Specialist Centre Response to the 14 Questions

Transcription

1 Specialist Centre Response to the 14 Questions Questions School Response School selfevaluation RAG rating 1 How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have additional needs? Our vision at William Cobbett Junior School Special Needs Support Centre (SNSC) is that all children achieve their best regardless of their starting point. Pupils at William Cobbett Junior School SNSC are encouraged to develop as caring and respectful individuals who aspire to be the best they can. Our core values are: Honesty, Responsibility, Respect, Enjoyment and Cooperation. When children are transferring to William Cobbett SNSC from another school/snsc, strong links are established with those schools/snsc s. We have regular contact with our feeder SNSC and Special Schools throughout the year and have established a good rapport with them. Pupils attending the Centre have a SEN or Educational Health & Care Plan (EHCP) which identifies the setting as the most appropriate provision for the pupil. It also identifies the pupil s primary needs and where appropriate additional needs and the annual review of the Special Educational Needs statement/ Education, Health and Care Plan (EHP) ensures that they reflect the pupil s current needs Where possible, we include pupils from the Centre into mainstream classes and also welcome pupils from other schools to be included in the Centre. The Centre will receive information about your child s needs from their previous school and we will undertake our own assessments of your child s needs to ensure they receive the right interventions to enable them to

2 2 How will SNSC school staff support my child? make progress including IEP monitoring and adjusting accordingly with emphasis on half termly focus. Each child has a communication passport, a strategies for working with document and a pupil tracking file. All staff attend daily team meetings to discuss pupil progress, strategies to enhance progress and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) specific strategies. The progress of your child is monitored regularly by class/subject If your child seems to have an emerging or additional need it may be that there will be additional assessments carried out in the Centre or from an Educational Psychologist or visiting specialist teacher If you have concerns about the progress or attainment of your child you should in the first instance speak to the class teacher to discuss your concerns The Centre has a holistic Behaviour Policy which states that all behaviour is communication. It is the duty of the staff to understand the communication and use particular strategies including visuals in order to assist the pupil with their communication. Every child starting at our Centre will have a statement or an Education, Health and Care Plan. This document outlines the particular needs of your child and recommends the resources, teaching programmes and multiagency involvement related to meeting these needs. Every child has a class teacher who co-ordinates the Individual Education Plan/Personal Learning Plan and oversees the implementation of the plan or statement. The class teacher will set targets for your child in discussion with the Head of Centre and these will be outlined in a Personal Learning Plan and shared with all the staff working with your child and with you as the parent/carer as well as with the child where appropriate.

3 Personal Learning Plans are reviewed termly to assess the effectiveness and impact of the planned provision having a half-termly focus. Interventions in the Centre include: Your child will be assessed to decide which of the following help he/she will receive: Sensory integration therapy Intensive interaction. Sensory circuits have been established since April 2014 for all pupils on a daily basis. The implementation of a sensory curriculum Delivery of Speech and Language (S&LT) programmes/occupational Therapy (OT) programmes and Physiotherapy programmes. 6 Weeks Swimming-one day a week 6 Weeks Horse riding-one day a week The Personal, Social, Health, and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) lessons are discreetly taught throughout the whole curriculum and provide academic and emotional/social support for your child s learning Future IEP s/plp s will include: Engagement for Learning Health/emotional wellbeing Communication for each child Your child s Learning Plan will include how much teaching and support they will receive from Specialist Centre staff in 1:1 and small group sessions as well as in the mainstream classes where appropriate.

4 3 How will the curriculum be matched to my child s needs? Pupil Premium pupils will receive particular interventions to aid progression in English and Mathematics such as Project X phonics. The class teacher/head of Centre has regular contact with your child throughout the day. The class teacher/head of Centre will act as the first point of contact for you through direct meetings, and telephone contact and/or home- school books Mike Jones is the chair of the Governing Body which has a responsibility to ensure that all procedures and school systems and policies are in place and working effectively with responsibility for pupils with SEN in the school. The Parents from the school have representation on the Governing Body. The Centre Parents organise informal social meetings every half term at a nearby coffee shop and attend termly meetings with the Head Teacher, the Head of Centre and the Chair of Governors to discuss any matters pertinent to the Centre. Your child will have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is personalised to meet their needs and their learning will be differentiated to enable them to make progress. This may mean that in a lesson there will be different levels of work set for the class at an individual level The curriculum is multi - sensory based enabling engagement for all pupils. The SNSC offers a core curriculum of English, Maths, Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as Personal & Social Education. Foundation subjects are taught through an integrated/themed curriculum being sensory based using Augmentative and Alternative Communication. The level of support will depend on your child s needs and may take the form of individual tutorials, small group work in the Centre and in class

5 4 How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child s learning? modifications are made by the teacher or teaching assistants. A themed curriculum is in place in line with the mainstream school s curriculum to ensure high levels of interest and engagement whilst covering all areas of the curriculum SNSC teachers attend mainstream year group planning, preparation and assessment meetings in order to plan together. The Centre has an ethos of creating multi-sensory, child-centred approaches to learning. The Centre encourages reverse inclusion to suit individual needs. During the academic year we receive visits from (theatre, sports, horticultural) groups who provide other opportunities for our pupils to widen their knowledge and skills We have established a link with a Special Needs School in Shanghai and we will be working on a joint venture with them on the theme A Day in the Life Of comparing children in Shanghai and children in Surrey. Being an inclusive setting, pupils are encouraged to integrate into the mainstream classes and planning is tailored to the pupil s needs being individualized and flexible in coordination with the mainstream class teacher and reverse inclusion is also celebrated and at present one pupil from another school joins the SNSC for one day a week and will go to two days a week as from September. Your child will be encouraged to complete a piece of homework each week where appropriate We offer an open door policy and if at any point you wish to discuss your child s progress, an appointment can be made to meet with the class teacher or the Head of Centre. Staff in the Centre can offer advice and provide resources for ways to help your child at home All pupils have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which will have individual / group targets.

6 5 What support will there be for my child s overall well-being? Your child s progress is assessed on a termly basis using a range of assessments tools which help us to record small steps of progress being made including, Assessing Pupil Progress (APP), B-Squared /Classroom Monitor to assist staff in accurately assessing attainment and progress. Your child will be set targets annually at the Annual Review, which are reviewed on a term by term basis. The school is committed to high achievement and self-evaluation and ensures that pupils demonstrate good progress. To judge that a pupil s progress is good, an analysis tool called Comparison and Analysis of Special Pupil Attainment (CASPA) is currently being established to compare our pupil s progress against robust comparative data and national data for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). We will be asking parents to fill in questionnaires with regards to their thoughts on the Centre. We will discuss progression routes for your child during consultation evenings or annual review meetings in school We are committed to multi-agency working to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met Professionals from other agencies including physiotherapy, speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, health and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) visit the Centre on a regular basis. As well as supporting individual pupils, these professionals advise staff around strategies and offer training. Pupil voice will be encouraged in all areas of the Centre once regular meetings of the student council are established. Pupils, where appropriate, contribute to the review of their Individual Learning Programmes and the annual review of their SEN statement/ EHC plan through a person centred review process. Some pupils know their targets and can describe their next steps of learning to achieve those

7 6 What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school? targets. Staff are becoming familiar with individual pupils due to pupil passports, strategies for working with and what to look for documentation in class. and any pupil requiring additional support will be offered it from a staff member with whom they have a good relationship The Centre receives Outreach from Freemantles at present in order to consolidate ASD specific strategies and incorporate Social Context sessions. The Centre Manager is in the process of establishing Engagement for Learning for every pupil and will share the information with all staff through Twilight Sessions after school. Many of our educational staff have attended specialist training and development. The Centre teachers, in addition to their teaching qualification, have a second specialist qualification which may be a diploma or a MA in special educational needs. Most support staff have a level 3 or equivalent qualification Both teachers and support staff are continually undertaking programmes of training which keeps them up to date with all of the specialist skills necessary for working with children with special educational needs/additional needs. In the school we have dedicated time from the following staff: Speech & Language Therapist Music therapist Physiotherapist Occupational Therapist Educational Psychologist

8 Outdoor Education Specialists Educational Audiologist Deaf Instructor Mobility Officers 7 What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having? In addition we liaise closely with other agencies who work collaboratively with school staff in meeting the wider range of pupils needs: Social workers CAMHS nurses All our staff are receiving regular training to support them to fulfil their roles. ie (Sensory integration training in September 2014) Teaching staff and teaching assistants are accessing targeted programmes of Continuing Professional Development to develop their skills which typically includes a range of specialist training, such as language development, sensory integration, the use of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) which is a unique augmentative/alternative communication intervention package for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental disabilities., Sensory Circuits. All circuits contain trampettes, spinners, rockers, therapy balls, mats, weighted blankets, stepping stones and hurdles. The main focus for sensory circuits is activities and equipment that promotes alerting, organising and calming. First Aid, deaf awareness and any other needs that are raised through our performance management systems A teaching assistant will be starting a Higher Level Teaching Assistant training in the new academic year. The Centre Manager/Outreach will also be delivering ASD specific training to the mainstream teaching assistants All staff hold team meetings on a daily basis in order to develop their ASD specific behaviour management skills. Staff who provide personal care receive moving and handling, eating and

9 drinking, Positive Touch training and medical training as appropriate. 8 How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips? 9 How accessible is the SNSC environment? 10 How will the SNSC support my child to join the transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life? Our off-site visits are designed to enhance curricular and recreational opportunities for all our pupils and provide a wider range of experiences for our pupils than could be provided on the school site alone as well as promoting the independence of our children as learners We also offer students the opportunity to take part in a wide range of residential activities and day trips eg we have visited Kids Day Out Fun Day at Aldershot Rugby Ground, Woking Football Tournament with Special Schools in the area, GLive Music Workshop in Guildford, Cricket Tournament at a Special Needs School in Guildford. All visits and activities are risk assessed to ensure they are appropriate for individual pupils Parents /carers take an active part in discussions around any residential visits and these are discussed both formally at parent meetings or annual review meetings. All pupils are encouraged to access the curriculum and this takes into consideration the environment which is constantly under regular review The building is accessible for wheelchair users with wide corridors, ramps and lifts for student use. There is a disabled toilet and changing facilities. There are specialist areas available eg Sensory room and Soft Play area The Centre has Hoists for pupils with physical difficulties. We work closely with the local authority to ensure that children are offered provision that meets their needs. Parents are invited to visit the school prior to applying for a place and at any time through the application process. Children are encouraged to access transition opportunities, such as visiting

10 11 How are the Centre s school s resources allocated and matched to children s special educational needs? the class, or joining our year Sports Day activities. The Head of the Centre and team will liaise with a range of staff in schools and other services to plan appropriate support for your child during their time there as well as their transfer to the next setting. We work closely with our partner school(s) to offer a series of pre-transfer visits with support to help your child become familiar with their next teacher and setting Transition planning is a vital part of the annual review process from year 5 onwards and the Curriculum is tailored towards transitions in the Summer Term. Lessons for visiting prospective pupils are supported and take place in the Centre in order that pupils can familiarise themselves with the setting. Where pupils move on to another school, their school records and examples of their work will be offered in order to make the transition as smooth as possible. All relevant information belonging to the pupil will be discussed with staff from pupils new schools. Each pupil is given a visual transition book which shows/explains the new staff, classrooms and general layout of their new school. A significant amount of school resources is dedicated to providing the personalised learning and appropriate levels of staffing. Teachers are constantly making resources tailored to each child s needs or high motivators to ensure engagement for learning takes place. Some of our pupils are entitled to receive the pupil premium and these monies are targeted at closing the gap in reading, provide access to specific resources, such as specialist equipment, to provide access to alternative curriculum opportunities and to extend awareness through the experiential curriculum which may include additional speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and a family support worker. 12 How is the decision made The pupils Statement of SEN/ EHC plan identifies a banding level which

11 about what type and how much support my child will receive? reflects the pupils current needs. This is agreed through discussion between the school and the Local Authority We plan provision to achieve the outcomes set for each individual pupil and these are reviewed each term at progress meetings In the Centre at the end of each session the teacher and pupil review the progress they have made against the lesson objectives We meet with the pupils to plan with them which lessons they will receive support in so that we can best plan our use of resources to meet their needs Teachers are encouraged to plan in retrospect in order to consolidate prior learning. 13 How are parents involved in the Centre? How can I be involved? We believe that a pupil s education is a partnership between parents and teachers therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate with you regularly. Parents are invited to all review meetings and there is a Parent Association as well as parent representation on the Governing Body. The Centre invites parents to attend music concerts, assemblies and coffee mornings on a half-termly basis. 14 Who can I contact for further information? For parents the first point of contact is your child's teacher. We use a Home/School book/diary as the method of day to day communication The Head of Centre can be contacted via the school secretary. If you are considering your child joining the school the first person to talk to is Belinda Romeu who can be contacted via centre@williamcobbett.surrey.sch.uk or telephone ext. 212

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