Welcome to North East Lincolnshire Special Educational Needs Support Service (S.E.N.S.S.)
Contents:
The Special Educational Needs Support Service ( SENSS) is a specialist teaching service for children with special educational needs, working in partnership with schools, pupils, parents and other agencies to make a difference.
Aim of the SEN Support Service:
“Within the wider context of Children and Family Services, we will contribute towards the life-opportunities of young people in North East Lincolnshire by raising the level of expectation and quality of teaching and learning for pupils with cognitive and specific learning difficulties.”
Return to Top
Core Functions:
- To add value to the progress of children and young people (CYP) with cognitive and specific learning difficulties (SpLD)
- To increase the confidence of mainstream staff in meeting the needs of CYP with cognitive and SpLD.
- To support and enhance whole school practices to raise achievement through improving the ability of school staff to monitor, measure and record progress of CYP with cognitive and SpLD.
- To promote information for the families of CYP with cognitive and SpLD
- To support the LA and schools in maximising the effective use of SEN resources
Return to Top
Service Overview:
The Service is provided for school age pupils in mainstream schools, in consultation with school staff, during term time.
The specialist teachers provide a combination of advisory and teaching support at the level of the individual pupil and give advice to the whole school, on the development of teaching and learning opportunities for pupils with cognitive and specific learning difficulties.
The primary focus is on those pupils who have:
- General learning difficulties where progress in the National Curriculum is substantially affected
- Specific learning difficulties ( dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia)
The range of support strategies used includes:
- Detailed diagnostic assessment of pupils' needs
- Curriculum target setting
- Highly structured individualised programmes of work
- Direct teaching
- Advice on effective provision
- Involvement in reviews
- Staff training on issues relating to SEN
- School assessment of SEN
A major focus of the Service is to promote inclusion, early identification and intervention so that pupils are able to access the curriculum, thereby minimising the need for formal assessment.
Within the framework of the SEN Code of Practice, individually named pupils are entitled to support at ' School Action Plus' in accordance with SENSS criteria. Referrals are made by the school to the Head of Service, where concerns have been identified relating to one or more of the following:
- Progress
- Attainment
- Other Contributory factors
The Service is comprised of a Head of Specialist Learning Services, teachers, teaching assistants and an administration team. SENSS teaching staff have a wide range of specialist knowledge and a variety of additional post graduate qualifications in SEN. These qualifications are continuously being updated.
The Service is commissioned by schools in North East Lincolnshire. The cost of part of the Service is also met from funds delegated to schools for pupils with SEND and schools are able to purchase appropriate specialist support for named pupils or other negotiated activities through a Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Return to Top
Contact details:
Mrs J. Barney
Head of S.E.N.S.S.
Directorate of Children and Family Services
Springfield Development Centre
Springwood Crescent
Grimsby
DN33 3HG
Tel. 01472 323171/2
Fax. 01472 323176
e-mail: jean.barney@nelincs.gov.uk
Return to Top