SEND

SEND Newsletter

Newsletter for parents and carers of, and professionals working with, children and young people with SEND.

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities/getting-help/family-information-network-directory/

SEN Information Report

How does the school know if children need extra help?

At Carr Head Primary School, children are identified as having SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) through a variety of ways, usually a combination, which may include some of the following:

  • Liaison with previous school or pre-school setting
  • Child performing significantly below ‘age-related expectations’ or equivalent (e.g. percentile rankings)
  • Concerns raised by a parent
  • Concerns raised by a teacher: for example, if behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance
  • Liaison with external agencies e.g. for a physical/ sensory issue, speech and language
  • Use of tools for standardised assessment such as the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), class assessments based on national expectations.
  • Children with a EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) already have many of their needs clearly identified. Their placement at our school is a decision that is made by the Local Education Authority.
How do I raise concerns if I need to?

Talk to us – contact your child’s class teacher about your concerns initially. If you feel that you would like to speak to a senior member of staff, ask to arrange an appointment with the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator: Mrs Sharon Nicholson). Appointments can be arranged in person, by phone or by email. Please see contact details on the school website or at the end of this report.

How will the school support my child?
  • The SEND Code or Practice describes how help for children with SEND should be made by a step-by-step or graduated approach. Teachers will choose the most appropriate way to help each child learn from a range of activities within the classroom, or by differentiating the curriculum. Support can also be offered in the form of group work or interventions with teaching assistants. Parents will be made fully aware and engaged in the planning of support and interventions and, where appropriate, be asked to contribute or reinforce progress at home.
Who will oversee, plan and work with my child and how often?
  • The class teacher will plan, oversee and work with each child with SEND in their class to ensure that appropriate progress is made in every area.
  • The SENDco oversees the progress of any child identified as having SEND and will liaise with a range of external agencies such as Speech Therapists and Specialist Teachers who can give more specialised advice and support. The class teacher will then choose the best way to implement the support and advice within the classroom.   
  • There may be an LSA (Learning Support Assistant) or HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) working with your child either individually or as part of a group. The content of this support will be explained to parents when support begins, as part of a child’s bespoke programme of learning and is reviewed and updated during termly ILP meetings.

 

Who will explain this to me?
  • The class teacher will meet with you formally at least once a term (this could be part of learning conversation meetings or separately) in order to discuss your child’s progress and the support that they are receiving.  Mrs Nicholson may also attend meetings either by request or as part of her monitoring role.
  • Class teachers are always happy to discuss your child’s needs if you have questions or concerns between more formal meetings. Please speak to them directly to arrange this.
  • An appointment can be made with the SENDco to discuss support in more detail if required. 
  • ILPs (Individual Learning Plans) will be shared with you and your child (age appropriate).
What support will there be for my child’s overall well being?

WHAT IS THE PASTORAL, MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOL?

  • We are an inclusive school that holds a child’s emotional development as a priority. Developing a young person’s emotional well being is key to developing a positive attitude to academic learning as well as developing the skills to manage a variety of social challenges confidently.
  • The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their class.
  • Any additional staff working with vulnerable children requiring support during the school day will work under the direction of the SENDco/Pastoral Manager /class teacher and SLT.  
  • Our Pastoral Manager works with designated children, providing emotional support whilst allowing children to talk and explore their problems or concerns safely.

 

How does the school manage the administration of medicines?
  • Parents need to contact the school office if the prescribed medication is recommended by healthcare professionals and needs to be taken during the school day. Any medication must be given to the school in the packaging that it was dispensed in by the pharmacy, with the child’s name and administration information clearly shown. A form must also be completed by the parent on the school APP and medicines handed into and collected from the school office
  • On a day-to-day basis, a member of the Senior Leadership Team will oversee the administration of any medicines. Another member of staff will always witness any administration
  • As a staff, we have regular training and updates on conditions and medication affecting individual children, so that all staff are able to manage medical situations
  • The vast majority of staff hold first aid qualifications, which are updated regularly.
What support is there for behaviour, avoiding exclusion and increasing attendance?
  • The school has adopted behaviour and exclusion policies and these are available on the school website. If a child has significant behaviour difficulties, an Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP – part of an ILP) to identify the specific issues, put relevant support in place and set targets with a view to identifying and addressing the underlying reasons behind the behaviour. The school works closely with the Lancashire Primary Behaviour team and the school nurse. The school has links to Parent Partnership who can provide ‘home’ support to parents if necessary.
  • The school has an adopted attendance policy. Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis by the school. Lateness and absence are recorded and reported to the Headteacher who may involve the Attendance Team or Children’s Services if this becomes a concern.
  • The school are also able to support families in making contact with other agencies who can provide appropriate support.
How will my child be able to contribute their views?
  • Children who have ILPs discuss their progress and targets when these are reviewed termly (age appropriate), as well as at termly learning conversation meetings
  • If your child has an EHCP, their views will be sought before any review meetings (as is age appropriate). EHCPs are reviewed at least once a year, but a review meeting can be called at any time to discuss progress or seek further support and guidance from external agencies.
  • Children are routinely asked to reflect on their learning and share how they feel they are progressing during the course of their daily learning journey.
  • All children are provided with the opportunity to stand for the School Council, as well as hold other positions of responsibility, by their class or teachers.
How accessible is the school environment?
  • All areas of the school are accessible by wheelchair. A lift is provided next to the short flight of stairs in school and there is one disabled parking bay available in the staff car park.
  • Accessible toilet facilities are available by the main reception.
  • If you have specific access queries or concerns please speak with us.
How will the curriculum be differentiated based on my child's needs?
  • All learning activities within class are planned and differentiated to an appropriate level, so that all children are able to access learning according to their specific needs. Typically, this might mean that in a lesson there would be differentiation in terms of resourcing, support, or in the teaching and learning strategies used, e.g. questioning or scaffolding, so that children can meet the lesson’s learning objective. When necessary, the lesson’s success criteria might be individually differentiated according to individual targets. We take a ‘learning without limits’ approach and so encourage children to push themselves and challenge themselves to aim beyond their comfort zone. This may include different levels of challenge which the child may access so that they can work at an appropriate level of challenge for them.
  • The class teacher, alongside the SENDco will discuss a child’s needs and what support will be appropriate along with any training or resource needs.
  • Children with SEND will have access to the appropriate resources needed in order to help them to make progress e.g. phonic mats, coloured overlays and individualised resources.
  • The SENDco reports to the Head teacher and Governors regularly to inform them about the progress of children with SEND and how resources are being used. Information provided will never name individual children in order to maintain confidentiality at all times
  • The governor responsible for SEND also meets regularly with the SENDco. They report on their visit to the governors to keep them all informed with school or LA (Local Authority) information
  • The governors agree priorities for spending within the SEN budget, including the Pupil Premium, with the overall aim that all children receive the support that they need in order to make progress. This will include resourcing appropriate equipment and facilities.
How will we know if this has had an impact?
  •  Evidence of learning and teacher assessments will indicate that the child is making progress academically against national/ age expected levels (or equivalents) and that the gap is narrowing between them and their peers
  •  Children’s targets for their ILPs are reviewed during interventions and recorded on ILPs regularly. They are routinely built upon and new targets set as soon as possible.  
  • Through verbal feedback from the child, the parent and teacher we are able to build a wider picture of the child and their personal successes that may not be evident through the school academic tracker.
  • Our aim is to get children off the SEN register – where this happens parents will be informed and the child will continue to be closely monitored to ensure progress is sustained.
What opportunities will there be for me to discuss my child's progress?
    • You are welcome to make an appointment to meet with either the class teacher or SENDco at any time throughout the year and discuss how your child is getting on. We can offer advice and practical ways that you can help to support your child at home
    • Your child may have an ILP that will have individual/group targets. This is discussed with you on at least a termly basis and you are provided with a copy. The conversation will also provide suggestions as to how you can support your child’s learning at home. All parents are offered a termly opportunity to participate in a learning conversation.
    • When the child’s ILP is reviewed, comments are made against each target to show what progress the child has made
    • If your child has complex SEND they may have an EHCP. In such instances, a formal meeting will take place to discuss your child’s progress and a report will be written at least annually. All external agencies working with your child will be invited to the meeting.
How does the school know how well my child is doing?
  • As a school we track and analyse the children’s’ progress in learning against national and age related expectations on a termly basis.  
  • The class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas where they are improving and where further support is needed. As a school, we track children’s’ progress from entry at Year R through to Year 6, using a variety of different methods. Please ask the school if you require any further details.
  • Pupil Progress Meetings are held each term between each class teacher and Senior Leaders. In these meetings, a discussion takes place concerning children who are not making expected progress and possible actions are discussed.
  • Where specific needs are apparent, the school has a range of assessments which can be used to explore a child’s strengths and difficulties in more depth, for example WRAT test to assess Reading, Spelling and Maths. 
  • The Headteacher and SENDco report regularly to the Governing Body. We have a governor who is responsible for SEN, who meets regularly with the SENDco and attends briefing sessions.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?
  • All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful and may discuss this in advance with parents. It might be appropriate for a parent/carer to accompany a child on a school trip, depending upon the child’s individual needs
  • A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure everyone’s health & safety will not be compromised. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities that will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided within the school environment, wherever possible.
  • A variety of after-school clubs are provided during lunchtimes and after school. We aim for these to be as inclusive as possible and may provide additional staff or sessions in order to achieve this. Some children find the lunchtime period challenging. Depending on their needs, it might not be appropriate for them to eat in the dining hall with a large number of children or spend long periods of time outside. Each child’s needs will be considered on an individual basis.
How will the school prepare and support my child when joining the school or transferring to a new school?
  • We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting.
  • We can create ‘social stories’ with/for the children if the transition is likely to prove challenging.
  • For children starting in Reception, the Headteacher holds a meeting for parents in addition to planning a series of visits for children throughout the second half of the Summer Term, in order to help children, parents and staff get to know each other.
  • We liaise closely with the staff when receiving and transferring children to and from different schools, ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.
  • If your child has complex needs, then a Statement or EHCP review will be used as a transition planning meeting to which we will invite staff from both schools.
  • The transition between year groups and key stages within the school will be dealt with as part of our annual programme of transition and handover to the next class teacher.
  • At any point where a child with SEND is preparing to leave our school, we would seek to arrange additional visits for the child in question to support a smooth transition.  Many secondary schools also run programmes specifically tailored to aid transition for the more vulnerable pupils at the end of the primary stage of education.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
  • Our SENDco is a qualified and experienced teacher and a member of our Senior Leadership Team.  She has attended training for teachers who are new to the role of SENDco.  It is a requirement that she achieves a National Award in Special Educational Needs Co-ordination within three years of appointment. 
  • Within the school we have a culture of sharing good practise and expertise.  This enables us to ensure our staff have as much knowledge as possible within the field of supporting children with SEND.
  • The environment is designed to support children with individual needs e.g. visual timetables, individual workstations etc as required.
  • As a school we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to supporting individual children’s’ needs within our school including: GPs, school nurse, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), clinical psychologist, paediatricians, speech and language therapists, occupational and physiotherapists, social workers, educational psychologists and specialist advisory teachers.
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are currently having?
  • We look to ensure that we have a variety of skills among our staff body, in order to enable us to support children in the best possible way.
  • Mrs. Nicholson has recently taken over the SENDco role and has undertaken SENDco training.
  • We have highly skilled teachers and teaching assistants who can deliver personalised curriculums, tailored to the needs of children with identified specific needs.
  • We have two HLTAs who are experienced in supporting children with emotional barriers, low self-esteem, or those who have suffered personal trauma and loss.
  • Rose Ann Cartwright is our Pastoral Lead.  Rose Ann’s role in school is to support staff so that they are better able to support children experiencing emotional difficulties. She works in school on a part-time basis.
  • In addition to this, we also have staff who are skilled in working with children on the ASD spectrum and have received additional training in this area.
Who can I contact for further information?
  • Please speak to the class teacher in the first instance.
  • General information relating to SEND can be found on the school website, including within the SEND policy. This can be found on the policy page of the school website.
  • Further information is available from the SENDco (Mrs Sharon Nicholson) or, in exceptional circumstances, the SEN Governor.
  • The school has a complaints policy, which is available on the policy page of the school website.
Who should I contact if I am considering whether my child should join the school?

Please contact the school office for further information about the school and to arrange a meeting with the Headteacher / SENDco.

Tel: 01253 883558      office@carrhead.lancs.sch.uk

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