Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy

 

Tickton C.E. Primary School has a named SENDCO, Ms Anderson and a Governor responsible for SEND.

Our team also includes our SEND HLTA Ms Jackson, ELSA TAs Mrs Vokes and Mrs West and learning support staff allocated to individuals or groups within school.

 

They ensure that the Tickton Special Educational Needs and Disability policy works within the guidelines and inclusion policies of the Code of Practice (2014), the Local Education Authority and other policies current within the school.  

 

At Tickton Primary School we value the need for all our pupils to experience a high quality education, which will enable them to reach their full potential and help them develop the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitude they will require to lead a fulfilling life.

 

The children’s access to these experiences is an entitlement, which requires the active and mutual partnership of our whole school community – staff, governors, parents, children and the local community.

 

For us, inclusive education means the greatest degree of match between the individual learner’s needs

and the provision that is made for them in school. At the core of our thinking is the belief that children

and parents should be actively involved and fully engaged in their learning.

 

We use our best endeavours to secure special educational provision for pupils for whom this is required, that is ‘additional to and different from’ that provided within the differentiated curriculum to better respond to the four areas of need identified in the new Code of Practice (September 2014).

  

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social, mental and emotional health
  • SENDsory/physical

 

What are 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.

 

Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.

Health care provision or social care provision which educates or trains a child or young person is to be treated as special educational provision, (Code of Practice 2014)

 

We recognise that many pupils may have additional or special needs at some time during their school life, covering a wide range of needs including physical, educational, behavioural, social and emotional and mental health.

 

In implementing this policy, we believe all pupils will be helped to overcome their difficulties, work through their barriers to learning and reach their desired outcomes.

This SENDD policy details how, at Tickton C.E. Primary school, we will do our best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs and that those needs are known to all who are likely to work with them. 

 

We will ensure that teachers are able to identify and provide for those pupils with special educational needs, allowing them to join in all school activities together with pupils who do not have special educational needs. We aim for all children to have their needs met by quality first teaching and additional targeted support to meet individual needs working with agencies and support services to provide high quality provision for all.

 

 Aims and objectives

 The aims of this policy are: 

  • to create an environment that meets the special educational needs of each child in order that they can achieve their learning potential and engage in activities alongside pupils who do not have SENDD
  • to request, monitor and respond to parents/carers and pupils views in order to evidence high levels of confidence and partnership
  • to make clear the expectations of all partners in the process
  • to ensure a high level of staff expertise to meet pupil need, through well targeted continuing professional development
  • to ensure support for pupils with medical conditions full inclusion in all school activities by ensuring consultation with health and social care professionals
  • to identify the roles and responsibilities of all staff in providing for children’s special educational needs
  • through reasonable adjustments to enable all children to have full access to all elements of the school curriculum
  • to work in cooperation and productive partnerships with the Local Authority and other outside agencies, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of all vulnerable learners

 

 Equal Opportunities and Inclusion

Through all subjects we ensure that the school meets the needs of all, taking account of gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, sexual orientation, age, ability, disability and social circumstances. It is important that in our school we meet the diverse needs of pupils to ensure inclusion for all and that all pupils are prepared for full participation in a multi-ethnic society.

 

We also measure and assess the impact of our provision regularly through meetings with our SENDD coordinator, SENDD team and individual teachers to ensure all children have equal access and are thriving. 

 

Through appropriate curricular provision, we respect the fact that children: 

  • have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations
  • require different strategies for learning
  • acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates
  • need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences

 

Teachers respond to children’s needs by: 

  • providing support for children who need help with communication, language and literacy
  • planning to develop children’s understanding through the use of all available SENDses and experiences
  • planning for children’s full participation in learning, and in physical and practical activities
  • helping children to manage and own their behaviour and to take part in learning effectively and safely
  • helping individuals to manage their emotions, particularly trauma or stress, and to take part in learning

 

Identification, Assessment and Provision 

 

All teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs. 

 

Provision for children with special educational needs is a matter for the whole school. 

The governing body, the school’s head teacher, the SENDCo and all other members of staff, particularly class teachers and teaching assistants, have important day–to–day responsibilities. 

 

The school will assess each child’s current levels of attainment on entry in order to ensure that they build on the patterns of learning and experience already established during the child’s pre-school years. 

 

If the child already has an identified special educational need, this information will be transferred from other partners in their Early Years setting and the class teacher and SENDCO  will use this information to: 

  • Provide starting points for the development of an appropriate curriculum.
  • Identify and focus attention on action to support the child within the class.
  • Use the assessment processes to identify any learning difficulties.
  • Ensure ongoing observation and assessments provide regular feedback about the child’s achievements and experiences to form the basis for planning the next steps of the child’s learning.

 

The identification and assessment of the special educational needs of children whose first language is not English requires particular care.  Where there is uncertainty about a particular child, a teacher will look carefully at all aspects of the child’s performance in different subjects to establish whether the problems are due to limitations in their command of English or arises from special educational needs.  

 

The Role of The SENDCO and what provision looks like at Tickton 

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator’s [SENDCo] responsibilities include: 

  • Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy.
  • Co-ordinating provision for children with SEND.
  • Liaising with and advising fellow teachers.
  • Overseeing the records of all children with SEND.
  • Liaising with parents of children with SEND.
  • Contributing to the in-service training of all staff.
  • Liaising with local secondary schools so that support is provided for Y6 pupils as they prepare to transfer.
  • Liaising with external agencies including the LA’s support and educational psychology services, health and social services and voluntary bodies.
  • Co-ordinating and developing school based strategies for the identification and review of children with SEND.
  • Making regular visits to classrooms to monitor the progress of children on the SEND Register.

 

Monitoring Children’s Progress 

The school’s system for observing and assessing the progress of individual children will provide information about areas where a child is not progressing satisfactorily. Under these circumstances, teachers may need to consult the SENDCo to consider what else might be done. This review might lead to the conclusion that the pupil requires help over and above that which is normally available within the particular class or subject. The key test of the need for action is that current rates of progress are inadequate.   

 

Adequate progress can be identified as that which: 

  • Prevents the attainment gap between the child and his peers from widening.
  • Closes the attainment gap between the child and his peers.
  • Betters the child’s previous rate of progress.
  • Ensures access to the full curriculum.
  • Demonstrates an improvement in self-help, social or personal skills.
  • Demonstrates improvements in the child’s behaviour.

 

In order to help children with special educational needs, we will adopt a graduated response. 

This may see us using specialist expertise, if as a school, we feel that our interventions are still not having an impact on the individual. 

 

The school will record the steps taken to meet the needs of individual children through the use of an SEND support plan and provision map and the SENDCo will have responsibility for ensuring that records are kept and available when needed. If we refer a child for assessment for an Education Health and Care Plan, we will provide the LA with a record of our work with the child to date.  

 

When any concern is initially noticed it is the responsibility of the class teacher to take steps to address the issue. Parents will be consulted and specific intervention put in place and monitored for an appropriate period. If no progress is noted after this time the child may be added to the school SEND register with parental permission. 

 

The class teacher after discussion with the SENDCo will then provide additional interventions that are additional to those provided as part of the school’s differentiated curriculum and the child will be given individual learning targets which will be applied within the classroom. These targets will be monitored by the class teacher and teaching assistants within the class and reviewed formally with the SENDCo, parents and young person.   

 

Reasons for a child being added to the SEND register may include the fact that he/she: 

  • Makes little or no progress, even when teaching approaches are targeted particularly in a child’s identified area of weakness.
  • Shows signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematics skills which result in poor attainment in some curriculum areas.
  • Presents persistent emotional or behavioural difficulties which are not improved by the behaviour management techniques usually employed in the school.
  • Has sensory or physical problems, and continues to make little or no progress, despite the provision of specialist equipment.
  • Has communication and / or interaction difficulties, and continues to make little or no progress.

 

Partnership with parents 

Partnership plays a key role in enabling children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential.  Parents hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs.  All parents of children with special educational needs will be treated as partners and given support to play an active and valued role in their child’s education. 

 

Children and young people with special educational needs often have a unique knowledge of their own needs and their views about what sort of help they would like. They will be encouraged to contribute to the assessment of their needs, the review and transition process. 

 

The school website: www.tickton.primary.co.uk  contains details of our policy for special educational needs, the special educational needs information report including the arrangements made for children in our school with special educational needs.  It also links to the Local offer of support services for SEND.

 

At all stages of the special needs process, the school keeps parents fully informed and involved.

We take account of the wishes, feelings and knowledge of parents at all stages.  

 

We encourage parents to make an active contribution to their child’s education and have regular meetings each term to share the progress of special needs children with their parents. We decide upon and inform the parents of any outside intervention, and share the process of decision-making by providing clear information relating to the education of their child.  

 

Parents always have access to the SENDCo through a school email address and are encouraged to attend pop in sessions as often as possible. Additional planned meetings are used to meet specific needs and respond to parental concern.

 

The Nature of Intervention  

The SENDCo and the child’s class teacher will decide on the action needed to help the child progress in the light of earlier assessments. 

 

This may include: 

  • Different learning materials or specialist equipment.
  • Some group or individual support, including ‘Dawn Busters’ before school club and small groups of children being withdrawn to work with the SEND HLTA; or, with TA support or other specific intervention such as Nessy, Lexia, Toe by Toe, Word Wasp and Plus 1, Power of 2 materials for mathematics.
  • Extra adult time to devise/administer the nature of the planned intervention and also to monitor its effectiveness and impact on progress.
  • Staff development and training to introduce more effective strategies to meet individual needs.

 

After initial discussions with the SENDCo, the child’s class teacher will be responsible for working with the child on a daily basis and ensuring delivery of any individualised programme in the classroom. 1:1 TA’s work closely with class teachers and coordinator to effectively provide specialist individual next steps programmes.  

 

Parents will continue to be involved in all stages of their child’s education and development and are regularly consulted and kept informed of the action taken to help their child, and of the outcome of any action. 

 

Parent’s will be invited to meet regularly with the class teacher and SENDCo and they will have specific time slots to discuss Individual Learning targets and progress with the SENDCo on a termly basis.

The SENDCo will support further assessment of the child where necessary, assisting in planning for their future needs in discussion with colleagues and parents.

 

The use of outside agencies 

These services may become involved if a child continues to make little or no progress despite considerable input and adaptations.  They will use the child’s records in order to establish which strategies have already been employed and which targets have previously been set.

  

The external specialist may act in an advisory capacity, or provide additional specialist assessment.  The child’s individual targets will set out strategies for supporting the child’s progress. These will be implemented, at least in part, in the normal classroom setting. The delivery of the interventions recorded in the SEND support plan continues to be the responsibility of the class teacher. 

 

Outside agencies may become involved if the child: 

  • Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period.
  • Continues working at National Curriculum levels substantially below that expected of children of a similar age.
  • Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy and mathematical skills.
  • Has emotional or behavioural difficulties which regularly and substantially interfere with the child’s own learning or that of the class group.
  • Has sensory or physical needs and requires additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service.
  • Has ongoing communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning.
  • Despite having received intervention, the child continues to fall behind the level of his peers.

 

  • Links with other agencies, organisations and support services

The school recognises the important contribution that external support services make in assisting to identify, assess, and provide for our SEND pupils.

  • When it is considered necessary, colleagues from the following support services will be involved with SEND pupils:
  • Educational psychologists.
  • SEND Consultant teachers
  • Behaviour ATs
  • Medical officers/ nurse/health visitors
  • Speech and Language therapists.
  •  
  • Occupational Therapists.
  • Hearing impairment services.
  • Visual impairment services.
  • Pupil Referral Service (PRS).
  • Inclusion sensory support services
  • Traveller Education.
  • Secondary & Network collegues
  • Specific provider eg Barnados / music therapists
    • In addition, important links are in place with the following organisations:
  • The local pre-schools with the aim of providing continuity between home and school.
  • The LA.
  • Specialist Services.
  • Education Welfare Officer.
  • Social Care
  • School PFA.
  • Brownies/ Rainbows
  • Judo/ French/badminton, sports clubs etc

 

School Request for Education Health and Care Plans (from September 2014)

 

A request will be made by the school to the LA if the child has demonstrated significant cause for concern.  The LA will be given information about the child’s progress over time, and will also receive documentation in relation to the child’s special educational needs and any other action taken to deal with those needs, including any resources or special arrangements put in place.

 

The evidence will include: 

  • Previous SEND support plans and targets for the pupil.
  • Records of regular reviews and their outcomes.
  • Records of the child’s health and medical history where appropriate.
  • National Curriculum attainment levels in literacy and numeracy.
  • Education and other assessments, for example from an advisory specialist support teacher or educational psychologist.
  • Views of the parents and child

 

The parents of any child who is referred for statutory assessment will be kept fully informed of the progress of the referral.  Children with a statement of special educational needs will be reviewed each half term in addition to the statutory annual assessment.  When this coincides with transfer to high school, the SENDCO from the high school will be informed of the outcome of the review. 

 

SEND Support Plans

Strategies employed to enable the child to progress will be recorded within an SEND support plan which will include information about: 

  • The short term targets set for the child.
  • The teaching strategies to be used.
  • The provision to be put in place.
  • How the targets will help the child in their learning
  • What they are responsible for
  • How the child can be successful
  • The review date.
  • The child’s views will be sought and taken into account, as will those of the parents, whose support is vital if progress is to be achieved and maintained.

 

The voice of the child

All children will be involved in making decisions where possible right from the start of their education. The ways in which children are encouraged to participate shall reflect the child’s evolving maturity. 

Participation in education is a process that will necessitate all children being given the opportunity to make choices and to understand that their views matter.

 Confident young children, who know that their opinions will be valued and who can practise making choices, will be more secure and effective pupils during their school years.

In Tickton C.E. Primary School, we encourage pupils to participate in their learning by:

 

  • Promoting and encouraging the view that responsibility for learning lies with the individual child 
  • Being involved in the target setting system – thus enabling them to understand the next step in their learning
  • Operating a ‘child friendly’ marking policy
  • Operating a School Council that feeds into and collects information from the Class Council
  • SEALs school ethos with circle time and specific focus weeks
  • Operating a ‘Best Buddy’ system where children support each other in play activities
  • Offering a wide range of additional activities for children to participate in out of school hours
  • Involving them in review meetings when SEND support plans are evaluated/ taking pupil participation information into account when formatting provision.
  • Sharing successes through effective displays throughout school and in a weekly ‘Good work” assembly and Head teacher certificates.

 

Access to the Curriculum 

All children have an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, which is differentiated to enable children to understand the relevance and purpose of learning activities and experience levels of understanding and rates of progress that bring feelings of success and achievement. 

 

Teachers use a range of strategies to meet children’s special educational needs. Lessons have clear learning objectives and staff differentiate work appropriately, and use assessment to inform the next stage of learning. SEND support plans, which employ a small-steps approach, feature significantly in the provision that we make in the school. By breaking down the existing levels of attainment into finely graded steps and targets, we ensure that children experience success.

 

We support children in a manner that acknowledges their entitlement to share the same learning experiences that their peers enjoy. Wherever possible, we do not withdraw children from the classroom situation. There are times though when, to maximise learning, we ask the children to work in small groups, or in a one-to-one situation outside the classroom. 

 

Allocation of resources  

The SENDCo is responsible for the operational management of the specified and agreed resourcing for special needs provision within the school, including the provision for children with Statements of special educational needs and Education Health and Care plans.

 

The Head teacher informs the governing body of how the funding allocated to support special educational needs has been employed. The Head teacher and the SENDCo meet to agree on how to use funds directly related to statements. 

 

The role of the governing body 

The governing body challenges the school and its members to secure the necessary provision for any pupil identified as having special educational needs. They ask challenging questions to ensure all teachers are aware of the importance of providing for these children and ensure that funds and resources are used effectively.   

 

The governing body has decided that children with special educational needs will be admitted to the school in line with the school’s agreed admissions policy. The Governing Body reviews this policy annually and considers any amendments in light of the annual review findings. The Governors develop an annual plan to address needs identified and contribute to the whole school development plan.

 

Monitoring and evaluation  

The SENDCO monitors the movement of children within the SEND system in school and provides staff and governors with regular summaries of the impact of the policy on the practice of the school.

 

They are involved in supporting teachers and in drawing up SEND support Plans for children.

The SENDCo and the head teacher hold regular meetings to review the work of the school in this area.

In addition the SENDCo and the named governor with responsibility for special needs also hold regular meetings.  

 

Partnership within and beyond school.

The school actively encourages and promotes partnerships within the local community and beyond through its involvement with:

 

  • Tickton Pre –school/out of school club
  • Pre-school settings within the area around Beverley including Fir Trees, Busy Bees, Manor Road etc
  • St Paul’s Church and the Methodist Chapel
  • Village community events
  • Tickton Wednesday Club
  • Brownies / Rainbows
  • French/ Judo clubs/badminton/netball/dance/ keep fit clubs/football/golf/sports
  • Music tutors/ singing
  • Local secondary schools
  • Charity fund raising work – with local, national and international charities
  • Sponsorship of an Indian child – through World Vision
  • The local community – invitations to concerts and performances
  • School helpers – parents/Grandparents/friends
  • Community lunches for our older residents
  • The Parents & Friends Association of the School
  • Work experience students
  • International teaching students
  • St John’s Collage students/ Hull University – graduates
  • Environmental issues – planting trees to form a woodland in the locality

 

Links with other schools and transfer arrangements

 

The majority of our girls transfer to Beverley High School and the boys to Beverley Grammar School. We are taking an increasing number of children from outside of our catchment area and so an increasing number now transfer to Longcroft School  and Hornsea High school.

 

We have established good links with all the schools, with specialist teachers coming into school at various times of the year to share their expertise and are further developing links to ensure continuity of provision for all our children on transfer.

 

We routinely invite the SENDCo from the secondary school to the Y5 and final annual review of pupils with a Statement/EHCP and where possible they make every effort to attend. In situations where this has not been possible we have set up liaison meetings to ensure the transition is as smooth and well informed as can be.

 

Staff from the secondary schools visit all the pupils before they transfer, but special arrangements are made for children with SEND. This may be in the form of additional visits, usually with a teaching assistant accompanying them initially, and then followed up by further visits with a friend. This has proved extremely successful and we use this as a model of good practice.

 

Our transfer arrangements with pre-school providers utilise the Foundation Stage information to improve communication as to the children’s stage of learning. Staff from our foundation stage, liaise with staff and visit children in their pre-school setting to ensure a smooth transition into school and ensure we have the necessary provision in place with regard to an individual’s specific needs.

 

Children with significant needs are identified as early as possible and close links made with the family/child and associated agencies in order to ensure a smooth lead up to starting school.

 

Meetings are set up with parents prior to a child starting school and ‘the open door policy’ we operate allows parents the opportunity to contact us at any time. Coupled with our admissions meeting, play days, lunches and introduction and tours of the school parents have been very positive about our transfer systems.

 

 

Reviewed: July 2019

E Anderson

SENDCo