Inclusion at Barnes Farm Primary School - What support looks like at Our School

At Barnes Farm, inclusion means making sure every child feels they belong, is understood and gets the support they need to thrive.

Children develop in different ways and at different rates. Sometimes a child may need extra help, an adjustment in the classroom, some additional practice or a short-term intervention.

We thought the below information may be useful for parent/carers to understand how we support children in school.

A child does not need to be on the SEN register to receive support and Inclusion is not just about special educational needs.

Support for all children

Our teachers adapt teaching every day to meet the needs of the children in their class. This might include:

• visual prompts or timetables;
• instructions broken into smaller steps;
• extra practice or pre-teaching;
• changes to seating, tasks or pace;
• short-term reading, maths, language or pastoral support.

This is part of our Ordinarily Available support and is something we provide as part of inclusive teaching.

Some children may need this support for a short time, while others may need adjustments for longer. We continue to monitor their progress carefully.

When is a child placed on the SEN register? 

The SEN register is not a list of every child who receives extra help.

A child is placed on the SEN register when their needs are persistent or significant and they require support that is additional to or different from what is ordinarily available in school.

We look at the whole child and consider:

• the barriers they are experiencing;
• what support has already been tried;
• how they have responded to that support;
• whether their needs are likely to be longer term; and
• the views of the child and their family.

There is no single test, score or diagnosis that automatically means a child should be on the SEN register.

Our graduated approach

We think about support in three broad levels.

Universal – Ordinarily Available Support for everyone
High-quality, inclusive classroom teaching and everyday adjustments.

Ordinarily Available Targeted Support
Some children may need additional, short-term support such as a small-group intervention, extra practice or structured pastoral support. They are not automatically placed on the SEN register.

SEN Support
If a child continues to experience significant or persistent difficulties and needs more individualised, ongoing support, they may be placed on the SEN register. We will work closely with parents/carers and the child to agree appropriate support and regularly review progress.

What about a diagnosis?

A diagnosis can help us understand a child’s needs, but it does not automatically mean that a child needs to be on the SEN register.

Likewise, a child does not need a diagnosis before they can be identified as having SEN.

The most important question is always: what support does this child need to access learning, take part and make progress?

An EHCP is not automatically the next step after joining the SEN register, and most children with SEN do not need one.  We will always work closely with families if we feel that a child needs this higher level of support.

What about an EHCP? 

A small number of children have needs that are more significant, complex and long term. Where a child continues to need a high level of support despite appropriate SEN Support, we may consider whether an Education, Health and Care needs assessment would be appropriate.

If the local authority decides that a statutory plan is needed, it may issue an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). An EHCP sets out a child’s needs, the outcomes they are working towards and the provision that should be in place to support them.

An EHCP is not automatically the next step after joining the SEN register, and having an EHCP does not automatically mean that a child will receive 1:1 adult support.

At Barnes Farm, we use a key adult support approach rather than automatically assigning one adult to one child throughout the school day. A key adult knows the child well, helps to coordinate support, provides reassurance and checks in when needed, while also encouraging the child to learn, play and build relationships with a wider range of adults and children.

This approach helps children to develop confidence, independence and resilience, rather than becoming reliant on one particular adult. It also allows support to be provided at the times it is most helpful, while giving children opportunities to take part fully in class and school life.

Where an EHCP specifies particular adult support, interventions, specialist input or other provision, we make sure this is carefully planned and delivered in line with the child’s individual needs.

Our focus is always on providing the right support, at the right time, in the right way, so that each child can make progress and become as independent and successful as possible.

Our Key Message

Support is based on your child’s needs — not on a label or a place on a register.

Every child is unique, and the support they need may look different. Some children will be supported through our everyday, ordinarily available provision; some may benefit from additional targeted support; and others may need more personalised, ongoing SEN Support.

Some children may also be placed on our monitoring register. This helps us keep a closer eye on their learning, progress or wellbeing where there is a concern or an emerging need. Being on the monitoring register does not mean that a child has SEN, and it does not automatically mean that they will be added to the SEN register. It simply helps us to track how they are doing, review the support in place and respond early if their needs change.

What matters most is that the right support is in place, at the right time.

Inclusion at Barnes Farm is about every child. This includes children with SEND, children who speak English as an additional language, children who are more able and need greater challenge, and children who may experience disadvantage or other barriers to learning.

We look at each child as an individual, considering their strengths, needs and experiences. We then put in place the support, adaptations, challenge or opportunities they need to take part, make progress and thrive.

Our aim is to remove barriers to learning and participation so that every child can feel included, confident, successful and valued in school.

If you have any concerns about your child, please speak to their class teacher in the first instance. You know your child best, and we value working in partnership with families to understand what is going well, where there may be difficulties, and what support may be helpful.

Together, we want every child to feel that they belong and can thrive at Barnes Farm Primary School.