CROOK LOG PRIMARY SCHOOL SEN POLICY

CROOK LOG PRIMARY SCHOOL SEN POLICY 1

CROOK LOG PRIMARY SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY 1. Basic information about the schools' special educational provision Crook Log School aims to help all children to achieve their potential, supporting their needs with sensitivity and building on their strengths wherever possible. The school is responsive to expressions of concern from pupils and parents. Crook Log aims to create positive working relationships with parents, Health and Social Services, external specialists and the LA. a) Definition of Special Educational Needs At Crook Log we follow the 2001 Code of Practice definition of Special Needs children as those who have learning difficulties where there is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age have a disability which either prevents or hinders them from making use of the facilities provided in school for children of the same age are under five and fall into either of the above categories or would do so if special provision was not made for them. b) Objectives Our objectives in meeting the needs of SEN children are to identify children with special educational needs as early and as quickly as possible 2

to develop a partnership with parents so that parents understand and are directly involved in the provision designed to meet their child's special educational needs to ensure that children are presented with attainable targets so that they develop and maintain good self esteem through their learning to ensure that the resources available match the child's ability level whilst building progressively on past achievements, presenting challenges and providing opportunities for success. c) The name of the school's Inclusion Manager or teacher responsible for the day-to-day operation of the SEN Policy is Mrs P Barratt d) The arrangements for co-ordinating educational provision for pupils with SEN The Inclusion Manager maintains the register of children with special educational needs and reviews the register termly in consultation with staff. The Inclusion Manager reviews children s progress regularly and discusses children s needs and current level of work with class teachers. Additional support is allocated through the Provision Map, in line with the Code of Practice, based on the rate of progress children are making. Differentiation within the class meets the needs of many lower ability children and only where progress is not adequate will some additional or different action be taken. Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) are allocated to support statemented children as their statements require. A statemented 3

child may have a different LSA each year or as appropriate. Teambased LSAs are used to give support to other children for interventions, group and individual work or on a more flexible basis across the school. e) Admission arrangements Crook Log Primary School follows Bexley LA's procedures for admission and has a separate admission policy for the Resource Provision. f) The Resource Provision Crook Log has a Resource Provision, currently being run by a full time teacher working under the supervision of the Inclusion Manager and accountable to the Head Teacher and Governors. The Provision supports children with a diagnosis of ASD. These pupils have Statements and will spend most of their time being taught in class. They may be withdrawn to the Provision for additional or different individual or small group work when the differentiated work normally undertaken within the classroom does not meet their specific needs. g) Projects From time to time Crook Log becomes involved in national or local projects as considered beneficial to the SEN/AEN needs of the children who are on role at that time. The projects that Crook Log is currently involved in are Making Good Progress and have been for 3 or more years, Numbers Count (a new project) and Achievement for All (AfA) currently in the second year of a pilot. We anticipate being involved in the local Family SEAL project. 2. Information about the school's policies for identification, assessment and provision for all pupils with SEN 4

a) Identification and assessment arrangements and review procedures As a child moves through the school, information from both formal and informal assessments is used to track each child s progress. In addition to the class teacher s constant monitoring of day-to-day achievement and of children s performance in assessment activities at the end of sections of work, the school has a programme of regular screening of pupils. This screening helps to identify children with special needs as early as possible. In Nursery children are assessed against the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) stages (months) on entry and throughout their Nursery years Within the first few weeks in Reception children are assessed using a Starting School Book (linked to the EYFSP stages) and compared with completion scores from Nursery or Playgroup. Judgements are then made about children s entry levels. Evidence is gathered all the time towards achievement of the Profile Points from the Foundation Stage Profile (Evidence Books photos, videos, post-its, observations). In addition to the Profile Points the EYFSP is used to plan the children s next appropriate steps. All evidence is stored on Classroom Monitor (working document). At the end of the Foundation Stage the Foundation Stage Profile is completed and sent to Bexley LA on the Eye- Profile. The Foundation Stage Profile provides a record of achievement as a child moves from Reception into Year 1 Reception children are also assessed for Speech and Language using the SpeechLink resources From the beginning of Year 1 children have their reading and spelling tested in October and in March (WRAT) 5

At the end of Year 2, Key Stage assessments provide valuable information Assessments are carried out at the end of Years 3, 4 and 5 in Reading, Writing and Maths. End of Unit assessments are made for other subjects and recorded using Classroom Monitor Key Stage 2 tests are carried out at the end of Year 6 or Teacher Assessment is used as the main end of key stage monitoring Other screening tests can be used as and when relevant eg. Phonological Assessment Battery (PhAB), Bangor Dyslexia Test, Ann Arbor, Reasoning Progress Tests (RoPTs). Results are collated and reviewed as part of the termly discussion about children giving cause for concern. Class teachers are asked for their views on the progress of children previously identified and are asked to submit names of any others they feel have special/additional needs. Teachers then keep evidence over the next 6-10 weeks on the Concerns Form for children of concern and this is then reviewed with the Inclusion Manager at the end of this time and decisions made. Children may be registered on the Pre- Register during this time. A Criteria for Identification List provides additional evidence from the class teacher alongside samples of work and a record of the additional support given including any interventions, that may help with identification or reporting. The SEN/AEN Register is then reviewed, in readiness for the beginning of the next term, with amendments made as necessary. Some children at this point may enter the SEN/AEN Register at Early Years Action (EYA) or School Action (SA). After a child has been identified at these stages support or interventions are devised that are additional to or different from 6

those provided as part of the school s usual curriculum and strategies and this information is stored on the Provision Map. Teaching staff plan and deliver the individualised programme and keep parents and the Inclusion Manager informed of action taken and the outcome of the action. Results of the outcomes are closely monitored and analysed by the Inclusion Manager to report to the HT, Governors and Teaching Staff. During Early Years Action/School Action, further information should be collected, from parents and outside agencies, if appropriate. Following the termly meeting between teachers and the Inclusion Manager it may be decided that a child may remain at School Action, move to the Post-Register list for monitoring or, if there has not been enough significant progress, and parents and teachers agree, move to Early Years Action Plus (EYAP) or School Action Plus (SAP), requesting the help of outside agencies. Decisions about how support can be gained are made at the termly Early Intervention Team (EIT) meeting. Once at EYAP or SAP an Individual Educational Programme (IEP) for the child will be compiled, stating the child's needs and how they are to be met. The IEP should only record that which is additional to or different from the differentiated curriculum plans that are in place as part of normal provision. IEP s are reviewed every six months and children s progress is assessed. An IEP for an EYAP/SAP child may be written by the class teacher or the Inclusion Manager and may include points suggested by outside agencies involved. The Inclusion Manager is always involved in agreeing the targets to be set. Some children may enter school already at School Action Plus. These children may have health, hearing or other problems where their needs are best met within their own classroom with their own teacher. 7

Up to this level, all are school-based stages, with the LA being closely involved at Action Plus. Where severe difficulties continue to beset a child and where the Head teacher, the Inclusion Manager, teaching staff and parents are in agreement, the Head teacher may put in for a Request for a LA Statutory Assessment of a child. The Inclusion Manager will collect together the records of programmes, support, strategies and agencies involved and submit a full report to the LA to support the request. If the LA agrees and carries out the assessment, a child may receive a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The Statement will determine the support the child must have. All children at EYAP/SAP or who have received a Statement are discussed/monitored at the termly EIT meeting to determine any further action to be taken in support of the child s needs. At Crook Log we also keep two other lists of children for monitoring: Our Pre-Register List records children whose parent or class teacher has expressed concern. The children s progress is watched carefully to see if additional or different support is required, thus moving them onto the SEN/AEN Register Our Post-Register List records children who have been on the SEN/AEN Register but have made enough progress to be removed from the Register. Their progress is monitored for a further two terms before their names are removed from the list if no concerns persist. The staged approach (see above) as recommended by the Code of Practice to categorise children by the level of support they require has been used successfully for several years at Crook Log. Parents are consulted at every stage. 8

b) The allocation of resources to and amongst pupils with SEN Funds allocated for Special Educational Needs are used to provide support staff and to purchase resources specifically to meet the needs of the SEN/AEN children. Resources: Equipment There is a wide range of additional resources to support literacy and numeracy work with Special Needs children. All resources are also available for class teachers and LSAs to use to support children in class. The resources for literacy include a range of reading books to supplement reading from the school scheme. A variety of books with older years interest levels but younger years reading ability levels, are available for KS2 and are distributed to classes of targeted children. The Reading Recovery Scheme can also be used. There are many worksheets and teacher resources for literacy and numeracy and a wide variety of games to consolidate the concepts children have been taught; playing a game is a fun way of applying newly learnt knowledge and helping it to become established. Newly available resources include ICT software for example Word Shark and Number Shark and Behaviour Problem Solving games have been acquired using Achievement for All money and prove to be a valuable resource. Other resources to support speaking and listening activities include role play equipment which can be found in targeted classrooms. Dyspraxic resources eg. wriggle cushions and sloping desks are also available when necessary. 9

Resources: Support Staff There are currently 17 support staff one of whom is a Nursery Nurse. Staff hours are allocated to classes depending on need. No one Learning Support Assistant is allocated to a specific child although they may work regularly with one child or with a particular group of children. c) Accommodation and Integration Children cannot be refused admission to the school on the basis of a disability. Crook Log has an Accessibility Plan which gives details of a programme of modifications that need to be made to the building to facilitate increased inclusion. Integration Children are sometimes withdrawn for specific teaching following the objectives itemised on their IEPs. In-class support is preferred for the children who have difficulty in following instructions or in working independently in group activity times and this support is usually given by an LSA. If a child is withdrawn from class, timetables are matched to coincide with the child s group activity time of literacy or maths sessions. If support cannot be arranged in this way, care is taken to avoid the child missing areas of the National Curriculum he can not cover easily at another time, thus ensuring that a full, broad and balanced curriculum for each child is maintained. There is integration of some children whose social skills or level of academic functioning would generally prevent their full integration into the normal classroom routine. These children all have additional adult support specified in their Statements of Special Educational Need. They work within their class as much as possible but may, on occasions, be withdrawn to receive specific support from their assistant. 10

The children who form part of the Resource Provision are integrated by mainly being taught in their own class. They may be withdrawn to the Provision for additional or different individual or small group work when the differentiated work normally undertaken within the classroom does not meet their specific needs. Accommodation Minor modifications have already been made to the school by the LA in order to accommodate children s physical needs. These modifications consist of slopes and ramps to access the Nursery playground, the Infant classrooms and one Year 3/4 classroom. Modifications have been made to 3 toilets in the school: one in the Nursery and one each in the lower and upper junior corridors. A handrail has been installed to aid access to the Hall. These modifications make the school accessible to children who may use walking frames, as long as sufficient additional adult supervision is in place. However, the physical features of some parts of the main building prohibit the use of wheelchairs and walking frames in these areas. The new Resource Provision is a fully equipped teaching and learning zone meeting the requirements of disabled users and their families. The Den, Resource Provision, additional Nursery room, the Conservatory, library and shared or resource areas can provide quiet areas for special needs children to work when withdrawal is seen to be in the best interests of the child. d) Role of the Class Teacher Teachers are aware of the children with special needs in their classes and cater for their needs. Children are grouped by ability for Literacy and maths at all age groups. In other subjects class teachers differentiate by the resources they use and by their questions and explanations specifically geared to consolidate or extend the understanding of the special needs children: they 11

ensure that they provide the support or springboard required for follow-up activities. All subject areas are assessed and records kept and regularly updated on Classroom Monitor which gives a clear picture of the level achieved to assist planning of subsequent work. (See teacher s role above in relation to requirements for identifying, monitoring and teaching 2a.) e) Criteria for evaluating the success of the school's SEN policy Children s progress is monitored closely, both formally and informally. The class teacher is the person who is in the best position to identify the improvement, or lack of improvement in a special needs child s performance. The class teachers liaise with the Inclusion Manager on a regular basis whilst the Inclusion Manager monitors all SEN/AEN children through analysis of progress. Results of all formal testing and Teacher Assessment are recorded on class tracking sheets and Classroom Monitor. These sheets can give an immediate view of a child s rate of progress in relation to the appropriate year group. Discussion with class teachers and levels achieved in Teacher Assessments are also taken into account, to determine whether test results give a true reflection of the child s normal work. Records ensure that children who have not performed adequately in tests or Teacher assessment are investigated. The Inclusion Manager monitors all children via the class tracking sheets and informs teachers of those children not achieving expected progress. The ultimate criterion for measuring the success of the SEN policy is the progress children make from their relative starting points. An analysis of this progress is made each term using Average Points Scores (APS) for reading, writing and maths. Movement of children within the SEN/AEN register is also an 12

indication for measuring success. Success of the SEN policy is reported to Governors at meetings. f) Arrangements for considering complaints about special educational provision within the school Parents are invited into school regularly to discuss their child's progress and express any concerns. Parents may ask for an appointment with the class teacher at other times if there seems to be a problem with their child. Parents may be advised to meet with the Head teacher and/or the Inclusion Manager to discuss how, within the limits of the available resources, the school is providing for the child's needs. All IEP are reviewed every six months and staff, parents and children are encouraged to evaluate the degree of success of the existing provision in meeting the children's needs and to plan for the future. If parents feel that the school is not making suitable provision for their child they may make a formal complaint, in writing, addressed to the Chair of the Governing Body. 3. Information about the school's staffing policies and partnership with bodies beyond the schools a) The school's arrangements for SEN in-service training The school has access to SENJIT (Special Educational Needs Joint Initiative for Training) through Bexley Borough's membership. This group provides excellent courses to train special needs staff including LSA s. Regular mailings are received from SENJIT enabling staff to book and attend appropriate courses. Some staff also attend suitable courses run by Bexley. The school has a well-structured, planned approach to all INSET. SEN is allocated time in Staff Meetings and throughout the year 13

(INSET) as issues and practices need to be discussed and developed. The Inclusion Manager holds regular meetings with the LSA s to update on SEN/AEN issues either through training or as an information forum. The Inclusion Manager attends termly meetings for Special Needs Co-ordinators to network and to update on local and national SEN/AEN issues. b) Use made of teachers and facilities from outside the school, including support services The school has always had a strong working partnership with the LA s SEN support services currently called the Early Intervention Team (EIT). The EIT consists of members of Educational Psychology and Assessment Service (EPAS), SEN/AEN Partners, Behaviour Support Partners, Social Workers, Education Welfare Officers (EWO s), Advice/Moderation Partners. Meetings are held each term with invited members of the EIT to discuss how SEN/AEN children at Crook Log can be further supported with help from outside agencies. A termly planning meeting is held between Crook Log and the Speech and Language Therapy Service to discuss children currently part of their caseload or to raise any new concerns. A biannual planning meeting is also held between the school and the Advisory Service for Austistic Spectrum Disorder for the same reasons. Advisory teachers for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Difficulties and from the Teaching, Learning and Achievement Support Service (previously the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service (EMAS), the Teaching Support Service (TSS) and the Traveller Education Service (TES)) can also be called upon for support as and when appropriate, although some of these services now incur a large cost to the school. 14

c) Arrangements for partnership with parents Parents are encouraged to become actively involved in their child s education at Crook Log School. For children with SEN/AEN, parents are informed of a teacher s concerns as soon as sustained difficulties become apparent. Parents are involved in discussions, in formulating and carrying out action plans for use at home and in regular reviews of their child s achievements and needs. Parents may call upon the Parent Partnership which is an independent service offered by the LA for additional support. Crook Log also has a Parent Support Adviser who is available in school every Thursday and also via a mobile telephone if urgent. She works closely with the Inclusion Manager to support children and parents with SEN/AEN issues. Throughout the year courses or after-school events are arranged for parents to help them support their children eg. Maths sessions, ICT training. d) Links with other mainstream schools and special schools, including arrangements when pupils change schools or leave school Special Needs staff from receiving secondary schools are invited into school to discuss transferring children and to meet them. Alternatively, arrangements are made for SEN/AEN children to visit the school they are transferring to. This is in addition to the normal induction days held by secondary schools. An annual meeting between Primary and Secondary SEN Coordinators is held, usually in June, to discuss SEN/AEN children in transition. Reports outlining SEN/AEN children s needs are forwarded well in advance of transfer. Records and any relevant 15

information about an SEN/AEN child who changes school for reasons other than secondary transfer are sent to the receiving school. The Teacher for the Resource Provision and sometimes the Inclusion Manager visit special schools or schools with Provisions to update information, share skills and expertise and to maintain good communication overall. e) Links with health and social services, educational welfare services and any voluntary organisations Children may be referred at any time to health, social services, educational welfare services or other services should concern arise. Parents are consulted at all stages unless the concern is a safeguarding issue where to consult the parent would be detrimental to the child. (See Safeguarding Policy.) Some children are referred for early entry into the Nursery through their involvement with Health or Social Services and these are known as Priority Placements. These children are carefully monitored during their time with Crook Log. Children may be referred to the Bexley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (BCAMHS) in order to support them and their families. The Family Centre may also be involved with some children through Social Services. Positive Steps can support parents in the home with behaviour issues for young children. Links with the Speech and Language Therapy service are already in place. (See above 3b.) A school nurse can be called upon through the community health service. The Health Visitor also liaises with the school where necessary for children coming into the Nursery. The Early Years 16

SEN Co-ordinator also liaises with the school where necessary for children transferring from playgroup to Nursery or Reception. Reviewed by P Barratt Inclusion Manager November 2013 17