Special Education Needs
SEND Information for Families
My name is Mrs Barber, and I am the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Coordinator (SENCO) at Ripley Junior School. I work closely with children, teachers, families and external professionals to ensure pupils with additional needs receive the right support at the right time.
I am supported by Mrs Wright, Deputy SENCO, who helps with inclusion support, transition and day‑to‑day SEND support. Together, we oversee our graduated response model which includes: universal offer, targeted and specialist support.
We aim to be approachable, visible and available. You can contact us directly through the school office.
We also host termly SEND Coffee Mornings, where families can meet other parents, key staff professionals from Derbyshire services such as Autism Outreach, Educational Psychology or Family Support.
FAQs
Who can I contact about SEND?
Your child’s class teacher is always the first point of contact. They will discuss any concerns and decide whether to involve the SEND team.
The SEND team includes Mrs Barber and Mrs Wright. Together, we manage:
• SEN Support
• One Page Profiles
• Graduated Response cycles
• Applications for additional funding
• Coordination of external agency involvement
• Support for pupils with Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs)
What kinds of needs do we support?
Ripley Junior School supports pupils across all four areas of need defined in the SEND Code of Practice (0–25) :
• Cognition & Learning
• Communication & Interaction
• Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH)
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs
All pupils benefit from Quality First Teaching, including adaptive teaching, accessible curriculum design and evidence‑based strategies — now emphasised in the DfE Inclusive Mainstream Fund guidance (2026) .
Adaptations may include:
• Changes to the physical environment
• Visual supports and scaffolds
• Flexible grouping
• Assistive technology
• Adjusted teaching approaches
• Targeted adult support
How do we identify and assess SEND?
All staff contribute to early identification. When a concern is raised by staff or parents, we follow the Graduated Approach (Assess–Plan–Do–Review), which remains statutory in 2026 .
Step 1 — Identification
A teacher or parent identifies a potential need and discusses it with key staff.
Step 2 — ASSESS
Assessment may include:
• Observations
• Work scrutiny
• Conversations with home
• Screening tools
• External advice (if appropriate)
Step 3 — PLAN
A personalised, evidence‑based plan is created. This may include classroom strategies, targeted interventions or specialist input.
Step 4 — DO
The teacher implements the plan and gathers evidence over a minimum of one month.
Step 5 — REVIEW
Provision is reviewed with staff and parents. Next steps are agreed.
Outcomes may include:
• No further action
• Continued SEN Support
• Addition to the SEND Register
• Referral to external agencies
• Application for additional funding (Derbyshire High Needs / Inclusive Mainstream Fund)
• Creation of a One Page Profile
What happens if my child is added to the SEND Register?
Your child will receive a One Page Profile, outlining:
• Strengths
• Needs
• Targets
• Strategies and adjustments
• Planned interventions
• Review dates
This ensures all staff — including support staff — understand how to support your child effectively.
The Assess–Plan–Do–Review cycle continues termly, with clear evidence of provision and impact, in line with Derbyshire’s SEND & Inclusion Strategy (2026) priorities of early help, inclusion and strong family partnership
Provision at Ripley Junior School
Cognition & Learning
Our provision includes:
• Trained teaching assistants delivering small‑group and 1:1 support
• Pre‑teaching and post‑teaching sessions
• External agency involvement (Educational Psychology, Specialist Teachers)
• Evidence‑based interventions aligned with DfE inclusion expectations (2026)
Communication & Interaction
We provide:
• Speech & Language (SaLT) programmes
• Social communication groups
• Social stories
• Visual timetables and transition booklets
• Autism Outreach support (Derbyshire)
• Structured routines and predictable environment
Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH)
Provision includes:
• Educational Psychology advice
• Family Support Worker support
• Learning Mentor 1:1 sessions
• Positive Play and Nurture sessions
• Structured lunchtimes with additional adult support
• Bereavement support through external agencies
• Alignment with DfE behaviour guidance (2024–26)
Sensory and/or Physical Needs
We offer:
• Fine and gross motor interventions
• Inclusive learning spaces
• Occupational Therapy involvement
• Adjustments to environment, routines and equipment
• Support aligned with Derbyshire’s neurodiversity hubs and early‑help priorities (2026)
What next?
If further action is required, the following options will be explored:
1. Referral to external agency or service. This will be done by a member of the SENCO team, in conjunction with class teacher and never without the support of adults at home.
2. Adding the child to the SEN register or watchlist if more appropriate.
3. Application for additional funding as part of a graduated response if deemed necessary by the SENCO team.
4. More regular observations of the child by the SENCO team to monitor progress and assess ongoing need.
5. Creation of a ‘one page profile’ for the child. This is a document that outlines the child’s needs and what adjustments are necessary to support them. These are accessible by all adults working in the classroom, including supply staff, to ensure the child’s needs are met at all times.
What happens once my child has been added to the SEND register?
Once your child has been added to the SEN register, a one page profile could be created for them, as discussed above. Here is a blank example:
Assess, Plan, Do Review
It includes a profile of the child's areas of strengths and developments, their targets for that term and how the graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review) will be used to assess the impact of the support the child receives during the term. Our Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle looks like this:
Where can I get more information about SEND across Derbyshire?
In September 2014, a new government code of practice was introduced for the management of special educational needs in schools. Please click here to be taken to an informative website detailing contact details and available provision under the new 'Derbyshire Offer.'
DIASS
If you wish to access independent, impartial advice about SEND, you could contact DIASS who are the Derbyshire Information Advisory Service for SEND, whose details can be found here.
Policies
Please click here to view our policies page, where you will find a section dedicated to SEND.
Any information seen on the school website can be provided in paper form at the School Office.