SEND

Lime Wood School values all pupils and their families through celebrating diversity of experience, interest, and achievement. All pupils need to experience praise, recognition and success, and pupils with SEND have equal entitlement to this.

Our school is committed to:

• following the graduated approach outlined in the DfE’s ‘SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years’
• monitor the progress of all pupils to aid the earliest possible identification of SEND.

Appointments to meet with the SENDCO will be able to be arranged by contacting the school office.

Our SEND Information Report and SEND Policy can be viewed on our Policies and Procedures page by clicking here.

Our Graduated Approach
Quality First Teaching (QFT):

This is the essential foundation of all teaching, assessment, and intervention for all pupils. Bexley’s SEN Toolkit outlines that Quality First Teaching:

• Seeks to engage and support the learning of all children and young people.
• Builds on pupils’ prior learning and responds appropriately to the ‘pupil voice’.
• Builds from the skillful design of learning.
• Is re-constructed as children and young people progress in their learning.
• Involves a curriculum that is methodically constructed and renewed to deliver small and efficient steps of progression.
• May need teacher directed class-based interventions.

Additional School Intervention and Support (ASI) (building on QFT):

An assessment and intervention process which is coordinated by the SENDCo working alongside other school staff. Interventions at this stage will be additional and may be different to those provided through classroom support.

• Teaching Assistants are trained to deliver a range of interventions to support pupil access to the curriculum. Provision maps identify which interventions are suitable for each pupil based on the area and level of need
• Support for learning might include Teaching Assistants supporting pupils on a 1:1 basis and in small groups

External Support (ES):

Generally characterised by the school requesting the involvement of relevant external services and agencies. This is a more detailed assessment and development of intervention programmes for a child. This level of intervention is for pupils with more complex and/or enduring difficulties and whose progress is considered insufficient, despite carefully planned interventions at the previous levels. If schools seek extra provision beyond their own resources, or an assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan, there must be clear evidence that appropriate intervention has been put in place and reviewed at the previous levels of the graduated approach.

The graduated approach will support schools in meeting pupil’s needs by:

• Establishing a clear assessment of the pupil’s needs.
• Planning, with the pupil’s parents, the interventions and support to be put in place, as well as the expected impact on progress, development and behaviour, along with a clear date for review.
• Implementing the interventions, with the support of the SENDCo.
• Reviewing the effectiveness of the interventions and making any necessary revisions.

Curriculum Adaptations & Universal Design for Learning 

We make adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met, some of these are listed below:

• Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson
• Adapting our resources and staffing
• Using recommended aids, such as IPADs, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font.
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud
   

Right to Choose- ADHD UK

Under the NHS Constitution for England, patients have the legal right to choose their provider for a first outpatient appointment. This includes specialist services for neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, provided that the provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and holds an NHS Standard Contract.

When a referral for an ADHD assessment is clinically appropriate and requested by the parent or carer, they are entitled to exercise their 'Right to Choose' and may select a provider outside the local NHS trust. This includes private providers operating under NHS contracts. Importantly, the GP's role is to facilitate the referral to the chosen provider and not to limit the patient's choice to only local services.

As a primary school, we have a duty to support our pupils and their families in accessing appropriate healthcare assessments in a timely manner. Given the current pressures on local NHS neurodevelopmental services, it is increasingly necessary for families to be made aware of — and supported in — their rights under the 'Right to Choose' pathway.

As a parent/carer, please note the following:

Parents and carers are informed of their right to choose a provider for ADHD assessment.
Referrals are made directly to the provider of the family's choice, provided it meets the relevant NHS contractual requirements.
No undue delay is introduced when a parent/carer expresses a preference for an alternative provider.
We greatly value the partnership between health and education in supporting our pupils' well-being and educational outcomes.