SEND

Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes.

The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their targets, discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO.

The children have regular meetings with support staff to discuss their progress and support.

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support. Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

• Termly parents/ carers evenings;
• Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;
• An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
• Through a review of a child’s SEN Support Plan or the Annual Review of their Statement of SEN or EHC Plan.

How often do we meet to review progress?

We have regular teacher pupil conferences as part of our marking policy. When documentation for SEN pupils is reviewed the children, where appropriate, will be involved in the reviewing of targets and in the setting of new ones.

A review of your child’s progress will take place once a term; for some children more regular reviews may be needed. The SENCO will arrange the reviews and will invite parents, outside agencies involved with your child, class teachers and where appropriate your child will also be included in the review process. The review will take place in school at a time that is convenient for parents to attend.

The purpose of the review is to evaluate the progress of your child against the targets that have been set. The review process is an opportunity to update information, identify success and set new challenging targets.

For those children who are in receipt of a Education Health Care Plan, an annual review is carried out each year to discuss progress, identify targets and the level of support needed to achieve the targets identified.

Monitoring Progress

We have a whole school system for monitoring progress. At the end of each half term children are assessed against National Expectations. Children’s progress is measured and recorded in an individual portfolio book. This booklet tracks children’s progress throughout their time in our school and serves to illustrate to parents the progress children have made both throughout the year and across key stages.

Targets set in the IEP are reviewed as part of this process and where necessary are updated with parents at review meetings.

We aim to identify children who have any difficulties as soon as possible so that appropriate support can be given from an early age. Full use is made of information passed to the school when a child transfers from early education provision and we use assessments during the Foundation Stage to identify pupils and any difficulties they may have (observations on entry, Foundation Stage Profile, teacher assessment/observation). Other methods used by teachers to identify pupils with SEN are as follows:

• Discussion with parent/carer to see if they have noticed anything/have any concerns
• Ongoing teacher assessment and observation
• Progress against the Early Learning Goals in the Foundation Stage
• Progress against Literacy and Numeracy Objectives
• Performance against National Curriculum level descriptors
• Results from SATs (end of Years 2 and 6) and optional SATs tests in Years 3 to 5 and teacher assessment in Year 1

If it seems that your child may have special educational needs, your child’s class teacher or the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will assess:

• What your child is good at and what they need help with
• What your child would benefit from learning
• How best to help your child learn

Once provision is identified, time is allocated to individuals or groups to best suit their learning style, ability and need.

A special educational need can be a number of different things. For example, your child may be having problems with reading, maths or behaviour, and school can help by putting in extra support and by working in partnership with yourself. It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for a child to use the same educational facilities that the school provides for the majority of children. For some children this may be a temporary difficulty, while others may have a long term need for special help.

Types of special educational needs can include:

• General Learning Difficulties – children whose learning progresses at a slower pace
• Speech and Language Difficulties
• Behavioural Difficulties
• Dyslexia (difficulties with reading, writing and spelling)
• Dyspraxia (problems with motor skills, organisation)
• Dyscalculia (difficulties with number work)
• Autism
• ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Tourettes Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Other Physical/Medical Needs

Children learn and develop in different ways. Teachers recognise this and use different teaching styles, resources and plan different levels of work in the classroom to cater for the various ways children learn. This is called Quality First Teaching and is something schools must provide for all children. However, many children, at some time in their school life, need extra help.

Because of this, schools must:

• Talk to parents/carers if they think their child has a special educational need and let them know what special help the school is giving
• Appoint a member of staff as the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
• Have a written Special Educational Needs policy – a copy should be made available for parents
• Take account of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice. This is advice given to schools by the government which outlines what schools should do to support pupils with SEN and gives recommendations for good practice

Examples of the type of support which may be provided may be as follows, but will depend on the nature of the child’s needs:

• Adaptive teaching allowing pupils to access the curriculum
• Some additional small group support with a teacher or support staff
• Additional resources e.g. word banks, number squares, use of commercial schemes
• Teaching activities to be adapted to the preferred learning style of the child, e.g. a multi-sensory, practical approach or use of visual cues
• Use of ICT to support learning
• Individual behaviour systems/charts
• Adaptation of the Curriculum or classroom
• Interventions to support specific difficulties (i.e. dyslexia, dyspraxia)
• Use of Makaton to support communication skills at all levels

Both teaching and support staff are involved in regular training to support the work they do with children with SEND. This includes having sound knowledge of, for example, dealing with communication difficulties, children on the autistic spectrum and dyslexia.

Support staff have further specialised training for both these and other areas of need within our school.

Specific training to deliver interventions has included:

• Indicative Provision Guidance (identifying level of need)
• Introduction to Speech, Language & Communication (SALT)
• Working with children’s Speech & Language difficulties
• SALT – Classroom Strategies
• Supporting children ADHD
• Supporting children with ASD
• Getting to grips with Grammar
• Supporting reading
• Lexia
• Dyslexia
• Dyslexia Friendly Classrooms
• ICT: Communicate in Print (using symbols)
• Team Teach
• De-escalation strategies
• Listening Matters

The care, guidance and support in our school is excellent and we pride ourselves in knowing every child’s abilities and needs.

Our well trained staff are up-to-date with many aspects of well-being, some having very specialised skills which can support children with complex needs or in vulnerable circumstances.

Children also have access to a Learning Mentor, and families may be supported by the Parent Support Advisor who can work with them in their own homes.

Several members of staff are trained in specific medical procedures for children with identified needs. Almost all staff have some form of First Aid training, from basic to enhanced. Staff are also trained in delivering medicines in school.

Our school is accessible to all of its users:

• The curriculum can be modified for those who require it.
• There are sets of steps but we also have ramps.
• Our rooms have blinds.
• There is a disabled toilet in each building.

Our school offers pastoral and social support for our pupils to improve their social and emotional development and support mental health. Some of the ways we support mental health include:

• Piece of Mind Team for whole class and 1:1 sessions.
• Kindness Cafes where we get families together to support each other as a community.
• Personal Development lessons focusing on Mental Health and well-being.
• Zones of regulation to support children’s emotional well-being.
• Access to calm zones throughout the school including at breaks and lunchtimes.

Useful Websites

• Help with Homework
• Setting Up Visual Schedules
• Twinkl Offer

School closure resources

At Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School we are committed to equality. We aim for every pupil to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or personal circumstances. Our School is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families. We aim to:

• Provide a secure and accessible environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued.
• Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity.
• Provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and disabled people.
• Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting equality and valuing diversity.
• Make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the school.

Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need. All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

• Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
• Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
• Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
• Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
• To work in partnership with parents, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs.
• To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
• To make suitable provision for children with SEN to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
• Ensure that all children with SEN are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
• To promote self worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
• To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
• To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment with Mrs Sweeney SENDCO.

Alternatively email on office@ourladyrosary.org.uk for the attention of Mrs Sweeney.

If you have a complaint, please refer to the schools complaint policy.