Special Educational Needs (SEND)

Our approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is rooted in our Christian vision and values and fully aligned with our inclusive ethos at Christ Church. We believe that every child is a unique gift from God and that all pupils should be known, valued and supported to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.

Our Vision: Every Child is a Unique Gift from God

At Christ Church, inclusion is at the heart of our practice. We recognise that every child brings individual strengths, needs and experiences, and we are committed to ensuring that all pupils can access a broad, ambitious and meaningful curriculum.

Personalised Support: Through our graduated approach of assess–plan–do–review, pupils’ needs are identified early and support is carefully tailored to enable them to thrive from their individual starting points.
Inclusive Environment: We create a nurturing and respectful culture where pupils feel safe, valued and supported. Relationships are strong, and staff work hard to ensure pupils with SEND experience a genuine sense of belonging within the school community.
Adaptive Teaching: High-quality adaptive teaching is central to our approach. Teachers use scaffolding, modelling, targeted questioning and responsive feedback to ensure learning is accessible for all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL.

Our Values: Love, Faith and Hope

Love

We believe we should love one another, respect each other and work together.

Staff foster caring, respectful relationships which help pupils feel emotionally secure and ready to learn.
Strong partnerships with families ensure that support is collaborative and responsive.
Our enhanced nurture provision supports pupils with communication and social–emotional needs through co-regulation, emotional security and relationship-based practice.
Staff receive ongoing professional development to strengthen inclusive practice and meet increasingly complex needs effectively.

Faith

Faith gives us confidence, the resilience to challenge ourselves and achieve more.

We maintain high expectations for all pupils and celebrate progress from individual starting points.
Pupils are encouraged to develop confidence, independence and resilience through carefully structured support and positive relationships.
Staff are supported through Trust-wide collaboration, coaching and SEND professional development to build confidence and consistency in inclusive practice.

Hope

Hope gives us aspirations for our future; to do our best and support each other.

We are ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND, and work to remove barriers that may limit achievement or participation.
Targeted interventions, specialist support and external agency partnerships ensure pupils receive the provision they need to succeed.
Our focus on communication, language development and foundational knowledge helps pupils access learning successfully and prepares them well for the next stage of education.

How Do We Put This into Practice?

Identification and Assessment

Early identification systems, including regular assessment, observation and close partnership with families, help ensure pupils’ needs are recognised quickly.
Speech and language development is prioritised, particularly within EYFS and Key Stage 1, through structured screening and targeted intervention.
Comprehensive assessment information is used to identify strengths, barriers and next steps for learning.

Planning and Provision

Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and personalised targets are developed collaboratively with families, staff and external professionals where appropriate.
Provision is regularly reviewed to ensure support remains responsive and impactful.
Interventions are carefully aligned with classroom learning to help pupils “keep up” and build confidence alongside their peers.

Review and Evaluation

Regular review meetings between teachers, the Inclusion Manager and families ensure progress is closely monitored and support adapted where needed.
Leaders use assessment, pupil voice, learning walks and provision reviews to evaluate the impact of SEND provision and identify areas for further improvement.
Feedback from pupils and families helps shape and strengthen inclusive practice across the school.

Leadership and Collaboration

We believe every teacher is a leader of SEND. Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, and all staff play an active role in supporting pupils with additional needs.
The Inclusion Manager works closely with teachers, support staff, external agencies and Trust partners to ensure a joined-up and holistic approach.
Through our Trust SEND Network, staff access high-quality professional development, specialist expertise and collaborative opportunities that strengthen provision across the school.

As a result of this approach, pupils with SEND are increasingly able to access the full curriculum, develop independence and make strong progress from their individual starting points within a caring and aspirational school community.

Please click to view our SEND Policy

Please click to view our information report for children with SEND

The Lambeth Local Offer

The "Local Offer" is the support available for local children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This information is published on Lambeth's website at www.lambeth.gov.uk/localoffer

Please click on the link below:-

The Lambeth Local Offer

1 John, Chapter 4, Verse 16 – ‘God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in them.'