Schools Local Offer Description

Your Local Offer Description is the information that will be found about your school if the Derby City Local Offer website is searched. It will have a link to your school webpage where further documents and information should be available. Every school should now be able to self-update their local offer description. If you do not have this let us know

We recommend you also have this statement on your own website as well as a link to the Local Offer itself

The SEND Code of Practice states:

Schools have additional duties under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. Schools must publish more detailed information about their arrangements for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEN

The information must also include information about the arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils, the steps taken to prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably than other pupils, the facilities provided to assist access for disabled pupils and the schools’ accessibility plans. The school-specific information should relate to the schools’ arrangements for providing a graduated response to children’s SEN. It should elaborate on the information provided at a local authority wide level in the Local Offer.

Local Offer descriptions should include:

Basic / Good / Comprehensive
Description of school type – mainstream primary etc.
Admission arrangements
The facilities provided to assist access for disabled pupils
Your schools’ arrangements for providing a graduated response to children’s SEN&D
School information report can be found on school website / As basic but also:
Size of school (pupil numbers number of buildings on site)
Information about staff with specialist knowledge
Any special features of your site for example a sensory room, level site with no steps, sound field systems in place
Description of positive ethos and welcoming attitude towards CYP with SEN&D
Transition arrangements
Your schools’ accessibility plan / Specialist staff – inclusion mentor – SEN teacher for withdrawal sessions Behaviour mentor pastoral staff, nurture staff, ASD champion
Your schools inclusive practice – all children welcome. We can make arrangements for those in our area.

Things to avoid:

  • If you have a feature to support SEN&D and do not include it. Sound field systems / sensory room /inclusion hub/ designated safe have/ chill out room / physio room/ specialist wash dry toilet in disabled facilitiesetc.
  • Using educational terminology. Use plain English. We have two classes in each year group.

An example of an Excellent School Local Offer Statement (fictional school)

Derby City Primary School is a mainstream school which take pupils from age 4 – 11. Currently we have199 pupils on role.

We are set in a suburban area. Our main access is off the street. We have a playing field behind the school where PE is done and it is used at playtimes. We do not have any parking available for parents.

We have 7 classrooms and a small hall which is used for both lunchtimes and PE. We have a computer suite, which is our only upstairs classroom. Our outside classrooms have ramped access and a disabled toilet. There is currently a sound field system used in school which has been provided for a specific pupil. All teaching staff have been trained to use this system.

Admissions come through Derby City central admissions arrangements.

We are an inclusive school and will aim to make any arrangements needed for pupils living in our catchment area to be fully included in our school.

We differentiate teaching and learning tasks to suit the needs of the learner. Risk assessments will be written and shared with parents when they are needed and we can write a personal evacuation plan if that is required. We successfully supportpupils with additional needs at Derby City Primary School and ensure they are included in extracurricular activities such as clubs and discos. We work closely with Local Authority Specialist Teachers from STePS where a child has a specific need such as a Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment or Autism; we also work with the Educational Psychologists when their advice is needed. Our school motto is: Believe and achieve

Children are identified as having Special Educational Needs if their progress has slowed or stopped and the interventions and resources put in place do not enable improvement. Once this occurs, we have specific target setting plans which help support their development and accelerate progress. At this point the child is listed on an ‘SEND register’ for these pupils.Parents will be invited to discuss and review targets and support three times a year with the class teacher.

Our school Senco has been awarded the National Senco Award and coordinates supportfor children with additional needs in school. In addition to this a number of teaching assistants have had training on supporting pupils with additional needs. This includes whole staff Autism Awareness training. Our school also has a designated Autism Champion. All staff are trained to use epi pens and this training is kept up to date.

We have a transition coordinator who leads on supporting children when they start or leave or school, this includes visits by the staff and pupils, including extra visits for those who require them as well as sharing information with new schools.

You can find full details of how we support children with additional needs in our School SEND Information Report on our website there you will also find our School Accessibility plan.