SEND - Inclusion | St John Southworth RC Primary School

Special Educational Needs and disabilities

Mrs Woodcock is the SENDCo (Special Education Needs and Disabilities co-ordinator) at St John Southworth RC Academy School. Appointments can be made with Mrs Woodcock on Wednesdays to discuss any SEND issues or concerns you may have. She can be contacted on 01282 613906.

What are Special Educational Needs or disabilities?

The term 'Special Educational Needs' (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age. At St John Southworth school we appreciate that some children may have different or additional needs to others and may need extra support to access the curriculum. We celebrate the individuality of all our pupils and aim to provide high quality education that meets the needs of every child.

Children who have Special Educational Needs or disabilities, may need extra help in a range of areas including

reading, writing, number work or understanding information
expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
social skills including making friends or relating to adults
understanding and managing their emotions
organising themselves
sensory or physical needs which affect them in school

It is important to note that children with additional needs may require support on a short term basis or for many years. The needs of each individual child will be different. At St John Southworth RC School we firmly believe that all children make progress in different ways and at different speeds. Teachers take this into account and work hard to consider children's strengths, different learning styles and abilities. This means that children may have different levels of support. If your child is making slower progress it does not automatically mean that they have SEND.

Do please explore the Information Report to find out about our school's provision and approaches to supporting children with individual needs. You will find useful details about Special Educational Needs, including short video clips to help and support parents and carers.

Our SENDCo, Mrs Clare Woodcock, will be happy to discuss any needs with you, so please contact the school office to make an appointment.

SEND Information Report 2025-26

POLICIES

Please click to view our SEND Information Report in PDF format.

Click here to view the Lancashire Local Offer.

Please click here to view our SEND Policy 2025/26.

Please click here to view our Positive Mental Health Policy.

Please click here to view our Disability and Equality Policy.

parents/carers useful information - Lancashire local offer

The SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Local Offer will provide information for children, young people and their parents/carers in a single place, helping them to understand what services they and their families can expect from a range of local agencies.

The aim of the local offer is to improve choice and transparency for families about the services they use. It is an important tool for professionals to use, as it allows them to understand the full range of services and provision in the local area. By setting this information out in one place, this helps the joint commissioning of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Local Authority must work together with children, young people, parents, carers and other local services to develop their offer and keep it under review.

The Lancashire County Council Local Offer is available on-line, and can be accessed here.

Parents and Carer support information provided as part of the Lancashire County Council Local Offer can be found here.

Lancashire County Council SEN Local Area Inspection Report December 2024 can be found here.

We have created this document which explains some of the terms and abreviations used in special educational needs. Please click here to view.

Click here to access useful websites to help support you and your family.

Lancashire send termly newsletter

Read the latest version of the SEND Newsletter published by Lancashire County Council. Copies of previous editions can also be found here.

Annual review

Please read our guide on taking part in an annual review.

Disability access

The school has its own gated car park for use by staff and visitors only. There us a sizeable disabled parking bay which is made available to parents if their vehicle carries a blue badge. Access from the car park to the main entrance is via a tarmac pathway that is clearly marked. The school is built on 2 levels connected by steps which house a passenger lift for wheelchair/walker access. All entrances and exits to school are wheelchair accessible. Most doors in school have been adapted to allow for easier access for wheelchair bound pupils, although all are accessible.

In addition to the normal children's toilet facilities, there is a hygiene suite which has a disabled toilet, a height adjustable bed and shower facilities.The school also has a hearing loop in the hall to support children or parents with hearing impairments.

Please click here to view our Accessability Plan.