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?

We work closely with and have access to the following agencies to support your child’s needs:

 

• Therapy services, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy
• Advisory teachers within the Special Education Support Service (SENDSS)
• Educational Psychology Team
• Social Services
• ELCAS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Parent Partnership
• Counselling Services
• School nurse
• Health visitor
• Medical staff

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

We have an extensive programme of training and development available in school for all staff.

All staff undertake training in relation to safeguarding and disability awareness.

Some staff have specialist training in supporting children with autism, dyslexia, behaviour management, language and communication difficulties. Medical training to support pupils with medical care plans such as epilepsy and diabetes, is available from our School Nurse, Michelle Baker.

We also have members of staff who are trained Mental Health First Aiders. 

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

We know our children may need extra help if:

 

• Concerns are raised by the child, their parent/carer, their teacher, school staff
• Limited progress is being made
• There is a change in their behaviour, schoolwork or progress
• Concerns have been raised by other professionals, such as a doctor, or by a previous school

We have a number of ways to help us identify if a child needs extra support.

These include:

• Information from your child’s preschool or previous school
• Information from parents/carers, given in school or during a home visit
• Visits to nurseries / pre-school, to observe your child and speak to their key worker.
• Information from other services who have worked with you and your child, such as a Speech & Language Therapist, or a Consultant
• Observations from your child’s class teacher
• Observations from our Special Needs coordinators, (SENCos), Miss Lawson or Mrs Gettins
• Special diagnostic tests, such as Reading Tests, Vocabulary Tests, Mathematical Tests, which help us to identify areas of need. We encourage parents to share information with us and to tell us any concerns they may have as early as possible. Please talk to your child’s teacher, or to our SENCos, Miss Lawson and Mrs Gettins. The information will be used to make sure that we meet any additional needs your child may have. Once your child is in school, we will monitor their progress and development, in termly pupil progress meetings, where we discuss the progress of all children. If we have any concerns, we may ask other professionals to give us advice and support. We will always talk to you first and share information with you.

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?

Please come and speak to staff in school if you have any concerns.

 

• Initially, you can talk to your child’s teacher, as they see your child each day and know your child very well.
• You can also speak to our SENCos, Miss Lawson and Mrs Gettins.
• You can also speak to Miss Peckson, our Headteacher.

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

In school, we will always support our children in becoming independent learners. There are a number of ways we use to give extra help to enable this to happen.

 You can find out how we support your child by:

 

• talking to your child’s teacher
• making an appointment to talk to our SENCos – Miss Lawson and/or Mrs Gettins
• reading the letters we send home about the extra help your child receives
• reading and completing your child’s home-school diary, if he/she has one
• coming to Parents’ Evening and Parents’ Workshops
• reading our school SEND policies, which are available from school. The Governors are responsible for making sure that all children have equal opportunities to learn and make good progress. The SEND/Inclusion Governor is Mrs Janaina Roberts, who can be contacted via the school office.

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

 We are committed to helping each child achieve of their best and to giving all our children every opportunity to achieve. We offer an interesting, hands-on, creative curriculum, which is differentiated by the class teacher through quality first teaching, to support the needs of all learners, including your child.

 

• We work with all parents/carers to make sure that all children have the highest possible attendance – we expect 100%, so that we can maximize learning opportunities.
• We send home activities for parents/carers to share with their children.
• We have a weekly attendance newsletter and a half termly newsletter including events and dates
• We arrange courses and workshops for parents – do come! 

• Children with Special Educational Needs may have a learning plan, which details how the curriculum is tailored to support your child’s learning.
• We are a fully inclusive school, and we take reasonable action to make sure that all children can access all learning opportunities through quality first teaching.

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

Every child has an individual need, in school we meet these needs through differentiated work and quality first teaching.

Your child may also have individual targets which are specific to their learning needs, these are monitored and reviewed at pupil progress meetings every half term.

Interventions are followed when necessary to develop specific areas, these are provided from specialist outsides agencies or from within school. The staff delivering these interventions are experienced and trained in the areas. 

Visual aids and other practical aids may be used to enhance their understanding and learning.

All of our staff are aware of the various ways that children learn, whether it be kinaesthetically, visually etc. and plan work accordingly to meet these needs.

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

One of our school priorities is to talk to you about your child and to keep you informed as to how well they are doing at school.

• We have an open door policy and encourage you to come to see us.
• We have weekly celebration assemblies, held on Fridays at 9am. Please come and join us, to share our good news!
• Each class invites parents to join them to celebrate their learning within the cornerstones curriculum.
• Please talk to your child’s teacher at the end of the day.
• We have termly parents’ evening, when you can make an appointment to talk to your child’s teacher.
• We send a termly report home at the end of each term, and will invite you into school, to talk about the report with your child’s teacher.
• If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Independent Pupil Resources Agreement (IPRA) we will hold a review meeting, once a year.
• You can ask for a meeting with our SENCos and/or class teacher, to talk about your child’s needs in more detail.
• All children have learning targets. In addition, each child with Special Educational Needs may have their own learning plan to meet their specific learning needs which will be discussed with you at termly parent forum meetings.

Monitoring progress is a key part of all teaching and learning at school. Parents, children and staff are all involved in this process, as are our school governors. We collect progress data for all our children, which is monitored by staff, Headteacher and Governors. Our open door policy means that you are always welcome and talk to us. We hold weekly celebration assemblies, on a Friday morning. Each child with SEND has their own learning targets that they are working towards and these are discussed at half termly review meetings.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

• We actively encourage you to be involved in your child’s learning.
• Your child’s teacher will help you to help your child.
• Our SENCos will give you ideas to use at home.
• Other professionals who have been involved in your child’s learning, such as our Educational Psychologist or Speech & Language Therapist, may give you some strategies to try.
• During the school year, we will run some sessions for parents – please do join in!

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?

We are a very nurturing school community and care for all our children – and adults too! We have an open door policy and will try our very best to deal with any concerns or issues your child is facing as soon as we possibly can.

 

The emotional wellbeing of your child is extremely important to us and our wellbeing team led by Ms Kathy Earp is available to provide help and support for both you and your child.

 

Medicines can be administered in school, with signed parental permission. There are nominated first aiders in school and several members of staff have paediatric first aid qualifications. If your child has significant medical needs, please speak to us, so that we can talk about how best we can support you and your child. This might include liaising with our School Nurse, Michelle Baker to write a Health Care Plan.

 

Our class teachers have responsibility for the overall well-being of every child in their class. If you have any concerns, please speak to your child’s class teacher first. If you need further help, your child’s class teacher will talk with you, with our SENCos, Miss Lawson and Mrs Gettins.

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

Activities and school trips are offered to all the children in school. A risk assessment will be carried out and procedures put in place to make sure that all the children can participate.

Staff will help your child if they need support at break and lunch times.

We have a wide range of after school clubs, which we encourage all children to take part in.

Details are available from the school office.

 

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

• We hold an open day for Reception class in Autumn term 1 and a stay and play session for Nursery where you come and look around our nursery setting and school.
• Induction and transition days are held in the Summer term  for all the children who are coming into Reception in September.
• Nursery Staff hold regular Welcome Meetings for children & their parents, who are new to nursery.
• We work closely with all settings, to ensure a smooth transfer. This may include holding multi-agency meetings.
• Previous schools will be contacted, in order to share information.
• Transition to a new class is facilitated during sessions in the Summer Term, with your child’s new teacher, support staff and in their new classroom.
• Transition sessions for our Year 6 pupils are held during the Summer Term, or earlier if necessary.
• Prior to transition, we will invite staff from the new school to meet with us, and yourselves, to discuss your child’s specific needs.
• Pupils are involved in transition, at a level appropriate to their age and their individual needs.

 

 

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

The Special Educational Needs Budget is managed by the Head Teacher, working with our SENCos, SEND Governor and School Business Manager.