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?

Well established links with support services:

• Blackburn with Darwen SEND Support Service

        - BwD Physical Disabilities team
        - BwD Autism Team
        - BwD Inclusion SEBD Team

• Educational Psychologist
• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Speech & Language Therapy Team 
• School Nurse/Paediatricians
• Education Welfare Service
• ELCAS (East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Services) 
• For those children who have a range of agencies working with them, a CAF (Common Assessment Framework) might be agreed.

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

As a school we ensure that all staff are regularly trained to support children with SEND.
SENCO is currently underaking the National SENCO Award.
Three yearly Emergency First Aid at school training
Paediatric First Aid training
Medical training for conditions e.g. Asthma
Medical training for conditions as needed e.g. Diabetes, Epi-Pens
Dyslexia Training
Autism Training
Disability Awareness Training
PIVATs
Derbyshire Language
Ready for Sounds
Mastering Memory
Pupil Well-Being Mentor listed within the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant Register
CAFTraining
Elklan Training
Beravement Training
Nurture Training

Wellcomm Training

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

Teachers continually monitor and assess the children at Ashleigh. Teacher assessment take place each half term and provides information about the academic needs of the children.
Progress meetings are held every term between each class teacher and a senior member of staff to ensure all children are making good progress academically and socially.
When a teacher or a parent has raised concerns about a child’s progress, and targeted teaching has not met the child’s needs, the teacher will raise this with the SENCo. There is also the opportunity for children raising concern to be discussed during the termly SEND day review meeting where data is analysed, and if some children are identified as needing additional support then diagnostic tests are carried out to identify intervention needs.
The SENCo will contact parents to arrange to discuss concerns about whether a child is in need of extra support.
Parents should also be informed at parents evening and through progress meetings across the year. Parents are given the opportunity to meet with the SENCo at parents evening if they so wish.
Other professionals working for different agencies may be need to be involved.
At specific points during your child's education they will take part in statutory assessments as well as specific screening programmes. These can be used to help identify an additional need. Support is put in place to ensure all children make progress in their learning and development.

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 worried that your child may have a special educational need, in the first instance you should contact your child's class teacher, followed by the school SENCO.
When children are transferring from Nursery into Reception, the SENCO is notified of any special educational needs and parents are introduced to the SENCO and encouraged to discuss any concerns they may have regarding their child.
The SENCO is always available at parents evenings and at any point in the year if necessary.

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

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) working with your child either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher.
Provision for all children with identified special educational needs in our school is co-ordinated by the SENCO, who works in close consultation with the class teachers and the SEND team (TA's with SEND experience and training) to devise and monitor support for children.
Our SEND team work with identified children, either individually or as part of a group, in order to support the targets that have been set for them.
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 targets for your child and should identify what support your child will receive in school. These should be discussed between the teacher, child and parent/carer.
We have a governor who supports SEND and liaises frequently with the SENCO.
The SENCO reports to Governors termly.

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

All staff differentiate the curriculum according to the SEND of the individual children. For all children with SEN, the class teacher and SENCo will liaise closely and make special arrangements within the class. This may involve grouping, a special programme of work, modified tasks, and/or extra adult intervention. 

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

All staff differentiate the curriculum according to the SEND of individual pupils. For some pupils with an IPRA or an EHCP they may have an TA who will plan and differentiate lessons to meet the needs of individual pupils.
For some children with SEND an adult might work with the child 1:1 or in a small group as needed. Staff leading intervention programmes also deliver in a teaching style consistent to that of the class teachers. We act on the advice given to us from external agencies to support children with SEND.

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

All children are formally assessed each half term. There are ongoing informal assessments throughout the year and individual curriculum targets are set from these assessments. All children are tracked from Reception through to year six on both formative and sumative assessment. We use PIVATS to assess progress in smaller steps and at a reduced pace. Children involved in specific interventions will undertake an entry and exit assessment during the year, further assessments will be undertaken to ensure that children are continung to make progress when the interventions have been completed. Parent's evenings are held twice a year in the Autumn and Spring terms and school reports are written annually in the Summer term;  a mid-year report will be sent to parents in the Spring term with an update on your child's attitude to learning, behaviour and attainment. 

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

School operates an open door policy where parents are welcome to arrange meetings with their child's class teacher to discuss their concerns. The school website is a useful tool where parents can keep up to date with what is happening in school and can access resources to support their children.

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?

Ashleigh school is a nurturing place, where childre are taught about bullying, staying safe and friendships through a range of assesmblies, focus weeks in school, the PSCHEE curriculum (Jigsaw) and through our active school council. The school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and a Deputy DSL to deqal with issues regarding child protection and safeguarding. Ashleigh also has a Pupil Well-Being Mentor, who is a registered Emotional Literacy Support Assistant who runs groups in school to develop children's social skills and self-esteem. 1:1 work is also undertaken, which may have a specific focus, ie. Bereavement. All children are encouraged to tell someone if they feel there are any issues and there is a worry box available for children  to express any concerns which will be followwd up by the Pupil Well-being mentor. School's anti-bullying and behaviour policies are available on the school website.

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

Children with SEND are included on all extra-curricular acitivites and on school trips with each child's nneds being considered and appropriate Risk Assessments carried out. All clubs are open to children regardless of SEND. Each year our year 6 pupils are taken on a residential weekend to Winmarleigh. All of our trips are registered using the recognised Blackburn with Darwen EVOLVE system.

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

To ensure a smooth transistion for our children into school, we have an induction programme. We offer visits to school for the children prior to starting in Reception, home visits are completed by the class teachers and visits to nurseries are undertaken. For children miving between year groups and Key Stages, the school holds an annual 'moving up' day in the summer term. For children moving on to high school, we follow the BwD "Moths" programme (Moving on to high school), which clearly sets out a series of activities amied at alleviatin anxieties. Additional transition arrangements are made for children with SEND, and close liaison also takes place bewteen SENCo's at nurseries and high schools.

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

School is proactive in securing additional services as required, we purchase additional specialist advice from the Educational Psychologist and Inclusion Support Service. Any specific resources and equipment are selected according to the specific needs of the children.