Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
At Brierley, Only the Best Will Do for Every Child
At Brierley Primary School, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, succeed and achieve their full potential. Through our values of Nurture, Aspire, Believe and Achieve, we are committed to providing an inclusive, ambitious and supportive environment where every child is known, valued and given the opportunity to flourish.
We have high aspirations for all pupils and work closely with families, staff and external professionals to ensure that every child receives the support, encouragement and opportunities they need to be successful. Whether a child requires additional support, challenge or enrichment, only the best will do.
Name | Job Title | Responsibilities |
Mrs H Cunningham | Assistant Head/SENDco/DSL responsible for the progress of our most Vulnerable Learners (including SEND and Looked After/Previously Looked after children) | To liaise with teachers, with external agencies and to co-ordinate action plans, full overall responsibility for children in school. |
Mrs C McIntosh | Headteacher/Staff DSL overall responsibility for our most Vulnerable Learners | To oversee the whole school development of SEN provision. |
Mrs L Fletcher
| SEN Link Governor | To work in conjunction with SEN co-ordinator as governor with specific responsibility for SEN. |
At Brierley Primary School, our values of Nurture, Aspire, Believe and Achieve are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be a warm and welcoming school where we value the uniqueness of everyone and work alongside our community to develop the full potential of every child.
All staff provide a safe, secure and accessible learning environment where every child is valued and their individuality celebrated. Inclusion at our school recognises a child's right to a broad, balanced, relevant and challenging curriculum that is appropriate to their individual abilities, talents and personal qualities. We are committed to making our best endeavours to meet the special educational needs of pupils, ensuring they achieve the best possible education.
We believe that every teacher is a teacher of every child, including those with SEND. We identify children across the school who may require additional support with their physical, social, emotional or intellectual development and work closely with families to ensure they receive the support they need to thrive.
Our commitment to inclusion has been recognised through the Inclusion Quality Mark and, following an external assessment in Summer 2026, Brierley Primary School was awarded Centre of Excellence status. This recognition reflects our dedication to providing an inclusive education, removing barriers to learning and ensuring that all children are fully supported to achieve their potential.
How We Support Children with SEND
If a child has additional needs, the SENDCo, in consultation with teaching staff, parents and the child, will formulate a plan to meet their needs. These plans are reviewed regularly and amended where necessary in partnership with parents, pupils and external agencies. Teachers are committed to providing a curriculum that meets the range of learning needs within every class. Sometimes it may be beneficial for a child to receive additional support from a teacher or teaching assistant individually or in a small group. This support forms part of a carefully planned programme and is regularly reviewed. Parents are kept fully involved throughout this process. We also recognise that some children are more able and actively encourage them to develop their talents and fulfil their potential.
SENDCo
Mrs Hayley Cunningham is the school's SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator). Mrs Cunningham organises support for children across the school who require additional support with aspects of their learning and development. This work is in addition to the support provided by teachers and our experienced teaching assistants.
Levels of Support
Much of our whole-class teaching practice is designed to support all pupils, including those with SEND. For example, every classroom uses a visual timetable to support daily routines and flashback learning is built into lessons across the curriculum to help children develop secure knowledge and make meaningful links between their learning. Learning is carefully broken down into smaller, manageable steps to support children's understanding and ensure knowledge, skills and concepts are developed successfully.
At Brierley, we use the Cheshire East SEND Toolkit to support the early and accurate identification of children with SEND. We firmly believe in identifying needs at the earliest opportunity and providing support before gaps widen. We take a proactive approach to identifying and addressing barriers to learning.
First Concerns
Where children have been identified as having emerging needs that require support beyond ordinarily available inclusive provision, they may be placed on First Concerns.
At this stage of the graduated approach, a need may have been identified within one or more of the four broad areas of need:
Cognition and Learning
Communication and Interaction
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Physical and/or Sensory
A First Concerns Profile is created by the class teacher to identify the child's strengths and the areas where support may be required. This may include additional classroom support, targeted interventions or short-term catch-up provision.
SEN Support
If a child is identified as having special educational needs that require provision which is additional to or different from that available to most pupils, they will receive SEN Support.
Provision is recorded on a SEN Support Plan (SSP). Children have individual SMART targets which are:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Targets and provision are designed to support long-term outcomes and are reviewed by class teachers at least three times each year. Parents are fully involved in this process and receive copies of targets, reviews and provision plans.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
Some children with significant and complex needs may require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). An EHCP is a legal document that outlines a child's education, health and social care needs, along with the provision required to meet those needs. The school works closely with families, the local authority and external professionals to support children with EHCPs and ensure their provision is delivered effectively.
Interventions
At Brierley Primary School, we provide a range of evidence-informed interventions to support pupils who require additional help to achieve their full potential.
Some of our nationally recognised interventions include:
Fisher Family Trust Wave 3 Literacy and Maths
Attention Bucket
Precision Teaching
Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)
WellComm Speech and Language Toolkit
Other examples of support that may be used include:
LEGO Therapy
Social Stories
Sensory Group
Intensive Interaction
Starving the Anxiety Gremlin
Sailing the Anxiety Boat
Starving the Anger Gremlin
Cool Kids
Bespoke gap-planning interventions for reading, writing and mathematics
The interventions used are carefully matched to individual needs and are reviewed regularly to ensure they are having a positive impact on children's progress, wellbeing and development.
Supporting Emotional Wellbeing
At Brierley Primary School, wellbeing is at the heart of our inclusive approach. We understand that children learn best when they feel safe, valued and supported. All staff work hard to build positive relationships with pupils and families, creating an environment where children feel confident, resilient and ready to learn. We recognise that some pupils may require additional support with emotional wellbeing, self-regulation, confidence, friendships or managing change.
Support may be provided through:
Positive relationships and pastoral support
Adaptive classroom approaches
Targeted interventions
Social skills development
Emotional literacy support
Where appropriate, pupils may receive support from our ELSA-trained staff, who provide personalised emotional literacy support to help children understand and manage their feelings, build resilience and develop confidence.
The school also works with external agencies, including CAMHS and emotional wellbeing services, when specialist support is required. Our aim is to ensure every child feels safe, valued, included and ready to learn.
Accessibility
We are committed to ensuring that all children can access the opportunities available at Brierley Primary School. We fulfil our duties under the Equality Act 2010 and make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled pupils are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their peers.
Our Accessibility Plan outlines how we continually improve access to:
The curriculum
The physical environment
Information provided by the school
The school provides accessible facilities, including disabled toilet facilities and accessible entrance points. Appropriate adjustments are made wherever possible to meet individual needs.
Equipment and Specialist Resources
The school has access to a range of equipment and resources to support pupils with SEND.
Examples include:
Visual supports
Writing slopes
Coloured overlays
Specialist seating
Communication resources
Where specialist equipment is required, this is sourced following consultation with parents and external professionals. Resources are allocated according to individual needs and reviewed regularly to ensure they remain effective.
Working with External Agencies
Where appropriate, we work closely with a range of professionals and services to support children and their families. These may include:
Educational Psychology Service
Speech and Language Therapy
Cheshire East Autism Team (CEAT)
Occupational Therapy
SPOTSS (Sensory Processing Occupational Therapy Support Service)
Physiotherapy
School Nursing Team
Community Paediatricians and GPs
CAMHS
Family Hubs
Education Welfare Service
Early Help and Social Care Services
The involvement of external agencies is always discussed with parents and contributes to planning and reviewing support for individual pupils.
Admissions
Brierley Primary School welcomes applications from all children, including those with SEND. Admissions are managed in accordance with Cheshire East admissions arrangements and the School Admissions Code. We work closely with families and professionals to support a successful transition into school and ensure that reasonable adjustments are made where required.
Transition
We recognise that periods of transition can be particularly important for children with SEND. We work closely with families, previous settings and receiving schools to ensure information is shared effectively and appropriate support is put in place.
Support may include:
Additional visits
Transition meetings
Sharing of key information
Personalised transition arrangements
Social stories
Visual supports
Our aim is to help every child feel confident, secure and prepared for the next stage of their education.
Support for Families
We understand that navigating SEND services can sometimes feel overwhelming. We work closely with families and will always seek to signpost parents and carers to appropriate support.
Families may wish to access:
Cheshire East Local Offer
Cheshire East Information, Advice and Support Service (CEIASS)
Family Hubs
Health and therapy services
Parent support organisations
Further information can be obtained through the school office or directly from the SENDCo.
Complaints
We encourage parents and carers to discuss any concerns as soon as possible so that they can be resolved quickly and collaboratively. If you have concerns about SEND provision, please speak to your child's class teacher or the SENDCo in the first instance. If concerns remain unresolved, parents may follow the school's Complaints Policy. Information about mediation and disagreement resolution services can also be accessed through the Cheshire East Local Offer.
Cheshire East Local Offer
The Cheshire East Local Offer provides information about the support, services and opportunities available for children and young people with SEND and their families.
The Local Offer includes information about:
Education services
Health services
Social care support
Leisure and community opportunities
Advice and guidance services
Further information can be found through the Cheshire East Local Offer website.
EAL (English as an Additional Language)
At Brierley Primary School, we are proud to have more than 25 different languages spoken by children and families within our school community. We recognise the richness that different languages and cultures bring to our school and celebrate the diversity of our community. EAL stands for English as an Additional Language. A child may be fluent in both English and their home language, or they may be at an earlier stage of learning English. In either case, they are considered to be an EAL learner.
While EAL and SEND are different areas of need, we recognise that some children may be identified as both EAL and SEND. In these cases, support is carefully planned to ensure needs are accurately identified and met. We assess our EAL learners according to their English language development as well as their progress within the National Curriculum. This helps us ensure that every child receives the support they need to achieve their full potential.
All staff are equipped with strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language and work closely with families to develop strong home-school partnerships. Having EAL does not automatically mean that a child has Special Educational Needs. However, staff carefully monitor progress and provide additional support where needed.
Support may include:
Translation opportunities where appropriate
Visual resources to support learning
Pre-teaching of key vocabulary and concepts
Opportunities to practise language in meaningful contexts
Celebrating and valuing children's home languages and cultures within the classroom
Supporting Your Child at Home
Being able to speak more than one language is a wonderful opportunity for a child. Research shows that developing literacy and communication skills in a home language supports, rather than hinders, the development of English language skills. We encourage families to continue speaking, reading and sharing stories in their home language whilst also supporting their child's English language development. Home language development is an important part of a child's identity and can help to strengthen learning across all areas of the curriculum.
Further Information
Parents and carers may find the following resource helpful:
The Bell Foundation – Supporting Children with English as an Additional Language
At Brierley Primary School, we value every language, every culture and every child. We believe that multilingualism is a strength and are committed to helping all children feel welcomed, included and successful in their learning journey.
Support for Parents
If you require additional support with managing behaviour or wish to discuss a potential SEN need, there is support available from your nearest Family Hub. Family hubs support children and young people from 0-19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities).
Please visit the following website for more information regarding Family Hubs here https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/livewell/care-and-support-for-children//family-hubs/family-hubs.aspx
You can also find more information about what is on offer by joining the Cheshire East Family Hubs South on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CECFamilyHubsSouth/
The nearest Family Hub to Brierley Primary School is Crewe Lifestyle Centre Family Hub
Crewe Lifestyle Centre family Hub
Moss Square
Crewe
CW1 2BB
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am to 4.30pm
The next nearest in location is Monks Coppenhall Family Hub:
Monks Coppenhall Family Hub
Remer Street
Crewe
CW1 4LY
Contact Details:
Email: mcccadmin@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Phone: 01270 371 240
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am to 4.30pm
Information on upcoming SEND events at your local family hubs can be found on the Cheshire East Livewell website https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/livewell/care-and-support-for-children/family-hubs/family-hubs.aspx
Educational Psychologist Appointments at Family Hubs
If you would like to speak to an education psychologist about your child, you can book an appointment with one at one of the Family Hubs below.
Email Start for Life South to request an appointment: startforlifesouth@cheshireeast.gov.uk
SEND Drop-In Sessions with 0-19+ Service
SEND 0-19+ health practitioners (on behalf of health visitor/school nursing services Cheshire East) are there for parents of children and young people, to support, signpost and guide, with all SEND related issues. They can help you to understand why your child may be struggling and offer ideas that may help.
Think your child may have SEND and not sure where to go or what to do? Need support around toileting, sleep, behaviour or development? Feel free to book in for some advice. You will be seen on a 1-1 basis and there is no need to bring your child
To book an appointment, call 01270 371 240 or email startforlifesouth@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Dates at Monks Coppenhall Family Hub:
Thurs 10th September 9.15 -12.15pm
Thurs 1st October 9.15-12.15pm
Thurs 26th November 9.15-12.15pm
Thurs 3rd December 9.15-12.15pm
Cheshire East Chatters
Supporting with Behaviour
Consistency with behaviour is encouraged. If you are struggling to manage your child’s behaviour at home, please refer to the school’s behaviour policy in the policy section of the website. In the files below, you can download a copy of our school ‘faces’ behaviour system to use at home with your child.
Children tend to prefer a routine and like to know what their day will look like. If your child requires additional support with this, school advises using visual timetables, visual checklists or now and next boards for additional support. Templates of these are all available to download in the files section below.
Toileting Support
If you require further support with toileting, school advises you contact your health visitor. In addition to this, the following websites may be of interest to you:
Sensory Support
If you require further support or guidance with a potential sensory concern, please refer to the following websites:
Sensory processing disorder explained for parents https://sensoryprocessingexplained.com/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2020/07/sensoryprocessingbook-FINAL-tavlvy.pdf
Supporting children with sensory preferences https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/life-skills/joining-in-with-sensory-differences/
Support with feeding https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/
SPOTSS service https://www.mcht.nhs.uk/our-services/community-services-ccicp/sensory-processing-occupational-therapy-support-service-spotss
For further guidance and information, please refer to the Cheshire East Livewell site:
Further Links for Support
www.autism.org.uk – The National Autistic Society website, the main UK charity for supporting people with autism and their families (contains lots of useful advice and resources)
www.attentionautism.com – For more information on Attention Autism and how you can support your child to develop attention and turn-taking skills
www.widgit.com/resources - Symbolled resources for different topics and areas of life, including resources for fire safety and about visiting the doctors/dentists
www.special-needs-kids.co.uk – An information directory for parents and carers
www.iassnetwork.co.uk – Advice and support for parents of children with SEN
www.autismuk.com – Lots of information on autism
www.downs-syndrome.org.uk – Advice and support, including booklets to help with independent toileting, sleeping and managing behaviour
www.autismspeaks.org – A comprehensive site, with a useful resource library
www.oneplaceforspecialneeds.com/main/library_social_stories.html - A really useful set of social stories to share with children, covering topics ranging from coping with a new baby in the family to getting a haircut to making friends. The National Autistic Society website also provides guidance on writing your own personalised social stories
Useful, fun websites with highly visual games for using with your children to consolidate early skills:
Please find our Local Offer in the files below:
If you have any worries, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Cunningham for an informal chat: hcunningham@brierley.cheshire.sch.uk
SEN Jargon Buster!
