Greengate Junior School

SpecialEducationalNeedsand Disability(SEND) Policy

AtGreengate Junior Schoolwearecommittedtomeeting thespecial educational needsofpupilsandensuring that theyachieve thebest possibleeducational andotheroutcomes. In line withour school’s ethos, “Staff here know that Greengate is a place where we can nurture ALL children. It is a place where children are allowed to express themselves and their every talent, no matter how great or small!” Everyteacherisateacherofeverychild,including thosewithSEND.

Thispolicycomplieswith thestatutoryrequirementlaidout intheSEND CodeofPractice0–25 (September2014)andhasbeenwrittenwith referencetothefollowingguidanceand documents:

  • Equality Act2010: adviceforschoolsDfEFeb 2013
  • Special Educational Needs andDisability Code ofPractice 0–25years(30 September2014)
  • SchoolsSENInformation Report Regulations(2014) (SeeGreengate Juniors Local Offer ontheschool website)
  • StatutoryGuidanceonSupportingpupilsat school with medical conditions April 2014
  • TheNational Curriculum in England KeyStage1and 2FrameworkdocumentSept2013
  • SafeguardingPolicy
  • Accessibility Plan
  • TeachersStandards2012

Definitionof SpecialEducationalNeedsandDisability

TheSpecial Educational Needs and Disability Code ofPractice:0to25 yearsSeptember 2014states that: A child oryoungpersonhasSENiftheyhavea learningdifficultyordisability which callsforspecial educational provisiontobe madeforhimorher.

Achild of compulsoryschool ageorayoungpersonhasa learningdifficultyordisabilityif heorshe:

  • hasa significantlygreaterdifficultyinlearning than themajorityofothersof thesameage, or
  • hasa disabilitywhich preventsorhindershimorher from makinguseoffacilities ofakind generally provided forothersof thesameage in mainstreamschoolsormainstreampost-16institutions

Forchildrenagedtwoormore,special educational provisioniseducational or trainingprovisionthat is additional to ordifferent fromthat made generallyforotherchildrenoryoung people of thesame age by mainstream schools,maintained nurseryschools,mainstream post-16institutions orbyrelevant earlyyears providers. Forachild under twoyearsofage, special educational provision meanseducational provisionof anykind.

Manychildrenandyoung peoplewhohaveSENmay have adisabilityunder theEquality Act 2010–that is

‘…a physical ormental impairment whichhasalong-term and substantial adverseeffectontheir ability to carryout normal day-to-dayactivities’.Thisdefinitionprovidesarelatively low threshold andincludes more children thanmanyrealise:‘long-term’isdefinedas ‘a yearor more’and ‘substantial’isdefined as‘more thanminoror trivial’.Thisdefinitionincludessensoryimpairmentssuchasthose affectingsightorhearing, and long-term healthconditionssuchasasthma,diabetes,epilepsy,and cancer. Childrenandyoung people withsuchconditionsdonotnecessarilyhaveSEN,but thereisa significantoverlapbetween disabledchildrenand young people andthosewith SEN. Wherea disabled child or youngperson requires special educational provision theywill also becoveredbytheSEN definition.’

Aims

Wevalueallthechildreninourschoolequallyandwerecognisetheentitlementofeach child toreceive thebest possibleeducation. Weaim tofocus onoutcomesforchildrenandnot just hoursofprovisionand support. Weaim toraisetheaspirations ofandexpectationsforall pupilswith SEND andaim toprovideeverychild with accesstoa broad and balancededucation.ThisincludestheNational Curriculuminlinewith theSpecial Educational Needs and Disability Code ofPractice: 0to 25years.

Objectives

Inorder toachieveouraimsandtoensurethat childrenwithspecial educational needs achieve their full potential and makeprogresswe will:

  1. Buildupon thestrengthsandachievementsofthechild
  2. Encourage pupils to develop confidence and self-esteem and to recognise the value of their own contributions to their learning
  3. Identify and monitor children’s individual needs from the earliest possible stage so that appropriate provision can be made and their attainment raised
  4. Plan an effective curriculum to meet the needs of children with special educational needs such as in our Provision Map and where necessaryensure that the targets set on Individual Education Plans are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time related (SMART)
  5. Involve children and parents/carersin the identification and review of the targets set for individual children and where necessary those targetsidentified in their Individual Education Plans
  6. Work in close partnership with, and involve, parents/carers of children who have special educational needs
  7. Ensure that all who are involved with children are aware of the procedures for identifying their needs, supporting and teaching them
  8. Workwith,and in support of,outsideagencies when thepupils’ needscannot bemetbytheschool alonee.g.Educational Psychologist, SpeechandLanguageTherapy,Child and AdolescenceMental Health Service (CAMHS)
  9. Work towards developing expertise in using inclusive teaching and learning strategies
  10. Workwithin theguidanceprovidein theSEND Code ofPractice,2014

EqualOpportunitiesandInclusion

AtGreengate Junior Schoolweareafully inclusiveschool whoensuresthat all childrenachieve their full potential inall areasofthecurriculum, regardlessof gender, ethnicity,social background, religion, physical abilityoreducational needs. In this school provision for pupils with special educational needs is the responsibility of all members of staff.

Werespect thefact that children:

  • Havedifferent educational andbehavioural needsandaspirations
  • Requiredifferent strategiesforlearning
  • Learnatdifferent rates
  • Requirearangeofdifferent teachingstrategies, resourcesandexperiences

Teachersrespondtochildren’sneedsby:

  • Providingdifferentiatedsupport inall curriculumareas,
  • Planningtodevelopchildren’sunderstanding throughtheuseofall sensesandarange ofexperiences,
  • Planningforchildren’sfull participationinlearningandinphysical andpractical activities,
  • Helpingchildrentomanagetheir behaviour,enabling them toparticipateeffectivelyand safely inlearning,
  • Helpingindividualstomanagetheir emotionsandtotakepart inlearning , particularly trauma or stress, and to take part in learning. (Our SERIS and School councellor facilitate this)
  • Thedevelopmentofindependentlearningbyallowingpupilstoorganisetheirownwork, tocarryouttasksunaided,evaluatetheirworkandbecomeself-critical.

ResponsibilityforSEND provision

The HeadteacherMrs S. Jackson is responsibleforoverseeing theprovisionforchildrenwith SEND and will:

  • Keep the governing body fully informed in all aspects of the School’s work, including provision for children with SEN.
  • Work closely with the SENCo, and meet regularly to support and drive improvement
  • Monitor and appraise the work of the SENCo

The Special EducationalNeedsCo-ordinator(SENCo)

Miss A. Phillips is the SENCo at Greengate Junior School and she is responsible for managing the school’s response to the provision made for pupils with SEND. She can be contacted by telephone on 01229 812592 or by email . Miss Phillips is currently studying for the National Award for SEN Co-ordination.

TheSENCoisresponsiblefor co-ordinating the provision of special educational needs throughout the school. Working closely with the Head teacher, Senior Leadership Team and class teachers the SENCo role includes:

  • Day to day operation of the SEN policy;
  • Providing advice to staff supporting and liaising with them;
  • Seek to develop effective ways of overcoming barriers to learning;
  • Be involved with monitoring the standards of pupil’s achievements and in setting targets for pupil improvement;
  • Oversee the SEN records on all pupils with SEN;
  • Working alongside staff to assist them in identifying, assessing and planning for children’s needs and ensuring that children make progress;
  • Overseeing and maintaining specific resources for special educational needs;
  • Liaising with outside agencies;
  • Contributing to and, where necessary, leading the continuing professional development (CPD) of staff;
  • Monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the provision for children with SEN to the governing body in conjunction with the designated responsible person;
  • Co-ordinating the range of support available to children with special educational needs;
  • In conjunction with the class teacher liaising with parents/carers of children with special educational needs.

TheGoverningBody

The Governing Body fulfils its statutory requirements to secure the necessary provision for any pupil identified as having Special Educational Needs and ensure that all teachers are aware of the importance of providing for these children. The SEN Governor, Mrs E. Jamieson, will support the Governors to fulfil their statutory obligations by ensuring;

  • thegovernors receiveareportateverycurriculummeetingtoupdate progressonSEN issues,
  • theSEN policy isreviewedannually,
  • thegovernors’annual report detailstheeffectivenessoftheSEN policy inthelast year,anysignificantchangestothe SEN policy, whytheyhavebeen madeandhow theywill affect SEN provision,
  • theschoolprospectusexplainshowtheschool implementsthespecial educational needsstatutoryrequirementsreflectingwhattheschool hasinplaceandactually providesfor pupilswithspecial educational needs.

Identifying Special Educational Needs

Section Six of the SEN Code of Practice 2014 states that pupils’ Special Educational Needs can generally be thought of in four broad areas of need. These are:

  • communication and interaction
  • cognition and learning
  • social, emotional and mental health difficulties
  • sensory and/or physical impairment

These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for. Thepurposeofidentificationistoworkoutwhataction theschoolneedstotake,not tofit a pupil intoacategory.We recognise that many pupils have a range of needs which do not fit neatly into one category but rather overlap the broad areas. At Greengate Junior School, we always see the pupil first and foremost as a child, and consider the needs the child has as a whole child, not just their special educational needs and/or disability.

Other needs which do not constitute SEN

Thereareoccasionswhenprogressandattainmentareaffectedbyfactorsother than special educational needs.Forexample:

  • havingadisability
  • attendanceandpunctuality
  • healthandwelfare
  • usingEnglishasanadditional language(EAL)
  • beinginreceipt ofpupil premium grant
  • beingalookedafterchild

Wherethisisthecase,appropriateprovisionwill be made,but thisdoesnotautomatically necessitatethechild receivingSpecial Educational Provision (SEP).

AGraduated Approachto SEN Support

A graduated approach is central to all we do as a school as we continually assess, plan, implement and review our approaches to teaching all children. Theschool will use thegraduatedapproachasadvisedin theCodeofPractice0-25Years. Class Teachers at Greengate Junior School areresponsibleandaccountablefor theprogressanddevelopment ofthepupilsin theirclass,includingwherepupilsaccesssupportfromateachingassistant or specialist staff. Highqualityteaching,differentiatedforindividual pupils,isthefirst stepinresponding tochildrenwhohaveor mayhaveSpecialEducational Needs (SEN).

Childrenareassessedregularly forreading, writingandmathsand the SENCo hasdiscussionswith theclassteachersona regularbasistodiscussanychildrenworkingbelowtheagerelatedexpectations. Tracking ofall childrenismonitoredindetail onatermlybasisbyclassteachersand theSENCoand thishighlightschildren who mayneedfurtherassessments, discussionsorobservationsto identifyif further support isneeded.

Ifachildisnot makingadequateprogress inline withnational expectations,despite appropriate interventionandgoodqualitypersonalised teaching, theywill beidentifiedas havingSpecial Educational Needs(SEN) andanIEPwill bewritten.

ForchildrenwithSpecialEducational Needs(SEN), Individual EducationPlans(IEP’s) are writtenandreviewedtermlyand thesearesenthomeat thestart ofeach termforparents to readandsign.Childrenareinvolved,whereverpossible,inthesettingandreviewingoftheirtargetsontheir IEP and theyareinvited to comment ontheir targetsandtheseareincludedon their IEP.

ASSESS- Theteacher andSENCowill considerall ofthe informationgatheredfromwithin theschoolabout thepupil’sprogress, alongsidenational dataandexpectationsofprogress. Thiswill includeformativeassessment,usingeffective toolsandearlyassessment materials. From this,weidentifythechild’scurrent attainment, achievementsandlearningprofile.This may involve takingadvicefrom theSENCo, external specialistsandmay include theuseof diagnosticandother assessmentstodetermine theexactareasofneedandstrategies recommended.Whereexternal specialistsareinvolveddirectlywith thepupil,parental consentwill besoughtfirst. Informationmayalsobegatheredusingperson-centredtoolsto discoverwhatisimportant tothepupil andhowbestwecansupport them.

PLAN–Pupilsandparentswillbeinvolvedintheplanningprocessas muchaspossible. Person-centredtoolsmay beemployedtofacilitatethis.Thismeans that thepupilandtheir parents/carersaresupportedintheplanningprocess toarriveat goalsandplans that make themkey playersinthelearningprocess.This willbeusedtoascertainaspirationsand outcomesforthechildintheshortandlongerterm.Parentswill besentacopyofthe IEPfor theterm,whichwillincludetheexpectedoutcomes,actionsandstrategiesandprovisionto beused. AreviewdateisalsoincludedontheIEPandthisisusuallytermly.

DO- Thestrategiesand interventionsagreedinthe IEPwill beimplementedandprogress monitoredusing theschool’susual assessment systems, plusspecific trackingofprogress throughany interventions.Progressmaybe measuredthroughassessmentscoresand/or throughqualitativeobservations.

REVIEW- Theprogress ofthepupil will be reviewedat theendof thespecifiedperiodof intervention. Thisreview will form thebasisof furtherassessmentandplanning. Parentsare invited toatermlymeetingwith theSENCo and/orclassteacher.

Thepupil’sprogresswill be monitoredona weeklybasisbythe class teacher, STA andSENCo.Adjustmentstothetargetswill be madeto supportprogress. Afteran agreed periodareviewwillbeheld to which parentswill beinvited toevaluate theprogressand discussthe nextsteps.Thismaybeat thetermly Parent’sEvening.

Ifthepupil continuestomake lessthanexpectedprogressschool will consider,indiscussionwithparents, involvingexternal specialists.Ifnecessary,parentswill beaskedto provideinformationfor the Early Help Assessment form.Other referrals to therapistsetcwillbesent with parental permission. Whereexternal agenciesare involved,theSENCowill be responsibleforliaisingwiththoseagencies. TheSENCowill alsoprovideadviceand guidancethroughout theprocess,andmaycarryoutsomeadditional assessment.The SENCowill updateall recordsofprovisionandimpactof that provision.

IftheLocal Authority(LA)agreestoa Statutory Assessment, it must assesstheeducation, healthandcareneedsof thatchild.TheLAmust requestadviceandinformationonthechild and theprovision thatmustbeput inplacetomeet thoseneedsfrom:

• thechild’sindividual educationplans(IEP’s)

• recordsofreviewswithpupilsandparents, andtheiroutcomes

• medicalinformationwhere relevant

• National Curriculum attainment,andwiderlearningprofile

• educational andother assessments, e.g. Educational Psychologist

• viewsoftheparentand thechild

From this information,itmust thenbedecidedwhether or not to issueanEducation,Health andCarePlan(EHCP).FurtherinformationcanbefoundontheLAwebsite .Thelocal authoritymust make adecisionwithin 6weekswhether ornot toproceedwith anEHC needs assessment.It must inform thefollowingpeople ofitsdecision: parent, health service,local authority officersresponsibleforsocial careforchildrenand theheadteacher.

All EHC Plansmust bereviewedatleastannually. TheSENCoinitiatesthe processofinvitingrelevantpeopletothemeeting.Thiswill includepupils, parentsand othersclosetothechildwhopupilsandparents wouldliketoattend.Relevantprofessionalsfromwithinschool andoutsideagencieswill alsobeinvited,aswill a representativefrom theLA. Thereview will beperson(child)-centred,lookingat:

  • progressonactionstowardsagreedoutcomes
  • whatweappreciateandadmireabout thechild
  • whatisimportant tothechildnow
  • whatisimportant tothechildin thefuture
  • howbesttosupport thechild
  • questionstoanswer/ issueswearestrugglingwith
  • actionplan

Anyamendmentstothe EHC Pwill be recorded. TheSENCcwill record theoutcomesof thismeetingandthe HeadTeacher will ensurethatit issent totheLA.

“An EHC assessmentwillnot always leadtoanEHC plan.” (SEND Code of Practice 2014) “The informationgatheredduringanEHC assessment mayindicate waysinwhichtheschool canmeet thechild’sneedswithout anEHC plan.” (SEND Code of Practice2014).

“If thelocal authoritydecidesnot toconductandEHC needsassessmentitmust inform theparentsof their right to appealthatdecisionandthetimelimit fordoingso,of therequirement forthem toconsider mediation shouldtheywish toappeal, andtheavailabilityof information,advice and support and disagreement resolutionservices.”(SEND CodeofPractice 2014)

Local Offer

The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children with SEN and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.

Greengate Juniors has written their own Local Offer and this can be found on the school website .Thisindicatesthetypeofprovision theschool currentlyofferedtopupilswithSEN and disability.Itisreviewedannually. Thelevel and typeofprovisiondecidedonforindividual pupilsisthat whichisrequired tomeet theplannedoutcomes. TheSENCorecordsthecost ofprovision made throughprovision mapping.

Criteria for Exiting the Special Needs Register

Where specific planned provision has been successful and accelerated progress has been made so that the pupil is working within national expectations OR the progress they have made over the Key Stage is now within national expectations, then they will be removed from the SEN register .The pupil will continue to be monitored to consider ongoing progress.

AdmissionArrangements

Please refer totheinformationcontained inourschool prospectusand ouradmissionspolicy. Theadmissionarrangementsforall pupilswithspecialeducationalneedswillbeadmittedtoGreengate Junior Schoolinlinewiththeschool’sadmissionspolicy. Theschoolisawareofthestatutory requirementsoftheChildrenandFamiliesAct2014andwillmeettheAct’srequirements. The school will use their induction meetings to work closely with parents to ascertain whetherachildhasbeenidentifiedashaving,orpossiblyhavingspecialeducationalneeds.

SupportingPupils atSchoolwithMedical Conditions

Theschoolrecognisesthatpupilsatschool with medical conditionsshould beproperlysupportedso that theyhavefull accesstoeducation,includingschool tripsand physical education.Somechildren with medical conditionsmaybedisabledand where thisis thecasetheschool will complywith itsdutiesunder theEquality Act 2010.

Somemayalso have special educational needs(SEN)andmayhave an Education,Health and Care(EHC)planwhich bringstogether healthand social care needs, as well as theirspecial educational provision. TheSEND Code ofPractice (2014)isfollowed.Furtherinformationcanbefoundin theschool’spolicyforSupportingPupilswith Medical Conditions.

StoringandManagingInformation

Information collected about a pupil’s SEN is confidential and will only be communicated to involved persons with the knowledge and agreement of the pupil’s parents, the Headteacher and the SENCo.

Information should be held electronically wherever feasibly possible; this is because the Local Authority requires submissions for requests for support, assessment and advice to be made electronically through the school’s secure ‘portal’.

Paper copies of confidential information regarding a pupil’s SEN is kept in the pupil’s SEND file. All files ofpupilswith SEN arestored inlockedcabinets. Should apupil move schools,theirSENfile will beforwarded tothereceivingschool at theearliestopportunityandwithin theperiodstipulatedbyCumbriaCounty Council.

Admissionsandlinkswithotherschools

Inthecaseofapupiljoiningtheschool fromanotherschool,Greengate Junior Schoolwillseektoascertainfromparentswhetherthechildhasspecialeducationneeds andwillaccesspreviousrecordsasquicklyaspossible.Iftheschoolisalertedtothefact that achildmayhaveadifficulty inlearning theywill maketheir bestendeavourstocollectall relevantinformationand planarelevantdifferentiatedcurriculum.

AtGreengate Junior Schoolwebelieveingoodcommunicationbetweenschools andparents.It isimportant that anyrelevantinformationissharedinconfidenceassoonas possibleso that appropriatesupport canbeputinplaceforachildtoensureasmooth transition.

OntransfertosecondaryschooltheYear6teachersandMiss Phillips (SENCo)will meetwith theSENCoofthereceivingschool todiscuss SEN recordsandtheneedsofthe individual pupils. Aninvitationwillbeissuedfor arepresentativeofthereceivingschool toattendthe transitionreviewmeetingheldinYear 6.

Additional transitiondaysor visitsfor childrenwithSEND arearrangedby theSENCoto makethetransitionbetweenschoolsorclassessmoother.Thismay involveachildvisitinga secondaryschool withaTeachingAssistanttofamiliarise themselveswiththeir new environment, takephotographsandhaveanyquestionstheymayhave,answered.

TransitionsessionsareprovidedbyGreengate Junior School, usually in the Summerterm,forYear6childrenwhoaretransferring tosecondaryschool.Withinthese sessionschildrenaregiven theopportunitytodiscussanyconcernsoranxietiesthat they mayhaveoraskquestionsin relation totheir newsecondaryschool.

Bullying

Statistically,childrenwithSEND aremorelikelythan their peers toexperiencebullying. Consequently,staff andgovernorsat Greengate Junior Schoolendeavourto generateacultureofsupport andcareamongpupils.