“Living life to the full” – John 10:10
SENDCo
Mrs Jo Woodland, Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral & SEND)
Contact
01284 810223 | admin@barrow.suffolk.sch.uk
School
Colethorpe Lane, Barrow, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5AU
Review
Published September 2026 | Review by September 2027
At Barrow CEVC Primary School, we are committed to inclusive education and to enabling every child to participate, learn, belong and flourish. Our Christian vision of “living life to the full” underpins our approach. We aim to identify additional needs early, work closely with children and families, and make appropriate provision so that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can make progress and take a full part in school life.
This report explains how we implement our SEND policy and the provision available at Barrow. It should be read alongside our SEND Policy, Accessibility Plan, Equality information and objectives, Admissions information and Complaints Procedure.
We are a mainstream primary school and support children across the four broad areas of need described in the SEND Code of Practice:
Children may have needs in more than one area and needs can change over time. A medical diagnosis does not automatically mean that a child has SEN, and a child does not need a diagnosis before school can identify and respond to SEN.
Class teachers are responsible for the progress and development of every pupil in their class. Through high-quality teaching, assessment, observation and discussion with families, teachers identify children who may need additional support. Concerns may also be raised by parents or carers, the child, previous settings or other professionals.
Making slower progress or attaining below age-related expectations does not, on its own, mean that a child has SEND. We consider the whole child and possible barriers to learning, including attendance, health, language, emotional wellbeing and changes in family circumstances. Where appropriate, the SENDCo supports further assessment and advice may be sought from specialist services.
Where a pupil requires special educational provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for pupils of the same age, the school will identify the pupil as having SEN and record the provision being made.
We use a graduated approach: assess, plan, do and review. This is a continuous cycle in which the child’s needs, desired outcomes, provision and progress are considered and adjusted.
Assess: We gather information about strengths, needs, progress and barriers to learning, including the views of the child and family.
Plan: We agree outcomes, reasonable adjustments and additional or different provision, including who will provide it and how progress will be reviewed.
Do: The class teacher remains responsible for the child’s learning and works with support staff and the SENDCo to put agreed provision in place.
Review: We consider progress towards outcomes, the effectiveness of support and the views of the child and family. Provision is then continued, adapted or changed as needed.
Where needs are significant and cannot reasonably be met through ordinarily available SEN Support, the school and/or parents may consider requesting an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment from Suffolk County Council.
Teachers assess pupils as part of the school’s normal assessment processes and review the impact of additional provision. Progress is considered against the child’s individual starting points and agreed outcomes as well as wider curriculum expectations where appropriate. The SENDCo monitors provision and pupil progress, works with teachers and families, and supports review of pupils receiving SEN Support or with an EHC plan.
For pupils with an EHC plan, the school contributes to and hosts statutory annual reviews in accordance with local authority arrangements.
High-quality, inclusive classroom teaching is the starting point for all pupils. Teachers adapt teaching in response to pupils’ needs rather than relying on a single approach. Depending on the child, this may include:
Provision is matched to identified need and reviewed for impact. Support is designed to build confidence and independence and to avoid unnecessary separation from peers.
Additional support is based on individual need and may include targeted teaching, communication and language support, literacy or numeracy intervention, emotional literacy and pastoral support, support with social interaction and regulation, sensory or physical adaptations, or programmes recommended by specialist professionals. The exact provision offered will vary according to the needs of the pupils in school.
We recognise that wellbeing and a sense of belonging are essential to learning. Support may include pastoral check-ins, Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) work, individual or group support, regulation strategies and liaison with families and external professionals. Our behaviour and safeguarding approaches seek to understand individual needs while maintaining clear expectations and safety for everyone.
Pupils with SEND are supported to develop friendships, take part in school life and report worries. Bullying, discrimination and prejudice are not tolerated and are addressed through our behaviour, safeguarding and equality procedures.
We expect pupils with SEND to be included in the full life of the school alongside their peers. This includes educational visits and residentials, PE and sport, clubs, performances, collective worship, pupil leadership and other enrichment opportunities. We plan reasonable adjustments and additional support where required so that pupils can participate safely and meaningfully.
The SENDCo supports teachers and teaching assistants with identification, planning, provision and review. Staff training is planned in response to the needs of pupils and whole-school priorities. This may include training in areas such as communication, neurodiversity, specific learning needs, emotional regulation, medical needs and inclusive classroom practice.
Where specialist expertise is needed, the school seeks advice or support from relevant local authority, health or other professional services. Recommendations from specialists are considered alongside the school’s knowledge of the child and family.
Where appropriate, and with parental involvement, the school may work with services such as Suffolk County Council SEND and Inclusion services, Psychology and Therapeutic Services/Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, health services and other relevant agencies. Access to particular services is subject to their referral criteria and availability.
Specialist equipment or facilities are considered according to assessed need and professional advice. The school will make reasonable adjustments and, where necessary, work with the local authority or other services to identify appropriate equipment or environmental adaptations.
Parents and carers know their children well and are important partners in SEND provision. We aim to communicate openly and involve families in decisions about support, outcomes and reviews. Parents can raise concerns with the class teacher at any time and may also contact the SENDCo. We encourage families to share relevant information, including advice from health or other professionals, so that support can be planned together.
Children’s views, wishes and feelings are gathered in ways appropriate to their age and communication needs. This may be through conversation, observation, pupil voice activities, one-page profiles, review meetings or other accessible approaches. We support pupils to understand what helps them learn and, as they grow, to take increasing ownership of their targets, strategies and transitions.
We plan carefully for transitions into Reception, between year groups and on transfer to secondary school. Arrangements are tailored to the child and may include additional visits, meetings with families and receiving staff, transition books or visual information, sharing of relevant records and liaison between SENDCos and specialist professionals. For pupils with EHC plans, statutory phase-transfer arrangements are followed.
Barrow CEVC Primary School is a maintained voluntary controlled school. Admission arrangements are managed by Suffolk County Council. Disabled pupils are considered under the same admission arrangements as other pupils, subject to the separate statutory arrangements that apply where a school is named in an EHC plan.
We do not treat disabled pupils less favourably because of disability. We make reasonable adjustments to policies, practices, the curriculum, information and the physical environment where needed to reduce disadvantage and enable access.
Pupil areas are on one level and the school has accessible entrances/exits and an accessible toilet. Classroom organisation, seating and equipment can be adapted according to individual need. Further details, including how we plan to improve access to the curriculum, physical environment and information over time, are set out in our Accessibility Plan.
We encourage parents and carers to raise concerns early so that we can work together to resolve them. In the first instance, please speak to your child’s class teacher. If the concern remains, please contact the SENDCo, Mrs Jo Woodland. Concerns that are not resolved informally can be considered through the school’s published Complaints Procedure. The Headteacher and Governing Body have responsibilities for ensuring that the school meets its duties towards pupils with SEND.
Suffolk SENDIASS provides free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support for children and young people with SEND and their parents and carers. Current contact details and information are available through Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk SENDIASS service.
Suffolk SENDIASS helpline: 01473 265210
Suffolk County Council’s SEND Local Offer brings together information about education, health, social care, activities, support services and guidance for children and young people with SEND and their families. Barrow’s SEND provision forms part of this wider Local Offer.
The current Suffolk SEND Local Offer can be accessed through the SEND and Local Offer section of the Suffolk County Council website.
SENDCo
Mrs Jo Woodland - Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral & SEND)
Headteacher
Mrs Helen Ashe
School Office
01284 810223 | admin@barrow.suffolk.sch.uk
Address
Barrow CEVC Primary School, Colethorpe Lane, Barrow, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5AU
This SEN Information Report is reviewed at least annually. If information changes during the year, the online version should be updated as soon as possible.