Greatstone Primary School Nursery
 
Greatstone Primary School

Special Educational Needs

Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities

Miss Grimes can be contacted by phoning the school office on 01797 363916, emailing : grimesz@greatstoneschool.co.uk.

Introduction:

All Kent Local Authority (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met within a mainstream setting wherever possible.

The four broad areas of SEND are:

  • Cognition and Learning,
  • Communication and Interaction
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health
  • Physical and/or Sensory.
The LA Local Offer

As from September 2014, all local authorities are required by law (Children and Families Act 2014) to publish a ‘Local Offer’. Within this, authorities are required to publish (via the Local government website) information regarding service and provision for children and young adults (0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities. The information must be transparent and give choice to families. More information on the Local Offer can be found at www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

For parents, there is additional information:

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The School SEND Information Report

Every school is required to make this report available to families demonstrating how the school meets the needs of SEND pupils. Information within this report is required to pay due regard to the ‘Local Offer’.

We embrace the fact that all children are different and consequently, the educational needs of every child are individual. We seek to cater for children at all areas of need and status. The following questions and answers will provide information for parents and carers of children with SEND.

  1. How can I let the school know that I am concerned about my child’s progress?
  2. Who are the best people to talk to in school about my child’s difficulties with learning/SEND?
  3. How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s progress?
  4. What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?
  5. How is extra support allocated to children and how do they progress in their learning?
  6. Who are the people providing services to children with SEND in our school?
  7. How are teachers in school helped to work with children with SEND and what training do they have?
  8. How will teaching be adapted for my child?
  9. How will my child’s progress be measured?
  10. What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with SEND?
  11. How is our school accessible to children with SEND?
  12. How will we support your child when they are joining this school, moving to another class or leaving this school?
  13. How will we support your child’s emotional and social development?
  14. What do all the terms/acronyms mean?
  15. What do I do if I am not happy with the provision for my child?

 

  1. How can I let the school know that I am concerned about my child’s progress?

If you have concerns about your child’s progress, you should initially speak to your child’s class teacher. If you continue to be concerned that your child is not making progress, you may speak to the Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo), Miss Zoe Grimes. The school SEND Governor, Mrs Claire Southen and Mrs Wendy May can also be contacted for support.

  1. Who are the best people to talk to in school about my child’s difficulties with learning?

The Class teacher:

The class teacher is your first point of contact should you have any concerns regarding SEND. The class teacher:

  • Checks on the progress of your child and identifies, plans (with support from the SENDCo) and delivers any additional help your child may need (this could be targeted work or additional support)
  • Include provision on the ‘Class Provision Map’
  • Ensures that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

The SENDCo: Miss Z Grimes

If, after having contacted the class teacher, you continue to have concerns regarding your child’s special needs, contact the SENDCo. The SENDCo is responsible for:

  • Developing and reviewing the school’s SEND policy.
  • Co-ordinating all the support for children with SEND
  • Ensuring that you are
    1. involved in supporting your child’s learning
    2. kept informed about the support your child is getting
    3. involved in reviewing how they are doing.
  • Liaising with other professionals who may be come in to school to help support your child’s learning, e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist.
  • Updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept.
  • Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school, so that they can help children with SEND to achieve the best progress possible.

Exec Head – Matt Rawling & Head of School : Jaclyn Kay

Responsible for

  • The day-to-day management of all aspects of the school; this includes the support for children with SEND.
  • The Head of School will give responsibility to the SENDCo and class teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
  • The Head of School must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND.

The SEND Governors: Mrs C Southen and Mrs W May

Responsible for

  • Making sure that the necessary support is given for any child with SEND who attends the school.
  • The SEND governors may be contacted for support to parents regarding Pupils with SEND.
  1. How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s progress?

In school, the class teachers are normally the first to recognise that a child is not making progress or that there might be an underlying cause for this. They will inform you, as a parent, of their concerns and ask the SENDCO for advice if necessary. If progress is not evident then the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you to:

  • Listen to any concerns you may have.
  • Discuss any further assessments which could be carried out in school and additional support that your child may need.
  • Discuss the provision to be put in place
  • Discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child.
  1. What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?

Class teacher input, via ‘Quality First Teaching’

For your child this would mean:

  • That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
  • That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
  • That different ways of teaching are in place (such as more practical approaches), so that your child is fully involved in learning in class.
  • That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCo) are in place to support your child to learn.
  • Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

Specific individual or group work

This involves interventions which are run in the classroom or a group room and delivered by either a teacher or a teaching assistant.

Interventions at Greatstone Primary School and Nursery include:

  • ICT based programmes including: Booster Phonics, Dyslexia Gold, Dynamo maths, Nessy, Comprehension Booster and Memory Booster.
  • Reading programmes including: Dandelion, Totem, Talisman, 5 minute box
  • Reading Recovery
  • Precision Teaching for specific numeracy and literacy skills
  • Clicker 7
  • Clever Hands Programme (Fine motor skills programme)
  • Fizzy Programme (Gross Motor skills programme)
  • Speech Link and Language link programmes
  • Specific Literacy Difficulty programmes such as Toe by Toe or Beat Dyslexia
  • Social Skills Groups e.g Upward Spirals or ‘Groups specific’
  • Emotional Regulation
  • ‘Time to talk’ Groups
  • ‘Check in’ times
  • Lego Intervention
  • Build a Playground
  • Play Therapy
  • ‘Drawing and Talking’ programme
  • Specialist programmes from outside agencies (eg Speech and Language, Physiotherapy) see below
  • Talk for writing

Specialist support from an outside agency

This means a pupil has been identified by the class teacher or SENDCo as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

  • The Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) and Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS) who are accessed via a LIFT (Local Inclusion Forum Team) meeting with consentt from you as a parent.
  • Other outside agencies (Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, CYPMHS (Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services), School Nurse and Specialist Teachers for Hearing and Visual Impairment) which can be contacted directly through the school with consent from you as a parent.

The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations via a ‘Programme of support’ including targets for the teachers and teaching assistants to work on with the pupil. This is closely monitored by the professional via regular visits and reviews and adjusted according.

  • Further outside agencies can be accessed through the Early Help and Preventative Services system.

Specified Individual support

This type of support is available for children with high SEND. In addition, they may have an Education Health and Care Plan. Pupils with high SEND will have an Individual Provision Plan, where outcomes, provision and targets are detailed.

For those pupils with an EHCP, local Authority central services such as the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) and outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy Service (SALT) will be involved.

For your child this would mean:

  • The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the type of support that will be provided for your child.
  • After the request has been made to a ‘Panel of Professionals’, a decision will be made as to whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to require a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child requires this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support.
  • After the reports have been gathered and submitted the ‘Panel of Professionals’ will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) will be written. If this is not the case the school will be asked to continue with the current level of support in addition to arranging a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place.
  • The EHC Plan will outline the support and strategies to be put into place to meet your child’s needs. It will also have long and short- term goals for your child.

 

  1. How is extra support allocated to children and how do they progress in their learning?
  • The school budget, received from Kent Local Authority, includes money for supporting children with SEND. Overall school provision for SEND is determined by the categories of need as identified for each pupil on the SEND register.
  • The Headteacher decides on the deployment of resources for SEND, in consultation with the school governors on the basis of needs in the school.
  • If the school requires additional funding to help support the needs of an individual child then High Needs Funding can be applied for from the county from the KELSI website.
  1. Who are the people providing services to children with SEND in our school?

School provision

  • Teachers responsible for teaching SEND groups/individuals on a part-time basis.
  • Teaching Assistants working with either individual children or small groups.
  • ICT based literacy and maths programmes monitored by teaching assistants under the direction of class teachers
  • Teaching Assistants offering support for children with emotional and social development through social skills groups and ‘Drawing and Talking’ interventions
  • Lunch time support for more vulnerable children
  • Play Therapist

Local Authority Provision delivered in school

  • Educational Psychology Service
  • Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS)

Health Provision advised/delivered in school

  • School Nurse
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Young Healthy Minds
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
  • Pediatrician
  • Children and Young People’s Services (CHYMPS)
  • Referrals to community pediatrician or NELFT (ASD and ADHD assessments)
  1. How are teachers in school helped to work with children with SEND and what training do they have?
  • The school provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on issues particularly relevant to the Special Needs Profile of the School, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  • Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies e.g. STLS or the Speech and Language Service that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.

Current SEND skills/knowledge of staff at Greatstone Primary School include:

  • Staff members trained in ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) awareness
  • Mid-day supervisors trained in ASD awareness and behavior support
  • staff members trained in Visual and Hearing Impairments
  • 6 staff members trained in issues relating to Speech and Language
  • 4 staff members trained in use of Speech and Language Link
  • 4 staff members trained in use of ‘Drawing and Talking’ (to develop social and emotional well- being)
  • Teaching assistants trained in the effective delivering of intervention groups
  • All teaching assistants trained in use of ICT programmes focusing on literacy difficulties
  • 19 staff members received introduction training in ‘Attachment Theory’.
  • 1 staff member trained in the Management of Emotions
  • 1 staff member trained in Bereavement Counselling
  • 3 staff members trained in the area of ‘Selective Mutism’
  • 6 staff members trained in the ‘Clever Hands’/ ‘Fizzy’ Programmes (to develop fine and gross motor skills)
  • 18 staff members received introduction to Mindfulness training
  • All TAs trained in ‘dyslexia’ approaches
  • 1 Staff member received introduction to dyscalculia training
  • All teaching staff members trained in ADHD
  • All Teachers, Teaching assistants and Mid-day supervisors trained in ‘Restorative Approaches’
  • 2 staff members ‘Well-being Champion’ training
  • All TAs trained in the use of Numicon
  • 1 Teacher trained in Reading Recovery
  • Teachers and TA’s received introduction training in supporting children with anxieties
  • 4 staff members trained in Language Through Colour
  • 1 staff member received introduction to ELSA training (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
  • All staff trained in Growth Mindset
  • 1 Staff Member trained as Youth Mental Health First Aider
  1. How will teaching be adapted for my child?
  • Class teachers plan and deliver lessons using ‘High Quality First Teaching’ methods, planning lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children (including SEND) in their class and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
  • Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, can adapt planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
  • Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
  • Planning and teaching will be adapted, on a daily basis if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs.
  • Your child’s provision will be detailed in a ‘Class Provision Map’ which will be reviewed regularly and discussed with you at parent’s evenings. Then if required the class teacher will work in collaboration with the SENCO to provide a range of assessments and interventions can be put into place to assist your child in order to help them make progress or determine any barriers to learning.
  • Those children who are on the SEND register will have personalised provision plans created specific to their educational needs.
  • Special access arrangements and reasonable adjustments can be made for your child during statutory assessments in accordance with the relevant guidelines.
  • In the event of school closures or home schooling due to shielding the school will work closely with the parents to provide access to the curriculum from home. Work will be set virtually and whole class and 1:1 teaching sessions are offered. If your child requires additional arrangements due to their SEND need, work will be adapted to best suit in consultation with the class teacher and SENCO.
  1. How will my child’s progress be measured?
  • Your child’s progress will be continually monitored by his/her class teacher.
  • His/her progress will be reviewed formally with the SLT, class teacher and SENDCo every term in reading, writing and numeracy.
  • Provision within the provision map will be reviewed regularly
  • The progress of children with an EHC Plan will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education.
  • The progress of pupils with an Individual Provision Plan (including those with an EHCP) will be reviewed there times a year.
  • The SENDCo will also check that your child is making good progress via monitoring of intervention practices.
  • Regular book scrutinies and lesson observations will be carried out by the SENDCo and members of the SENDior Leadership Team to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.
  1. What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with SEND?

The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school, so that similar strategies can be used.

  • The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have. Please phone the office or call in to make an appointment
  • All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you and if possible, with the appropriate professional present.
  • During parents evenings, provision and progress will be discussed with you.
  • Homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s individual requirements.
  • A home-school contact book may be used to support communication with you when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.
  • In the event of school closures or home schooling due to shielding the school will work closely with the parents to provide access to the curriculum from home. Work will be set virtually and whole class and 1:1 teaching sessions are offered. If your child requires additional arrangements due to their SEND need work will be adapted to best suit

 

  1. How is our school accessible to children with SEND?
  • The school is fully compliant with DDA (2010) requirements.
  • We believe that all children should have the opportunity to join with their peers in the curriculum and life of the school.
  • We aim to provide equal opportunities for all groups of children, including those with diverse needs and believe that by recognising those needs and differentiating our resources and practice that we give access to the curriculum for all our pupils
  • We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
  • School work in conjunction with advice from specialist teaching services to ensure the correct adjustments are made for those children with hearing and visual impairments. ( e.g Marking edges of surfaces to show a change in level)
  • After-school clubs are accessible to all children, including those with SEND.
  • All of the children are integrated fully into mainstream classes and supported as appropriate by all staff members. The school does not have a specialist unit, but has a small nurture type room whereby some children who find the overall classroom environment too overwhelming  at times can receive time out or their provision alongside time in class.
  • Local support groups are available.
  1. How will we support your child when they are joining this school, moving to another class or leaving this school?

All applications for places at our school will be treated fairly.  No child will be refused a place in the school because of their special need, disability, race, gender, religion or background.   We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and consequently take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

Joining School:

Admission to Greatstone Primary School will be according to the criteria set out in the Governing Boards‘s Admissions Policy. 

We will contact the previous school of any child with SEND entering the school at any point other than Reception to determine how the child will be inducted and to enable us to benefit from previous knowledge of the child.  We will contact the Pre-school of any child with SEND entering the school into Reception for the same reason.

Moving Through School:

We will seek to affect a phased transition from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 by:

  • strengthening a programme of pupil visits between the key stages.
  • passing on information.
  • within the school, prior to the transfer to a new class, teachers and support staff meet to discuss the educational needs of individual children.
  • during the first few weeks of Term 1 arranging after school sessions for parents to ‘Meet the Teacher’ and raise any concerns they may have.

Leaving School:

We will seek to affect a phased transition across Key Stage 2 and 3 by:

  • encouraging staff visits between secondary and primary schools with a pastoral and teaching focus.
  • strengthening a programme of pupil visits between the key stages.
  • where possible provide opportunities for support such as additional visits to the school of choice or involvement in a social skills group prior to the transfer are given to the appropriate children.
  • passing on information regarding SEND.
  • setting up transition groups at school
  • Virtual transition meetings for SEND children who require a more detailed transition are offered where both primary and secondary school SENCOs, parents and class teachers can work together to form a smooth transition.

In the case of a child with SEND transferring to a different school at a time other than at the end of Year 6, information is sent to the new school, with the offer of a discussion with the SENDCO regarding the particular needs of the child.

  1. How will we support your child’s emotional and social development?

We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative.

All classes follow a Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult we offer

  • Social Skills Groups
  • ‘Drawing and Talking’ intervention
  • ‘Check in’ facility
  • Play Therapy

We also have two members of staff who have recently embarked on the ‘Well -being Champion’ programme run by the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service

If your child still needs extra support, with your permission, the SENDCo will access further support such as CYPMHS or the School Nurse Service

 

What do all the terms/acronyms mean?

Glossary of terms associated with SEND

ADD

Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

ASD

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

CYPMHS

Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (previously CAMHS)

CHATS

Child and Adolescent Therapy Services (counseling)

C and I

Communication and Interaction

C and L

Cognition and Learning

EHCP

Education and Health Care Plan (replaced a statement of special educational needs in the SENDD Code of Practice 2014)

EP

Educational Psychologist

Fizzy

A physiotherapy programme for children to develop co-ordination and gross motor skills

HI

Hearing Impairment

LIFT

Local Inclusion Forum Team

MSI

Multi-SENDsory Impairment (Visual Impairment with Hearing Impairment)

OT

Occupational Therapist

PEP

Personal Education Plan (for Children in Care)

PP

Pupil Premium

Provision Map

Method of recording additional provision for pupils

SEND

Special Educational Need

SALT

Speech and Language Therapist/ Therapy

SEMH

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SENDCo

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

SpLD

Specific Literacy Difficulties (or dyslexia)

Statutory Assessment

The assessment needed which precedes an EHCP

STLS

Specialist Teaching Learning Service (based at The Beacon School, Folkestone)

V.I.

Visual Impairment

YHM

Young Healthy Minds

 

  1. What do I do if I am not happy with the provision for my child?

If after first discussing your concerns with the school, you are still worried about the provision for your child then a complaint can be made to the governing body. Details of the school’s complaints procedure are available on this website under Policies.