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SEND at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School & Pre School, Droitwich
All children at St Joseph's Catholic Primary school receive high quality first teaching. Teachers plan carefully, providing lessons that suit the range of needs and abilities in their class because children learn at different speeds and in different ways. We ensure that all children are given the help and support they need to learn. The help given will vary depending on the individual needs of each child. It may be support to develop academically, emotionally, socially or physically. Most of this support will happen naturally in the classroom environment and will be organised by the class teacher.
Sometimes children may have more specific or complex needs and need a little more support or something more personalised to help their learning. In this case a child will be identified as having a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND).
Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has SEN and should not automatically lead to a pupil being recorded as having SEN. However, they may be an indicator of a range of learning difficulties or disabilities. Equally, it should not be assumed that attainment in line with chronological age means that there is no learning difficulty or disability. Some learning difficulties and disabilities occur across the range of cognitive ability and, left unaddressed may lead to frustration, which may manifest itself as disaffection, emotional or behavioural difficulties.
Identifying and assessing SEN for children or young people whose first language is not English requires particular care. The school will look carefully at all aspects of a child or young person’s performance in different areas of learning and development to establish whether lack of progress is due to limitations in their command of English or if it arises from SEN or a disability. Difficulties related solely to limitations in English as an additional language are not SEN.
The SEN and Disability Code of Practice name four broad areas that give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for within school. These are identified to help schools provide a range of actions, not to put children into categories.
These areas are:
“A pupil has SEND where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age”
(SEND Code of Practice p.82)
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he/she:
• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.
A physical or mental impairment includes: learning difficulties including specific learning difficulties; medical conditions including epilepsy, diabetes, more severe forms of asthma and eczema; autism; speech, language and communication impairments.
If the impairment has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities it may amount to a disability.
It is important to understand that it is not for this school to decide if your child has a disability. This will be determined by medical or other professionals.
At St Joseph’s school the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) is Mr Price. She works with children, parents/carers, school staff and outside agencies to ensure that all our pupils’ special educational needs are met.
All our very experienced teachers are involved in the delivery of our SEND provision through high quality teaching and by enabling any specifically designed programmes or 1-1 sessions to be delivered effectively. The teachers and teaching assistants are the primary deliverers of the SEND provision.
When the SENDCo has identified a specific need within a graduated programme of intervention our experienced and well qualified Teaching Assistants (TAs) help to deliver small group or 1-1 sessions.
The SENCO’s role is identified clearly in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2015)
Ref: Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2015)
6.89 The SENCO provides professional guidance to colleagues and will work closely with staff, parents and other agencies. The SENCO should be aware of the provision in the Local Offer and be able to work with professionals providing a support role to families to ensure that pupils with SEN receive appropriate support and high quality teaching.
6.90 The key responsibilities of the SENCO may include:
• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy
• co-ordinating provision for children with SEN
• liaising with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN
• advising on the graduated approach to providing SEN support
• advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
• liaising with parents of pupils with SEN
• liaising with early years providers, other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
• being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
• liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
• working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date.
Should you have any concerns about special educational needs you can contact Miss Evans through the school office on 01905 773 572 or email jod_office@emmausmac.com.
Please read our Policy and Special Educational Needs Information Report to find out what our school can offer if your child has special educational needs.
Children and parents are able to access the school via ramps and there is a Disabled parking space in the car park. There are two disabled toilets located by the main reception area and there is a designated room providing changing facilities.
EEF – Guidance
When considering how best to adapt our curriculum to meet the needs of all our learners, we referenced the EEF for research findings and guidance.
The following best illustrates our philosophy:
The ‘5 a day’ principle is particularly well-evidenced as having a positive impact. Harnessing these evidence-informed strategies positively supports all learners, including those with SEND.
Teachers have developed a repertoire of these strategies, which they use daily and flexibly in response to individual needs, using them as the starting point for their classroom teaching.
What is the SEND Information Report
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School’s SEND information report sets out what we provide for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) throughout their time as a pupil at our school. It explains how we support them on to the next stage of their education. Included with our SEND Information Report is our SEND policy which gives more details about our day to day procedures.
You will find an explanation about the words with an asterisk* in our Glossary.
Worcestershire Local Authority* also publishes on its website a Worcestershire Local Offer http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer - setting out a wide range of information about the specialist services, schools, colleges and organisations that can provide support and information for families of children and young people with SEND. It explains the procedures for requesting an assessment for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)*. You will also find information about:
The purpose of the SEND Information Report
The purpose of the SEND Information Report is to inform parents and carers about:
We keep our SEND Information Report under review by asking parents and children what is working well and what they want to improve.
Communicating the SEND Information Report
You will find our SEND Policy and Information Report via the links below.
You can also pick up a paper copy of our SEND Policy and Information Report from our office.
Also available on our website are Parent Guides to:
If you want to talk to member of staff, we will arrange for a member of staff to meet you and answer your questions. Please let us know if you need an interpreter or British Sign Language* signer – we will do our best to provide this support.
SEND Information Report Details
What school leaders and governors do to make sure that all children feel welcome, included, and achieve their potential?
Our SENCo is Mrs Price. She works alongside Mrs Brocklesby, our Principal, and the Governing Body to determine the strategic development of the SEND Policy and Information Report, and provision for pupils with SEND in school.
She keeps a list of children we identify as having a SEND.
She also keeps a record of the provision of all the different ways that we provide extra support (for example, support for reading, communication, and maths) for children with SEND.
A child’s provision can also be found on their Individual Provision Map document.
We carefully monitor the progress and well-being of children with SEND and the quality of our provision, including teaching and support. For example, senior leaders observe lessons and hold discussions with teachers and support staff.
If something is not working well, we change and improve our provision. We make sure that support is well matched to a child’s needs. We also make sure that the provision is professionally researched and effective.
The Governing Body* challenges us to make sure we constantly improve the quality of provision for children with SEND and the outcomes that they achieve.
We have several parents on the governing body and one of their roles is to represent the views and concerns of all parents, including those with children with SEND.
We have a Governor who takes a particular responsibility for SEND matters. She meets with our SENCo regularly and makes visits to classrooms looking at learning and teaching.
We fully involve our Governors when we review and revise our SEND policy and our Information Report at the end of each school year.
How do we develop and utilise the skills, knowledge and expertise of St Joseph’s staff?
Additional support for learning
Considerable thought, planning and preparation goes into utilising our support staff to ensure children achieve the best outcomes, gain independence, and are prepared for adulthood from the earliest possible age. Each class has teaching assistants who support the class teacher to ensure the quality first provision within classes.
Teaching assistants are used in a variety of ways: to lead intervention groups, to pre-tutor, to revisit any misconceptions to name a few.
Additional provision such as 1:1 adult support is offered to help pupils with specific needs or those with an EHC Plan meet the targets outlined on their plans.
Expertise and training of staff
We are committed to developing the ongoing expertise of our staff. We have current expertise in our school in the following areas:
Key members of staff also work alongside the speech therapist to deliver specific targets set out by the therapists on a 1:1 basis. We have established intervention groups based on the needs of the pupils and the expertise of our staff. One of our TAs is a Communication TA (main link with Speech and Language; receive regular updates and training opportunities through cluster groups).
What do specialist support services do to support the progress and well-being of children with SEND?
Teaching and support staff work closely with relevant members of specialist services which provide support for our school. The services providing support in our school include:
The Glossary at the end of this document explains what each of these teams does.
These services provide a range of support including:
Each service has referral and eligibility criteria* – this means that service support is targeted on children with higher levels of need. More information about these services can be found on Worcestershire’s Local Offer website http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer
We will always involve you in any decisions about whether your child has a special educational need and the best ways to provide support. If your child requires these services, we will involve you in the process at every stage. We will ask you to sign a referral form before the support can go ahead.
How do we identify and assess children with SEND?
Our starting point is to meet with parents/carers in the summer term before children start our Reception Class. We know that parents are the first educators of their child and we need their knowledge to plan effectively.
We will also plan careful transitions for children starting at our school. Often our staff will speak with your child’s previous teacher before your child joins our school.
We ask whether parents/carers have any concerns about their children, or if their child has any additional needs. This helps us to plan how we will support their child once they start school.
In addition, we assess all children in the first half term in our school through careful and sensitive classroom observation and an early review of progress.
We also listen to children to find out how they are settling into school.
We continue to assess and monitor all through the child’s time in school so that we can look out for any special educational needs that might arise later.
We take great care to establish whether lack of progress is because a pupil has English as an additional language (EAL)*, for example by talking to the child (and parents) in her/his home language.
We also work with specialist services, for example Educational Psychologists and Speech Therapists. They can provide expertise in finding out the type and range of a child’s needs.
We follow Worcestershire’s guidance for the identification of SEND.
We are committed to personalised planning and regular assessment/review cycles to make sure that your child makes progress.
You can see more details on how we identify children with SEND in our SEND Policy and Information Report.
How do we review your child’s progress?
It is particularly important for our school that ALL our children enjoy success and achievement and make good progress in learning.
We use the information we have about each child who has been identified as having SEND to plan a personal programme of SEND support. This is your child’s Individual Provision Map (called a My Plan) and will include termly outcomes (targets).
Individual Provision Maps will include short term outcomes (targets) and will describe how we will support your child to achieve these targets.
Once a term we review in school how well all children, including those with SEND, are progressing. We call this our Pupil Progress Meeting.
We will report formally once a year on the progress of all children, including those with SEND and for some pupils we will provide more frequent reports.
How do we ensure that teaching and support help your child learn and make good progress?
We know that high quality teaching and well-matched support will make a big difference to the progress of children with SEND.
Making sure that this happens in all classrooms is one of the most important things that our school leaders do.
We make sure that all Teachers and Teaching Assistants have a clear understanding of the learning needs of the children in their class.
Our school leaders work closely with teachers and support staff to provide effective teaching and support for children with SEND in a variety of ways. These include:
We help all children to develop their skills as learners – and to persevere when they find learning difficult.
How do we ensure our school and classrooms are safe, accessible, and stimulating?
We work hard to make sure that our school building and all classrooms are safe, stimulating, and accessible.
We aim to make lessons varied, stimulating and highly visual to support children with a variety of learning needs.
We have an Accessibility Plan* through which we are making improvements to the school environment over time.
Specialist teams, for example Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, The Outreach Team and The Worcestershire Visual Impairment Support Service provide guidance, advice and equipment for a child with particular access or support needs.
We have a range of equipment designed to support the development of children’s coordination and motor skills.
For some children with special educational needs, we provide specialist equipment including digital technology such as Prodigi, iPads and laptop computers.
How do we ensure children with SEND enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum?
We provide a curriculum that is broad, balanced, motivating, and accessible to all children.
We want our exciting curriculum to be one of the many reasons our children love coming to school!
We work hard to ensure that all our children achieve in lots of different ways as well as academic learning – for example, in drama, sport, music, dance, showing leadership and taking on responsibilities.
We encourage children with SEND to play a full part in the life of our school. Many of our children with a special educational need have extra responsibilities and taking such roles helps them to communicate more confidently with other children.
We arrange educational visits and journeys and make sure that all our children can take part. We do a risk assessment* and when necessary make reasonable adjustments* to plans and arrangements to make sure that all children can attend.
We also adapt the curriculum to include children with SEND, for example:
How do we work in partnership with parents and carers?
We know that the active involvement of parents/carers in supporting the education of their child is one of the most important factors in ensuring a child’s success and achievement.
We know that parents are the first educators of their child and that we need their knowledge to plan effectively.
We will always involve parents and children in planning and reviewing progress.
We make every effort to communicate clearly and regularly with parents and carers of children with SEND about, for example:
We will also help and advise parents/carers on how to help their children make progress at home, for example in mathematics and reading.
We welcome and value feedback on how well we are working with our parents.
We try to communicate in plain English and have a bi-lingual member of staff who can offer translation and interpretation services in Polish. With notice, we can arrange a translator in other languages.
How do we listen and respond to children with SEND?
We know that the only way to really find out if a child is happy , feeling safe and taking part in the full life of our community is for the school to be certain that it hears the voices of children, especially those most vulnerable.
We make sure that we listen to children in our school and respond to what they say in several ways, including:
How do we support children with transition when joining or leaving our school?
When a child joins St Joseph’s, a member of staff will collect information and records from the child’s previous school and from the family. We always encourage parents to visit our school before the transition. We plan carefully to help children to feel safe and to settle in. We arrange transition events so children can meet their new teacher and support staff and also so the school becomes a familiar place.
When a child moves up to the next class, we organise class hand-over meetings where teachers and support staff make sure that the new teacher and Teaching Assistant (TA) have a clear understanding of the needs of all children.
We also provide an opportunity for parents and their children with SEND to meet the new teacher and TA before the start of the school year.
Transition days allow children to visit the new classroom and get to know the new adults who will be teaching and supporting them.
When a child comes to our school in the middle of a term, we plan a range of support – depending on the needs of each child. This may involve a team of children to help her/him settle in to the new class and provide help to find their way around the school.
Other transitions may include:
Primary to Secondary
Mid-term admissions
How do we support children’s health and well-being including safety, attendance and behaviour?
The school takes the personal development and well-being of children very seriously.
We know that children are unlikely to flourish unless they are developing positive relationships, feel safe and are adopting healthy lifestyles. Our ethos and mission statement are embedded in our curriculum. These include the rights to be safe and healthy.
We also know that some children with SEND are particularly vulnerable when it comes to making and keeping friendships. We offer a variety of support with this including targeted playground activities for vulnerable children.
We address many of these issues in our PHSE (Personal Health Social and Economic Education) * curriculum.
We encourage children to develop confidence and resilience* through teaching, social play opportunities and through more targeted support where this is needed.
The children in each class develop their own Class Rules which become a point of reference for the class and it signifies a joint undertaking which binds everyone together. We also have playground rules to guide children to play well outside.
We have a zero tolerance of bullying and talk about all aspects of bullying in assemblies and lessons: we have very little bullying in our school but when it does occur we work with the children involved to make sure that it does not happen again.
We provide expert help for any child who is experiencing any difficulties with behaviour or relationships from well-trained staff. We will always consult and involve parents in the decision to offer this support. Our specialist help and some of their services includes:
CAMHS:
Educational Psychology Service
We make sure that our school council is representative of the population of the school – we currently have two children with SEND serving on the Council – and we encourage and support children with SEND to take on whole school responsibilities, for example, as Green Ambassadors.
We have an up to date policy on how we manage medical needs. See our website for further information.
A senior leader has responsibility for Health and Safety concerns across the school.
Children with serious medical needs have an Individual Health Care Plan which sets out
When a child with medical needs is absent long term from school we make sure we keep her or him in touch with learning and friendships.
Our school Nurse provides advice and support to parents and the school on any medical issues.
We support all children to attend school regularly, for example thorough providing an enjoyable and stimulating curriculum and through home support where this is needed.
We provide specialist support and up to date training for staff on safeguarding, keeping children safe and meeting children’s emotional needs. Our volunteers are also provided with this training.
All our staff and governors have an up-to-date DBS * check.
How will we know that we are successful?
We constantly monitor important evidence for success and take action where we are not successful.
These are some of the things we look at to make sure we are meeting the needs of children with SEND:
We also want to understand the experience of children with SEND so we regularly think about and discuss with children:
Glossary
Accessibility Plan
Shows how school access is to be improved for pupils/students, staff and visitors with disabilities in a given timeframe. It must anticipate the need to make reasonable adjustments where ever practicable.
Augmentative and alternative communication
Methods of communication that can help people who are unable to use verbal speech to communicate – often using technology.
Behaviour Support Team
Behaviour support teams are set up to support individuals with learning disabilities and their families. They may differ in terms of the services they offer; some may offer assessments for diagnosis or provide different strategies to support individuals with their behaviour.
British Sign Language – BSL
A visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language. Sign Language is used mainly by people who are Deaf or have hearing impairments. The most common form of Sign Language is BSL.
Child and Adolescent Health Service - CAMHS
Supporting the emotional and personal development of students.
Cognition and Learning
Characterised by difficulties in thinking, attention and concentration skills – dyslexia, learning difficulties etc.
Complex Communication Needs (CCN) Team
The Complex Communication Needs team are qualified specialist teachers and specialist practitioners with vast experience of addressing the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum from early years to higher education. The team also supports teachers and education professionals to meet the individual teaching, learning and wellbeing needs of students with autism in their educational setting.
Communication and Interaction
Characterised by difficulties in being able to understand and/or express yourself. Can also be difficulties in interacting with other people – Autism, speech and language difficulties etc.
Differentiated
Adapted and changed for children based on differing levels of need and ability.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS)
The government check all people working with children must complete
Educational Psychologists
A professional who supports, monitors and thinks with the school, assesses and identifies children’s needs.
Education Health and Care Plan
The Education Health and Care Plan (E.H.C.P.) or E.H.C plan, is a system that puts you and your child at the very centre of the assessment and planning process. It is designed to make sure that your views are not only heard but also understood.
Eligibility criteria
The individual criteria a service states must be met before they can work with an individual/family.
English as an additional language (EAL)
Someone whose first language at home is not English.
Early Help
Support for families experiencing a range of difficulties.
Early Years and Foundation Stage – EYFS
Pre School and Reception classes.
Financial Year
A year as reckoned for taxing or accounting purposes, which runs from April to April.
Governing Body
Each school has a governing body which comprises members of the local community, parents, teachers, staff and representatives of the Local Education Authority. They are required by law to meet at least once a term but can meet more frequently in order to discuss specific matters.
Health visitor/school nurse
Health Professional who monitors, supports and gives advice to families and schools on all aspects of children’s well-being and health needs.
Hearing Impaired service
Worcestershire service of specialists who give advice, support and monitor children with HI.
Key stage 1 – KS1
Years 1 and 2.
Key Stage 2 – KS2
Years 3 to Year 6.
Learning Support Team (LST)
The Learning Support Team provides support to meet the needs of pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SPLD) and those struggling to engage or unmotivated to learn.
Local Offer
Local authorities are required to set out in their Local Offer information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Local authorities must consult locally on what provision the Local Offer should contain.
Mediation
This is a statutory service commissioned by local authorities which is designed to help settle disagreements between parents or young people and local authorities over EHC needs assessments and plans and which parents and young people can use before deciding whether to appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal about decisions on assessment or the special educational element of a plan. Mediation can cover any one or all three elements of an EHC plan and must be offered to the parent or young person when the final plan is issued, but they are not able to appeal to the Tribunal about the health and social care aspects of the plan.
Occupational Therapists
Professionals from the Health Service who identify, assess, support, monitor, offer advice to children, schools, families for children with functional, motor or sensory needs.
Outreach Team
Professionals who support children with physical disabilities in mainstream schools.
Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
A school subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future.
Playground buddies
Year 6 children who are given extra responsibility at playtimes and lunchtimes to support other children in different parts of the playground.
Provision Map
A list of provision and support beyond the classroom to remove barriers and accelerate progress and well-being.
Pupil Voice
Pupils having the opportunity to have a say in decisions in school that affect them. It entails pupils playing an active role in their education and schooling as a result of schools becoming more attentive and responsive, in sustained and routine ways.
Quality First Teaching (QFT)
High quality inclusive teaching together with our continuous whole school processes for assessing, planning, implementing, tracking, monitoring and reviewing your child's progress.
Reasonable Adjustment
A school or college must ensure that pupils with additional needs can fully participate in the education provided by the school, and that they can enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services that the school provides.
Resilience
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
Risk Assessment
The overall process or method where you: Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm (hazard identification). Analyse and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk analysis, and risk evaluation).
SENDCo
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.
SEN Register
Special Educational Needs List of children, so the school continually hold them in mind.
SEN Policy
The document that reflects the statutory requirements of special educational needs and how the actual practice of the school meets them.
Sensory Advisory Service
The service who gives advice, assessment and support to children with sensory processing difficulties – covers both hearing and vision impairment.
Sensory and/or Physical Needs
Characterised by impairment in some aspect of physical functioning or difficulty in sensory processing compared to ‘normal’ sensory profile – hearing impaired, vision impaired, sensory impairment, cerebral palsy etc.
Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Difficulties
Characterised by problems with regulation of emotion, social skills – ADHD etc.
Social Services
Services that support the child and the family accessing the correct services and safeguard children.
Specialist Interventions
Support programmes that requires specific training to deliver and targets a specific area of need.
Speech and language therapists
Professionals from the Health Service who identify, assess, support, monitor, offer advice to children, schools, families for children with communication, social, language needs.
Staff Handbook
Document given to all new staff informing of all the processes and procedures in school and signposting to relevant school policies.
Teaching Assistant
Additional adults who support the learning process, social behaviour and needs of children.
Visually Impaired service
Worcestershire service of specialists who give advice, support and monitor children with VI.
Visual Timetable
A timetable showing the day’s events/lessons in pictorial or photograph form for children who struggles with sequencing their day and/or have difficulties with communication and/or reading.
Worcestershire Local Authority
A local authority is an organization that is officially responsible for all the public services and facilities in a particular area.
SEND Policies & Documents for Parents / Carers
SEN Complaints
At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School we operate an ‘open door’ policy. In the first instance, parents and carers are encouraged to speak with the class teacher about any concerns they may have. They will be able to discuss any additional support children are receiving. If this does not resolve the issue, parents and carers can discuss their child’s needs further with the SENDCo who will be able to talk about how St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School can support children with SEND. The Emmaus Catholic MAC Complaints policy is available on our school website.
This includes complaints around SEND and Looked after children. The policy can also be obtained through request of a paper copy from the school office. In the first instance, discussions would be encouraged by the class teacher and SENDCo to try and resolve any issues.
