Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Essential Information Targeted Sessions Outside Agencies Parental Support Contact

At our school, we are committed to ensuring that all children—including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)—are identified, supported, and given the opportunities they need to thrive. We recognise that every child is unique, and we adapt and modify our curriculum so that it meets individual learning needs and enables all pupils to make meaningful progress. Our pupils receive a needs appropriate rather than age appropriate curriculum offer.

We celebrate the small steps to success as well as the big ones. Through a wide range of support systems, targeted interventions, and personalised strategies, we help children work towards their goals and experience success along their learning journey. Our dedicated staff are well-trained, enthusiastic, and take pride in working with our SEND cohort. Their expertise and care ensure that our provision remains nurturing, inclusive, and responsive instilling a sense of belonging in all of our pupils.

Our approach is never rigid. While we value inclusive practice within the classroom and the power of quality teaching, we also recognise that some children benefit from smaller, focused interventions outside of the classroom environment. These sessions offer children the space to develop key skills, build confidence, and experience success—benefits that are recognised and celebrated throughout our school community.

Engagement with carers and parents is essential to understanding and supporting each child. Our focus is on developing independence and skills that support a love of learning.
Above all, we are committed to creating a positive, supportive environment where every child can flourish, feel valued, and reach their full potential.

Essential Information

• Code of Practice 2014
• SEND Information Report
• Our SEND Policy
• Havering Local Offer
• SEND at Hacton Presentation

Targeted Sessions

TACPAC

This draws together touch and music to create a structured half hour of sensory communication between two people. TACPAC creates sensory alignment and helps people of any age who have sensory impairment, developmental delay, complex learning difficulties, tactile defensiveness, and limited or pre-verbal levels of communication.

Intensive Interaction

This is a form of social communication, usually between 2 people. It involves mirroring or copying a person’s actions, sounds and facial expressions. Intensive interaction allows for a two-way form of communication; the child can begin to look and start copying the adult.

Attention Autism – Bucket

The purpose of Bucket time is to build children’s attention, listening, eye contact and being able to sit for a short period of time. This is a highly motivating session.

Language Group

To learn simple words and phrases through song or rhyme

Food Technology

To develop skills of hand washing, washing up, cutting, mixing and tasting food prepared by the children.

Theraputty

Therapy Putty is a programme used for helping children to improve strength in hands. It can be squeezed, stretched, twisted or pinched. Motor skills and function develop a stronger grip and firmer pressure when writing.

Lego Therapy

Playing with LEGO in a therapy setting promotes social interaction, turn-taking skills, sharing, collaborative problem-solving and the learning of concepts. It can be used to target goals around social skills, language and motor skills. By using a commonly adored tool like LEGO it capitalises on its existing motivation and supports self-esteem by allowing the participants to demonstrate their skills in a social situation. It also sets up a positive opportunity for guided social problem-solving to help develop social skills that can then be used in other situations.

ELSA

The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention is run by training teaching assistants to develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of children in their care. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.

ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists, who apply their professional knowledge of children’s social and emotional development to areas of need experienced by pupils. They provide on-going professional supervision to help maintain high quality in the work undertaken by ELSAs, thereby helping to ensure safe practice for ELSAs and pupils alike.

Drawing and Talking

Drawing and Talking allows individuals to discover and communicate emotions through a non-directed technique, setting it apart from existing solution-focused and cognitive-based therapies and interventions.

This is a person-centred therapeutic approach, delivered as a one-to-one intervention. The school has a trained practitioner who is able to undertake sessions that run for 12 weeks. Pupils are identified and parental permission is sought prior to the start of the sessions.

Outside Agencies

• Team around the school – Havering SEND Team includes Educational Psychologist, SEMH Advisor, Communication and Interaction Advisor
• Music Therapists
• Play therapists
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society – Bereavement services

Parental Support

• Ardleigh Green Hub – signposting to other supportive agencies
• Home school communication book
• Open and frequent progress meetings
• Review EHCP and IEPs together
• Positive Postcards