Consulting with our SEN Pupils, Parents & Carers

At Beamish Primary School, we believe that the views of children and young people with SEND, along with those of their parents and carers, are central to providing effective, meaningful support. Working in partnership ensures that provision is well-matched to individual needs and helps pupils feel valued, understood, and supported.

Listening to our Pupils with SEND

Teachers, the SENDCo, and support staff work closely with pupils to identify the support they need to achieve agreed outcomes. Provision is carefully planned, and targeted interventions are allocated based on individual strengths, needs, and interests.

Where appropriate, children are encouraged to play an active role in their learning by:

Contributing to target-setting, one page profiles and discussing progress with their class teacher or SENDCo
Taking part in regular check-ins with support staff to reflect on their learning, wellbeing, and support

Ensuring that all children attending our school receive provision that maximises their enjoyment, wellbeing, and achievement is central to everything we do.

Our pupils with SEND range in age from 2–11 years. Consultation is therefore always age-appropriate and sensitive to individual communication needs. We recognise that some children may find it challenging to express their views verbally, so we use a range of approaches to ensure their voices are heard.

How We Gather Pupil Views

We use a variety of strategies, including:

Observing children during the school day to identify activities, environments, and experiences they enjoy and engage with
Using children’s interests, strengths, and preferences to inform planning and provision
Involving pupils in planning aspects of their learning where appropriate and encouraging them to share what they would like to learn or take part in
Extending and developing resources that children show a preference for
Using visual supports, structured conversations, and alternative communication methods where needed
Talking Mats are used to gain pupils views
Ensuring that children are happy, motivated, and making expected progress throughout their time in school
Holding regular meetings to discuss children’s targets and progress, linking learning with their interests and passions demonstrated at home

Above all, we place high importance on ensuring that children with SEND feel happy, motivated, and supported, and that they make expected progress throughout their time in school.

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND

Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their targets, discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO. The children have regular meetings with support staff to discuss their progress and support.

Ensuring that all children attending the Beamish and Pelton Federation receive provision that maximises their enjoyment and achievement is central to all we offer.

The SEND children attending our Federation are aged 2-11 years, so consulting with them to seek their views about how we are meeting their needs has to be age appropriate, especially when many often have communication difficulties.

We use the following strategies:

Have regular meetings and discussions with parents about what we have planned for their child and how to link this with interests and passions demonstrated at home
Children will be observed during the school day to identify the types of activities and experiences they engage with so these can be developed further and be used to inform future planning
Involve SEND children with planning their own activities and encouraging them to share what they would like to learn and participate with
Extend any resources that they show a preference for
Most importantly, ensure the children with SEND are happy, motivated and make expected levels of progress throughout their time in school.

Working with Parents and Carers.

We are committed to working in close partnership with parents and carers to identify and support each child’s needs. We value the knowledge and insight families bring and believe that open communication is key to successful outcomes.

Parents and carers are involved at every stage of the SEND process. Consultation may take place through a range of opportunities, including:

Termly parents’ and carers’ evenings
Regular discussions with the class teacher and/or SENCO
An open-door approach, where parents and carers are welcome to contact school to discuss any concerns or successes
Reviews of a child’s SEN Support Plan
Annual ‘child centred’ Reviews for pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
SEND workshops and bespoke, targeted external support sessions, with opportunities for parents and carers to share feedback via suggestion boxes and voice slips
Parental questionnaires to gather ongoing views and experiences
Direct communication through our online messaging platform (ClassDojo) with the SENDCo, SLT, support staff, and class teachers
Enrichment afternoons in school to engage families in learning activities
Family learning workshops to support skills, wellbeing, and engagement at home
Access to our designated Family Support Worker, Lynn Stavers, who provides guidance, advice, and signposting alongside the SENDCo

We aim to ensure parents and carers feel informed, listened to, and confident that their child’s needs are being met through a collaborative and transparent approach.

Parent / Carer Feedback

We value the voices of parents and carers just as much as the voices of our pupils. Families consistently report that they feel listened to, involved, and supported in their child’s learning and wellbeing. Feedback often highlights:

Clear communication from teachers, support staff, and the SENCO about their child’s progress and needs
Confidence that their child’s individual strengths, challenges, and interests are understood and taken into account
Positive partnerships between home and school that help reinforce learning, emotional development, and social skills
A sense that their child is happy, safe, and supported to reach their full potential
Recognition of improvements in their child’s confidence, independence, and resilience