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Special Educational Need or Disability

The children we teach are referred to us primarily because they are unwell, yet we also know that your child may have a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND) that may or may not be linked to their medical condition.

At SHS we celebrate diversity and actively promote equality of access and opportunity. As such we are fully committed to meeting children’s educational needs and we have a great deal of expertise within our teaching and support teams in working with children with a wide variety of learning needs. These teams are led by our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), Jane Williams, who will liaise with yourself and your child’s home school to understand your child’s needs and ensure that the package of learning they receive whist in hospital matches these needs and addresses their current targets and goals.

If your child comes to us with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) we will ask you to provide us with a copy so that we can ensure our teaching and support is tailored to help them meet their individual targets as set out in the plan. Equally, if you know your child is receiving extra support at school and is on an SEND Register there, we will request that information form the school on admission to ensure that all teaching is tailored appropriately.

If your child has an EHCP, the funding for the plan will remain with their usual school. We will however, discuss any appropriate support the school can offer whilst your child is with us. This may therefore mean that we cannot provide your child’s full 1:1 hours, although please remember that our class sizes are very small and much of our teaching is already delivered on a 1:1 basis. We will also risk assess carefully alongside medical staff to ensure that your child is always safe and happy. If you live locally, your school may offer to send your child’s 1:1 support to the Hospital School and this has proven to be very successful in terms of providing familiarity and continuity for your child whilst they are in a new setting. We would always welcome these members of staff into our school and would look forward to bringing them into our team for the length of your child’s stay.