St. Cross Catholic Primary School

Transcription

1 Policy for Special Educational Needs This policy complies with the statutory requirements laid out in the SEND Code of Practise 0-25 (September 2014) 3.65 and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents: Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2013 SEND Code of Practise 0-25 (September 2014) Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014) Contents Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Section 8 Section 9 Section 10 Section 11 Section 12 Section 13 Section 14 SENCO Contact Details Aims and Objectives Identifying Special Educational Needs A Graduated Approach to SEN Support Managing Pupil s Needs on the SEN Register Monitoring and Evaluation of SEND The SEN Register/Record Supporting Pupil s and Families Supporting Pupil s at School with Medical Conditions Training and Resources Roles and Responsibilities Storing Information Reviewing the Policy Accessibility Dealing with Complaints Appendices SEN Page 1 of 8 September 2014

2 Section 1 SENCO Contact Details The person responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEN is Kathryn Hall (Headteacher). The person co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with SEN is Emma Williams (SENCO). Miss Williams has completed the National Award for SEN (NASENCo award). Contact details of SENCO Miss Emma Williams ewilliams@stcross.herts.sch.uk St Cross Catholic Primary School as a community reflects and celebrates the diversity of Christ s kingdom where each individual works and learns alongside each other. Our commitment is to the needs of every child. We seek to ensure equality of opportunity for all our pupils in terms of access to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum. We believe that all children have individual needs. We recognize that it is our responsibility to meet the special needs of pupils, as defined below. Both parents and school should work together to encourage and help them to feel positive about themselves and their achievements. Section 2 Aims and Objectives The aims of this policy are: To encourage early identification of special needs; identifying needs at the earliest point and then making effective provision, overall improving the long-term outcomes for the child or young person. To create an environment that meets the special educational needs of each child To ensure that the special educational needs of children (regarding learning difficulties and disabilities) are identified, assessed and provided for To make clear the expectations of all partners in the process To identify the roles and responsibilities of staff in providing for children s special educational needs and disabilities To enable all children to have full access to all elements of the school curriculum To ensure that parents are able to play their part in supporting their child s education To ensure that our children have a voice in this process. Objectives 1. To identify and provide for pupils who have special educational needs and additional needs 2. To work within the guidance provide in the SEND Code of Practise, To operate a a whole pupil, whole school approach to the management and provision of support for special educational needs 4. To provide a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who will work along-side the SEN Policy 5. To provide support and advice for all staff working with special educational needs pupil. SEN Page 2 of 8 September 2014

3 Section 3 - Identifying Special Educational Needs At St. Cross, we identify the needs of pupils by considering the needs of the whole child, which will include not just the special educational needs of the child or young person. We encourage early identification identifying need at the earliest point and then making effective provision. Definitions of special educational needs (SEN) taken from section 20 of the Children and Families Act A child or you person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they: a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them. Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught. Some of the following are not SEN but may impact on progress and attainment; Disability (the Code of Practise outlines the reasonable adjustment duty for all settings and schools provided under current Disability Equality legislation-these alone do not constitute SEN) Attendance and Punctuality Health and Welfare EAL Being in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant Being a Looked After Child Being a child of a Serviceman/woman When reviewing and managing special educational provision there are four broad areas of need and support: Communication and Interaction This includes children with speech and language delay, impairments or disorders, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia, hearing impairment, and those who demonstrate features within the autistic spectrum. Cognition and Learning This includes children who demonstrate features of moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties or specific learning difficulties or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or dyspraxia. Social, mental and Emotional Health. This includes children who may be withdrawn or isolated, disruptive or disturbing, hyperactive or lack concentration. Sensory and/or Physical Needs This includes children with sensory, multi-sensory and physical difficulties. SEN Page 3 of 8 September 2014

4 Section 4 - A Graduated Response to SEN Support/Managing Pupils Needs on the SEN Register/Monitoring and Evaluation of SEN 1. Teachers to assess each pupil s current skills and levels of attainment on entry and termly thereafter, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. 2. Teachers to complete Whole Class Provision Map which identifies all pupils in the class and states any provisions/interventions. These are to be reviewed at the beginning of each term and given to SENCO. 3. Teachers to deliver high quality teaching and differentiated lessons to meet the needs of all individuals. 4. SLT/SENCO reviews the quality of teaching regularly, identifying pupils at risk of underachievement. 5. SLT/SENCO to improve teachers understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils. This may be done through weekly monitoring and staff training. 6. Progress meetings held termly with SLT will identify any pupils making limited progress or showing a cause for concern. 7. Teachers should seek the views of parents and these should be recorded formally. 8. Teachers should seek the pupil s own views. Are there any barriers to overcome? E.g. socially or emotionally. 9. Teachers should carry out a clear analysis of the pupil s needs. This should draw on the teacher s assessment and experience of the pupil as well as their previous progress and attainment. 10. Appropriate interventions should be introduced based on any areas of need identified during the Pupil Progress Meetings and a Group Provision Map should be created. This will be reviewed termly and given to the SENCO. 11. Parents should be fully aware of the planned support and interventions and, where appropriate, plans should seek parental involvement to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. 12. Assessment should be reviewed regularly. This will help ensure that support and interventions are matched to need and barriers to learning are identified and overcome. 13. For some pupils, a more individualised approach will be needed and specific targets should be set out in an Individual Support Plan. These will be reviewed termly with parents and pupils and targets will be altered as progress is made. For these higher levels of need, these pupils may need to be placed on the SEN Register. 14. If progress is still limited after interventions have been in place, outside professionals may be contacted by the SENCO if the parents agree. 15. In some cases, outside professionals from health or social services may already be involved with the child. These professionals should liaise with the school to help inform the Individual Support Plans. 16. If a child needs support from an external agency, then a Single Service Referral is completed. However, if advice is required from more than one agency then a Common Assessment Framework is completed. Following the completion of the e-caf professionals from the various agencies involved will set up A Team around the Child. The parents will select a Lead Professional from the team members. In most cases children will be seen in school by the External Agency professionals and meetings will be held within the school. SEN Page 4 of 8 September 2014

5 17. Where it is decided to provide a pupil with SEN support, the parents must be formally notified, although parents should have already been involved in forming the assessment of needs as outlined above. The teacher and the SENCO should agree in consultation with the parent and the pupil the adjustments, interventions and support to be put in place, as well as the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, along with a clear date for review. 18. The impact and quality of the support and interventions should be evaluated, along with the views of the pupil and their parents on a termly basis at least. This should feed back into the analysis of the pupil s needs. 19. Parents should have clear information about the impact of the support and interventions provided, enabling them to be involved in planning next steps. 20. All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil should be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. This should also be recorded on the Individual Support Plan. 21. The support and intervention provided should be selected to meet the outcomes identified for the pupil, based on reliable evidence of effectiveness, and should be provided by staff with sufficient skills and knowledge. 22. The class teacher should remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis. Where the interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class or teacher, they should still retain responsibility for the pupil. They should work closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved, to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching. The SENCO should support the class teacher in the further assessment of the child s particular strengths and weaknesses, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support. 23. Where, despite the school having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the SEN of the child or young person, the child or young person has not made expected progress, the school should consider requesting an Education, Health and Care Plan. 24. Where a pupil has an EHC plan, the local authority must review that plan as a minimum every twelve months. Schools must co-operate with the local authority in the review process and, as part of the review, the local authority can require schools to convene and hold annual review meetings on its behalf. Further information about EHC plan reviews can be found in Chapter 9 of the Code of Practice June Section 5 The SEN Register Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this and their name will be added to the SEN register. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEN is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four part process: Assess Plan Do Review This is an ongoing cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes. See Section 4 for more details regarding, assess, plan, do and review. SEN Page 5 of 8 September 2014

6 Section 6 Supporting Pupils and Families See Appendix 1 Our School s Local Offer St Cross Catholic Primary School believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure a) early and accurate identification and assessment of SEN leading to appropriate intervention and provision b) continuing social and academic progress of children with SEN c) personal and academic targets are set and met effectively In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil s needs. The SENCO may also signpost parents of pupils with SEN to the local authority Parent Partnership service where specific advice, guidance and support may be required. If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child. The school s SEN governors ( ) may be contacted at any time in relation to SEN matters. Section 7 Dealing with pupils with medical needs The school will make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. Individual care plans and/or Education, Health and Care Plans will normally specify the type and level of support required to meet the medical needs of such pupils. Where children and young people also have SEND, their provision will be planned and delivered in a co-ordinated way with the care plan. Schools are required to have regard to statutory guidance Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions. Section 8 Training and Resources We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with SEN. The SENCO attends relevant SEN courses, and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff. We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEN issues. The SENCO, with the senior leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision management. All mainstream schools are provided with resources to support those with additional needs, including pupils with SEN and disabilities. Most of these resources are determined by a local funding formula, discussed with the local schools forum. Schools have an amount identified within their overall budget, called the notional SEN budget. This is not a ring-fenced amount, and it is for the school to provide high quality appropriate support from the whole of its budget. As part of the normal budget planning, it is established how school will use their resources to support the progress of pupils with SEN. Exceptional Needs Funding (ENF) is sometimes available. This is a cash allocation for individual children with significant educational need who fall below the threshold for statutory assessment. This funding is centrally sourced and needs to be bid for at local level. Section 9 Roles and Responsibilities The headteacher has responsibility for: the management of all aspects of the school s work, including provision for pupils with SEN keeping the governing body informed about SEN issues working closely with the SEN personnel within the school ensuring that the implementation of this policy and the effects of inclusion policies on the school as a whole are monitored and reported to governors. SEN Page 6 of 8 September 2014

7 The governing body will ensure that: SEN provision is an integral part of the school improvement/development plan the necessary provision is made for any pupil with SEN all staff are aware of the need to identify and provide for pupils with SEN pupils with SEN join in school activities alongside other pupils, as far as is reasonably practical and compatible with their needs and the efficient education of other pupils they report to parents on the implementation of the school s SEN policy they have regard to the requirements of the SEN Code of Practice (2014) parents are notified if the school decides to make special educational provision for their child they are fully informed about SEN issues, so that they can play a major part in school self-review they set up appropriate staffing and funding arrangements, and oversee the school s work for pupils with SEN the quality of SEN provision is regularly monitored they, and the school as a whole, are involved in the development and monitoring of this policy. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for: overseeing the day-to-day operation of this policy ensuring that an agreed, consistent approach is adopted liaising with and advising other staff helping staff to identify pupils with SEN carrying out detailed assessments and observations of pupils with specific learning problems co-ordinating the provision for pupils with SEN supporting class teachers in devising strategies, drawing up Individual Support Plans and Provision Maps, setting targets appropriate to the needs of the pupils, and advising on appropriate resources and materials for use with pupils with SEN and on the effective use of materials and personnel in the classroom liaising closely with parents of pupils with SEN, so that they are aware of the strategies that are being used and are involved as partners in the process liaising with outside agencies, arranging meetings, and providing a link between these agencies, class teachers and parents maintaining the school s SEN register and records assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of progress of pupils with SEN through the use of school assessment information, e.g. class-based assessments/records, end of year QCA tests and SATs contributing to the in-service training of staff managing learning support staff/teaching assistants ensuring that midday supervisors are given any necessary information relating to the supervision of pupils at lunchtime and supporting them in relation to behaviour management and other issues for particular pupils liaising with the SENCOs in receiving schools/and or other primary schools to help provide a smooth transition from one school to the other taking part in LA SEN moderation. Class teachers are responsible for: including pupils with SEN in the classroom, and for providing quality first teaching and an appropriately differentiated curriculum. They can draw on the SENCO for advice on assessment and strategies to support inclusion making themselves aware of this policy and procedures for identification, monitoring and supporting pupils with SEN giving feedback to parents of pupils with SEN SEN Page 7 of 8 September 2014

8 Learning support staff/teaching assistants should: be fully aware of this policy and the procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEN. use the school s procedures for giving feedback to teachers about pupils responses to tasks and strategies. Section 10 Storing information Each class teacher will keep a record of the progress of each child. Each class also has an Inclusion file including relevant documentation. When a child has been identified as having SEN, additional records and information are recorded and are kept by the SENCO, class teacher, relevant outside agencies, and are available for parents/carers. In the event of a child moving school these records provide a clear indication of the child s provision and progress. The pupil s name is entered on the school s SEN List. Parents should be aware of this and understand what it means. Section 11 Reviewing the Policy The governing body, in co-operation with the headteacher, has a legal responsibility for determining the policy and provision for pupils with SEN. It maintains a general overview and has appointed a representative governor (the SEN governor), who takes particular interest in this aspect of the school. Section 12 - Admissions No child will be refused admission on the grounds of his or her Special Educational Needs. However each child will be required to meet the criteria as laid down in the School s Admission Policy which is available on request. Section 13 Dealing with complaints If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the Headteacher or SENCO, who will be able to advice on formal procedures for complaint. SEN Page 8 of 8 September 2014