Special Educational Needs

SEND Intent

At Broomwood Primary School, our vision for SEND is rooted in our school mission:

"Together we believe, together we achieve."

Guided by the SEND Code of Practice, Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty, we are committed to creating a neuro-inclusive school where every child feels safe, seen, valued and experiences a strong sense of relational belonging.

We recognise communication as a foundation for learning, relationships, wellbeing and future success and therefore place communication development at the heart of our inclusive practice.

We believe that every teacher is a teacher of SEND and that high-quality adaptive teaching forms the foundation of effective provision. Through early identification, strong universal provision, meaningful partnerships and a graduated approach to support, we strive to ensure that every pupil experiences success, develops confidence and achieves positive long-term outcomes.

Our approach is underpinned by five key principles:

Connection before correction
Growth over compliance
Calm is contagious
Shared responsibility
Relational repair

These principles are lived through our school values:

Welcoming: Creating inclusive, accessible and neuro-affirming environments where every child feels a genuine sense of belonging.

Nurturing: Providing emotionally available relationships that promote safety, wellbeing, regulation and growth.

Commitment: Relentlessly identifying and removing barriers to learning at the earliest opportunity through responsive and evidence-informed practice.

Respect: Valuing pupil voice, parental expertise and individual differences whilst recognising and celebrating strengths.

Togetherness: Working collaboratively with families, staff and external agencies to achieve the very best outcomes for every child.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that all pupils with SEND experience success, achieve well, develop as confident individuals and feel valued within our school community. Strong universal provision remains the foundation of our approach. Through early identification, adaptive teaching and a graduated response to need, we strive to provide the right support at the right time. We believe support should become increasingly personalised as need requires, enabling pupils to move between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision in response to their strengths, needs and progress.

Our intent is to identify and respond to emerging needs at the earliest opportunity, provide the right support at the right time and ensure that every pupil can thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

High Aspirations & Achievement

Our Intent

We think positively about all pupils and maintain high aspirations for every learner. We believe that every child is capable of success and should have access to a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum regardless of their starting point, background or level of need.

We intend that pupils with SEND:

Learn alongside their peers wherever possible.
Access the full breadth of the curriculum and wider school life.
Develop confidence, resilience and independence.
Build the knowledge, skills and self-advocacy needed for future success.
Are well prepared for successful transitions and adulthood.

We maintain high expectations for all pupils and seek to remove barriers rather than lower aspirations. Success is measured not only through academic achievement, but also through participation, wellbeing, independence and personal development.

Early Identification & Graduated Response

Our Intent

We are committed to identifying and responding to emerging needs at the earliest opportunity through an evidence-informed graduated approach.

We recognise that children do not require a formal diagnosis to receive support and believe that early identification and intervention can prevent difficulties from becoming more significant over time.

Strong universal provision remains the foundation of our graduated approach. Through robust assessment, professional curiosity, ongoing monitoring and collaboration with pupils and families, we ensure support is responsive, proportionate and needs-led. We recognise that pupils' needs change over time. Through ongoing assessment and review, children may move between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision, ensuring support remains proportionate, responsive and aligned to need. In this way, support becomes increasingly personalised as need requires, enabling us to provide the right support at the right time.

Our graduated approach includes:

Early identification of emerging needs.
Ongoing assessment and analysis of barriers to learning.
Use of the Emerging Needs Tool to support decision making.
Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycles.
Universal Support Profiles and person-centred planning.
Movement between Universal, Targeted and Specialist provision in response to need and progress.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that all pupils with SEND experience success, achieve well, develop as confident individuals and feel valued within our school community. Through early identification, strong universal provision, adaptive teaching and a graduated response to need, we strive to provide the right support at the right time, enabling every pupil to access a broad and balanced curriculum, develop independence and achieve positive long-term outcomes.

Universal Provision & Accessibility

Our Intent

We believe that high-quality universal provision and adaptive teaching should meet the needs of the vast majority of pupils. We therefore place universal provision at the heart of our SEND strategy.

We are committed to creating inclusive, neuro-affirming learning environments which proactively remove barriers to participation, promote independence and enable all pupils to access learning successfully.

We recognise that communication and language underpin learning, participation, relationships and belonging and therefore embed communication-rich approaches throughout our universal provision.

Our universal provision is built around four key pillars:

Sensory, Cognitive and Communication Load Reduction: We design classrooms and learning experiences that minimise unnecessary barriers, reduce cognitive overload and support pupils to access learning successfully.

Predictability as Safety: We create predictable learning environments through consistent routines, visual supports, structured transitions and clear expectations which reduce anxiety and promote readiness to learn.

Relational Regulation: We recognise that regulation develops through relationships. Emotionally available adults, co-regulation approaches and relational practice help pupils feel safe, understood and ready for learning.

Scaffolding for Success: Through adaptive teaching, visual supports, practical resources, adaptive toolkits and in-the-moment adjustments, we ensure pupils can access learning while maintaining appropriate levels of challenge.

As part of our Accessibility Strategy, we are committed to:

Improving access to the curriculum.
Improving the accessibility of the physical environment.
Improving access to information.
Empowering pupils to independently select tools, strategies and supports that enable them to participate successfully.

We intend that adaptations become a normal feature of classroom practice and benefit all learners. Through strong universal provision, we aim to create classrooms where barriers are anticipated and removed proactively, enabling pupils to access learning successfully, develop independence and experience a genuine sense of belonging.

Targeted and Specialist Support

Our Intent

Where strong universal provision and adaptive teaching are not sufficient to meet a pupil's needs, we provide targeted and specialist support through a graduated approach. Support becomes increasingly personalised as need requires and is designed around identified need, desired outcomes and evidence of impact.

We are committed to ensuring that interventions are:

Evidence-informed.
Carefully matched to identified needs.
Delivered consistently and with fidelity.
Monitored and reviewed regularly.
Focused on improving independence and long-term outcomes.

Interventions may support the development of:

Communication and language skills.
Literacy and numeracy.
Social interaction and relationships.
Emotional wellbeing and self-regulation.
Sensory, physical and functional skills.

We recognise that interventions should complement, and never replace, high-quality classroom teaching. Our aim is to remove barriers, build independence and enable pupils to participate successfully in learning and wider school life.

Where appropriate, we seek specialist assessment, advice and consultation to deepen our understanding of a pupil's needs. We intend that recommendations from external professionals are embedded within everyday classroom practice, targeted interventions and personalised provision, ensuring a coherent and joined-up approach to support.

Through collaborative working with specialist services, we aim to ensure pupils with more complex needs receive timely, appropriate and effective support. In this way, specialist involvement strengthens our understanding of need and enables us to provide the right support at the right time.

Partnership & Person-Centred Practice

Our Intent

We believe that the most effective SEND provision is developed through genuine partnership with pupils, families and professionals.

We are committed to placing the child at the centre of all decision making and ensuring that support is informed by the individual's strengths, needs, interests and aspirations. We recognise that children and families are experts in their own experiences and that meaningful collaboration is essential in securing positive outcomes.

We aim to:

Listen to and value pupil voice.
Build strong partnerships with parents and carers.
Recognise and celebrate strengths alongside areas of need.
Co-produce outcomes and support plans.
Promote pupil participation in decisions about their learning and support.
Develop a shared understanding of need across school, home and professionals.
Foster increasing self-awareness, self-advocacy and independence.
Ensure every child feels known, valued and understood as an individual.

To support this, we use:

Universal Support Profiles.
Individual Support Plans.
Annual Reviews.
Multi-agency planning and review processes.

Through person-centred planning, we ensure that support remains responsive to the child's strengths, needs, aspirations and changing circumstances. We want every child to be understood as a unique individual and to feel that their voice, experiences and aspirations genuinely shape the support they receive.

Areas of need

Our Intent

We recognise that pupils may experience difficulties across one or more of the four broad areas of need outlined within the SEND Code of Practice. We understand that every child is unique and that needs rarely fit neatly into one category.

Provision is therefore personalised, strengths-based and responsive to the individual rather than being determined solely by diagnosis or area of need.

Cognition and Learning

Supporting pupils who may experience difficulties with acquiring, retaining and applying new knowledge and skills, including areas such as literacy, numeracy, memory, processing, organisation, problem solving and independent learning.

Communication and Interaction

Supporting pupils who experience differences in speech, language, communication and social interaction, including understanding language, expressing ideas, developing vocabulary and navigating social relationships.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Supporting pupils whose emotional wellbeing, self-regulation, relationships, engagement, confidence or mental health may affect their learning, participation and sense of belonging.

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Supporting pupils who require adaptations, reasonable adjustments, specialist equipment or environmental modifications due to physical, sensory, motor, medical or self-care needs, enabling them to access learning and participate fully in school life.

We recognise that many pupils will present with strengths and needs across multiple areas. Our provision is therefore holistic, flexible and person-centred, ensuring that support is tailored to the whole child rather than a single identified need.

Implementation

At Broomwood Primary School, SEND provision is delivered through a graduated, evidence-informed and person-centred approach. We believe that inclusion is everyone's responsibility and that effective support is built upon strong universal provision, high-quality adaptive teaching and meaningful partnership with pupils, families and professionals.

We do not wait for a formal diagnosis before providing support, nor do we assume that low attainment alone indicates SEND. Decisions are informed through assessment, observation, professional judgement and collaboration with pupils and families.

Strong universal provision remains the foundation of our graduated approach. We recognise that pupils' needs change over time and that support should become increasingly personalised as need requires. Through ongoing assessment and review, pupils may move between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision, ensuring support remains proportionate, responsive and aligned to need. Our aim is always to provide the right support at the right time

Context at Broomwood

Our Context

Broomwood Primary School supports a higher-than-national proportion of pupils receiving SEND Support, alongside a significant number of pupils with complex needs and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Our largest area of need is Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), followed by Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Many pupils enter school with communication and language skills below age-related expectations. These contextual factors shape our curriculum design, universal provision, intervention offer and multi-agency working.

We recognise that some pupils may also have experienced childhood adversity, trauma, attachment difficulties or complex family circumstances, which can affect wellbeing, behaviour, emotional regulation and readiness to learn. Our approach seeks to understand these experiences and provide support that promotes safety, connection and belonging.

We invest significantly in specialist services and partnership working to ensure pupils and families can access expertise when required.

Early Identification & Assessment

Our Implementation

We are committed to identifying and responding to emerging needs at the earliest opportunity.

Concerns may be identified by:

Class teachers
Parents and carers
Pupils themselves
School leaders
External professionals

Where concerns emerge, information is gathered through observations, assessment information, discussions with families and the Emerging Needs Identification Tool. This information is used to develop a comprehensive understanding of strengths, barriers and support needs.

We recognise that slow progress or low attainment alone does not automatically indicate SEND. Decisions are informed by assessment evidence, professional judgement, pupil voice, parental views and a wider understanding of the child's circumstances.

A pupil is only added to the SEND Register when evidence demonstrates that provision additional to or different from ordinarily available provision is required.

Early identification may lead to:

Universal Support Profiles
Enhanced universal provision
Targeted support
Further assessment
Specialist consultation where appropriate

Strong universal provision remains the foundation of our graduated approach and all concerns are initially considered within the context of Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision.

Universal Provision & Accessibility

Our Implementation

Our Universal Provision represents the foundation of our graduated approach. We believe that inclusive practice should be woven into the fabric of everyday school life and that adaptations should benefit all learners wherever possible.

The majority of pupils' needs should be met through strong universal provision, high-quality adaptive teaching and accessible learning environments.

All teachers are responsible for meeting the needs of learners in their classroom through inclusive, responsive and adaptive practice.

Our Universal is built around four core pillars:

Sensory, Cognitive and Communication Load Reduction: We reduce unnecessary barriers within the environment by minimising cognitive overload, supporting communication and creating learning environments that are calm, accessible and purposeful.
Predictability as Safety: We provide clear routines, visual supports, structured transitions and consistent expectations that help pupils feel safe, reduce anxiety and increase engagement.
Relational Regulation: We recognise that regulation develops through relationships. Emotionally available adults, co-regulation strategies and PACE-informed approaches support children to feel safe, understood and ready to learn. We recognise that childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences and unmet attachment needs can affect a child's ability to regulate emotions, build relationships and engage with learning. Our relational approach seeks to understand the needs underlying behaviour and respond with curiosity, empathy and support.
Scaffolding for Success: Through adaptive teaching, visual supports, practical resources, adaptive toolkits and in-the-moment adjustments, pupils can access learning while maintaining appropriate levels of challenge.

Communication-Rich Learning Environments

Given the prevalence of Speech, Language and Communication Needs within our school community, communication development is prioritised across the curriculum.

We support communication through:

Communication-friendly classrooms
Visual supports and scaffolds
Explicit vocabulary teaching
Adapted language and questioning
Language-rich interactions
Structured opportunities for talk and discussion

Within Early Years, communication and language development is a particular priority. Universal WellComm screening and assessment supports the identification of speech and language needs and informs both classroom practice and intervention planning. Evidence-informed programmes, including NELI, may be implemented where appropriate.

As part of our Accessibility Strategy, we are committed to:

Improving access to the curriculum
Improving accessibility of the physical environment
Improving access to information
Promoting independence through adaptive tools and resources

We intend that adaptations become a normal feature of excellent classroom practice and benefit all learners.

Targeted Support

Our Implementation

Where strong universal provision alone is not sufficient to secure progress, participation or wellbeing, pupils may access Targeted Support.

Targeted provision provides additional adaptations, interventions or structures designed to address identified barriers whilst maintaining inclusion within mainstream school life.

The purpose of Targeted Support is to bridge specific gaps, build independence and strengthen a pupil's ability to successfully access Universal Provision over time.

Targeted support may include:

Targeted academic adaptations
Precision Teaching
Speech and Language interventions
NELI interventions
Literacy and numeracy support
Social communication support
LEGO Therapy
Emotional regulation interventions
Forest School interventions
Therapeutic Yoga
Social skills interventions
Small-group or individual interventions

All targeted support is:

Evidence-informed
Carefully matched to identified need
Outcome focused
Regularly monitored
Reviewed for impact

Interventions complement, rather than replace, high-quality classroom teaching.

Specialist Support & Multi-Agency Working

Our Implementation

Specialist Support represents the highest level of support within our graduated approach and is implemented when Universal and Targeted Provision alone are insufficient to meet a pupil's needs.

Support becomes increasingly personalised and is informed by specialist advice, assessment and multi-agency collaboration.

We work closely with:

Speech and Language Therapy
Educational Psychology
Occupational Therapy
Healthy Young Minds/CAMHS
Trafford Teams Together
Trafford ADHD Pathway
Trafford Social Communication Pathway
Specialist School Outreach Services

Recommendations from specialists are incorporated into:

Universal Support Profiles
Individual Support Plans
Classroom practice
Intervention programmes
Staff training and development

This ensures specialist advice translates into meaningful day-to-day support for pupils.

Where appropriate, specialist evidence may contribute to requests for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment.

Specialist On-Site Provision

Our Implementation

Broomwood provides specialist on-site provision for pupils whose needs require more personalised support than can consistently be provided through mainstream classroom provision alone.

The Nurture Centres

The Nurture Centres are specialist communication-focused provisions for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans.

Provision includes:

Highly individualised programmes
Adapted communication environments
Functional communication development
Social interaction support
Personalised outcomes linked to EHCP targets

The Hub

The Hub forms part of our graduated response and provides additional support for pupils experiencing significant barriers linked to social, emotional, communication or sensory needs.

The Hub offers:

Calm and predictable environments
Relational and therapeutic support
Enhanced emotional regulation strategies
Flexible provision arrangements
Increased opportunities for belonging and success

The Hub is not a separate pathway from mainstream education but an extension of our graduated approach, designed to strengthen participation, resilience, emotional wellbeing and inclusion.

Placements within specialist provision are reviewed regularly to ensure support remains appropriate and responsive to need.

Partnership & Person-Centred Practice

Our Implementation

We believe that the most effective SEND provision is developed through meaningful partnership with pupils, families and professionals.

We recognise that parents and carers are experts in their children and that effective identification, planning and review depend upon genuine collaboration.

We are committed to:

Listening to and valuing pupil voice
Working collaboratively with parents and carers
Identifying strengths alongside needs
Co-producing outcomes and support plans
Ensuring pupils participate in decisions affecting them
Developing a shared understanding of need across home and school

To support person-centred practice we utilise:

Universal Support Profiles
Individual Support Plans
Annual Reviews
Multi-agency review processes

We seek to understand each child's strengths, interests, aspirations and support needs to ensure provision remains meaningful, individualised and effective.

Assess, Plan, Do, Review

Our Implementation

All SEND provision is reviewed through an ongoing Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. This process ensures provision remains dynamic rather than static and enables support to evolve alongside a child's developing strengths, needs and circumstances.

Through this cycle, we continuously review whether support remains appropriate and whether pupils require Universal, Targeted or Specialist provision to achieve positive outcomes.

Assess

Assessment seeks to understand the whole child rather than focusing solely on difficulties. We place equal importance on identifying strengths, interests, aspirations and protective factors alongside barriers to learning.

Assessment may draw upon:

Teacher observations and assessment
Progress and attainment information
Pupil voice
Parent and carer views
Universal Support Profile reviews
Diagnostic assessments and screeners
Standardised assessments
Intervention impact
Specialist advice and reports
Wider contextual information affecting development and wellbeing

Plan

Support is planned collaboratively with pupils, families and professionals where appropriate.

Planning focuses on:

Desired long-term outcomes
Short-term next steps and targets
Classroom adaptations and reasonable adjustments
Universal, Targeted or Specialist provision
Intended intervention outcomes
Recommendations from specialist services

Support is recorded through Universal Support Profiles, Individual Support Plans and other provision documentation where appropriate.

Class teachers remain responsible for the progress and development of all pupils within their class, including where pupils access targeted interventions or specialist support.

Consistent with our principle of Shared Responsibility, strategies, adaptations and interventions are implemented collaboratively by staff and reviewed regularly.

Review

Provision is reviewed regularly to determine its effectiveness and identify next steps.

Reviews consider:

Academic progress
Attendance and engagement
Communication development
Social and emotional wellbeing
Independence
Pupil voice
Parent feedback
Intervention impact
Progress towards agreed outcomes

Reviews consider whether provision remains effective, whether support should become more or less personalised and whether pupils should move between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision.

Following review, support may:

Continue
Be refined
Be reduced
Be increased
Move between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision

Where pupils no longer require provision that is additional to or different from ordinarily available provision, SEND Register status may be reviewed.

Staff Development, Quality Assurance & Measuring Impact

Our Implementation

We recognise that effective SEND provision relies upon knowledgeable, reflective and well-supported staff.

We support this through:

Ongoing professional development
SEND-focused training
Specialist-led training
Coaching and modelling
Learning walks
Provision reviews
Evaluation of intervention impact

The effectiveness of SEND provision is evaluated through:

Academic progress and attainment
Individual outcomes
Attendance
Participation and engagement
Emotional wellbeing
Pupil voice
Parent and carer feedback
Annual Reviews
Whole-school inclusion measures

Through ongoing evaluation and reflection, we continually refine provision to ensure pupils with SEND experience success, achieve well, develop independence and feel a strong sense of belonging within the Broomwood community.

Impact

At Broomwood Primary School, we evaluate the impact of our SEND provision through the progress, participation, wellbeing and long-term outcomes of the children we support.

We recognise that success looks different for every child. Whilst attainment remains important, we place equal value on communication, independence, emotional wellbeing, participation, belonging and preparation for adulthood. Through ongoing assessment, pupil and parent voice, attendance, engagement, attainment and progress data, we continually evaluate and refine our provision to ensure that support remains responsive, effective and meaningful.

The ultimate impact of our SEND provision is that pupils feel valued, understood and included, develop confidence in their abilities and achieve positive outcomes from their individual starting points.

The impact of our SEND provision should be seen in the extent to which pupils:

Feel safe, valued and experience a strong sense of relational belonging.
Attend school regularly and engage positively in learning.
Develop confidence, resilience and independence.
Access a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum.
Make meaningful progress from their individual starting points.
Develop communication, social and emotional skills alongside academic achievement.
Build self-awareness, self-advocacy and self-regulation skills.
Become increasingly independent learners.
Develop positive relationships with peers and adults.
Be well prepared for successful transitions and the next stage of their education.

Impact of Early Identification & Graduated Response

We know our identification systems are effective when:

Emerging needs are identified promptly.
Pupils receive support before difficulties become entrenched.
Families feel listened to, informed and involved throughout the process.
Strong universal provision successfully meets the needs of many learners.
Support remains proportionate to need.
Pupils move appropriately between Universal, Targeted and Specialist levels of provision.
Referrals to external services are timely and informed by robust assessment.

Our graduated approach ensures support becomes increasingly personalised as need requires whilst maintaining high aspirations for all pupils. The right support is provided at the right time, reducing barriers before they become more significant obstacles to learning and wellbeing.

Impact of Universal Provision

We know our Universal Provision is effective when:

Pupils can access learning with increasing independence.
Barriers to learning are reduced.
Communication is supported across the curriculum.
Classrooms are calm, predictable and inclusive.
Pupils demonstrate strong engagement and readiness to learn.
Staff confidently adapt teaching to meet a range of needs.
Fewer pupils require more intensive levels of support because needs are successfully met through universal provision.

Strong universal provision enables more pupils to thrive within their mainstream classroom community whilst maintaining a genuine sense of belonging.

Impact of Targeted & Specialist Support

We know targeted and specialist support is effective when:

Pupils make progress towards identified outcomes.
Interventions demonstrate measurable and sustained impact.
Communication, learning, wellbeing and independence improve over time.
Specialist recommendations are visible within everyday classroom practice.
Pupils become increasingly confident and successful learners.
Support can be reduced when no longer required or increased where further needs emerge.
Pupils demonstrate greater participation in classroom learning and wider school life.

Our focus is not simply on delivering interventions, but on achieving meaningful outcomes that improve children's long-term independence, participation and quality of life.

Impact of Partnership & Person-Centred Practice

We know our partnerships are effective when:

Pupils feel listened to and involved in decisions that affect them.
Parents and carers report feeling informed, valued and supported.
Staff, families and professionals share a consistent understanding of pupil needs.
Provision reflects pupils' strengths, interests and aspirations.
Outcomes are co-produced and regularly reviewed.
Families feel empowered to contribute to planning and review processes.

Strong partnerships between school, home and external agencies ensure that pupils receive coherent, consistent and joined-up support.

Measuring Impact

The effectiveness of SEND provision is reviewed through:

Academic attainment and progress.
Progress towards individual outcomes.
Attendance and punctuality.
Behaviour, engagement and participation.
Communication development.
Emotional wellbeing and regulation.
Independence and self-advocacy.
Sense of belonging and inclusion.
Intervention impact data.
Pupil voice.
Parent and carer feedback.
Annual Reviews and multi-agency reviews.
Whole-school inclusion measures.

We recognise that meaningful success cannot be measured through data alone. We therefore evaluate the extent to which pupils feel included, valued, confident, understood and able to participate successfully in all aspects of school life.

Through strong universal provision, high-quality adaptive teaching, a responsive graduated approach and meaningful collaboration with pupils, families and professionals, we strive to ensure that every pupil with SEND experiences success, achieves well and develops a strong sense of belonging within the Broomwood community.

Our ultimate measure of success is that children leave Broomwood as confident, resilient and aspirational young people who understand their strengths, can advocate for their needs, maintain positive relationships and are well prepared for the next stage of education and life.

We aspire for every pupil with SEND to belong, participate and achieve. When pupils feel safe, valued and understood; engage meaningfully in learning; develop independence; build positive relationships; communicate effectively; and move successfully to the next stage of their education, we know our provision is having the intended impact.