About our school

Special Educational Needs

Shakespeare Primary School and Nursery is an inclusive, mainstream school. We encourage exploration and creativity through our Curriculum of Excellence from the Heart of Leeds; an inspiring, broad, balanced and engaging curriculum where learning and the community is at the heart of all that we do. All teachers have a high regard for the progress and learning of all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and those with disabilities. First and foremost, we are committed to ensuring all children have access to high-quality first teaching. The learning of all children is coordinated by their class teacher. We also strive to ensure all children have equal access to the school curriculum.

Our Senior Leader for Inclusion is Mrs Brealey. Our Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo) is Mrs Hall. You can make an appointment with Mrs Brealey or Mrs Hall by contacting the school office on 0113 535 1000

We are committed to inclusion and supporting children with SEND. Our school ethos is aligned with current legislative requirements:

SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (DfE and DoH, 2015)

Children and Families Act (2014)

Equalities Act (2010)

Our SEND Information Report outlines the school's provision for pupils with SEND and how we implement our SEND Policy.

You can find our SEND Information Report here

You can find our SEND Policy here

You can find our Medical Needs Policy here

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

School will admit children as per Leeds City Council admission arrangements. As stated in our policy, School will not discriminate against prospective children with a SEN need or disability.

School will work with other settings and outside agencies to ensure the transition into school is well-planned and any equipment and resources needed are procured in advance. Any prospective children whose EHCP names the school will be admitted before any other places are allocated. The school will admit a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan subject to the wishes of their parent unless this is incompatible with the efficient education of other children, and there are no reasonable steps which can be taken to prevent the incompatibility.

Please also see admissions information from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) in Leeds here: SENDIASS

THE LOCAL OFFER

As part of the Code of Practice Local authorities must publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEND or are disabled. Parents and carers can find information about admissions, the graduated approach to assessing and supporting students with SEN as well as other agencies and specialists that can be contacted for support and advice through the Leeds Local Offer.

ADVICE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Advice for parents may also be sought from Leeds Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice Support Service (Leeds SENDIASS). You can contact Leeds SENDIASS by telephoning 0113 3785020, emailing sendiass@leeds.gov.uk or visit their website SENDIASS

COMPLAINTS

Please see the school’s Complaints Policy here: Complaints Policy

Complaints about SEN provision in our school should be made to the class teacher the first instance.This may then be escalated by school to the Inclusion Leader and Head Teacher. The complainant will then be referred to the school’s complaints policy.

If you are not satisfied with the school’s response, you can escalate the complaint. In some circumstances, this right also applies to the pupil themselves.

To see a full explanation of suitable avenues for complaint, see pages 246 and 247 of the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (DfE and DoH, 2015) .