Schools Extended Local Offer Response

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

 

• Educational Psychologist

• Speech & Language Therapist (SaLT)

• Occupational Therapist

• Physiotherapist

• School and support Nurses

• NHS specialists

• Specialist Nurses for children with disabilities

• Advisory Teachers, including for the Alternative Curriculum

• Blackburn with Darwen (B w D) SEND Support Service Advisory Teachers

• B w D Early Years Early Help Support Service

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

We cater for children with a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities. Our staff have undergone training in a number of supportive strategies. In addition, staff have undertaken specific training for particular interventions. These include, but are not exhaustive of: ELKLAN (a language approach); Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA); Makaton (signing); 1stclass@number; Talk4Number and Success@arithmetic.

We aim to ensure that we continue to develop expertise according to the needs of the children in our school. All staff supporting SEND pupils have had training which is ongoing and updated.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

• Parents themselves know their children well and will voice concerns. These are always listened to and acted upon.
• Teachers and staff working with children on a daily basis will become aware of needs.
• Assessment information can highlight that a child may be experiencing barriers with their learning.
• Termly pupil progress meetings identify children in need of extra help.
• Other professionals from external agencies will share information on need.
• Information from other schools when children transition from other settings either at the start of the year or during the school year is shared with Brookhouse Primary School.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

If you are concerned about your child having special educational needs, the best thing to do is to speak to their class teacher in the first instance. The class teacher can then take your concerns and explain what provision there is in school to meet your child's needs.

From this point, the SEND Co can then become involved and liaise with both yourself and the staff supporting your child.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

• Provision for all children with identified special educational needs in our school is co-ordinated by the SEND Co, who works in close consultation with the class teachers to devise and monitor support for children and coordinates the support staff team.
• We have Special Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants who work with identified children in order to support the targets that have been set for them.
• The class teacher will provide daily quality first teaching, targeted at each child's needs within the classroom. There may be a Teaching Assistant (TA) or a Special Support Assistant (SSA) working with your child either individually or as part of a group. The regularity of these sessions will be explained to parents when the support starts.
• Brookhouse School has a multi-sensory immersion room which is ideal for children with SEND.
• The class teacher will meet with parents on a termly basis (this could be as part of Parent's evening) to discuss your child's needs, support and progress, although we do have an open door policy where parents are most welcome to discuss concerns regarding their child at any time should they feel the need.
• Your child may have an individual plan called an IEP. This will outline what support your child will receive in school.
• We have a governor who supports SEND and liaises frequently with the SEND Co. The SEND Co reports to Governors.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

• A child will receive Quality First teaching within the class room setting which will be planned to meet the needs of individual children within the class.
• Class teachers will adjust their teaching daily in order to make adjustments for each child's needs and make activities easier or more challenging accordingly. This will be provided for in several ways. For example, through different activities or different outcomes or by differentiated skilful questioning by the class teacher, all of which will enable each child to access the curriculum more easily.
• The school's core values lend themselves to setting challenges for all children ensuring there is no limit as to what can be achieved.

 

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

Class teachers and support staff are best placed to deliver lessons to your child and cater for their needs. Quality first teaching will be adjusted to take account of learning barriers.

Group and guided work will be planned to teach learning objectives effectively and in a way which meets learning needs.

Intervention groups are planned for and delivered according to need.

in addition, there will be occasions when your child will receive 1 to 1 assistance.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

To keep parents informed we:

Produce Individual Education Plans (IEPs) which are reviewed by the class teacher in consultation with the SEND Co. Targets are usually set by the class teacher, with advice from external agencies taken into account where such professionals are involved.

Discuss and review your child's progress at Parents Evenings.

Give children a home/school diary in which messages can be exchanged between adults working with your child in school and yourself. They may suggest ways of supporting your child's learning.

May where necessary, seek out specialist training to support specific identified needs, such as Downs Syndrome and hearing impairment.

Send out reports yearly detailing your child's progress in English and Maths, science and computing, aswell as their overall attitude to learning. Our feedback to you will be about the progress your child has made, but will also include an overview of where they are compared to national expectations.

Distribute end of term letters to parents detailing children’s progress and effort. Parents are made aware of where their child is compared to age related expectations.

 

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

 

• We encourage parents and carers to work with us and support any interventions that your child may undertake. We offer an open door policy where parents can, at any time, speak to either the class teacher or SEND Co about your child.
• A homework club is run in school, in part to support those children and parents for whom homework is a challenge.
• If outside agencies e.g. the Educational Psychologist (EP) or Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) have been involved then their advice/suggestions and/or recommended programmes are shared with you to enable additional practice to be given at home.
• Our school runs information sessions for parents. For example, on approaches to phonics, reading and the key stage SATS assessments.
• Communication between home and school is also encouraged via your child’s home/school diary.

 

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

• The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties.
• There are two trained ELSAs who are able to support children with social and emotional needs. The ELSAs work closely with the SEND Co.
• At Brookhouse,we provide a safe and caring environment where all children thrive. There are clear and rigorous safeguarding procedures and policies in line with ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.All staff are regularly provided with updated training for safeguarding.
• A clear, structured behaviour policy is adhered to by the whole school.
• We provide individual behaviour logs for those children who need support to follow our Brookhouse values and school rules.
• Personal care support including toileting and/or dressing. This is undertaken with the child's modesty and privacy as our utmost priority.
• We encourage children to be as independent as possible within their limits.
• We follow physiotherapy programmes, speech and language programmes and programmes from Occupational Therapy, as well as the physical disabilities team.
• All staff receive "Epipen" training, as necessary, delivered by the School Nursing team
• There are a number of staff trained in first aid and we have a clear up to date medicine policy. Medicines and first aid treatment are administered in line with the correct procedure.
• The Home School Liaison Officer works closely with parents/carers in order to put any appropriate support in place with regard to good attendance and punctuality.
• The SEND Co, Senior Leadership Team and staff are aware of the need for early help for pupils at Brookhouse School.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

 

• We can sign post families to private providers who run a holiday/week-end club aswell as overnight respite care.
• Weofferallchildrentheopportunitytoattendbothbreakfastclubandanafterschoolclub
• School offers a wide range of after school activities; for example music, sport and art.
• All our clubs and activities are inclusive. Some clubs are only available to pupils in designated age ranges.
• We offer a lunch time buddy system, where Y6 children support children in Reception.
• There are play time leaders fromY6 who contribute to the play and organise games for KS1 children at break and lunchtime.
• Older children joining our school are given a buddy.
• Outside on the playground, staff are vigilant during break times and lunchtimes to children who may appear to be lonely.
• All children are fully included in all trips. Where a child has 1:1support, that Special Support Assistant will accompany the child.
• All children are fully included in the annual residential trip in Y6. Additional 1:1 support is available for those children with specific needs.
• Children in Year 4 swim weekly throughout the year. Children in Year 3 swim weekly during the spring and summer terms. Where physical needs can be a barrier, transport is provided.

 

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

Our school has excellent links with our main High School providers. This takes the form of  a ‘move up’ day to High School.

The Heads of Year 7 from designated High Schools visit our school and liaise with the class teacher and SENDCO, as well as Teaching Assistants where necessary. They will also meet with individual pupils in Year6.

Where necessary, additional visits are arranged for individual pupils to ensure a smooth transition.

Transition reviews are held for pupils who have extreme educational, medical or physical disabilities. The SENDCo and class teacher, as well as the SEND Support Assistant attend, and share all the documentation with the new  school.

Outside Agencies will assist our pupils with an EHCP.

The SEND Co also attends the Blackburn with Darwen SEND Co cluster group, as well as the local cluster group, where any concerns maybe raised and discussed by local primary and secondary schools together.

 

Children who join mid term/Nursery transition

When children join, our school staff will meet with you and your child prior to them starting with us. We will use this meeting as an opportunity to both provide your child with a chance to meet some staff members, to become familiar with the environment as well as to gather as much information as we can about your child so we can use this to prepare us for your child starting at our school.

The Home School Liaison Officer, Reception Teacher and Nursery Teacher meet all children and their families due to start nursery and/or school.

Liaison and visits to your child's preschool setting. Liaison with previous school. Liaison with SEND Co at previous school or any relevant outside agencies.

 

Children moving classes

When children move classes each year we provide a ‘moving up’ day to meet their new class teacher and see their new classroom as well as providing additional sessions for children who need extra time.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

All classrooms at Brookhouse School are equipped with resources to meet the needs of the age of the children.

In addition, there are many shared resource areas where equipment is available to use in classes.

The SEND Co has access to specific resources which can be deployed to aid children experiencing learning barriers.