SEND
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at Lowedges Junior Academy
"All members of the school community embrace equality of opportunity. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to ensure that they can access activities alongside their peers. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone fairly."
Ofsted June 2023
Lowedges Junior Academy aims to provide an inclusive educational environment for every pupil, providing them with the opportunity to fulfil his/her potential using best endeavours to secure special educational provision.
We therefore aim to ensure that:
- All teachers have high expectations of pupils with SEND, including a commitment to ensuring they can achieve their full educational potential.
- All teachers deliver high quality provision to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
- We identify and assess pupils with SEND as early as possible and provide a flexible and staged structure of provision to meet all identified needs.
- We collaborate with education, health and social care services to provide resources to meet the needs of pupils.
- Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
- All staff develop their awareness of special educational needs and focus on inclusive practice to remove barriers to learning with access to a broad, balanced yet relevant mainstream curriculum which is differentiated to ensure continuing progress.
- All pupils with SEND to be actively involved in the decision making process and be allowed to express their views, wishes and feelings. These views will be taken into account when planning their curriculum giving them greater choice and control.
- We involve parents/carers as partners in the education of their children and provided them with the information and support necessary to enable participation in decision making.
- Pupils with SEND engage in the activities of the Academy alongside pupils who do not have SEND. This reflects their rights as stated in the Children’s Act 1989 and the Equality Act.
- All pupils are valued equally as individuals taking into consideration other factors which contribute to learning, behaviour, wellbeing and state of mind.
The Academy’s SEND Information Report is part of the Sheffield Local Offer for learners with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND).
The Local Offer can be found using the following link https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer/
The downloadable documents at the bottom of this page provide more information regarding SEND, including our SEND Information Report and SEND policy.
If you are concerned that your child has, or may have special educational needs, and you wish to discuss the support available at Lowedges Junior Academy please contact:
A member of the inclusion team on 0114 2372196 or email us at send@lowedgesjunioracademy.org
or
Kirsty Parkes (SENDCo) - kirsty.parkes@lowedgesjunioracademy.org
Parent Links & Support Services
https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/services/speech-and-language-therapy-new-homepage/
https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/services/child-development-and-neurodisability/
https://sheffieldparentcarerforum.org.uk/about/peer-support-service/
https://sheffieldsendias.org.uk/
https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/support-in-the-community/family-support
ADHD and Autism Waiting Times
Published 23 January 2025- https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/services/child-development-and-neurodisability/
At Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, we are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care for children and young people in assessment and care for Autism and ADHD.
Over recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of children referred to our Autism and ADHD assessment services, reflecting a national trend. Referrals have grown from approximately 1,500 in 2019/20 to 4,600 in the past 12 months. This rise demonstrates a greater awareness and understanding of neurodevelopmental needs, which is an encouraging step towards inclusion, but it has also brought challenges.
We understand that waiting for an assessment can be deeply frustrating and distressing for families. Our current waiting times for Autism and ADHD assessments range from three to in excess of eight years, with those being referred in most recently waiting the longest. Please be assured that we see and hear your concerns, and we are sincerely sorry for the impact this delay may have on your child and family.
We are actively working to reduce the waiting time for assessment. We’ve expanded our team, enhanced our service capacity, and are collaborating with local partners, including the Sheffield Parent Carer Forum to provide support for families both before and after assessment has taken place. These efforts have enabled us to support more children than ever before, but we know there is more to do. We remain committed to advocating for increased resources to improve waiting times and deliver timely care.
Your Right to Choose- https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/services/child-development-and-neurodisability/
You also have the legal “Right to Choose” your healthcare provider. If you feel the waiting time is too long to be seen at Sheffield Children’s, you may opt to seek an alternative provider for assessment and treatment (where appropriate). Other providers may have shorter waiting lists. More information about your options is available here: Your Choices in the NHS and at the South Yorkshire ICB website.