SEND
Claremont’s SEND vision is to provide facilities for a happy, safe, nurturing and inclusive environment where ALL children are supported, valued, inspired and challenged, so they may flourish to achieve their full potential irrespective of ability or behaviour.
Claremont school is committed to promoting the education and welfare of children through positive promotion of equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes. We aim to create an environment which champions respect for all. At all levels the school is an inclusive community - we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here.
We are delighted to announce that to mark the 50th year of Claremont we set up a sensory room and purchased additional supportive technology to benefit all the pupils at the school in acknowledgement and celebration of the hard work and dedication of the teachers and teaching partners over the years and their tireless commitment to Claremont's pupils.
Claremont Primary School has been awarded the BDA Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark. This is a reflection of the dyslexia friendly policies and practices that are in place throughout our school.
Universal provision – All teachers plan for ALL pupils including those with SEND.
At Claremont, we ensure quality first teaching within mainstream lessons – a key factor in helping pupils with special educational needs make good progress alongside their peers. Quality first teaching draws on a repertoire of teaching strategies and techniques that are closely matched to the specified learning objectives and the particular needs of the children in the class. This, alongside the provision of adapted teaching, differentiation in the classroom and regular progress reviews all help pupils overcome some barriers to learning. Teachers will discuss concerns with the parent/carer if a pupil's progress is less than expected, or it is thought that a pupil might have specific barriers to learning. If your child is involved in an intervention, they may work in a small group with an adult or on a 1:1 basis. This might be inside the classroom or in an alternative space or room.
The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice lies at the heart of our school’s SEND policy. It describes a graduated approach to supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Where children need additional support, the school works closely with outside agencies to identify barriers to learning and access further support. The Mainstream Core Standards explains what schools must do to support children and young people with SEND so that they are included in all aspects of school life (or are as included as they wish to be), make progress and are happy in school. You can access a Parent Guide here.
To find out more about the provision at Claremont, you can see our Whole School Provision Map here.
Mrs Clare Smith is the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) at Claremont and the SEND Governor is Mrs Heather Phillips. If you have any concerns about your child, please talk to their class teacher in the first instance. The SENCo can be contacted on 01892 554690 or via email senco@claremont.kent.sch.uk
Frequently Asked Questions about SEND
What happens if I am concerned about my child’s progress?
Always start by meeting with your child’s class teacher. They will be able to explain what strategies and interventions are in place to help your child keep up or catch up. As a school, we monitor all children’s progress three times a year through the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. Most children will need some adaptation to learning or intervention during their time at school and these are put in place and recorded on each class’s Provision Map.
If your child continues to struggle to keep up or catch up, you may want to meet with the class teacher and SENCO together. We will put in place more intensive interventions to focus on the gaps in their learning or to support their social and emotional wellbeing. It may be that there are some additional assessments to further explore any barrier to learning.
After these interventions and strategies have been implemented and monitored over a period of time, it may be that your child continues to need some additional support. At this point, our SENCO can refer to outside agencies for support. Together with you, we might decide to put your child on SEN Support and issue a Personalised Provision Plan.
Where a child has a specific diagnosis and a high level of support need, it may become appropriate to apply for an Education Health and Care Plan from the Local Authority.
What outside agency support can the school access for children?
External provision, funding and services for SEND are changing from September 2025. Communities of schools are being implemented across Kent; they are organised in line with NHS primary care networks to create geographic structures which can support meeting needs locally. This link shares the aims and principles for this new initiative. Communities of schools - KELSI
The SENCO can make referrals to Community Paediatrics for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments.
Referrals can also be made to Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, where school-based interventions or assessments highlight the need for additional support.
In specific cases, the school can refer to Kent School Health team, Post-Adoption Support, Virtual Schools Kent and the Early Help team.
SEND Information Report
Please click here for this report which reviews SEND provision at Claremont.
SEND local offer
The SEND local offer is a guide for children with special educational needs or disabilities and their families regarding the support services that the local authority believes to be available in the local area. The Kent SEND local offer can be found at https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/spe...