Policy for learners with Special Educational Needs

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1 Policy for learners with Special Educational Needs Rationale We at Seven Stars Primary School are committed to meeting the special educational needs of pupils and ensuring that they make progress. In line with our mission statement: Seven Stars is a community where staff, parents and children work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. It is the aim of the school to provide an environment where everyone is happy and valued regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or age. We value all achievement whether it is academic, physical, artistic or social. We ensure that each child has access to the full range of the national curriculum. We aim to provide each child with the full opportunity for personal development so that they may fulfil their potential. Aims In order to achieve our aims and to ensure that children with special educational needs achieve their full potential and make progress we will: 1. Ensure that pupils participate in their learning and increase their responsibility for their learning and behaviour as they move through the school. 2. Ensure good working relationships with parents, carers and the community. 3. Ensure that the school offers a broad balanced and differentiated curriculum that is accessible to pupils with special educational needs and promotes high standards of attainment and achievement. 4. Ensure that the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs are identified and assessed as early as possible, and their progress is closely monitored. 5. Ensure all teaching and non-teaching staff are involved in planning and meeting the learning needs of special educational needs pupils. 6) Ensure that the school liaises with special schools and outside agencies effectively to meet the needs of staff and pupils Roles and Responsibilities The Governing Body has identified a governor to have oversight of special educational needs provision in the school and to ensure that the full governing body is kept informed of how the school is meeting the statutory requirements. At Seven Stars this role is undertaken by Mrs C. Barratt who will meet regularly with Ms. L. Houstoun Headteacher and SENCO.

2 The Head is the school s responsible person and manages the school s special educational needs work. The Head will keep the governing body informed about the special educational needs provision made by the school. The Head will work closely with the special educational needs governor and staff to ensure the effective day to day operation of the school s special educational needs policy. The Head will identify areas for development in special educational needs and contribute to the school s development plan. She will coordinate provision at school action, action plus and for statemented pupils. The special needs policy is a shared policy, understood by and familiar to all teaching and non-teaching staff. All teaching staff are responsible for differentiating the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and will monitor their progress. All teachers who have responsibility for areas of the curriculum and will review and monitor the progress made by pupils in their subject area and the effectiveness of resources and other curriculum material. All staff will work closely with the SENCO. Admissions Pupils with special educational needs will be admitted to Seven Stars School in line with the school s admissions policy. The school is aware of the statutory requirements of the SEN and Disability Act and will meet the Act s requirements. The school will work closely with parents to ascertain whether a child has been identified as having special educational needs at early years action or early years action plus. If the school is alerted to the fact that a child may have a difficulty in learning they will make their best endeavors to collect all relevant information and plan a relevant differentiated curriculum. Accessibility To ensure access for pupils or parents with disabilities, the school has reviewed its provision in respect of communication, premises and curriculum. Further developments are outlined as part of the schools accessibility plan. Currently the school has: - good access for wheelchair users with ramps to most entrances; - disabled toilet facilities in both buildings; - electric hoist in Millbrook building; - good acoustic conditions so that the effects of hearing difficulties are minimised e.g. carpeting, blinds on windows; - experience of teaching and supporting pupils with learning and physical disabilities; - good links with Lancashire Education Inclusion Service to access support and advice for pupils and/or parents with disabilities; Read in conjunction with accessibility plans as part of school development plan. Resources The governors will ensure that the needs of pupils are met by employing a SENCO. The Head will use the child s statement and LA banding document to identify the areas of pupil need and make appropriate provision. The governors will ensure that support staff are employed to support staff and pupils. Time will be identified for staff to review pupil progress, discuss pupil curriculum needs and to transfer information between classes and phases.

3 During the current transition period and training of the new SENCO, time will be purchased from Lancashire Education Inclusion Service to undertaken assessments and provide advice to teaching staff and the head. The governors will ensure that moneys are set aside to develop resources in curriculum areas. In addition, the governors will ensure that staff are kept fully up to date about SEN issues and undertake training. For example, the school will use the Standards Fund for: - Teaching and Support Staff training - SENCO training - Special Educational Needs Cluster Groups - Subscriptions e.g. PIVATS Identification, Assessment and Reviews Teacher Referral If a teacher has a concern about a child they will discuss this with the Headteacher. Curriculum and assessment monitoring Class teachers and the assessment manager will monitor the attainment and progress of pupils with special educational needs as part of pupil progress meetings. They will ensure that the Headteacher is kept fully informed and if they have a concern they will share this information with the Headteacher and the child s parent. How a child is placed on Early Years Action or School Action LEARNING If a child s performance falls below age related expectation and they fail to make adequate progress the school will identify SMART targets via an individual education plan, provide appropriate support to help the child attain the targets, monitor progress towards these targets at least termly and provide appropriate support to help the child attain the targets. In the foundation stage, it is acknowledged that children begin nursery at very different starting points and low attainment on entry is not always indicative of a special educational need. The judgement of progress causing concern is therefore at the discretion of the foundation stage teachers and drawn from ongoing observations and teacher assessment. In key stage one and two the school defines adequate progress in key stage one and two as on average 1.5 national curriculum sub levels. It is also acknowledged that 1.5 sublevels cannot be individually measured and that children s progress can slow and accelerate at different points in their school career. This is therefore a guide over a period of time and all judgements of progress causing concern will be made in conjunction with the assessment manager as part of pupil progress meetings and also with the head.

4 BEHAVIOUR If a child s behaviour is causing concern, teachers will ensure that the deputy head (lead behaviour professional), head and the child s parents are kept informed. In accordance with the behaviour for learning policy, where a child is placed on step 2 of the stepped procedures i.e. there have been two serious incidents within three months or persistent low level behaviour which is disruptive to learning, the teacher will meet with the child and parent to draw up SMART targets in the form of an individual behaviour plan. Progress towards these targets will be monitored at least termly. The child may also be targeted for appropriate support from the pastoral support worker and/or LEIS specialist teacher. The deputy Headteacher will have oversight of IBPs as well as weekly records in relation to the traffic lights. Where a particular child is repeatedly shown to have missed golden time because of reds or time outs as part of the behaviour policy, this will be discussed with the SLT and class teacher to establish what other support and or/strategies are being utilized to support the pupil. Movement between stages If a pupil fails to make adequate progress (in learning or behaviour) despite the additional support which the school gives over the period of two IEP/IBPs at school action then outside advice will be sought. This may include the undertaking of specialist assessments to identify the nature of the difficulty and consider whether movement towards EYAP/ESAP is appropriate to access additional funding for specialist teaching and appropriate support. IEP reviews (timescales) IEPs will be reviewed regularly and a copy sent with a covering letter to parents. Parents will be invited to discuss and contribute to their child s IEP/IBP. Review of IEP targets is an ongoing process but IEP/IBPs will be formally reviewed at least termly. Teaching staff and support staff will work together to undertake IEP/IBP reviews and discuss appropriate targets for the coming term. Ongoing records are also maintained in respect of work undertaken and pupil progress in respect of IEP/IBP targets. Statement Reviews If a child has a statement of special educational needs the school will review the child s IEP/IBP in the same way as other children with SEN but will also undertake an annual review for which parents, the child, school staff and other appropriate agencies will be invited. All parties invited to attend the meeting will be encourage to contribute in writing prior to the meeting date so that papers can be distributed in advance. Parents will be given the opportunity to contribute orally. This review will focus on progress in relation to targets set at the previous annual review meeting. Curriculum The school will ensure that all children have access to a balanced and broadly based curriculum, and that the National Curriculum programmes of study are flexible enough to meet every child s needs. (No child will be excluded from any learning activity due to their impairment or learning difficulty, unless it is clearly of benefit to that individual and leads towards inclusion.)

5 Learning opportunities will be absorbing, rewarding and effectively differentiated and the teaching styles will be diverse. Staff will work in a way to avoid the isolation of the children they are supporting, and will encourage peer support and collaborative learning. Schemes of work and policies for each area of the curriculum are in place and are differentiated to include appropriate learning outcomes for all pupils. Each policy has an Inclusion Statement highlighting the importance of access to that curriculum area for pupils identified with additional needs. Differentiation takes a variety of forms within teacher planning. Learning intentions are always made explicit and then activities may be adapted, or planned separately as appropriate. Alternative methods of responding or recording may also be planned for where this is appropriate. Children with sensory or mobility impairments or a specific learning difficulty will access the curriculum through specialist resources such as ICT where this is appropriate. The school will ensure that the hidden curriculum and extra curricular activities are barrier free and do not exclude any pupils. This will be monitored and reported as part of meetings with the SEN Governor. The school tries to make all visits inclusive by planning in advance and using accessible places. We aim to take all year six children on an outdoor adventurous residential visit, undertaking appropriate risk assessments in consultation with LEIS. Additional TA support may have to be provided for individual children. Details of our plans for increasing access to the curriculum with targets are contained in our Access Plan. Working in partnership with parents Staff will work together with parents to support pupils identified as having additional needs. Parents will be encouraged to be involved at all stages of the education planning process. Where initial concerns exist regarding learning and/or behaviour these will be discussed with parents/carers at the earliest opportunity. Where it is appropriate to undertake a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in relation to special educational needs, the CAF will be undertaken with the parent and any other unmet needs identified, as part of this process, will be addressed via the team around the child (TAC) approach. At review meetings with parents we try to always make sure that the child s strengths as well as weaknesses are discussed. Where we make suggestions as to how parents/carers can help at home, these are specific and achievable so that all parents go away from the meeting clear about the action to be taken and the way in which outcomes will be monitored and reviewed. IEP targets may include targets to work towards at home, and parents are always invited to contribute their views to the review process. All IEPs and reviews will be copied and sent to parents.

6 Ideas and materials for supporting learning at home will be discussed with parents/carers and distributed on request. Where appropriate, parents will be advised of the support and advice available via the local authority SEN family liaison officer.

7 Parents evenings provide regular opportunities to discuss concerns and progress. Parents are also able to make other appointments on request. Links with other agencies The Educational Psychologist undertakes an annual visit to school in September when subsequent visits and priorities for this time are discussed and agreed with the head. School buys in regular time from the LEIS service to provide advice, undertake assessments and work specifically with identified children. Speech and language therapists work in school to support children with statements. Recommendations and programmes are left for support staff to implement under the guidance of the class teacher. Targets from these programmes are included in IEPs. The head liaises frequently with a number of other outside agencies, for example: 1. Children Social Care 2. Lancashire Parent Partnership 3. Wadehall Children s centre 4. School Nurse 5. Health visitor 6. CAMHS 7. Physiotherapy 8. Occupational Therapy 9. Lancashire Education Medical Service Parents are informed if any outside agency is involved (unless informing parents would put the child at risk i.e. Section 47 Child at risk referral). Links with other schools Transfer arrangements Where a child does not attend our nursery or joins nursery mid year, staff will aim to meet with staff from the other nursery schools prior to pupils starting school. As a minimum, a phone call will take place between both provisions. Concerns about particular needs will be brought to the attention of the head after this discussion. Where necessary the head will arrange a further meeting. Class teachers of children joining from other schools will receive information from the previous school; if there is an SEN issue the head will telephone to further discuss the child s needs. SEN records for children transferring from Seven Stars to new schools will be forwarded promptly thus giving details of particular needs and additional provision made by the school. The head will discuss these children with other schools on request. When transferring to high school, any SEN issues will be discussed as part of the transition arrangements organized by the receiving high school. Where needs are complex, a further meeting or separate meeting may be necessary. Seven Stars will endeavor to facilitate this with receiving high schools. When children with a statement enter year 6, their annual review will be scheduled in the autumn term so that appropriate high school provision can be considered as part of the review process.

8 Inclusion projects/links with special schools The school currently benefits from good links with a number of local schools including Moor Hey Special School, The Coppice Special School and Golden Hill Short stay school. Training The governors will ensure that they are kept fully abreast of their statutory responsibilities by attending training and receiving regular updates from the Head/ SENCO. The Head will keep fully up to date about special educational needs issues through attendance at training and cluster meetings. In addition, the SENCO will develop his/her skills through attendance at specialist training discussions with outside specialists, reading and through subscription to professional bodies. The Literacy and Numeracy subject leader and assessment manager will liaise closely with the head. Other teaching staff will be kept up to date informally by the Head and formally at staff meetings and training. Non-teaching staff who support individual pupils and groups of pupils need to have a wide range of curriculum and special educational needs knowledge. This will be updated as part of the school s performance management procedures for support staff, with reference to priorities identified via the access plan or SEN action plan. Monitoring the success of the policy Every year, we analyse the data we have on the percentage of our pupils with very low attainment at the end of their key stage, compared to the percentage in similar schools. We also analyse data on behaviour, serious incidents and exclusions (including lunchtime exclusions). We use this analysis to help us plan our provision map. At the same time, we set new targets for the year ahead, aiming for: - A reduction in the percentage of children with very low attainment, - Good progress across the key stage for children with special educational needs; - An increase in the percentage of children with special educational needs attaining Level 2 at the end of KS1 and Level 4 at the end of KS2; - A reduction in behaviour incidents and exclusions. In the termly report, the head will provide information to the governing body as to the numbers of pupils receiving special educational provision through School Action, School Action Plus and Statements as well as any pupils for whom a Statutory Assessment has been requested. The number of pupils transferring to or from each type of provision will be noted. The Head will report on any whole school developments in relation to inclusion, at the same time, and will ensure that governors are kept up to date with any legislative or local policy changes. Planning, evaluation and review of SEN and Inclusion is undertaken by the Curriculum Sub-Committee and will be reported at the full governing body meetings through sub-committee reports, which are then discussed as necessary.

9 The head will meet with the SEN Governor to discuss Inclusion and current SEN concerns. The SEN Governor will lead governor monitoring of the SEN policy through visits to the school by agreement with the head. Whole school monitoring and evaluation procedures will include sampling of work and observations. Outcomes pertinent to SEN provision and planning will be taken forward by the whole staff and used to build upon successful practice. Target setting for all pupils takes place:- - as part of the marking policy including verbal feedback; - following assessment weeks (see assessment policy and cycle of assessment) in reading, writing and mathematics; - across a year group in respect of the percentage of children to achieve age related expectations at the end of each year; - across key stage two (statutory target setting) Our success in all these areas is reported to subject leaders and discussed as part of our pupil progress meetings. This is reported to and evaluated through curriculum sub committee meetings, School Improvement Partner reports and annually to the governors Self Evaluation Group. The policy itself will be reviewed annually by the curriculum sub committee. Complaints If a parent wishes to complain about the provision or the policy, they should, in the first instance, raise it with the class teacher, who will try to resolve the situation. If the issue can not be resolved, the parent can contact the Headteacher to discuss their concerns. Any issues that remain unresolved at this stage will be managed according to the school Complaints Policy. A full copy of the school complaints policy, including a summary leaflet is available from the school office.

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12 Headteacher: Ms. L. Houstoun