Welcome to Our SEND Page
At St Michael Catholic Primary and Nursery School, we warmly welcome every child and celebrate the unique gifts they bring to our community. Rooted in our Catholic belief that each child is created and loved by God, we are an inclusive school where all children should feel valued, supported and a strong sense of belonging.
We believe every child has the right to an education without barriers. For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), we work to identify and remove barriers to learning and participation through adapted teaching, appropriate support and a nurturing environment.
We value working closely with children, families and professionals, listening to their views and building on each child’s strengths, interests and needs. Together, we help children grow in confidence and independence, make meaningful progress and flourish as part of our school community.
We hope this page helps you understand our provision and find the information and support you need. Please contact our SENCO through the school office if you would like to discuss your child’s needs—we are here to listen and help.
Mrs Johnson- SENCO (Maternity Leave 26-27)
Mrs Cox- SENCO (Maternity Cover 26-27), Speech and Language Therapist
What is SEND?
What is SEND?
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities.
A child has special educational needs (SEN) when a learning difficulty or disability means they need educational provision that is additional to, or different from, what is generally provided for children of the same age. This may be because they find learning significantly more difficult than their peers, or because a disability makes it harder to access the facilities and learning opportunities available to others.
Some children with SEN also have a disability, but the two do not always occur together.
Under the Equality Act 2010, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Substantial means more than minor or trivial; long-term generally means lasting, or likely to last, at least 12 months.
Disabilities can include sensory impairments affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy, depending on their effects.
At St Michael’s, we recognise each child’s individual strengths and needs, working with families to remove barriers and support learning, participation and wellbeing.
The UK's SEND Code of Practice identifies four main areas of Special Educational Needs:
You can review the full Code of Practice on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Every Child Achieving and Thriving (Schools White Paper): Published in February 2026, this policy details major reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and wider school strategies in England. You can review the full text on GOV.UK.
Catholic Schools Inspection, 14-15th December 2023
Inspectors said, "Leadership of special educational needs, SEN, is a strength of the school with exemplary support of pupils with special education needs extending to religious education. A parent commented on ‘Christian values being reflected in the SEN department’. The highly skilled team of staff are trained supporting the individual learning requirements of a range of pupils with complex needs. This leads to all children whatever their needs being able to engage and make progress in every aspect of their religious education as well as participate in and take a full part in the school community." (Catholic Schools Inspectorate report on behalf of the Most Rev. John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark, December 2023)
Workshops 2026-2027
2026-2027 SEN Policy and Information Report
Special Educational Needs and Disability SEND policy and SEND Information Report
Parent Support Links
Dyslexia Support: - https://cricksoft.com/clicker/, Nessy - https://www.nessy.com/en-us/dyslexia-explained - About Dyslexia and free resources, Toe-By-Toe - https://toe-by-toe.co.uk/.
Early Help - https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200170/children_and_families/600/concerned_about_a_child- Early Help can support you with difficulties you're having with: school, education or training, home and life relationships, health and emotional wellbeing, work, finances or housing, domestic abuse, social isolation, crime or anti-social behaviour.
ERIC Toileting Support - https://eric.org.uk/
Medway Small Steps - https://www.autism.org.uk/autism-services-directory/medway-small-steps - family SEN Support
Medway Community Healthcare - https://www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/self-help/speech-and-language-resources/ - Speech and Language resources
Medway Community Healthcare School Nurse Parent Self-Referrals- https://www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/services/child-health-service/school-health/parent-guardian-referral-form/ - This could support with toileting, sleep, behaviour, healthy lifestyle, diet.
North Kent Mind- https://northkentmind.co.uk/ - Parents can self-refer for mental health support
Parenting Online Courses- https://www.coramfamilylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/online-parenting-courses/
SENDIASS - https://www.sendiass.org/ - A Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service for parents & carers of children and young people with SEND.
The Pod- https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapies-the-pod/speech-and-language-therapy/ - Speech and Language NHS Support Videos
Medway Local Offer
Medway’s Local Offer gives information and advice for children and young people aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
The Local Offer provides information about the services available to children, young people and their families across Education, Health and Social Care.
Knowing what is out there and having the right information in one place gives you more choice and therefore more control over the services you use.
We have developed our Local Offer in partnership with parents, carers, young people and professionals. This work will carry on as we continue to review the site to make sure that services are easy to find and understand.
The Local Offer will:
- give you information about Education, Health and Care services
- give you information about leisure activities and support groups
- hold all the information in one place
- be clear, detailed, accurate and accessible
- make it easier to find out what you need to know
- help you find the nearest and most suitable services
- make service provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations
Link to the Medway Local Offer- https://admissions.medway.gov.uk/Synergy/localoffer/EnglishHome.aspx
Educational Health Care Plans
The purpose of an education, health and care (EHC) plan is to:
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make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person
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secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care
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prepare them for adulthood as they get older.
To achieve this, we use information from an EHC assessment to:
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find out and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents and child or young person
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provide a full description of the child or young person’s special educational needs and any health and social care needs
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agree outcomes across education, health and social care based on the child or young person’s needs, hopes and aspirations
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specify what provision is needed and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and help them reach the agreed outcomes.
You can find more information on the EHCP Process through Medway Council here: https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200307/special_educational_needs_and_disabilities_send_information_hub/1910/education_health_and_care_plans_ehcps