We’re an academic school and I think there used to be a perception that we wouldn’t accept children with special educational needs (SEN). I’ve worked hard to break down that barrier. If your child is academically able, whether they’ve got SEN or not, they are welcome here.
Before the children even come to our Junior School, I find out all about them from their previous school. I’ll talk to the parents and they will send on any information they have, such as a learning support plan.
Say if we have a child with autism spectrum condition, coming into a new school with big, colourful displays can cause a huge sensory overload and be a major cause of stress, so I’ll talk with the parents and the children about what to expect.
We make sure that when they come for their tests, it feels as comfortable an environment as possible because we want them to succeed. We adapt to their normal way of working and make reasonable adjustments. Before they come to school, I’ll have created a list of reasonable adjustments for them so I know everything is in place. It might be they need noise cancelling headphones or a fidget toy and they will already be there in the classroom for them when they come.
In the learning support plans we also talk about the strengths of the children. The plans are written by me but with the input of staff and parents. Sometimes, I’ll even talk to the children themselves about it, in a very age-appropriate manner of course. I’ll say ‘we’re going to give you a wobble cushion or a laptop in that class,’ and I’ll explain why that is.
I review all the support plans with the teachers halfway through the year. It could be that Sally, our art teacher, labels all the paints for children who are colour blind. We might use some of that, we’re always sharing our knowledge with each other.
If a child’s parents or teacher comes to me if they feel a child has special needs, I’ll then go and observe how they’re coping in a normal classroom setting. We wouldn’t wait for a diagnosis if we felt they had individual needs We don’t need to give them a label, we just put everything in place so they can get on and thrive.
The best thing about my role is seeing how children with individual needs are successful here. I’ve had parents say to me that their children had no friends before, that they were not accepted and they were bullied. I can genuinely say that that would not be happening here. The children in our school are very accepting of differences. Last year, I did a one-off PHSE lesson about special needs for every single class in school and that developed an understanding among pupils.
Knowing that our children have already got an understanding of conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and dyslexia, makes me feel proud. I can wholeheartedly say that children with individual needs will thrive here.
To find out more about Bradford Grammar Junior School’s SEND provision, register for an upcoming open event at bradfordgrammar.com/signup.
“Knowing that our children have already got an understanding of conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and dyslexia, makes me feel proud.”
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