Social Communication Department

Wigmore Primary School Offer

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

WIGMORE PRIMARY SCHOOL OFFER

Contents

Introduction / 2
How does the SCD organise support for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder? / 3
Who are the key people in the school and the SCD to discuss parental/carer’s concerns about the child’s difficulties? / 4
How will parents/carers be informed about a child’s progress at school and how will her/his progress be measured? / 4
What support will parents/carers receive if their child has been identified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder? / 5
What support is offered to ensure the wellbeing of children with a place in the SCD? / 5 - 6
How will teaching be adapted to support children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder? / 7
What different types of support can the child receive in school? / 8
How will the school support your child in unstructured times such as lunchtimes and playtimes and enable her/him to have access to after school clubs, school trips and journeys? / 8
How does the school involve children in decisions that affect them? / 9
How are the school’s resources allocated to support children with a place in the SCD? / 10
What services external to the school can provide support to children with a place in the SCD? / 11
How are the staff in school supported to work with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and what training do they have? / 11
How will the school support the child in moving on to high school? / 12
How accessible is the school environment? / 12
Who can parents/carers contact for further information at the school? / 13

Introduction

Wigmore Primary School has a Social Communication Department (SCD). The SCD is an 8 place provision for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and is an integral part of the school. The local authority allocates places in the SCD.

  • Pupils from the SCD are included within their year group classes in our autism-friendly mainstream school.
  • We are an inclusive school who encourage the children with a place in the SCD to participate in all aspects of school life as much as possible.
  • There is a Teacher in charge of the SCD who manages the department and oversees the day to day running.

At Wigmore Primary School we believe in achievement, ambition and progress for all children.

  • We aim to meet the needs of individual children through highly effective teaching and learning.
  • There is an emphasis on early identification of needs through supportive and preventative strategies which reduce barriers to learning.
  • We work in a flexible way to develop effective partnerships with children and their parents/carers, the SENCo and specialist teaching staff both within the school and external professionals such as advisory teachers (Autism Spectrum Team), speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists to ensure that the school can meet the special educational needs of children on the Autistic Spectrum.
  • We undertake a rigorous system of monitoring children’s progress, supporting academic achievement and person achievement by removing barriers to learning and use a wide range of strategies to foster a culture of life long learning and independent living skills for all children.
  1. How does the SCD organise support for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder?
  • Children who are considered for a place in the provision have a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or an Education, Health and social Care Plan (EHCP) prior to gaining a place in the SCD.
  • A transition meeting is held before the child starts at Wigmore Primary School so key information can be shared between the parents/carers, current setting and the SCD. Transition visits are arranged so the child can be introduced to their new school and meet the staff who will be working with her/him. As part of the transition process, the child also receives a booklet with photos and information about the SCD and Wigmore Primary School.
  • Children with a place in the SCD receive:

specialist, experienced teaching and support staff, who understand the individual needs of each child and use a range of appropriate support strategies;

a differentiated curriculum to meet their individual needs;

specific programs to support the development of language, communication and social skills;

1:1 support from a teaching assistant for half of the day;

purpose-built, structured classrooms and

access to chill-out spaces including a stimulating sensory room and an outside play area.

  1. Who are the key people in the school and the SCD to discuss parental/carer’s concerns about the child’s difficulties?
  • Parents/carers should discuss their concerns with the class teacher and/or the teacher in charge of the SCD.
  • There are opportunities for parents/carers to discuss their child’s progress during parents’ consultations and review meetings.
  1. How will parents/carers be informed about a child’s progress at school and how will her/his progress be measured?
  • Parents/carers receive information about their child’s progress at school through face to face discussions whenever possible, such as parent consultations and review meetings, and through reports which are distributed mid way through the academic year, toward the end of the academic year and for the child’s annual review.
  • When face to face discussions are not possible, telephone conversations will take place. Information about how the child has been during the school day is also shared on a daily basis at home time. When face to face discussions are not possible, information is shared through a home school book or by telephone if more sensitive matters need to be discussed.
  • Progress is measured through close monitoring of the child’s work and assessments and reviewing the targets that are set to address the child’s individual needs and areas of difficulty.
  • The Head Teacher, SENCo and class teachers meet every half term to discuss the children’s progress.
  • The teacher in charge of the SCD, SENCo and class teacher oversee the educational plan for children from the SCD.
  1. What support will parents/carers receive if their child has been identified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder?
  • Parents/carers are invited to attend review meetings and be involved in setting targets which address their child’s areas of need.
  • Parents/carers are invited to local authority support groups, such as:

Children Autism Luton Meeting (CALM) for parents/carers with children aged 3 – 7;

Families in Luton Autism Group (FLAG) for parents/carers with children aged 3 – 16 and

Dads Autism Discuss Support (DADS) for male relatives and carers.

  1. What support is offered to ensure the wellbeing of children with a place in the SCD?
  • Staff who support children from the SCD are trained to use a range of autism specific strategies to enable the children to access their mainstream classes and their learning. This can include the use of visual supports to structure the child’s school day and work so she/he can understand what is happening and what she/he is required to do, which can help to reduce her/his anxieties.
  • Children learn about their own emotions as well as the emotions of others. They may also work in small group situations to develop their attention, independence and social skills.
  • Children who require medication during the school day go the medical room to receive their medication. Parents/carers must sign an indemnity form and supply full details relating to each medication that is to be administered in school. For further information, please refer to the school’s Medicine Policy.
  • We recognise that the school has a central role in the children’s social and moral development just as it does in their academic development. Just as we measure academic progress and development over time towards academic goals, so we measure standards of behaviour in terms of meeting behavioural goals. Whilst we recognise and value individual differences, at Wigmore, we work towards standards of behaviour based on the basic principles of honesty, respect, consideration and responsibility. Staff are also aware that when establishing a child’s reason for inappropriate behaviour, focussing solely on the behaviour and not the reason behind it may treat the symptom and not the cause. Therefore staff always aim to treat incidents individually whilst maintaining consistency within the inherent structure of the rewards systems, to motivate and acknowledge the children’s efforts and achievements, and sanctions systems, so children learn that their choices about how they behave always have consequences. For further information, please refer to the school’s Behaviour Policy.
  • Staff from the SCD and some other staff across the school have received Team Teach training to assist children when they require support with their behaviour. The Team Teach approach promotes and protects positive relationships between children and staff through the use of verbal and non-verbal de-escalation strategies, in the first instance, before any positive handling strategies are utilised. The de-escalation strategies include use of verbal advice and support, reassurance, calm talking and stance, success reminders, firm clear directions, negotiation, offering limited choices, distraction, offering and/or directing withdrawal, change of adult and reminders of consequences.
  1. How will teaching be adapted to support children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder?
  • One of the school’s central aims is to provide a challenging, interesting and a varied curriculum which meets the differing needs and abilities of all children and motivates them to learn. All children have access to a differentiated curriculum, which accommodates their differences so that they all have the best chance of learning and making progress.

Work can be differentiated:

by task, which involves setting different tasks for pupils of different abilities;

by support, which means giving more help to certain pupils within the group or

by outcome, which involves setting open-ended tasks and allowing pupil response at different levels.

  • Teachers deliver lessons which aim to meet the needs of all learners. Children have different styles of learning, they learn from what they see (visual), hear (auditory) and do (kinaesthetic) so lessons are planned to incorporate these different styles. Many people on the autistic spectrum are visual learners so a range of visual supports are used to support teaching and learning wherever possible. These visual supports include the use of equipment, pictures, photographs, videos and symbols. This helps the children to visualise what they are learning and supports their understanding.
  • Advice from specialist external staff, such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists, and the teacher in charge of the SCD is used to inform differentiating the curriculum and target setting to meet the child’s needs.
  • Teachers share their lesson plans with the teaching assistants so they know how to support the children and what resources they need to do this.
  1. What different types of support can the child receive in school?
  • All children with a place in the SCD receive 1:1 support from a teaching assistant for half of the school day.
  • Children also receive specialist teacher support from the teacher in charge of the SCD, as required, who also provides advice and training to the class teachers and 1:1 teaching assistants.
  • A number of teachers and teaching assistants have attended courses related to understanding autism; this includes a well-respected online training course which is tutored by the teacher in charge of the SCD.
  1. How will the school support your child in unstructured times such as lunchtimes and playtimes and enable her/him to have access to after school clubs, school trips and journeys?
  • Staff from the SCD supervise the children during lunchtimes and playtimes. The children are encouraged to interact and develop their social skills with their peers and they are also given some time to be on their own if they wish.
  • Where possible, after school clubs are available to all children and appropriate procedures are put in place to ensure the safety of all pupils.
  • Where possible, school trips are available to all and adult support is provided in accordance with the child’s needs. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to hopefully enable all children to participate.
  • Parents/carers are informed of the specific arrangements for clubs and trips and may be asked to support their child if necessary.

9. How does the school involve children in decisions that affect them?

  • Children are encouraged to share their views about their school, their work and their behaviour and these are included as part of their contribution to their annual review. Visual support is provided to help the children to communicate and share their views. Children from the SCD may attend part of their annual review and their targets are shared with them.
  • Children contribute to the development of their ‘SEND passports’ which provides a profile of their likes, dislikes and needs. The children’s families can also provide information for the ‘SEND passports’ which are then shared with the adults in school who work with the children.
  • If children have suggestions about the school they can be shared with the school council via their class representative. The school council considers such suggestions and the school then takes any necessary action following any decisions that are made.
  • Where appropriate, staff working with the children may act as advocate for them.
  1. How are the school’s resources allocated to support children with a place in the SCD?
  • The local authority provides the school with funding for the SCD which is used in conjunction with the school’s resources to meet the children’s needs and objectives. Children with a place in the SCD benefit from the extra support, experienced staff and resources made available through the SCD. This includes access to staff qualified to teach pupils with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
  • The SCD enables children to have access to the Green Room, which has four computers and an interactive whiteboard, and the Blue Room, which has two computers, a sensory panel, a book corner, and tables to work at independently and in a group. Children may use these rooms during work and reward times. The SCD also has a sensory room and an outside play area.
  • The teacherin charge of the SCD attends termly meetings with the Head Teacher, SENCo and representatives from the local authority and reports on the effectiveness of the SCD. The teacher in charge also submits an annual evaluation of the SCD to the aforementioned bodies.
  1. What services external to the school can provide support to children with a place in the SCD?
  • Advisory Teachers from the local authority’s Special Educational Needs Service, including the Autism Spectrum Team and Learning Support Service
  • Educational Psychologists (EP)
  • Alternative Learning and Progression Service (ALPS)
  • Speech and Language Therapists (SALT)
  • Occupational Therapists (OT)
  • The Edwin Lobo Child Development Centre (ELC)
  • Specialist external staff may conduct observations, provide reports, advice and strategies and attend meetings. They liaise with the teacher in charge of the SCD via meetings, reports, emails and telephone, as required.
  1. How are the staff in school supported to work with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and what training do they have?
  • A number of teachers and teaching assistants have attended courses related to understanding autism: this includes an online training course which is tutored by the teacher in charge of the SCD.
  • All staff can access the resources from the SCD and seek advice from the teacher in charge of the SCD.
  • Teachers have received training on differentiating the curriculum to meet the differing needs and abilities of all children. The teacher in charge of the SCD also provides advice to teachers when they are planning lessons, as required.
  • As part of an Autism Awareness Day, the teachers delivered a lesson to their classes to develop awareness of autism across the school.
  1. How will the school support the child in moving on to high school?
  • When a child is in Year 5, their parents/carers are invited to meet to discuss options and then informed of the application process.
  • When a child is in Year 6, a high school is allocated by the local authority and a transition meeting is held so key information can be shared between the parents/carers, the high school and Wigmore Primary School. Transition visits are also arranged so the child can be introduced to their new school and meet staff who will be working with them. This can include staff from the high school visiting the child at Wigmore to meet and get to know the child and observe how current staff work with the child.
  1. How accessible is the school environment?
  • Every teacher is expected to display a visual daily timetable (with symbols) in their classroom and children from the SCD may be provided with an individual timetable which helps them to understand what will be happening during the school day. The individual timetable is presented using objects, photos, symbols and/or words in accordance with the child’s level of understanding.
  • The school has a disabled toilet and the SCD has its own toilet but children can use the main school toilets as well.
  • For parents/carers whose first language is not English, a member of staff who speaks their first language can assist and translate during meetings. If there is no staff who can interpret, parents/carers can invite someone to interpret during the meetings.
  1. Who can parents/carers contact for further information at the school?
  • Parents/carers are welcome to book an appointment with the teacher in charge of the SCD.
  • If parents/carers want to discuss concerns about their child, they can contact the teacher in charge of the SCD or, if their child is already attending the school, parents/carers can contact the class teacher in the first instance.
  • Other people who have a role in supporting children from the SCD are the SENCo, Autism Spectrum Team advisory teachers and educational psychologists and speech and language therapists (if involved in working with the child).
  • Parents/carers can find Luton’s Local Offer for SEN and Disability on the Luton Borough Council website.
  • If parents/carers are considering making an application for their child to the Social Communication Department at Wigmore Primary School please contact Matthew Sims (Team Leader Special Educational Needs Service – Luton Borough Council).

01582 548113