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 have access to and work in partnership with:

Blackburn with Darwen SEND Support Team who have a range of professionals who can give advice and support on a number of areas including Physical Disabilities, Autism, Inclusion and SEMH:

• Educational Psychologist who may give advice or undertake more specialised assessments
• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• ASD team - The team can support children that have a Autistic diagnosis or those with Autistic traits.
• Children's counselling service 
• Physical development - The team can support children that may have a physical impairment/need.
• Speech & Language Therapy Team who can advise upon whether a child would benefit from an assessment and can advise on programmes of support for speech and language development
• School Nurse who can advise and assess medical needs and support the development of a health care plan
• Well-being team - We partner with a company called Well-being Warriors who focus on the well-being and personal development of children.

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:

• 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. Stoma bags, Epi-Pens
• Autism Training
• PIVATs
• Talk Boost
• Project X
• Write Dance - Gross Motor
• Clever Fingers - Fine Motor
• ELKLAN - Speech and Language 
• ELSA - Emotion literacy support
• Attachment disorder training

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

At. St. Paul's school we feel it is important to identify pupils with SEND as early as possible and to act upon this to support children to make the best progress possible.

We know if a pupil needs help if ...

• Concerns are raised by a teacher or parent
• Limited progress is being made
• Attainment is significantly below those expected for a child of a similar age
• There is a change in a child's behaviour

When children enter school in EYFS every child's Speech and Language skills/development is assessed by an independent Speech and Language therapist. This allows us to identify children's needs as early as possible. During the year children are assessed using a range of assessments. Such as;

• PIVATS
• British Picture Vocabulary Scale
• LUCID assessment
• Whiterose assessments 
• Physical development and occupational assessmets
• GL Group Reading Test
• YARC Reading test

At specific points during your child's education they will take part in statutory assessments as well as specific screening programmes.

These can also be used to help identify an additional need.

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 have any concerns about your child's progress at school you are urged to discuss this with your child's class teacher.

Following this you may also need to meet with the SENCo to discuss support options. The SENCO and Headteacher are always available at parents evenings.

If your child is identified as having SEND, they will be placed on the school's SEND record and a Pupil Support Plan (PSP) will be developed to support your child. 

If your child needs a statutory assessment from the Local Authority, all the relevant paperwork from all professionals working with your child would be submitted by the school after meeting with parents.  

It would be for the Local Authority to decide if  an Educational, Health Care Plan is issued.

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

At St. Paul's we are committed to giving our children every opportunity to reach their potential.

We do this by

• first quality teaching to meet the needs or all learners
• offering an engaging curriculum that is differentiated by class teachers to meet the specific needs of children in their class
• 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
• Children will be part of a plan do assess review cycle

Children with SEND may be given a Personal Support Plan (PSP). This will outline objectives for your child and should identify any additional support your child may receive in school.

All of the above would be discussed between the teacher, child and parent/carer.

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

Our teachers differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of individual children within the class.

For all children with Special Educational Needs, the class teacher will make special, additional arrangements in the class:

• This may involve a special programme of work, modified tasks, different seating arrangements or extra adult support
• Some children may work in a small group for Literacy or Numeracy
• Some children with SEND may be supported 1:1 by an adult
• We act on the advice or support programmes provided by BwD specialists and external agencies to support children with SEND

For most children, the class teacher and SENCo will make more detailed arrangements for a programme of support, including a Pupil Support Plan (PSP) which will be written by the class teacher.

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

Quality teaching is at the heart of learning for all children at our school.

This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children, with a curriculum that is differentiated and matched to learning needs. 

Our classes are supported by Teaching Assistants and children are also offered additional one to one tuition, small group work or catch up programmes where needed, to help them achieve their targets.

The progress and attainment of all pupils is reviewed every term by the School Leadership Team at which time provision may be adjusted to meet identified needs.

All Intervention is monitored and reviewed to ensure progress is being made.

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

At St. Paul's the progress of all pupils is carefully tracked and monitored on a regular basis.

• Your child's progress will be discussed at two Parents Evenings.
• Reports are sent out yearly detailing your child's progress, as well as their overall attitude to learning.
• The reports also include an overview your child's attainment compared to national expectations.
• Children with SEND have their own objectives and progress towards the PSP objectives are discussed with parents.
• The SENco holds drop in sessions throughout the year

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 make an appointment to speak to the class teacher or SENCo about the support they are recieving
• Class teachers send a summary copy of the topics home at the beginning of each half term
• A topic grid is sent home so that parents and carers can support their child at home
• Our school holds information sessions for parents on approaches to phonics, reading and the key stage SATS assessments.
• The SEND area of the website contains information and activities to support your child at home. This is updated regularly. 

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 well-being of all children is central to our mission statement.

St Paul's school is a nurturing community with a strong Christian ethos.

All children are taught about bullying, friendships and staying safe through a combination of age-appropriate PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) lessons, daily whole-school worship and an annual visit from the Life Education Van

Should you have any concerns about your child then we would encourage you to speak to their class teacher so that any issues or concerns can be addressed.

All children are encouraged to tell someone if they feel there are any issues, not just impacting on them but on their peers.

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 visits are available to all children:

• All educational visits are risk assessed and measures are put in place to ensure that all children can participate.
• Every year we take our Year 6 pupils on an adventure experience to Robinwood.
• There is a wide range of after school and lunch time clubs on offer throughout the year for all pupils in school.
• Each term, there are educational activates that happen in school which link to the children's learning. This could be, African drumming, Chinese dance workshops or Black History month drama workshops. These are all tailored to meet the needs of every child.
• There are a wide range of after school clubs including, arts & crafts, football, netball, dodgeball, boccia (SEND) and more. These clubs change termly.
• School also provides a before and after school club, 'Go Beyond'. The club provides the children a range of activities delivered by trained staff as well as a qualified sports coach.

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

We have close links with local nursery providers and our staff visit nursery settings prior to children starting in our Reception class so that we can prepare for any specific needs a child may have.

Children are invited to induction visits in the summer term. There are a number of induction/information meetings for Reception parents before the children start and early in the Autumn term.

For children moving between year groups and key stages we have a 'moving up' day in the summer term.

We have good working relationships with the local high schools and all  of the children have the opportunity to visit the schools in the summer term.

We ensure that any social, emotional and academic needs are discussed with the high schools before the children leave Y6.

The SENCo from the high school is invited to SEN review meetings in a child's transition year.

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

Resources are allocated based on pupil's needs and within the boundaries of funding and equity:

• For SEND pupils, schools receive an amount of funding per pupil.
• Additionally, High Needs funding for pupils with an Education Health Care Plan is available for certain pupils.
• Individual Pupil Premium payments are used to support that pupil's learning.
• There is a school SEND budget which is allocated each financial year to help support children with SEND.