Introduction to SEND at Fir Tree

Many children find some elements of school challenging, and can have difficulties with:

• Reading, writing, mathematics
• Understanding information, other people and expressing themselves
• Memory
• Organising themselves
• Sensory perception or physical mobility
• Managing their behaviour
• Making friends or relating to adults

This doesn’t necessarily mean your child has special educational needs, however, in some cases these difficulties may cause a barrier to your child’s learning.

If you have any concerns, first and foremost speak to your child’s class teacher, they know your child best from seeing them on a daily basis. You are also more than welcome to make an appointment to speak to Mrs Patterson our Special Needs Coordinator. The telephone number for the school office is 01491 836341.

SEND Policy

The school works in partnership with parents to meet your child’s needs. This means:

We listen to the views of parents, who are treated equally in decisions

Children are closely monitored and parents are kept informed about their child’s strengths, needs, progress and the extra help they require

We also have access to a wealth of outside agency advise

Formally parents of children with SEN have the opportunity to meet with their child’s class teacher three times a year (during extended parent evenings) to review their child’s learning, you will have the opportunity to discuss:

• What the school is doing to meet your child’s needs and whether this is working
• How your child feels about what the school is doing to help them
• How you can help and be involved

At Fir Tree Junior School, our mission is to:

• Understand your child’s special educational needs
• Help your child to recognise their strengths and SMART areas (everyone has a range of abilities and talents, the teachers help children to learn by knowing what they are good at and encouraging them to work on the things they need to do to improve) by raising pupil self-esteem and building their confidence
• Identify and remove barriers to learning - help them to overcome or manage these challenges
• Develop independent learners so that when the time comes for them to go onto Wallingford School they are confident, resilient and independent
• Provide access to a relevant, tailored and differentiated curriculum - which might involve interventions that are specific to your child’s needs.

Useful resources to help you support your child

Our policies and information