A Parental Guide for

Children and Young People with

Special Educational Needs in the

Vale of Glamorgan

www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Published November 2013

This document is available in large print and other formats upon request.

This booklet is published by the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Although the information is correct at the time of publication, the Authority reserves the right to make any adjustments where this is necessary to enable it to comply with changes in policy and/or legislation.

Contact details:

For further information please view our website

www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

You may also contact the team by emailing:

  • The Case Work Officer
  • email address or , Case Work Manager Complex Needs
  • or , Complex Needs and Schools Liaison Officer

Alternatively, if you wish to telephone the Case Work Officers theycan be contacted on:

01446 709181/ 01446 709183

Our address is:

Vale of Glamorgan Council,

Directorate of Learning & Skills

Achievement for All,

Civic Offices,

Holton Road,

Barry,

CF63 4RU

Introduction

This booklet aims to help you understand:

  • what special educational needs(or sometimes referred to as additional learning needs) are
  • what to do if you are worried that your child may be having difficulties at, or before, they go to school
  • how you can help your child
  • what early education settings and schools can do to help your child
  • what local authorities (LAs) and other services can do to help your child
  • your rights and your child’s rights
  • the main principles of the Education Act of 1996
  • the main principles of the SEN Code of Practice for Wales
  • who to contact for advice

It continues with information about:

  • disapplication from the National Curriculum
  • out of school tuition
  • entry of pupils for public examinations
  • children educated at parents’ expense
  • complaints procedure
  • Welsh language
  • transport arrangements
  • free school meals/uniform assistance scheme (for further information please refer to the “ A Parental Guide to School Admissions in the Vale” booklet).
  • the School Improvement and Inclusion Service

And concludes with a list of all Vale of Glamorgan Special Schools, Special Classes/Units and schools specially resourced for pupils with particular special educational needs.

Parents may also wish to refer also “A Parental Guide to Schools Admissions in the Vale” accessed via

www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

School Improvement and Inclusion Service (SIIS)

The School Improvement and Inclusion Service is an element of the Local Education Authority and is within the Directorate of Learning and Skills.

The Head of Service is Mike Glavin.

The Lead Officer for School Improvement is Meryl Plummer

The Lead Officer for Inclusion is David Davies.

The Inclusion Service is multi-disciplinary and is comprised of:-

  • Complex Needs Assessment and Liaison Service

-Statutory Assessment Team

-Management of Statements of SEN

-Management of transition arrangements for pupils with SEN in or out of the county

-Management of arrangements for SEN/ALN admission/change of placement

-Administration and attendance at SEN Panel

-Management of referrals for SEN Transport

-Management and co-ordination of the difficult to engage pupils including excluded pupils

-Management of young personsemployment and performing licences.

  • Educational Psychology Service
  • Safeguarding, Learning Support and Wellbeing Service

- Looked After Children (LAC) Team

- Cognition and Learning Team

- Speech and Language Team

- Visual Impairment Team

- Hearing Impairment Team

- Out of School Tuition

- Putting Families First Team

  • Behaviour and Attendance Service

- Behaviour Management Team

- Education Welfare Team

- PRU

The Service is available to children and young people age 0-19, although the majority of referrals and requests for consultation are for the 4-16 age range in statutory education.

The Inclusion Service provides:

  • Pre-school assessment and advice
  • Assessment and advice on special educational needs at ‘School Action Plus’ of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Wales
  • Assessment ‘advice’ for statutory assessment of SEN
  • Review assessments of children and young people at School Action Plus and with a Statement of SEN
  • School based Speech and Language assessment, therapy and advice.
  • Monitoring and promotion of full school attendance
  • Education Welfare
  • Implementation of Bye-Laws concerning the employment of young people
  • Peripatetic tuition and support of pupils with visual, hearing, specific or general learning difficulties or behavioural difficulties within their mainstream school. Not all tuition is subject to a Statement of SEN and the majority of Specific Learning Difficulty (Spld) tuition, peripatetic or Unit based provision is provided at ‘School Action Plus’ SEN Code of Practice for Wales
  • Preparation and support of SEN/ALN pupils as part of planned managed moves in years 6 & 7 (secondary transfer)
  • Management of Safer Recruitment Policy
  • Management of OOST
  • Management of EHE
  • Management of exclusion (from school) procedures
  • Management of statutory assessment of SEN and Annual Review/Transition Plan Review.

There is open referral, with the majority of referrals and requests for consultation coming from schools, parents, NHS Trusts and Social Services.

The School Improvement and Inclusion Service is currently based at:

Directorate of Learning & Skills

School Improvement & Inclusion Service

Provincial House,

Kendrick Road,

Barry,

CF62 8BF

For further information please contact the main line number 01446 709180

Special Educational Needs – What does it mean?

The term special educational needs* has a legal definition. Some children find learning easier than others. If a child has difficulties in learning, he or she may have special educational needs. The majority of children with special educational needs are educated successfully within their local mainstream school.

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind at some time during their education. School and other organisations can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present. However, a few children will need additional help for some or all of their time in school.

Special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulties with:

  • some or all of the work in school
  • reading, writing, number work or understanding information
  • expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
  • making friends or relating to adults
  • behaving properly in school
  • organising themselves
  • some kind of sensory or physical needs which may affect them in school

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers take account of this by looking carefully at how they organise lessons, the classroom, the books and materials they give to each child and the way they teach. All teachers will consider a number of options and choose the most appropriate ways to help each child learn from a range of activities. This is often described as differentiating the curriculum.

If your child is making slower progress than you expect, or the teachers are providing different support, help or activities in class, you should not assume that you child has special educational needs.

*special educational needs (SEN): Children have SEN if they have difficulties that need special educational provision.

What can you do if you are worried that your child may be having difficulties?

If you think your child may have difficulties you should talk to any of the following:

  • your child’s class teacher or early years practitioner
  • the school SENCo or ALNCo (this is the person in the school or early years setting who has a particular responsibility for co-ordinating help for children with special educational needs)
  • the Headteacher
  • the Independent Parental Supporter (IPS)*
  • Health Visitor or Doctor
  • your social worker

If you are not satisfied with a response, you should contact the School Improvement and Inclusion Service to discuss your concerns.

You may find it useful to make a note of important contact numbers. Keep a record of all telephone calls, letters, meetings etc. Make a note of the names of people you and/or your child speak to.

You know your child better than anyone

You hold the key information and have a critical role to play in your child’s education. You have unique knowledge and experiences to contribute to the shared view of your child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them.

Your child’s views are very important

Children and young people with special educational needs have a unique knowledge of their own needs and circumstances, and have their own views about what sort of support they would like to help them to make the most of their education. They should feel confident that they will be listened to and that their views are valued.

*The Independent Parental Supporter can be provided by the local Parent Partnership Service

SNAP Cymru which has an office at The Barry YMCA Hub, Court Road, Barry, Tel: 01446 724005

Meeting special educational needs – the SEN Code of Practice for Wales

The Education Act 1996 recognises and values the key role of parents and carers, and the Welsh Assembly Government has developed a Code of Practice that gives practical guidance on how to identify and assess children with special educational needs.

The SEN Code of Practice for Wales* has a set of underlying principles that all organisations should have regard to. This means that early education settings**, schools, LAs and health and social services decide how they will help children with special educational needs. The Code sets out the processes that all organisations must or should follow to meet the needs of these children. They must not ignore the guidance in the Code.

The basic principles of the Code are:

  • all children with special educational needs should have their needs met
  • the special educational needs of children are normally met in mainstream*** early years settings or schools
  • your views will be taken into account and the wishes of your child will be listened to
  • you have the vital role in supporting your child’s education
  • children with special educational needs should receive a broad, well-balanced and relevant education

The Code describes how help for children and young people with special educational needs in schools and early years settings should be made by a step-by-step or graduated response (next page).

Different schools will take account of the Code of Practice in different ways. However, if your child has SEN, you should be consulted at each step.

*The SEN Code of Practice for Wales gives clear guidance for early education settings, state schools and LAs on the help they can give to children with SEN.

**The Early Years Setting includes all pre-school education provision such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries and playgroups.

***Mainstream schools are ordinary schools which are for all children, not just those with SEN. This includes state schools and independent schools.

What is the graduated response?

The graduated response recognises that children learn in different ways and can have different kinds or levels of SEN. This means that, if necessary, step by step, specialist expertise can be brought in to help the school with the difficulties that your child may have. Your child might need help through this graduated approach for only a short time or for many years, perhaps even for the whole of their education.

Approach

/ Response to Special Educational Need
Identification / A child’s SEN is identified based on their inadequate progress
Early Years/
School Action / Early Years Providers/School informs parents that their child is considered as having SEN. SEN co-ordinator (SENCO) and colleagues gather information about the child, including parents. SENCO organises additional provision and ensures that an individual education plan (IEP) is drawn up, working with the child’s teachers to devise school-based interventions
Early Years/
School Action Plus / SENCO brings in outside specialists to advise on further changes that could be made within the school to meet the child’s needs
School Action Plus intervention following assessment by the most appropriateprofessional / In accordance with the SEN CoP for Wales & LA SEN indicators, the L.A. expects that in the majority of cases the pupils SEN/ALN will be met by schools from their normal resources. Schools are expected to have in place agreed policies for special needs, including curriculum delivery, behaviour management and the recording of pupil’s progress; systems for identifying special needs and for communicating them to all staff who will be in contact with the child; a pastoral care system which offers support to pupils; access to appropriate information technology and other appropriate equipment and aids; some individualised teaching through Individual Education Plans. In this context therefore the pupil should be viewed as a priority for within school support from the school’s own resources.
In a small amount of cases the schools are able to refer to the Vale SEN Panel, with supporting evidence, when requestingsupport arrangements. Any support allocation agreed by the LA is additional and should not replace school support arrangements. .
Statutory Assessment / LA considers the need for statutory assessment and, if appropriate, makes a multi-disciplinary assessment
After assessment / LA considers the need for a Statement of SEN and, if appropriate, makes a Statement and arranges, monitors and reviews provision

You should be consulted at each step

  • Pre-School

If your child is under two years of age, you or the health service may refer any concerns to the LA for early intervention assessment. The LA in consultation with you will determine appropriate support arrangements and whether or not a statutory assessment should be undertaken. The type of support that may help your child to progress could be, for example, a home-based programme, or the advice of a peripatetic teacher of the visually or hearing impaired.

  • Upon School Entry

The school must tell you when they first start giving additional or different help for your child because they have special educational needs. In early years setting this help is called Early Years Action, and in school this is called School Action.

What happens at Early Years Action/School Action?

Your child’s school or early years setting will:

  • consult with you
  • gather information
  • co-ordinate the appropriate support within the class
  • prepare an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
  • monitor progress

What is an Individual Education Plan (IEP)?

At Early Years or School Action it is the responsibility of the school or early years setting to prepare an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in partnership with you and your child. The IEP should identify:

  • your child’s strengths and difficulties
  • what additional help is being given
  • who provides this help and how often it will be given
  • what the targets for your child are
  • how and when your child’s progress will be reviewed
  • what help you can give your child at home

The layout of the IEPs may vary from one school to another – however, it is how your child is helped that is important and not the way in which the school writes it down. The school/early years setting will advise you as to when your child’s progress will be reviewed.

What is Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP)

An IBP is a plan which is pupil specific and targets behaviour. The IBP is drawn up by the school in consultation with the parents, and does not require prior consultation between the school and the LA. The behaviour plan is what the school (and parents) put into place to improve a child’s behaviour. It will usually contain (a)targets for positive behaviour; (b) implementation of strategies to improve behaviour, (c) progress monitoring, with the desired outcome of improving poor behaviours. If the IBP(s) do not lead to improved behaviour, the school may consider referring to the LA’s Behaviour Improvement Team (BIT). The school staff will trigger the referral for BIT intervention, but parents will be asked to provide their consent prior to such a referral being made. Following receipt of referral by BIT a Specialist Teacher from BIT will visit the school, at school request.

What happens at Early Years Action Plus/School Action Plus?

Following a review, if it is decided that your child has not made enough progress, the teacher or the SENCO will talk to you about getting advice from other people outside the school. They may want to ask for help from any of the following:

  • an educational psychologist
  • specialist teacherteam for
  • behaviour,
  • cognition & learning
  • sensory impairment (visual and/or hearing)
  • a speech and language therapist or other health professional
  • other specialist help

The school/early years setting will:

  • consult with you
  • gather further information
  • consult with outside professionals
  • involve external support services
  • co-ordinate appropriate support within the class
  • Ensure that there are appropriate plan(s) in place e.g. IEP / IBP / Health Care Plan, in respect of the individual pupil need.
  • Monitor progress.

If your child still does not seem to be making progress or needs a lot more additional input, a referral may be made to the LA by your child’s school for consideration of additional support, alternative provision or agreement to carry out a statutory assessment.