Fitzwilliam Primary School

FitzwilliamPrimary School

Special Educational Needs Policy

Contents

1. Aims

2. Equal Opportunities

3. To Achieve our Aims

4. Education Inclusion

5. Definition of Special Educational Needs

6. Teachers Respond to Children’s Needs

7. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Governing Body

8. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Head Teacher

9. The Roles and Responsibilities of the SENCO

10. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Teachers

11. The Roles and Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants and Educational Support Assistants

12. Liaison between Teaching Support Staff and Class Teachers

13. Pupil Participation

14. Parent/Carer Participation

15. Allocation of Resources

16. Partnership with Parents

17. Procedures – The Graduated Response

18. Additional Response

19. Assessing Needs with Graduated Response

i) Early Years Action

ii) Early Years Action Plus

iii) School Action

iv) School Action Plus

20. Writing Individual Educational Plans

21. Conducting IEP Reviews

22. Statutory Annual Reviews

23. Annual Review Procedures

24. The Annual Review Meeting

25. Reporting of the Annual Review Meeting

26. Local Authority Review

27. Education of Pupils with Medical Needs

28. Liaison with Other Agencies

29. In Service Training

30. Complaints Procedures

31. Monitoring, Evaluation and Review of SEN Policy and Guidelines

Appendix

1. Early Years Action Decision Checklist

2. Early Years Action Plus Decision Checklist

3. School Action Decision Checklist

4. School Action Plus Decision Checklist

5. IEP Proforma

(i) Early Years IEP

(ii) School IEP

6. Four Areas of Needs

Aims

At FitzwilliamPrimary School we provide teaching and learning which enables all children to gain access to a broad, balanced and appropriately differentiated curriculum. We strongly believe in the role of Quality First Teaching and Curriculum Entitlement for all children.

Our aim is to ensure all children are supported in order that they may work confidently towards reaching their full potential. Policy and practice reflects the philosophy and fundamental principles within the SEN Code:

“The Code sets out guidance on policies and procedures aimed at enabling pupils with special educational needs to reach their full potential, to be included fully in their school communities and make a successful transition to adulthood” (1:2)

A child with special educational needs should have their educational needs met
The views of the child should be sought and taken into account
Parents support their child’s education
Children with special educational needs should be offered full access to a broad balanced and relevant education, including an appropriate curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum (1:5)

Close regard is paid to the three key principles of inclusive education:

Setting suitable learning challenges
Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils

Equal Opportunities

The staff of Fitzwilliam Primary School believes that all members of the school should be treated with respect; have individual, diverse needs recognised, and be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their age, ability, religion, gender or culture.

To Achieve Our Aims

To create an environment that safeguards and meets the special educational needs of each child
To ensure that the special educational needs of children are identified, assessed and provided for
Adopt a whole school approach to the identification, assessment and provision for children with special educational needs
To make clear the expectations of all those involved in the process, e.g. school staff parents, children, medical and Local Authority services
To identify the roles and responsibilities of staff in providing for children’s special educational needs
Incorporate special educational needs procedures including individual education plans (IEPs) into curriculum planning
To enable all children to have full access to all elements of the school curriculum
Track and monitor provision and procedures which have been put into place to ensure children with SEN make significant progress as they move through the school

4. Education Inclusion (See Inclusion Policy for further details)

Through appropriate curriculum provision, we respect the fact that children:

Have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations
Require different strategies for learning
Acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates
Need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.

5. Definition of Special Educational Needs

A child has special educational needs if he or she is has a difficulty, which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
Have a disability, which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the Local Authority. (1:3)
Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) and (b).

6. Teachers Respond to Children’s Needs by:

Dealing with Special Educational Needs as part of the whole school ethos
Providing support for children who need help with communication, language and all other aspects of the curriculum
Planning for children’s full participation in learning, and physical and practical activities
Helping children manage their behaviour and to take part in learning effectively and safely
Helping individuals to manage their emotions, particularly trauma or stress, and to take part in learning

We acknowledge that:

7. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Governing Body

The Governing Body, in consultation with the Head Teacher, determines the school’s policy and approach to provision for pupils with special educational needs, establishes the appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and maintains a general overview of the school’s work. They support the aims of the policy by making resources available wherever possible. Governors receive termly reports, which they use for monitoring purposes. The Governing Body delegates the responsibility for implementing policies and guidelines to the Head Teacher.

The Governing Body, having regard to the Code of Practice:

Ensure appropriate provision is made for any child with SEN
Reports annually to parents on the school’s policy for children with SEN
Ensure all children, including those with SEN have access to a broad, balanced and appropriately differentiated curriculum
Appoints a representative of the Governing Body to oversee SEN provision
Ensure discussions with parents regarding SEN matters at relevant meetings
Ensure that pupils with SEN are fully involved with school activities
Ensure they are fully involved in developing and reviewing the SEN Policy

The Governing Body are informed on a termly basis of the impact of SEN practice and progress made through the Head Teacher’s Report at a full Governing Body Meeting.

The SEN Governor is: *********

8. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Head Teacher

The Head Teacher is responsible for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the school’s work, including quality first teaching and the provision for special educational needs. The Head Teacher keeps the Governing Body informed of all developments with regard to SEN. The Head Teacher informs parents of the fact that SEN provision has been made for their child.

Admissions

In every instance, when a parent seeks a place for a child at FitzwilliamPrimary School, the Head Teacher:

Ascertains whether or not the child is the subject of a statement (parents to record this information on the school’s admission form)
Informs the parent that the child cannot be admitted to the school if it is not named in the statement until the LA have been consulted
Informs the LA that an approach for admission has been made

Admission Arrangements:

The school requests school records including National Curriculum Assessments; Child Protection file (where appropriate), and the details of any SEN including pupil profiles and the most recent IEP when a child is transferring from another school.

9. The Roles and Responsibilities of the SENCO

The role of the SENCO involves:

Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN Policy
Ensuring an appropriate budget allocation to meet SEN
Interpreting legal requirements for staff, parents and governors
Co-ordinating and evaluating provision, including interventions, for children with SEN
Monitoring the progress of children with SEN alongside the class teacher
Liaising with and advising teachers wherever necessary
Monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision
Overseeing the records of all children with SEN
Maintenance of the SEN provision register
Liaising with parents of children with SEN
Organising and delivering INSET in order to meet the needs of staff
Liaising with external agencies including the LA’s support and educational psychology services, health and social services, and voluntary bodies
Ensuring that relevant background information about individual children with SEN is collected, recorded and updated
Overseeing the pupil profile, IEP and review process for both statemented and non-statemented children

The SENCO is: Miss Vikki Scott

10. Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers

To clearly identify the role of their teaching and educational support assistants;they will:

Be responsible for delivering Quality First Teaching to all children
Be aware of the school’s procedures for the identification and assessment of, and subsequent provision for, pupils with SEN
Work with the SENCO to decide the action required to assist the pupil to make progress
Work with the SENCO to collect all available information on the pupil
Develop and review IEPs for pupils
Work with SEN pupils on a daily basis to deliver the individual programme set out on the IEP
Develop effective relationships with parents
Encourage pupils to participate in decision-making
Be involved in the development and review of the school’s SEN Policy
Continuously assess pupil progress and identify the nest steps of learning
To keep parents informed of pupil progress
Work with the SENCO to identify their own training needs around SEN
Be responsible for the assessment of individual SEN pupils

11. Roles and Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants and Education Support Assistants

Provide relevant support to identified pupils
Develop positive working relationships with parents and professionals
Assist with the recording, monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ progress
Assist with the identification and effective provision of appropriate resources
Undertake appropriate INSET
Work alongside the SENCO and teaching staff in the preparation of IEPs
Meet with the teacher and attend IEP/Review Meetings

12. Liaison between Teaching Support Staff and Class Teachers

Each teacher prepares a timetable showing in-class support and intervention within their classrooms. These are completed weekly and provisionmaps reviewed half termly or earlier if the need arises.

13. Pupil Participation

The school actively encourages the involvement of children in their education. With reference to Early Years Action, Early Years Action Plus, School Action and School Action Plus we:

Involve the child in decision making regarding the methods by which their individual needs will be met
Invite the child to attend all or part of review meetings
Discuss the purpose of assessment arrangements and the implications of the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) with the child
Encourage the child to comment on his or her SEN provision through an appropriate medium
Involve the child in the implementation of the IEP
Aim to further develop the child’s self-confidence and self-esteem

14. Parent/Carer Participation

The school actively encourages and recognises the rights of parents/carers in terms of their involvement in the provision for their child’s special educational needs. With reference to Early Years Action, Early Years Action Plus, School Action and School Action Plus, we:

Involve the parent/carer in decision making, regarding the methods by which their child’s individual needs will be met
Invite the parent/carer to attend all review meetings
Discuss the purpose of assessment arrangements and the implications of the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) with the parent/carer providing them with a copy of the IEP
Encourage the parent/carer to be actively involved in working with their child to achieve the targets set in their IEP
Encourage the parent/carer to comment in writing on their child’s SEN provision
Ensure the parent/carer is aware of their rights to appeal regarding aspects of their child’s SEN provision
Aim to further develop the parent/carer’s confidence in the provision made for their child’s special educational needs.

15. Allocation of Resources

The Head Teacher informs the Governing Body of how the funding allocated to support special educational needs has been employed. In April 2002, the Local Authority devolved all funding to school budgets.

16. Partnership with Parents

The school prospectus contains details of our policy for special educational needs, and the arrangements made for these children in our school.

At all stages of the special needs process, the school keeps parents fully involved and informed. We take account of the wishes, feelings and knowledge of parents at all stages. We encourage parents to make an active contribution to their child’s education.

We have regular meetings to share the progress of special needs children with their parents. We inform the parents of any outside intervention, and we share the process of decision making by providing clear information relating to the education of children with special educational needs.

The Local Authority also supports parents with special educational need pupils in our Parent Partnership Service.

17. Procedures – The Graduated Approach

The SEN Code of Practice sets out a graduated response to meeting children’s special educational needs. Children within the Early Years Foundation Stage are identified, assessed and provided for through Early Years Action followed by Early Years Action Plus if necessary.

Children in Key Stages 1 and 2 are identified, assessed and provided for through School Action followed by School Action Plus if necessary.

Staff will identify SEN pupils in discussion with the SENCO after completing the School Action Decision Checklist (Appendix 3 or VLE) Children will progress to School Action Plus after further discussion with the SENCO and completion of the School Action Plus Decision Checklist. (Appendix 4 or VLE)

In both instances, Action Plus describes the stage where there is an outside agency involvement in the assessment and planning for a child.

Children who are either at Action or Action Plus will appear on the SEN provision register and require a written individual education plan (IEP).

18. Additional Response

We use Additional Response at FitzwilliamPrimary School when we initially identify a pupil who has a difficulty and is not making progress in relation to other pupils in the class and year group. We will plan how we are going to help them to overcome this through further differentiation and support, and give a timescale and target for improvement. If children are not making the expected progress from this form of intervention the class teacher will discuss the next steps with the SENCO using the School Action Decision Checklist. (Appendix 3 or VLE)

19. Assessing Needs using the Graduated Response

(i) Early Years Action

When an early education practitioner, who works day-today with the child, or SENCO, identifies a child with special educational needs, they should devise interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of the setting’s usual curriculum offer and strategies. A teacher must discuss initial concerns in the Early Years setting and with the SENCO, and will be monitored over a half term period before the child would progress to Early Years Action and have their provision detailed in the SEN provision register.

The triggers for intervention may be the practitioner’s or parent’s/carer’s concern about a child who despite receiving appropriate early education experiences:

Makes little or no progress even when teaching approaches are particularly targeted to improve the child’s identified area of weakness
Continues working at levels significantly below those expected for children of a similar age in certain areas
Presents persistent emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which are not ameliorated by the behaviour management techniques usually employed in the setting.
Has sensory or physical problems, and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of personal aids and equipment
Has communication and/or interaction difficulties, and requires specific individual interventions in order to access learning, (4:20/4:21)
Early Years staff will use knowledge of the child as well as Early Years development
Class teachers will discuss concerns with the SENCO after completing the Early Years Decision Checklist (Appendix 1 or VLE)

(ii) Early Years Action Plus

Early Years Action Plus is characterised by the involvement of external support services who can help early years settings with advice on IEPs and targets, provide more specialist assessments, give advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials, and in some cases provide support for particular activities.

A request for help from external services is likely to follow a decision taken by the SENCO and colleagues, in consultation with parents/carers, at a meeting to review the child’s IEP.

The triggers for referral for seeking help from outside agencies could be that, despite receiving an individualised programme and/or concentrated support, the child:

Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period
Continues working at an early years curriculum substantially below that expected of children of a similar age
Has emotional or behavioural difficulties which substantially and regularly interfere with the child’s own learning or that of the group, despite having an individualised behaviour management programme
Has sensory or physical needs, and requires additional equipment or regular visits for direct intervention or advice by practitioners from a specialist service
Has on-going communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning
Concerns will be discussed with the SENCO after completing the Early Years Action Plus Decision checklist (Appendix 2 or VLE)

(iii) School Action