STROUD SCHOOL: SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES POLICY

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1 STROUD SCHOOL: SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES POLICY This policy is applicable to all pupils including those in the EYFS (referring to the EYFS Statutory Framework) Policy aims and objectives This policy has regard to the changes in arrangements for Special Educational Needs with the implementation of provisions from the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEN and Disability Code of Practice, 0-25 years 2015 (SEND Code 2015). We aim to ensure that the individual needs of all children are met, including those children with special needs or disabilities, by being given access to a broad and balanced curriculum and through: differentiation and support praise and encouragement to promote self-esteem and a feeling of being valued and included recognition that pupils develop at different rates and attain different levels at various times and that there may be a diversity of special needs including learning, health, behavioural, emotional and physical needs. Opportunities for success will be increased by: Early identification of children who may be experiencing difficulties. Enabling appropriate provision to be put in place to ensure effective learning support. Adjusting (where possible) the school environment for those children with disabilities. Meaningful consultations between parents, school and external professional agencies. Encouraging all children to value and respect each other and challenging any inappropriate attitudes and practices. Pupils being taught alongside their peers for as much time as possible and by being afforded small group or individual work where deemed appropriate. Our aim is to ensure that pupil s progress is monitored, assessed and evaluated with reference to the DfE Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years (2014) and on the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2014). Staff roles and Responsibilities Each member of the school has an important influence on the education and welfare of the child with special needs, however it is the class teacher s responsibility in conjunction with the Inclusion Team to ensure that the needs of all children are met. Inclusion Team Headteacher Mr J. Worrall Deputy Headteacher Miss R. Lyons SENCO Mrs. A. Gee Early Years SENCO (covering Early Years and Key Stage 1) Mrs L. Graves Class teachers Learning Support Assistants Outside Agencies and Outreach workers The governing body is informed of the policy relevant to the provision of learning support throughout the school. The SENCO and Early Years SENCO in conjunction with staff members will: Adopt the graduated approach to intervention. LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 1

2 Liaise with parents and other professionals to support children's learning. Attend multi agency meetings. Advise and support other practitioners in school, including INSET. Ensure that each pupil receiving individual learning support will have an annual Pupil Passport which is updated termly. The Pupil Passport is formulated and agreed by pupils, parents, the SENCO and form tutors Provide targeted plans to support those pupils with identified SEN or disability within the Early Years department. Ensure that relevant background information about individual children with SEN is collected, recorded and updated and disseminated to relevant parties. Any relevant information pertaining to a child s SEN provision will be transferred to the next teacher or school. Accessibility Adhering to the Disability Act 2010, Stroud School aims to cater for the full ability range and the presence of a special need is not a factor in the selection of pupils, unless it is felt that after discussion with the SENCO and professionals involved, that alternative arrangements may better support the child s needs. Admission arrangements are fully discussed with parents prior to entry. Links with parents are maintained through regular meetings, and discussions take place to review the suitability of the school to meet children s specific needs. The Early Years building is on one level. The building has disabled toilet facilities and all staff are qualified in First Aid. See our local offer which outlines our services and provision available to support pupils covered by the SEND Code of Practice Definition of Special Educational Needs The Code of Practice states that children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty, which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. Special educational needs or learning differences may include: Those pupils who have Educational Health Care Plans Identified specific learning difference e.g. Dyslexia Communication and Interaction Cognition and Learning Social, Emotional and Mental Health Sensory and Physical Needs Significant gap between cognitive ability and actual achievement Progress not commensurate with expectations for age and ability A disability that prevents the pupil s full use of the school s educational facilities. Not all pupils with special educational needs will have a disability; and not all disabled pupils will have special educational needs. Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of the home is different from the language in which they will be taught. More able pupils are not included in the definition of Special Needs for the purposes of this policy (See separate Stroud School Policy for Able Pupils). Special educational provision means: For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools or by relevant early year providers. Where a pupil who has SEN or Disabilities is being educated at Stroud, the school will assess and make appropriate provision as far as practicable; this may incur additional charges for parents. LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 2

3 Procedures Pupils are assessed by teachers during taster days to the school. If at this point concerns are raised by staff or parents or by staff from their current school, more detailed assessments are undertaken with the SENCO. On pupil entry parents are asked to give details of any known special educational needs or disabilities and provide the school with any relevant reports, Statements of Educational Need or Educational Health Care Plans. (See Stroud School Admissions Policy). The school has regard to the SEND Code 2014 and has adopted a graduated response to the identification of, and provision for, pupils who may need additional support for learning. Graduated approach Quality First Teaching a) Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and grade boundaries will be monitored. b) Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEN they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties. c) The pupil s teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied. d) The Heads of Learning Support will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class. e) Through (b) and (d) it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward. A decision may be made to carry out a diagnostic assessment at this stage. f) Teaching staff will use the Pupil Passport to inform and review planning and assess curriculum delivery. g) If a pupil has recently been removed from the ISAMS SEN register they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary. h) Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school. i) Parents evenings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by children. SEN Support Where it is determined that a pupil does have an SEN, parents will be formally advised of this. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with an SEN is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place removing barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four-part process: Assess Plan Do Review This is an on-going cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes. Assess This involves clearly analysing the pupil s needs using the class teacher s assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of parents. The pupil s views and where relevant, specialist teacher assessment or referral to external professionals will also be considered. Any parental concerns will be noted and compared with the school s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing. LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 3

4 This analysis will require regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to the pupil s need, that barriers to learning are clearly identified and being overcome and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required. Where external agencies are already involved, their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents. Plan Planning will involve consultation between teachers, Heads of Learning Support and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental involvement may be sought, where appropriate to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. All those working with the pupil, including support staff will be informed of their individual needs, the support that is being provided, any particular teaching strategies/approaches that are being employed and the outcomes that are being sought. This will form part of the Pupil Passport. Do The teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class teacher. They will work closely with teaching assistants and to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and links with classroom teaching. Support with further assessment of the pupil s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the Heads of Learning Support. Review Reviews of a child s progress will be made regularly. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and where necessary their parents. The teacher, in conjunction with the Heads of Learning Support, will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil s progress and development making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and the pupil. Referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan If a child has lifelong or significant difficulties they may undergo a Statutory Assessment Process which is usually requested by the school but can be requested by a parent. This will occur where the complexity of need or a lack of clarity around the needs of the child are such that a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning provision and identifying resources, is required. The decision to make a referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan will usually be taken at a progress review. Early Intervention and Monitoring In the Early Years children s development and progress is assessed alongside the developmental stages and Early Learning Goals as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage document. Observations and assessments enable practitioners to make informed decisions about children s progress and plan next steps to meet their development and learning needs. We aim to identify children with SEN as early as possible. Early intervention will involve the initial recognition and identification of a child s special educational needs, the gathering of basic information about the child, taking early action to meet the child s needs within his or her normal classroom work and monitoring and reviewing his or her progress. The trigger for this stage will be the expression of concern by a parent, teacher or other professional that a child is showing signs of having special educational needs. The Early Years SENCO will be called upon to assess the child through observation. She will then create a targeted plan outlining areas for development and how this will be achieved. Parental agreement may be sought for a referral to our LEA Area Inclusion Coordinator (INCO) for external assessment and advice. LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 4

5 Additional Charges Stroud will provide support and facilitate recommended provision wherever possible for a child with SENDs, this may incur additional charges to cover the cost of staffing, resources etc. Emergency Evacuation Stroud is committed to ensuring that emergency evacuations can be accomplished safely for all students, including those with special needs. Complaints procedure If any parent feels that the school is not meeting the needs of their child they will be supported via the procedures outlined in the school s Complaints Policy. Other documents: Complaints Policy Curriculum Policy Inclusion Policy Accessibility Policy LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 5

6 Appendices Appendix 1 Pupil Referral Form Stroud School Learning Support Referral Form: Name of pupil: D.O.B: Class: Person referring: Date of referral: Outline of concern: Initial parent engagement: Parental support has been sought and agreed for the referral of the pupil named above to the Learning Support Team for further assessment. In accordance with the Data Protection Act all test data will be kept in a secure place which is not accessible to unauthorised persons. Data will be stored for the duration of the pupil s attendance within Stroud School. Teacher Signature: Parent / Guardian Signature: LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 6

7 Referral Process: - LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 7

8 Appendix 2 Early Years Targeted Plan STROUD SCHOOL INDIVIDUAL TARGETTED PLAN Name. Date of Birth. Age (months).. LSA supporting child.. Date set.. Date to be reviewed Additional Information. Child s Strengths/Can Do s. Goal. Child s targets How to do it Who will do it How often Resources needed Outcome (to be completed for review meeting) Date agreed: Signed by parent/carers:. Signed by SENCo:.. Review Notes: Date of review: Signed by parent/carers:. Signed by SENCo:.. LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 8

9 Appendix 3 Pupil Passport Stroud School Pupil Passport Name: DOB: Class: It would help me if you could: What others like and admire about me: I will try and help myself by: I would like you to know that: This means that I find it difficult to: Data and Attainment Information: Access Arrangements: Start Date: Date of Update: Personnel Involved: LAST REVIEWED MAY AG/LG (NEXT REVIEW MAY 17) 9