ST PAULINUS C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL S.E.N. AND INCLUSION
POLICY NO. 10b
Mrs S Andrew October 2010 To be reviewed October 2012
PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL
At St Paulinus C.E. Primary School, we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all of our pupils whatever their needs or abilities.
DEFINITION OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
A pupil has special educational needs if he/she:-
1)has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the pupils of the same age or
2)has a disability which either prevents or hinders him/her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the LEA or
3)is under compulsory school age and falls within the definition above, or would do so if special educational provision is not made for them or
4)significantly exceeds the attainment level for his/her year group.
Children must not be regarded as having special educational needs solely because:
  • they are bilingual
  • they speak English as a second language
  • the language they are exposed to at home is different from the language they are taught
DEFINITION OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL PROVISION
This means educational provision which is additional to or different from the educational provision made generally available for children of the child’s age in maintained schools, other than special schools.
The success of the school’s SEN policy will be judged against the aims set out below by the Governing body via the Curriculum Committee. The Governing body will ensure that it makes appropriate special educational provision for all pupils identified as in need of it.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of our SEN policy are as follows:-
  • to ensure early identification of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and ensure that their needs are met
  • to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities join in with all the activities of the school
  • to ensure that all learners make the best possible progress
  • to ensure parents are informed of their child’s special needs and provision and that
  • there is effective communication between parents and school
  • to ensure that learners express their views and are fully involved in decisions which affect their education
  • to promote effective partnership and involve outside agencies when appropriate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Provision for pupils with SEN is a whole school responsibility. Apart from the Governing body and Head Teacher, all members of staff have important responsibilities.
  • The Governing body in cooperation with the Head Teacher determines the School’s general policy and approach to provision for children with SEN; establishes the appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and maintains a general oversight of the school’s work. The governor with special responsibility for SEN closely monitors the school’s work on behalf of children with SEN. The governing body annually reports to parents on the school’s policy and provision on SEN.
  • The Head Teacher is responsible for the day to day management of all aspects of the school’s work including SEN provision. The Head Teacher keeps the Governing body fully informed and works closely with the school’s SEN coordinator (SENCO).
  • The SENCO works closely with the Head Teacher, Senior management and fellow teachers in the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision. The SENCO has responsibility for day to day operation of the school’s SEN policy and for coordinating provision for pupils with SEN.
  • The SENCO is responsible for teaching and supporting pupils at School Action, School Action Plus and pupils with statements.
  • Learning Support Assistants (LSA’s), support pupils with statement of special educational needs under the guidance of the SENCO, class teachers and with the advice of outside agencies.
  • Teaching Assistants (TAs), support pupils at School Action and School Action Plus under the guidance of the class teacher and SENCO

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

The Governing Body has agreed with the LEA and other admissions authorities, admissions criteria which do not discriminate against pupils with special education needs or disabilities, and its admissions policy has due regard for the guidance in the Code of Practice. Parents and carers seeking the admission of a pupil with mobility difficulties are advised to approach the school well in advance, so that consultations can take place. The school has an Accessibility Strategy and is fully accessible to the disabled. (see governor’s accessibility plan). The school does not have a special unit.

IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The school is committed to early identification of special educational need and adopts a graduated response to meeting special educational need in line with the Code of Practice 2002. A range of evidence is collected through the usual assessment and monitoring arrangements; if this suggests that the learner is not making the expected progress, the Class teacher will consult with the SENCO in order to decide whether additional and/or different provision is necessary. The decision will then be made whether this should be recorded as an initial Record of Concern. (See additional paper) There is no need for pupils to be registered or identified as having special educational needs unless the school is taking additional or different action. Pupils who have disabilities but no special needs will be recorded on the school’s medical register.
IEP’s:
Pupils at School Action and School Action + will be given an IEP. (Appendix A ` sample IEP) This will be written by the class teacher and SENCO in consultation with pupils, parents, carers and teaching assistants. It may also involve consultation and advice from external agencies.
The IEP will set targets for the pupil and will detail:
  • The short term targets set for or by the child
  • The teaching strategies to be used
  • The provision to be put in place
  • When the plan is to be reviewed
  • Success and/or exit criteria
The IEP will be reviewed and the outcomes will be recorded. Pupils will participate fully in the review process, according to age and abilities. Parents/carers will also be invited to participate in the target-setting and review process.
For pupils who have statements of SEN, as well as the review of their IEP’s, their progress and the support outlined in their statement will be reviewed annually and a report provided for the Local Education Authority.
A graduated response will be taken for the child’s development and level of need for special provision. When a child with special educational needs is identified, interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of the school’s curriculum are provided through the following:

Early Years Action

Despite appropriate early education experiences, it may be identified that a child has special educational needs after initial assessments have been done. The SENCO, class teacher in consultation with the parents will then decide what action will be needed to enable the child to learn and progress as much as possible. This could be through one-off or occasional advice on strategies and equipment. This intervention does not need regular or ongoing input from external services.

Early Years Action Plus

If the child is not making satisfactory progress, the SENCO will need to seek more advice and ongoing input from external services. Intervention through the Early Years Action Plus will involve external support services providing more specialist assessments, advice on strategies, materials, individual educational plans (IEP’s) and support for particular activities.
School Action
When a child is identified as having special educational needs despite receiving a differentiated learning opportunities, intervention can be provided through school action. This involves one-off or occasional advice on strategies equipment or staff training which may make it possible to provide effective intervention without regular or ongoing input from external services.
School Action Plus
If a child is not making adequate progress following a review, it may be decided by the SENCO in consultation with the class teachers and parents to request help from external support services. This may include providing specialist assessments that can inform planning, advice on strategies and IEP’s. It also involves ongoing input from extreme services.

Statements of Special Educational Needs

In a small number of cases, where the child is experiencing particularly high levels of difficulty and the child is unable to make adequate progress a statutory assessment may be required. Parents will have been involved at all stages of decision making and the issues clearly explained as much as possible. Advice from specialist support services will be of great importance and the final decision will be as a result of agreement between the Head Teacher, SENCO, class teacher, support teacher, representatives of external agencies and the LA.
SECONDARY TRANSFER
When pupils are due to transfer to another phase, planning for this will be started in the year prior to the year of transfer. Advanced planning for pupils in Year 5 will allow appropriate options to be considered. The SENCO will liase with the SENCO of the secondary schools serving the area to ensure that effective arrangements are in place to support pupils at the time of transfer.
When pupils move to another school, their records will be transferred to the next school within 15 days of the pupil ceasing to be registered, as required under the Education (Pupil Information) Regulations 2000. If a pupil makes sufficient progress, a statement may be discontinued by the Education Authority.

STAFF TRAINING

The school makes an annual audit of training needs for all staff taking into account school priorities, as well as personal professional development. The school is allocated funding each year that it may use to meet identified needs. Particular support will be given to NQT’s and other new members of staff. LSA’s will be given training and advice to meet the needs of the child that they support.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

The school will provide information about the Parent Partnership Service to all parents of children with special educational needs. Parents of any pupil identified with SEN may contact the Parent Partnership Service for independent support and advice.
All concerns are discussed with parents and information and procedures are explained. Parents have a critical role to play in their children’s education. Parents are regularly invited to comment about their children’s progress and strategies we may use to help their children.

PUPIL PARTICIPATION

Where possible, children will participate in the setting of their IEP targets, the assessment of their needs, the review of IEP’s, annual reviews and the transition process.
They should feel confident that they will be listened to and their views valued.
The school has strong links with ShenstoneSpecialSchool. Pupils from ShenstoneSchool often attend school activities, according to an individually planned timetable.

EXTERNAL SUPPORT

External Support Services play an important part in helping the school identify, assess and make provision for pupils with special educational needs.
  • The school receives regular visits from the nominated Education Welfare Officer and Educational Psychologist for the area.
  • In addition, the school may seek advice from the specialist advisory teaching services for children with sensory impairment or physical difficulties.
  • Liaison meetings with the Nursery/Playground leaders are held to ensure a smooth start to school for children in the Foundation Stage.
  • The speech and language therapist contributes to the reviews of children with significant speech and language difficulties.
Multi-agency liaison meetings, with representation from Social Services, Health and the Educational Psychology Service are held on a termly basis to ensure effective collaboration in identifying and making provision for vulnerable pupils.

This policy was approved by the Curriculum Committee on …………………………………….

signed ...... (Chairman of Curriculum Committee)

Inclusion statement for St PaulinusC.E.Primary School, Crayford

We aim to be a fully inclusive school community and to involve all members of the community in decision-making and policy development. We regard staff, parents and pupils as undertaking a joint enterprise to make learning exciting and positive for all of our. We are all members of a team working co-operatively to this end. The expertise of parents and carers is highly valued.

We do not discriminate in any way against any pupil seeking admission, as our published criteria are rigorously applied in cases of over-subscription. Once pupils are at the school, our aim is to provide the best possible learning experiences for all; this includes giving necessary support to individuals or groups of pupils who require something extra to meet their needs. We want all pupils to have full access not only to the taught curriculum, but also to out-of-school enrichment activities and all are encouraged to participate in the wide range of clubs and sports. Pupils will be involved in reviewing their learning experiences, evaluating their progress and actively planning their learning.

We support the LEA policy on Inclusion and our curriculum policies are fully inclusive.