Squirrels Heath Junior School

SEN Policy

All our pupils have the right to an educationwhich is appropriate to their individual needs. As far as possible, it is our aim to provide learning experiences that are differentiated to take account of the needs and attainmentof each pupil. In doing this we aim to minimise the difficulties that pupils will experience. Despite our efforts, some children will experience significantly greater difficulty than others and these pupils will need extra consideration and provision. We recognise the need to identify and actively cater for these children at all stages and aim to achieve this by adopting three principles that are essential to developing a more inclusive curriculum.

Three principles for inclusion

  • Setting suitable learning challenges: we aim to give every pupil the opportunity to experience success in learning and to achieve as high a standard as possible.
  • Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs: we take into account the different backgrounds, experiences, interests and strengths which influence the way in which pupils learn when we plan our approaches to teaching and learning.
  • Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils: we recognise that a minority of pupils will have particular learning and assessment requirements that will create barriers to learning if we do not address them through special arrangements.

Mr Kasparis (NASENCo accredited) is our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and co-ordinates the identification of those children with special educational needs and the provision being made for them in school.

In making provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities our policy objectives are:

  • To ensure that our duties, as set out in the Equality Act 2010, are fully met to enable pupils with special educational needs and disabilities to join in activities along with pupils who do not have special educational needs.
  • To ensure the school has an Accessibility Plan in line with statutory guidelines
  • To ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and have an equal opportunity to receive an education that is appropriate to their needs;
  • To identify the needs of pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs (SEN) as early as possible;
  • To use our resources as efficiently and equitably as possible when assessing and meeting the special educational needs of our pupils;
  • To provide a graduated approach in order to match educational provision to pupils’ needs;
  • To develop a partnership with parents/carers in order that their knowledge, views and experience can assist us in assessing and providing for their children;
  • To take into account the ascertainable wishes of the children and young people concerned and, involve them in decision making in order to provide more effectively for them;
  • To make reasonable adjustments to enable children and young people with disabilities to access the whole school curriculum including school trips and out of school hours activities and learning;
  • To ensure effective collaboration with Local Authority (LA) services, health services and social care in order to ensure effective action on behalf of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities;
  • To ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities towards children and young people with special educational needs and are able to exercise them.
  • To carry out the above promptly and with sensitivity in order to avoid embarrassment or further disadvantage to the children and young people we are seeking to help.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Head teacher, in conjunction with the Governing Body, is responsible for ensuring that all pupils gain access to a broad and balanced curriculum and have an equal opportunity to receive an education that is appropriate to their needs. The SENCo oversees provision of SEN and the implementation of the Code of Practice. The SENCo,in consultation with the Head teacher, has responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day provision for SEN within the school. Regular meetings take place with the SENCo, class teachers, teaching assistantsand learning mentor to discuss specific children. In addition, regular meetings take place with the infant feeder school, to discuss all children on transfer.

The Governors, the Head Teacher and the staff will take all reasonable steps within the limit of the resources to fulfil the requirements outlined in this policy document.

Governors will fulfil their statutory duties towards pupils with special educational needs as prescribed in sections 66 to 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014. In order to do this they will develop and monitor the school’s SEN policy and ensure provision is an integral part of the school development plan. All governors, or committee of governors taking the lead, will be knowledgeable about the school’s SEN provision, including how funding, equipment and personnel are deployed. The governors will monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEN provision.

The Head Teacher has overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of provision. They will work closely with the school’s SENCo and will keep the governing body fully informed about the working of this policy, taking account of the requirements listed by OFSTED in the Handbook for the Inspection of Schools. The Head Teacher will encourage all members of staff to participate in training to help them to meet the objectives of this policy.

TheSpecial Educational Needs Co-ordinator’s key responsibilities include:overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy; co-ordinating provision for children with special educational needs, liaising with and advising fellow teachers, maintaining the school’s SEN register, managing the teaching assistants, overseeing the records of children with special educational needs, contributing to the in-service training of staff, liaising, when appropriate, with external agencies including the psychology service, LSS, health, social services and the behaviour support team, involving parents and children whenever possible.

Class Teachers have ultimate responsibility for the education and welfare of pupils in their class and must liaise fully with the SENCo with regard to all children with additional needs. The current Code of Practice states “all teachers are teachers of pupils with SEN” (January 2015).

All staff should be fully aware of the contents of this policy and, in particular, of the procedures described below. Appropriate in-service training will be made available.

The Responsible Person: Mr Kasparis

The LA have been informed that, when they conclude that a pupil at the school requires anEHCP of special educational needs, they should inform the above who will ensurethat whoever teaches the pupil knows about his/her special educational needs. Consideration also needs to be given to section 5:33 of the Code.

IDENTIFICATION and PROCEDURES

The school recognises the importance of early identification of special educational needs pupils along with the assessment and provision for any child with SEN.

At Squirrels Heath Junior School a child is considered to have special educational needs if he/she has significant difficulty in following the National Curriculum at his/her level while functioning in a class appropriate to his/her age.

‘Access to the school's broad and balanced curriculum is achieved for pupils by differentiation of work by the class teacher, through Quality First Wave One teaching. Pupils falling just below national expectations will usually benefit from Wave Two catch-up programmes. When a pupil is consistently and significantly falling behind age related expectations, Wave Three interventions will be implemented at the level of SEN support.

A child will not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language of the home is different from the language in which he or she will be taught.

Should Wave three interventions be required, the following procedures will be adopted:

SEN support:

  • Class teachers will discuss their concerns with the child's parents.
  • The class teacher will notify the SENCo and discuss the child's progress. At this point all information about the child's progress in school, together with further information from the parents and from the child, will be considered.
  • The SENCo will take the lead in the further assessment of the child's particular strengths and weaknesses; planning future support in discussion with colleagues; monitoring and subsequently reviewing the action taken. Advice may be sought from support services to enhance the provision being made.
  • The class teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a daily basis and for planning and delivering an individualised programmewithin the classroom situation.
  • Appropriate targets and strategies employed to enable the child to progress should be recorded within a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP).
  • The class teacher will review progress with the parents every term. Wherever possible the child will take part in the review process and be involved in setting targets and considering future outcomes. If not directly involved, the child's views will be ascertained and considered in any discussion.

Additional support:

Many children with SEN will be catered for satisfactorily at schoolby their class teacher through differentiated learning opportunities however some will need further assessment and provision.

The triggers for further assessment and provision may include;

  • Making little or no progress
  • Literacy or numeracy skills that result in significantly poor attainment in line with LA Guidance
  • Persistent emotional difficulties which continue despite management techniques generally used in school
  • Significant sensory or physical problems that impact on the child’s ability to learn
  • Communication and/or relationship difficulties which continue despite differentiated approaches.

It is anticipated the decision to seek further advice will be taken by the SENCo in consultation with the child's parents.

Should this be the case the SENCo will take responsibility for the following:

  • Involve external support services, who will advise on a range of provision including new PLP targets/outcomes and appropriate strategies.
  • The SENCo and class teacher, together with curriculum English and Maths

co-ordinators and external specialists, will consider a range of different teaching approaches and appropriate equipment/teaching materials, including the use of information technology.

  • The resulting PLP will set out fresh strategies for supporting the child's progress, these strategies will be implemented in the normal class room setting.
  • The management of the PLP strategies and interventions will remain the responsibility of the class teacher.

School Request for a Statutory Assessment

The decision by the school to request a statutory assessment from the LA will be made when the child has consistently failed to reach targets and has demonstrated significant cause for concern. The Head teacher/SENCo will ensure that parents are aware in general terms of the purpose and nature of formal assessment and will inform them that the LA will be writing to them to explain the detailed arrangements. Whenever possible the child will be involved in this process.

  • The Head teacher will ask the LA to initiate a formal assessment by completing form SEN 1 in collaboration with the school's educational psychologist.
  • The SENCo will again take a leading role and will provide the LEA with written evidence of or information about:

- the school's action through SEN support

- personalised learning plans for the pupil

- records of regular reviews and their outcomes

- the pupil's health, including a medical history where relevant

- Symphony grades

- attainments in English and Maths

- educational assessments from an advisory specialist, support teacher or

educational psychologist

- views of the parents and child

- involvement of other professionals

- involvement of the social services or education welfare service

At this point the LA will take the lead in assessing and determining the provision that must be made to meet the pupil's special educational needs. If the LA decides not toproceed with an Education and Health Care Plan,or ifappeal procedures are invoked,then the child will remain on a single based category of SEN support.

EHCP plans:

If the LA does believe a child requires an EHCP, then the school's role is as follows.

  • The Head Teacher/SENCo will make effective use of any additional resources allocated by the LA to the school, to supplement efforts to meet the pupil's special educational needs
  • Long term outcomes will be set and reviewed every term.
  • The Head Teacher /SENCo will;

-seek written advice from parents and professionals

-ascertain the views of the pupil

-convene the review meeting

-prepare a review report for the LA

  • Those who will be invited are;

-the pupil's parent

-relevant teacher

-the pupil, whenever possible

-where appropriate, representatives of health and social services, other professionals closely involvedandin the year of transfer, SENCo or representative from the receiving school, will be invited.

  • The review report is an integral part of the EHCP advice form and will be copied to the parents, LA and other relevant professionals. The report will be sent to the LA no later than 2 weeks of the meeting.
  • On receiving the EHCP, the LA will review this and ascertain whether the provision continues to be appropriate or whether changes are needed. The school will be able to inform the parents that any changes the LA intends to make to their child's EHCP will be set out in writing and sent to them.
  • There will be particular times in a child's school career when the arrangements for the annual review will vary. Transfer between phases will need to be carefully planned. Initial planning for the move will take place at the review meeting prior to the last year in the current school. For example, initial consideration of transfer from primary to secondary school will take place at the review in Y5.
  • In the case of pupils with physical disabilities, early identification of a secondary school (during Y5) will allow the LA to plan necessary adaptations and building works, thus allowing sufficient time for completion prior to the pupil's transfer.
  • In some cases, appropriate provision on transfer may not be clear at the Y5 review, therefore an interim review or early annual review will take place in the autumn of Y6.
  • In some cases decisions made during the review in Y5 will no longer be appropriate or may need to be amended. Changes will take place through an interim or Y6 review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Aims

  • Early identification of those children requiring extra help and support.
  • Inform and involve parents/carers.
  • To involve class teachers in the assessment and management of programmes of work and help them understand their responsibilities.
  • Attention to be paid to improve the child’s self esteem and minimise any sense of feeling/being different from his/her peers.
  • To be aware of talents that are not necessarily of an academic nature.
  • Initiate an individual staged programme of work, to be monitored and updated regularly.
  • Ensure all children have access to the National Curriculum while receiving an education appropriate to their needs.
  • To take into account, where appropriate, the ascertainable wishes of each child concerned, in order to provide more effectively for him/her. To be concerned for the whole child – socially, spiritually, physically and intellectually.
  • To enable children to develop specific skills and talents through extra curricular activities.
  • To ensure that all children are achieving well and making at least good progress.

Objectives

  • Encourage and enable active involvement by the class teacher
  • Each teacher to provide differentiation within class work when necessary.
  • Ensure regular assessment, monitoring and review procedures are in place.
  • Regular and positive interaction with parents/carers developing a closer relationship.
  • Encourage liaison between class teachers to ensure continuity year by year plus key stages.
  • Provide easy access to extra resources to help with support and extension work.
  • Ensure spelling is systematically taught throughout the school.

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS

Support and commitment of the staff in implementing the Special Needs Policy Document

  • In being very clear about the appropriate learning objectives and tasks to best meet each child’s needs.
  • In being systematic and consistent in the implementation, monitoring and recording of SEN.
  • In breaking down and making teaching points explicit and expectations very clear at all times.
  • In keeping the parents informed of successes, however small. There will be regular review meetings for all children receiving extra support, at least twice a year, with parents and children present whenever possible.

Support and commitment of parents

  • Confidence that the schools SEN policy is in place.
  • That they have a positive role to play in supporting the child and the school.
  • That channels of communication are always valued and open to them.

The Child

  • Feels positive about having support
  • Is aware of areas to be developed, but strengths are valued and seen to be valued.
  • Has outcomes set so that success can be measured and achieved.
  • Feels more in control of their own learning.