Coppice Primary School

Aspire, Believe & Achieve

Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy

January 2016

Coppice Primary School

SEND Policy

Aims and Values

  • To ensure we take the views of the child into account when planning and evaluating their SEN provision
  • To ensure all pupils have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum which isdifferentiated to meet individual needs
  • To promote the school’s commitment to an inclusive approach
  • To have a positive approach which builds on children’s strengths and takes intoaccount their views
  • To work in partnership with outside agencies, staff, children and parents
  • To ensure high quality provision supports pupils with SEN
  • To monitor and review individual progress and needs of children
  • To promote early identification to facilitate early intervention
  • To ensure that every child has his or her individual needs recognised and addressedthrough Quality First Teaching and effective additional support
  • To follow the guidelines set out in the SEND Code of Practice January 2015

This policy will contribute to achieving these aims by ensuring that provision for pupils with SEN is a matter for the whole school.

Definition of Special Educational Needs

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

(a)have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or

(b)have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools

Code of Practice 2015 p285

Children are not regarded as having a significant learning difficulty solely because thelanguage or form of language of their home is different from the language in which theyare taught. Formative assessment will establish if concerns are due to limitations in theircommand of the language or arise from special educational needs. Equally, challenging behaviour is no longer seen as a recognised need, though it may point to an underlying social, emotional or mental health issue. It is important to identify why a child may be presenting with suchbehaviours.

The Code of Practice defines four areas of special educational need:

  • Cognition and Learning (Numeracy and Literacy)
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
  • Communication and Interaction
  • Sensory and/or Physical

Identification of SEND

At the heart of our approach is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessing which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of all our children. The majority of children will learn and progress within these arrangements. Those children whose overall attainments or attainment in specific subjects fall significantly outside the expected range may have special educational needs.

The first response to slow progress is high quality teaching targeted at the child’s areas of weakness. Most pupils will have their needs met through Quality First Teaching. This may include appropriate differentiation of learning tasks, adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment, the provision of additional practical or visual resources, and time-limited interventions. We focus on early intervention to ensure ‘gaps’ are targeted and intervention is put in place at the earliest opportunity.

Where progress continues to be less than expected, the teacher will work with the SENCO to assess whether the child has SEN. The SENCO will gather information from the pupil, parents and class teacher. Discussions will be held with the pupil and their parents/carers in order to develop a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty, the parents’ concerns, the agreed outcomes sought for the child and the next steps.

The school believes that early intervention is crucial and all staff are aware of the importance of raising and sharing concerns regarding a child’s learning or development with the SENCO and parent/carer. At all times parent/carers are informed, listened to and involved in the planning and decision making regarding the best provision for their child.

The school will assess each child’s current levels of attainment on entry. If the child already has an identified special educational need, this information may be transferred through Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus from the Early Years setting and the SENCO and the child’s class teacher will use this information to:

  • provide starting points for the development of an appropriate curriculum
  • identify and focus on action to support the child within the class
  • use the assessment processes to identify any learning difficulties
  • ensure ongoing observation and assessment
  • provide regular feedback aboutthe child’s achievements and experiences to form the basis for planning the next steps of the child’s learning
  • involve parents and carers in implementing a joint learning approach at home
  • make a referral to the Early Years Team if appropriate

When a pupil is identified as having SEN, we take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational needs provision in place – SEN Support. Quality First Teaching remains our first response in relation to the identification of SEN, but we also ensure that the child receives high quality additional support and interventions carefully matched to their needs.

We adopt the graduated approach and four part cycle of ‘assess–plan–do-review’ as recommended in the SEN Code of Practice 2015 p86. In successive cycles the SEN Support received by the child is refined or revised depending on how effective it has been in achieving the agreed outcomes. Where a pupil continues to make less than expected progress despite the school’s best efforts, and with the agreement of the child’s parents/carers, we will involve appropriate specialists and outreach services. TheSENCO has responsibility for keeping records of the steps taken to meet the needs of individual children. These records will be used when referring a child for an Education,Health and Care Plan.

Education, Health and Care Plans

A small number of children with the most complex needs may require the support of anEducation, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) to enable them to achieve the best possible outcomes. If we believe that a child’s needs require provision and resourcing over and above that which we make available to our SEN pupils from delegated funding, we will request that the Local Authority conduct an assessment of the child’s education, health and care needs. We will involve the child and their parents/carers at every stage of the assessment process.

Prior to September 2014, the children with the most complex needs were issued with aStatement of Special Educational Needs rather than an EHC Plan.

Requesting an Education, Health and Social Care Plan

The SENCO will request an EHC be drawn up for a child if a child displays needs which cannot be met at theSchool Support stage. This request will be made in consultation with parents, children and the classteacher. Completion of a referral will need to be accompanied by evidence of needs and areas of concern from adultswho have worked with the child.

IEP’s and Monitoring

Class teachers are responsible for setting Individual Education Plans (IEPs). An IEP records that which is ‘additional to’ and ‘different from’ the differentiated curriculum plan. It focuses on up to four individual targets.

The IEP includes information about:

  • The short term targets set for the child
  • The teaching strategies to be used
  • The provision to be put in place
  • Success and/or exit criteria
  • Outcomes (recorded when IEP is reviewed)

All relevant staff that come into contact with any child who has special educational needs are aware of the individual targets and the planned strategies. The IEP is usually implemented, at least in part, in the normal classroom setting. However, there are occasions when it may be more appropriate to withdraw children individually or in small groups to work on specific learning programmes, individual targets or to pre-teach a concept. IEPs are reviewed each term. For children who are in the Foundation Stage, IEPs may be reviewed each half term.

Additional support for learning available to pupils with SEN

The SENCO ensures that the school provides a range of intervention programmes to address the needs of groups of pupils and individual pupils within the school. Interventions available include: Toe by Toe, Reading Recovery, Social Stories

Some interventions are delivered by trained Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) under the direction of the teacher and/or the SENCO. Other interventions are delivered by teachers. The school-based speech and language therapist works closely with school staff to ensure that we address the needs of our pupils with language and communication needs effectively.

Some pupils are supported in class for part of the school day by a LSA, either individually or in a small group. These pupils continue to have the same opportunities as their peers for learning in a group with the class teacher and the teacher remains responsible for their progress. LSAs understand the need to develop independence in the pupils with whom they work and support is only assigned when it is needed.

Support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties

Some pupils’ special educational needs relate to social, emotional or mental health difficulties. Whilst some pupils display their difficulties through challenging or disruptive behaviour, other pupils may become withdrawn or isolated. These difficulties may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression. Some pupils may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder. We address the needs of these pupils by individual or group interventions, liaising with relevant outreach services and health professionals as appropriate. We have an allocation of 0.5 days per week from New Rush Hall Outreach Service.

Specialist provision, equipment and facilities including accessibility

  • The ground floors throughout the school are fully accessible to SEND pupils in that ramps have been installed exiting every doorway around the school.
  • The Mobile Units also have ramps.
  • The ramp to/ from the Junior Playground isinstalled.
  • All doors are fitted with push pads to ensure ease of exit from the building.
  • The new building has space left to install a lift to the first floor, should this become necessary.
  • The main building, unfortunately, does not have a lift to the first floor.This problem has been overcome in the past by allocating year groups to the ground floor where the stairs presented a problem for SEND pupils. This possibility has been explored, but due to the construction of the building it is not an option.
  • The Junior Building has a Hygiene Room with toilet, changing and shower facilities.

If a child needs specialist equipment due to physical or medical needs, the SENCO will liaise with the relevant professionals to secure the equipment needed and any training for staff required in it use. E.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, Newbridge Outreach, SERC.

Partnership with Families

The school adheres to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice when carrying out its duties toward all pupils with special educational needs. Partnership with parents/carers plays a key role in enabling children with SEN to achieve their potential. The school recognises that parents/carers hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them. All parents of children with special educational needs are treated as partners and supported to play an active and valued role in their child’s education.

Parent/carers are informed as soon as there is concern about their child’s progress and an initial consultation meeting is held. This may be with the class teacher or the class teacher and SENCO. Concerns are discussed and, if appropriate, an IEP may be formulated. Permission may be obtained for the child to be observed or assessed by the Educational Psychologist or for a referral to be made to an outside agency. Support and reassurance are given to parent/carers at all times and they are encouraged to contact the class teacher or SENCO if they have any concerns regarding their child’s learning or development.

All parents and children are formally invited to meet with the teachers during the autumn and spring term Parent/Carer and Teacher Consultation Meetings. During these meetings reviews are carried out for any child with an IEP. Targets are reviewed and achievements celebrated. New targets are agreed and a newIEP is formulated. In the summer term parents are invited to attend a review meeting by the class teacher.

In addition to the Parent/Carer and Teacher Consultation Meetings, parent/carers of children who have anEHC or Statement of Special Educational Needs are invited to attend a review meeting each term. The HLTA, class teacher and SENCO are present. Representatives from outside agencies may also be present or they may send in a report. Targets are reviewed and achievements celebrated. New targets are agreed and a new IEP is formulated.

An Annual Review meeting for children who have an EHC or Statement of Special Educational Needs is held during the term that the EHC / statement was issued. The purpose of the meeting is to review progress and promote continuity of learning. Parent/carers and representatives from outside agencies are invited to attend the meeting. A copy of the review notes and any recommended changes to the statement are sent to the Special Educational Services Section.

After all review meetings a copy of the review notes and the new IEP is sent to the parent/carers. Parent/Carers are encouraged to reinforce work carried out in school and to support their child to achieve his/her targets.

Pupil Participation

Pupils and young people with special educational needs often have a unique knowledge of their own needs and circumstances and their own views about what sort of help they would like to help them make the most of their education. They will be encouraged to participate in the decision-making processes, including the setting and evaluation of targets. We are committed to developing more person-centred ways of working to make it easier for our SEN pupils to express their views.

How Coppice Primary School evaluates the effectiveness of its provision for pupils with SEN

Intervention programmes are time-limited and the progress of children taking part is tracked. If there is no evidence that an intervention is effective, we will either adapt the intervention to more closely meet the child’s needs or we will plan a different type of support.

The success of the education offered to children with SEN will be judged against the aims of this SEN policy. The SEN policy will be reviewed annually and the Governing Body’s Annual Report will report on the implementation of the policy.

How Coppice Primary School assesses and reviews the progress of pupils with SEN

We have robust tracking systems for monitoring the progress of all our pupils, including those with SEN. Pupil progress conferences are held termly, attended by the class teacher, SENCO and assessment coordinator, at which action is planned to address any lack of progress identified.

The ‘assess-plan-do-review’ cycle ensures that we match provision closely to each child’s needs and that we respond quickly to any evidence of inadequate progress.

The progress of SEN pupils in relation to the objectives in their Statement of Special Educational Needs or the outcomes in their Education, Health and Care Plan are reviewed annually. A child’s objectives or outcomes are broken down into smaller steps and recorded on the child’s Individual Education Plan. These shorter term targets are reviewed at least termly. We involve the child and family fully in the planning and review process.

Roles and responsibilities

Role of the Head teacher

The Head teacher has responsibility for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the school’s work including provision for pupils with SEN. The Head teacher oversees therole of the SENCO and keeps the Governing Body fully informed through termly reports.

Role of the SENCO

The SEND Coordinator (SENCO) responsibilities include:

  • overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy
  • coordinating provision for and assessment of children with special educational needs
  • liaising with and advising colleagues
  • managing learning support assistants
  • overseeing the records of all children with special educational needs
  • liaising with parents of children with special educational needs
  • contributing to the in-service training of staff
  • liaising with external agencies including the LEA’s support and educational psychology services, health and social services, and voluntary bodies
  • reporting to the Head teacher and Governing Body on the quality of provision for pupils with SEN and on standards of achievement and attainment

Role of Class Teachers