SEND
At St George’s, we want every child to have full access to the curriculum and the wider life of the school, and to achieve their best. We recognise that children have different starting points – physically, socially, emotionally and academically – and that some face challenges in becoming independent learners.
All children benefit from high-quality, adaptive teaching in class. Some need additional support on top of this, such as specialist equipment, changes to the learning environment, extra adult support in class, or small-group or one-to-one interventions.
How we support your child
Class teachers keep a close eye on every child’s progress. If they, or you, have a concern, the class teacher will talk with you about it, together with our SENCo where needed.
Often the first step is to put together a one-page profile with you and your child. This is a short summary of what matters to your child, what they are good at and what helps them learn, so that every adult who works with them knows how best to support them. Alongside this, we use strategies from Essex’s Ordinarily Available framework, which sets out the support all Essex schools are expected to provide. Your child does not need a diagnosis to receive this support. We keep a close eye on how well the strategies are working and keep you updated.
If your child needs more help than this, we will talk with you about putting a One Plan in place. A One Plan is what Essex calls a SEN support plan. It sets out clear targets and the support we will provide to help your child reach them. It follows a cycle of ‘assess, plan, do, review’: we review progress with you each term, gather your child’s views, and change the support if it isn’t making enough difference. When a One Plan is put in place, your child will be added to our SEN register.
Some children need a higher level of support or a more individualised programme. With your agreement, we may seek advice from other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers or an educational psychologist. If a child’s needs cannot be met through the support the school can normally provide, the school or parents can ask Essex County Council for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment.
We also make reasonable adjustments for children with disabilities and medical needs. Our accessibility plan sets out how we are improving access to the school building, the curriculum and information.
If you have a concern: please speak to your child’s class teacher first, or contact our SENCo through the school office.
Useful Links:
Essex Ordinarily Available: Parent Information
Essex Local Offer: Guidance about a range of support options for your child
SPACE: Support for parents and carers of children with SEND in Essex