Meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs at Blenheim Primary School The School Offer

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1 Meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs at Blenheim Primary School The School Offer PART OF THE LANTERN LEARNING TRUST Blenheim Primary School is a happy school in which our pupils are encouraged to become considerate and responsible members of society. Above all, we want our pupils to enjoy their days at school and to know the joys of learning, discovery and challenge. We want our parents and carers to trust us and work with us. We will work together to make sure every child has the opportunity to achieve their potential because every child matters to us. We work with and are led by the needs and choices of parents, carers, families and communities. We value the religions, traditions and backgrounds of all our pupils. The SEN provision at Blenheim is overseen and managed by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and coordinated by the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO). The SLT monitor, review and evaluate the SEN provision on a regular basis throughout the year and report to the school governing body on how individual needs are being met and how SEN funding is being spent. Together, the SENCO and all teaching staff are involved in identifying pupils with SEN and allocating appropriate targets, provision and resources to provide for the individual needs of the child. Staff in school are trained in various areas of SEN and have opportunities to work alongside outside professionals to develop skills in specific areas of SEN, such as autism. This allows staff to offer a range of support strategies for inclusion to our children. All pupils are treated as individuals. Class teachers, teaching assistants and key workers plan and deliver a differentiated curriculum for children with special educational needs to ensure effective teaching and learning with appropriate levels of support in place. We want the children when they leave us to have the skills and positive thinking needed to achieve their ambitions and to lead happy, successful lives. The School Offer What do I do if I think my child has special educational needs? If you have concerns about your child, talk to their class teacher. You might want to do this at a parents evening session or make a separate appointment to see them. Also, you can ask to speak to the school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCO), who organises extra help for children with special educational needs (SEN). The current SENCOs are Jackie Hall and Sarah Charlesworth-Russell and can be contacted on school s office contact number The Head Teacher and school governors also have responsibilities in relation to children with SEN. You might want to ask questions such as Does the school think your child has difficulties? Does the school think your child has special educational needs (SEN)?

2 Is your child is able to work at the same level as other children of a similar age? Is my child already getting some extra help? How can you help your child? What can I do at home to help? How will the school support my child? If the school agrees that your child has SEN, they will take a 'graduated approach' - this means 'step-by-step'. The graduated response is a four part cycle of assessment, planning, doing and reviewing which is revised termly in line with the assessment and monitoring policy. The class teacher and SENCO will put in place additional arrangements in order for your child to make progress, and will draw up a plan for your child. They will speak to you about this beforehand to explain what will happen and the type of extra support your child will receive. For most pupils extra help will be provided in the classroom, managed by the class teacher. This could be by working with the rest of the class, in small groups or on a one-to-one basis with a teacher or teaching assistant. For some children, outside support may be arranged in the form of sessions with a Speech Therapist, an Educational Psychologist, Inclusion Support Workers and so on. This may be recorded in the form of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), which includes targets for learning, ways in which the child will be supported and will monitor the progress made. The school may also agree some actions with you to carry out at home. Some children may have a Support Plan or Pupil Passport, detailing specific information about their particular needs. These plans include short-term targets set for the child, teaching strategies, assessment information and will be reviewed termly with teachers, key workers, parents or carers. You will be given a copy of the plans and your child will also be encouraged to be involved in reviewing their targets wherever possible. The school has a non-exclusion policy. How will the curriculum be matched to my child s needs? The teacher will know how your child is progressing within the National Curriculum and whether the progress is within the expected range. Most children will have their needs met through the differentiated curriculum. This means that the teacher adjusts the program of learning to take account of strengths and weaknesses for each child and their preferred way of learning. For some children with special educational needs, the teacher may provide different resources for them to use or there may be an adult to assist a small group of children to complete the task as independently as possible. Some children may have an Individual Education Programme (IEP) or a Support Plan specifying particular targets, strategies, resources and will also monitor the outcomes (please refer to the above section). How will I know how well my child is doing and how will you help me support my child s learning? In addition to the regular parents evening meetings, you will be kept regularly informed of your child s progress by agreeing and sharing your child s IEP targets with the class teacher. This will identify the next steps for your child to make progress and how the school and you can help them. Regular contact may be communicated through a home/school link book, s, telephone calls or meetings. There are also opportunities for you to become involved in parent training and parent learning sessions run during school hours. School regularly runs classes such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages),

3 cookery courses and Webster Stratton behaviour management training. Please enquire at the school office for further details and availability. What support will there be for my child s overall well-being? As well as the class teachers and teaching assistants who work with you child on a daily basis, the school has designated staff who are able to provide specialist support to develop children s emotional and social wellbeing in partnership with parents and carers. These roles are in the form of the Learning Mentor and the Parent Support Advisor. Healthcare plans and pastoral support plans can be used to meet specific needs of a child and/or their family. These plans are created in collaboration with school, parents and pupils, and they are monitored and reviewed at agreed intervals. Staff members who work with children requiring medical care in school are also given specialist training to deliver the specific care and treatment needed. The school considers training in Child Protection Procedures of paramount importance. All staff have received training in Child Protection procedures and there are three members of staff that are specially designated to safeguard all children. The designated Child Protection Officers are Mrs Mo Duffy (Head Teacher, Mrs Julie Kirk (Family Mentor) and Mrs Saba Khan (Family Mentor). School has a number of policies pertaining to children s social and emotional well-being, such as health and safety, disability access, medicines and inclusion. These are available from the school office on request or on the school website What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school? External support services play an important part in helping the school identify, assess and make provision for children with special education needs. These include: Regular visits from the nominated Educational Psychologist for the school. Seeking advice from specialist advisory teaching services for children with sensory impairment or physical difficulties or from services like Occupational Therapy Service. Advice and support from the Speech and Language Therapist and contributions to the reviews of pupils with significant speech and language difficulties. Advice and support from the Complex Needs Team. Advice and support from the Targeted Mental Health in Schools service (TAMHS) for children with emotional and behavioural needs. Advice and support from the school nurse and community paediatrician Targeted support for families on a variety of issues through school s Parent Support Advisor. Referral to the Education Welfare Officer service. School has subscribed to extra traded sessions with the Educational Psychologist and Speech and Language Therapist. Before the school makes any referral to a specialist service we will always gain your permission. What training are the staff supporting children with SEN having/had? We make an annual audit of training needs for all staff taking into account school priorities and personal professional development. Particular support is given to new members of staff and to training that addresses

4 children s specific needs. The SENCO and class teachers have opportunities to speak to outside agencies (such as Speech and Language Therapists, Complex Needs Workers, specialists in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (STARS), Educational Psychologists) to share advice and teaching techniques catered towards individualised learning. The SENCOs of other schools within the Leeds area meet together each term to share good practice and discuss current issues. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom? It is the school s policy to enable every child to participate as fully as possible in all elements of the wider curriculum. We ensure that all children attend school trips and residential visits with support as appropriate. Where necessary, the school will meet with parents and carers to discuss individual needs prior to any visit or activity. How accessible is the school? The school has an accessibility policy which is reviewed regularly. As part of this review, we ensure that the school environment is accessible for all children, including those with physical and sensory needs. The school is fully accessible on one level and has appropriate access, ramps and disabled toilets. The school works effectively with relevant professionals to enable children with specific needs to attend the school eg Occupational Therapists. For those children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL), pre-teaching lessons with the EAL Higher Level Teaching Assistant will support the learning of specific vocabulary related to the topics covered in each class and help children to become more familiar with the English language. How will the school help my child on transfer to the next phase of education? When you apply for a place for your child at the school, we encourage you to share your concerns about your child s special educational needs or pass on information about any specialist support or agencies already working with you. We will contact any previous educational establishments for relevant information. Any practical arrangements can then be discussed and put in place. At the end of the school year or if your child moves to another setting, the relevant staff will communicate to pass on information and ensure that transition arrangements are in place. At the end of every school year, there is a transition week where each class will spend a full week in their new classroom with their new teacher. Any specific arrangements for children with individualised needs will be discussed with the relevant teachers and put in place for the new school year. If you have any concerns about your child moving up to a new year group, please feel free to talk to their current teacher or the new teacher. How are the school s resources/funding allocated and matched to children s needs? The school receives money on an annual basis to support provision for special educational needs. This is based on the number of pupils on roll who are on the SEN register and this varies from year to year. The money is allocated annually by the Governing Body when setting the school s budget. It is used to pay for staffing and resources which support children with special educational needs throughout the school. On top of this resource, there may be additional funding from the government, known as Pupil Premium, to support individual children on specific programmes.

5 The school can also apply for additional finance in the form of Funding For Inclusion. This is targeted at the most complex of needs that require the most individualised provision. In most cases this will take the form of an additional adult supporting a child s learning and development on a one-to-one basis. How are parents involved in the school and how can I be involved? The school welcomes parental involvement. The Governing Body has a parent Governor who acts as a link between school and parents. School holds open days, parents evenings and information sessions where parents are invited to find out about their child s learning in terms of, for example, phonics workshops. As well as seasonal productions and end of year shows, there are weekly celebration assemblies and regular class assemblies, which all parents are encouraged to attend. Every child s needs are carefully assessed and decisions are then made based on the ability of a child to access the curriculum and make progress. The class teachers and the SENCO will work closely with you and all staff to discuss relevant interventions, adult support and advice from specialist services to make best use of available resources. We regularly assess the impact of any additional support and report progress made to parents. There are also opportunities for you to become involved in parent training and parent learning sessions run during school hours. School regularly runs classes such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), cookery courses and Webster Stratton behaviour management training. Please enquire at the school office for further details and availability. Who can I contact for further information? If you have any questions or concerns about your child, the first point of contact will be your child s class teacher. The SENCOs and the Head Teacher are also available if further assistance is necessary. Currently the SENCO are Jackie Hall and Sarah Charlesworth-Russell and can be contacted via the school office on If you would like to apply for a place at school for your child, please speak to the school office: Tel: Fax: office@blenheimprimaryschool.com Website: More information about the Leeds Local Offer can be found on their website