We offer an inclusive learning environment and culture to support all of our pupils make the best possible progress, whatever their needs or abilities. Our guiding principle is one of inclusion. Inclusion does not mean treating all pupils equally; it means treating all pupils as individuals and ensuring they have the required provision to achieve the best possible progress.
Special Educational Needs and Disability
How does our school know if children need extra help?
We know when a pupil needs help if the pupil is functioning significantly below age expected levels of attainment and makes little progress or if concerns are raised by parents/carers, external agencies, teachers, the pupil’s previous school or the pupil themselves.
Our SEND Team
Mr Hall
SENDCo
Mrs Shapcott
SEND Link GovernorTeaching and Learning
The quality of classroom teaching provided to pupils with SEND is monitored through a number of processes that include:
Classroom observation by the senior leadership team, the SENDCo and external verifiers.
Ongoing assessment of progress made by pupils with SEND.
Work sampling and scrutiny of planning to ensure effective matching of work to pupil need.
Teacher meetings with the SENDCo to provide advice and guidance on meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.
Pupil and parent feedback on the quality and effectiveness of interventions provided.
Attendance and behaviour records.
Adjustments
Pupils with a disability will be provided with reasonable adjustments (such as auxiliary aids and services) to overcome any disadvantage experienced in schools and increase their access to the taught curriculum.
Individual Targets
All pupils have individual targets set in line with national outcomes. Parents are informed of these via annual reports and also at events such as Parents’ Evenings.
SEN Support
If it is decided that special educational provision is required to support increased rates of progress, parents will be informed that the school considers their child may require SEN support and their partnership sought in order to improve attainments.
Children’s Overall Well-being
The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils. This includes:
Curriculum
An evaluated Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PHSE) curriculum
Appointments
Appointments to talk through parental concerns can be made where necessary
Lunch Time Clubs
Lunch time clubs run by pupils or support staff to assist those children who may not be comfortable in a large outdoor environment.
Small Groups
Pupils who find outside class times difficult are provided with alternative small group opportunities within the school and action is taken to develop their social interaction skills.
Records
The school records all incidents of concerning behaviour in order to identify patterns and trends. The senior leadership meets with parents of any children who persist in challenging or disruptive behaviour.
Parent Support
Parents may be sign-posted to support services where appropriate.
Involving Parents
How will I know how well my child is doing?
- Attainment towards the identified outcomes will be shared with parents through the annual report and through the school reporting system and Parents’ Evenings.
- A home-school diary can be a useful tool to support communication between home and school.
- Parents are encouraged to arrange an appointment to discuss their child’s progress with the class/subject teacher, the SENDCo, a member of the senior leadership team at any time when they feel concerned or have information they feel they would like to share that could impact on their child’s progress. Please contact the school office who will arrange this appointment for you.
How will I be helped to support my child’s learning?
- The learning pages on this site include links to websites and resources that we have found useful in supporting parents to help their child learn at home. The class/subject teacher or SENDCo may also suggest additional ways of supporting your child’s learning.
- The school organises a number of parent workshops during the year. These are advertised in the school newsletter and on our website and aim to provide useful opportunities for parents to learn more about how to support your child’s learning.
Further Support and Information
What are special educational needs (SEN) or a disability?
At our school we use the definition for SEN and for disability from the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This states:
Special Educational Needs: A child or young person has special educational
needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.
Disability: Many children and young people who have SEN may have a
disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental
impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their
ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.
What are the kinds of special educational needs (SEN) which the school provides for?
Children and young people with SEN have different needs, but the general
presumption is that all children with SEN but without an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are welcome to apply for a place at our school, in line with the school admissions policy. If a place is available, we will undertake to use our best endeavours, in partnership with parents, to make the provision required to meet the SEN of pupils at this school.
For children with an EHCP, parents have the right to request a particular school and the local authority must comply with that preference and name the school or college in the EHC plan unless:
i) it would be unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or SEN of the child or young person, or;
ii) the attendance of the child or young person there would be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources.
Before making the decision to name our school in a child’s EHCP, the local
authority will send the governing body a copy of the EHCP and then consider
their comments carefully before a final decision on placement is made.
Parents of a child with an EHCP also have the right to seek a place at a special school if they consider that their child’s needs can be better met in specialist provision.
How are decisions made about how much support each child will receive?
For pupils with SEN but without a statement of educational need/EHCP, planning the support provided is led by the Senior Management of the school and the SENDCO advising the class teacher/subject teacher. Parents are involved in this through parent meetings as outlined in the SEN policy. Deployment of funds is overseen by the Governing Body.
For pupils with a EHCP, this decision will be reached in agreement with parents when the EHC Plan is being produced or at an annual review of an EHC Plan. The Local Authority administers and delegates the High Needs Funding which resources the EHC Plan.
How is the classroom teaching for pupils with SEND monitored?
The quality of classroom teaching provided to pupils with SEND is monitored through a number of processes that include:
classroom observation by the senior leadership team, the SENDCo and external verifiers
ongoing assessment of progress made by pupils with SEND
work sampling and scrutiny of planning to ensure effective matching of work to pupil need
teacher meetings with the SENDCo to provide advice and guidance on meeting the needs of pupils with SEND
pupil and parent feedback on the quality and effectiveness of interventions provided
attendance and behaviour records
What is the ‘assess, plan, do and review’ model?
Action relating to SEN support will follow the ‘assess, plan, do and review’ model, which is exemplified in the SEN Code of Practice 2014
i) Assess: Data on the pupil held by the school will be collated in order to make an accurate assessment of the pupil’s needs. Parents will be invited to this early discussion to support the identification of action to improve outcomes.
ii) Plan: If review of the action taken indicates that “additional to and different from” support will be required, then the views of all involved including the parents and the pupil will be obtained and appropriate evidence-based interventions identified, recorded and implemented by the class/subject teacher with advice from the SENDCo.
iii) Do: SEN support will be recorded on a plan that will identify a clear set of expected outcomes, which will include stretching and relevant academic and developmental targets (this may including for young people, targets around preparing for adulthood) that take into account parents’ aspirations for their child. Parents and the pupil will also be consulted on the action they can take to support attainment of the desired outcomes. This will be recorded and a date made for reviewing attainment.
iv) Review: Progress towards these outcomes will be tracked and reviewed termly with the parents and the pupil. If progress is limited despite the delivery of high quality interventions, advice will always be sought from other agencies regarding strategies to best meet the specific needs of a
pupil. This will only be undertaken after parent permission has been obtained and may include referral to:
Local Authority Support Services – including Educational Psychologists
Specialists such as outreach support services (Hatton outreach, Newbridge, New Rush Hall) and speech and language therapists
Social Care Services – as discussed with parents
Health partners such as School Nurse and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
For a very small percentage of pupils, whose needs are significant and complex and the SEN Support required to meet their cannot reasonably be provided from within the school’s own resources, a request will be made to the local authority to conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs. This may result in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan being provided.
How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of the SEN provision made for pupils?
The effectiveness of SEN provision will be measured using both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data will gather the views of parents and pupils on how successful the provision has been in enabling them to attain their outcomes. Quantitative data will examine both progress and attainment levels compared to those achieved nationally for pupils with the same level prior learning level. This data will be shared termly with governors and be may be scrutinised by external moderators such as Ofsted.
Who can I contact for further information or if I have any concerns?
If you wish to discuss your child’s special educational needs or are unhappy about any issues regarding the school’s response to meeting these needs please contact the following:
Your child’s class teacher
The SENDCo
The Head Teacher
For complaints, please see the school Complaints Policy on the school website.
What support services for parents of pupils with SEN exist?
The Redbridge Information and Advice Support Service (RIASS) offers impartial advice and support to parents and carers of all children and young people with SEND.
For parents who are unhappy with the Local Authority or school responses to their child’s SEND, may wish to contact the Local Authority SEN Mediation Service. Parents may also seek mediation from the regional mediation services.
Parents and carers can also appeal to the Government’s SEND tribunal if you
disagree with the Local Authorities decisions about child’s special educational needs. You can also appeal to the tribunal if the school or council has discriminated against your disabled child. Information on this process is available here.
Involving Pupils
How will pupils be involved in decisions regarding provision that can better meet their needs?
Our school uses pupil centred profiles. These are completed by the pupils themselves and identify their abilities and strengths, their personal aims and the action they require to be taken by the school to reduce barriers to learning and enhance social skills. Information will be reviewed each term and the pupil’s views gained on the effectiveness of the action taken so far to meet their needs.
Transition
How would the school prepare/support my child when joining or transferring to a new school?
A number of strategies are in place to enable effective pupils’ transition. These include on entry:
- A planned introduction programme delivered in the Summer term to support transfer for pupils starting school in September.
- Parent/carers are invited to a meeting at the school and are provided with a range of information to support them in enabling their child to settle into the school routine.
- The SENDCo meets with all new parents of pupils who are known to have SEND to allow concerns to be raised and solutions to any perceived challenges to be located prior to entry.
- If pupils are transferring from another setting, the previous school records will be requested immediately and a meeting set up with parents to identify and discuss additional support.
How will the school prepare my child for transition to the next school?
A number of strategies are in place to enable effective pupils’ transition. These include on entry:
- A planned introduction programme is delivered in the Summer term to support transition.
- The transition programme in place for pupils provides a number of opportunities for pupils and parents to meet staff in the new school. These opportunities are further enhanced for pupils with SEND and identified on the website.
- At the Year 5 Annual Review for children with an EHCP, decisions regarding secondary school choice are discussed and options explored.
- Parents will be encouraged to consider options for the next phase of education and the school will involve outside agencies, as appropriate, to ensure information provided is comprehensive but accessible.
- Accompanied visits to other providers may be arranged as appropriate.
For pupils transferring to local schools, the SENDCos of both schools meet to discuss the needs of pupils with SEN in order to ensure a smooth transition.
In the Autumn Term:
- Parent/carers are invited to a meeting at the school and are provided with a range of information to support them in enabling their child to settle into the school routine.
- The SENDCo meets with all new parents of pupils who are known to have SEND to allow concerns to be raised and solutions to any perceived challenges to be located prior to entry.
- If pupils are transferring from another setting, the previous school records will be requested immediately and a meeting set up with parents to identify and reduce any concerns.
Inclusion
How accessible is the school environment?
- Two disabled parking spots marked and located next to the school reception
- Two medical rooms have been provided in order to enable a safe place for medical examinations and procedures.
- Two toilets have been adapted to ensure accessibility for pupils, staff and visitors with a disability.
- There is a wet room and shower.
- A lift has been provided for children with mobility difficulties.
- All classrooms are suitable to meet the needs of hearing impaired children.
- The site is modern and fully accessible.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
- Risk assessments are carried out and to ensure reasonable adjustments so children may participate in all school activities.
- The school ensures it has sufficient staff expertise and provides appropriate training to ensure that no child with SEND is excluded from any school provided activity as far as the school is reasonably able to.
Training for Staff
Members of staff receive regular training on supporting pupils with SEND. Over the past three years they have received a range of training at three levels; awareness, enhanced and specialist. Awareness training has been provided to all staff on how to:
- use emotion coaching to support children with social and emotional needs
- further adapt the learning environment and independent tasks
- use physical resources and pictorial cues to support written calculations
- support pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties
- deliver a range of intervention programmes
Enhanced training has been provided to the SENDCo on:
- supporting students with a speech and language need in a classroom
- supporting and assessing students at the engagement level in a mainstream classroom
- practical strategies for supporting children with ADHD in class
- handwriting and fine motor skills
In addition, the SENDCo is currently undertaking study for the SENDCo Award with the University of Hertfordshire.
The school has regular visits from a LA Educational Psychologist and SEN specialist teachers which enable them to support the progress of individual pupils. The school receives visits from a Speech and Language Therapist, an Educational Psychologist and an Occupational Therapist, who provide advice on assessing and planning for targeted children. Programmes planned by the therapist are then delivered by a trained Learning Support Assistant.
Specialist Services
The school has access to a range of specialist support via Specialist Education and Training Support Service (SEATSS). This includes speech and language therapy, occupational therapy visual and hearing impairment. Such advice can provide valuable insights and advice to teachers and parents. Referral for input will be given upon the completion of a form which lists what has been done to help the child to date and a clear identification of needs. Parental consent is always required before a specialist can work with a child and this will be obtained following a discussion about the purpose of the referral and then a completed printed consent form.
The SENDCO will normally contact these agencies and outreach teams via referral. This follows a period of assessment and observation.
