Our approach

Lethbridge Primary School is a friendly, happy and inclusive place where every child is known and cared for, and every child belongs. All pupils are equally valued. We believe that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, feel safe and valued, and achieve their very best. Every teacher is a teacher of every child, including those with SEND.

Our motto, Firm Foundations, Bright Futures, applies to every child. We remove the barriers that stand in a child’s way, so that they leave us ready for the next stage of their education.

Strong relationships between children, families, staff and outside professionals are at the heart of our approach.

Who to contact

Role	Contact
SENDCo and designated teacher for looked after children	Mrs Tanya Rubio, trubio@lethbridge.bluekitetrust.org
SEND governor	Irene Fernow
School office	01793 535033, admin@lethbridge.bluekitetrust.org

If you are worried that your child may have special educational needs, please talk to your child’s class teacher first, at a parent consultation or by asking for a meeting. If your concerns continue, you will be invited to meet the class teacher and our SENDCo together.

What are special educational needs?

A child has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability that needs special educational provision. This means they find learning significantly harder than most children of the same age, or have a disability that makes it harder for them to use the facilities generally provided in mainstream schools (Children and Families Act 2014). The SEND Code of Practice describes four broad areas of need. The table gives examples of how we support each one, but we are always led by the individual child.

Area of need	In the classroom	Additional support may include
Communication and interaction, including speech and language needs and autism	Visual supports and signing; instructions in short chunks with extra thinking time; talk partners; a calm environment, with ear defenders, work screens or sensory breaks if needed; a quieter entrance or a familiar adult to meet the child	Colourful Semantics; Language for Thinking; Language for Behaviour and Emotions; speech and language support; Time to Talk; Lego Club
Cognition and learning, including dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties	Multisensory teaching; structured phonics, reading, spelling and maths; word mats, number lines and maths equipment; writing frames, visual timetables and Now and Next boards; chances to recap; movement breaks	Precision teaching; pre-teaching; Plus 1; Power of 2; Nippy Numbers; Decoders phonics catch-up; typing skills; iPads and assistive technology for pupils with dyslexia
Social, emotional and mental health	Two trusted adults chosen by every child; a calm, structured classroom; a safe space when a child feels overwhelmed; a buddy system at play times; all staff trained in trauma-informed practice, acting as emotionally available adults; high-quality PSHE	Small-group and one-to-one emotional literacy sessions; Drawing and Talking; Lighthouse play therapy; BeU; quiet lunch; de-escalation plans; our Family Support Worker
Sensory and physical needs, including hearing, vision and physical difficulties	Careful seating, lighting and reduced noise and clutter; large-print resources; help with hearing aids; pencil grips, writing slopes and other ways of recording; adapted PE; help with personal care where needed	SPARKS; fine and gross motor interventions; our sensory room; individual healthcare and intimate care plans

Identifying needs early

We assess every pupil’s skills and progress continuously, and we are guided by Swindon’s Core Standards and our own school process for identifying SEND. A child may need extra help if, for example, they are working well below age-related expectations, are making little or no progress, are affected by low self-esteem or behaviour, or find it very hard to communicate their wants, needs and ideas.

Slower progress does not automatically mean a child has SEND. Parents are always invited to a meeting before their child is added to, or removed from, our SEND register.

High-quality teaching for every child

The class teacher is responsible for the progress of every child in their class, including children with SEND, and for any additional support they receive. High-quality teaching that responds to each child’s needs is always the first and most important step. It includes adaptive teaching, modelling, scaffolding, careful questioning and positive praise.

We would rather help children before a lesson than catch them up afterwards. Pre-teaching key ideas and vocabulary means children are ready to take part and succeed in class alongside their friends.

Assess, plan, do, review

We follow the graduated approach set out in the SEND Code of Practice, a cycle of assess, plan, do and review.

• Assess: we work with parents, and with children where appropriate, to understand the child’s strengths, needs and any barriers to learning.
  
  
• Plan: together we agree clear, precise and achievable targets. Children and parents share their hopes for the year and how the child likes to learn.
  
  
• Do: the class teacher puts the plan into action, including any interventions, with advice from the SENDCo. Every intervention is evidence-based and recorded on a provision map for each year group.
  
  
• Review: targets are reviewed and shared with parents three times a year, at the end of the autumn, spring and summer terms. We ask children how they feel about their learning and what helps them, and we change support quickly if it is not working.

Pupil progress meetings three times a year make sure no child slips through the net. The SENDCo and senior leaders also visit classrooms, look at pupils’ books, check intervention records and listen to pupils and parents, so that we keep improving our provision.

Removing barriers in new ways

We look out for patterns in children’s needs and find new, high-quality ways to remove the barriers they face.

• Autistic and OK. We were a pilot school for the Autistic and OK programme. It teaches all our children about neurodiversity and supports small groups of autistic children to understand their diagnosis and what it means for them. In line with the preference of many autistic people, we use identity-first language, such as ‘autistic child’, unless a parent or child prefers otherwise.
  
  
• Technology for pupils with dyslexia. We secured a significant grant to give iPads, keyboards and pens to key stage 2 pupils with dyslexia. Tools such as speech to text, text to speech, word banks, sentence stems, mind maps, spell checking, voice notes and photos of the teacher’s modelling help them to work independently and show what they can really do. This also builds their confidence and self-esteem.

Taking part in everything

No pupil is ever left out of an activity because of their SEND or disability. All our clubs, trips and residential visits are open to every child, with risk assessments to address any concerns. Pupils with SEND take part in sports day, swimming, school plays and workshops, and take on roles such as school, eco or healthy schools councillor, young interpreter, librarian or school newspaper journalist.

Working with specialists

Sometimes a child needs support from an outside specialist. We always discuss this with parents first, and we ask for their consent before going ahead. We work with a wide range of services, including:

Blue Kite Academy Trust	Swindon and health services
Blue Kite Lighthouse Early Intervention Support Team, which offers social, emotional and mental health support to pupils and advice to parents	Swindon Autism Support Service (SASS) and the Cognition and Learning Advisory Support Service (CLASS)
Blue Kite Educational Psychologist	Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy
Play Therapists	Hearing Support and Visual Impairment teams
	Educational Psychology Service, School Nurse and BeU
	Early Help Hub, Social Services, Education Welfare Officers and Parent Support Advisor
	Outreach and inreach from specialist provisions

Education, Health and Care Plans

If a child’s needs cannot be met through the support described above, they may need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The school or parents can apply for one. Children with an EHCP have a yearly annual review, which parents and professionals are invited to contribute to and attend, and we seek the child’s views before every meeting. If a child needs a more specialist curriculum, parents can apply, through the annual review, for a place at a special school or a specialist resource provision.

Part-time timetables and alternative provision are used very rarely, and only as part of a clear plan to help a child attend Lethbridge full time, safely and happily.

Looked after children

Children who are looked after have a Personal Education Plan (PEP). Regular meetings bring together carers, social workers, the Virtual School Head, the class teacher, our SENDCo and our designated teacher for looked after children. We always ask for the child’s views before the meeting and, where appropriate, invite them to join it. The PEP sets clear goals and actions, and makes sure the funding for each child is spent on what will help them most.

Moving on

Changes can be hard for some children, so we offer enhanced transitions to children with SEND who need them. These might include extra visits to their new teacher, a chance to talk to children in the year above and a personalised transition booklet.

• Starting school: all new Reception children visit the school. Where needed, the class teacher or SENDCo visits children with additional needs in their nursery or pre-school.
  
  
• Joining mid-year: we make enhanced transition plans for children new to the school who need extra support. Parents of children with SEND are welcome to contact the office to talk about arrangements.
  
  
• Moving to secondary school: Year 6 pupils attend transition sessions at their new school, with extra support for those who need it.

Skilled and caring staff

All our staff have experience of, and training in, working with children with a wide variety of needs, and some have specialist SEND expertise. Teachers and teaching assistants receive regular training, both in school and from outside experts. Recent training has included autism training for teachers and teaching assistants, crisis prevention, and training for teaching assistants as Mediated Learning Support Assistants. All staff are trained in trauma-informed practice, so that every adult in school can be an emotionally available adult for the children. Trained staff also run small-group and one-to-one emotional literacy sessions, helping children with social skills, anxiety and self-esteem.

Our SENDCo has more than twenty years’ experience and works in the role three days a week. She keeps up to date with local and national developments in SEND, so that she can give expert advice and support to staff, parents and pupils.

Inclusion beyond our school

Following a rigorous application process, Lethbridge is the designated Lead Music School for Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, because of our excellence in inclusive teaching. We lead training, conferences and online sessions to help other schools make music education more inclusive. We also work in partnership with Silverwood Special School to provide inclusive music experiences for their pupils and ours.

Help, advice and support

• Swindon’s Local Offer sets out the support available for children and young people with SEND in Swindon: www.swindon.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer
  
  
• Swindon SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SIAS) gives free, independent advice to parents and carers: 01793 466515, www.swindonsias.org.uk
  
  
• Swindon SEND Families Voice is the parent carer forum for Swindon: swindonsendfamiliesvoice.org.uk

If you are unhappy with the SEND provision for your child, please contact our headteacher, Mrs Mayes, and our SENDCo, Mrs Rubio, through admin@lethbridge.bluekitetrust.org. If needed, your concern will then be handled under our complaints policy. Parents of children with disabilities also have the right to make a disability discrimination claim to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).

You can find full details in our SEND Information Report and SEND Policy (links below), which are reviewed every year and approved by the governing board.


ADHD - Family Education &  ADHD Foundation
Autism - Autistic Society
Bereavement - Treehouse & Winston’s Wish
Down's Syndrome - Down's Syndrome Association
Dyslexia - Dyslexia Association
Dyspraxia - Dyspraxia Foundation
EHCP (Education Health & Care Plan) - Information and guidance around the statutory process
Epilepsy - British Epilepsy Association & Young Epilepsy
Hearing Impairment - Action on Hearing Loss
Mental Health Support - CAMHS & MIND
Parent advice and local support for SEND - Swindon SENDIASS & Swindon SEND Families Voice
Speech & Language - Childrens Speech & Language Therapy Services
Swindon SEND families voice - Listening and Support Phoneline
Visual Impairment - Royal Institute for the Blind

Local Offer
SEN and disability policy
SEND Information Report 2025-2026