Pupil Voice

We value and celebrate each child and encourage them to express their views on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through regular meetings of the Class Councils.and School Government.

 

If your child has an EHCP or is on the SEND register, they will be involved in adding their views to the writing and reviewing of their Individual Education Plan (IEP) as appropriate to the age and communication abilities of the child. They will be asked about what is working for them in school, what they enjoy and what they would like to focus on and how they like to be helped. These views are recorded and shared with everyone involved in their learning. 

 

We also use the following strategies to communicate with our pupils:

• Pupil Voice Questionnaires

• Class Council

• Annual Reviews

• Personal Interviews 

Parent Voice

Here at Redhill, we recognise the importance of working in close partnership with parents and honest and frequent communication is an important part of this. There are many ways that school will contact parents to discuss issues, assess progress, plan transitions and to discuss support at home. School and Parent communication is available through the following:

 

• Telephone

• Email

• Teacher/SENCO/Head teacher meetings

• Parents’ evenings

• IEP Progress Review meetings

• Parent view questionnaires

• School website and useful links

 

If you have any concerns about your child’s progress or that your child has an unmet special educational need, you should at first speak to your child’s class teacher. If you feel your concerns are not dealt with after this, please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with our SENCO.

Key Documents

 Derbyshire Local Offer

• accessibilty-action-plan-june-2025 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineaccessibilty-action-plan-june-2025
• SEND Policy September 2025 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineSEND Policy September 2025

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SEND and who will receive SEND support?

 

The SEND Department provides support for pupils across the 4 areas of need as laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 2015:

 

Communication and interaction

For example, those who need support expressing themselves and interacting with others.

Cognition and learning

For example, those who need extra support with reading, writing, maths, and following lessons.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

For example, those who need support socialising with others and controlling their emotions.

Sensory and/or physical needs

For example, those who need support in managing their senses (noise, touch, light, taste) and/or physical disability, sight or hearing loss.

Multiple Needs:

The school recognises that the child may need support in more than one of these areas and we work with our school team, alongside the local authority and with other outside agencies to determine the best course of action for each, individual pupil.

What types of SEND are provided for?

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and/or Disability.

 

The Code of Practice 2015 states that: ‘A student has SEND where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, that is different from or additional to that normally available to Children and Young People of the same age.’

 

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their time in education. Schools and other organisations can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily. A few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

 

If required, your child will receive either Targeted School Support or Specialist SEN Support:

• Targeted School Support is the first stage of the SEN graduated, response process, and the adaptations/additions that are made internally (within school).  The child’s class teacher will write a MEP/IEP for your child and review it regularly.
• Specialist SEN Support is required when Targeted School Support is not sufficiently meeting your child’s needs. The decision to move a child to Specialist SEN support will be made in collaboration with adults working closely with the child and parents/carers. Specialist Support does not mean that the child will be accessing specialist provision. It means that the school SENCO has made the decision to involve external agencies. This will happen in addition to what is available at Targeted School Support. 

How do you identify SEND pupils?

Referring to the SEND Code of Practice 2015 a child has SEND ‘where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, that is provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.’

 

Pupils are identified as having SEND, and their needs assessed, through:

• information passed on from Nursery/ Infant/Primary/previous schools

• EYFS and KS1 results, baseline testing and progress data

• feedback from teaching staff and observations

• interventions not showing impact

• pupil premium interventions not showing impact

• referrals from parents

• pupil referrals

 

From these, school is able to identify children making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances. As children with SEND have increased vulnerability factors, it is important to take a holistic approach to identification and consider other factors, including: attendance, punctuality, health, and those who are Looked After or Previously Looked After by the Local Authority and/or legible for the Pupil Premium.

 

Parents/carers will be notified and the following will be discussed:

• the child’s areas of strengths and needs

• any parent/carer concerns

• any additional support your child may receive

• any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning

What additional support is provided for SEND pupils?

 

 

 

How do you monitor the progress made by SEND pupils?

Where a child is identified as having SEND, the school will seek to remove barriers to learning and put SEND provision in place. 

Every half term, pupils with SEND go through an assessment process, focused on assessing the previous terms progress, gaining the views of parents and pupil, planning meaningul and carefully chosen learning targets and implement of individual learning measures through classroom provision and individualised teaching support.

 

Arrangements include:

• a Graduated Approach (Assess-Plan-Do-Review)

• an assessment of the child’s needs

• creation/review/updating of Individual Education Plans (IEP)

• data tracking for pupil progress carried out by SENCO and Deputy Head Teacher

• lesson observations and follow up

• involvement of an outside agency such as Derbyshire Special Needs Support Services

• a parent review meeting focusing on review of the interventions and support in place

 

Outside agencies: You may be asked to give permission for your child to be referred to a specialist provision, e.g. Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapists or the Community Paediatrician. This will help the school and you to understand your child’s needs better and support them more effectively.

How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your SEND provision?

Our effectiveness is assessed and managed using the following tools and reporting:

• Assessment tracking and pupil progress meetings are completed every half term and adaptations to provision is made in light of any findings

• Cycle of monitoring to evaluate impact of interventions

• Progress and evaluation is reported to the Governor with responsibility for SEND

• Annual report to the Governing Body and SEND Information Report including reporting of levels of progress and attainment of SEND pupils in comparison to general class progress

How will you enable my child to access all school activities?

Our school is accessible to pupils with SEND.  Our school is only on one floor which is accessible to all pupils. The outdoor learning and play areas are all accessible via ramps and stairs. 

 

We adapt teaching resources and equipment as necessary so that they are equally accessible to all children.

Before and after school care via our external provider is open to all our pupils and extra-curricular clubs run by staff are accessible to all children including those with SEND.

 

All children have an equal opportunity to go on school visits. Extra support is provided if required. Educational visits will only be planned to locations accessible to all. Risk assessments are carried out prior to any off site activity.

 

Some identified children will need an Individual Risk Assessment. This will be written in consultation between Class Teachers, SENCO, Leadership Team, Specialists and Parents.

 

Equipment and facilities to support pupils with SEND will be secured through:

• Health services

• Charities

• Support services

• Volunteers

For any more information on access plans please find our full Accessibility Plan on our website.

What SEND training is provided for your staff?

Our Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) has the National SENCO Qualification. The SENCO is responsible for:

• Developing and reviewing the school’s SEND Information report/policy

• Co-ordinating all the support for students with special educational needs or disabilities

• Updating the school’s SEND register (a system ensuring that all the SEND needs are known in school) and making sure those records of your child’s progress and needs are kept up to date and are confidential

• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so that they can help students with SEND in the school to achieve the best possible progress

 

 They are also responsible for ensuring that you are:

• Involved in supporting your child’s learning

• Kept informed about the support your child is receiving

• Involved in reviewing how your child is doing

• Liaising with all other agencies which may be involved with your child e.g. Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, Behaviour Support Service, Social Care and Health Service

 

There is an ongoing professional development programme throughout the school year which addresses areas of SEND within the school depending on the needs of our learners. Previous professional development has focused on:

• Differentiation, including for pupils with specific learning difficulties

• Information regarding specific health and education conditions

• Using specialist medical equipment and administering medicines

• Autism support and best-practise

• Induction training for any new staff

• Identifying specific needs through individual assessments

• Best-practise in delivering interventions with a focus on promoting independence, resilience and self-confidence

• Identification of SEND pupils with EAL (English as an Additional Language)

 

When needed, specialist expertise training will be received from external services.

How will you support my child's transition between classes and key stages?

The school recognises that transitions can be difficult for children with SEND and their families and so take steps to ensure any transition is as smooth as possible.

 

If your child is moving to another school we will:

• Contact the school’s SENCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements and support that needs to be made for your child

• Forward all records about your child as soon as possible

• Ensure that your child has undertaken supported visits to their new setting

 

If you child is moving classes or year groups in school:

• Information will be passed on to new teachers and all relevant information will be shared

• Resources/visual timetables passed to new teachers

• Children will visit their new class before the actual move takes place and have the chance to ask questions about the change

• The SENCO and new class teacher will put together an individualised transition booklet with photographs of key individuals and places for children to look at and read with parents at home

What support is available for improving the emotional and mental health of my child?

The wellbeing of the children in our school is supported by the class teachers, teaching assistants, sports coach, SENCO, office staff and the leadership team.

 

The Leadership, SENCO and Attendance teams meet regularly to monitor wellbeing through analysis of our  records. Vulnerable children and those identified as needing additional support for SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) needs are identified through conversation with parents, carers, pupils, staff and external agencies.

• Pupils are well supported by some of the following:
• Safeguarding and child protection training
• A clear anti-bullying policy
• Mental health and well-being teaching through the curriculum and whole-school assemblies
• Targeted support for individual pupils, including focused nurture time and access to trusted adults for 1-2-1 discussions
• Referral of families to mental health, social care and specialist services via our Safeguarding and/or Early Help processes

What other support services are available to help parents?