Leicestershire Special Educational Needs Policy
We believe that all the people of Leicestershire should have life long access to high quality education and training for vocational, social and personal needs to improve the quality of their life and contribute to the economic and cultural development of this County and beyond.
Leicestershire is proud of its tradition of comprehensive community education. We believe that all children are of equal value and that schools have the responsibility to make high quality, balanced provision for all pupils to help them to reach their full potential as learners. Children with special educational needs are entitled to exactly the same access and opportunity as all other children.
The majority of children with special educational needs in Leicestershire attend their local mainstream schools. Some children are given extra support by their school and a small number of children, who need resources which are not readily available in their local school, are given further support from the LEA. An even smaller number of children have specialised help in a class or unit within a mainstream school or in special school. We will maintain the provision of special schools and units attached to mainstream schools whilst educating as many children as possible in mainstream schools.
We aim in Leicestershire to ensure that almost all children who live in Leicestershire are able to attend a school within the County. We believe it should be a rare exception that a child has to receive education elsewhere.
Children with special educational needs have the right and entitlement to be fully included in the life of the school that they attend. All teachers and support staff within schools have responsibilities for meeting the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs. The nature of support given to children with special educational needs should not be a barrier to children being fully included in the communities in which they live and learn.
Principles
Leicestershire’s SEN policy is built on:
- Commitment to comprehensive community education, which offers high quality provision to all pupils of statutory school age appropriate to their needs and all others who wish to learn
- The entitlement of all children to receive a broad and balanced curriculum; they have a right to achieve success and fulfilment of their potential
- The overall strategy of the Local Education Authority as a whole and national initiatives
- Working together with parents, carers and other agencies to provide access to high quality education for children with special educational needs
- Early identification and intervention for pupils with special educational needs
- The needs of children with SEN being met within their appropriate mainstream school wherever possible; all teachers are teachers of special needs and all schools make provision for all pupils including those with special needs in accordance with the SEN Code of Practice
- Targeted, responsive and clearly described financial arrangements made for pupils with special educational needs
- Recognition that many factors influence whether a child has special educational needs
Responsibilities of the Children and Young People's Service
To provide:
- Consistent and coherent pre-school support services
- Support for pupils, wherever possible, in their local school or local community
- A range of specialist provision across mainstream and special schools taking account of the need for equality of access across the LEA. Such provision will be organised on the five LEA areas
- To provide a LEA SEN strategic plan which is implemented and regularly reviewed in partnership with all stakeholders
- Support to maintain schools in meeting the needs of pupils with SEN through delegated, targeted funding and high quality central services
- High quality training and development for all staff who work to educate pupils with SEN
- Information, guidance and examples of good practice in working with and for parents/carers and pupils
- Highly specialist placements for a small minority of pupils whose needs cannot be met in Leicestershire schools
- Co-ordinated services in partnership with other agencies including the Strategic Health Authority, NHS Trusts, Social Services Department, Connexions, voluntary agencies and the Leicestershire Learning and Skills Council
- Regular review, monitoring, and evaluation of the work of early years providers, schools, colleges and central services to ensure that children’s needs are met and that provision is of a high quality
Responsibilities of Early Years Education Providers, Schools and Governing Bodies:
- To meet the needs of all pupils including those with SEN through a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum
- To ensure all staff and governors are aware of and follow the requirements and guidance contained in the SEN Code of Practice
- To respond flexibility and creatively in providing for pupils with SEN, taking into account their knowledge of pupils’ preferred learning styles, strengths and weaknesses
- To identify and make use of relevant sources of training, advice and expertise
- To support staff in increasing their expertise and sharing good practice
- To take a lead in the early identification, assessment, intervention and education of pupils with SEN
- To plan strategically so that there are clear and accountable funding arrangements for pupils with SEN
- To take careful account of the views of pupils and parents/carers in making arrangements to meet pupils’ needs
- To monitor and evaluate SEN provision regularly
feedback on this page
