Special Educational Needs School Information Report At Holy Trinity Primary School we strive to support all children to enable them to achieve at school. In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey. Consistent quality first teaching and learning experiences are vital; however for some children there are occasions when further additional support may be needed to help them achieve their targets. This booklet gives you more information about the provision made at our school. SENCO Mrs Tracy Hoskins Working together with Staffordshire LA for better services http://helpyourself.staffordshirecares.info/kb5/staffordshire/directory/home.page 1
Roles & Responsibilities of the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) Every class teacher is responsible for the progress of all children within their care. Our SENCO is responsible for updating the Special Educational Needs Policy, ensure it is put into practise within school and co-ordinating specific provision made to support individual children with SEN. They liaise with staff to monitor each pupil s progress and support them in planning further interventions where progress is slower than expected. They regularly have contact with a wide range of external agencies that are able to give more specialised advice for our class teachers. If you have any concerns regarding SEN matters do not hesitate to contact Mrs Goulding. There many SEN terms that are abbreviated. Below is a glossary of the most used SEN terms ADD ADHD ASD BESD CAF CAMHS COP CP DCD EAL EP FSM HI IEP ISR KS LAC LEA MLD NC OT PSP SaLT SEN SEND SENCO SpLD VI Attention Deficit Disorder Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder Autistic Spectrum Disorder Behavioural Emotional & Social Difficulties Common Assessment Framework Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Code of Practice Child Protection Developmental Co-ordination Disorder English as a Additional Language Educational Psychologist Free School Meals Hearing Impairment Individual Education Plan In School Review Key Stage Looked After Child Local Education Authority Moderate Learning Difficulty National Curriculum Occupational Therapist Pastoral Support Programme Speech & Language Therapy Special Educational Needs Special Educational Needs & Disability Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator Specific Learning Difficulty Visual Impairment 2
Children and Families Bill 2013 The Children and Families Bill takes forward the Coalition Government s commitments to improve services for vulnerable children and support strong families. It underpins wider reforms to ensure that all children and young people can succeed, no matter what their background. The Bill will reform the systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and special educational needs. The Government is transforming the system for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including those who are disabled, so that services consistently support the best outcomes for them. The Bill will extend the SEN system from birth to 25, giving children, young people and their parents/carers greater control and choice in decisions and ensuring needs are properly met. It takes forward the reform programme set out in Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability: Progress and next steps by: replacing statements and learning difficulty assessments with a new birth-to-25 Education, Health and Care Plan, extending rights and protections to young people in further education and training and offering families personal budgets so that they have more control over the support they need; improving cooperation between all the services that support children and their families and particularly requiring local authorities and health authorities to work together; requiring local authorities to involve children, young people and parents in reviewing and developing provision for those with special educational needs and to publish a school information report of support. What is the School Information Report? The School Information Report was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children with SEN and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child. What will it do? Staffordshire s school information reports will provide parents/carers with information about how to access services in their area, and what they can expect from those services. With regard to Education, it will let parents/carers and young people know how school and colleges will support them, and what they can expect across the local settings. During the last year, the School Information Report Steering Group has developed questions for schools, and trialled them with a small number of settings. There are 14 questions, devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, which reflect their concerns and interests. These will be answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child s needs. 3
Holy Trinity Primary School s responses to these questions: What is our approach to special educational needs? At Holy Trinity our approach to SEN is early identification and intervention. We aim to identify needs and bridge any gaps in learning as early in a pupil s school life as possible. For some pupils their needs are such that they will never be in line with peers and our aim in that instance is to ensure they make progress in line with the code of practice, against their individual starting points. Provision is made in an inclusive culture. This means we aim to support all children and groups of children within the classroom where they are based, to avoid them struggling to transfer any new learning into every day learning. Reasonable adjustments are made within each room in response to the needs of individual pupils and any specific interventions required are put into place in a timely fashion. We have a highly valued and skilled staff who work as a team to use their strengths and knowledge to support all pupils. Where extra support is required that is in addition to the SEN funding received by school in its budget, we will apply for additional needs funding to the local authority. This is generally used to support pupils in 1:1 or small group activities that are linked to targets set on a half termly basis. What types of special educational needs do we cater for at Holy Trinity? A child has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. At Holy Trinity, we believe in early identification of needs and ensure that provision in school supports every child to make progress against their own starting points. Identification of these needs is made through observations, assessments in school and by outside agencies, conversations with parents/carers and with the children about the things they are finding difficult, their strengths and the priorities to support future learning. We believe in inclusive practice and supporting children to become successful adults. With this in mind we cater for a broad range of additional needs such as: Difficulties with communication and interaction such as Autism, Asperger s and Speech and Language difficulties. Difficulties with cognition and learning such as including moderate learning difficulties, mild learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and developmental coordination delay. Social, emotional and health difficulties such as challenging behaviour, attention deficit disorder and attachment disorder. Sensory and physical needs such as mild visual or hearing impairment, hyper flexibility and physical disabilities. How does Holy Trinity Primary School know if children need extra help? We know when pupils need help if: 4
Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child Limited progress is being made despite quality teaching There is a change in the pupil s behaviour or progress What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs? The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns These concerns will then be passed on to Mrs Goulding the SENCO How will I know how Holy Trinity Primary School support my child? Parents will be informed during parents meetings, individual targets or via an individual education plan which is written by the class teacher for those children needing the support of external agencies. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil s individual needs. Any additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in class is recorded on a provision map written by each class teacher. If a pupil has needs related to more specific areas of their education, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy & literacy skills etc. then the pupil will be supported in a small guided group. Interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning. Most interventions will be for a short time and others continue indefinitely depending on the needs of the individual child. We aim to do these in the child s class where possible. If you have any queries related to the interventions please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCO. Pupil Progress Meetings are held each half term. This is a meeting where the class teacher and teaching assistants meet with the Senior Leadership Team (the Head teacher the Deputy/SENCO, the Key Stage Leader) to discuss the progress of the pupils in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned. Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support from an outside agency such as the Autism Outreach Team, Physical Disability Support Service, Speech and Language Therapy Team etc. A referral will be made, with your consent and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments/observations, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers. External agencies will also support school with specific targets for the IEP. The Governors of Holy Trinity Primary School are responsible for entrusting a named person, Mrs Chrissie Allen to monitor Safeguarding and Child protection procedures. Mrs Jenny Arthur is responsible for the monitoring and correct administration of the Disclosure and Barring service procedures and the school s Single Central record and Mrs Carol Wheale to monitor SEN and Inclusion of all children in school. In a support and challenge role the Governors ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff in an equitable way. They monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the DfE. 5
How will the curriculum be matched to my child s needs? All work in the classroom is differentiated by the class teacher. When a pupil has been identified with additional needs all reasonable adjustments will be made to enable them to access the curriculum more easily. Teaching Assistants (TAs) may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs. If a child requires support from an external agency they will be given an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Targets will be set accordingly to their area of need. These will be monitored by the class teacher and by the SENCO at least three times per year. IEPs will be discussed with parents at Parents Evenings and a copy placed in home learning books. If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, concentration cushions, pen/pencil grips or easy to use scissors. How will I know how my child is doing? You will be able to discuss your child s progress at Parents Evenings. Your child s class teacher will be available at the end of each day if you wish to raise a concern. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENCO by visiting the school office. If your child is on the SEN register then an appointment to meet the SENCO and your child s class teacher will be scheduled twice a year to review how well provision is meeting their needs. How will you help me support my child s learning? The class teacher will suggest ways you can support your child during parents evening. Targets set each term are individual and include suggestions for how to support your child at home. Home Learning is differentiated and given on a weekly basis. Mrs Goulding may meet with you to discuss how to support your child with strategies to use if there are difficulties with a child s behaviour/emotional needs. If outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist have been involved suggestions or programmes of study are provided that can be used at home and a meeting will be arranged. Our classrooms are run on a precision teaching model. This means all parts of each lesson are specifically tailored to meet each individual child s needs. They are planned by the teachers and delivered by teachers and teaching assistants in tandem for all abilities. What support will there be for my child s overall well-being? The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties. 6
These include: Members of staff such as the class teacher, teaching assistants and SENCO are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns. Clubs are available for those who find lunchtimes a challenge. Mrs Baker and Mrs Wilton are trained Positive Play workers and can provide support where needed Mrs Wells runs termly Jellybeans and social and emotional well-being sessions in small groups or with individual children who need targeted emotional behaviour support. Pupils with medical needs: If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled with support from the school nurse in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil. These are reviewed annually. Staff receive epi-pen training delivered by the school nurse annually. Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medicine consent form is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member. All staff have basic first aid training, early years staff have paediatric first aid training and Mrs Arthur and Mrs Hind have first aid at work qualifications. How is the effectiveness of provision evaluated? Staff within each classroom meet with the Senior Leadership Team on a half termly basis to discuss the progress of all pupils within the school. During these meetings the SENCO will also consider the effectiveness and impact of any SEN provision, alongside the staff, and discuss needs for the next half term. The provision is all evaluated three times a year by the SENCO and class teachers, by looking at data and how much progress children with specific needs are making and by measuring the impact of any interventions. This can take the form of informal assessments within the classroom or more formal assessments by the SENCO or external agencies. The impact is then recorded on the provision map and a new map is written, with this in mind. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school? At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise. The agencies used by the school include: SENIS (Special Educational Needs Support Service) - Michelle Tudor Autism Outreach Team (AOT) Carolyn Hodson and Kath Griffiths Child Protection Advisors Educational Psychologist (EP) Gemma Holmes CAST (Child & Adolescent Support Team) CAHMS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service) Educational Welfare Worker 7
PASS (Physical & Sensory Service) to support pupils with hearing/visual impairment Inclusion Team Social Services Speech & Language Therapy/Occupational Therapy School Nurse Dyslexia Centre PDSS (Physical Disability Support Service) KLC (Key Learning Centres) Behaviour Support Team Local Support Team An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He/she would normally only work directly with pupils whose needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them This involvement is generally planned at the ISR (In School Review). This is a meeting that takes place at the beginning of each academic year. In order to help understand the pupil s educational needs better, the Psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. He/she will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward. School are also allocated hours with the Special Educational Needs Support Service. Where assessments are needed further to those than school can provide this support is arranged. Parental consent is needed and suggestions and programmes of study are put into place following time with the SENSS teacher. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having? Different members of staff have received training related to SEND. These have included sessions on: How to support pupils on the autism spectrum How to support pupils with social and emotional needs How to support pupils with speech and language difficulties How to support pupils with physical and co-ordination needs Mrs Goulding has gained the qualification National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination. Positive Play training Wave 3 phonics and maths training Rapid Maths/Readers training Numicon training SEND is regularly on the agenda for our staff training sessions as well as time to update and review provision maps for each class. 8
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips? Activities and school trips are available to all. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. However, if it is deemed that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity. How accessible is the school environment? As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Facilities we have at present include: All on one single level 1 toilet adapted for disabled users Double door entrance and wide doors throughout school How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Holy Trinity Primary School of transferring to a new school? Many strategies are in place to enable the pupil s transition to be as smooth as possible. These include: Discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving. All pupils attend all change mornings where they spend some time with staff in their new class. Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school. Structured stay and play transition sessions are planned for FS1 and FS2. Secondary school staff visit pupils prior to them joining their new school. Mrs Goulding liaises with the SENCOs from the secondary school to pass on information regarding SEN pupils and transition meetings occur in the summer term. A lengthy, structured transition to secondary school occurs from year 4 onwards. How are the school s resources allocated and matched to children s special educational needs? The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual s needs. The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year. Resources may include deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances. 9
Extra funding may be sought for children with specific needs. How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive? These decisions are made in consultation with the class teacher and Senior Leadership Team. Decisions are based upon termly tracking of pupil progress and as a result of assessments by outside agencies. During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the pupil s lack of progress or well-being then other interventions will be arranged. How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child s education? All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child s education. This may be through: Discussions with the class teacher During parents evenings During discussions with Mrs Goulding or other professionals Parents are encouraged to comment on their child s IEP with possible suggestions that could be incorporated. Completing home learning with their child on a weekly basis. Reading with their child three times a week. Who can I contact for further information? If you wish to discuss your child s educational needs or have concerns please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with your child s class teacher or the SENCO. I hope these have answered any queries you may have but do not hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions. 10