Using our SEND Information report.

If you have concerns that your child is presenting with a specific difficulty, you are in the right place! We have produced this Information Report to guide you through how we manage SEND at Waterbeach. You may find useful information in ' Some Common Special Needs' if you are looking for information on a specific condition. We have also included links to other websites that might be helpful as you gather information.

Your child’s class teacher.

He or she should be the first person you raise your concerns with. The best ways to make this contact could include talking at parents’ evening, a letter or email, or a chat face to face after school. If you would like to talk to the teacher, please make a specific appointment to see them outside of teaching hours. You can request this directly via email or letter, or through the school office. Our teachers often have limited time to talk on an ‘ad hoc’ basis due to pre-arranged meetings with staff or other parents, so it is always better to arrange an appointment in advance.

The class teacher may be able to make some changes in the classroom, or include your child in a focus or intervention programme to address concerns that you both share. You may want to arrange a follow-up meeting, or use parents’ evening to discuss whether these changes have helped your child make progress.

The SENCo.

The class teacher may suggest meeting with the SENCo if they and you are continuing to have concerns about your child’s progress. This meeting may include the class teacher, depending on availability and need. The SENCo may suggest further school-based intervention, or in some cases could request further advice from the County Specialist Teaching Team. The SEND team are able to conduct a range of screening tests and assessments ‘in-house’ and can also apply for specialised assessments from a range of services such as the neurodevelopmental service (ADHD/ASC), occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, etc.

Yourselves!

Support from parents and carers is absolutely invaluable! If not already offered, ask your child’s class teacher or the SENCo for ideas on what to do at home to support your child’s progress. Many of the interventions we offer at school are much more effective if parents are able to continue some work at home. If you are concerned about time spent completing home-learning tasks, chat with your child’s teacher and work out what might be most effective for your child in terms of home-learning.