General Information
Greenacre Nursery School, Bootle: Curriculum
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
At Greenacre Nursery School staff, governors and parents are committed to the principle of equal opportunity, and aim to encourage the development of each child, meeting his individual needs by matching them to the curriculum.
The school’s policy on Special Educational Needs is in line with the requirements of the 1996 Education Act and the DfES SEN Code of Practice (2001). The 1996 Education Act says that a child has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
The DfES states that children have a learning difficulty if they:
- have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
- have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority
- are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would so do if special educational provision was not made for them. Quoted from SEN Code of Practice 2001, 1:3 and the Education Act 1996, Section 312.
The school has close links with all the agencies that are involved in a child’s education and welfare. If necessary, help and advice can be given by the Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist and Pre-School Advisory teacher.
At Greenacre the families of children who have special educational needs are involved at every step, and kept fully informed through written reports and home-school books. We understand that parents are sometimes very worried about their child’s development, and staff are always available to discuss concerns as they arise. We pride ourselves on our relationships with families; it is very important to us that we are seen as approachable, with a shared focus on achieving the best for each child.
The full SEN policy, which explains the procedures in fuller detail, is available for parents to read at any time.
Since 2000, Greenacre has been one of five schools in Sefton which are resourced for children with a range of more complex special needs. The additional funding enables us to employ two members of staff (Mrs Stanley and Mrs Givens), but there is a whole school approach to inclusion, and all staff work with all children.
Parents consider this facility to be of great benefit to their children, as indicated in the following quote - “As the parent of a child with a Resourced Nursery place, I found the staff at Greenacre to be very supportive; they are experienced and knowledgeable, and always ready to listen. My son loved going to nursery and made excellent progress.”
(Mother of a Resourced Nursery child, Jan 2004 – July 2005)