Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

Please click here for a PDF version of our SEND information report

Welcome to the SEND information report for Ladbrooke JMI School.

This report has been created in collaboration with the Head Teacher, SENCo, Governors, Teachers, Teaching Assistants, parents and carers and pupils and is reviewed annually.

Ladbrooke JMI is an inclusive mainstream school.  We aim to provide a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment which meets the needs of every child. We strive for children to develop a love of learning and display the social, emotional, academic and creative skills needed to be successful in life.  At Ladbrooke JMI we recognise that in order for pupils to achieve this, they may need additional support which has been identified as a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND)

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 years states that :

“A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age” (6.15)

The percentage of children receiving SEN support at Ladbrooke JMI School is 16.8% compared to the national average of 14.8% and the Hertfordshire average of 14.2%

The percentage of children with an EHC plan is2.6% compared to the national average of 6% and the Hertfordshire average of 5.1%

In this report you will find information on what support we offer to children in our school who have a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). 

How does the school know if children/ young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

  • The team at Ladbrooke JMI build close, supportive relationships with all our children. We strive to work closely with parents and carers and families. regarding a child’s social or physical development, emotional well-being or academic progress
  • Teachers continually monitoring children through day-to-day lessons, assessment weeks and pupil progress meetings
  • Where progress and attainment are significantly below age related expectations
  • Changes in pupil progress or behaviour

 As a parent if you have concerns, you should meet with your child’s class teacher. This information may be shared with the SENCO.

If we have concerns at school regarding your child’s needs, we will arrange a meeting to discuss these, and to plan how best to support your child. We will also discuss with your child how we can best support them in school.

We identify the need for additional support in the following ways:

  • Concerns raised by parents and carers and carers, teachers, teaching assistants, other staff members and the children

The SENCo is Mrs Bedford.  Her working days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

If you would like to contact Mrs Bedford, please email

senco@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk, or call the school on 01707 652882 to arrange a meeting.

How will school staff support my child?

It is the teacher’s responsibility to support children with SEND in their class and to follow the school’s procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision to meet those needs.  Teachers work closely with teaching assistants, specialist subject teachers, office staff, mealtime supervisors and the SENCO to ensure continuity in support.

At Ladbrooke we offer support for your child by offering:

  • Quality first class teaching in all classes
  • Adapted teaching in lessons
  • Ordinarily available provision
  • One Page Profiles and Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) as part of our Graduated Approach (Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle)
  • Targeted interventions following specialist advice, e.g. Speech and Language
  • In-school interventions overseen by the class teacher and delivered by a teaching assistant or teacher in a small focus group or on a 1:1 basis according to need
  • Monitoring impact of strategies and interventions
  • Monitoring of behaviour patterns and/or academic performance in pupil notes
  • Referral by the SENCO to specific external agencies
  • Appropriate specialist equipment, e.g. writing slopes
  • Sensory and/or movement breaks
  • Time to talk with a trusted adult
  • Parental involvement at every stage

How will I know how my child is doing?

Ladbrooke JMI has an 'open door' policy and encourages ongoing communication to ensure effective partnership.  We value your input – you know your child the best.

According to the needs of your child we can offer:

  • Informal meetings with class teacher at the end of the school day
  • Parent Consultations with the class teacher (Autumn and Spring Term)
  • Parent Consultations can be held with the SENCo in addition to the Class Teacher
  • Termly reports
  • Annual end of year report in the Summer Term
  • Termly reviews of One Page Profiles and Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) as part of our APDR (Assess, Plan, Do, Review) process with opportunities for parent and pupil feedback
  • Liaison and meetings with outside agencies.  Feedback will be shared with parents and carers either by the sharing of reports, or via the class teacher or SENCo if they are not directly involved in the visit
  • Contact with the SENCO
  • Home school communication book /Tapestry in the Foundation Stage

How will the school’s approach to teaching and learning be matched to my child’s needs?

Led by the teacher’s detailed assessment and experience of the child, through knowing the child well and listening to both the child’s and parent’s views we use the following strategies:

  • High quality teaching supported by the Hertfordshire Ordinarily Available Provision document and training
  • Adaptive teaching
  • Careful planning to meet the needs of all children, offering both challenge and support
  • Identified needs will be targeted through the Assess, Plan, Do Review process which will identify the need (ASSESS), identify how the child will be supported to meet this need (PLAN), ensure time is allocated to support child (DO) and evaluate the success (REVIEW).  Parents and carers will be fully involved in this process
  • Small group or 1:1 intervention with focused children led by both teachers and teaching assistants
  • Regular assessment through daily lessons, termly standardised assessments, school tracking systems and pupil progress meetings
  • Targeted assessments where specific need has been identified to ensure relevant support is given
  • Where specialist advice has been received, this will be embedded into the school day where possible        
  • SEND pupil voice questionnaires
  • Pupil views gained through One Page Profiles
  • Where highly specific needs have been identified, pupils will access a highly adapted curriculum to allow them to engage in their learning in an accessible way
  • Pupils given access to The Den for targeted intervention work 
  • Where possible, the physical learning environment will be adapted to meet specific needs                 

 What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

All staff are here to provide support for children's social, emotional and mental health needs. Mrs Bedford is the school’s Senior Mental Health Lead senco@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk.

At Ladbrooke we believe that a focus on student wellbeing creates a safe and supportive learning environment where our pupils are able to thrive in both their learning and their social interactions.

The school has high expectations with regard to our behaviour policy. The school behaviour policy is published on the school website.

We will support your child’s wellbeing through:

  • Positive relationships with parents and carers, school and children
  • Signposting to parents and carers of local support services
  • Links with local family support services who offer support programmes for families such as the School Nursing Team and the Families First assessment process
  • Access to a variety of therapy services such as, Art/Play therapists from services such as Nessie, Signpost and The Butterfly Rooms for identified children
  • A member of staff is trained in Draw and Talk Therapy
  • Buddy system in place on playground for identified children to support social interaction
  • Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is integral to the curriculum and taught explicitly on a regular basis
  •  Nurture interventions
  •  ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) programme
  • Additional support from specialist staff is arranged as needed for individual pupils both in and out of the classroom
  • The Sunshine Room offers a safe and welcoming space for children to talk with a trusted adult
  • The Worry Box where children can write down their concerns and receive support from a trusted adult
  • Identifying barriers and finding solutions e.g.early starts, uniform adaptations, check-ins with trusted adults, coming into school via a different entrance, having a trusted adult to meet children on entry
  • The school’s Behaviour policy includes guidance on high expectations, rewards and sanctions.  This is implemented by all staff
  • Where there are concerns regarding behaviour, parents and carers are involved in producing a plan which will identify possible triggers and put systems in place to support positive behaviour
  • Restorative justice folders with visuals can be used after an incident to support pupils to understand what went wrong and what they can do next time to achieve a more positive outcome
  • Referrals to Hive behavioural support unit can be made
  • Pupil views are gathered through discussion, One Page Profiles and questionnaires
  • Impact of social media and danger of cyber-bullying is taken very seriously. Information is offered to all parents and carers regarding keeping our children safe on-line.
  • School annually updates the safeguarding checklist (see also our Child Protection policy)
  • School adheres to the statutory guidance 'Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions'
  • Relevant staff are trained to support medical needs and in some cases all staff receive training, e.g. epi-pen, asthma, first aid
  • All medication is kept in a secure place and is only administered by designated people
  • Individual Health Care Plans are written for children with medical conditions and shared with all staff that work with the child, including lunchtime staff
  • We work closely with parents and carers and the medical professionals involved with children with medical conditions
  • Where personal care is required, we liaise closely with the pupil and parents and carers to ensure the safety and dignity of the child
  • Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) are put in place for pupils who need additional support to evacuate the building during an emergency

What training have the staff, supporting children and young people with SEND, had or are having?

We have two designated members of staff responsible for safeguarding concerns:

Miss Webster (Headteacher) DSL - Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Romain (Deputy Head)    DDSL - Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

All staff and governors are trained in safeguarding and the importance of vigilance around safeguarding for pupils with SEND.

In addition to Safeguarding training:

  • The school provides both in school and external training and support to enable all staff to best support and improve the teaching and learning of all children including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues and individual training to meet specific need
  • Our SENCo attends regular SEND updates with DSPL6 (Delivering Special Provision Locally) and HFL (Herts For Learning) and has close links with the local SEND Cluster group
  • Our SENCo is a qualified and experienced teacher who will complete the NPQ SENCo course in September 2026
  • We are fortunate to have a teacher on staff with a SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties) qualification who provides support and advice to class teachers in this area
  • We have a nominated lead for children looked after and a governor who oversees this role.  Training on children looked after has been undertaken
  • We have a qualified Senior Mental Health lead
  • Our SEND Teaching Assistant is currently training to become an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)

What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?

Ladbrooke JMI has a dedicated SENCo. Staff have undergone training in different areas of SEND to develop specialisms.  This ensures there is a wide range of skills and expertise along with the ability to lead specialist intervention programmes. The school works closely with a variety of outside agencies to support the needs of children. These include:

  • Outreach Support for specific needs

-          Early Years Specialist Advisory Teachers

-          Speech, Language, Communication and Autism team

-          Hive behaviour support unit

-          Watling Gap and Garston Manor specialist provision support

-          Specific specialist advisory services such as the Visual Impairment team and Speech

-          Families First Assessment for Early Help support

-          PrIsm meetings with the Local Authority to give additional guidance with regard to the EHCP application process

  • Specialist health services are accessed to support children in school such as:

-Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT)

-Occupational Therapy (OT)

-School Nursing Team

-Art and play therapy/counselling

-Step2 (CAMHS)

-Educational Psychologist (EP) – currently only available as part of the EHCP assessment process

·         After discussions with the Class Teacher and parents and carers, children may be referred to external professionals, where criteria is met.

  • Parents and carers may also access some services through their GP, for example, the assessment pathway for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition) and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)

How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Information leaflets are handed out each term by class teachers so that parents and carers are informed which topics will be covered. A meeting is held for all parents and carers at the beginning of each new year group.

In addition:

  • We offer parent workshops for phonics and maths
  • The school's website provides links for parents and carers to access resources to keep their own skills and knowledge up to date
  • Parenting courses accessed through the Herts Local Offer
  • Homework can be adapted to suit your child’s needs
  • Transition leaflets are given to the pupils in Years 2-6 on moving up day to support pupils with the upcoming changes in their new year group.  Transition information is shared with parents and carers in Nursery, Reception and Year 1

How does the school enable constructive partnership working with families?

  • Parents and carers and the children themselves are involved at every stage.
  • The class teacher is available to discuss your child’s progress, any concerns you may have and to share what is working well at home and at school, so that consistent strategies are employed. Meetings can be arranged by telephoning the school office or via email: admin@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk
  • The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/ worries you may have. You can contact her via the school office (01707 652882) or email senco@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk
  • A member of SLT is always on the gate at the start and the end of the day
  • External professionals will meet directly with a parent when possible. Where this is not possible, a report will be provided and the SENCo will be available to discuss this with you.
  • For children looked after (CLA) parents and carers will be involved in PEP (personal education plan) meetings where discussions will be held to ensure each child is making good progress
  • For children with more complex needs, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be needed. This is a statutory document which ensures your child receives the provision they need and that their parent’s wishes are taken into account. Parents and carers will be involved with discussions before and throughout the application process.
  • Homework will be adjusted as needed to suit your child’s individual requirements.
  • A home - school link book may be used to support communication with you when this has been agreed to be useful.
  • Careful transition meetings are planned to support parents and carers in the process of preparing and applying for secondary schools.
  • Parents and carers are represented on the school governing body and there is also a very active PTA in the school called the 'FOLS' (Friends of Ladbrooke School)

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

For all school trips a risk assessment is undertaken to ensure that each child is kept safe. All children with SEND are included on all school trips and when appropriate additional staff are deployed.

  • Our Equality/ Inclusion policy promotes involvement of all learners in all aspects of the curriculum, including activities outside the classroom
  • School trips will always be discussed with individual parents and carers where necessary to cover all the practicalities
  • Appropriate provision and reasonable adjustments will be made where necessary dependent on the child’s needs
  • Medical support will be put in place where necessary (see Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions policy)
  • If needed, school trips will be changed to include all pupils.  For example the Year 6 school journey location was changed one year to meet the needs of a pupil in a wheelchair

How accessible is the school environment?

  • The school is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and reasonable adjustments are made for all children with SEND as necessary
  • The building is wheelchair accessible and has disabled changing and toilet facilities
  • Every classroom is fitted with a sound system to support children with hearing loss
  • Specialised equipment is provided where appropriate for children with SEND and advice is sought from the appropriate medical/health professionals to ensure all children's health and physical needs are catered for within the school environment
  • The Den and Sunshine room provide safe, calm spaces for children
  • Please refer to the school accessibility plan and equality scheme for more information

Who can I contact for further information?

  • In the first instance, parents and carers are always encouraged to contact their child’s class teacher about any issues or concerns.
  • The SENCo, Mrs Bedford senco@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk and our Head Teacher, Miss Webster head@ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk are available for further information or to discuss the needs of your child.
  • The school’s SEND Governor, Mrs Corke is also available for advice and guidance as appropriate – call the office on 01707 652882 if you would like to contact Mrs Corke
  • If you would like to make a complaint, please see the complaints policy for guidance https://www.ladbrooke.herts.sch.uk/policies
  • The Local Offer has information about support the Local Authority can offer –

Website https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/the-hertfordshire-local-offer.aspx

                Email localoffer@hertfordshire.gov.uk

                Call 0300 123 4043 Hertfordshire's Customer Service Centre

·         The Local Offer has links to parent support forums https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/Local-Offer/Services-for-parents and carers-carers-and-families/Support-groups-and-networks.aspx

·         SENDIASS offers free, confidential, accurate and impartial advice to families

Website www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/support/sendiass.aspx

Email info@hertssendiass.org.uk

Call 01992 555847 (Monday - Thursday: 9:30am - 3:00pm | Friday: 9:30am - 2:00pm)

Voicemail service available 24/7

How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school, transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life?

  • Our school works closely with all settings at times of transition. We have meetings with parents and carers before children enter the school system. Extra visits to school, and home visits, can be arranged for parents and carers of children with SEND
  • The school/SENCo will communicate with other settings, such as pre-schools, where there are identified needs
  • We have strong links with our local secondary schools to ensure smooth transition and transfer of relevant information. We hold meetings with Year Seven tutors to discuss individual children’s needs
  • The SENCo attends transition meetings with secondary SENCos to share detailed information in preparation for the move to secondary school
  • Additional visits to their new school and transition programmes are available for identified children in Year Six
  • Transition support meetings are available for parents and carers
  • Each year, your child’s class teacher and the SENCo will ensure that their new teacher is fully aware of your child’s specific needs

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

  • The budget for SEND is decided by the Head teacher and Governing Body. Within the budgetary constraints, support is allocated according to the level of need. This includes provision targeted at specific groups such as   Pupil Premium
  • Funding is used to employ Learning Support Assistants who are working with identified children with SEND, to purchase specialist equipment, books or stationery and to provide training for staff
  • In exceptional circumstances, additional funding (Further Intervention Funding (FIF)) can be applied for to support individual or small groups of children

 

How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive?

  • At Ladbrooke, termly pupil progress meetings are held between the Head teacher, class teacher, relevant Learning Support Assistants and SENCo. Additional support and provision is discussed and agreed
  • Staff use the Assess, Plan, Do, Review (ADPR) process to monitor progress of specific areas of need and to help decide if on-going or additional support is needed
  • With parental consent, additional assessments can be carried out to identify specific areas of need which helps to inform possible additional support
  • The views of the pupil and parents and carers are very much taken into account. We monitor interventions closely and if a particular provision is not working for your child, we will explore other options
  • The amount and type of support offered to a child is determined by the child's needs, pupil's views and parental views. In addition, budgetary and time constraints, as well as staff available, will need to be taken into consideration
  • All provision will be carefully monitored and the impact measured

 

How can I find information about the Local Authority’s Local Offer of services and provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disability?

Information on the Hertfordshire Local Education Authority offer can be found at:

HERTFORDSHIRE LOCAL OFFER

Reviewed July 2026