SEND

SEND

SEND at Birchington Church of England Primary School

Learning and Growing; Safe in God’s Love

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Mrs K. Downs

Inclusion Leader

Telephone: 01843 841046

E-mail: aen@birchington.kent.sch.uk

Hello, my name is Mrs Downs and I am the Inclusion Leader at Birchington CE Primary School. My role can also be called SENCo. I have been teaching at Birchington for 20 years and have had the pleasure of working alongside many children and their families. My role is to ensure that all children with additional needs receive a balanced and fair education and that they are given the tools and time they need to achieve their full potential. I am available for a quick chat or a longer meeting about any of your concerns and I strive to ensure that all children have an accessible and inspiring curriculum. Please feel free to email me if you have any concerns or would like to discuss the support your child receives. I look forward to meeting any new parents and children and continuing to work alongside you all in the future.

At Birchington CE Primary School, inclusion is at the centre of all we do. Our Christian Vision states that ‘We strive to ensure that everyone in our happy, inclusive school flourishes and feels safe. Our peaceful learning environment and aspirational curriculum enables everyone to grow from their unique starting point, giving them a hopeful future. Following in Jesus’ example, we forgive, respect, love and care for everyone.’ and we ensure that all children are included in every aspect of our school life. As a staff we work cohesively to ensure that we have the most up to date training, needs are identified quickly and provision is put in place to support each individual.

We work alongside parents and carers to ensure that the children have a fully supported education. Parents and carers are kept up to date on the needs of their child and meetings are held to discuss Personal Plans 3 times a year. The Class Teachers, Inclusion Leader and other members of the Leadership Team are happy to arrange additional meeting to discuss any concerns and we believe that by working together, the child receives the inclusive education they deserve and we all strive to provide.

According to the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Code of Practice January 2015, a child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:

Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
Has a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of facilities of a kind provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. SEN Code of Practice (2014, p15 and 16)