Specialist Expertise

SENCO and SEN Staff

Bowburn Primary School staff regularly undertake courses and training to keep up to date with SEND developments. The teaching and learning requirements of all children with SEND is primarily the responsibility of the class teacher which reflects the principle that SEND (provision for children with special needs and disabilities) is a whole school issue and a recognised aspect of all curriculum planning.

Staff have particular expertise in working with children with: behaviour, emotional and social difficulties; speech, language and communication difficulties and children with complex needs. All staff have undertaken the ‘Autism Awareness’ training course.

More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families, particularly when a child is demonstrating further cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent.

The external specialists may:

• Act in an advisory capacity
• Extend expertise of school staff
• Provide additional assessment
• Support a child directly
• Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
• Consult with all parties involved with the child

These include:

• Durham SEND Information,  Advice and Support Service
• Special Educational Needs – Inclusion Team
• CAMHS Assessment Team
• Crisis Response
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Durham Educational Psychology Service
• Durham Movement Difficulties Service
• One Point Children’s Service
• Durham Social Care Services
• Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service
• Looked After Children Team
• Medical Practitioners
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • The Service for Hearing Impaired
  • The Service for the Visually Impaired
  • Tree Tops Occupational Therapy

Some children come into school already under the supervision of one or more of these agencies. The school works closely with these professionals to ensure the needs of individual children are met. This might be through meetings, observing children in a classroom situation or discussion with class teachers and support staff. Some children may present with a specific need or difficulty during their school career. The progress of every child is monitored closely and if there are concerns the SENCO will meet with parents/carers to talk about support which can be put in place, this may include referring children to one of the agencies mentioned above. Referrals can only be made if parents and carers are in agreement and agencies work closely with parents through meetings or written reports to ensure they have a clear picture of the support required and any intervention being provided.

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.