Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
SENDco- Miss K Barker-Milner (Miss BM)
The SENCo and DSL have a fantastic relationship that ensures no child is missed. They communicate quickly and effectively and work well as a team.
- Families Together Consultant
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Orchard Primary Academy always offers the PCAN team a warm welcome. We have been invited into school on numerous occasions to provide information and support SEND families.
- PCAN
Contact Details
SENDCO - Miss K Barker-Milner (Miss BM)
Phone Number: 01924 469578
Email: Office@orchard.spacademies.org FAO Miss Barker-Milner
At Orchard, we provide all children with the opportunities, experiences, nurture and belief that will enrich their education and embed an ethos of inclusion and achievement for all.
Local Offer & Information Report
Click here for - Kirklees Local Offer
Click here for - SEND Information Report 26/27
Inclusion at Orchard
Ensuring that our children achieve their potential, irrespective of their special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), is at the heart of our inclusive practice. Every child contributes to our school community and their wellbeing development, achievement and happiness is central to this.
We believe that every teacher is a teacher of every child or young person, including those with SEND. If children are not able to ‘learn the way we teach’ then we must ‘teach the way they learn’. We believe that good practice for pupils with special educational needs is good practice for all. We follow the 'waves of intervention' model in setting to ensure our Wave 1 offer, meets the needs of the majority of pupils.
Within our Wave 1 offer, we use the following codes to evidence adaptations within our classrooms:
Where children do not progress with Wave 1 support alone, we have a robust system of interventions available for Wave 2 and 3, to ensure all children have the chance to thrive with us:
Parent SENDCO Surgery
These sessions are held every two weeks, with a maximum of 4 slots per session and parents who have attended so far have reported that they have found them positive and supportive.
Sessions will be booked on a first come first served basis and will result in a 15-minute meeting or phone call slot with Miss Barker-Milner. If the next session is full, you will be booked into the next available slot.
If you would like to arrange a meeting or phone call with Miss Barker-Milner in the future, please contact the main Reception who will be able to book you in and confirm your slot. Please let the office know if you would like a call or a face to face meeting.
SENDco Surgery slots for the Autumn 1 Term are:
23rd September 2026
1st October 2026
Appendix List
Appendix 4Appendix 5Appendix 6Support for Parents and Carers
Please see a range of useful websites, collated by Miss Barker-Milner:
PCAN (Parents of Children with Additional Needs Making a Difference in Kirklees)
Dyslexia- Information for Parents
BBC Bitesize- Special Educational Needs Support
This is a list of information websites, tips and resources to help you support your children with their additional needs, learning and self-esteem. Children have varying needs and there is no one size approach fits all. It is quite common for children to have additional needs that span all these areas, so select the resources that meet the needs of your child, without worrying too much about the label or category they fall under. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and these SEND strategies will be beneficial to many children, whether or not they have a diagnosis.
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Autism Spectrum Conditions |
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Websites for further information |
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Tips |
Children with Autism need structure and routine. You can help them by using visual timetables to help them see what is happening at each step of the day, so they know in advance what they will be doing next. This will relieve some of their anxiety. - You might want to set a specific place for them to do any work or tasks. At school they may have this in the form of a workstation to support their learning (see example in resources section). Each child’s workstation may differ slightly, so you could ask your child to help you set one up that will suit them or that they are already used to. - Prepare them for changes in routine. - Help your children to recognise and name different emotions and feelings. You can do this by discussing their own emotions, how characters in books and on TV programmes might be feeling and how you yourselves might be feeling. Alongside naming the emotion, describe it and explain why you, they or fictional characters might be feeling like that. You can also play role play guessing games and ask them to name the emotion and say why. - Use a 5 point scale to support children in managing their emotions. - Use social stories and comic strip cartoons to help children understand different situations and perspectives and address inappropriate behaviour. - Have a visual aid to support wanted and unwanted behaviours - Be aware of your child’s sensory needs and support them in managing that need to help them learn e.g. sound reducing earphones if noise is a problem, comfortable clothes, keep the area surrounding the work space clear to avoid over-stimulation etc. - Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing. |
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Links to Resources: |
Social Stories: 5 Point Scale: Social Skills: |
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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder |
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Websites for further information |
General Info on ADHD - http://www.adders.org/info170.htm |
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Tips |
Offer routines and structure - Create a quiet space for them to learn with no distractions. - Give them something to fiddle with whilst you are talking to them or you want them to focus. It can also be helpful to let them move around whilst they listen. - Ask them to do one task at a time - Provide checklists or visual timetables to support organisation. - Use timers to help with time management and build in frequent movement breaks. - Suggest rather than criticise (children with ADHD often have low self-esteem) - Provide lots of opportunities for exercise and movement. - Set up a reward scheme to encourage them and support them with their behaviour. - Build on success and help children to pursue more of what they enjoy. - Put clear boundaries in place. |
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Links to Resources: |
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Dyslexia |
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Websites for further information |
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/children/how-can-i-support-my-child |
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Tips |
It is important to encourage children to recognise and pursue the areas in which they excel (do more of what they enjoy) and support them with the areas they find difficult. -Allow children to use a word processer to complete some written tasks. This highlights spelling errors and offers alternatives. If they can’t type, encourage them to learn, so that they are able to use a Word Processer with more speed and fluency. -Play games to support memory and retention e.g. pairs, Go Fish etc. (see resource links for more ideas) |
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Links to Resources: |
Dancemat Typing – free beginners typing course for children. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2f9j6/articles/z3c6tfr Free Phonics games - https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ https://www.weareteachers.com/working-memory/ Free audio stories https://stories.audible.com/start-listen |
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Dyspraxia/ Motor difficulties |
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Websites for further information |
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Tips |
- Allow children to use a word processor to complete some written tasks. If they can’t type, encourage them to learn, so that they are able to use a Word Processor with more speed and fluency. - Offer routines and structure - Create a quiet space for them to learn with no distractions. - Give them something to fiddle with whilst you are talking to them or you want them to focus. It can also be helpful to let them move around whilst they listen. - Ask them to do one task at a time - Provide checklists or visual timetables to support organisation. - Use timers to help with time management and build in frequent movement breaks. - Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing. - Help your children develop their fine and gross motor skills and core stability |
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Resources |
Dancemat Typing – free beginners typing course for children. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2f9j6/articles/z3c6tfr Motor skills development: https://www.lincolnshirecommunityhealthservices.nhs.uk/our-services/childrens-services/childrens-therapy-services/first-move |
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Dyscalculia |
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Websites for further information |
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Tips |
- Concentrate on one problem at a time. - - Use lots of visuals and physical resources that the children can move around. - Include children in supporting you with everyday maths problems e.g. cooking, measuring, money etc. |
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Links to resources |
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Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties |
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Websites for further information |
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Tips |
Speech sounds - Model speech to the children by repeating words back to them correctly. Understanding: - Give children time to process what you have asked and respond. - Use simple language and break instructions down into smaller steps. - Encourage children to answer questions, such as who, what, where, when and why? When reading their books. Encourage them to tell you the story in their own words. Expression - Talk about all your experiences in detail, teaching new vocabulary all the time. - Discuss vocabulary in books, making sure the children understand the meaning of tricky words. Social Communication - Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing. - Use a visual timetable and visual aids to provide structure and routines. |
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Links to resources |
https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/resources/resources/resources-for-parents/ |