SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES (SEND)
Mrs J Wildin, SENDCo
The Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) department at Ravenfield Primary Academy facilitates and coordinates the whole school approach to special educational needs. The SEND team includes the Maltby Learning Trust SENDCO, Lead Teaching Assistants and the Teaching Assistants working in partnership with the classroom teachers.
Download the SEND report below for more information on how Ravenfield Primary Academy provides an inspirational learning experience for young people who have special educational needs. There is also information on the SEND Code of Practice, local Offer and Ravenfield Primary Academy SEND policy and practice.
SEND Information Report 2024 - 2025
ROTHERHAM SENDIASS
Rotherham SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service) is the new name for Rotherham Parent Partnership. They can offer impartial information, advice and support to parents or carers for a child or young person up to age 25 with special educational needs or disabilities.
ROTHERHAM PARENT CARERS FORUM
Rotherham Parent Carers Forum was set up in 2009 by a small group of parents who all had children with a variety of disabilities. Rotherham Parent Carers Forum was founded to provide a role in identifying and expressing the voice and experience of parents and carers of children and young people aged 0 to 25 around special educational needs and disability.
SEND USEFUL WEBSITES
Learning National Oak Academy Specialist
BBC Bitesize
SEND Toolkit
The Maths Factor
RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
SEND Support For Parents
Special Needs Jungle
Chatterpack
WELL-BEING
Greatminds Together
Please click here for policies
SEND SUPPORT FOR PARENTS/CARERS
This is a list of information websites, tips and resources to help you support your children with their additional needs, learning and self-esteem.
Children have varying needs and there is no one size approach fits all. It is quite common for children to have additional needs that span all these areas, so select the resources that meet the needs of your child, without worrying too much about the label or category they fall under. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and these SEND strategies will be beneficial to many children, whether or not they have a diagnosis.
ASD
Information Websites
- National Autistic Society (autism.org.uk)
Tips
- Children with Autism need structure and routine. You can help them by using visual timetables to help them see what is happening at each step of the day, so they know in advance what they will be doing next. This will relieve some of their anxiety.
- You might want to set a specific place for them to do any work or tasks. At school they may have this in the form of a workstation to support their learning. Each child’s workstation may differ slightly, so you could ask your child to help you set one up that will suit them or that they are already used to.
- Prepare them for changes in routine.
- Help your children to recognise and name different emotions and feelings. You can do this by discussing their own emotions, how characters in books and on TV programmes might be feeling and how you yourselves might be feeling. Alongside naming the emotion, describe it and explain why you, they or fictional characters might be feeling like that. You can also play role play guessing games and ask them to name the emotion and say why.
- Use social stories and comic strip cartoons to help children understand different situations and perspectives and address inappropriate behaviour.
- Have a visual aid to support wanted and unwanted behaviours - Be aware of your child’s sensory needs and support them in managing that need to help them learn e.g. sound reducing earphones if noise is a problem, comfortable clothes, keep the area surrounding the work space clear to avoid over-stimulation etc.
- Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing.
Resources
Visual timetable, Social stories and comic strip cartoons: Social stories and comic strip conversations (autism.org.uk)
5 point scale: THE INCREDIBLE 5-POINT SCALE - HOME (5pointscale.com)
ADHD
INFORMATION WEBSITES
- General info on ADHD - ADD/ADHD Information Sheets - Celebrate! ADHD - Quick Tips to Help Children with ADHD (adders.org)
- Self esteem - ADD/ADHD Information Sheets - Self Esteem Issues (adders.org)
- Managing ADHD - ADD/ADHD Information Sheets - Management of ADHD (adders.org)
TIPS
- Offer routines and structure
- Create a quiet space for them to learn with no distractions.
- Give them something to fiddle with whilst you are talking to them or you want them to focus. It can also be helpful to let them move around whilst they listen.
- Ask them to do one task at a time
- Provide checklists or visual timetables to support organisation.
- Use timers to help with time management and build in frequent movement breaks.
- Suggest rather than criticise (children with ADHD often have low self-esteem) Provide lots of opportunities for exercise and movement.
- Set up a reward scheme to encourage them and support them with their behaviour.
- Build on success and help children to pursue more of what they enjoy.
- Put clear boundaries in place.
DYSLEXIA
INFORMATION WEBSITES
- How can I support my child? - British Dyslexia Association (bdadyslexia.org.uk)
- How to Improve Working Memory in Kids | Understood
TIPS
- It is important to encourage children to recognise and pursue the areas in which they excel (do more of what they enjoy) and support them with the areas they find difficult.
-Allow children to use a word processor to complete some written tasks. This highlights spelling errors and offers alternatives. If they can’t type, encourage them to learn, so that they are able to use a Word Processor with more speed and fluency.
-Play games to support memory and retention e.g. pairs, Go Fish etc.
-Enable children to access age related audiobooks to develop a love of reading. Encourage (don’t force or push) them to share what’s happening in the story and share their excitement, wondering aloud what will happen next. This will also develop their vocabulary and comprehension, without them even realising that they are learning.
-Don’t make reading a fight. Encourage children to read one page and you read the next page. Read some books to them for pleasure and invite them to read a section if they want to. By developing a love of books and stories most children will naturally want to learn how to read, so make the experience as pleasurable as you can.
RESOURCES
- Dancemat Typing – free beginners typing course for children: Dance Mat Typing for 7 - 11 year olds - BBC Bitesize
MOTOR COORDINATION DISORDER/DYSPRAXIA
INFORMATION ON WEBSITES
- Home (dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk)
TIPS
- Allow children to use a word processor to complete some written tasks. If they can’t type, encourage them to learn, so that they are able to use a Word Processor with more speed and fluency.
- Offer routines and structure - Create a quiet space for them to learn with no distractions.
- Give them something to fiddle with whilst you are talking to them or you want them to focus. It can also be helpful to let them move around whilst they listen.
- Ask them to do one task at a time.
- Provide checklists or visual timetables to support organisation.
- Use timers to help with time management and build in frequent movement breaks.
- Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing.
- Help your children develop their fine and gross motor skills and core stability (see resource below).
- Dyspraxia - Classroom Guidelines
RESOURCES
- Dancemat Typing – free beginners typing course for children: Dance Mat Typing for 7 - 11 year olds - BBC Bitesize
- Motor skills development: 1st_Move.pdf (lincolnshirecommunityhealthservices.nhs.uk)
DYSCALCULIA
INFORMATION ON WEBSITES
TIPS
- Concentrate on one problem at a time.
- Use lots of visuals and physical resources that the children can move around.
- Include children in supporting you with everyday maths problems e.g. cooking, measuring, money etc.
- 5 Strategies for Managing Dyscalculia (brainbalancecenters.com)
RESOURCES