Special Educational Needs

Previously called Learning Support, our Special Educational Needs team works with all children, throughout the school, during the school year. This takes place either in class (team teaching, small group work, station teaching, testing) or as a withdrawal session in a SEN room (group or individual).

Our aim in Ravenswell is to ensure that all our pupils receive an enriching educational experience during their time here. We recognise the diversity of needs across the school, be it academic, social, behavioural or emotional, and we make every effort to support our pupils and cater for their individual learning needs.

DOES MY CHILD HAVE A LEARNING DIFFICULTY…?

Many children have trouble reading, writing, or performing other learning-related tasks at some point. This does not mean they have learning difficulty. A number of factors could be affecting your child’s progress at a particular time. A child with a learning difficulty, however, often has several related signs, and they don’t go away or get better over time. The signs of learning difficulties vary from person to person.

As a parent you could look for the following signs in your child. These may indicate that your child could have learning disabilities:

  • Problems reading and/or writing
  • Problems with maths
  • Poor memory
  • Problems paying attention
  • Trouble following directions
  • Clumsiness
  • Trouble telling time
  • Problems staying organised

A child with a learning disability also may have one or more of the following:

  • Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes (impulsiveness)
  • “Acting out” in school or social situations
  • Difficulty staying focused; being easily distracted
  • Difficulty saying a word correctly out loud or expressing thoughts
  • Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day
  • Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out words in sentences
  • Having a hard time listening
  • Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations
  • Problems understanding words or concepts

These signs alone are not enough to determine that a person has a learning disability. Only a professional can diagnose a learning difficulty.

However if you notice these things in your child, or are concerned about your child’s progress, it is important that you come and talk to us. We can arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher and a member of the Special Educational Needs Team, to discuss your concerns.

We have gathered some helpful websites which will provide further information about various learning difficulties and Special Education Teaching in general in the primary school. For further information on specific learning difficulties visit the relevant page of our site.

Please note, Ravenswell Primary School is not responsible for the content of any of these external websites.

Organisations:

Useful Websites: