Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

St Francis Xavier is an inclusive Catholic community that celebrates both diversity and the uniqueness of the individual.  We work hard to make sure the community is able to learn and grow together.  At the heart of what we do is belief that each one of us is made in God’s image and likeness and is well loved by him.  We believe also that each one of us is equal in God’s sight.  This is the core of Christ’s message and it underpins all that we seek to do here in school.

Since September 2014, all schools are expected to publish a document to help parents and careers of children and young people with Special Educational needs and Disabilities (SEND) understand what services they and their families can expect from the school and a range of local agencies.

The document, known as the SEN Policy and Information Report, should help you understand how the system works, and how the local authority, local area and the school will support both your child and your family.

Our SEN Policy and Information Report can be found here, along with our Accessibility Plan :

It sets out the support available in the local area for children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities (including those without an education, health and care (EHC) plan).

Local authorities (LAs) have a statutory duty to develop a local offer and publish it on their website.

This is so they can:

• Provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about available provision and how to access it
• Make sure the provision responds to local needs and aspirations

The local authority will work with the local community, children and young people with SEND, and service providers (including schools)

Details of Sandwell’s local offer can be found here Sandwell Local Offer | Family Information Service Hub

Use our flow chart to help you understand the purpose of The Local Offer, the SEN Information report and SEN Policy and who is responsible for the information in each of the documents:

SENCo stands for Special Educational Needs Coordinator. You may hear the name referred to in full, as its acronym or as SEN Co-ordinator.

SEN Co-ordinators are members of teaching staff who are responsible for special educational needs within a school. Every school in the UK is required to have a SENCo to ensure that every child who has SEN are supported as well as to help them reach their full educational potential.