Special Educational Needs

At Chilham St Mary’s, every child is valued, respected, and warmly welcomed—whatever their individual needs may be. We believe in nurturing the whole child and are committed to providing a broad and balanced curriculum that enables all pupils to achieve their full potential.

 

We support children with their:

• Learning needs
• Social and emotional wellbeing
• Communication and interaction (including speech and language)
• Mental health
• Physical and sensory development.

We are proud of our inclusive ethos and equality of opportunity for all. Our staff ensure all children are fully included in all school activities, on and off site, making full use of external facilities where appropriate.

 

Tiered Support Structure

At Chilham Primary, we offer four tiers of support across all classes to meet the diverse needs of our pupils.

Tier	Level of Support	Description	Reviews
1	Whole Class Support	Our teachers use adaptive teaching strategies that benefit all learners. Whole class provision maps identify children requiring targeted interventions to accelerate progress.	3 x a year
2	Monitoring Register	For children with emerging or low-level concerns. Needs are reviewed regularly and support adjusted as necessary.	3 x a year
3	Special Educational Needs (SEN-S) Register.	For children with more specific needs. A bespoke Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) is co-created by the SENCO, class teacher, parents, and — where appropriate — the child.	3 x a year
4	Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)	For children with significant, complex, or ongoing needs. An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is issued by the Local Authority and supported by a PLP.	3 x a year and an Annual Review.

 

Graduated Approach

We follow the Graduated Approach as outlined in the SEN Code of Practice (2014), a continuous four-step cycle:

1. Assess – Identify the child’s needs
2. Plan – Design targeted interventions and set outcomes
3. Do – Implement the support plan
4. Review – Evaluate progress and refine strategies

This process ensures that support evolves with the child’s development.

 

Collaborative Support & External Expertise

As part of our Local Offer, we work closely with external professionals, including:

SEND Inclusion Advisor (SEN IA)	Alison Deeney (alison.deeney@kent.gov.uk)
Educational Psychologist (EP)	Nicki Carpenter (nicki.carpenter@kent.gov.uk)
Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS).	Katy Harrington      (katy.harrington@kent.gov.uk)
Speech and Language Therapist. (SALT)	Alice Limbert alice.limbert1@nhs.net Please see this link: Speech and Language Therapy Support at Chilham St Mary's

 

We recognise the importance of school staff, parents and children working together to ensure inclusive practice and success for every learner.

 

Our Team

Our skilled teaching assistants support learning across the school and lead targeted intervention programmes. All staff engage in ongoing professional development tailored to the needs of our pupils.

Whilst all of our teachers are responsible for and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, the SENCO’s role is to lead and support the identification of and provision for children with an identified Special Educational Need (SEN).

If you have any concerns about your child’s development or believe they may have a special need, you are welcome to contact our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), Mrs Vanessa Robinson: senco@chilham.kent.sch.uk

 

Our SEN Policy & SEN Information Report 2025-26 can be found on the Policies page.

Please click on the link below:

Policies | Chilham St Mary's C.E Primary School