Special Educational Needs

Special Education Needs and Disabilities

At the heart of the work of every primary school class is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessment which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of the children. The majority of children will learn and progress within these arrangements. Those children whose overall attainments and achievement in specific subjects fall significantly outside the expected range may have Special Educational Needs (SEN).

At Sacred Heart, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils based on three principles:

• setting suitable learning challenges;
• responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs;
• overcoming potential barriers to learning. 

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age;
• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age. This may relate to impairments in communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behavioural, emotional and social development, or sensory or physical needs.

For children who have a specific learning difficulty or a disability, our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy outlines the educational support we provide – this is often referred to as our ‘SEND Offer’, detailed below. This provision is alongside the Liverpool Local Offer.

These policies are available free of charge from the school office.