Amendment September 2017 Updated September 2018 Samantha Starling School Policy for: Special Educational Needs Value Statement. Chaucer Junior School values all achievement in a safe and supportive environment, through promoting team spirit and good standards of behaviour in co-operation with both peer group and all adults. 1. Person Responsible: Head teacher Mrs A Upton Special Needs and Disabilities Co-Ordinator (SENDCO) - Samantha Starling SEND Governor Mr J Stevenson Date Adopted - July 2003 Date of Policy Review 2 per year or when needed March 2018 and September 2018. 2. How the Policy was Developed The previous S.E.N. policy needed updating after the changes in the Children and Families Bill 2014. The Bill will affect the way children with special educational needs and disabilities are to be supported in school. Chaucer Junior School has written a Special Educational Needs and Disability report. This can be found on the schools website. 3. How it relates to the School Development plan Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is embedded within the school development plan (see attached SIP September 2016) 4. Key Policy Targets To incorporate the requirements of the 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Framework. To maintain the ethos which is fully inclusive and values all children. We are sensitive to the special educational needs and disability needs of all children including children for whom English is an additional language. To ensure that all children with special educational and disabilities needs have the greatest possible access to a broad and balanced education including the National Curriculum.
Provision should match the nature of the child's special needs or disability. Careful, objective planning and recording, by all staff, is required throughout, with regular assessment. At Chaucer early identification and intervention is a priorty. At Chaucer a child's views must be considered and recorded. Children are always encouraged to participate in decisions and to contribute and respond to their Individual Education Plans. We recognise and acknowledge that parents play an active, valued and vital role in their children's education and we work in partnership with them, informing of any changes to a child s provision. 5. Aims, Objectives and Vision for the future. At Chaucer Junior School we value all our pupils and will allow all children to work to the best of their ability and reach their full potential in a stimulating and positive environment. We have high aspirations of all children! We ensure that all children access a broad balanced curriculum both academically and socially through varied teaching styles. This is differentiated according to need. We aim to enable every child at Chaucer Junior School to reach their highest personal level of achievement. We will ensure that children's rights are given a top priority. The views of the child will be considered at all times, according to the age, maturity and capability of the child. We will always support children with this. We will work within the clear framework for the implementation of the current, active changes within the governments SEND 2014 Framework. We will publish a SEN information report; this information is published on our website. We will ensure that all members of staff have clear guidelines for their duties and responsibilities regarding S.E.N.D children. The statutory rights of parents will be fully considered. We will actively promote links between home and school. There will be close liaison with all external agencies, which include child health services, social services and educational welfare services. We will always provide a child with a nurturing and supportive environment.
6. Principles of Teaching and Learning. The school curriculum planning process is based on the principal that all children are to have access to a curriculum that is relevant to their needs and disabilities, builds on their strengths and enables progression at an aspirational level. Initially, provision will be made in the classrooms. The class teacher and support staff will meet most children's needs by differentiating the curriculum. Sometimes children will be withdrawn for short periods for a targeted programme of intervention. Children may receive support for reading, writing or maths. They may have physical, emotional or behavioural difficulties. The support may take many forms such as additional equipment, regular meetings with the child or parent or help from a specialist teacher. Qualified Teaching Assistant are deployed to support the inclusive education of all pupils. 7. Inclusion The school has an accessibility policy to increase and assist access to the school by children who are disabled. There are disabled toileting facilities within the school. We will endeavour to see that the needs of individual children are met and help them to have a positive attitude and self esteem, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, language or ability. Children with Special Needs and Disabilities have access to all activities. All S.E.N.D resources should be easily available to ensure that every child has access to materials, which aid their development such as slanting writing surfaces, enlarged text, triangular pens etc. All children are admitted to Chaucer Junior School in line with primary admissions arrangement. In addition the SENco supports all intervention from outside agencies and is closely linked with the Multi-agency teams and Family resource support. The SENco will liaise and support any interventions put in place by the Senior Learning Mentor
8.1 Health and Safety Staff will be trained to take care at all times and will ensure safe handling of materials and resources, if specialised equipment if required. The children will be trained to use all equipment appropriately and sensibly. All staff are aware and regard of the Safeguarding policy. 8.2 Safeguarding disabled children s welfare: At Chaucer we give regard to the practice guidance. We ensure that: Safeguarding disabled children s welfare is everybody s responsibility, and given that we know that disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse than non-disabled children, awareness amongst professionals about safeguarding disabled children and what constitutes best practice, is essential. Reasons for this are: Many disabled children are at an increased likelihood of being socially isolated with fewer outside contacts than non disabled children Their dependency on parents and carers for practical assistance in daily living, including intimate personal care, increases their risk of exposure to abusive behaviour They have an impaired capacity to resist or avoid abuse They may have speech, language and communication needs which may make it difficult to tell others what is happening They often do not have access to someone they can trust to disclose that they have been abused They are especially vulnerable to bullying and intimidation Looked after disabled children are not only vulnerable to the same factors that exist for all children living away from home, but are particularly susceptible to possible abuse because of their additional dependency on residential and hospital staff for day to day physical care needs. 9. Implementation The School provides non-contact time for the SENco to monitor the S.E.N. D profile, to liaise with staff, parents and outside agencies and to carry out the necessary paperwork. Outside agencies involved at Chaucer Junior School include multi-agency teams, Health, Social Services, Educational Psychology services SSSEN, Derbyshire Outreach Services and Family Resource Workers. Each year has access to a teaching assistant to support S.E.N.D and other children. Sometimes they work with specific groups, individual pupil or as general support in class
The necessary statutory support is given to all Children with an Education Health Care PLan. Each term there is a planning meeting attended by the Educational Psychologist, head teacher and SENDco. At this meeting the team co-ordinate all aspects of SEND, including new referrals and provision. At this meeting, the team makes decisions about referring children for diagnosis and assessment. A range of experts may be involved, depending on the needs of the child. If a child or family has English as an additional language, we may enlist the support of translation services. Individual and small group support is given to children with learning difficulties and the intervention programme are rigorously menitored. The SENDco has termly internal reviews to discuss academic, behaviour or social progress of all children on SEND. S.E.N.D takes a high profile at Chaucer School with regular discussion, careful monitoring and INSET needs met on such subjects as nurture, ADHD and autism. 10. Roles and Responsibilities Teaching staff All teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs and Disabilities. The teachers are responsible for provision within the classroom through differentiation. They provide a framework for S.E.N.D teaching assistants and support staff working with statemented children. The teachers help to identify children with special needs and discuss them at the termly internal reviews, which include the head teacher and the SENco. They write and review Provisions Maps four times a year for children at school action and action plus and each term for statemented children. Teachers are required to attend the annual reviews of any statemented children they have in their class.
They also attend regular parents' meetings where S.E.N.D children s' progress is discussed and Provision Maps are reviewed. The child s view is recorded on the Provision and parents sign to say they have seen it. They may also take part in informal meetings whenever necessary. SENco The SENco is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the school's S.E.N.D policy. The SENco will do this by: Liaising with and advising, teaching and support staff. Co-ordinating provision for children with special needs. Maintaining the school's S.E.N. profile and overseeing records, Provision Maps or assessments on children with special needs. Liaising with parents of S.E.N.D children. Contributing to INSET for the staff. Liaising with external agencies including the educational psychology service, the social services and the school nurse. Organising regular meetings with the S.E.N.D governor and reports to the governing body. Working closely with the head teacher for child protection. To identify professional development needs of all school staff and facilitate in service training as appropriate. Liaising closely with Chaucer Infant School. The SENco ensure that the S.E.N.D children are monitored and correct information and provision is in place during the Infant to Junior transition. Communicating with local secondary schools and transfers all relevant paperwork and information about S.E.N. children during the Key Stage 2 to 3 transition. Encouraging parents to work with S.E.N. children with the daily reading programme. 11. Continuity and Progression Teachers are responsible for identifying children with S.E.N.D and bringing the matter to the attention of the SENco. Concerns may be raised due to lack of attainment, lack of progress, behaviour, communication or motor /sensory difficulties.
Children on the S.E.N.D register are discussed at termly internal reviews and at the planning meetings and their progress is assessed. Progression may also be evaluated at other times, according to the needs of the child. Throughout the year there are assessments for reading, writing and maths. Through this, the progress of children with special needs can be tracked and they may be targeted where necessary. Tracking is closely monitored by the SENCO and the Senior Management team. The Key Stage 1 S.A.T. s results and teacher assessments are analysed and S.E.N. children are tracked carefully. There are links with the infant school to ensure the Year 2 to 3 transfer runs smoothly. Children, including those with special needs, are monitored using the school's database for tracking continuity and progression. Literacy and numeracy targets are set each term for every child and are measured regularly. The S.S.S.E.N. and the S.E.N. teaching assistant assesses children with learning difficulties whenever necessary and reports back to teachers and the SENco. 12. Resources All of the allocated S.E.N. budget is used to support children with S.E.N. Teaching assistants support children in a variety of settings. Each year has access to a teaching assistant to provide extra support for groups of children, including those with special needs. Children with a statement for their specific needs may receive extra S.E.N. teaching assistant support. Each classroom contains a variety of resources, which include slanted writing surfaces, left handed scissors and pencil grips, where necessary. The SEN/Positive Play/Nurture Unit contains S.E.N. resources books for teaching staff on subjects such as specific learning difficulties. There are areas in upper and lower school where support staff can withdraw an individual child or small groups. There is an IT to support with appropriate programs. There is a resources Nurture unit for children with Emotional, Social and Behavioural difficulties. 13. Reporting
The head teacher, SENco, SEND teaching assistant and class teacher discuss all children with special needs at an internal review each term. Whenever necessary decisions made are reported to parents. The SENco will produce and provide a SEN Information Report. There is a parents evening annually where I.E.Ps and individual progress are discussed and reported. The head teacher writes a report to governors each meeting. This includes a section on S.E.N.D where necessary. The progress of all children, including those with special needs, is fully reported by the class teachers in an individual annual report. The governing body evaluates the effectiveness of the school S.E.N.D Policy annually with close liaison with the S.E.N.D governor and reported to parents annually on the school profile. 14. Dealing with Parents' Complaints Parents/Carers are encouraged to discuss any issues of concern with their child's class teacher at the earliest opportunity. They may wish to raise issues with the SENco and the head teacher. If they do not feel this is sufficient, parents/carers may wish to contact the S.E.N. governor or the chair of governors to make suggestions or complaints. Parents/Carers may also contact the L.E.A. Advisor for the school or the L.E.A. S.E.N. Advisor should they wish to seek further advice. 15. Appendices Green Paper written 2011 amended 2012 NASEN Policy Development for S.E.N. Chaucer Junior School Policies for Assessment, Behaviour with anti-bullying guidelines, Child Protection and Race Equality. S.E.N.D and Disability Act 2001 Inclusive Schooling - Children with Special Educational Needs (DfES 2000) Special Educational Needs - a guide for parents and carers - 2011. Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice 2015 : 0 to 25 years Part 3 of the children and families Act 2014.
Updated by Samantha Starling (Special Needs Co-ordinator)