Home

SEND Information Report

A guide to how we identify, plan for, support and nurture children with SENDs at Co-op Academy Friarswood

SENDCo: Mrs Jennifer Dickens

Our school currently provides additional and / or different provision for a range of needs, including:

Speech and Language Difficulties
Communication and Interaction Difficulties
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Specific Literacy Difficulties
Moderate Learning Difficulties

We have a team of 7 part time teaching assistants, which include 3 higher level teaching assistants (HLTA) who are trained to deliver SEND provision.

Identification and Assessment of Needs

What are Special Educational Needs and / or Disability?

A pupil has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them that is additional to, or different from, that generally made for other children the same age.

What should I do if I think my child has SEN or disability?

~ Speak to the class teacher

~ Refer to SENDCo if there are still concerns

3 How will you know if my child needs extra help?

~ Pupil asks for help
~ Concerns are raised by class teachers.
~ Concerns are raised by parents.
~ Lack of progress is made by the pupil over time despite targeted intervention.
~ Low attainment levels
~ Social needs
~ Language needs.

4 How will I know how my child is doing?

~ Parent Evenings
~ You can request a meeting / chat on the phone with the class teacher / SENDCo
Termly Progress Reports are sent home.
~ Children with SEND will have an Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) with specific
targets to work on at home and in school. These are shared with parents and pupils.
~ Review meetings with teachers termly and SENDCo annually (or as required)
~ Children with EHCP have termly review meetings with class teachers too and an
Annual Review each year.

5 How will you let me know about my child’s support?

~ We record support given to achieve specific targets on the Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
~ If you have any further questions please ask the class teacher or contact the
SENDCo.

Effectiveness of SEND Provision

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND?

Review pupils’ progress towards their APDR targets at least once termly and sooner if needed.
Review the impact of interventions after 6 weeks.
Monitoring by the SENDCo which includes looking at books and observing in class..
Annual Review meetings for children with EHCPs.

At Co-op Academy Friarswood we strongly believe in inclusion and work hard as a staff team to ensure we identify pupils’ needs and adapt our teaching, equipment or support needed to enable all pupils to take part in all aspects of school life.

Do we enable pupils with SEND to engage in activities available to those in school who do not have SEND?

All of our extra-curricular activities / after school clubs are available to all pupils.
Small and Tall Breakfast / after school club) is available to all pupils.
All pupils are encouraged to go on school visits and TAs go to support as they would in school.
All pupils are encouraged to go on our residential trip to Standon Bowers in Year 6.
Risk assessments are completed and take into account any adaptations required to enable all pupils to take part in visits.
All pupils’ are encouraged to participate in sports day.
All pupils’ are given parts in the school plays, within their own comfort zone.

No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability. We understand that every child is unique and we discuss each element of school life for pupils with SEN or a disability with parents / pupils themselves as required. We are very flexible and creative in our approach and we have a range of equipment and expertise to support learning / activities.

Examples of reasonable adjustments made across school to remove barriers to learning

Visual timetables, writing slopes, pencil grips, word mats and cards, recording devices, tablets, coloured paper, coloured overlays, classroom computers, quiet areas in each classroom for calm time, prompt cards, timers, games and more to facilitate learning and make it fun and exciting.

Support for improving social and emotional development

What support do we offer to improve social and emotional development for pupils with SEND?

Pupils with SEND are encouraged to take part in after school clubs e.g. sports clubs / lego club to promote teamwork, friendships and turn taking.
We set up playground buddies if children need help to join in / learn new games.
Pupils with SEND are encouraged to be part of the school council

We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying.

Working with other agencies

At Co-op Academy Friarswood we work with a range of outside agencies to ensure we are providing the best support possible for all of our pupils and families.

Which outside agencies do we work with?	Educational Psychology Service Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS) Autism Outreach Team (AOT) Speech and Language Therapists Pediatricians School Nurse Hub Local Support Team CAMHS
When would we refer a pupil to an outside agency?	In most cases we follow a graduated response to involving outside agencies as follows. Concern is raised by class teacher / parent Class teacher informs SENDCo SENDCo observes child and meets parent and class teacher to discuss pupil’s needs If appropriate an APDR is written with specific targets relevant to the pupil. 2 cycles of targets are completed and progress monitored. Have interventions / strategies worked? If not, we would then refer to an appropriate outside agency to request further advice and support with parental consent.
How do you decide which agency to work with my child?	In the Code of Practice 2014 needs are split into the following 4 categories: Cognition and Learning Communication and Interaction Social emotional mental health difficulties Sensory and / or physical needs If your child has needs in more than one area multiple agencies may become involved to best support you and your child.
How will I know what has happened if an outside agency works with my child in school?	Usually parents are invited in at the start or end of an assessment by an outside agency to provide their perspective from home and / or discuss findings. If a parent is not able to attend class teacher / SENDCo will feedback.

Consulting and involving pupils and parents

We will arrange a meeting with parents and pupil when identifying whether they need special educational provision to ensure that:

Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty.
We take into account parental views / concerns
We agree outcomes we seek for the pupil
Everyone knows the next steps in order to support the pupil at home and in school.
We will notify parents formally by sharing a copy of APDR targets if their child will receive SEN support.

Assessing and reviewing pupils’ progress

We will follow a graduated approach and the four part cycle of assess, plan, do, review and this is recorded clearly and shared with parents at least termly and more if changes occur.

How is my child assessed and targets set?

The class teacher will work with the SENDCo to analyse the pupils’ needs. This will draw on:

Teacher assessment / experience of the pupil
Pupils’ previous progress and attainment
Further teacher assessments if required
A comparison of individual’s development to their peers and national data
Views and experience of parents
The pupil’s own views
Possibly advice from external support agencies, if relevant.

How does school ensure support is effective?

Assessment will be reviewed regularly
All staff who work with your child will be made aware of targets set and outcomes sought.
Effective strategies will be shared
Impact of support will be monitored by reviewing targets regularly.
If targets need to continue we usually alter them as they may be too big and need breaking down more.

How often should targets be reviewed?

Targets are set and reviewed a minimum of 3 x a year (once a term). If they are achieved sooner new targets are set and shared with parents.

Supporting Transitions

How is my child supported when moving to a new class?

All teachers meet with the previous teacher to hand over important information and highlight specific requirements / successful strategies of pupils.
For children with SEND an additional meeting is arranged with the SENDCo present in the summer term along with the current and new teacher to ensure targets are reviewed and new ones set ready for the new academic year.
We also arrange extra visits to the new classroom / teacher if parents and pupil feel this would be beneficial.

How am I supported to select the right secondary school for my child?

How am I supported if I feel my child needs to move to specialist provision?

We can help you to arrange visits to any local secondary schools.
SENDCo can accompany you on visits to new schools if you wish.
For children with an EHCP secondary school preferences are stated in the Year 5 annual review meeting and you can arrange visits prior to this.
For specialist provision we would support you in exactly the same way.

How is transition to a new school supported for my child?

We have a good relationship with all local secondary / specialist schools and we arrange:

A meeting with parents and a representative from the new school is arranged to discuss and map out appropriate transition plans for each individual to ensure their needs are met. This plan often includes:
Short visit with a TA to accompany them
Longer visit with a TA
Short visit alone
Longer visit alone and more if needed.

Our approach to teaching pupils with SEND

We believe in an inclusive and creative approach to teaching pupils with SEND. We always start from the child to identify their personal next steps and carefully consider how to best support them.

Who is responsible for planning for my child?	Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress of all pupils in their class. If they require support to adapt learning they can seek advice from the SENDCo.
What strategies are used to support children with SEND?	High quality teaching is always our first step in responding to pupils with SEND. We differentiate work for individual pupils as required. We plan work specifically linked to APDR targets to ensure progress based on their most relevant and important next steps. Children have support from adults to facilitate learning and promote independence. We also provide a range of interventions including: Time to Talk with Ginger Bear (KS1) Precision Teaching Read Write Inc at an appropriate level Comprehension Ninja
What adaptations are made to the curriculum and environment?	We differentiate our curriculum to ensure all pupils can access it at an appropriate level. (By grouping, teaching style, support or outcome) Adapting our resources and staffing Using recommended learning aids e.g. laptops, visual timetables, coloured paper etc. We differentiate our teaching too, using preview to introduce key vocabulary and concepts prior to a lesson, giving longer times to process instructions, reading instructions aloud, using I can cards to increase independence etc. Clearly labeled resources with photos.
How do we support children with an EHCP?	We ask the children about their interests and plan creatively to link their interests to their specific targets from their EHCP. We plan for and support access to the class based topic and work as much as possible too to promote inclusion. This holistic approach, which values the children’s interests often increases engagement and results in more progress.

Additional support for learning

We have 7 teaching assistants who are trained to deliver interventions such as those listed above.

Teaching assistants will support pupils on a 1:1 basis

when it is specifically stated in an EHCP
if a child has a profound need and is awaiting an EHCP
when a child has an exceptional short term need e.g a change in home circumstance or a medical need
A child is working at a different level from the rest of their peers.
If a child requires specific speech and language support

Teaching assistants will support children in a small group when

there is a group who have similar academic needs
interventions are based on social skills as they need to interact with others.
several children require speech and language support including speaking to others.

We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEND:

Speech and language therapists
SENSS Consultant
Educational Psychologist
Autism Outreach Team
CAMHS

Expertise and Training of Staff

Our SENDCo (Mrs Dickens) is training under the supervision of the Trust Director for SENDs (Mrs Jones). Mrs Jones has a wealth of SENDs knowledge and supports the staff on a 1:1 basis as well as whole staff support. Mrs Dickens has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with primary school aged children including early years and working alongside SENDCos and other agencies.

Teachers and TA’s receive SEND support and training as required each year to meet the needs of their class.

Advice

Where can I find advice to help me to support my child?

Support Services for

Contact SENDIASS – Staffordshire Family Partnership

https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/information-advice-and-support-services-network/find-your-local-ias-service/west-midlands/staffordshire

Staffordshire Local Offer

https://www.staffordshireconnects.info/kb5/staffordshire/directory/home.page

Council for Disabled Children http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/

Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA) http://www.ipsea.org.uk/

British Dyslexia Association (BDA) http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

National Autistic Society (NAS)

http://www.autism.org.uk/

This is not an exhaustive list; other sources are available.