Special Educational Needs Information

Transcription

1 Special Educational Needs Information At Staplehurst School we aim to support ALL children to enable them to achieve in school. Quality First Teaching is the key to this, however some children at some stage in their education will need extra support in order for them to achieve. Tonianne Wrightson is Inclusion Manager and SENCo and DCPC The SENCo is responsible for the implementation of the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Policy. The SENCo coordinates the provision provided for individual or small groups of children with SEN. The SENCo liaises regularly with staff and SLT (Senior Leadership Team) to monitor the progress of pupils. The SENCo also liaises with external agencies. If you have any SEN concerns please contact the SENCo: The Local Offer The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services available to support children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and their families. The Kent.gov Local Offer will provide parents / carers with information about how to access services in their area and what they can expect from those services. The Kent.gov Local offer will be found at: Kent s Local Offer During the last year the Local Offer Steering Group has developed questions about SEND for schools to answer. There are 14 questions devised in consultation with parents / carers and other agencies. These questions reflect their concerns and interests. It is the school s responsibility to provide information to enable parents / carers to make decisions about how to support their child s needs. Below are Staplehurst School s current answers to the questions. These answers will be reviewed regularly in consultation with staff, governors and parents / carers. 1

2 Glossary of Terms ADD Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder CAF Common Assessment Framework CAMHS Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service COP Code of Practice CP Child Protection DCPC Designated Child Protection Coordinator EAL English as an Additional Language EHCP Education, Health and Care Plan (replacing the Statement of Special Educational Needs) EP Educational Psychologist EWO Educational Welfare Officer FSM Free School Meals FLO Family Liaison Officer HI Hearing Impairment IEP Individual Education Plan 2

3 KS Key Stage LAC /CLA Looked After Child / Child Looked After LEA Local Education Authority LIFT Local Inclusion Forum Team MLD Moderate Learning Difficulty NC National Curriculum OT Occupational Therapist PP Pupil Premium PSP Pastoral Support Programme SaLT Speech & Language Therapy SEN Special Educational Needs SEND Special Educational Needs & Disability SENCo Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator SLT Senior Leadership Team SpLD Specific Learning Difficulty STS Specialist Teaching Services VI Visual Impairment VSK Virtual School Kent 3

4 1. How does Staplehurst School know if pupils need extra help? We know if a pupil needs help if: Concerns are raised by the parent / carer, teacher, teaching assistant, SENCo, any other professional, the pupil them self, or previous schools; The pupil is under achieving or under attaining; There is a change in the pupil s behaviour; Poor test scores. What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs? If you have any concerns: Initially contact your child s class teacher; If you are still concerned, then contact the SENCo, Miss Wrightson. 2. How will Staplehurst School support my child? All lessons are carefully planned and differentiated taking into account the needs of all the children in the class; If a child has needs related to a more specific area of their education or social skills, such as handwriting, spelling, numeracy or literacy skills, then the child may be placed in small focus groups where they can receive additional help for their area of need. These interventions may be run by the class teacher, teaching assistant or other members of staff and can take place either in the classroom or outside the classroom. These interventions will be placed on a class provision map and this will be shared with the parents / carers of the children receiving the interventions. If a child has a statement of special educational needs or an EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan), then an IEP Individual Education Plan) will drawn up by the class teacher and shared with the parent / carer. All intervention groups on provision maps and IEPs are regularly monitored and the impact of those interventions is assessed, this information is used to inform future planning and decide if further interventions are necessary. Any concerns about theses interventions can be discussed with the class teacher or SENCo. Pupil Progress meetings are held termly, this is where the class teacher meets with the Head or deputy Head and SENCo to discuss the progress of pupils in their class. Concerns about the progress of any child will have already been identified prior to the meeting by the class teacher in consultation with their Phase Leader. Occasionally a pupil may need support from outside agencies such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy or the Specialist Teaching Service, referral forms will then be completed with parental agreement and sent to the appropriate agency. 4

5 3. How will the curriculum be matched to my child s needs? Work is carefully planned and differentiated by the teachers to meet the needs of all children. When a child has been identified as having special needs then the work will be further differentiated to remove any barriers to learning to enable the child to access the curriculum and achieve. Small focus groups or 1:1 work may be planned to target particular areas of need, these sessions may be delivered by the class teacher or teaching assistants. Pupils with Statements of Educational Needs or the Education and Health care Plans will have IEPs written by the class teacher and shared with the parent / carer to address the specific needs of the child. If necessary, specialist equipment such as writing slopes, wobble cushions, coloured filters etc may be given to the child. 4. How will I know how my child is doing? You will be able to discuss your child s progress at Parent Consultation Evenings; You can use the home contact book to liaise with the class teacher; Individual Assessment summaries are sent out mid-year; A report is sent out at the end of the school year; Appointments can be made to discuss anything on more detail with the class teacher, by contacting the office. If you wish to discuss anything with the SENCO she can be contacted either through the school office or directly (see above for contact information). How will you help me to support my child s learning? Provision maps and IEPs are regularly shared with parent / carers, any suggestions of how you can help at home will be discussed. Miss Wrightson (Inclusion Manager and SENCo) may meet with you to discuss how to support your child. Mrs Laming (FLO) or a member of the SLT may meet with you if there are concerns about behaviour or emotional needs. If outside agencies have been involved, there may be programmes of study suggested that can be used at home, this will be shared with the parent / carers. 5. 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, social and behavioural difficulties. These include: Members of staff such as the class teacher, Phase Leaders, FLO, SENCo, teaching assistants are readily available to discuss issues and concerns; 5

6 Arc counselling is available in school if parents / carers and school feel this is appropriate; Social skill groups, Lego Club and other groups are run by staff to promote wellbeing and raise self-esteem; A quiet area can be provided for children who are unable to cope at lunchtime. 1:1 adult support, play leaders, Buddies and Smile Ambassadors are on the playgrounds at lunchtimes. Pupils with medical needs If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is completed by Miss Wrightson in consultation with the parents / carers and appropriate health care professionals if necessary; Where necessary and with parental /carer agreement medicines can be administered; Specialist Diabetic Training is delivered to staff caring for children with diabetes; Epipen training is given to staff; All staff have basic first aid training; There are members of staff with specialist paediatric first aid training. 6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school? It may be necessary at times to consult with outside agencies in order to receive their specialised expertise. The agencies used by Staplehurst School include: The Specialist Teaching Service who can provide support and advice to support children with a variety of needs; Educational Psychologist; CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service); ARC Counsellors; Slideaway (Bereavement counselling); Outreach Workers from Special Schools; School Nurse; Children s Therapy team - Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists: Social Services; Children Safeguarding Team; EWO (educational welfare Officer). 7. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having? Different members of staff have had training relating to SEND either from coursed delivered by outside trainers or from In house training. This includes: How to support pupils on the autistic spectrum; 6

7 How to support pupils with Dyslexic / Dyscalulia difficulties; How to support pupils with Speech and Language difficulties; How to support pupils with physical and co-ordination needs; How to support pupils with social and emotional needs; How to support staff with Attachment Disorder. Miss Wrightson is currently undergoing the training to achieve the National Award for Special educational Needs Co-ordination and regularly attends courses and conferences in order to stay up to date with any changes regarding children with SEND; this information is then disseminated to all staff. 8. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom? We are an inclusive school and activities and school trips are available to all. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to allow all children to participate; If a health and safety risk assessment suggests that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required, this may be provided by school staff or a parent / carer may be asked to accompany their child. 9. How accessible is the school environment? As a school we are happy to discuss any individual access requirements. We currently have: Toilets adapted for disabled users; The children s kitchen is fitted with equipment suitable for use by disabled children; Some double doors to allow for wheelchair access We have an up to date Accessibility Plan. See: Accessibility Plan 10. How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Staplehurst School or transferring to a new school? We understand that transitions can be a stressful time and therefore have many strategies in place to ensure any transitions are as smooth as possible, these include: Entry to Staplehurst School: Visits to nursery schools and preschool in the summer term by the Early Years leader and the SENCo to meet children who will be entering Staplehurst School the following September; 7

8 A planned programme of visits in the summer term for pupils with and without parents / carers starting in September. Parent / carers are invited to meet the staff in order to gain an understanding of how the school works at a whole year group meeting and individual meetings with the child s new teacher; There are handover meetings between staff from the previous setting and staff from Staplehurst School; For the first 2 weeks children will only be in school for half a day; Additional visits to the school are arranged for any children who may need extra time to settle; Transfer between years: All pupils have an opportunity to meet their new class teacher and visit their new classroom; Extra visits to the new teacher and classroom will be arranged for children who need more support managing change and a social story book may be created with pictures of the child s new classroom and teacher There is an intensive handover of information between the current teacher and the new teacher. Transfer to Secondary School: A member of staff from most secondary schools will meet the pupils at Staplehurst School; Vulnerable children are identified and made known to the secondary school by the SENCo or FLO, some secondary schools provide extra visits for these children; Pupils have the opportunity to visit their secondary school; The SENCo passes on any relevant information to the secondary schools and if needed will have meetings with the SENCo of the secondary school; Mid-Year transfer: The pupil will be shown around the school with their parents /carers and they will be introduced to their new teacher; A member of the class will be identified as a friend for the new pupil to help with the move; Information is sought from the previous school as soon as possible and if necessary the SENCo will speak to the previous school. 11. How are the school s resources allocated and matched to children s special educational needs? The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. This money is used to provide additional support or resources depending on the individual s needs; The additional support or resources may be allocated after discussions with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if concerns are raised at other times; 8

9 Further support or resources may be allocated after assessments by school staff or outside agencies; Resources may include deployment or training of staff depending on individual circumstances. 12. How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive? The decision is made in consultation with the class teacher and SLT, based on termly tracking, pupil progress meetings, and any assessments carried out by the school or outside agencies; During their school life, if further concerns are raised about lack of progress or well-being, then interventions will be arranged. 13. 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. Your involvement in discussions about and planning for your child s education may happen: During meetings with the class teacher; During parent consultations; During discussions with any other professionals from the school or from outside agencies; During discussions about IEPs. 14. Who can I contact for further information? We hope we have answered your queries, however if you wish to discuss your child s educational needs or any other issues, please contact one of the following: Your child s class teacher; The Inclusion Manager and SENCo (Miss Wrightson), twrightson@staplehurst.kent.sch.uk / The Head Teacher (Mrs Farthing) or Deputy Head Teacher (Mrs Friend). Appointments can be made through the school office, office@staplehurst.kent.sch.uk /