Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Special Educational Needs 'On a Page'
Burbage Primary School Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Report (last updated October 2025)
Throughout this report we will use the following abbreviations:
SEND – Special Educational Needs and/or disability
SENCO – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, that means the person in charge of Special Needs within a school.
The code of practice which is a legal document that all schools must follow states that ‘A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
- has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools’
At Burbage, we prioritise early identification of special educational needs to ensure timely support. We understand that needing help doesn’t always mean a child has SEND. Some children simply progress at different rates, and our teachers adapt lessons, materials, and teaching styles to meet individual needs.
If a child requires more targeted support—due to learning difficulties, behavioural challenges, or a disability—we may involve specialist staff to provide additional help.
This report explains:
- How SEN is identified and supported at Burbage
- What to do if you have concerns
- Who to speak to
- The types of support available
Please see the information below for key SEND personnel:
Our SENCO is Helen Thompson
Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) oversees the day-to-day management of SEND provision. She works closely with pupils, staff, parents, carers, and external agencies to ensure children receive the support they need.
Her role includes:
- Advising staff to deliver high-quality teaching for children with SEND
- Coordinating individual support plans
- Guiding families through their child’s educational journey
- Acting as a key contact for SEND-related concerns
📧 Contact: senco@burbage.derbyshire.sch.uk
Our SEND governor is Janet McMurdo
Our SEND Governor ensures that all governors are kept informed about SEND provision in school. They monitor the implementation of local and national requirements and check that children with SEND are making progress and receiving appropriate support.
How does the school know if pupils need extra help?
At Burbage, we monitor pupils’ academic progress and social development closely. This helps us identify children who may benefit from additional support.
We use a range of evidence, including:
- Attainment compared to age-related expectations
- Progress over time
- Behaviour records
- Input from health or social care professionals
- Observations when pupils join the school
- Termly assessments in reading, writing, and maths
- Concerns raised by staff, parents, or the child
This approach ensures we respond early and appropriately to each child’s needs.
What should I do if I think my child has SEND?
If you're concerned, please don’t worry—and don’t keep it to yourself. Speak to your child’s class teacher or contact Mrs Thompson, our SENCO, who is here to help.
How will I know that the school will support my child?
Every teacher at Burbage is responsible for supporting all children in their class. This includes:
- Planning a curriculum that meets individual needs
- Supporting emotional, physical, and health needs
- Using our Assess, Plan, Do, Review (ADPR) cycle to track progress and identify areas for development
With input from parents and carers, we create termly support plans with clear targets tailored to each child.
How will the curriculum be matched to meet my child’s needs?
All teachers at Burbage are responsible for delivering an inclusive curriculum. Most children access learning through high-quality teaching and adapted approaches. If further support is needed, we work with parents—and where appropriate, the child—to plan next steps tailored to their needs. We always ensure every child receives a broad and balanced curriculum.
How will I know how my child is doing?
In addition to parents’ evenings and end-of-year reports, parents of children with SEND will meet with their child’s teacher at least three times per year. These meetings focus on:
- Progress towards individual learning targets
- Setting new targets
- Planning how to achieve them
This follows the Plan–Do–Review cycle, with full involvement from parents and pupils.
Children on our SEND register will have a Support Plan outlining their specific learning goals. Progress is reviewed termly.
Parents and carers are always welcome to contact the school to discuss their child’s development at any time.
How will you help me to support my child’s learning?
We aim to support pupils with SEND and their families. We will help parents and carers to access materials to support learning and put parents in touch with other agencies who can offer help and support.
In consultation with parents and carers we will plan work which can be completed at home by pupils and their families.
What support will there be to support my child’s overall well-being?
In our school we are focused on developing rounded children who achieve their potentials academically and socially; children who are happy and who can get on well with others.
To this extent we aim to support our children’s overall well-being. This is done by staff observing children closely and putting in place interventions to support children through difficulties they may be having. Interventions such as Nurture Group and Positive Play, for example, may be used to meet individual needs.
We also strive to ensure that all Pupils with SEND are able to take part fully in the range of extra-curricular activities we offer.
What specialist services or expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
We work with a range of professionals to support children with SEND. These professionals work with us in school providing both advice and working with children at times. Parents will be fully informed when their children work with colleagues from other agencies and are encouraged to meet with them.
We work with:
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Support Service for Hearing Impairment
- Support Service for Visual Impairment
- Educational Psychologist
- Children’s Paediatrician
- School Nurse
- Social Care
In addition, the school accesses specialise advice from our school Inclusion Support Advisory Teacher (ISAT) who can offer specific advice for groups or individual children (through a Targeted Support referral).
What training have Staff supporting pupils with SEND had?
At Burbage, all teaching staff and teaching assistants receive regular training to ensure high-quality teaching for all pupils, including those with SEND.
Training includes:
- Regular staff meetings focused on inclusive teaching
- Training for specific Key interventions such as: Project X Code, Positive Play, Lego Therapy, Nurture Therapy, and Nessy for example.
- Specialist input from external professionals (e.g. visual/hearing impairment teachers, educational psychologists, physiotherapists)
Our SENCO, Mrs Thompson, holds the National SENCO Qualification and is the school’s Neurodiversity Advocate.
How will my child be included in activities outside of the classroom?
All pupils at Burbage are entitled to take part in school trips, residentials, and extra-curricular activities. Staff plan these with every child’s needs in mind. Where needed, we work with providers to ensure equal access and opportunity. Clubs such as sport, music, and environmental activities are open to all.
How accessible is the school environment?
Our school has an up-to-date Accessibility Policy
- All areas are wheelchair accessible, with ramps near steps
- Disabled parking is available in the staff car park
- Reception and all buildings have wheelchair access and at least one disabled toilet
- The site is secure and monitored
If you have specific access needs or questions, please contact the school directly.
How will the school support my child in starting school and moving on?
Our school works very closely with all the local feeder pre-school providers. Our EYFS Team leader visits all placements and has lengthy discussions about each child who joins us in reception. There is also a consultation evening where parents can discuss their children with staff. School will make contact with any professionals working with children before they start with us in school so that we can make any arrangements necessary to ensure we provide the best provision we can.
As children move through school into the next year groups and classrooms, all children have the opportunity to work with their new teachers in their new classrooms. Where children will benefit by having extra transition visits, we provide this as often as possible.
When children move to secondary school there is a comprehensive transition programme in place. Over and above this, when needed, we are able to arrange extra visits and transition activities to enable children to be confident about this big change in their educational journeys. We work closely with SEND staff in the secondary schools our children move onto.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to pupil’s SENDs?
In our school, resources are allocated based on need. The Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, Teachers and Teaching Assistants identify priorities in school and individual pupils who need support and allocate resources accordingly.
How are decisions made about how much support my child will receive?
The level of support given to pupils is based around their individual needs. Where children’s needs are more specialised, more complex or rely on specific tasks then the amount of individual or small group support may be greater than children whose needs are not so great. In all cases, school will endeavour to provide the best provision possible within the constraints of the school’s overall budget.
How will I be involved in discussions and planning for my child’s education?
Parents and carers will be fully involved in every step of their children’s progress through school.
You will be involved in both the Review of progress made and in the planning for the next steps of your child’s learning.
Who can parents contact for further information?
If you require further information you should contact your child’s class teacher or Helen Thompson SENCO email: senco@burbage.derbyshire.sch.uk.
The Governor with responsibility for SEND is Janet McMurdo.
Parents and carers are also encouraged to look at the Derbyshire Local Offer which details support available for children with SEND and their families in Derbyshire.
Follow this link to the Derbyshire Local Offer:
What can parents do if they are not satisfied with SEND provision?
Our complaints policy is available on our website, here.
In the first instance, parents should raise concerns via the class teacher and, if necessary via the SENCO, Mrs Helen Thompson. In the unlikely event that issues persist, parents and carers should refer to our complaints policy and refer concerns to the headteacher.