Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

Mr Jones is the SENCo at Ethelbert Road and he is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you would like to speak to him or would like to make an appointment, please phone the school office on (01795) 533124 or email:

senco@ethelbert-road.kent.sch.uk  

Our Statement of Intent for Supporting Equality

At Ethelbert Road we celebrate our achievements, gifts and cultural diversity, irrespective of individual differences within the protected categories of the Equality Act of 2010. Together we take pride in making a positive contribution to our school and the wider community. We Aim to provide every child with access to a broad and balanced education. This includes the National Curriculum in line with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

We are committed to equality. We aim for every pupil to fulfil their potential no matter what their needs. Our School is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families.

We aim to:

• Provide a secure and accessible environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued.
• Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity.
• Provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and disabled people.
• Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting equality and valuing diversity.
• Make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the school.

SEN Transition

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

How we will support children with SEND when they are moving on to another class or leaving this school:

We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting, when they will be shown around the school and any concerns can be addressed. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

We may need to write a ‘Social Story’ to ease the transition for pupils with high anxiety and communication difficulties. School and Parents may also feel the need to arrange several transition meetings or sessions between the schools in order to alleviate pupil concerns.

We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools, ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex needs then an Education Health Care Plan review may be used as a transition meeting, during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend.

What is the Local Offer?

Local authorities must publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education and Health Care (EHC) plans. It has 2 key purposes:

• To provide clear, up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it.
• To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly children and their parents, and service providers in its development and review.

Kent's Local Offer can be accessed via the link below:

The Mainstream Core Standards 

The Mainstream Core Standards document explains what schools (this includes academies and free schools) must do to support children and young people with SEND so that they are included in all aspects of school life (or are as included as they wish to be), make progress and are happy in school.

At Ethelbert Road we use this document to help us plan, review and improve our provision.