The Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo) co-ordinates the provision across the school. They will ensure the school is effective in its provision for children with SEND, supporting both children and staff. The SENDCo monitors the provision termly including children’s progress and the quality of their provision.

The SENDCo for Westleigh Methodist Primary School is Mrs A Hilton-Fahey.

The SEND School Governor works with the SENDCo to monitor the provision across school and ensure that there are high aspirations for children with SEND. The Governor ensures that there is appropriate challenge to leaders, holding them to account so that SEND remains high on the school’s agenda.

The Governor for SEND is Mrs E Brighton.

Contact details: 01942 702967

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. The Equality Act (2010) defines a disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities’. The SEND Code of Practice (2015) defines a learning difficulty as a child who ‘has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age and/or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools’.

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School we aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children, who at any time might require special educational provision to support their needs. We support children who have a special educational need and/or disability and require support in one or more of the four areas identified in the SEND Code of Practice:

1. Communication and interaction – children may have a difficulty with one, some or all the different aspects of speech, language or social communication. Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have difficulties with social interaction.
2. Cognition and learning – children learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Specific learning difficulties, affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties – children may be withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.
4. Sensory and Physical – a child may have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. This may include a vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment.

Westleigh Methodist Primary School has a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEND and recognises that early identification and effective provision improves long-term outcomes for children. This is achieved through a graduated approach. As parent/carer, you will be consulted at all stages of this graduated approach and staff will inform you of the additional work they do with your child. We encourage parents/carers to speak to your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns about your child’s progress in any of the four areas of need.

Notice, Try and Check

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, a ‘Notice, Check and Try’ process has been implemented to ensure the early identification of any barriers to a child’s progress. The Class Teacher, SENDCo and Senior Leaders will assess the child’s response to provision that is ‘Ordinarily Available’ within the classroom through observations and termly analysis of progress data. Provision planning will then take place to minimise any barriers that a child may have. In addition to termly assessments, the following assessments or approaches may be used within the ‘Notice, Check and Try’ process and will be recorded on an ‘Initial Concerns’ document.

In addition to the approaches listed above, home visits, transitional meetings, school visits involving children and parents/carers, prior to entry into Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) or transition to school take place. In some cases, the school may request advice from outside agencies through pre-referral consultations or review, planning and development (RDP) meetings with the Targeted Education Support Service and Education Psychology.

If a child continues to have difficulty after additional support is provided or has a high level of difficulty when they join us, they may be considered to have special educational need or disability (SEND) and be placed on the school's SEND List. This will be discussed with the Class Teacher, SENDCo and the parent/carers.

For information about the admission of disabled pupils at Westleigh Methodist Primary School, please refer to our Admission arrangements for 2025/26.

For children with SEND and an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan, please refer to Wigan Council guidance ‘School places for children with special educational needs and disabilities’ for the admissions process.

An audit of the accessibility is carried out every 3 years by an external company. From the audit report, an accessibility action plan is developed with key actions. Our Accessibility Plan addresses the statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice of September 2015 to ensure that the school inclusive. The plan explains how the school will develop in the following three areas:

a) To increase the extent to which disabled students can participate in the school's curriculum.

b) To improve the physical environment of the school to ensure disabled students can take advantage of education and other benefits, facilities or services provided or offered by the school.

c) To improve the delivery of information to disabled students, so information is as available as it is for students who are not disabled.

Adaptions to the school environment have been made to ensure our children and visitors with SEN and/or disability can access the school environment, examples include:

• The building access points are wheelchair accessible.
• Wide doorways and corridors.
• Accessible lift
• Disabled toilet.
• Handrails.
• Clearly marked changes in surface levels, including stairways.
• Sign posted fire procedures and regular practice drills. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are put in place for identified pupils following discussion with staff and parents/carers.
• A commitment to following all environmental advice from specialist agencies in relation to specific children, including the Specialist Sensory Education Service and Habilitation Team.

All our children are supported to take part in all activities in and out of the classroom, including school trips and after-school clubs. Personalised risk assessments are carried out for all school trips or activities for children with SEND that require a personalised approach. The local authority sets out ratios for adults to children according to age groups, however if a class teacher feels additional support is required, then this will be provided. This may be in the form of another member of staff, a volunteer or a parent/carer. The school will involve the parent/carer in planning process.

Our School Accessibility Plan includes further details regarding our access arrangements for disabled pupils and how we comply with educational legislation. Please find this document at the bottom of this page.

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, a high-quality curriculum is available to all pupils. We do so in line with sections 1.24 and 1.25 of the SEND Code of Practice. We are guided by the Greater Manchester Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision document which outlines the expectations for educational settings in Wigan to meet the needs of children and young people. It outlines some of the practices and adaptations which may be supportive for children with SEN and/or disabilities. An additional guide is available to support children in the Early Years.

Adaptations for a child who is considered to have a low-level (i) need will be recorded on an ‘All About Me’ profile. This profile summarises any difficulties / barriers to learning, lists the essential ‘Ordinarily Available Provision’ and records educational provision that is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ a child’s peers. Children with a high-level need (HLN) and low-level (ii) need will have an individual education plan known as an Assess Plan Do Review. In addition to the All About Me profile, these children will have SMART targets which are reviewed termly with parents/carers. Adaptations to enable children to access curriculum content are planned for, by teachers, across all curriculum areas. Adaptation ensures that there is an appropriate level of challenge and support to match the needs of the learner. This provision may be informed by professional agencies and/or the Wigan Additional Practice Toolkit.

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, we recognise that information should be easily accessible for all. Accessibility to information across school is improved by:

• The use of assistive technology, including speech-to-text, magnifiers, keyboards (touch typing).
• Assistive Apps: Dolphin Easy Reader, RNIB Bookshare
• Accessible materials: tinted exercise books, overlays, dark lined books, large print, modified exam papers
• Visual aids: objects to reference, photographs, picture exchange communication methods
• Resources: angled writing slopes, standing frames, adapted PE equipment
• A commitment to follow environmental advice from specialist agencies, including the Specialist Sensory Education Team.

For further information about the adaptions that are ‘Ordinarily Available’ and practice that is ‘additional to’ at Westleigh Methodist Primary School please refer to our Adapted and Accessible Curriculum at the bottom of this page.

Westleigh Methodist Primary School makes every effort to support children and parents/carers whose first language is not English. We work with the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS), who support pupils’ induction to school, advise staff about effective  EAL provision, provide CPD and work in partnership with families.

A child’s progress towards their outcomes is reviewed termly within Pupil Progress Meetings by class teachers and members of the Senior Leadership Team, at which time provision may be adjusted to meet any identified needs. If a child needs provision that is beyond that which is ‘Ordinarily Available’ their progress through the curriculum may be tracked using tools such as BSquared or an Early Years Support tool to assess and track small steps in progress. We value all children’s individual achievements, and these assessment tools support us to review the impact of the provision in place.

For pupils at low-level need parents/carers will be invited for a meeting every term to review the All About Me profile and/or Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) through a longer parents evening appointment. For children at high-level need, you will be updated about your child’s progress at the end of each half term. You will be informed of how your child's learning is assessed, the provision in place and what support you may be able to provide at home. You will also receive an annual end of year report.  

Our children are invited to meetings to discuss their progress and targets with their class teacher and parent/carer. Our SENDCo has a regular presence in classrooms and the children are invited to talk about the provision in place to support their needs. Regular pupil voice is conducted to gain their perspective on the education and school life. This will include what’s working well and areas for development.

We operate an open-door policy and encourage parents/carers to be fully involved in school life.

Westleigh Methodist Primary School is part of the Epworth Education Trust and as such has a supportive network of experienced SENDCos across the Epworth family of schools. The SENDCo holds the National Award for Special Educational Needs and attends training and meetings for SEND within the Local Authority to keep up to date about available services and developments.

We provide teachers and teaching assistants with support, expertise, resources, and training to assist them in planning and providing an adapted curriculum for all pupils. Training has been provided by the Local Authority, Education Psychology Service, Targeted Education Support Service, Early Years SEND Officers and Outreach specialist teachers.

We may consult with professionals within our local authority as part of our Assess Plan Do Review process, services may include:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Educational Psychology
• Professionals from the Targeted Education Support Service can offer assessments and advice about how to help children manage their social, emotional and mental health needs and/or learning difficulties and support with school training.
• An Outreach Teacher from a specialist provision in the local authority can offer support to children and staff in school about a child's specific need and/or school training needs.
• School Age Neurodevelopmental Pathway
• Specialist Sensory Education Team
• Occupational Therapy Service
• We work with Secondary Schools SENDCOs to ensure a successful transition to Year 7. When children are moving to a new school, we can arrange extra transition visits when required. Parents are encouraged to visit the new school and ask any questions they have that may be specific to their child. The SENDCO liaises closely with other schools to ensure continuity of provision.
• GP's/ Consultants /Paediatricians
• Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS)
• SENDIASS Wigan and Leigh
• Embrace Wigan and Leigh

At Westleigh Methodist Primary School we support the wellbeing of every child. We have a Pastoral Manager who provides support to our children in the following areas:

• Meet and greet
• Wellbeing Lunch Clubs
• Friendship Circles
• 1:1 support
• Liaison with supporting agencies, including the Child and Mental Health Service and Being U Counselling.

The social and emotional development of our children is also supported by All Child and partner groups, including Leigh Leopards and Everyday Wigan. Children access intervention in the following areas:

• Zones of Regulation
• You Are Awesome!
• LEGO Therapy
• Classroom check-ins
• Brain breaks
• 1:1 Engagements

Class Teacher’s and the SENDCo support the emotional and social development of children using Boxall Profiling to assess the social, emotional and mental health needs and use this to plan the appropriate provision. Interventions accessed in school include:

• Talkabout (Social Skills)
• Black Sheep Therapy
• Access to a Wellbeing Room

Pupil voice is encouraged throughout school whereby children have opportunities to share their views about their provision through communication with their Class Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Pastoral Manager, SENDCo or wider Leadership Team.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage:

• home visits
• stay and play
• transition days within school are arranged for children to meet their teacher and peers.
• the Class Teacher or SENDCo will visit a child’s current nursery setting.

Preparing for secondary education:

• open days and school visits with our partner high schools.
• assessment and progress data, attendance and behavioural information, pastoral information and SEND reports are collated and forwarded to the chosen high school.
• if your child has an EHC Plan, the SENDCo of the chosen high school will be invited to attend the Annual Review Meeting, during the summer term, at the end of Year 6.
• Personalised transition visits.

Equality of opportunity is at the heart of our values as a school. We are against all forms of discrimination – whether that be on grounds of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or age. At Westleigh Methodist Primary School, we develop the understanding of our staff and children to ensure that children with SEN and/or a disability are not treated less favourably than other children or receive unequal outcomes.

So far in 2024/2025 we have held the following events to raise the profile of SEND in our school.

For further information, please visit our Equality and Diversity page.

The Wigan Council Local Offer sets out what the Local Authority expects to be available in every school.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years highlights that settings should take a graduated approach to identifying and supporting special educational needs and disability.  Four stages of action are outlined: assess, plan, do and review. The ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle should be followed, to identify needs and to ascertain when further support is needed. A graduated approach draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive cycles to match interventions to the SEN of children and young people.

Wigan Council Graduated Approach

Wigan Council Early Years Graduated Approach for children with SEND

Useful Contacts:

Wigan SENDS Team: 01942 486136

SENDSAdmin@wigan.gov.uk

Your child’s class teacher is your first contact if you wish to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have.

Alternatively, you can arrange to speak the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (Mrs. Hilton-Fahey). Please contact the school office on 01942 702967.

Any complaints regarding SEND can be directed to the Headteacher Mrs. Boardman or Chair of Governors, Mr. Pilkington.

For information about the support the Local Authority provide, please click the link below.

https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/Contact-us/SchoolComplaintsProcedure.aspx