Inclusion & SEND
Special Educational Needs and Disability
Soho Parish Primary caters for a range of special educational and disability needs (known as SEND)*. These may include speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum conditions, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, working memory and processing difficulties and emotional, social and mental health needs.
All children are different and teachers differentiate each lesson to cater to all learning styles and needs in their class.
Some children may be identified by the school as having "Special Educational Needs". If this is the case, the class teacher will discuss with parents any concerns they have or any observations they have made about the child. It may be appropriate for the Inclusion Co-ordinator to become involved to support the teacher to provide the best learning environment and opportunities for each child.
Sometimes, where appropriate, the school will work with external agencies to fully support a pupil with Special Educational (or Medical) Needs. These agencies include Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Child and Adult Mental Health Services, the School Nurse and other NHS services.
Parents and staff will work closely together to determine the best support for a child and parents are always involved when a referral is made to any service mentioned above. For further details have a look at our Special Needs School Offer.
The school has produced a local SEN Information Report (formerly known as the 'SEND Offer') that outlines our provision in detail:
We also have a provision map which outlines what additional provision we may provide for children with specific needs:
SP Policy - SEND Provision Map by SEN category 2022-23
SP Policy - SEND SEN Information Report
*Due to the nature of our location and building, unfortunately we are unable to accommodate children with certain types of medical need, notably wheelchair users.
The Local Authority Offer:
Under the requirements of the Children's and Families Act, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the 'Local Offer'.
The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area. The Westminster Local Offer is available at https://fisd.westminster.gov.uk/kb5/westminster/fis/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0
Ethnic Minority Achievement and English as an additional language
Equality for all underpins all of our Soho Parish Values. It is very important to us that all pupils achieve their potential, regardless of ethnic and social background.
Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMA) falls under the remit of the Inclusion Co-ordinator and also covers all pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL).
59% of our pupils currently speak English as an additional language, so teachers incorporate techniques into every lesson to support these children.
Emotional Needs
Children must be happy and feel secure to learn. We recognise this at Soho Parish and do our utmost to ensure pupils and families are adequately supported to ensure they can reach their potential.
Our Learning Mentor supports pupils with emotional needs if they require more help than our classroom-based pastoral care can provide.
Sometimes pupils may see the Learning Mentor for only a few weeks if they need personal space to speak about an issue that may be affecting their learning, whereas other pupils may work with her on a regular basis, including within the classroom, to ensure that they are able to manage their emotional needs.
We also employ a family therapist from the Anna Freud Centre, one day per week, to support children and their families where professional counselling is indicated.
If you have any questions about SEND, EMA, EAL or emotional needs, please contact our SENCo lead - Kate McCarter (works Tuesdays & Fridays) at office@sohoparish.co.uk