SEND
Contact the Primary SENDCO
For any SEND enquiries, please email PrimarySENDCO@bradfordacademy.co.uk . Please include the name of your child, year group and what your enquiry is relating to.
The SENDCO will get back to you to discuss your enquiry within 7 working days.
SEND Local Offer and Useful Links
Parent/Carer Frequently Asked Questions
You can contact the Primary SENDCO by email: PrimarySENDCO@bradfordacademy.co.uk or via 01274 256789.
Miss Emily Plastow leads SEND and inclusion in the Primary Phase at Bradford Academy. She is a qualified teacher, SENDCO and designated teacher for looked after children.
These documents are updated at least annually and can be found here:
Children are placed on the SEND register if they need provision which is additional to and different from their universally available curriculum offer (extra interventions). This is where their difficulties are significant and ongoing after short, targeted intervention and high-quality teaching has not been able to fill gaps in learning.
Children with a diagnosis do not automatically get placed on the SEND register if they do not need ongoing intervention which is additional to and different from their mainstream timetable.
Children with English as an additional language where there are no SEND needs in their first language are not placed on the SEND register.
Children with low-prior learning or have gaps in their learning may access intervention without being placed on the SEND register if they make expected rates of progress.
Children who are ‘flagged’ as having potential needs are first placed on a ‘monitoring’ list by the SENDCO whilst further assessment, observation and tracking takes place
Your child’s class teacher will contact you to let you know of any concerns, and if we feel we need to place your child on the SEND register after further discussions with the SENDCo.
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A Pupil Passport is your child’s SEND support plan in school.
It contains the following information, which is shared with class teachers and other relevant support staff:
- Area of SEND
- About me
- Outcomes/targets
- Additional information
- Strengths and interests
- Access arrangements
- Support required
The learner support plans are reviewed termly by class teachers and parents in the first instance. These meetings are usually held in Autumn 2, Spring 2 and Summer 2 terms. You will receive a letter detailing the time and date of your child’s learner passport meeting. If you would like the SENDCo to also attend, please ensure this is done within plenty of time before your meeting.
We will also update the learner passport at any time there is an additional parent/carer meeting and in response to any changes or new information such as a new letter from a medical professional. If your child has an EHCP, they will still have a learner passport for short term targets and outcomes based on their EHCP and this will be reviewed termly with the class teacher and annually with the SENDCO.
As part of the Pupil Passport reviews cycle, parent/carer and student views are collected and recorded on the meeting log, and agreed amendments are then made directly to the Pupil Passport and reshared with parents/carers and teaching staff. Parents/carers can request review meetings at any time, but these are done at least annually. Pupils are invited to attend this meeting to share their views with parents and teachers.
Class teachers and the SENDCO share pupil passports with relevant staff working with your child so they best understand their needs.
If children need the support, regardless of having an EHCP or a diagnosis, then support is planned for them. Support is needs based; we follow professional reports and guidance, where children have them.
Class teachers and Key Stage Leads, with the support of the SENDCO, are highly skilled and will be able to identify appropriate additional in classroom support and how this is allocated. At Bradford Academy, we have learning support assistants who support the pupils regardless of their needs or abilities. Bradford Academy Primary is a mainstream school, so 1:1 support full time would only be allocated in exceptional circumstances such as for a significant physical impairment, where an EHCP states it is required or through necessity for the child’s safety and welfare. This is at the school’s discretion.
If children need the support, regardless of having an EHCP or a diagnosis, then support is planned for them. Support is needs based; we follow professional reports and guidance, where children have them.
Class teachers and Key Stage Leads, with the support of the SENDCO, are highly skilled and will be able to identify appropriate additional in classroom support and how this is allocated. At Bradford Academy, we have learning support assistants who support the pupils regardless of their needs or abilities. Bradford Academy Primary is a mainstream school, so 1:1 support full time would only be allocated in exceptional circumstances such as for a significant physical impairment, where an EHCP states it is required or through necessity for the child’s safety and welfare. This is at the school’s discretion.
Your child does not need to have an EHCP or a diagnosis to access additional support or interventions in school, or referrals to external professionals or assessments, they can access the same support opportunities as they are given to children based on their needs. A child does need an EHCP to apply for a special school or resource provision (a setting that is not mainstream), however.
EHCPs or Educational Health and Care Plans, are legal documents where a child has significant and complex special educational and or health needs which requires provision which is above and beyond what is ordinarily available SEND support in a mainstream school. An EHCP brings together existing SEND support plans, health and medical plans, care plans and all professional reports and advice for the whole professional team around the child into one single plan, and the provision is legally protected.
Parents/carers and other professionals can make an application for an EHCP needs assessment with or without school, but schools will still be consulted and will respond with any evidence they may have to support the application anyway. Applications can be made here: Bradford Local Offer | EHC Assessment – Online Portal(opens in new tab) (please be aware if your postcode falls within a different Local Authority, you will need to apply to your area’s Local Authority.)
When schools make the application, rather than a parent/other professional, they will usually wait until they have gathered all the information required to evidence to show that the child ‘may have special educational needs and/or difficulties where they may need special educational provision to be made for them through an EHC plan’. This is the threshold criteria for an application to be progressed by the Local Authority. The evidence needed to show that an EHCP might be needed looks like:
- Several cycles of several targeted interventions and their impact, showing that expected progress has not been made and learning gaps have not been closed. This shows that there is a SEND need rather than a lower prior learning need/lower starting points.
- SEND which is significant and persistent, and gaps in learning/difficulties have not been solved through targeted intervention, and the intensity and frequency of the interventions are high, such as support/intervention for over 20% of their timetable. These interventions are targeted, not universally available in-class support, additional to and different from the mainstream offer.
- That professional advice has been sought and implemented, and exhausted.
IPSEA provide helpful guides to parents/carers about EHCP needs assessments, and when and how to apply Asking for an EHC needs assessment | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice
You can discuss this with the SENDCO through email (PrimarySENDCO@bradfordacademy.co.uk) or telephone on 01274 256789. The SENDCO will be able to advise on which pathway might be best for your child.
If your child is under 7 years old, we would consider a referral for ASD through Bradford Child Development Service (CDS). You can learn more about what they offer here:
Child Development Service – Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
If your child is over 7 years old, we would consider a referral for ASD and ADHD through Bradford Child and Adult Mental Health Service. You can find more about this service here:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS) – Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
Please be aware that all pathways have received a significantly high demand for referrals and assessments and you could be waiting up to 3 years or more for an assessment.
Bradford Academy are only able to screen children for a likelihood of literacy difficulties which could be indicative of a possible Dyslexic profile. This means we can run a computer-based screening tool to see if a child has Dyslexic traits. This is suitable for children form 5 years old. However, we recommend doing the screener from7 years old to ensure the difficulties have been monitored for a sustained period. This is not a recognised diagnosis of Dyslexia; it can only tell us of some areas of difficulty which helps us understand what support your child might need. Dyslexia can only be diagnosed by a registered Dyslexia assessor. It is not usual to have a registered Dyslexia Assessor in schools and Bradford Academy does not have anyone with this qualification in school.
If you wanted to pursue a private assessment for a diagnosis of Dyslexia, you would need to book and pay for this yourself. An assessment would include a comprehensive professional report which would include advice to school around in-class and exams support. Assessments can cost around £480 so it is worth being aware that if you are looking to get an assessment purely for evidence for exams access arrangements such as extra time or a reader, this is not necessary; other forms of evidence can be provided for this (please see ‘I think my child might need extra support in exams’).
The Primary SENDCO would be happy to provide a supporting letter for DLA applications.
For a supporting letter, please email the SENDCO on PrimarySENDCO@bradfordacademy.co.uk stating your child’s name and year group.
Please note that the turn around for the supporting letter is 7 working days from the day of request.
Citizen’s Advice can often be helpful for parents/carers who need support in completing forms: Freephone Advice Line Number 08082787828 / Website: www.bradfordcab.com
Every Local Authority has to publish information about the services in their locality via their own Local Offer, this is a central directory. Please be aware that if your postcode where you live falls outside of Bradford, you cannot access Bradford’s services even if your child attends a school within the Bradford locality; your Local Authority is based on your home address.
Glossary of services and their contact details in Bradford: Bradford Local Offer | A One Minute Guide – Bradford district SEND services
Bradford Barnardo’s SENDIASS (free Information Advice and Support Service for SEND Families).
- Telephone: 01274 513300
- Email: Bradfordsendiass@barnardos.org.uk
- Bradford Local Offer | Bradford Barnardo’s SENDIASS(opens in new tab)
- 40-42 Listerhills Science Park
Bradford BD7 1HR