Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

At DVIS, inclusive best practice is at the heart of everything that we do. We are very proud of our provision for children with additional needs and adapt our curriculum to meet an individual’s needs so that every child progresses towards their full potential, within the inclusive setting of the school.

Our school’s SEND Policy and Information Report provides an overview of the various additional interventions we offer to support all learners, as and where appropriate. If you wish to discuss your child’s support, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Sinead Power, SENDCo. 

Additional needs may be identified before, on entry or at any point during your child’s time a DVIS. We work with the child and family to ensure that appropriate referral, support or intervention is then put in place – as per our SEND Information Report.

The following points are highlights of our provision:

Speech and Language Therapy

A Speech and Language Therapist is available to support our children as and when required, and works with the SENDCo and your child’s class adults to deliver appropriate programmes and interventions across the whole school.  Such programmes and interventions are for children who have been referred, by the school or by a medical professional. These programmes can include speech sound production, language development, emotional regulation and social skills, depending on the child’s needs. Our speech and language therapy provider is Sarah Buckley Therapies

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

An ELSA is a member of staff who is trained to support children in the development of their emotional literacy. Our ELSA works with children who have been referred by the school. These sessions happen during a regular slot during the school week for 30 minutes and can be individual or in small groups. They are tailored to the child’s individual needs and the pupils work towards personalized targets. Pupil’s progress is reviewed half termly. 

Little Wandle Phonics Keep Up 

All teachers and TAs are trained in Little Wandle Keep Up. This is where children in Reception and Year 1 who are at risk of falling behind in Phonics are immediately identified and daily ‘Keep Up’ sessions are put in place by a member of the class team. These sessions are additional to their daily phonics lessons and can be individual or small groups. They follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme and progress is reviewed half termly.

Further details of the SEND provision at DVIS can be found through the SEND Policy and Information Report.