Additional Educational Needs and Inclusion Policy and Procedures

Transcription

1 Additional Educational Needs and Inclusion Policy and Procedures Date of issue: February 2013 Review date: February 2014 This policy was discussed, agreed and formally accepted on 5 February 2013 by the Full Governing Body. 1

2 Status Statutory 1. Purpose 1.1. Watford Field School Infant & Nursery believes that each pupil has individual and unique needs and talents. We are committed to providing outstanding care and learning support to all our pupils. We offer an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all our pupils whatever their needs and abilities. We acknowledge that a significant proportion of pupils will have additional educational needs (AEN) at some time in their schooling. Many of these pupils may require help throughout their time in school, while others may need a little extra support for a short period to help them overcome more temporary needs. If pupils are to achieve their full potential, we must recognise this and plan accordingly This school aims to provide all pupils with support and strategies for dealing with their needs in a nurturing environment, and to give them meaningful access to the curriculum. In particular, we aim to: ensure that the culture, practice, management and deployment of resources are designed to meet the needs of all pupils with AEN enable every pupil to experience success promote individual confidence and a positive attitude ensure that all pupils, whatever their AEN, receive appropriate educational provision through a broad and balanced curriculum that is relevant and differentiated, and that demonstrates coherence and progression in learning give pupils with AEN equal opportunities to take part in all aspects of the school s provision, as far as is appropriate ensure that children with AEN have opportunities to express an opinion, and have that opinion taken into account in any matters affecting them identify, assess, record and regularly review pupils progress and needs involve parents/carers at all stages in the planning and supporting of their children s development work collaboratively with parents, other professionals and support services ensure that the responsibility held by all staff and governors for supporting children with AEN is implemented and maintained. 2. Relationship to other policies 2.1. This policy should be read in conjunction with the policies on teaching and learning, the school curriculum, equality, disability, assessment and recording and reporting. The accessibility plan is an integral part of this policy. 2

3 3. Roles and responsibilities of Head Teacher, other staff, governors 3.1. Provision for children with AEN is a matter for the school as a whole. It is each teacher s responsibility to provide for pupils with AEN in his/her class, and to be aware needs present differently dependant on the learning environment. All staff are responsible for helping to meet an individual s special educational needs and for following the school s procedures for identifying, assessing, making provision, monitoring and reporting on meet those needs. Inclusion is regarded as crucial to this policy and its effectiveness The governing body, in co-operation with the Head Teacher, has a legal responsibility for determining the policy and provision for pupils with AEN. The Governing Body maintains a general overview and has appointed a representative governor (the AEN Governor), who takes particular interest in this aspect of the school and reports back to the Full Governing Body The Head Teacher has responsibility for: the management of all aspects of the school s work, including provision for pupils with AEN keeping the governing body informed about AEN issues and the needs of AEN children within the school working closely with the SENCo and all staff within the school on ensuring effective AEN provision 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 The Governing Body will ensure that: AEN provision is an integral part of the school improvement plan they have regard to the requirements of the SEN Code of Practice (2001) they are fully informed about AEN 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 AEN all staff are aware of the need to identify and provide for pupils with AEN the appropriate provision is made for any pupil with AEN pupils with AEN 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 the school works closely with parents to meet their child s needs and keeps them informed of their child progress 3

4 they report to parents on the implementation of the school s AEN policy the quality of AEN provision is regularly monitored they, and the school as a whole, are involved in the development, monitoring and review of this policy The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) is a member of the School Leadership Team and is responsible for: overseeing the day-to-day operation of this policy playing a key role in delivering the strategic development of the AEN policy and provision ensuring that an agreed, consistent approach is adopted maintaining the school s AEN register and records including the statutory records supporting staff by: o liaising with and advising other staff o helping staff to identify pupils with AEN o supporting class teachers in devising strategies, drawing up provision maps for each class and Individual Education Plans (IEPs), setting targets appropriate to the needs of the pupils, and advising on appropriate resources and materials for use with pupils with AEN and on the effective use of materials and personnel in the classroom o assisting in the monitoring and evaluation of progress of pupils with AEN through the use of school assessment information, e.g. class-based assessments/records, end of year QCA tests and SATs o contributing to the in-service training of staff and auditing staff AEN training needs in line with the school priorities and AEN needs within the current and predicted school community o managing learning support staff/teaching assistants o 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 supporting pupils by: o carrying out detailed assessments and observations of pupils with specific learning problems o co-ordinating the provision for pupils with AEN and mapping the provision needed and keeping this up to date 4

5 o monitoring IEPs, and the children on the AEN register, in partnership with the class teacher and reporting on the actions taken and the outcomes on a termly basis o liaising with the SENCo s in receiving schools/and or other primary schools and with local nurseries/ pre-schools for receiving pupils to help provide a smooth transition from one setting to the other supporting parents by: o liaising closely with parents of pupils with AEN, 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 taking part in local AEN cluster meetings to represent the needs to pupils within the school, and those joining the school taking part in LA Cluster groups for funding Class teachers are responsible for: working in line with this policy and procedures for identification, assessing, monitoring and making provision for pupils with AEN and actively involved in the review process including pupils with AEN in the classroom, and for providing an appropriately differentiated curriculum. They can draw on the SENCo for advice on assessment and strategies to support inclusion referring pupils to the SENCo where there are any concerns regarding pupils progress and reporting back to the SENCo on those pupils on the AEN register giving feedback to parents of pupils with AEN Learning support staff/teaching assistants should: be fully aware and work in line with this policy and the procedures for identifying, assessing, monitoring and making provision for pupils with AEN use the school s procedures for giving feedback to teachers about pupils responses to tasks and strategies. 4. Parental involvement 4.1. The school will actively seek the involvement of parents in the education of their children. It is recognised that parental support is particularly important for pupils who have special educational needs as the support and encouragement of parents is often the crucial factor in achieving success. A joint learning approach between home and school is an integral part of this process. 5

6 4.2. Parents will always be kept informed about the special educational needs experienced by their children in accordance with the recommendations outlined in the Code of Practice. Communications between the parent and the school will be consistently maintained. Parents will be fully consulted before the involvement of external support agencies with their children, and will be invited to attend any formal review meetings at all stages. Parents will be informed how to access appropriate advice and support Parents will be supported and enabled to: recognise and fulfil their responsibilities as parents and play an active and valued role in their child s education have knowledge of their child s entitlement within the AEN framework make their views known about how their child is educated have access to information, advice and support during assessment and any related decision making processes about Additional Educational provision in accordance with the school s Open Door policy, parents are encouraged to contact the child s class teacher and/or the SENCo as needed either by telephone or appointment. 5. Pupils 5.1. The school will work to ensure that where appropriate pupils are fully aware of their individual needs and the targets in their Individual Education Plans. Steps will be taken to involve pupils in decisions which are taken regarding their education. 6. Provisions within the school 6.1. The Curriculum will be made available for all pupils. Where pupils have AEN, a graduated response will be adopted. The school will, in other than exceptional cases, make full use of classroom and school resources before drawing on external support The school offers a differentiated curriculum. When a pupil fails to make progress and shows signs of difficulty in some of the following areas the school will assess the pupil needs: acquiring literacy and numeracy skills; presenting persistent poor behaviour, emotional and social difficulties; has sensory or physical problems; or communication or interaction difficulties Assessment allows the pupil to show what they know, understand and can do, as well as to identify any learning difficulties. The pupil, depending on the level of need, may be supported through placements 6

7 in additional small group work to improve key skills and/ or placed on School Action with support that is additional to and different from the differentiated curriculum provided School Action This is the first step which involves the child receiving an intervention that is extra to or different from the normal differentiated curriculum. This provision might be access to a structured intervention package that typically lasts for 6 weeks before the impact is evaluated. Alternatively it might be a series of lessons that has extra support for learning provided by a support assistant within the child s normal classroom setting. This support will be set out in an Individual Education Plan (IEP) produced by the SENCo in consultation class teacher and parents, if appropriate the pupil, which may include some of the following: classroom organisation and management in-class support by teacher/teacher assistant withdrawal for individual/small group work home/school reading schemes behaviour modification programmes use of specialist equipment alternative teaching strategies 6.5. Withdrawal sessions are used judiciously to support pupils carefully with specific academic, behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. Withdrawal sessions are timetabled in consultation with the class teacher to minimise the impact of withdrawal on delivery of the curriculum, actively seeking to ensure curriculum needs are met The resources allocated to AEN pupils will be deployed to implement these IEP in school. Parents will be informed and pupils will be involved in decisions taken at this stage School Action Plus If after two terms at School Action, a child does not make adequate progress then the SENCo will consult other professionals for advice. These might include advisory teachers, an Educational Psychologist or a specialist organisation. The IEP will be amended according to the advice received and the pupil will be moved to School Action Plus (SAP). For pupils in School Action Plus the school will work in partnership with outside agencies to provide extra support for the pupils specific needs, bringing in specialist support to enable that pupils to make progress. Any external professionals involved will be invited to contribute to the monitoring and review of progress. Parents will always be informed when an external agency becomes involved with their child. 7

8 6.8. Statement of Special Educational Needs - The third and final stage in the graduated provision is for the school or parents to request the local authority to make a statutory assessment of the child s needs. In order for a Statement of Special Educational Needs to be issued the authority will have to be satisfied that the child s learning difficulties have not responded to the measures taken by the school and that the special educational provision needed cannot reasonably be provided from the schools or the school clusters own resources Adequate progress (from the SEN Code of Practice 2001) is progress that:- Closes the attainment gap between the child and their peers or prevents the attainment gap growing wider. Is similar to that of peers starting from the same attainment baseline, but less than that of the majority of the child s peers. Matches or betters the child s previous rate of progress Ensure access to the full curriculum Demonstrates an improvement in self-help, social, personal skills or behaviour. 7. Arrangements for complaints 7.1. Should pupils or parents/carers be unhappy with any aspect of provision they should discuss the problem with a class teacher in the first instance. Anyone who feels unable to talk to the teacher, or is not satisfied with the teacher s comments, should ask to speak to the SENCO. For a problem that might need time to be explored fully, parents/carers should make an appointment rather than rushing the discussion before or after school In the event of a formal complaint parents should follow the procedure in the School s Complaints Policy. 8. Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation 8.1. The success of the school s AEN policy and provision is evaluated through school self-evaluation and reporting activities such as: analysis of pupil tracking data and test results for individual pupils and for cohorts and the provision of the appropriate support monitoring of classroom practice by the SENCo and subject coordinators termly and feeding outcomes to staff for action success of the identification process at an early stage scrutiny of teachers planning and pupils wok achievements against pupils IEP targets, pupils moving between stages and value-added data for pupils on the AEN register with clear evidence of review and outcomes termly monitoring of procedures and practice by the AEN governor 8

9 maintenance of assessment records that illustrate progress over time the school prospectus, which contains the required information about the implementation and success of the AEN policy the school s annual AEN review, which evaluates the success of the policy and sets new targets for development including an analysis of increasing the level of inclusion achieved within the school setting the school improvement plan, which is used for planning and monitoring provision in the school the school meeting the statutory requirements in the SEN Code of Practice visits from HIP (Hertfordshire Improvement Partner) and Ofsted inspection arrangements feedback from parents and staff, both formal and informal, following meetings to produce IEPs and targets, revise provision and celebrate success. Date established by governing body: February 2013 Date for full implementation: February 2013 Date for review February Annual 9

10 Appendix A Triggers indicating the Need for Intervention at School Action The pupil who, despite receiving differentiated learning opportunities: Makes little or no progress even when teaching approaches are targeted particularly in a pupil s identified area of weakness. Shows signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematics skills that result in poor attainment in some curriculum areas. Presents persistent emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which are not ameliorated by the behaviour management techniques usually employed in the school. Has sensory or physical problems and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of specialist equipment. Has communication and/or interaction difficulties and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of a differentiated curriculum. Triggers indicating the Need for Intervention at School Action Plus Despite having had an individualised programme and /or concentrated support under School Action, the pupil: Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period of time. Continues working at National Curriculum Levels substantially below. Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy and mathematical skills. Has emotional or behavioural difficulties which substantially and regularly interfere with the child s own learning or that of the class group, despite having an individualised behaviour management programme. Has sensory or physical needs and requires additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service. Has on-going communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning (SEN Code of Practice 2002). 10