SEND Information Report

Our SEN Information Report – which is part of Durham County Council’s Local Offer – provides details about how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs in our school. 

The SEN Information Report was reviewed and updated in September 2026.

This SEND Information Report should be read alongside the school’s SEND Policy, the Equalities Information and Objectives and the Accessibility Plan.

Key Contacts

  •  Head Teacher Mrs Deborah Scothern  0191 5813658
  •  SENCO  Mrs Helen Davenport 0191 5813658
  •  SEND Governor

SEND Admissions

For information on the admission of pupils with a disability, please visit the School Admissions section of our website and view the Accessibility Plan in our School Policies section.

If you would like to discuss your child’s SEN in more detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

The full range of local support available for children/ young people with SEND and their families within and outside of school can be found in

Our SEN Provision

There are four broad areas of special educational need, these are:

  • Communication and Interaction

This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs

  • Cognition and Learning

This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn

  • Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

The kinds of SEN that are provided for:

At Westlea Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:

Communication and interaction

  • Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
  • Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Cognition and learning

  • Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
  • Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

  • Social, Emotional Difficulties
  • Mental Health Difficulties

Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

  • Gross Motor and Fine Motor Difficulties
  • Visual impairments

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

Our approach to teaching children & young people with SEN

Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

The Curriculum also included the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence.

At Westlea Primary School, we take pride in providing an inclusive education for all children, which means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

The Curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence at all ages and ability levels. By encouraging independence at all age and ability levels we endeavour to establish confidence, improve self-esteem and promote enthusiasm in all our pupils.

Some of the actions we may take to achieve this are:

  • Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
  • Modify the curriculum to meet individual needs.
  • Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
  • To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.

More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan.

How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children & young people with SEN

We adapt the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN:

Children learn and develop in different ways and at different rates and may need extra help and support at various points during their school career. Some children, at some point in their school life might have additional or different needs and it may be that they will be on our SEN register for a short period or longer period of time. However, children’s needs will be reassessed regularly in order to ensure that the provision is suitable and supports every child’s development.

Mrs Hughes and Mrs Davenport works alongside Class Teachers to oversee all SEN provision, different approaches to teaching and monitor the progress of any child requiring additional support across the school. The Class Teacher will oversee, plan and work with each child with SEND in their class to ensure that progress in every area is made. This is Quality First Teaching and is where work is highly differentiated to suit the specific needs of the children and comes in the form of a whole class lesson rather than an intervention programme. Alongside Quality First Teaching that your child will receive in lessons there may be a support TA working with your child, either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as of benefit by the Class Teacher. This means that children could be taken out of the classroom for these sessions, but they will continue to work on the same areas as the rest of the children in their class which ensures that they can go back into the classroom with a smooth transition and sound understanding of concepts.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum and learning environment there are some actions and adaptations we may take to achieve this:

  • Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and school activities, visits etc.
  • Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
  • Ensure that teaching staff are aware and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is most appropriate to their needs.
  • Pupils will grow in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
  • To work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
  • To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
  • To make sure that children with SEN are fully included in all activities in school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
  • To promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
  • To ensure every child has a sense of achievement.
  • To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practise.
  • We ensure that all children are offered the opportunity to participate with activities outside of the classroom by making reasonable adjustments to the organization of these. For example, we ensure SEND children have an appropriate level of adult support if going out of school, we organize transport that provides appropriate access and staff complete a comprehensive risk assessment of any excursion to ensure all children are safe and included. In addition, our SEND children are given the opportunity to participate in visits to settings that meet their specific needs.

The provision for pupils with SEN across the four Broad Areas of Need may include some of the following interventions;

Communication and interaction

We will deliver specific programmes and strategies suggested by Speech and Language Therapists where relevant.

Cognition and Learning

We work with County Durham Cognition and Learning Team and make referrals to them when we need additional assessment, advice and support.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

Interventions such as Listening matters and Relax Kids are all used within school to support children with difficulties in these areas. We take a whole school approach to mental health and work with children to help them to understand their feelings and emotions and the effects that they can have on physical health. Where appropriate we can seek specialist advice e.g. CAMHS to support with strategies and interventions.

Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

Some children who receive additional intervention will have a Support Plan which will detail the intervention they are to receive over a period of time before progress is reviewed. Parents are an integral part of the process and will be invited to meet with Staff every term to discuss this. Where appropriate children are also welcome to join meetings if they wish, or to discuss their progress with a teacher or familiar adult.

How are the Governors involved and what is their responsibility?

Governors are kept up to date on the progress of SEN children.

Individual children are not named in this instance and confidentiality is maintained at all times. One of the Governors (Mrs A Clarke) is responsible for SEN and they liaise with the Head Teacher and SENCO, they also discuss the funding arrangements of staff and resources for SEND children. The Governors agree priorities for spending within the SEN budget with the overall aim that all children receive the support they need in order to make progress.

  • details of explicit provision for pupils with SEN
  • different approaches for teaching children and young children with SEN
  • how the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN is adapted and made accessible]

More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you ca find in the School Policies section of our website.

How we identify, assess and review children with special educational needs

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

Early Identification of Need

In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:

As a school we measure children’s progress in learning against National expectations and age related expectations. The class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas where they are improving and where further support is needed. We formally assess the children each term in their reading, grammar and punctuation, writing and mathematics. As a school, we track children’s progress every term from Reception through to Year 6 to ensure that we can carefully monitor progress and attainment.

Children who are not making expected progress are identified and a discussion takes place concerning why individual children are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to aid their progression.

As a school, we assess all children continuously across all areas of learning including the four broad areas of Special Educational Needs. We assess informally everyday through observations and we carry out formal assessments at the end of every term to measure progress and identify the next steps in learning. We work in partnership with parents, carers and pupils by building good relationships, working together and supporting each other.

If there is an identification of need then we will discuss this with parents and if needed provide a pupil with a Short Note. We will share this with parents and may begin to gather evidence to inform whether to make special education provision and consider if we need to consult with relevant external agencies and use assessment tools and materials to ensure early help or identification of SEN happens.

  • Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 staff and the SENCO, where necessary, liaise with Nursery or the child’s previous school.
  • If a child is performing below age expectations then meetings will be held with the class teacher and SENCO. Observations of the child may also take place.
  • SEN is discussed at staff meetings so that all staff can contribute to the identification process.
  • We have regular parent meetings and take into account any concerns raised by Parents. We pride ourselves on having an ‘open door policy’ where at any point parents can talk to staff.
  • Concerns raised by teacher for example behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance.
  • Liaison with external agencies we work closely with Movement Support, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, Crisis Response, Educational Psychology, Health visitors, portage, The School Nurse, and Behaviour Support.
  • Health diagnosis through paediatricians at the hospital

SEN Support

As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provision to meet those needs. Parents, carers and children’s views are integral to this process. When the child’s Support Plan is reviewed comments are made against each target to show what progress the child has made.

If the child has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be tried to ensure the child does make progress.

How do we assess and review progress?

If your child has SEN, it is important for us to carry out formal assessments to identify their strengths and identify their needs accurately. To do this, we will use a range of methods depending upon their needs. When your child enters our school, their current attainment is assessed to give us a ‘baseline’ from where they will progress. In addition to the assessments that all children take part in and depending upon their needs, other assessments may be needed. These could include:

Communication and interaction (SLCN, ASC)

  • Speech Therapy Assessments – which may focus on sound production, language understanding, or other relevant assessments of your child’s needs

Cognition and learning (MLD, PMLD, SLD, SpLD)

  • Subject specific assessment
  • Education Psychology Assessments – which may include memory, understanding, reasoning, logic, and general skills assessment.

Social, Emotional and Health Difficulties

  • Assess through observations of pupils

Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

  • Movement Programme baseline assessment
  • Handwriting and copying skills baseline assessment

Your child will be assessed against age related expectations for children who are working on the National Curriculum (i.e. the same as the majority of other children in their year group), or they may be assessed against other measures for children who are not ready to work on National Curriculum Levels (i.e. the steps before the National Curriculum). Aspirational targets are set for all children to ensure that all children make good progress, including those not ready to access the National Curriculum. The outcomes of all assessments are shared with parents and carers at our Parent Evenings and in your child’s School Report. If other agencies are invited to work with your child, you will be invited to attend a meeting where the outcomes of these assessments and their next steps will be shared with you.

If parents have any concerns then these can be shared with the class teacher and or SENCo who will arrange a meeting to discuss and resolve any difficulties.

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

The class teacher alongside the SENCo will discuss the child’s needs and what support would be appropriate. SEN is discussed at the staff meetings to allow staff to share concerns or ideas as to how we can help the child. Teacher’s use assessments and observations of children to identify, review and evaluate their needs and gaps in their learning.

We look at what we can provide to meet the child’s needs and we discuss and measure the effectiveness of the interventions the children have undertaken that term. Different children will require different levels of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age expectations which could be on a one to one basis, with a group, run by a teacher or teaching assistant or through peer support and in or out of class. Throughout the process, we keep an on-going dialogue with yourselves as parents.

At Westlea Primary School, we currently have children with a variety of needs in school and provide the following interventions to meet the needs of our children:

Support for children with physical needs:

  • Quality First Teaching, accessing a broad and balanced curriculum
  • Daily Gross Motor Skills interventions.
  • Weekly Fine Motor Skills interventions.
  • Specialist group support from outside agencies e.g. Occupational Health, VI teachers

Support for children with speech, language and communication needs:

  • Quality First Teaching, accessing a broad and balanced curriculum
  • Daily Speech and Language interventions.
  • Specialist group support from outside agencies e.g. Speech and Language Therapy

Support for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties:

  • Quality First Teaching, accessing a broad and balanced curriculum
  • Specialist group support from outside agencies e.g. CAMHs Mentoring and Counselling;

Support for children with cognition and learning needs:

  • Quality First Teaching, accessing a broad and balanced curriculum
  • Maths and English specific
  • Specialist group support from outside agencies e.g. Educational Psychology Service
  • Specific individual support for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong and what this means for your child e.g. Dyslexia, Dyspraxia
  • Range of teaching and learning styles;
  • A broad range of extra-curricular activities, including After-School
  • Differentiation

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of SEN provision?

At Westlea Primary School, we evaluate the effectiveness of SEN provision to ensure that pupils receive the best support to meet their needs and as part of the Graduated Approach of Assess, Plan, Do and Review. We currently evaluate the effectiveness of SEN across the four broad areas of SEN provision in the following ways:

Communication and interaction (SLCN, ASC)

We assess before and after any intervention to evaluate the impact of provision using targets set by speech and language therapists.

Cognition and learning (MLD, PMLD, SLD, SpLD)

We use the assessment data provided by teaching and support staff to assess before and after any intervention to evaluate the impact of provision.

Social, Emotional and Health Difficulties

We assess through observations of pupils throughout the school day over a period of time.

Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

We use the Movement Programme to assess before and after any intervention to evaluate the impact of provision with Gross Motor Skills.

How are resources made available to support children with SEND?

The resources we use to support children with SEN depend upon their needs and they are allocated on an individual basis. Once your child has been identified as SEN, their needs will be assessed and targets and outcomes will be identified. It is the responsibility of the SENCO to ensure that the resources that are required are made available and that staff are aware of their individual needs.

We are very flexible in our approach and we constantly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our interventions and the provision that we provide.

  • As part of our staff professional development, all members of staff received training to support children with SEND:
  • School-based CPD – systems and procedures, staff audit, staff planning and agreed action points.
  • ‘SEN Outcomes –good quality outcomes, SEN Support Plans and Primary Areas of Need’.
  • Supporting children with ASD.
  • Specialist Training – VI children .

Staff Training: will vary each year depending upon the needs of the children.

A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

For further information please view or download our Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.

How children with SEN engage in all activities?

We enable all children to engage fully in all aspects of school life. We do not see SEN as a barrier to accessing the full curriculum and ensure that children with SEN are fully included in all activities in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.

To do this, we:

  • Ensure that all children with SEN are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement, for example; ensuring that children with language delay are supported with visual aids and prompts.
  • Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities, for example; additional adult support to model and support learning.
  • Ensure every child has the entitlement to a sense of achievement through celebrating progress with parents, for example; we have a weekly achievement assembly where academic and non-academic progress is celebrated.
  • When planning activities such as visits and trips SEN children are considered to ensure they can fully participate, for example; staff will visit places and complete risk assessments.
How we evaluate the effectiveness of SEN Provision

We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

  • Robust evaluation of policy and practice
  • SENCO/SLT/Governor monitoring
  • Learning walks
  • Performance management
  • Termly meetings with class teacher’s
  • Questionnaires and feedback from parents/carers
Support for Emotional & Social Development

At Westlea Primary School we consult with a wide range of external agencies and we maintain close partnerships in order to access the best professional advice and to ensure the emotional and social development needs of SEN children are met. We work closely with the Local Authority and Private Providers of additional services, such as Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) School Nursing Service,Health visitors, Portage, Social Services and Medical Professionals.

We often hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate.

We are an inclusive school; we welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff believe that children having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s wellbeing. The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact. If further support is required the class teacher liaises with the SENCO for further advice and support.

Looked After Children with SEND

We have a Designated Teacher for Looked after Children [Mrs Deborah Scothern] who works closely with the SENCO [Mrs Helen Davenport] to ensure all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.

A significant amount of children may be undiagnosed when they begin to be looked after and we work quickly and effectively to assess any undiagnosed SEN to ensure that they are addressed as quickly as possible. Mrs Davenport works closely with all CLA with SEN and with all staff to ensure that they understand the implications for these pupils.

CLA with SEN are supported in school and have a Support Plan which is reviewed every term. All CLA have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which is drawn up and reviewed every term. The Support Plan and the PEP should complement each other. If a CLA with SEN requires further assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) we are particularly aware of the need to avoid any delays for CLA and carry out the EHC needs assessment in the shortest possible timescale.

SEN Transition

How does our school help prepare to meet your child’s needs

Early Years Staff make visits to all feeder Nurseries to meet the children who will be starting our nursery and school. They spend time working with the children, observing them in a familiar environment and talking to their key workers. We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting and this is done through a series of transition days. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

We would also do more visits at current nurseries.

How will the school prepare my child for the transition to Secondary school?

Children with SEND are given an extensive level of support before they leave for their new school. We work closely with parents to help this be as smooth a transition as possible. When children are preparing to leave us for a new school, typically to go to Secondary education, we arrange additional visits.

At our ‘feeder’ secondary schools run programmes specifically tailored to aid transition for the more vulnerable pupils. We liaise closely with Staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex needs and has an Education Health and Care Plan, then a review will be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend and any other relevant professionals. Their teacher and SENCO will discuss with secondary colleagues how many transition visits can be arranged over and above those offered to children without SEND.

These additional visits to the new school will be carried out with the child and Secondary School Staff in the summer term.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Can my child attend Westlea Primary School and then move to Special School Provision?

Children with SEND that have been issued with an Education, Health and Care plan can attend Westlea Primary School for their Primary education or consider applying to a Special School if that meets their individual, specific needs. When considering transition to Secondary education, your child can then be assessed for Special School if a parent wished them to attend this type of setting.

How will your school prepare my child for the transition to Secondary school?

Children with SEND are given an extensive level of support before they leave for their new school. Their teacher and SENCO will discuss with secondary colleagues how many transition visits can be arranged over and above those offered to children without SEND. These additional visits to the new school will be carried out with the child and Secondary School Staff in the summer term.

This ensures that bridges are built between schools, key information shared between staff and the child is given the opportunity to settle into a new routine with the support of a familiar adult.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

SEN Specialist Expertise

SENCO and SEN Staff

Our SENCO is Mrs Helen Davenport.

More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

The external specialists may:

  • Act in an advisory capacity
  • Extend expertise of school staff
  • Provide additional assessment
  • Support a child directly
  • Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
  • Consult with all parties involved with the child

These include:

  • Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service
  • Durham County Council Local Offer

How We Secure Specialist Expertise

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN. This is used to support children and young people with SEND. If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

Westlea Primary school work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school including people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

The external specialists may:

  • Act in an advisory capacity
  • Extend expertise of school staff
  • Provide additional assessment
  • Support a child directly
  • Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
  • Consult with all parties involved with the child

How we secure specialist expertise

At Westlea Primary school, we liaise with the following agencies depending upon the individual child’s needs:

  • Durham County Council Local Offer
  • Autism Spectrum Communications Team
  • CAMHS
  • Crisis Response
  • Education Psychology Service
  • Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service
  • Movement Difficulties Service
  • Occupational Therapy
  • School Nurse Team
  • Social Care and Health Team
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Teachers for the Visually impaired

We encourage these professionals to visit school as often as possible to work with our staff and share their expertise. Wherever possible, staff implement programmes of work linked to these professionals e.g. speech and language programmes, exercises recommended by physical therapies etc.

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

Consulting with our SEN Pupils, Parents & Carers

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND

Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO. The children have regular meetings with staff to discuss their progress and support.

Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support. Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

  • Termly parents/ carers evenings;
  • Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;
  • An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
  • Through regular reviews of their child’s SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.

We offer an open door policy where you are welcome any time to make an appointment to meet with either the class teacher or SENCO to discuss how your child is getting on. We offer advice and practical ways that you can help your child at home. We provide regular homework to support and complement the work carried out in school.

We believe that your child’s education should be a partnership between parents and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has complex needs.

If your child is on the SEN register they will have a SEN Support Plan, which will have individual targets.

This is sent home on a termly basis and parents are invited should they wish to talk through the targets. The targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time scaled) targets with the expectation that the child will achieve the target by the time it is reviewed. If your child has more complex SEND, they may have an Education Health Care Plan, which means that a formal meeting will take place to discuss your child’s progress.

We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through the School Council and regular class meetings where any issues can be raised.

Children who have Support Plans discuss their targets with their teacher.

If your child has an EHCP (Education Health & Care Plan) their views will be sought before any review meetings. The SENCO will work with all outside agencies that are involved in the welfare of your child.

Compliments, Complaints & Feedback

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEN and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience.

We would also like your views about the content of our SEN Information Report. If you would like to comment please complete the online form in the Contact Us section of our website.

Compliments are always greatly received and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher. These positive comments will be published on this area of our school website.

We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.

Further information can be found in the Complaints Policy in the School Policies section of your website or by visiting the Durham County Council Local Offer website.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Key Policies

All of our school policies can be found on the website but the most important ones for parents of children with SEND are listed below:

If you would like a paper copy of any of our documents on our website please speak to the school office, who will provide them to you free of charge. If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Disability & Accessibility

We are committed to providing a fully accessible environment which values and includes all pupils, staff, parents and visitors regardless of their education, physical, sensory, social, spiritual and emotional needs. We are committed to challenging negative attitudes about disability and accessibility and to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion.

What we do to prevent pupils with disabilities from being treated less favourably:

Westlea Primary School is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity, prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably and valuing diversity for all children and families.

We aim to:

  • Provide a safe, stimulating and accessible curriculum and environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued (see our Accessibility plan)
  • Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity
  • Celebrate the achievements of all our children, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or disability
  • Consult with our children, parents and the School Council that the needs of all our children are being met
  • Ensure that children with SEN can engage in activities with all children and are offered the opportunity to participate with activities in and outside of the classroom by making reasonable adjustments to the organisation of these.

The facilities to assist access are outlined in our Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

Our Accessibility Plan and the short, medium and long term actions, will be reviewed and adjusted on an annual basis and a new Accessibility Plan will be produced every three years.

The Accessibility Plan contains relevant actions to:

  • Improve access to the physical environment of the school, adding specialist facilities as necessary.
  • Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability. This covers reasonable adjustments within teaching and learning, specialist aids and equipment and the wider curriculum of the school, such as after school clubs, visits etc,
  • Improve the provision of information to pupils, staff, parents and visitors with disabilities. All information will be made available in various formats within a reasonable time frame.