Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Article 23: All children have the right to special education and care if you have a disability so you can live a full life.
Article 2: All children have these rights no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, whether they are a boy or girl, whether they have a disability, whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis.
Our SEND Vision
Community - Everyone is included
Unity - United by our school's values
Opportunity - Aim for happiness and success
We continually strive to ensure that all our pupils have the best possible experience at Penwortham. In order to achieve this, we recognise that some pupils with Complex SEN needs might require specialist provision where their needs can be better supported and where they can truly thrive. We pride ourselves in putting the individual needs of the child first and at the centre of all that we do.
Our SEND team
Everyone at Penwortham plays a role in supporting pupils with additional needs, and all teachers are teachers of pupils with SEND. Our quality first teaching and carefully planned provision ensures that the needs of all children are met.
The SEND team is made up of:
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Deputy Head & Inclusion Lead - Litsa Anderson
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SENCo - Marta Mrozowska
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SEND Admin and Support - Jacqui Okuefuna
- SEND Team member - James Mitchell
- SEND Team member - Attia Syeda Kazmi
- SEND Team member - Mercia Dennis
Our SEND policy can be found here
Our SEND information report can be found here
Awards and Accreditation
Inclusion Quality Mark - Flagship School 
Inclusion Quality Mark - Centre of Excellence 
We are proud to be an Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Centre of Excellence. This award recognises our commitment to inclusive practice across the school. Staff are unified in their aspiration for all pupils, ensuring no child is left behind and achievement in all areas of learning and personal development is of a high standard. Read our 2020 report here. Read the 2021 Annual Review report here. Read the 2022 Annual Review here.
National SEND Award - Parents 2022 
We are delighted to have won the National SEND Award for Partnership with Parents for the second time! The Award recognises the hard work and dedication of ALL our staff in developing relationships with parents which are based on excellent communication, cooperation and mutual respect.
National SEND Award - Inclusive Practice 2022
We are proud to have been shortlisted for this award, again this year. We will continue to strive towards achieving SEND excellence.
National SEND Award - Parents 2020 
To be awarded The National Special Educational Needs and Disability Award in category of Partnership with Parents 2020 meant a lot to us. Parents are the children's first educators and at Penwortham we work very effectively with parents and carers to help support children's learning. We have developed a strong partnership with our parents built on mutual care, trust and respect. Read our report here. Read the testimonials from parents here.
National SEND Award - Inclusive Practice 2020 
We are extremely proud to have been awarded The National Special Educational Needs and Disability Award in category of Most Inclusive Practice Across a School 2020. The children at Penwortham are at the centre of all we do and this award recognises our commitment to high quality learning and teaching and our well targeted inclusion strategies and practice. Read our report here.
At Penwortham, we are open to working with other schools and welcome colleagues from other schools or settings. As a Centre of excellence, we pride ourselves in sharing our expertise, knowledge and experience with others.
Resources to Support Pupils with SEND
Our SEND provision
At Penwortham, the children are at the centre of everything we do. Our aim is to provide the best possible learning opportunities for all our children. Children with Special educational needs are offered a variety of specialised provision in order for them to make progress and achieve their best. To read our Interventions guide click here.
A major part of our SEND provision are our highly skilled and dedicated teachers and support staff. Our existing Teaching Assistants and newly recruited staff have a high level of professionalism and expertise. We offer our TA's ongoing training and development opportunities such as ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), SALT (Speech and Language Therapy), Dyslexia and ADHD training so that they can confidently support the needs of our pupils with SEND. In fact, our pupils with SEND are an integral part of the process when we are recruiting new staff. They ask questions and are skilled at recognising those candidates who will make a real difference . The children are at the centre of all that we do.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
Professional Support and Advice
Support from the Local Authority
Wandsworth’s Local Offer provides information for children and young people aged 0-25 years, living in Wandsworth, with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families, and the professionals working with them. www.wandsworth.gov.uk/localoffer
Wandsworth Council’s Family Information Service provides free information and guidance on childcare, education, family support and activities for children and young people aged 0-19 years (up to 25 for young people with special needs or disabilities). www.wandsworth.gov.uk/fis
Other Support from Wandsworth 
Wandsworth's Strategy for Children and Young People with SEND commits to support children with SEND to aim high, achieve well and feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. The document outlining the strategy is called 'Ordinarily Available Provision. Click on the document to see the expectations for schools.
Workshops
Online Safety Workshop Slides - 5th December 2024
SEND Coffee Mornings
Summer 2024 - Social Media Power point Presentation
Autumn 1 - 18/10/2022
How do we Learn? With Dr. Jenny Twells 
SEND Newsletters
Our SEND newsletters are designed to be a helpful resource for the parents and carers of pupils with SEND. We aim to include useful information on all aspects of SEND and guidance on how to access resources in the borough. We celebrate the achievements of our pupils and we welcome our parents' contributions too.
SEND Tips
Parent Workshops - Speech and Language Development
Workshop 1: The Development of Speech and Language
Workshop 2: Attention and Listening Skills
Workshop 3: Receptive Language (Understanding)
Workshop 4: Expressive Language (Speaking)
Workshop 5: EAL (English as an Additional Language)
Projects
Sensory Room
In 2019, we raised money for a sensory room at Penwortham. Some of the team took part in a 5k race and raised £2500 through sponsorship. The school PTA continued to raise money for the sensory room, and we are delighted to announce it has now been installed in our school and is ready for children to use. The sensory room will really support our pupils with additional needs. You can see our sensory room here.
Fundraising
Penwortham Running Team - 5k/10k Summer Run
Thank you to everyone that supported us in fundraising for specialist equipment for the Sensory room and playground. The Penwortham running team raised £2,730 which is incredible! Your kind donations will make a huge difference in the additional provision that we are able to offer our children.
Sensory Wall
Our first SEND project - Sensory wall - was designed and created by our children and for our children. You can see our sensory wall here.
We used a variety of different items and materials such as:
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Sponges and scourers
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Zips and buttons
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Scarfs
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Foam stickers
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Little padlocks
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Feathers
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Decorative beads
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Colourful slinkies
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Astroturf
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Fabrics - silk, lace, sequin
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Switches
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Decorative lights
The main purpose of this project was to create a multi-sensory environment that will help children to
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Increase concentration and focus attention
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Develop or reactive senses of hearing , sight, smell , touch . and taste
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Heighten awareness and improve alertness
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Improve coordination and motor development
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Promote cognitive development by increased brain function
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Lead participants to explore their environment
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Provide security
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Be an unrestrained atmosphere where participants feel able to enjoy themselves
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improve creativity
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Develop of a sense of cause and effect
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Promote social interactions
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Promote mental and physical relaxation - Stress levels drop dramatically
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Result in more calmness and lower aggressive behaviours
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Increase opportunity for choice and self-determination
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Improve communication and sharing
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Provide relief from pain and painful physiotherapy.