Nettleham C.E. Aided Junior School POLICY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Transcription

1 Nettleham C.E. Aided Junior School POLICY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS May 2012

2 OBJECTIVES The staff and Governors at Nettleham CE Aided Junior School are committed to the provision of equal opportunities for all children. Each pupil has his or her own needs. We will work to ensure that each individual has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, to be included fully in the school community, and to experience success. The National Inclusion Statement emphasizes the importance of providing effective learning opportunities for all pupils and offers three key principles for inclusion: Setting suitable learning challenges Responding to pupils diverse needs Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils We adhere to all the principles of the SEN Code of Practice [Revised] January 2002, the Code of Practice for Schools - Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Part 4 [as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001], and Lincolnshire County Council: Special Educational Needs Policy [Appendix A: Policy Statement] Children have Special Educational Needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision. Children have a learning difficulty if they: (a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age (b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of usual educational facilities. Children are not regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because their home language is different from the language in which they will be taught. Special Educational provision means provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, that made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the LEA (i.e. not simply a normally differentiated curriculum). This policy aims to meet the needs of all children experiencing difficulties through: early identification and assessment of needs the provision of appropriate support and resources close monitoring of progress communication between pupils, parents, teaching and support staff, and outside agencies. PROVISION The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is Miss Anne Thompson B.Ed (Hons) Cantab. The SENCO is responsible for coordinating the day-to-day provision of education for pupils with SEN. Teaching Assistants are employed in line with Statements. We also employ Teaching Assistants for each year group to work with small groups and individuals, as directed by teachers. The Governors must: ensure, with the head teacher, that the SEN policy and practice meets the Statutory requirements as laid out in the revised Code of Practice (January 2002). They must set up appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and oversee the school s work. do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for pupils with SEN. ensure that, where the responsible person the head teacher or the appropriate governor has been informed by the LEA that a pupil has SEN, those needs are made known to all who are likely to teach them ensure that teachers and support staff in the school are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for, those pupils who have SEN 2

3 ensure that a pupil with SEN joins in the activities of the school so far as is reasonably practical and compatible with the child receiving the special educational provision their learning needs call for, the efficient education of other pupils and the efficient use of resources. report annually to parents on the implementation of the Policy. The head teacher will have overall responsibility for all special needs matters. The SENCO will: ensure that the SEN Policy is updated in line with statutory requirements ensure that practice throughout the school is carried out in line with the Policy Statement provide information to the Governing Body on SEN provision as requested have responsibility for the day-to-day management of Teaching Assistants co-ordinate the provision of Additional Literacy Support and Additional Numeracy Support programmes, including making assessments and placing children at appropriate starting points in the programmes co-ordinate the means of early identification of children with SEN maintain an up-to-date register of all children with SEN monitor progress of all children identified as having SEN co-ordinate arrangements for reviews for all children at School Action (ii) and above liaise with, and provide support for, colleagues in writing Individual Education Plans liaise with outside support agencies co-ordinate arrangements and paperwork for Annual Reviews of children with Statements of SEN complete referrals to ARM [the Area Referral Meeting] ensure files are kept up-to-date, collate reports identify areas for professional development manage the budget for SEN in conjunction with the Head Teacher co-ordinate the purchase, storage and control of all SEN resources provide advice and support to colleagues Class teachers will: identify children requiring additional support; inform and consult SENCO differentiate activities as appropriate monitor individual progress participate in Review meetings, produce Individual Education Plans, review progress meet with parents and outside agencies administer screening and assessment tests All teachers are teachers of children with Special Educational Needs. ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS An evening for the parents of new children is held in the Summer term prior to admission. Parents are invited to raise concerns with the Head teacher, SENCO or Year 3 teachers, either during that time or at a later, private appointment. The SENCO and Year 3 teachers liaise with the Infant schools, and with appropriate outside agencies. The SENCO may be involved in liaison with Infant schools at an earlier stage if appropriate, and will attend Year 2 review meetings when invited, if possible. FACILITIES The school is constantly seeking to improve facilities and resources for all children with Special Educational Needs. Ramps are in place to allow access to the building at several different points. There is a lift to facilitate access to all levels, and a disabled toilet. Handrails are provided as required. Close liaison with outside agencies enables us to have access to specialist equipment as needed/when funding is available. 3

4 ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES Resources are allocated in several ways. Children with Statements at Band 6 or above are given funding by the LEA in accordance with the banding structure. We provide staffing and resources in line with the Statement. Children with Statements below this level are allocated support from the school s delegated funding. Children with SEN, who are not in receipt of Statements, have their needs met through delegated LEA funding and through provision made from the school s budget. We employ a teacher, who is not class-based, to teach small groups and individuals. This, in turn, allows all children to benefit from working in smaller groups. The SENCO has half a day per week non-contact time to carry out the range of tasks listed earlier. The school buys into the Specialist Teacher and Psychology Service [formerly the Learning Support Service], and currently has a STAPS teacher working in school for 1 afternoon per week. This work consists mainly of carrying out assessments and providing advice for staff. Currently year groups have 12 hours Teaching Assistant time each per week. The number of support hours available varies from year to year in line with budget constraints. The TAs follow the Additional Literacy Support and Additional Numeracy Support programmes in Years 3 and 4, as well as working with small groups and individuals on other targeted work. Outside agencies support and advise as necessary. A large range of SEN resources are available in school. These are stored near the photocopier. IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PUPILS WITH SEN It is vitally important that Special Educational Needs are identified as soon as possible to enable early intervention to take place. The following procedures are in place to facilitate this: Liaison with feeder schools, parents and outside agencies; information regarding Key Stage 1 SAT results and Teacher Assessments. Year 3 Screening. All children in Year 3 will be screened in the September of their year of entry to this school. This will include Reading and Spelling Ages and quotients, Mathematics, and a Non-Reading Intelligence Quotient. A yearly SEN Identification Summary sheet to be completed by every class teacher after a few weeks with a new class. Pupils entering the school at other times will also undergo assessment as appropriate. Immediate consultation with SENCO and Head Teacher, who will consult with Learning Support Service, or other agencies, as appropriate. All staff will be made aware of children with SEN. This includes supply staff. NFER Reading tests, Schonell Spelling and Reading tests will be carried out according to the Assessment Policy. Voluntary SATs in Reading, Spelling, Writing, Mathematics and Mental Maths. will be carried out in the Summer term Voluntary SAT scores are analysed annually. Progress is monitored closely. The developing data tracking process identifies children with SEN clearly in terms of their progress in academic areas, on a termly basis at Pupil Progress meetings. Additional assessments may be carried by the SENCO and/or STAPS. A Speech and Language therapist and the Educational Psychologist may be asked if further investigations are deemed to be necessary. PROVISION MAPPING 4

5 THE STAGED PROCESS Children s Special Educational Needs are recognized under the following process: School Action (i) The class teacher monitors the child closely, and informs the SENCO. Parents are informed. Child is entered onto the SEN Register. Following a review of progress, the child may be removed from the Register or moved to the next stage if the difficulty has not been resolved. School Action (ii) The class teacher, working with the SENCO, provides interventions that are additional to or different from those that are provided as part of the school s normally differentiated curriculum or strategies e.g small group work with non-class based teacher, TA time, Toe by Toe programme. Advice may be sought from outside agencies. An Individual Education Plan is written, outlining targets and strategies to be employed. This will be reviewed at least twice a year. If progress is insufficient, the child may be moved to School Action Plus. School Action Plus In addition to the above interventions, External Services will usually see the child, either for assessment or to work with them. If, after at least two Reviews, the difficulties persist, a decision may be taken to refer the child to the Area Referral Meeting and ask for a Multi-Disciplinary Assessment to be instigated. Statement If, on completion of the assessment, the LEA decides that a child s needs can only be met by the provision of additional resources, a Statement of Special Educational Needs may be issued. This may provide additional physical resources, Teaching Assistant or teacher time. The Statement will be reviewed annually. REVIEWS Annual Reviews for pupils with Statements are held in accordance with the Code of Practice and LEA procedures. Reviews for children at School Action (ii) and School Action Plus are usually held twice a year. Additional meetings can be called at any time if the need arises. Meetings are chaired by the SENCO, and are attended by the class teacher, TA if appropriate, and parents. Arrangements are made to include pupils views in the review meeting. Outside agencies are invited if appropriate. Other teaching staff may attend. Written reports will be requested as necessary. The meetings follow a standard format which includes reviewing targets from previous IEPs and setting future targets. Letters, summarizing the findings of the meeting, are sent to any parents unable to attend. The effectiveness of the school s Special Educational Needs Policy is evaluated constantly. Our evaluations will consider the perceptions of parents and pupils, teachers and TAs, governors, and outside agencies; internal and external pupil assessments; IEP targets and reviews. Local Inspectors and OFSTED will monitor our work very closely. The report written for the Annual Governor s meeting with parents will include information about numbers on the SEN Register, methods of identification, assessment, provision, monitoring and record keeping, any significant changes to policy, liaison with outside agencies and other schools, admission arrangements, staff training. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Every effort is made to ensure that all pupils have equal access to a balanced and broadly based curriculum, including the National Curriculum. Advice is taken from all appropriate agencies. A range of teaching and learning styles is employed. Different methods of recording are used. [see Appendix B Strategies for Differentiation ] 5

6 Arrangements are made for pupils with SEN to receive additional help with SATS if appropriate [in accordance with statutory guidelines]. This may include additional time, a reader, help with writing. Pupils with Special Educational Needs are actively encouraged and supported to engage in all school activities. Support is provided by teaching and non-teaching staff, and by peers. STAFF DEVELOPMENT All teaching and non-teaching staff consult regularly with the SENCO. Consultations with outside agencies are arranged as necessary. The Learning Support Service teacher visits school each week, and brief meetings can usually be held and advice sought. All staff are asked to inform the Staff Development Coordinator if they wish to attend any training courses. Funding is usually available to enable identified needs to be met. Training needs are identified through Performance Management reviews, work with individual children or small groups, and consideration of the School Development Plan. Individual work with teachers and/or TAs can be arranged with outside agencies working in school. OUTSIDE SUPPORT The school has a very positive and supportive relationship with outside agencies. A twice yearly planning meeting is held at which the SENCO reviews the current situation with STAPS [Learning Support Service teacher and the Educational Psychologist]. In addition, the school also utilizes advice, support and assessment from the following services: Speech and Language Therapy, Emotional and Behavioural Support, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Sensory Impaired, Autism Outreach, Special Schools, CAMHS, Social and medical services, and curriculum advisors. PARENTS The school considers that the best way to support a child with Special Educational Needs is through a partnership with parents. Our aim is to maintain an open and positive dialogue throughout every child s time at Nettleham. We will inform parents as soon as a concern arises, and be open and honest at all stages. Parents are invited to attend SEN Review meetings in addition to Parent-Teacher appointments. The Head Teacher, class teacher and SENCO are always willing to speak with parents about SEN issues at mutually convenient times. Ways in which parents can support their child are always identified on Individual Education Plans, and staff are able to offer further guidance if required. The school will always seek parental permission before referring a child to outside agencies. If parents have concerns, they should contact the class teacher in the first instance. If the issue is not resolved, or requires further attention, parents can contact the SENCO and/or the Head Teacher. If a complaint is not resolved, parents have the right to refer the issue to the Governing Body. The LEA has a Parent Partnership Service whose role is to inform and mediate with parents: Telephone (01522) The SEN Tribunal considers appeals against the decisions of the LEA regarding a child s Statement of Special Educational Needs: SEN Tribunal 71, Victoria Street London SW1 A list of other contact names, addresses and telephone numbers is available in Appendix C. 6

7 A directory of Special Educational Needs support groups is available in school. LINKS WITH OTHER SCHOOLS The school seeks to develop strong links with Infant and Secondary schools. Liaison with our feeder Infant school has already been mentioned. The SENCOs from Secondary schools are always invited to attend the final SEN reviews of Year 6 pupils. They may also be invited for preliminary meetings for children with Statements, if necessary. 7