What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?
Abbey Hulton Primary School accommodates all SEND pupils in line with the Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all 4 areas of need as outlined in the 2014 SEND Code of Practice. These categories are:
Cognition & Learning
- Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
- Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
- Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)
- Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.
Communication & Interaction
- Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
- Children who experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties, which manifest in different ways.
Sensory and/or Physical Needs
- Physical Disability (PD)
- Visual Impairment (VI)
- Hearing Impairment (HI)
- Multi-sensory Impairment (MSI).
How does this setting know if their children/young person needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?
We know when pupils need help if:
- concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, learning mentor, teaching assistants or the pupil’s previous school
- there is lack of expected progress or attainment
- there is a change in the pupil’s behaviour
- a pupil asks for help
What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
- If you have concerns then please contact your child’s teacher or Miss F Lunt the SENCO. You can also speak to Mrs Ballantyne or Mrs Burton, the Family Link Champions.
How will the setting support my child/young person?
- Your child’s class teacher will discuss your child’s needs at a parents evening or other appropriate time. They will explain how they intend to support your child.
- Each pupil’s education programme will be planned by the class teacher and reviewed every half term. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil’s individual needs. This may include additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in class. A copy of this programme will be sent home.
- If a pupil has needs related to more specific areas of their education, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy & literacy skills etc. specific interventions will be used to support them. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning.
- Progress Meetings are held each half term. The Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and class teacher discuss each pupil’s progress. This discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned which will be discussed and implemented by the SENCO and Class Teacher.
- The class teacher also meets regularly with the SENCO to discuss children with SEN.
- Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support form an outside agency such as the Counselling Service, Speech & language Therapy, or a Paediatrician etc. Referral forms are then completed in conjunction with parents/carers and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers.
- Abbey Hulton Primary School has a Safeguarding Team: Mrs Brookes, Mrs Williams, Miss Lunt, Mrs Pearce, Miss Ballantyne and Mrs Burton. Mrs Williams is the designated person who monitors Safeguarding and Child protection procedures. She is also responsible for the monitoring and correct administration of the Disclosure and Barring service procedures and the school’s Single Central record. In a support and challenge role the Advisory Board ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff in an equitable way. They monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the DfE
How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person's needs?
- When a pupil has been identified with special needs their work will be differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum.
- Teaching Assistants may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.
- If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, pen/pencils grips or easy to use scissors.
How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support their learning?
- The class teacher may suggest ways of supporting your child’s learning through messages, at parents’ evenings or if you are requested to attend a meeting.
- Miss Lunt, the SENCO may meet with you to discuss how to support your child. The class teacher may meet with you discuss strategies to use if there are problems with a child’s behaviour/emotional needs.
- If outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist have been involved, suggestions and programmes of study are normally provided that can often be used at home.
- The staff in school meet every half term to discuss pupils progress. Any concerns will be discussed with parents.
- The school has an open door policy and if you had a concern that you wanted addressing quickly you could pop into school, at the beginning or end of the day and see one of the SEN team or your child's class teacher.
What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?
These include:
- Members of staff such as the class teacher, teaching assistants and SENCO, readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns.
- Children have access to a learning mentor, to discuss any issues they may have.
- Pupils who find lunchtimes a struggle are able to take time out inside with a member of staff.
- We have a Family Learning Team who work with both pupils and families.
Pupils with medical needs
- If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled in consultation with parents/carers, the SENCO and the school nursing service. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil.
- All staff will receive basic First Aid training in addition to those that are already fully trained.
- Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medication agreement in line with the medication policy is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?
At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise. The agencies used by the school include:
- Safeguarding Children Advisors
- SENDS (Specialist advisors including Autism, Specific learning difficulties, Visually and hearing impaired)
- Educational Psychologist
- CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
- AAP (Attendance Advisory Practitioner previously known as Educational Welfare Officers)
- Social Services
- Children’s Therapy Team (Speech & Language/Occupational Therapy)
What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?
All staff have received some training related to SEND. These have included sessions on:
- How to support pupils on the autistic spectrum.
- How to support pupils with emotional needs through nurturing principles.
- How to support specific medical issues, such as asthma and the use of Epi Pens.
- Speech and Language development training.
- Attachment Disorder training.
- Narcolepsy awareness.
- New SEN Code of Practice training
- Safeguarding
- Emotion Coaching.
- MAPA (Managing Actual and Potential Aggression)
Staff working specifically with SEN intervention groups have had a variety of training sessions in order to carry out interventions, such as:
- Beat dyslexia
- SOS
- Precision Teaching
- Social Stories
- Socially Speaking
- Toffee Twins
- Relationships without fear
- Switch on Literacy
- Inference training
- Talking Partners
- Comic Strip Conversations.
How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?
- Activities and school trips are available to all.
- Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate.
- Children can be supported 1:1 by a staff member.
- However, if it is deemed that an extra intensive level of support is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity/trip.
How accessible is the environment?
As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Facilities we have at present include:
- Ramps into school to make the building accessible.
- Parking (One space)
- One disabled toilet.
How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?
Abbey Hulton primary School aims to ensure that pupil’s transition is as smooth as possible. Strategies include:
Meetings between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving. Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school.
- Whole-school Transition session where each class will spend the afternoon with their new class teacher.
- Secondary school staff visit pupils prior to them joining their new school.
- Meetings between teachers, SENCO and the SENCO from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
- Where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting is arranged with Miss Lunt, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.
How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?
- The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual’s needs.
- The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year.
- If any concerns are raised on completion of assessments, the SENCO will investigate further support or advice from outside agencies if required.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?
- When the children join the school support is allocated on the information provided by the previous setting or from baseline assessments on entry. Usually, in consultation with the class teacher, the SENCO will allocate teaching assistants to individuals or small groups to support in class or in other focus groups tailored to the pupils’ needs.
- During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the pupil’s lack of progress or well-being then other interventions will be arranged.
- Parents/carers will be able to discuss the support their child is receiving with the class teacher or the SENCO at either parents evening or by dropping in at the end of the school day or by requesting a meeting.
- Occasionally we may seek the advice of a specialist advisor or Education Psychologist. This may result in an increase in the amount of support a child receives. If this support goes over 15 hours then the school may apply for an Education & Health Care Plan for your child. As a parent you would be very involved in this process and consulted at every stage.
How will our child and young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?
At various times of the year pupils complete questionnaires about their learning.
- Children who have an EHC plan will have an IEP, they will discuss their targets with their LSP (Learning Support Practitioner). They will be involved in reviewing their own targets three times a year.
- If children are withdrawn from class for intervention groups the TA running the group will explain what it is about and what the aims of the group are. Children will be asked to review at the end of each session and at the end of the intervention programme.
How will we be involved in the decisions about the learning of our children and young people?
- At various times of the year parent questionnaires are sent out.
- At the start of the school year parents are asked to sign a home school agreement.
- Parents are given time to express their thoughts at 2 parent consultation evenings a year.
- Parents of SEN pupils are invited to meet with the SENCO each term.
How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?
- We have an open door policy, where parents can call into school at the end of the day to see either the class teacher or the SENDCo. All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education. This may be through:
- Discussions with the class teacher.
- During parents evenings.
- During discussions with Mrs Williams, Miss Lunt or other professionals.
- Parents can offer to volunteer by contacting the school office.
What do I do if I want to make a complaint?
- We have a Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy which can be found on the school website; www.abbeyhultonprimary.org.uk
- When we receive your complaint we will send you an acknowledgement letter within three working days. Your complaint is investigated by a nominated member of the Senior Leadership team. This person will then reply to your complaint within fifteen working days. (Not including non-term time and public holidays).
What other support Is available to parents and how can I contact them?
Within school there are people to help, your first contact should be your child’s class teacher or the school office. Other people in school who are available to help;
- Head Teacher – Mrs Williams
- Deputy Head Teacher – Mrs Brookes
- Family Link Champions - Mrs Ballantyne & Mrs Burton
- SENCO – Miss Lunt
- Assistant SENCO - Mrs Poole
- SEN Assistant - Miss Burton
- Outside of school there are a variety of people who you can contact for further help and support;
- The Safeguarding Board – 01782 235100
- Your health visitor
- School Nurse – 03001240362
- SEND Services – 01782 232538
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council, local offer information; www.stoke.gov.uk/localoffer
- SENDIASS (Formerly Parent Partnership) 01782 234701
- Aiming Higher Together Parent Forum 07952767238
- Social Care – 01782 235100.
