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?

• Behaviour Support
• Child & Family Health Service
• Complex Needs Service
• Educational Psychology
• Inclusion support
• Occupational Therapy
• Paediatric disability home support service 
• SEMA
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Early Support
• Every Child a Reader
• Fischer Family Trust and Boosting Reading Potential (reading programmes)
• Language Development – TalkBoost

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

Staff have a wide range of expertise in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. A number of staff have attended awareness training for specific needs e.g. dyslexia and complex needs and we have a number of support staff who have received training for the Fischer Family Trust and Better Reading Partnership one to one reading programmes.

In maths, we have staff who have completed training in First Class@Number and Success@Arithmetic.

Many staff have completed training on providing a communication friendly environment, pre teaching vocabulary strategies for the introduction of new vocabulary and narrative programmes that give the children a structure for their oral and written language. Our very experienced team of support staff also deliver individual programmes provided by speech therapists. We have staff who deliver the TalkBoost programme, used to boost communication skills. We ensure that staff who are delivering phonics sessions are trained in this area.

School staff are also trained and experienced in the delivery of a number of programmes to develop fine and gross motor skills e.g. Write Dance.

Staff are experienced in delivering strategies and programmes provided by the Inclusion Support Service as well as the EALIP and Early Start EALIP programmes for children, often new to the country and at the very early stages of learning English.  

We have two staff who are trained to deliver the Moving On To High School (MOTHS) programme for children who may find the transition difficult. Staff can also run a number of social communication groups and social skills activities.

All staff have basic first aid training, some have completed the First Aid at Work qualification and others the Paediatric First Aid. Where a child has a specific medical condition, staff working with the child have appropriate training e.g. with diabetes. 

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

We carefully track the progress of all children in school against their individual targets and hold pupil progress meetings every term. These involve detailed discussions between each class teacher, the headteacher and the SENCO about the progress and needs of all children. Class teachers use a range of assessment strategies as part of their everyday practice and any concerns raised by parents / carers are also included. At the pupil progress meetings, appropriate support strategies are planned and where concerns are raised, a range of screening tests may be completed by school staff. The school keeps a record of interventions completed on the provision map.

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?

You know your child, and your views are very important, so if you are concerned in anyway about their progress or development, please talk to a member of staff at school. You may find it helpful to speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance. We do have bilingual staff available if you would find this useful. At Sacred Heart, we have an open door policy and if the member of staff you would like to speak to is unavailable, please make an appointment to see them. You can also discuss concerns with members of staff at the beginning and end of the school day.

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

Our staff will support your child in a wide variety of ways depending on their needs. Through the use of a range of assessment tools, staff will ensure that targets and work set is carefully matched to the needs of your child. We have a highly trained and experienced team of teaching assistants, overseen by the class teacher / SENCO.

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

Staff strive to ensure that the content of lessons is differentiated to meet the needs of the children, offering an appropriate level of challenge to children of different abilities. Staff use a range of different strategies and resources including ICT to support the needs of your child. Where more specific support is necessary, an intervention may be planned or advice from outside agencies may be sought. Any strategies and programmes received from these outside agencies will then be used to support your child in school.  

Our classrooms provide a language enriched environment and staff are trained in using supportive strategies including those for learning new vocabulary. Visual resources are used across the school.

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

Staff will use a range of teaching approaches depending on the specific needs and preferred learning styles of the children. We have a wide range of resources available to support these different strategies.

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

Staff use a range of assessment strategies ranging from day to day marking and observations to more formalised tests to determine how your child is getting on. This progress and development is then discussed with senior staff at pupil progress meetings.

There are three parent meetings arranged during the year, however, you are welcome to contact your child’s class teacher at any point during a term for an update on their progress or to discuss any concerns you may have. If you would find it useful to speak to a bilingual member of staff, just ask. You will receive a written report detailing your child’s progress and achievements in February and again in July.  

You will be invited to any SEN support and review meetings that are held about your child.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

We offer a range of parent workshops throughout the year. These include phonics, maths, reading and how to help your child at home. Where appropriate, we are happy to offer one-to one sessions with parents of children who would benefit from specific strategies. If your child is taking part in a specific programme, you may be invited to observe a session in school. All Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 parents are invited to take part in Reading Wednesday once a month, providing you with ideas for sharing books with your child. Where parents raise concerns we may be able to offer support or advice on where support can be accessed.  

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?

Your child’s overall wellbeing is very important to us and we provide a number of opportunities to develop this. We have a daily breakfast club, where your child can have breakfast and take part in activities ranging from arts and crafts to playing on the Nintendo Wii whilst interacting with their peers across the whole primary age range. We have a nurture group at lunchtimes, which is available for children who may be finding this less structured time of day challenging. Personal, social and health education lessons cover a range of topics from friendships and bullying to personal safety awareness. Your child will have regular circle time where issues are discussed and there are worry boxes in each classroom. Your child can approach any member of staff with a concern or issue they wish to discuss.

We are part of a cluster of schools who form Blackburn Children’s University. This aims to raise aspirations and reach out to communities so that higher education will become a more obvious route for young people. There are a wide range of exciting opportunities for your child including a variety of lunchtime and after school activities ranging from cookery to sports. There are also holiday and weekend activities, including trips where your child will be able to mix with children from the other cluster schools. The children can collect hours and be rewarded for their commitment with certificates and the opportunity to graduate.

Our children have many opportunities to take on positions of responsibility, for example, we have an active school council, with representatives from each class and prefects. 

We have regular contact with the Education Welfare Service and the Child and Family Health Service. We are able to make referrals to the Child and Family Support Panel if this is appropriate.

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

We are part of a cluster of schools who form Blackburn Children’s University. This aims to raise aspirations and reach out to communities so that higher education will become a more obvious route for young people. There are a wide range of exciting opportunities for your child including a variety of lunchtime and after school activities ranging from cookery to sports. There are also holiday and weekend activities, including trips where your child will be able to mix with children from the other cluster schools. The children can collect hours and be rewarded for their commitment with certificates and the opportunity to graduate.

All classes at Sacred Heart participate in school trips, in the past year these have included visits to The Houses of Parliament, Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, Blackpool Zoo, Ribchester Roman Museum, Wellybobs Farm and Blackbuurn Museum, along with regular visits to Corporation Park. Year 6 take part in a residential visit to Winmarleigh Hall during the autumn term. We also have strong links with Blackburn Rovers Football Club. During the past year we have also welcomed a number of visitors to school; these have included an author, a storyteller and an artist.

We have a specialist PE teacher who works in school for one day a week.

We will make you aware of any information we receive regarding activities that may benefit you and/or your child.

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

Before your child enters our Reception class, our staff will liaise closely with you and the pre-school setting they attend, if any. Your child will take part in a number of visits to school during the Summer Term. Our staff will visit you at home and also any pre-school setting attended by your child. If appropriate, they will also liaise with the Child and Family Health Service to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

As your child moves through our school, class teachers will discuss your child’s needs before they move to their new class. If your child has one-to-one support, this support may move to the new class with them.

We have close links with local high schools which enables us to ensure that your child has a smooth transition from Year 6 to Year 7. During the summer term, your child’s Year 6 teacher will discuss their needs with a member of staff from the high school. In addition to this, our SENCO will liaise closely with the SENCO at the high school. If appropriate we can arrange for your child to have extra visits to familiarise themselves with their new school. Within school, we also have members of staff who run Moving On To High School (MOTHS) groups. These deal with some of the worries and questions your child may have about their transition to high school.

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

Children who have special educational needs may be supported in a number of ways depending on their individual circumstances. Resources, including additional adult support, specific resources or teaching programmes, within school are allocated according to the needs of individual children or groups of children. This is done through discussions at pupil progress meetings and at Senior Leadership level. The SENCO and classroom based staff liaise closely to ensure that the children have access to the most suitable resources for their needs. Advice from outside agencies is sought if necessary. If new resources are needed they can be purchased through the Special Needs budget allocated in April each year.

If we feel that your child’s needs would be better met with additional funding, we again seek advice from outside agencies and can apply to a panel at the Local Authority who will decide whether this is the case. Any additional funding allocated through this process will be spent on resources and support to meet the needs of your child. If you have any questions about this process, please contact school.