St Francis Church of England Primary School

Local Offer

St Francis C.E. (Voluntary Aided) School offers a primary education to children aged 4 - 11. It is provided by its Church Trustees, managed by its Governing Body and maintained by Blackburn Diocese and Blackburn with Darwen LA. It is situated at the end of Cherry Tree Lane just off Preston Old Road in Cherry Tree. St Francis is a one form entry school with seven classes.  Your child will be taught alongside other children of his/her own age group.  We do not need to mix age groups which gives a distinct advantage to curriculum organisation where it is essential to give every consideration to the individual needs of our children.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Mr J Kewley
Contact Position
Deputy Headteacher and SENCo
Telephone
01254 201419 01254 201419
E-mail
office@stfrancis.blackburn.sch.uk
Website
www.stfranciscep.co.uk
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Where to go

Name
St Francis CE Primary School
Address
Cherry Tree Lane
Cherry Tree
Blackburn
Postcode

BB2 5NX

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Local Offer

Description

St Francis is a one form entry primary school which is all on one level. There is disabled access to the school through the main school entrance. All teaching and learning spaces are on the same level and there are no internal stairs or raised platforms to negotiate once inside the building. The school has its own car park which contains a disabled parking bay and additional spaces can be provided in consultation with the Headteacher.

The School has a current Disability Access Plan which has been in place since 2006 and is constantly being improved and amended according to needs of families and pupils. There are designated changing and toileting facilities which include access to a sick bay and shower. Additional adaptions for pupil use are fitted into the classroom toilet areas as and when needed through liaison with the Occupational Therapy Service for Blackburn with Darwen.

Contact Name
Mrs S Thomas (Headteacher) Mr J Kewley (SENCO)
Contact Telephone
01254 201419
Contact Email
office@stfrancis.blackburn.sch.uk
Local Offer Age Bands
5-11 years

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 are able to request involvement from external professionals to support children with SEND.  This may be from:

* NHS Speech and Language

* NHS Occupational Therapy

* Blackburn with Darwen SEND Support Service

* Educational Psychology

* ELCAS (equivalent to CAMHS - supporting Mental Health)

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

Our SENCo recently worked for the Blackburn with Darwen Advisory Service.  The SENCA is trained in a variety of different in-house assessments and also is familiar with many intervention programmes. All staff are trained in the delivery of interventions such as Read Write Inc and Numicon. School also has a number of different specialist support / teaching assistants who lead various programmes in school to support the following areas: physical development, social and emotional behaviour, visual impairment and speech & language needs.

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

Support starts with differentiation strategies and resources in the classroom, followed by guided support from the teaching assistants and teachers. If progress is not being made, further investigations are carried out in consultation with parents, who are requested to complete a parental questionnaire and checklists. The SENCo and SENCA then carry out more detailed assessments and screenings, the results of which are shared with pupils (age appropriate), parents and Inclusion Support Professionals if consent has been received. Following these initial screenings and assessments strategies, programmes are put into place to support particular needs both inside the classroom and through targeted intervention groups. For those pupils whose needs cannot be met this way an individual SEND support plan (formerly IEP) incorporating targets is put into place. This again is generated and shared with the pupil, parents and all staff involved in the child’s learning.

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 think your child may have a special educational need then please discuss this with your child's teacher or the SENCo.

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

All children will be supported by 'quality first' teaching across the curriculum. Your child may take part in time limited small group intervention work either in or outside of the classroom. Targets on an SEN Suport plan may be generated for individual children.

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

All staff differentiate the curriculum according to the individual needs of the children in their class.

Children who have an IPRA (Individual Pupil Resourcing Agreement) or an EHC (Education and Health Care) Plan may have a support worker who may plan and differentiate the curriculum further to match the needs of individual children. 

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

Staff are trained in using a variety of teaching approaches.  Teachers use their professional judgement as to when a different approach is needed.  This is different for individual children.  It is recognised that learning needs to be engaging and that for some children they require more active involvement where as other children may requre a more visual based approach to their learning.

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

If a class teacher identifies a possible special educational need then the SENCo will request permission from parents to complete assessments in school.  These assessments will be shared with the teacher and the parent.  If the assessments highlight a specific need then an SEN plan will be created and work to support that need started.  School will monitor the child's attainment level and their progress.  Parents can also speak with the class teacher as to how their child is doing.

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.  School can advise parents on activities that they may be able to complete with their child at home or suggest websites that may be useful to them. The school's website offers a place where parents can keep up to date on what is happening in school.  Parents can  be sign posted to any services, courses or events which are relevant to them or their child.

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's core Christian values support the wellbeing of all children through the ethos of the school and daily acts of collective worship. Personal, Social, Health Education is of a high importance throughout school and is taught in all year groups. Additionally nurture groups take place to improve children’s social skills and self-esteem. The school has a Designated Senior Person (DSP) to deal with issues to child protection and safe guarding. Our behaviour and bullying policy can be found on our website. Children are encouraged to report any incidents of bullying to school so that they can be dealt with in the correct way.

The views of children with SEND are important and are gathered when reviewing SEN Support plans (at least termly) and also within the annual review. All children with SEND are encouraged to take part in extra-curricular activities.   All reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that children with SEND are able to access all activities safely. All activities within and outside school are covered by risk assessment.  Additional risk assessments are carried out for specific children with advice from appropriate agencies depending on their needs. 

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

The school offers a wide variety of extra-curricular activities such as: sporting, craft and cooking.  As part of the school curriculum, visits and visitors are organised, including a residential for our Year 6 children.

Further information regarding the clubs that school are running can be found on our website. 

 

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

We recognise that tranisition points for children with SEN can be very difficult.

Visits are arranged for our new starters before the September they start.  Resources, such as, a photo book of staff and the environment can be created for individual children.  

If we are aware a child requires a longer transition period then visits to the next classroom or the next school are arranged.

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

Any specific resources and equipment are carefully selected according to the advice available and depending on the needs of the child. School is proactive in securing the services such as SEND Support Service for individual children as required.

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