What is the Local Offer? The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer

Transcription

1 Bonneygrove Primary School Information Report also known as School s Offer for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as defined by the Code of Practice September 2014 What is 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 disabled children and children with SEN (special educational needs) 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 care for their child. You can find out about the Hertfordshire s Local Offer by using the link provided at the end of this document. Bonneygrove School Offer The template of questions below was devised through co-production with Hertfordshire Parent Carers Involvement Board, Headteachers and Special Education Needs Coordinators, in order to support schools in providing clear information for parents and carers about all aspects of SEN provision. The answers to these questions will inform you about Bonneygrove School and set out what you should expect to receive should your child have a special educational need. Should you have any comments please contact: Mrs Barton at admin@bonneygrove.herts.sch.uk. How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs? The school recognises a need for a graduated response to the identification and assessment of children who fall behind age related expectations or appear to need support in engaging with the school curriculum. This means that the support and provision will be suited to the needs of the child and will change over time. The graduated response at Bonneygrove is detailed below: - The class teacher identifies if the child is achieving appropriate expectations - The class teacher identifies if the child is making expected progress - The parent may have a concern from home and share this with the class teacher. - Where there are any concerns the class teacher modifies class provision to cater for need and works closely with parents to support learning through working in partnership - Class provision and impact of provision is reviewed on a regular basis - If a further need is identified and/or progress continues not to be made, a meeting with the school s inclusion leader is organised - The Inclusion leader will suggest strategies to support or use advice from other partners to identify further strategies - The Inclusion leader will refer to the SEND Code of Practice and follow guidance should a child meet criteria for SEND support

2 If you are concerned about your child s progress, achievement or well-being, we encourage you to speak to the class teacher in the first instance. If you are joining the school from another setting or for the first time and your child has a special educational need or disability already, or has an Educational Health Care Plan, please speak to the head teacher who will put you in touch with the Inclusion Leader to organise a positive induction to our school for your child. How will school staff support my child? Our school has staff working alongside your children in different ways. Each person has a different role to play. Governors: They have a statutory duty to ensure the school meets all legal requirements and that all information is available to parents. The school has a SEND link governor who supports and challenges the school to ensure provision for SEND results in positive outcomes for children. Head teacher: Ensures that the systems and procedures are in place stated in the SEND Code of Practice leading to positives outcomes for children. The head teacher identifies strengths in provision and next steps enabling the school to reflect and build on its successes. Senior Leadership Team: They monitor the progress of children in the school including those with SEND. Where any achievement gaps or particular needs are identified, they discuss provision with the class teacher to help identify what is needed or what needs to be changed to ensure children have access to the whole curriculum and achieve well. Inclusion Leader (who is also our SENCo): The Inco (Inclusion leader) oversees the day to day operation of the school s provision for children with SEND. They track and monitor progress of children with SEND and support the head teacher in identifying strengths and next steps. The Inco liaises with the class teacher, parents and other professionals and supports target setting to ensure a child s needs are met and that good progress is being made. Class Teacher: They are the person who has the most contact with your child on a day to day basis. They implement the advice given to ensure your child can access the whole curriculum and achieve well. Teaching Assistant: We have a team of highly skilled teaching assistants. They may work with children in small groups or on a 1:1 basis to support learning or other needs. They feedback to the class teacher the things that have worked well and where children may need further support. How will I know how my child is doing? There are a few ways you will know how your child is doing: - We have an open door policy and you can ask to talk to your child s class teacher by making an appointment - We encourage children to talk to the class teacher should they have any worries or concerns

3 - Your child may have particular needs and have targets set specifically to address their SEND need. These will be reviewed three times a year with you and your child. - Parents evenings are held twice yearly - You will receive an end of year report stating where your child is in terms of age-related expectations - Your child may have support through an educational health care plan which will be reviewed at least yearly - Your child may have a common assessment framework assessment leading to a team around the family for support. This will be reviewed at regular intervals as per individual need - Home/ school books can be set up for daily communication should this support your child s needs - Should the school have any concerns or should something happen that is important for your child in the school day, the class teacher will ensure you are spoken with via inviting you into school or contacting you by phone How will learning and development provision be matched to my child s needs? In school all classes have provision maps. These state what strategies teachers use in their whole class teaching for all children, group teaching and one to one teaching. You will know what provision you child is receiving through discussion with the class teacher and your child. At any reviews together your child, you and the class teacher will look at if targets set for your child have been met and review the provision accordingly together. All classes plan learning that meets the needs of the children in their class. This is known as differentiation. Sometimes when we differentiate learning, children all do the same task but a different outcome is expected, sometimes all children learn the same skill but at different levels. For example all children might be learning to multiply some children will be learning to use single digits to multiple with hands on resources to support, some children may be using single digits to multiply but have word problems and some children might move onto using two digit numbers to multiple. Sometimes children may be working in small groups and learning a different skill to others as this is what is needed before they can move onto their next steps. Some children need extra support for medical reasons or need resources adapting so that they can access the curriculum. This will be discussed with you and your child and reasonable changes will be made for your child. For example if your child has a visual impairment: texts may be made available in a larger font, or copied onto a different coloured paper. What support will there be for my child s overall well-being? We recognise that some children may have additional emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative. The whole school follows a structured PSHCE (Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult further support will be put in place. The school also has a trained Teaching Assistant to provide nurture support, who works with children either

4 on a one to one basis or in small groups to support children s overall well-being. This could be on issues such as anger management, friendships or self -esteem for example. Members of staff are available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns. Where it is deemed appropriate parents will be invited in to the school to discuss concerns and plan for further support. Where it is felt that pupils are encountering significant emotional difficulties the support of outside agencies will considered, such as counselling services and the school nurse. Some children need medical care to help them stay in school for the day. If this is the case, a meeting with the head teacher will take place and a medical protocol will be discussed. Where training for staff is needed this will be organised. For example; if a child needs insulin injections during the course of the day this can be organised by working in partnership with the school, parents and health professionals. The school has a behaviour policy which has to be adhered to at all times to help pupil s feel safe in school. Where children have needs relating to behaviour, we modify our provision to support children. This is done jointly with the parent, child, inclusion leader and other professionals where needed. In school, we communicate the provision to all staff so that should an incident occur everyone responds in the same way to provide consistency for your child. We make expectations clear to your child at the same time as providing the support they need to be-able to meet these expectations. We work with parents and the attendance improvement officer to discuss issues that may prevent a child from coming to school. What training have the staff in supporting children with SEND had or are having? In school we currently have a teaching assistant team and teaching team who between them have the following expertise: - The six principles of nurture - Precision teaching - Reading Mentor Programmes - Delivering letters and sounds provision - A knowledge of supporting children with Autism - A knowledge of supporting children with Dyslexia - Knowledge in supporting speech and language development - Higher Level Teaching Assistant Qualifications - Delivery of High Five (supporting children s writing development) - Delivery of Springboard (supporting children s maths development) - Delivery of talking tables (supporting talk for writing) - A knowledge of administering medicines for children with diabetes - A knowledge of supporting children with a visual impairment - Most staff are trained to administer Epi-pens - Most staff are trained to administer basic first aid - First aider at work - Paediatric trained first aiders

5 Our Inclusion Leader attended the Hertfordshire SEN training to increase her knowledge of SEND Reforms to ensure children with SEN receive the right levels of support and intervention to help them to achieve good outcomes. Our Inclusion Leader regularly attends the local SEND cluster group. All members have access to up to date and relevant training related to SEND in order to support the needs of our children. When external advice is sought, teaching assistants and class teachers are released to meet with the relevant agency to ensure their own understanding and knowledge is up-to date so that strategies suggested to support can be implemented in class. Our head teacher is the Vice Chair of Area 4 (Broxbourne) Developing Special Provision Locally Management Committee. This involves working together with a group of head teachers, parents, local authority officers and other setting representatives to look at 0-25 provision for children and young people with SEND. What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school? Our Inclusion leader has strong partnerships with a range of professionals such as: educational psychologist, autism advisory service, family support workers, speech and language therapist, primary support base, specific learning difficulties base, social care services, local SEND cluster groups and managers of the local authority team known as Integrated Services for Learning. This team can sign post the school should we need advice and support and we are unsure of where this can be found. How will you help me to support my child s learning? The school runs workshops for parents that focus on reading, maths, spelling and grammar which you are welcome to attend. We also have produced booklets published on the school s web-site on how you can support learning at home. We have an open door policy and encourage parents to speak with us if you are concerned about how to support your child s needs at home. We will listen and agree the outcomes you want for your child and then see what can be done to help and support. How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child s education? We have an open door policy and encourage parents to speak with the class teacher if you should have any concerns at any time. We invite you to review your child s provision with the class teacher three times a year and invite you to parents evening twice yearly. Some children, particularly those with complex needs may have an educational health care plan or a common assessment framework in place to support their development. The school will co-ordinate this for you to ensure you have to only tell your story in one meeting rather than trying to speak to all professionals involved individually. These plans will focus on your needs and your child s needs and how the relevant agencies and you can support your child s learning needs in partnership. All children are given the opportunity from year 2 upwards to stand for election for the school s council. The children use a voting system to choose their representative.

6 Our Governing body, subject leaders and Inclusion leader all hold pupil interviews during the course of the year. This allows children to tell us about their learning and helps us plan our next steps. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips? Activities and school trips are available to all children at Bonneygrove. The individual needs of the children are taken into account at the planning stage of a trip. In consultation with parents, we make adjustments to ensure full participation. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. If it is deemed that an intensive level of one to one care is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during an activity. For school journeys which involve a two or four night stay, we speak to parents well in advance of the trip to ensure we have plenty of time to organise extra staff or training should this be required to enable your child to attend. How accessible is the school environment? Bonneygrove school complies with the Equality Act 2010 and has and will continue to make reasonable adjustments to the school environment and accommodation to ensure accessibility for all. We have a three year accessibility plan that sets out our aims. The school is fully accessible for wheelchair access and classrooms are adapted to meet children s needs as required. For example: we have widened door access, provided support bars in toilets, ensured ramps to avoid steps in the school grounds. We have a soundfield system installed in all classrooms which supports children who have hearing impairments by reducing the background noise in the classroom by amplifying the teacher s voice. Where English is not a child s first language we access support and modify provision to meet the child s needs. We are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Who can I contact for further information? - Class teacher - Inclusion Leader: Mrs Barton - Head teacher: Anne Gorolini - SEND link Governor: Leave a message in the school office and they will contact you - Parent Partnership: Ask Mrs Barton for contact details - Local Authority SEN Officer: Ask Mrs Barton for contact details How will the school support my child to join the school, transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life? Our PSHCE (Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education) curriculum aims to prepare all children for their next stage of their schooling, and for life. There are many strategies in place to enable your child s transition, at whatever stage, to be as smooth as possible. These include:

7 - Discussions between the previous and receiving settings/schools prior to children joining or leaving - All children attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teacher - Our Early Years teacher visits the nursery settings of our new starters and liaises closely with parents/carers and settings on appropriate provision for children - Nursery/Reception children are invited to have preparatory visits prior to starting school - Secondary school staff visit children prior to them joining their new school - Class teachers and our Inclusion Leader liaise with the special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCO s) from the secondary school to pass on information regarding SEN children - Where a child may have specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged with our Inclusion Leader, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the child. For children with more complex needs, we will ensure you have the opportunity to meet our Inclusion leader to talk about your child s needs. We will listen, offer suggestions and together create a transition plan. This plan will outline the support your child needs to enable a successful move from one setting to another. Where needed, external advice may be taken and followed. We will co-ordinate liaison with other schools, setting or agencies. How are the school s resources allocated and matched to children s special educational needs? The school s special educational needs budget is delegated to us by the local authority. Governors and the Head teacher decide how to allocate this budget. This sets out how resources will be spent to meet accommodation needs, staffing needs and other resources needed to support learning. Within budget constraints, allocation is allocated according to level of need. In exceptional circumstances additional funding can be applied for using High Needs local authority funding (Exceptional Needs Funding) for individuals or clusters of need. How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive? This is done in consultation with the head teacher, Inclusion leader, other professional s advice, class teacher and parents. We discuss what is needed and what resources are available to meet the need for the child. Reasonable adjustments to provision are then made. How can I find out about the authority s Local Offer of services and provision for children with special educational needs and disability? Information about the Hertfordshire Local Authority offer can be found at:

8 There are many terms that are abbreviated which can lead to confusion Below is a glossary of the most used terms Abbreviation AIO ADD ADHD ASD BESD CAF CAMHS COP CP DCD EAL EP FSM HI IEP INCO ISP KS LAC LA MLD NC OT PSHCE PSP SALT SEN SEND SENCO SpLD Attendance Improvement Officer 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 an Additional Language Educational Psychologist Free School Meals Hearing Impairment Individual Education Plan Inclusion Leader (who is also the SEND leader) In School Review Key Stage Looked After Children Local Authority Moderate Learning Difficulty National Curriculum Occupational Therapist Personal, Social, Citizenship & Health Education Pastoral Support Programme Speech & Language Therapy/Therapist Special Educational Needs Special Educational Needs & Disability Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator Specific Learning Difficulty VI Visual Impairment *To be reviewed September 2016 *Please note that this document may be updated as a result of stakeholder feedback and development within the area.