SEND Provision

Copies of slideshows shown during our parent/carer events can be found below.  Please click the three vertical dots to right of the page number to open the options menu and enter full screen. 

4 March 2026 | Parental Engagement Evening

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5 February 2026 | Surgery Drop In

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October 2025 | Year 7 Coffee Morning

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October 2025 | Years 8 & 9 Coffee Morning

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October 2025 | Years 10 & 11 Coffee Morning

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July 2025 | Surgery Drop In

Aspects of difficulty included in this area are:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a complex condition can seriously affect a child’s concentration, behaviour and learning. A child with ADHD will often feel easily bored, may be distracted by unimportant sounds and sights, be impulsive and find it hard to sit still. This impacts on their learning as they can find it very hard to concentrate for the periods of time needed to complete tasks. Consequently, the work that they produce may not necessarily reflect their true ability. Further information can be found at: www.addiss.co.uk

Parental Guide ADHD and Autism

ADHD Fact Sheet

ADHD Parental handbook

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Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD)

Pupils with MLDs will have attainments significantly below expected levels in most areas of the curriculum despite appropriate interventions. Their needs will not be able to be met by normal differentiation and the flexibilities of the National Curriculum. They should only be recorded as MLD if additional educational provision is being made to help them to access the curriculum. Pupils with MLDs have much greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in understanding concepts. They may also have an associated speech and language delay, low self-esteem, low levels of concentration and under-developed social skills.

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Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD)

Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties have complex learning needs. In addition to very severe learning difficulties, pupils have other significant difficulties such as physical disabilities, sensory impairment or a severe medical condition. Pupils require a high level of adult support, both for their learning needs and also for their personal care. They are likely to need sensory stimulation and a curriculum broken down into very small steps. Some pupils communicate by gesture, eye pointing or symbols, others by very simple language. Their attainments are likely to remain in the early P-scale range (P1-P4) throughout their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum).

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Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)

Pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) have significant intellectual or cognitive impairments. This has a major effect on their ability to participate in the school curriculum without support. They may also have difficulties in mobility and co-ordination, communication and perception and the acquisition of self-help skills. Pupils with severe learning difficulties will need support in all areas of the curriculum.

They may also require teaching of self-help, independence and social skills. Some pupils may use sign and symbols but most will be able to hold simple conversations. Their attainments may be within the upper P scale range (P4-P8) for much of their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum).

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Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)

"A child or a young person with a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) may have difficulty with one or more aspects of learning. This includes a range of conditions such as dyslexia (difficulties with reading and spelling); dyscalculia (maths); dyspraxia (co-ordination) and dysgraphia (writing)".

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Dyscalculia

Pupils with dyscalculia have difficulty in acquiring mathematical skills. Pupils may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers and have problems learning number facts and procedures. Further information can be found at: http://www.ncld.org/types-learningdisabilities/dyscalculia

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Dysgraphia

People with dysgraphia are affected by an extreme difficulty with fine motor skills and can have trouble organizing letters, numbers and words on a line or page. This can result partly from:

• Visual-spatial difficulties: trouble processing what the eye sees
• Language processing difficulty: trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears

Further information can be found at: http://dysgraphia.org.uk

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Dyslexia

Pupils with dyslexia have a marked and persistent difficulty in learning to read, write and spell, despite progress in other areas. Pupils may have poor reading comprehension, handwriting and punctuation. They may also have difficulties in concentration and organisation, and in remembering sequences of words. They may mispronounce common words or reverse letters and sounds in words.

Further information can be found at: http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

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Dyspraxia

Pupils with dyspraxia are affected by an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, often appearing clumsy. Gross and fine motor skills are hard to learn and difficult to retain and generalise. Pupils may have poor balance and coordination and may be hesitant in many actions (running, skipping, hopping, holding a pencil, doing jigsaws, etc). Their articulation may also be immature and their language late to develop. They may also have poor awareness of body position and poor social skills. Further information can be found at: http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Some of the aspects of difficulty included in this area are:

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ASD is a term that recognises there are a number of sub-groups within the spectrum of autism. Pupils with ASD find it difficult to:

• Understand and use non-verbal and verbal communication
• Understand social behaviour, which affects their ability to interact with children and adults
• Think and behave flexibly, which may be shown in restricted, obsessional or repetitive activities.

Pupils with ASD cover the full range of ability and the severity of their impairment varies widely. Some pupils also have learning disabilities or other difficulties, making diagnosis difficult.

Pupils with Asperger's syndrome should be recorded in this category. These pupils share the same triad of impairments but have higher intellectual abilities and their language development is different from the majority of pupils with autism.

Further information can be found at: http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism  https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/ 

Local organisations offering information, advice and support for children and young people with ASD and their families include: www.burgessautistictrust.org.uk/

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Children and young people may have a range of difficulties with speech and language, some of which may resolve as the student develops.

For some children, such difficulties may be confined to their production of speech. For others, it may be hard to find the right words or to join them together meaningfully in expressive language. They may have problems in communicating through speech and may find it hard to acquire language and express thoughts and ideas. They may experience difficulties or delays in understanding or responding to verbal cues from others, or in understanding and using appropriate language for social interaction.

The fact that a child or young person may understand and speak English as an additional language does not in itself constitute a speech and language difficulty. It is important to note, however, that different languages have different structures/phonologies (sound systems) which can sometimes cause initial short term difficulties. Further information can be found at: www.afasic.org.uk

Some students may need extra support during exams

Students who the school feel may benefit from additional support during exams are tested in school to ascertain the type of support which would be most appropriate. Even though students may have had access to support during their KS2 studies, it does not mean that it will automatically be the case at KS3 or GCSE. The school has to retest at each Key Stage as required by the exam boards.  The school will test a student if:

• They have previously accessed exam support at KS2
• Their teacher(s) makes a referral to Learning Support with concerns about the student
• There is significant evidence from classroom-based assessments that a student needs support during tests

Once a student has been assessed, the school will contact parents with any recommendations.  This may be one or more of the following special exam access arrangements: Use of ICT, reader, scribe, rest breaks, extra time, prompt. 

Please note that although we will take into consideration a private educational psychologist report about exam access arrangements, we may not apply to the exam boards with their recommendations.  Instead, we have a qualified tester in school, and we will use their recommendations about how best to support a student in exams.

Our Exam Access Arrangements and Exam Policy can be found in the folder at the end of this page.

Some of the aspects of difficulty included in this area:

Hearing Impairment (HI)

Pupils with an HI range from those with a mild hearing loss to those who are profoundly deaf.

They cover the whole ability range. For educational purposes, pupils are regarded as having an HI if they require hearing aids, adaptations to their environment and/or particular teaching strategies to access the concepts and language of the curriculum. A number of pupils with an HI also have an additional disability or learning difficulty. Hearing loss may be because of conductive or sensorineural problems and can be measured on a decibel scale. Four categories are generally used: mild, moderate, severe and profound. Some pupils with a significant loss communicate through sign instead of, or as well as, speech.

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Visual Impairment (VI)

A visual impairment is generally defined as an eyesight problem that cannot be corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses or by surgery. The terms partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind are used in the educational context to describe students with visual impairments. They are defined as follows:

• "Partially sighted" indicates some type of visual problem has resulted in a need for special education;
• "Low vision" generally refers to a severe visual impairment, not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of vision and other senses to learn, although they may require adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and, sometimes, Braille;
• "Legally blind" indicates that a person has less than 20/20 vision in the better eye or a very limited field of vision (20 degrees at its widest point); and
• Totally blind students learn via Braille or other non-visual media.

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Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI)

Pupils with MSI have a combination of visual and hearing difficulties. They are sometimes referred to as deafblind but may have some residual sight and/or hearing. Many also have additional disabilities but their complex needs mean it may be difficult to ascertain their intellectual abilities. Pupils with MSI have much greater difficulty accessing the curriculum and the environment than those with a single sensory impairment. They have difficulties in perception, communication and in the acquisition of information. Incidental learning is limited. The combination can result in high anxiety and multi-sensory deprivation. Pupils need teaching approaches that make good use of their residual hearing and vision, together with their other senses. They may need alternative means of communication.

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Physical Disability (PD)

There is a wide range of physical disabilities and pupils cover the whole ability range. Some pupils are able to access the curriculum and learn effectively without additional educational provision. They have a disability but do not have an SEND. For others, the impact on their education may be severe.

In the same way, a medical diagnosis does not necessarily mean a pupil has an SEND. It depends on the impact the condition has on their educational needs.

There are a number of medical conditions associated with physical disability that can impact mobility. These include cerebral palsy, heart disease, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and muscular dystrophy. Pupils with physical disabilities may also have sensory impairments, neurological problems or learning difficulties.

Some pupils are mobile but have significant fine motor difficulties that require support. Others may need augmentative or alternative communication aids.

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Medical Needs

A medical diagnosis or a disability does not necessarily imply a special educational need (SEND). It may not be necessary for the child or young person with any particular diagnosis or medical condition to have any additional form or educational provision at any phase of education. It is the child’s medical needs rather than a diagnosis that must be considered. Some children may not require school-based SEND provision but they have medical conditions that, if not properly managed, could hinder their access to education. Children and young people with medical conditions will include those with Asthma, Diabetes, Arthritis, Epilepsy, severe allergies, Incontinence, Eczema, Cystic fibrosis Tracheotomy, Colostomy and Ileostomy. In such cases, school staff will take into consideration the medical guidance available. 

ACT Foundation – offers grants to enhance the quality of life of people in need, for example grants for equipment or adaptations where the Local Authority cannot help.

Cerebra - help to support parents/carers with children who have sleep issues. They also have a stress helpline.

SOS SEN - A national charity aiming to empower parents and carers of children and young people with SEN and disabilities to access the help they are entitled to, particularly in the education system

IPSEA - Independent Special Education advice for parents

Preparing for Adulthood - Providing expertise and support for preparing for adulthood from the earliest years

Mencap  Supporting people with a learning disability and their families and carers

ADD-vance ADD-vance is a Hertfordshire based charity that supports families affected by ADHD, Autism or a related condition and the professionals who support them.

https://sensory-processing.middletownautism.com/ support for autistic learners with sensory processing, ideas for activities, resources and guidance for those supporting them

www.mentalhealth.org.uk - Mental Health Foundation has on-line information about anxiety, depression, ADHD 

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions - find information about ASD, SPLD and other medical conditions. 

www.talkingpoint.org.uk - Speech and Language Services – Talking Point provides a guide to speech and language services and useful links to other associated websites.

www.youngminds.org.uk - Young Minds – a national charity committed to improving the mental health of all children, advice about depression, eating disorders, and other mental health issues affecting children, see website for details.

www.kids.org.uk - Young Peoples Inclusion Network – YP -in provides online guidance about both strategy and putting Inclusion into Practice covering issues such as Leisure and Sports Services , Youth Provision, Transport and Independent Living.