Inclusion
Key contacts:
Mr Jamie Sonnex, Assistant Head Teacher and Inclusion Lead. Jamie Sonnex is also the designated teacher for children who are looked after (CLA) and children who were previously looked after (Post-CLA)
Mrs Holly Ashton-Lovett, Special Educational Needs and Difficulties Co-ordinator (SENDCo)
Tel: 01227 272995
Email: sendco@westmeads.kent.sch.uk
Both Mr Sonnex and Mrs Ashton-Lovett work closely together and monitor the above email. Both are contactable through the above address or through telephone via the office.
Although Mr Jamie Sonnex is our Inclusion Lead, we strongly believe that Inclusion is the responsibility of all members of our Westmeads community.
-------------------------------------------------------
Inclusion at Westmeads
At Westmeads, we welcome everyone to our community and we truly believe in creating the best opportunities for all children to thrive throughout their time with us and beyond. We acknowledge the fact that all children (and adults) have very different lived experiences, families, strengths and difficulties and we work hard as a team to ensure equity is shown throughout our school.
Different lived experiences could be as small as never having tried beans on toast before, or as big as not having experienced seen a stage performance in a theatre before. It could be as seemingly simple as having just one parent at home or sharing a home with your whole family.
We make a deliberate effort to celebrate diversity within our community and to explore what it means to be a unique member of the Westmeads Community Infant School. For some, this may mean the make up of their family, their culture, the way they learn, a particular skill or talent or maybe an interesting hobby.
With this in mind, we aim to provide all children a shared understanding through fantastic front loads at the beginning of each of our topics throughout school. Our front loads include giving the children opportunities to experience things so that all the learning that follows is meaningful and hooked onto an experience shared by all children, not just those who may or may not have some prior knowledge of this.
Some front loads include trips to the beach to explore the seaside and learn about our local area, having a pretend birthday party for the class bear to explore celebrations or even having real life local artists visit school to explore what it is like to be an illustrator and have your work win awards!
Special Educational Needs at Westmeads
At Westmeads we believe that all children have the potential to thrive and grow no matter their starting age and stage of development. We acknowledge that many children, particularly those with SEND, develop skills at different speeds for a variety of reasons. Some children may need the opportunity to extend skills while others may need support in certain areas.
We believe it is very important that all children are given the opportunity to achieve their potential and that any barriers or difficulties are identified quickly so that appropriate help can be given. Equally, we also believe that those who display consistently high levels of attainment and are considered ‘most able’ within areas of our curriculum should be identified and supported to achieve further. These children are supported and challenged in their area of strength and are given opportunities to practice and share their talents.
Early identification of any difficulty or barrier is important and we encourage families to contact us before their child is due to start school and tell us if they feel their child may need any extra help. Every effort will be taken to provide additional help and support where necessary, so that the child’s time at school is happy and enjoyable from the start.
At regular times in the school year the class teachers meet with the SENDCo to monitor progress & to plan additional individual or small group support. This support may be called ‘SEN Support’ and includes where assessments are made by school staff and where advice from other professionals, such as Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist Teaching and Learning Team or Educational Psychologists, may have been given.
At Westmeads, we endeavour to employ all of the Mainstream Core Standard strategies to ensure that support is given to all our children. Where further support is necessary, we are able to deliver more personalised and bespoke approaches through targeted intervention. Some interventions may take the form of supported learning through additional resources, additional support through small group work or more intensive support through one to one learning.
All adults working with a child who requires a more personalised approach will be aware of the agreed strategies and interventions and will endeavour to deliver high quality support. We believe the saying ‘What is vital for one is viable for all’ to be true and will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to our teaching practice so that all children may thrive.
We believe in involving all children actively in their own learning. Our policy is to work in partnership with families, involving them with planning in school support, giving suggestions of how they can support their child at home, and also through reviewing of previous targets set. Parents often hold vital knowledge of their children and provide valuable insight into how we can continue to work together to support.
We advocate inclusion and celebrate diversity at all levels. We encourage all adults and children to support and respect each other. Within this positive atmosphere we aim to provide equity for all children and this is written into all our school policies.
There is a full copy of the SEND Policy available on our policies page and in the school office. Its effectiveness is reviewed annually, the purpose of which is to ensure that all our children are given the opportunity to make the most of their abilities before they move to their chosen Junior School.
If you wish to view a SEND related policy, please go to our Policies page.
-------------------------------------------------------