The Federation of Sibertswold Church ofEnglandand Eythorne Elvington Community Primary Schools

SEN information Report 2017-2018

Introduction

All Kent LA maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.

The four broad ‘areas of need’ are:

  • Communication and Interaction
  • Cognition and Learning
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
  • Sensory and Physical Needs

The Local Authority Offer

The Children and Families Bill became law in 2014. From then Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.

The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It is an important resource for parents/carers in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.

The Federation SEN Information Report

This utilizes the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEN pupils as determined by the schools policy, and the provision that the schools are able to meet.

If your child has Special Educational Needs what can we offer you at Sibertswold and Eythorne Elvington?

The Federation Schools embrace the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational needs of every child are different; this is certainly the case for children with Special Educational Needs.

We know that parental involvement is identified as having the biggest impact on your child’s learning and well-being. Therefore your support is vital and effective communication is essential in securing the best outcomes for your child.

Who are the best people to talk to about my child’s needs?

Class Teacher

Your child’s class teacher should always be your first port of call.

They are responsible for:

  • Identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need within Quality First Teaching.
  • Personalising teaching and learning for your child as detailed on the class provision map or child’s personalized plan.
  • Checking on your child’s progress.
  • Liaising with the SENCO.
  • Ensuring the schools SEN policy is followed in their classroom for all pupils, including those with SEND

SENCO – Mrs. Pasola

Is responsible for:

  • Developing the school’s SEN Policy.
  • Coordinating any intervention or support for your child.
  • Ensuring you are:
  • involved in supporting your child’s learning.
  • kept informed about your child’s learning.
  • involved in reviewing how your child is doing.
  • Liaising with other people who come into school to support your child.
  • Updating the schools SEN register.
  • Providing/sourcing specialist support for teachers and support staff in school.

The Executive Headteacher – Mrs. Bird

Head of School – Sibertswold – Mr Lamb

Head of School – Eythorne-Elvington – Mr Garvey

They are responsible for:

  • Day to Day management of all aspects of the school including support for children with SEND.
  • Give responsibility to the SENCO and class teachers, but still remaining responsible for ensuring your child’s needs are met.

The SEN Governor

They are responsible for:

  • Making sure the necessary support is given for any child with SEN who attends the school.

What type of support is available in school?

  • Class input , via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching)

For your child this would mean:

  • The teacher has the highest expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
  • That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
  • That different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning.
  • That specific strategies (perhaps suggested by the SENCO) are in place to support your child to learn.
  • Your child’s class teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
  • Group work

Intervention may be:

  • Run in class or another group space
  • Run by a teacher or teaching assistant
  • Specialist groups run by outside agencies .E.g. Speech & Language
  • Local Authority central services, such as Elms outreach
  • Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service

What could happen?

  • You may be asked for permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist
  • The specialist professional may work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.
  • Specified individual support

This support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong.

This is usually provided in an EHCP. (Education, Health and Care Plan) This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a high level of individual or small-group teaching.

This type of support is also available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome by Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

Your child will also need specialist support from a professional/s outside school. This may be from Local Authority Central Services or Outside Agencies.

The EHCP will outline the support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It will have bothlong term and short term goals/targets for your child.

How will the school inform me about my child’s progress?

If your child is not making progress, the school will set up an initial meeting to discuss this in more detail with you and listen to any concerns you may have.

Any additional support will also be planned and possible referrals to outside professionals will be discussed with you.

How is extra support allocated?

  • The schools budgets, received from the LA, includes money for supporting all children, including those with SEN.
  • High Needs Funding – HNF provides an annual top-up budget in order for schools to facilitate a high level of provision that some pupils require (normally those with an Education, Health Care Plan). If a pupil requires a high level of sustained support/equipment in addition to the budget allocation, an application can be made for HNF to ensure that all the support required can be put in place for that pupil.
  • The Executive Headteacher decides on the deployment of resources, in consultation with the federation governors on the basis of need.
  • The Executive Headteacher and the SENCO discuss all the information about the SEN pupils on role and plan support based on this.
  • The schools identify the needs of the children on class provision maps. These identify all support given within the schools and arereviewed 3 times a year so that the needs of all children are met and resources deployed effectively.

What school-based support is there for my child?

  • School provision- teachers responsible for teaching all children.
  • Teachers, teaching assistants and SENCO working with small groups/individual children.
  • ICT support via I-pad apps, precision phonics and specific language based assessments and support programmes.
  • Fizzy and Sensory Circuits for motor skill development.
  • Visual support e.g. visual timetables, writing frames.
  • Alternative recording e.g.I-pad, laptops, voice recorders.
  • Seating aids e.g. cushions.
  • Writing aids e.g. pencil grips, desk slopes.

What outside agency support is there for my child if necessary?

  • Educational PsychologyServices
  • Specialist Teaching and Learning Service
  • Elms Outreach
  • School Nursing Team
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • CAMHs
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Early Help

What training have teachers had to support children with SEN?

  • It is the SENCO’s responsibility to work with teachers and to plan support effectively.
  • The schools provide training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEN. This includes Federation whole staff training on SEN issues including Speech and Language difficulties, ASD, etc.
  • Individual teachers and support staff regularly attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of our pupils including the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service.

How will we measure the progress made by your child?

  • Yourchild’s progress will be continually monitored by their class teacher.
  • The SENCO will also check your child is making good progress within any intervention provided for them.
  • Regular book scrutinies and lesson observations by the Senior Leadership Team ensure the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.
  • If provision has been set by an outside agency and targets given to the school to work on, there will be joint responsibility for checking progress and revising provision.
  • Children’s progress will be reviewed formally with the Executive Headteacher, Head of School and class teacher termly at pupil progress meeting. Any pupils whose progress is concerning will be discussed with the SENCO.
  • At the end of each Key Stage, all children are required to be formally assessed using SATs. This is something the government requires all schools to do and results are published nationally.
  • The progress of all children with a personalised plan will be reviewed 3x per year and will include parents, adults working with the child and the SENCO. Outside agency staff working with the child can also be invited.
  • The progress of children with an EHCP will be assessed annually at an Annual Review meeting. This meeting includes parents, adults working with the child and a representative from the Local Authority. (if requested)

What support do we provide for you as a parent of a child with SEN?

  • The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school, so similar strategies can be used.
  • The SENCO is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
  • All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you and copies of letters are available to you.
  • Personalised plan targets will be reviewed with your involvement every term.
  • Homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s individual requirements.
  • A home-school contact book may be used to ensure regular communication between yourselves and your child’s teacher.

How are the schools accessible for children with SEN?

  • If the schools ae requested to admit a child with SEN the schools would work with the LA to cater for any specific needs.
  • Sibertswold School is wheelchair accessible with 1 disabled toilet.
  • Eythorne Elvington is built on a slopping site with steps in every classroom. The school entrance is wheelchair accessible and the main school hall is accessible via a portable ramp. A disabled toilet facility is available in the adjoining Children’s Centre.
  • We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
  • All school provision is available to all, including those with SEN.
  • Extra-curricular activities are available to all, including those with SEN.

How will your child be supported during transition?

If your child is joining us from another school:

  • The SENCO will visit preschools with the Foundation Stage teacher when appropriate.
  • Pupils transferring into the Reception class are supported by a full programme of visits during the summer term.
  • The SENCO will liaise/visit the child’sprevious school as appropriate.
  • Your child will be able to visit us and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.
  • If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, one will be made for them.

If your child is moving to another school:

  • We will make contact with the SENCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child. Whereverpossible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENCO of the new school.
  • We will make sure your child’s records are passed to the new school as soon as possible.
  • If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, one will be made for them.

When moving classes in school:

  • Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and teachers will be given time to discuss all pupils moving to their new class.
  • The SENCO will provide class teachers with up to date SEN files in the July prior to the new school to allow teachers to fully understand the needs of all SEN pupils in their new class in advance, and so inform planning.
  • If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, one will be made for them.

If your child is moving from year 6 to year 7

  • The SENCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCO of the child’s secondary school. In most cases, a transition review meeting to which you will be invited to will take place with the SENCO of the new school.
  • Your child will participate learning relating to aspects transition, to support understanding of the changes ahead.
  • Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions, and in most cases staff from the new school will visit your child in their current school.
  • If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, one will be made for them.
  • If your child’s move would be helped by additional transition support via Early Help this can be requested.

How will we support your child’s social and emotional development?

We recognize that some children have additional emotional and social needs that need to be nurtured and developed. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiety and being uncommunicative.

All classes follow a structured PSHE curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find this aspect difficult we can offer:

  • Boxall screening which looks at elements of your child’s well-being and allows us to target key areas swiftly and with the biggest impact.
  • Social skills groups.
  • Break time/ Lunch time support through planned activities/groups.
  • With your permission access additional support from outside agencies.