SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Some children need extra help in school for learning, emotional, social, or physical reasons.

At Eckington School, we aim to:

• Spot difficulties early and help as soon as possible.
• Involve children and parents in decisions.
• Work with health and social care services to get the best for your child.
• Make sure all children can access high-quality support.
• Make our school inclusive for all.
• Support children as they move through school and onto the next stage

We welcome all students. If your child has complex needs, we will work with you to see if our school can meet those needs appropriately. We also work closely with carers and other professionals to ensure that looked after or previously looked after children get the support they need, including a personalised support plan.

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Our SEND support

We support students with difficulties in four main areas:

1. Communication and Interaction e.g. Autism, speech difficulties, trouble understanding or using language.
2. Cognition and Learning e.g. Learning more slowly than others, dyslexia, dyscalculia.
3. Social, Emotional, and Mental Health e.g. Anxiety, ADHD, behaviour issues, low mood.
4. Sensory and Physical Needs e.g. Vision or hearing problems, mobility issues, medical needs.

We have a dedicated team who are available to discuss SEND with:

​​​​​You can contact the school SEND team at SEND@eckington.chorustrust.org or call 01246 432849 ext. 308.

How Do We Support Students?

We make reasonable adjustments so that children with SEND or disabilities can take part fully in all learning, clubs, trips, sports, and other activities.

We also ensure our school is accessible by having:

• Tactile paving for visually impaired students
• Ground floor classrooms for those with mobility issues
• Teaching assistants to help students move around
• Disability awareness through lessons and assemblies

There is also support available for mental health and wellbeing and during transitions from primary to secondary, choosing GCSEs, and moving into post-16 education and careers.

The graduated approach

We use a step-by-step (graduated) approach:

Every student with SEND gets a Student Passport, which includes:

• Their strengths and challenges
• What support they need
• Goals we’re working towards

We check progress and review plans regularly with students and parents, allowing them to set goals and share their feelings about their support.

Identifying students with SEND

We identify students who need support in different ways:

• At Transition (e.g. when moving from primary to secondary)
• Tests (e.g. reading and spelling checks)
• Teacher Observations
• Parental Concerns – parents are encouraged to contact us at any time.

If you think your child needs additional help, you can contact your child’s Key Phase Head (based on their year group), email the SEND team directly at SEND@eckington.chorustrust.org or complete our online form.

We will:

1. Invite you in for a meeting.
2. Talk through your concerns.
3. Decide together if your child needs extra support.
4. Keep you fully informed and involved.

Complaints

If you have concerns about your child’s SEND support, please contact us.

If you wish to complain, please follow our Trust Complaints Policy.

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Additional Support

Derbyshire Local Offer

The Derbyshire Local Offer is in place to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as their parents and carers. It provides clear information about available services and provision, including how to apply for an assessment, early years support, education and learning, care services, preparing for adulthood, health and wellbeing, financial support and travel and transport. The Derbyshire Local Offer contains useful resources for families.

The Local Offer includes a directory of local SEND services, support groups, and activities, empowering families to make informed decisions and enhance the quality of life for children and young people with SEND in Derbyshire.

The Local Offer provides specific support and guidance around:

• Early Years: finding help with development, learning behaviour and childcare.
• Education and Learning: education, welfare and support services.
• Preparing for adulthood: information for young people moving into adulthood.
• Leisure and activities: information on activities and leisure facilities in Derbyshire.
• Travel and transport: information regarding transport services.
• Health and well-being: local health support and wellbeing services.
• Local Financial Support: local financial support services.
• Care and Support Services: local care and support services.
• Directory of providers: find local SEND services.

Other services:

• Derbyshire IASS
• YoungMinds
• Kooth
• Autism East Midlands
• Special Needs Jungle