SEND Information Report
SEND INFORMATION REPORT
Welcome to our SEND Information Report (SIR) which is part of Durham County Council’s Local Offer for children and young people with Special Educational Needs.
The Government has asked all Local Authorities in the England to publish, in one place, information about the services and provision they expect to be available in their area for children and young people from 0 to 25 who have Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND).
This is known as the Local Offer. Further information about Durham’s Local Offer can be found here.
Definition
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age. (C.o.P. DfE 2015, p16)
Broad areas of Need
There are four broad areas of SEND, these are:
• Communication and Interaction
This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs
• Cognition and Learning
This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn
• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.
School ethos and approach
Recognising its historic foundation, St Oswald’s C of E Aided Primary and Nursery School works closely with the Diocese of Durham and St Oswald’s Church to provide a stimulating and high quality education within a caring Christian environment.
We appreciate the uniqueness of every child, whatever their background and individual need, and encourage each child to discover their gifts, their sense of community and their relationship with God. Our values are embedded in everyday school life and daily worship brings the whole school together for times of reflection, exploration and celebration. We enable our children to feel valued, make excellent progress within the curriculum and build a strong foundation for their lives by developing their spirituality, self-belief and sense of citizenship.
Other Policies
Our Admissions arrangements, Accessibility Plan; Equalities Information & Objectives, Safeguarding, SEND Policy, Supporting pupils with medical conditions policies can be found in the policies section (policies).
Review Arrangements of SIR
This SIR is monitored and ratified, evaluated by the governing body.
This SIR was reviewed in March 2026 and will be reviewed again in March 2027.
Key Contacts
The following are the main contacts for Special Educational Needs and Disability at our school:
Mrs D. Wilson-Smith is the Headteacher
Mr D. Tait is our designated SEN Governor
Miss B. Windsor is our designated Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Miss Windsor is on maternity leave for school year 2026-27. Mr R. Handy is the Acting SENCO assisted by Miss G. Preece as Inclusion Lead.
Miss Windsor is completing the NPQSENCO qualification. Two other members of staff hold the NASENCO qualification. She regularly attends networking and training opportunities as arranged by Durham Local Authority. All staff the opportunity to attend relevant training courses to develop their expertise in teaching children with SEND. Recent staff training has included: Makaton, Zones of Regulation, Autism and ADHD awareness.
If you would like to discuss SEND requirements in detail or speak to any of the key contacts above, please contact the school office to arrange an appointment by phoning 0191-386-8029 or by sending an email to stoswalds.ce@durhamlearning.net
The school’s full policy for SEND can be found here.
If you have any questions about the SEND Local Offer please contact the school and we will try our best to help you.
St Oswald’s CE Aided Primary and Nursery School
Church Street
