ST AUGUSTINE’S PRIMARY SCHOOL

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY

POLICY STATEMENT

St Augustine’s Primary School values all pupils equally and all pupils in the school have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

In school, most pupils’ educational needs are met through normal classroom arrangements but there are some pupils who require additional support. These pupils have Special Educational Needs, hereafter referred to as SEN. The school recognises that every pupil is entitled to have his/her particular needs addressed and that all pupils are entitled to experience success. The school provides an appropriately differentiated curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEN.

The school recognises that:

Good SEN practice is good practice for all pupils.

All SEN provision is more effective if pupils and parents are fully involved.

Consideration of SEN crosses all curriculum areas and all aspects of teaching and learning.

The Governing Body is fully committed to fulfilling its responsibilities in supporting SEN provision in St Augustine’s Primary School through the allocation of resources and active involvement in the school.

This policy outlines the aims of SEN provision, the definition of SEN, the roles and responsibilities of the Governing Body, Head teacher and Staff and the structure of provision for SEN in St Augustine’s Primary School.

Person responsible for policy: Mrs. Bruna Ranjan

Date: December 2007

Review Date: December 2008

School Policy For Special Educational Needs

A School Arrangements

  1. Definition of Special Educational Needs
  2. Definition Of Disability
  3. Aims
  4. Disability Discrimination
  5. Existing facilities for disabled pupils
  6. Statement of Inclusion
  7. Accessibility Plan 2006-9
  8. Every Child Matters
  9. Roles and responsibilities
  • Governing Body
  • Head teacher
  • SENCO
  • Class Teacher
  • Learning Support Assistant/Teaching Assistant
  • Lunch Supervisor

B Identification

  1. Curriculum Access and Inclusion
  2. Identification procedure of pupils with SEN
  3. Identification of SEN concerns by parents
  4. Levels of provision and categories of SEN
  5. Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  6. Differentiation
  7. Interventions
  8. Assessment and Monitoring

C Partnership Within and Beyond The School

  1. Arrangements for partnership with parents
  2. Pupil Participation
  3. Staff Development
  4. Secondary Transfer
  5. Links with outside agencies
  6. Special Provision
  7. Admission
  8. Allocation of resources
  9. Complaint procedures

D APPENDIX

Appendix 1: St. Augustine’s SEN Contacts

Appendix 2: Record of Concern Foundation

Appendix 3: Record of Concern KS1/2

Appendix 4: IEP

Appendix 5: IEP Review

Appendix 6: Accessibility Plan 2006-2009

Appendix 7: Statement of Inclusion

Appendix 8: Interventions

A SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS

1. Definition of Special Educational Needs (Education Act 1996)

A pupil has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty that calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

a.Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age.

b.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 area of the local education authority.

c.Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at a. or b. above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

2. Definition of Disability

A child is disabled if he/she is blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from a mental disorder of any kind or is substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity, or such other disability as may be prescribed.

It should be noted that pupils may fall within one or more of these categories. Pupils with a disability will have SEN if they have any difficulty accessing education and if they need any special educational provision made for them.

3. Aims

We at St. Augustine’s School believe that each pupil has individual and unique needs. Our guiding principle is one of inclusion within a caring and supportive atmosphere. However, some pupils require more support than others. If these pupils are to achieve their potential, we must recognise this and plan accordingly. In particular, we aim:

To enable every pupil to experience success

To ensure that all pupils receive appropriate provision through a broad and balanced curriculum that is relevant and differentiated and that demonstrates coherence and progression in learning.

To identify, assess, record, and review pupil’s progress and needs.

To work collaboratively with parents, other professionals and support services

4. Disability Discrimination

The Disability Discrimination Act (2005) introduced a Statutory Duty on schools to promote equal opportunity for disabled pupils. The general duty requires to:

  • eliminate unlawful disability discrimination and harassment
  • promote equality of opportunities and positive attitudes towards disabled people
  • take account of people’s disabilities ( even if this means treating them more favourably )
  • encourage participation by disabled people in public life

(For a comprehensive Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan please refer to the separate policy)

5. Existing facilities for disabled pupils

Existing facilities include: disabled toilets in both Infant and Junior school as well as two adjustable toilet seat and handrail in the Infant building. The school has ramps into Infant classroom and into the Junior side entrance. There are handrails in the Junior corridor, into the Junior hall and into the playground. One Junior classroom has an extension which can store additional equipment (i.e. wheel chair, walking frame, laptop).

6. Statement of Inclusion

Please refer to Appendix 7 for a full statement.

7. Accessibility Plan 2006-2009

The school has an accessibility plan which includes further access arrangements such as colour coding wall and doors, fire alarms with flashing lights, workstation for children with Autism, Asberger Syndrome and ADHD.

(For a comprehensive plan please refer to Appendix 6).

8. Every Child Matters ( Children’s Act 2004)

Every Child Matters is all about improving the life chances of all children, reducing inequalities and helping them achieve what they want out of life:

1. Be healthy: enjoy good physical and mental health and living a healthy

lifestyle.

2. Stay safe: being protected from harm and abuse.

3. Enjoy and achieve getting the most out of life and developing skills for

adulthood.

4. Make a positive contribution: being involved with the community and

society and not engaging in anti- social or offending behaviour.

5. Achieve economic well being: not being prevented by economic

disadvantages from achieving their full potential.

9. Roles and Responsibilities

Provision for pupils with SEN is a matter for the school as a whole. It is each teacher’s responsibility to provide for pupils with SEN in his/her class, and to be aware that these needs may be present in different learning situations. All staff are responsible to meet an individual’s special educational needs, and for following the school’s procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision to meet these needs.

The Governing Body

The school governing body has responsibilities to:

a.Ensure as far as possible that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has SEN.

b.Ensure that pupils’ needs are made known to all who are likely to teach them.

c.Ensure that teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for those pupils who have SEN.

d.Consult the LEA and the governing bodies of other schools if necessary or desirable, in the interests of a co-ordinated SEN provision in the area as a whole.

e. Ensure that parents are notified of a decision by the school that SEN provision is being made by the school

f.Ensure that pupils with SEN participate in the school curriculum together with pupils who do not have SEN, so far as it reasonably practical and compatible with:

i.The SEN provision for which their learning needs call.

ii.The efficient education of pupils who do not have SEN.

iii.The efficient use of resources.

In doing so, Governors will have regard to the SEN Code of Practice (2001) and the Disability Rights Code of Practice for schools.

The Governing Body reports to parents annually on the implementation of the school’s SEN policy and reviews the success criteria. The Governing Body, in its annual report, also explains the admission arrangements for disabled pupils.

The Head teacher

The Head teacher has responsibility for:

  1. the day to day management of all aspects of school ‘s work, including provision for pupils with SEN
  2. Working closely with the Inclusion Manager also referred to as Special needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
  3. Keeping the governing body informed about SEN issues
  4. To seek out and share best practice with the LEA

The Inclusion Manager (also referred to as SENCO)

The Inclusion Manager is Bruna Ranjan. Throughout the week she splits her time between the Infant and the Junior office.

The main responsibilities of the SENCo are:

  1. Overseeing the day-to day operation of the school’s SEN policy
  2. Liasing with the head teacher
  3. Co-ordinating the provision for pupils with SEN
  4. Consulting and advising colleagues
  5. Helping staff to identify pupils with SEN
  6. Supporting class teachers in devising strategies, drawing up Individual Education Plans (IEPs) , setting targets appropriate to the needs of the pupils , and advising on appropriate resources and materials for use with pupils with special educational needs
  7. Liasing with parents of pupils with SEN
  8. Liasing with outside agencies, arranging meetings, and providing a link between these agencies, class teachers and parents.
  9. Maintaining the SEN Data Base and overseeing all pupil SEN documentation
  10. Contributing to in-service training of staff
  11. Managing LSAs and TAs
  12. Regular reporting to the Governing Body
  13. Liasing with SENCOs from other schools, attending Cluster groups
  14. Keeping up to date with new regulations, research, legislations and courses
  15. Attend relevant training courses
  16. Responsible for updating the SEN policy
  17. Responsible for updating the Disability Equality Scheme
  18. Responsible for collecting data on disabled staff, pupils and parents

The Class Teachers

The main responsibilities are:

  1. Including pupils with SEN in the classroom
  2. Providing an appropriately differentiated curriculum. They can draw on the SENCO for advice on assessment and strategies to support inclusion
  3. Implementing the IEPs in the lesson plans
  4. Making themselves aware of the SEN policy and procedures of identification
  5. Contribute to annual review meetings by providing a short summary of progress either orally or in written format.
  6. Contribute to IEP meetings by providing evidence of child’s progress in the target areas ( Appendix 7)
  7. Provide weekly lesson plans to support staff
  8. Liaise closely with the SENCO

The Learning Support Assistants (LSAs)/ Teaching Assistants(TAs) work as part of a team with the SENCO and the teachers, supporting pupils’ individual needs, and helping with inclusion of pupils with SEN within the class.

They should be:

  1. Fully aware of the school’s SEN policy
  2. Know the procedure for identifying pupils
  3. Give feedback to teachers about pupils’ responses to tasks and strategies sometimes in a written format
  4. Supporting all children in the and out of the classroom under the supervision of the class teacher
  5. Attend monthly meetings arranged by the SENCO

The Midday assistants in both departmentsare given any necessary information relating to the supervision of pupils at lunchtime.

B IDENTIFICATION

The school follows the Graduated Response model as illustrated in the SEN Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice (2001) outlines a graduated response to pupils’ needs, recognising that there is a continuum of need matched by a continuum of support. This response is seen as action that is additional to or different from the provision made as part of the school’s usual differentiated curriculum and strategies.

The Code recognises three broad levels of provision within the continuum: School Action, School Action Plus and Statement.

1. Curriculum Access and Inclusion

Pupils are grouped/taught in classes according to their abilities. As there is a wide range of ability in each class, all staff provides a differentiated curriculum suitable for all children, to ensure access at all levels.

Any pupil with particular needs is included as fully as possible into the normal classroom environment and where appropriate, the curriculum is adjusted.

The triggers for intervention could be a teacher’s or parent’s concern about a child who despite receiving appropriate early educational 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
  • has sensory of 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.
  • shows signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematics skills which result in poor attainment
2. Identification procedure of Pupils with SEN
  1. Class teacher:
  • Monitors pupils progress and behaviour
  • Differentiates the curriculum within the classroom
  • Refers to previous assessment, test scores, strategies
  • Consults with other colleagues
  • Carries out observations, tests, strategies which must be dated and recorded.
  • Informs parents of his/her concerns
  • Consults with the SENCO and completes the Internal Referral Form (Appendix 1 for KS1/2 and Appendix 2 for Nursery /Reception to requestMonitoring by the SENCO)

b. SENCO:

  • Discusses pupil with the teacher and suggests other strategies
  • Monitors and observes pupil
  • Discusses further strategies/assessments with the teacher and parents
  • If there are further concerns support is provided at School Action
  • The Educational Psychologist will assess the child if all the above strategies fail to make any difference.

3. Identification of SEN Concerns by a Parent/Guardian

  1. Parent/Guardian consults with school (usually with the class teacher) if there are concerns regarding a pupil’s progress
  2. The class teacher refers to attainment in the classroom and any previous assessments and records
  3. If a pupil is appropriately supported by a differentiate curriculum within the classroom, parents are informed.
  4. If there are further concerns. a referral is made by the class teacher to the SENCo, using the internal referral form.( See appendix 3 &4)
  5. Parents are informed.
  6. The pupil is then assessed and appropriate strategies/support is provided at School Action or School Action Plus.
  7. Parents are always informed.

Parents are encouraged to contact the school as and when a concern arises regarding their child’s progress.

4. Levels of Provision and categories of SEN

School Action

If a pupil requires additional and different support from any other child in the class then support on School Action is put in place. An Individual Education Plan is written by the teacher and SENCO and reviewed at least twice a year.

School Action Plus

If a pupil has not made sufficient progress and the level of support may be increased to School Action Plus. At School Action Plus, outside agencies are always involved. This is usually the Educational Psychologist and often other LEA or Health professionals. They may undertake more specialised assessment and /or observe the pupil. Parental permission is always sought for a formal referral to any external services.

The SENCO takes lead responsibility for organising in school support .The IEP is written together with the teacher and any outside agencies involved. The IEP should reflect any advice given by outside agencies.

Parents are encouraged to attend reviews and to play a full part throughout the process. The IEP is reviewed at least twice a year.

Statement

Only a very small proportion of pupils require a Statement of SEN. These pupils are likely to have severe or complex needs that require more specialist advice and support.

Annual Reviews

For pupils with statements, an Annual Review Meeting has to be held in addition to the regular termly reviews. The Annual Review is held during the school day during the term in which the statement started. The parents and all relevant professionals are invited to attend or submit a written report.

Categories of Special Educational Needs

Code of Practice Needs / Categories
Communication and interaction / Speech, language and communication needs SLCN
Autistic Spectrum Disorder ASD
Personal, Social and Emotional / Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development Needs BESD
Learning Skills; Cognition & Learning Needs / Specific SPLD
Moderate MLD
Severe SLD
Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties PMLD
Physical, Sensory and Medical / Visual Impairment VI
Hearing Impairment HI
Multi Sensory MSI
Physical Disability PD

In summary:

The graduated approach:

  • DifferentiationThis is now assumed to be part of the planning

for all pupils and does not represent SEN.

MonitoringThe class teacher identifies a child to the SENCO

  • School ActionThis supports pupils who require support which

is additional to and different from the above. An

IEP is used.

  • School Action PlusExternal services advise and inform IEPs. The

Educational Psychologist will assess the child.

  • Statutory AssessmentThe pupil continues to receive support at School

Action Plus.

  • StatementThe pupil has a Statement of SEN

detailing the pupil’s needs and the provision