Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy 2025/2026
Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy
Policy details
Date created - 04/07/2018
Date reviewed - 04/09/2025
Next review date - 04/09/2026
SENDCo | David Hallam |
ALT member with responsibility for SEND | David Hallam |
Designated Safeguarding Lead | Emma Wingfield |
Policy Author | David Hallam / Liz Jones |
- Aims of the Policy
- Definition of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Relevant Legislation
- The Role of the SENDCo
- Overview of SEND Provisions at Co-op Academy Leeds
- Information Sharing - SEND information as a “Golden Thread”
- EHCPs
- The Graduated Approach
- Partnership with outside agencies
- Accessibility
- Admission Arrangements
- Arrangements for Transition
- Complaints
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Review
Aims of the Policy
The aim of the SEND policy is to help create an inclusive and caring community providing opportunities for all its students, including those with SEND, to:
- follow a broad, balanced relevant curriculum with high quality teaching and adaptations to take into account the needs of students with SEND
- demonstrate their full potential, recognising their strengths and areas for development
- fully participate in all academy activities
- meet their physical, emotional, and intellectual needs
- offer equal opportunities
- become independent learners
- be involved in decision making
Definition of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
A student has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
A student has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions
Many children and young people who have SEND may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 - that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.
This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer. Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEND, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEND. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision, they will also be covered by the SEND definition.
SEND Code of practice 2015
Broad Areas of Need
Students at the academy may have SEND as a result of one or more of the following needs:
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Sensory and or physical
Behaviour difficulties do not necessarily mean that a student has special educational needs. However, where consistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviour, or a noticeable change in behaviour is observed, this could be an indication of unmet SEN and assessments will be carried out to determine whether there are any causal factors. If it is thought that these may be due to housing or family circumstances then an Early Help Assessment may be deemed appropriate.
English as an Additional language and SEN
Where there is cause for concern over the progress of a student with EAL, there is careful consideration by subject teachers and specialist EAL staff to determine whether the lack of progress is due to limitations in the student’s command of English or if it arises from a special educational need or both. An assessment in the student’s first language may be requested.
Relevant Legislation
This policy has been written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 (2015), part of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (which came into effect in September 2002) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10 . It also takes into account the guidance set out by the Local Authority (LA) for SEND practices and procedures, and additionally
- Equality Act 2010: advice for academies DfE 2013 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
- Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupil at school with medical conditions https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3
- Teachers’ standards 2012 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a750668ed915d3c7d529cad/Teachers_standard_information.pdf
The Role of the SENDCo
The Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo), is responsible for:
- The strategic direction of SEND provision to ensure all students with SEND receive their full educational entitlement and have access to the whole curriculum
- The overall monitoring of the delivery of SEND provision to ensure its quality and impact
- Coordinating the team of staff responsible for the delivery of targeted and specialist provision
- Supporting whole school professional development
- Management of the SEND budget
- Advising on the graduated approach to providing SEND support
- Liaising with parents of pupils with SEND
- Liaising with other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
- Being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
- Liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a student and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
- Working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
- Ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date
The SENDCo reports directly to the Deputy Head Teacher. The SENDCo has completed the National Award for SEN Coordination.