SEN Policy

Mission Statement

Westleigh St Paul’s CE Primary School is committed to the provision of a high quality of education for all its pupils, designed to ensure that they can realise their individual potential within a Christian framework.

Our School Values

At St Paul’s we have five core values that we want our children and school family to practise and observe.  These are:

FRIENDSHIP    LOVE      HOPE     TRUST     RESPECT

What does Special Educational Needs mean at St Paul’s?

Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they….

1. Have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age ; or
2. Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority

A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at part a) or part b) (above) or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

The main changes from the SEN Code of Practice (2001) is that the present Code of Practice (2014) covers age ranges 0-25years. There is therefore a greater focus on support that enables those with SEN to succeed in their education and make a successful transition into adulthood.

• Pupils and families to have more of a say as parents know their children best.
• Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) replace the previous system of statements.
• Optional personal budgets for those with an EHCP.
• Family is at the heart of the process.

Research

Figures show nationally 16% (1 in 5) children and young people are identified with                                                  SEN at some stage in their education, around 1.3% having more significant needs.

Identification falls under four main areas.

For example a child may have difficulties (showing a Special Educational Need) in one or more of the following areas

• Communication and interaction (C&I)

This includes children who need help to develop linguistic competence and communication skills, those with speech, language and communication needs, children with autism (ASD) including Asperger’s syndrome. As a school we are aware that their difficulties in communication and interaction may increase the risk of emotional and mental health problems and may relate to slower development in English and other subjects. If we have children with difficulties in this area at St. Paul’s we can refer to Speech and Language therapists and Educational Psychologists for advice and support.

• Cognition and learning (C&L)

Children with these difficulties will learn at a slower pace than other children in their peer group eg. understanding concepts. Their level of concentration would be limited in comparison. Some children will have moderate learning difficulties (MLD) or severe learning difficulties (SLD) which means they will have intellectual or cognitive impairments. The child might have a specific learning difficulty (SPLD) linked generally to one curriculum area. This is usually English or Mathematics.

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

Children may be displaying immature social skills. They could be showing withdrawn or isolated behaviour or displaying the opposite through challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. Some children may have recognised disorders in this field such as attention deficit disorder (ADD) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder. These social, mental and emotional issues could manifest themselves as problems with moods and conduct around school.

(Behavioural difficulties do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has a SEN and should not automatically lead to a pupil being registered as having SEN. However consistent disruptive behaviours can be an indication of unmet SEN or that other outside factors such as domestic circumstances may be contributing to the presenting behaviour.) Taken from Guidance for Special Educational Needs.

• Sensory or physical needs (S&P)

This is when children may need minor adaptations to the curriculum/environment due to impairments regarding hearing (HI), vision (VI) and multi-sensory impairments (MSI) meaning that the child has a combination of hearing & visual impairment.  Some children may have physical disabilities (PD) and may need on-going support and equipment to access all opportunities at school.

*Children should not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language in their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

What are the fundamental principles?

• A child with special educational needs should have their needs met.
• Their needs will normally be met in mainstream schools/settings
• The views of the child should be sought and taken into account.
• Parents have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education
• Children with SENs should be offered full access to the curriculum either National or Foundation Stage.

What are the aims behind St Paul’s provision for SENDs pupils?

• To identify and assess individual pupils’ needs as early as possible.
• To match the provision of the curriculum to the needs of individual pupils.
• To structure teaching groups in order to match as closely as possible the needs of the pupils with SEND.
• To ensure all pupils experience a broad balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum.
• To integrate these pupils fully into the life of St Paul’s.
• To ensure all staff are aware of the pupils needs within school.
• To always consult with the appropriate outside agencies in the best interest of the pupil with consent from the parent/Carer.
• To fully involve parents/carers in the process and share relevant information.

• To ensure an appropriate learning programme is drawn up at least three times per year (IEP at least 1 per term)
• To access staff training with regards to SEND provision either within the local authority or outside providers.
• To monitor progress and aim for realistic and achievable goals.

Procedures at St Paul’s

The SEND co-ordinator Mrs D Hill is responsible for co-ordinating the provision for pupils with special needs supported by Mrs L Halliwell. A governor is elected by the Governing Body to take responsibility for SEN. This person is presently Mrs O Harvey. Information on pupils is available to all members of staff who need access to IEPs both in school and those agencies who we liaise with.  Wherever necessary Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are drawn up by all those staff involved with the pupils. This policy works in conjunction with our Assessment, Recording and Reporting policy which helps staff in identifying pupils who are not achieving may be due to having a difficulty.

The role of the Governing Body

They are fully involved in developing and monitoring and overseeing the school’s SEN policy and implementation.  All governors, especially the SEN Governor is given information about the school’s SENs provision, including how funding, equipment and personnel resources are deployed.  SEN provision is an integral part of the school development plan and that the quality of SEN provision is continually monitored. The SEND co-ordinator meets with the SEND governor to present a report about the present day situation. This governor then presents the findings to the governing body annually. Our SEND governor accesses training through Governor Services to keep abreast of current practices.

  Admission Arrangements

The admissions procedure is laid out in the Admission Policy.

• Please note, any child with a Special Educational Needs Statement (new EHCP) which names St Paul’s as the requested school for admission will be given priority.

Access Facilities for pupils with SEN

St. Paul’s is an old Victorian building all on one level. Junior and infant departments are connected by a sloped corridor.

Access into the building via the front is by a fixed ramp. If access was needed at either of the back two entrances this would be via a portable ramp.

School has one disabled toilet located near reception at the front of school.

Where possible we would make every effort to accommodate all children, regardless of need by adjusting as necessary, the equipment, the curriculum and the building.

We fully support Wigan’s vision for Enhancing their life chances, preparing them for adulthood and enabling them to contribute to their community. (Accessibility Strategy for Disabled pupils 2016-2019)

If adjustments are needed for integration we will put a support package into place.  We would seek advice from either a health and safety officer, school nurse, SEND team, IT specialist, or a building consultant.

   Differentiating the curriculum

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best.  When planning lessons based around the National Curriculum, the teacher will take account of this by looking carefully at how to organise their lessons, resources (human and material) and pace to meet the needs of the different learners.  The teacher will then choose suitable ways to help children learn from a range of activities.

If children are making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area, they may be given extra help or a different programme of learning to help them succeed. Teachers at St Paul’s are committed to providing high quality first teaching by running an effective inclusive classroom.

Managing SENs pupils

At St Paul’s we do not have a separate SEND class or unit. The majority of our children with educational difficulties are supported by a teaching assistant, HLTA or teacher who delivers a specific programme to meet their needs in a withdrawal group or on an individual basis. TAs and HLTAs also support groups and individuals within the whole class situation. The new code of practice places more responsibility on the class teacher for accountability for the progress of those pupils with SEND even if they are supported by a specialist teacher.  Sometimes if necessary we buy in specialised teaching provision to support our SENDchildren.

  The Graduated Approach

The SEND Code of Practice (2014 Wigan) recommends that children with SEND are no longer (not statutory) categorised as:

Early Years Action (EYA) /School Action (SA)

Early Years Action Plus/School Action Plus and SA+

SIS funding

* Statement/EHCP– being the highest level of provision still stands. (Children with statements will have been transferred to EHCP gradually over a period of time)

Schools in Wigan may want to adopt their own categorisation system or adopt the ones suggested by Wigan LA

• No additional support (showing no signs of having special educational needs)
• Some additional support/low level of support
• Lots of additional support /high level of support
• Exceptional Support = would equate to an EHCP

NB: At St Paul’s CE we recognise that some children have a medium level of need/support and we have created an additional group for these types of children.  This group are going to be the ones that need to seek outside advice about regarding strategies.

From January 2015 the following groups of SEND will be put into practise:

    Low level of support/need                      stage 1 (S1)    -K

    Medium level of support/need      stage 2 (S2)       -K

    High level of support/need                        stage 3 (S3)     -K                                            This group of children may need a cost provision map*

    Exceptional level of support/need            EHCP (S4)        -E

*Cost Provision indicates the cost of the SEN provision being provided over the year. A cost provision map calculating over £6000 would indicate the possible need for exceptional level of support funding with the addition of an EHCP.

(K and E refers to the Wigan Local Authority code. K referring to having a special need, E referring to having an EHCP -Educational Health Care Plan and N, having no special needs.)

The above levelling system will be based on the model below:

ASSESS     PLAN       DO       REVIEW

The school has an allocated TESS teacher and Educational psychologist (EP) who meet with staff, pupils and parents when needed according to priority.  Two planning meetings are held: one in September and one in January of each school year in order to prioritise needs and services.

Getting help for your child

Your child’s schooling is a very important time for their physical, emotional, intellectual and social development.  If you have any worries of your own, you should ask the school for advice.

Possible things to ask about:

• Does the school think your child is having any difficulties?
• Bring to their attention any issues arising at home that possibly could be connected to a Special Educational Needs for example, poor co-ordination.
• Is my child working at the same level as children of the same age?
• Is my child working to their full potential?
• Does my child need extra help or a specific programme to address their need(s)?
• Do we need to contact external agencies?
• How can I help my child?

Partnership with parents

We welcome help from parents as they hold key information about their child. Our aim is to encourage parents/carers to participate fully in their child’s education. They will be involved from the start in the identification, assessment and subsequent reviews of children with SENDs.  Regular meeting will be held to discuss their child’s progress and to review the effectiveness of the learning programmes in place. We aim to promote a culture of co-operation between parents/carers and school. For more information regarding our SEND offer at St Paul’s refer to our webpage on the school website.

*There is a service within the local authority that can support parents/carers who have children with special educational needs with any worries/questions/advice regarding the EHCP process. This service is known as ‘The Parent Partnership Service’.

Partnership with the Authority

We work closely with the Local Authority and should you require any further information please use the link below.

https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Education/Special-Educational-Needs-and-Disability/Special-Educational-Needs-and-Disabilities.aspx

Individual Educational Plans

At St Paul’s we use Child Friendly IEPs as they help the class teachers and teaching assistants to focus their special needs work and set appropriate targets for pupils. It is a planning document where the child’s immediate learning needs and special arrangements are recorded to suit the individual or small group. At St Paul’s we provide IEPs three times per year for those children who need intervention throughout the school year.  However some children may only need one to address a particular need for a specified time frame.

At St Paul’s our IEPs are:

• Action based
• Share common goals and criteria for success
• Identify the nature, extent and specific areas of the pupil’s learning difficulty.
• Specify the resources needed/learning programmes/frequency/adults involved with that child.
• Set dates for review

Our IEPs are clear working documents and they can be adapted at any time to suit the learner.  The IEPs are sent home each term to share with parents and a copy of the reviewed IEP is also sent home once an IEP has been implemented. All copies of IEPs are kept in school so that we have evidence of our actions over the child’s primary years.

Assessment

Children are reviewed according to the targets on their IEP.  These are assessed by the TA, class teacher and SENDCO.  Assessment usually takes the form of observation, verbal feedback, work evidence, school tracking and tests.  Sometimes school will seek some form of assessment from our TESS Teacher or Educational Psychologist or outside agency such as Speech & Language (SALT).  The children themselves consider their progress and we take into account their views and feelings.  We sometimes feel that it is necessary to work closely with specialist teachers from SEN schools via the Outreach service.  This is achieved via a request application which then goes to a panel.  This service is excellent when tracking pupils using the P levels.  Some children may be working within the P levels due to their ability.  This means that they are below level 1 of the National Curriculum. Other children may be working within the one of the bands below their year group and are still closely monitored on the school’s Target Tracker assessment system.

The role of the SEND co-ordinator

• Every day-to-day operation of the school’s policy.
• Liaise with and advising fellow colleagues.
• Co-ordinate provision for SENs children (timetabling/cost provision mapping).
• Maintain a current SENs list and oversee the records on all pupils with special educational needs.
• Liaise with parents and external agencies.
• Contribute to INSET and direct staff with their CPD.
• Keep abreast of new interventions, resources and literature around SEND.
• Further enhance the status of special needs work in school.
• Be involved with the assessment.
• Plan and manage reviews.
• Handle any administrative work.
• Manage a budget.
• Work within the framework of the LA.
• Update the SENCOs knowledge and skills such as attend SENCo cluster meetings.
• Liaise with the Pastoral Manager.
• Work with the best interest of the child at heart.

Specialist Provision

At St Paul’s that we can offer various intervention programmes to support additional needs for example:

• COOL (gross/fine motor)
• Sounds Write (phonics)
• Maths Recovery
• Talking Partners (Literacy/speaking/listening/social)
• Talking Maths (Maths vocab)
• Handwriting programmes such as Teorderescue/Roll N Write
• Time To Talk (Social/speaking/listening)
• FFT (Literacy intervention – Reading/writing/phonics)
• Social Skills
• Clever Fingers (fine motor)
• Basic Communication
• Narrative Therapy (speech vocab)
• Look Listen Think (memory/listening/following instructions)
• Silver SEAL
• Memory Booster
• Auditory skills (listening)
• Visual perception
• Talking Tables (vocab/social/turn taking/stories)
• Mentoring (self-esteem/behaviour)

   Evaluation of success

At St Paul’s the culture, practice, management and deployment of resources in school is designed to ensure ALL children’s needs are met.  The policy will be reviewed annually.  Regular meetings will be held to liaise with the SENs governor to keep him/her up-to-

date.  Amendments will be made whenever to meet the needs of the children.  It is clear that all colleagues view special educational needs as a whole school and family issue and SENs is the responsibility of all staff and we all respond to children’s needs across the whole school.

Complaints

If parents feel that St Paul’s has not adequately met their child’s needs, or has not recognised that their child has SENs then a complaint should initially be discussed with the class teacher or SENCO and sometimes the issues may need referring to the head teacher.  We aim to work with parents and establish good communication between home and school.  In the event of an unresolved problem details should be put into writing and sent to the Governing Body. If issues are still not resolved, contact the local authority who will investigate the issue.