Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

What is SEND?

SEND is Special Educational Needs and Disability. A child with SEND is understood to have either a learning difficulty or a disability and the child requires special educational provision which is additional to and different from that generally made for other children of the same age within a mainstream school.

A Commitment to Inclusion

At Boston Pioneers Academy, we pride ourselves on being inclusive and will strive to support all children – regardless of their level of need. We recognise, reflect and celebrate the skills, talents and contributions of all our children, so that everyone feels happy, secure and knows that they are valued.

We aim to ensure the identification of all pupils requiring Special Educational Needs provision as early as possible in their educational journey, to ensure they can access the curriculum and take as full a part as possible in school activities.

Our Academy works hard to ensure that all children with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve their full potential by:

Writing individual education plans (IEPs) to ensure that your child has bespoke targets and provision to help them achieve.
Ensuring any intervention is of quality and meets the need of your child, additional from and different to the quality first teaching in the classroom.
Valuing pupil voice. Our children are asked regularly about their learning and are included in the review process.
Holding regular reviews with parents and carers to ensure collaborative learning.
Being committed to the SEND code of practice and ensuring that every child matters.
Sharing the expertise of specialists across our cluster for the benefit of all.
Working in partnership with outside agencies such as the Working Together Team and the Specialist Teaching Team.

Equity of Access

Within our Academy we are inclusive and are always reviewing our curriculum provision and building environment to make sure we are meeting the needs of all pupils, including equality of access for those who have a disability.

The admission of pupils with a disability is through our normal admission arrangements (as outlined in our admission policy) unless they have an EHCP and then it will be through the SEND consultation process. Once a place is agreed, and prior to entry, we will meet with the parents/carers to agree a care plan/ Individual education plan and where necessary a PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan).

Within our curriculum provision we have considered the range of differentiation, in terms of the support materials and physical resources, that will support the inclusion of all pupils particularly those that have a physical impairment. Examples of this can include providing reading materials in enlarged print and providing specially adapted writing implements. Thanks to generous funding from the Academy's PTFA, we have also recently developed a sensory space to support our neuro-diverse learners.

Through our PSHE scheme of work, we regularly focus on key aspects of accepting and understanding difference to ensure that all of our pupils are treated with respect and consideration by all. This is also reiterated in our Equal Opportunities policy & our promotion of the 'No Outsiders' programme.

For those pupils that have a disability, we will annually assess the learning environment of the classroom to ensure that the pupil is positioned in the best space and position to support their learning.

We also regularly review our access arrangements to all areas of the school site and this is included in our accessibility plan.

Our Academy SENDCo

Our SENDCo, Mrs Lilley, oversees the provision for children with Special Educational needs and/or disabilities within the academy to ensure that individual needs are catered for. She is contactable via the academy office, or email at: Virginia.Lilley@bostonpioneersacademy.net

The Local Offer

All local authorities are required to publish information about services available for children and young people (aged 0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities.

The local offer:

Provides information for families with children who have a special educational need or disability
Improves choice and transparency for these families
Helps professionals to understand the range of services and provision available locally
Improves joint commissioning arrangements for services by setting out in a single place what is available locally

Lincolnshire’s Local offer can be accessed here: https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/send-local-offer

Lincolnshire Parent/Carer Forum (LPCF)

This forum is recognised and supported by the Department for Education (DfE) under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2015).

LPCF is specifically tasked with working alongside the Local Authority and Health to help ensure that the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor meet the needs of children with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs.

For further information call 07925 232466 or email: admin@lincspcf.org.uk

You can find our SEND Information Report and our other SEND-related policies here.