Special Educational Needs
At Portreath School we understand that a child’s learning journey can be affected by a variety of factors. To ensure we fully meet all pupils’ needs we follow The Code of Practice for Special Education Needs, ensuring that the appropriate provision is put in place to meet the needs of our children with special educational needs. Children with special educational needs may include those with physical disabilities, hearing or visual impairment, emotional and/or behavioural challenges, speech and language delays or specific learning difficulties.
Once we feel that an additional need has been identified we will ask to meet with you to discuss our concerns and to make a plan for the future. Your child’s name will then be placed on our record of need. Our SENDCO works closely with teaching staff and support staff to ensure that specific programmes are put in place to support our pupils on the record of need. This may include the use of specialist software, 1:1 work with an adult or small group work.
When supporting the individual needs of our pupils we may need to seek advice from external, agencies. Amongst those we work with are: Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Primary Mental Healthcare Workers (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service; CAMHS), Occupational Therapists, Dyslexia Support Advisors, Autism Spectrum Team, Behaviour Support Service and the School Nursing Team.
We believe that clear communication between ourselves and families is a key element in our pupils achieving success. Our door is always open to talk to parents if they have concerns about their child’s development or well-being.
We have high aspirations for all our pupils, including those with additional needs; we strive to provide the best support we can in order that every child is given every opportunity to meet their full potential.
Our Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator, is Dai McCarthy.
For Cornwall’s local SEND offer please go to the following web page: Family Information Service Cornwall
For more specific information regarding how we manage our school in relation to additional needs please follow the link below to our SEN Information report. In this document you will find detailed examples of whole school, group and individualised practices.