Special Educational Needs and Disability

Children make progress at different rates and learn best in different ways. Teachers respond to this in the management and organisation of their class, lessons and teaching.

Children making slower progress than their peers or facing particular challenges in one area may be given extra support within lessons, in smaller groups or individually to help them to achieve. Parents and carers should not assume, just because a child is making slower progress or being given different levels of support, that they have Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).  However, some children are identified as having SEND. 

A pupil is identified as having SEND if they have special educational needs or a disability that makes it significantly more difficult for them to learn and make progress than their age-related peers. SEND is categorised into the six main areas below: 

  1. Learning difficulties – in acquiring basic skills in school. 

  1. Social, emotional or mental health difficulties – such as making friends, relating to others or behaving appropriately in school. 

  1. Specific learning difficulty – in reading, writing, maths or understanding and processing information. 

  1. Sensory or physical needs – such as hearing or visual impairments, or physical difficulties that may affect the child’s ability to learn in school. 

  1. Speech, language and communication difficulties – in expressing themselves or understanding others. 

  1. Medical or health conditions – which may impact on a child’s ability to make progress and/or involve treatment that affects their education. 

Many children will be identified as having a SEND of some kind during their time in school and we will always inform parents/carers and work with you to support your child. We also work in partnership with other professionals and organisations and can help many children to overcome the barriers that their difficulties present. However, some children will have continuing needs and therefore require extra support for most or all of their time in school. 

The SEND Report document answers questions that you may have about our local offer/ SEND provision. Our SEND policy, equalities information and the accessibility plan are available on our policies page. The local offer provided by Bristol City Council is found at www.findabilitybristol.org.uk

The SEND Co-ordinator for St. John's School is Mr Tony Weir who is contactable via 0117 9030251 or senco@stjohnsprimary.org.uk.

Resources
 
If your child has Special Educational Needs and Disability, here are a few links to outside resources which you may find helpful.
 
Local Resources
 
 
 
Bristol Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services: A directory of all the different services available to support all young people and their families.
 
Findability Bristol: local information, help and support for children and young people with special educational needs or a disability (SEND).
 
 
Supportive Parents: provides information, advice and support to parents, children and young people about any type of special educational need or disability from 0-25 years who live in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.
 
Bristol Register of Disabled Children (a.k.a. Bristol "Pink Card"): these are cards issued by Bristol for children on the disability register and families have used them in various ways. As well as money off for things like films and the zoo, families have been able to go to the front of long queues and even get boarded first on plane journeys.
 
Special Friends Club: Bristol charity supporting children with special needs and their families.
 
National Resources
 
SEND Code of Practice: Guidance from the Departments of Education and Health on the SEND system for children and young people aged 0 to 25 (September 2014).
 
Contact a Family: provides condition-specific parent support networks (UK-wide).
 
Specific Resources