the needs of individual children.

Provision for ALL children

• Classrooms are well laid out and all resources are clearly labelled.
• Daily routines are established early to enable children to be independent in the classroom.
• Children are given opportunities to work independently and with learning partners.
• There are regular opportunities for group and partner discussions in the lesson.
• All teachers have high expectations of every child and all is built on what your child already knows, can do and understand.
• Teachers carefully track your child’s progress at regular intervals to ensure that they are accessing the learning – small adaptations are made to further support if needed.
• The contributions of every child are valued and we provide a secure, supportive learning environment.
• We operate a behaviour policy.
• Children take part in PE lessons each week.

Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment

All teachers are provided with information on the needs of individual children so that they can plan the learning within our curriculum to ensure that all children are able to make progress.
Differentiation and adaptation is made for groups and individuals according to need: for example, if a child has Speech, Language and Communication Needs, teachers will use simplified language and/or pictures to support them to understand new vocabulary.

Assistive Technology is used, when appropriate, to enable pupils with motor skills or communication difficulties to write with increased speed, accuracy and confidence.
When feasible, we make reasonable adjustments to improve the accessibility of our environment, including the curriculum and access to information. Our policy and practice adheres to The Equality Act 2010.
Where additional support or resources are needed, our SENDCo liaises with the relevant outside agencies and parents to ensure additional provision is in place.

Additional support for learning

In order to meet the individual needs of a child, the school regularly works with and seeks advice from other professionals such as educational psychologists, advisory teachers, health colleagues and our Extend Learning Academies Network (ELAN) colleagues.

We regularly invest time and money in training our staff to improve provision for all students and to develop enhanced skills and knowledge to deliver short term interventions and individualised interventions.
Our Special Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCo) is a qualified teacher with 22 years of experience in primary education and has secure knowledge and experience of developing provision for pupils with additional needs.

We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEND:

• Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• School Nursing Team
• Education Psychology
• Community Paediatrics
• Children’s services
• North Somerset Inclusion Panel
• Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• ELAN SEND Lead Practitioner.

As well as accessing support from the wider community Walliscote are committed to keeping staff updated with relevant training and up to date information. Staff have regular training opportunities as part of staff meetings, support staff meetings and INSET days.

 Consulting and involving pupils and caregivers

At Walliscote School we believe that it is important to work together closely with parents and carers. You, the parents/carers, are the experts of your children and so it is important that you are involved in every process.

We will regularly meet with you to discuss the progress your child is making, celebrating the success and achievements, listening to any worries or concerns, and deciding together the support that your child needs both at school and at home.

We will work together to create a Personalised Universal Provision plan (PUP) or Individual Support Plan (ISP) and Pupil Profile so all staff within the school are aware of strategies/interventions that support your child. The way a child’s views are gathered will be adapted depending on their age and needs.

Working with other agencies

The school works closely with many outside agencies to ensure all children are supported fully. Parents/carers are consulted and written consent is sought as required.

We seek to respond quickly to emerging need and work closely with other agencies including:

• Education Psychology
• Community Paediatricians
• Enhanced Provision for Social Communication and Autism
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• School Nursing
• Vision Support
• Hearing Support
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Virtual School
• North Somerset Early Help
• ELAN SEND Practitioner
• SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service)

Evaluating the effectiveness of SEN provision

Our Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo) is Claire Hardwidge. Claire works closely with parents/carers, class teachers, senior leaders and outside agencies to coordinate support for children with additional needs.

The SENDCo will:
• oversee and coordinate additional provision 
• be an additional point of contact to discuss concerns with parent/carers, children and staff
• arrange review meetings which include children/young people, their families and involved professionals
• liaise with professionals from outside agencies
• arrange and carry out annual reviews for children with EHCPs and will complete the annual review paperwork.
• ensure that transition is managed effectively when children move between classes or schools.

We evaluate effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by:

• reviewing pupils progress towards their targets (terms 2, 4, 6)
• holding annual reviews for pupils with EHCPs
• using pupil and caregiver feedback via questionnaires, conferencing or review meetings
• reviewing the impact of intervention
• discussion of progress through Pupil Progress meetings
• monitoring by the SENDCo and Senior Leadership Team

 Securing equipment and facilities

A proportion of our school budget is designated to support children with additional needs. The budget allows us to provide specialist equipment, make adaptions and provide additional support such as Learning Support Assistants and Learning Mentor.

Some children will be identified as having significantly higher additional needs and will require other resources such as equipment or adult support. To meet these children’s needs we will apply to the local authority for an EHCP needs assessment. A team of professionals will look at the needs of your child and decide what provision needs to be in place and whether extra funding is required.

The admission of disabled pupils has the same process as non-disabled pupils. During this process it is Walliscote’s responsibility to see if further considerations are needed in light of needs and accessibility. Walliscote is situated in a grade 2 listed building which can present accessibility difficulties. However, we are committed to inclusion and work hard to resolve any issues.

We recommend that parents/carers visit the school to see if we would be able to meet a child’s specific needs. In practice we ensure that classroom and extracurricular activities encourage the participation of all pupils including those categorised as having a disability or Special Educational needs. All staff will organise resources within the school to support access to the learning and encourage participation of all pupils.

Staff at Walliscote are given appropriate training when pupils transition that have a particular need. Adaptions are made to the curriculum to accommodate the physical needs of pupils.

ELAN Accessibility Plan can be found on our policies page.

Support for improving emotional and social development

Walliscote has an approach that supports the development of children’s social and emotional needs, as this can affect their behaviour and their learning. All children are supported with their social and emotional development throughout the school day, through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities. For example: Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) through the Jigsaw scheme of work, ‘check-in’ sessions with familiar adults or social skills groups. Our Learning Mentor, Mr Almond is available to support the emotional and social development of the children by running small groups and 1:1 sessions for children and providing a ‘safe space’ for children to go to if they have worries or concerns. 

Our Behaviour Policy includes guidance on expectations, rewards and sanctions and helps us to embed a positive culture that promotes excellent behaviour.

We have learning support assistants on the playground at play and lunch times to provide a continuity of support for children and to support their social interactions.

We regularly monitor attendance, support children returning to school after absence and take the necessary actions to prevent prolonged unauthorised absence. We have regular meetings with the Education Welfare Officer (EWO).

Relevant staff are trained to support medical needs. We have a medical policy in place and every classroom has a list of children with medical needs.

Children’s views are central to our ethos and are sought individually or through pupil conferencing and other forums.

All staff have received up-to-date safeguarding and Prevent training.

Supporting pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood

When children enter into Reception we will liaise with the previous setting as well as taking part in the Link programme run by North Somerset. This allows staff to have a deeper understanding of the child’s strengths and areas of needs. Previous records are transferred to us and shared with all relevant staff in preparation for the child’s start. As a school we will also plan a personalised transition programme which may include additional visits, adjusted timings of the day to support the positive transition into school.

Transition is a part of life for all learners, whether that involves moving to a new class or moving to a new school. We recognise that transition is an important time for all children, but especially so for a child with SEND. Consequently, we work closely with parents/carers, pupils and staff to ensure these transitions run as smoothly as possible. Planning for transitions within the school will take place in the Summer term; arrangements for transition to Secondary School for pupils with SEND will be planned according to individual need. As a school we encourage staff from the new setting to come and meet the children and prepare them for the transition day/week at the new school. Individual personalised transition plans can be created. Children and parents/carers will be involved in all of the stages of planning and transition.

Enabling pupils with SEN to engage in school activities together with their peers 

Our culture of inclusion promotes involvement of all our learners in all aspects of the curriculum
including activities outside the classroom. We make reasonable adjustments so that learners can join in activities regardless of their needs.

Where there are concerns of safety and access, further thought and consideration is put in place to ensure needs are met when possible, through reasonable adjustment and where applicable parents/carers are consulted and involved in planning.

Additional staff may accompany the children on field trips to ensure all can participate.

When feasible, we make reasonable adjustments to improve the accessibility of our environment. Our policy and practice adheres to The Equality Act 2010.

Complaints about SEN provision

Positive home school relationships often mean that concerns or complaints can usually be dealt with between parents, carers and school staff.

If you have a concern regarding the educational provision for your child(ren) or any special educational need, then please contact the class teacher or SENDCo in the first instance.  We will endeavour to listen and work collaboratively to answer any questions and resolve any difficulties.

Should this route prove unsatisfactory, then a complaint should be made in accordance to the ELAN Complaint Procedures:

Complaints Procedures

Policies

All our key policies are available on our policies page.

If you would like a policy in a different format or would like a printed copy, please contact the school office. 

At Walliscote Primary School, we are committed to providing a safe, secure yet challenging learning environment where all children feel confident and are able to flourish regardless of their additional needs.

As a school, we recognise that some children require more support than others. If these children are to achieve their full potential, we must recognise this and plan accordingly.

We acknowledge many children will have a special educational need at some time in their school career. Some of these children may require additional support throughout their time in school, whilst others may need specific intervention for a brief period to help overcome more short-term needs.