SEND Provision at HSF
Hempstead Schools Federation seeks to meet all children’s learning through good quality teaching and support provided by the curriculum within the classroom. If a child is seen to not make expected progress they will be supported by a team of staff led by the federation's SENDCo in partnership with the class teacher and teaching assistant.
Click here for information regarding provision for pupils with disabilities
Click here to view the federation SEND Policy and Report
SEN TEAM
- SENDCo: Mrs Emma Taylor (contactable via officeinfants@hsf.medway.sch.uk/ office juniors@hsf.medway.sch.uk)
- Specialist Teacher: Mrs Lyn Sweatman
- Family Liaison Officer (FLO): Mrs Abbie Stephens
Teaching Assistants providing further support and interventions
| Infant School | Junior School |
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In addition to this immediate SEN team the school commissions the support and advice of an Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapist and Speech and Language Therapist. This additional support from a multi-agency team enables the school to gain a thorough understanding of different children’s needs and how best to support them.
What does SEND mean?
A child or young person aged from 0 to 25 years has special educational needs or disability (SEND) if they:
- have a learning difficulty or disability which makes it much harder for them to learn than other pupils of the same age
- they require special educational provision to be made for them.
SEN is a legal term. A detailed description can be found in the SEND Code of Practice (SEN on page 15 and disability on page 16). Or you can read the easy-read version of the SEND Code of Practice from Mencap here.
Different types of special educational needs or disability (SEND)
Children with SEND may need extra help or support, or special provision made for them to have the same opportunities of other children of their age.
The 4 areas of need according to the SEND Code of Practice. If your child has a SEND, their needs will fall into one or more of the following 4 areas.
- Communication and interaction needs
- Cognition & Learning
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health
- Sensory and/or Physical
An overview of SEND at Hempstead Schools Federation
How does the school identify support pupils with SEND?
Further Support for Well-being
Family Liaison Officer
Hempstead Junior School has employed a Family Liaison Officer (FLO) who is available to support parents and families. Mrs Stephens the school’s FLO is available to meet with parents to discuss concerns related to their children’s well-being and happiness. It is recognised that if children feel unhappy of unsettled they cannot concentrate and make good academic progress. Mrs Stephens can provide immediate support to parents and families but also signpost where further and specialist support can be found.
SEN CHANGES TO GOVERNMENT POLICY
In 2014 the Government publish an updated SEN Code of Practice. The key changes included in this document are:
SEN Statements are replaced by a document called the ‘Education and Health Care Plan’. This document covers support across both Health and Education and spans from birth to age 25.
Families are offered personal budgets enabling them to commission support for their children directly.
THE LOCAL OFFER
The ‘Local Offer’ is a document which captures all the local (Medway) services available to support disabled children and children with special educational needs and their families. It identifies different services range of support and how to access this help.
Click here to view Medway's Local Offer
If you wish to discuss your child’s learning needs contact the following members of staff:
- Your child’s Class teacher
- Head of Year
- Mrs Taylor (SENDCO)