At Templenewsam Halton Primary School we are committed to the inclusion of all children. We will ensure that all children, including those with SEN or a disability, have full access to all aspects of school life and achieve their true potential.
Listed below are a number of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ that may help you understand how we support our children with Special Educational Needs.
What do I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?
Arrange an appointment to speak to your child’s class teacher and/or the Special Needs CoOrdinator (SENCO) to discuss your concerns. The Special Educational Needs CoOrdinator in school is Mrs Suzanne Priestnall. She is based in the Support Office or can be contacted on (0113) 2930314. Following an open discussion about your concerns, a course of action will be agreed. Depending on the nature of the Special Educational Needs,additional support within school might be appropriate, or alternatively you might be signposted to an Outside Agency. Support and guidance with regard to accessing Outside Agencies will be provided by the SENCO.
What will happen if school thinks my child has Special Educational Needs?
Your child’s class teacher will arrange to meet with you and discuss their concerns. After an open discussion steps to support your child will be agreed on. Your child’s progress will then be monitored closely. If there is no significant progress, as a result of the additional support, the SENCO will be informed and together we will decide on what to do next.
How will school support my child?
The class teacher will write an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child. This plan will identify your child’s targets, who is going to help them, how they are going to help them and when they are going to help them. The class teacher will discuss the IEP with you, so you are fully aware of your child’s targetsin school and how you can support at home. You will also be provided with a copy. After an agreed period of time, the class teacher will review the progress your child has made against the targets set and, if necessary, write a new IEP. The SENCO liaises with class teachers and oversees the IEPs to ensure that children with Special Educational Needs are making progress.
The progress of all children in school is tracked closely using a range of methods, for example, the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals, National Curriculum Objectives, P Scales (Performance Scales for children below Level 1 of the National Curriculum), B Squared Outcomes. These are in addition to a range of formal and informal methods used by the class teacher in everyday teaching, for example, observations, questioning and the marking of learning.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Class teachers differentiate the curriculum to ensure that all children are able to access it at their own level. Differentiation can take many forms. Children may be grouped according to ability or grouped in mixed abilities. They may be supported by a partner,or an additional adult (Class Teacher or Teaching Assistant). Resources provided may be adapted or additional ones provided as support. Children may also be withdrawn from class for specialist intervention programmes.
Class teachers will endeavour to differentiate the curriculum whenever appropriate, but when the differentiated activity ceases to have any educational benefit, then children will work on the IEP targets instead.
How will I know how well my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
In addition to the school’s normal reporting arrangements, your child’s class teacher will discuss with you the progress that your child has made against their IEP targets and the next steps that they need to take. By having an open discussion, it is hoped that both home and school can work together to support your child effectively.
Additional training courses run by the Temple Newsam Learning Partnership Co-operative Trust are available for parents to attend. Details of these courses can be obtained from Suzanne Priestnall (SENCO), Sarah Riches or Sharon Beaumont (Learning Mentors).
There is also an independent service called the Leeds SEND Information and Advice Support Service (previously known as the Parent Partnership Service) that is available to support parents. They can be contacted on (0113) 3785020 or emailed at . Further information is also available of their website
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
In addition to a Special Educational Needs CoOrdinator, we have two Learning Mentors in school to provide support to our children to help them overcome barriers to learning. These barriers might include friendship problems, emotional difficulties, medical issues and bereavement. Additional support can also be provided for families, for example, help with attendance, separation and parenting strategies. If a family is experiencing difficulties and has a number of multi-agency professionals involved in supporting them it may be necessary to carry out a Early Help Assessment (EHA) in order to provide a tight support network centred around the child and family. The Learning Mentorsin school are trained to lead on EHAs and they are based in the Support Office and can be contacted on (0113) 2930314.
Our school is also part of the Temple Newsam Learning Partnership Co-operative Trust. Through this partnership we can access a wide range of other professionals (Parent Support Workers, Emotional Health and Well-being Workers and Educational Psychologists) to help us support our children and their families.
There are also a number of school policies in place that help support the well-being of our children. They include – SEN, Intimate Care, Health and Safety, Child Protection, Inclusionand Behaviour. These can all be accessed from our school website
What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by school?
There are a wide range of specialist services and expertise that can be accessed by the SENCO and/or the Learning Mentors in order to provide support for our children and their families.
Temple Newsam Learning Partnership provides access to Parent Support Workers, Behaviour Support Workers, Educational Psychologists, Cluster Inclusion Workers, Emotional Health and Well-being Workers and a Child and Adult Mental Health Practitioner (CAMHS). Further details can be found at
Complex Needs Service (CNS) can be accessed to provide support for children who have a range of difficulties that might include learning and cognition, communication and language, emotional, social and behavioural needs, medical and physical and complex and multiple needs.
Speech and Language Therapy Service – Our Speech and Language Therapist is Charlotte Burrell. She provides guidance on how best to support children identified with speech, language and communication Needs in our school. Useful speech and language resources can be found in the toolkit on the speech and language website
We also have access to, and work closely with, a number of specialist teams, as and when appropriate. These include the School Nursing Team, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, the Visually Impaired Team, Deaf and Hearing Impaired Team and STARS (Specialist Teachers Autism Response Service).
What training do staff supporting children with Special Educational Needs or a Disability have?
The SENCO who oversees the management of SEN and Disability,in addition to being a qualified teacher, has been awarded the ‘National Award of SEN Coordination’ from the University of Leeds.
The SENCO and Zoe Atkinson are also Lead Autism Practitioners having completed the Autism Education Trust (AET) Level 3 ASC Training.
Additional training provided to Class Teachers and Teaching Assistants is dependent on the needs of the child whom they are supporting. This training can be provided internally, through the use of staff meetings and informal training sessions from the wide range of outside agencies who work closely with school to support our children. External training is also accessed using a wide range of providers, based on needs identified in school by the SENCO.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom?
We believe that all every child should be included in all aspects of school life. This includes fair access to our before and after school provision, as well as all educational visits and school residentials. When special provision is required, the SENCO will liaise with the Class Teacher and Parent/Carer to plan what is required by the child on an individual basis.
How accessible is the school?
The majority of our school site is accessible. There are two designated disabled parking spaces and disabled toilet facilities. There is also a purpose built changing facility for those children still requiring a high level of intimate care and a showering area. Ramps and handrails have been installed around school.
There are, however, several areas around school where there are steps and it has not been possible to create ramped access and two of our classrooms remain upstairs. In the past, we have always managed to accommodate children with physical difficulties even if that has meant moving classes to ensure access for all.
How will the school help my child on transfer to the next phase of education?
We have developed excellent links with our feeder high schools and work closely with them to plan effective transition for all our Year 6 children. Additional transition arrangements are also organised by the SENCO and the Learning Mentorsfor those children with SEN or a disability, or are considered vulnerable. The child and parents/carers are fully involved in the planning of these additional arrangements. We work closely with the SENCO/Inclusion Manager at our feeder high schools to ensure that the transition plan put in place for each child meets their individual requirements. In addition, the SENCO collates and provides each high school with a comprehensive set of each child’s SEN records to ensure that all information is passed on before the end of the Summer term.
How are the school’s resources/funding allocated and matched to children’s needs?
Our aim is to ensure that all our children’s needs are met and the schools budget is used to ensure that we achieve this aim. School receives a notional SEN budget that is spent on providing additional adult support in the classroom, training for Class Teachers and Teaching Assistants, additional resources and the employment of specialist teachers, such as the Speech and Language Therapist. For children with a higher level of need, school is provided with ‘Top Up’ funding to ensure that their more complex needs are met. The SENCO, in discussion with Class Teachers and Parents/Carers, will decide on the most appropriate type of support required by each individual child. For example, a child with severe needs may require full time support in the classroom or equally a child may require additional time for a focused intervention three times per week.
How are the parents involved in the school and how can I be involved?
We have an open door policy in school and value the contribution our Parents/Carers make to our school community. We have an active Parent, Teacher and Friend Association (PTFA) who organise a number of events, for example, Family Fun Nights and Summer and Christmas Fayres, throughout the school calendar. There are also other events, such as book swaps and coffee mornings, held in school periodically. Details of all these can be found on the weekly newsletter or on the school website. Parents can also choose to take an active role as a Parent Governor on our Governing Body when places become available.
Who can I contact for further information?
If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Suzanne Priestnall (SENCO), Sarah Riches and Sharon Beaumont (Learning Mentors) or the School Office on (0113) 2930314 to arrange an appointment.
Abbreviations
SEN – Special Educational Needs
SENCO – Special Educational Needs CoOrdinator
IEP– Individual Education Plan
EHA –Early Help Assessment
CAMHS – Child and Adult Mental Health Service
CNS – Complex Needs Service
STARS - Specialist Teachers Autism Response Service
AET – Autism Education Trust
Updated – 17th July 2017