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School's extended local offer response
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- Who does our school provide for?
Abbey Hulton Primary School accommodates all pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in line with the Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all 4 areas of need as outlined in the 2015 SEND Code of Practice.
The 2015 SEND Code of Practice states that a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or 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 facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools
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 Condition (ASC)
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 the school identify and assess pupils with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND)?
- Nursery children are given time to settle in before any gaps in their early learning or development are identified.
- If there are any concerns about a child prior to them entering nursery, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or class teacher will meet and discuss these needs with the health visitor, parents and other professionals involved.
- All children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be identified and assessed as early as possible.
- It is the class teacher’s responsibility to liaise with the SENCO regarding any concerns about a pupil.
- Pupils not making expected progress will be discussed by the class teacher and senior leaders in school at a pupil progress meeting, pupils will then be referred to the SENCO.
- The SENCO will identify all pupils whose level of progress is significantly below that of their peers.
- The SENCO and class teachers will liaise closely with parents to understand what parents think about their child’s learning and strengths as well as to understand how they feel school could best support their child.
- The SENCO will also consult with parents to put pupils on the school SEN register.
- Class teachers will monitor progress and complete a learning passport and PSP (Pupil Support Plan).
- The class teachers, children and parents will review progress termly. The SENCO may also be involved with this.
- Where a pupil is falling considerably behind or requires a lot of additional support the SENCO will liaise with Stoke on Trent Inclusive Learning Service, or other relevant services, for example, the Nursing Service, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy etc., parents and possibly with an Educational Psychologist.
- How do we support our children with SEND?
- Once a child has been identified as having SEND needs they will have a PSP (Pupil Support Plan) and a learning passport written by the class teacher. This will include any interventions that the child will take part in and the provision, which will be put in place to help your child make progress.
- All pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will take part in interventions either small group or 1:1 matched to their specific needs.
- Children will be assessed using a variety of standardised tests both before and after interventions and their progress will be reported to parents.
- All teachers use a variety of different teaching approaches and reasonable adjustments to match the needs of the children during lessons. Lessons are adapted to meet the needs of the pupils.
- Some pupils identified as having SEND are offered time in small group or 1:1 support.
- Pupils with an educational healthcare plan (EHCP) may also have additional support from a Learning Support Practitioner (LSP).
- For pupils who are identified as having social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMHD), members of staff such as the class teacher, teaching assistants, pupil support team, the Assistant SENCO and the SENCO, are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns.
- Children have access to the pupil support team to discuss any issues they may have.
- If children feel anxious, worried or troubled they can also “Talk to Ted”. Children can write down their worries or concerns and post them in a post box situated next to the teddy bear, Ted. Staff check the box daily.
- For pupils who find lunch times a struggle there are a variety of lunch time activities in our lunch club on offer.
- We have specialist trained staff to address a variety of social, emotional and mental health needs. Please see our section about our social and emotional interventions for more details.
- Children who are identified as having SEND access all activities as inclusive members of our school community. They participate in all school trips, extra-curricular activities e.g. music, sporting clubs and forest schools, as well as being representatives on our school forums, for example school council, eco council, safety ambassadors. Children will have access to support to join such groups if they need it.
- Who is the school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and the key staff that will help pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?
Head Teacher: Mrs L Brookes
Deputy Head Teacher: Mrs C Pearse
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO): Mrs M Brookfield
Assistant SENCO: Mrs J Poole
Senior Teaching Assistant: Miss A Burton
Pupil Support: Mrs E Burton
SEN Support Assistant: Miss L Enoch-Smith
Learning Support Practitioners: Mr S Pickford, Mrs A Tariq, Mrs T Parveen
What expertise and training do staff have?
The SENCO is a qualified teacher who has done extensive training in special educational needs and disabilities, as well as a post graduate qualification, National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination.
All staff have received training related to special educational needs. These have included sessions on;
- How to support pupils on the autistic spectrum. We also have a specialist trained member of staff Miss Enoch-Smith who is our autism advocate, who has received extensive training in this particular area of SEND.
- How to support pupils with emotional needs through nurturing principles and various social and emotional interventions
- Training on various medical conditions, including asthma, anaphylaxis and conditions pertinent to our pupils and on how to support specific medical issues, for example, the use of Epi Pens, diabetes and some medical conditions unique to individual children
- Speech and Language development training
- Dyslexia Friendly Training. Please read our dyslexia friendly school policy on our website for more details.
- Training on attachment needs
- Emotion Coaching
- Training on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Safeguarding training
- Mental Health and Bereavement Training
- Supporting children with sensory needs
Some staff are trained to deliver the following interventions:
- Switch On Literacy - Intensive reading and writing intervention, consisting of 50, 20 minutes sessions daily for 10 weeks. This is delivered one to one.
- Switch on Reading – Intensive reading intervention, consisting of 50, 20 minutes sessions daily for 10 weeks. This is delivered one to one.
- Inference intervention– this intervention promotes enjoyment of reading by boosting vocabulary knowledge and by building meaning into reading to boost inference skills. This is delivered in a group of around 6 children. It lasts for 10 weeks and takes place twice a week.
- Talk Boost KS2 - oral language based intervention for children in years 3, 4, 5 and 6. This is delivered in small groups of 5-6 children. This is an 8 week programme and takes place twice a week.
- Talk Boost KS1 - oral language based intervention for children in years 1 and 2. This is delivered in small groups of 5-6 children. This is a 10 week programme and takes place 3 times per week.
- Nuffield Early Years Language Intervention –oral language based intervention for children in nursery and reception. This is delivered in small groups of 5-6 children.
- Time to Talk Intervention can be used with children aged between 4 and 6 years old, who need a helping hand in developing their oral and social interaction skills. This takes place in a group of up to 6 children for 6 weeks, 3 times a week.
- Numicon – involves a multi-sensory approach to number representation using the concrete Numicon resources. This can be delivered 1:1 and in a small group.
- Lego therapy – encourages students to express their thoughts and ideas on any topic by building symbolic models with Lego bricks. This can be delivered on a one to one basis or in small groups of up to 4 children.
- Precision Teaching is a very effective learning support technique to build up a child's sight vocabulary or number skills as well as confidence. It uses probes specific to the child's stage of learning and is delivered on a one to one basis daily for 5-10 minutes.
- Simultaneous Oral Spelling – a multisensory spelling strategy which is effective for children who struggle with spelling and dyslexic pupils. This is delivered on a one to one basis.
- Power Plus 1 and Power of 2 – maths interventions to focus on basic number skills. This is short 5-10 minute intervention, which is delivered on a 1:1 basis daily.
- Cutting crew – a programme used to develop fine and gross motor skills using scissors.
- Handwriting with a focus on letter formation. This intervention helps children who are forming some of their letters incorrectly. Correct letter formation is really important, as this will help with legibility and, eventually, speed. This intervention lasts for 6 weeks and takes place twice a week.
- Handwriting with a focus on fluency and speed. This programme has been designed to improve handwriting speed and legibility for children who are forming their letters correctly. This intervention lasts for 6 weeks and takes place twice a week and is delivered to a small group of up to 5 children.
- Fine Motor skills. This intervention focuses on developing skilled hand use and visual perception. It is delivered in a small group of up to 5 children. This intervention lasts for 6 weeks and takes place 3 times a week. Each session is around 30 minutes long.
- Cool Kids Gross Motor Skills Intervention is aimed at building a child’s motor skills so that they can develop in physical activity and improve their ability to regulate their own emotions by using a calming sensory input. The programme may also help some children who have difficulties with listening and language development. This is a 25 session programme. Sessions last for 15-20 minutes.
- CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) is a highly effective approach for preventing and managing behavioural incidents. This is delivered on a one to one basis.
- Talk about developing self-awareness and self-esteem is an intervention that focuses on developing social and relationship skills. It is designed to help children be more self-aware and increase their self-esteem and assertiveness. It is delivered in a small group of up to 6 children twice a week for 9 weeks. The sessions are around 30 minutes long.
- Talk about developing friendship skills is an intervention that focuses on developing the skill needed to make reciprocal friendships. It is designed to help children be more self-aware and increase their self-esteem and assertiveness. It is delivered in a small group of up to 6 children twice a week for 8 weeks. Each session is around 30 minutes long.
- Talk about developing social skills. Social competence is an essential aspect of our quality of life and this intervention helps to develop these skills in young children. It is delivered in a small group of up to 6 children twice a week for 8 weeks. Each session is around 30 minutes long.
- Zones of Regulation Intervention is a visual system used to control emotion-driven behaviours by managing overwhelming emotions. A zones of regulation intervention can be useful for many individuals, including those who experience anger and violence or have an autistic spectrum condition (ASC). This is delivered in a small group of up to maximum 5 children. This intervention is delivered 3 times a week for 5 weeks.
Some children use ICT devices to access interventions such as Lexia and educational apps to support their learning. Staff have received training in these interventions.
Our Pupil Support Officer, Mrs E Burton and SENCO can refer children to the following intervention services:
- Drawing and Talking – for pupils with anxiety
- Staywell – this includes bereavement and loss, changes for young people and mind – for pupils who need extra support with mental health
- NHS MHST (Mental Health Support Worker) for pupils who need extra support with mental health. This is run by professionals at Keele University and includes parent and child groups.
- CAMHS (Child & Adult Mental Health)
- School Nursing Hub
- Parenting Classes run by Family Services
We can also access Children’s Advice and Duty service (formally known as Children Services) for access to family support worker and social workers. Our safeguarding lead, Mrs E Burton, open and lead an early help plan for early intervention and support.
- What equipment and facilities does the school have to support children with SEND?
- Pupils will have a variety of concrete resources to help them access lessons and to help them with their independent work. This may be; counters, learning placements, word lists, number lines; number squares, Numicon and memory and visual aids.
- Highly trained staff to deliver specialist SEN interventions and support where appropriate.
- Access to laptops or iPads as alternative ways of recording (including the use of Clicker8 and touch typing packages); writing slopes and specialist pencils and grips to help pupils with fine motor skills.
- Use of coloured paper or overlays
- Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate fully in school life.
- We have a sensory room called the Zone, where children who need it can access sensory input and a calm space to self or co-regulate if needed.
- We have a room for small group and 1:1 work, where interventions and group work take place.
- We have a SEN Inclusion Room, called Acorn Wood, with its own dedicated space for children who need to complete small group activities, access interventions or work in a quieter space if they need it. This includes kitchen facilities for cooking and other activities
- 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 for wheelchair access, accessible classrooms and one disabled toilet.
- Disabled Parking, next to the main entrance.
- How are parents involved in their child’s learning?
- We very much value parent voice. You have a vital role to play in helping us plan provision for your child.
- We have an open door policy so that parents can speak to staff before or after school as they are dropping their children off or picking them up.
- Our SENCO and Assistant SENCO are available on class dojo if you would like to send a dojo message.
- Our SEND team offers drop is sessions at various times of the year when parents of SEND pupils can come along to discuss any issues or concerns they may have.
- Our parents are involved with class teachers to write learning passports and Pupil Support Plans for our SEND pupils.
- At various times of the year parent questionnaires are sent out to seek parental voice.
- Parents are given time to express their thoughts at 2 parent consultation evenings a year.
- Parents of SEND pupils are invited to meet with the SENCO each parents’ evening.
- Parents whose children who have IEPs (Individual Education Plans) will get these sent out each half term and parent feedback and comments is an important part of this process.
- Someone from the Senior Leadership Team is frequently on the gate at morning and home-time.
- Parents are welcome to email the SENCO at admin@abbeyhultonprimary.org.uk or ring the office to make an appointment.
- How does our school consult and involve children in their own learning?
- The staff and governors value the contribution of all the children in the school. Their ideas and opinions are respected and where possible acted upon if appropriate. Children contribute to target setting and are consulted during the review process. Where appropriate pupils with an EHC Plan are invited to contribute to their own annual review meeting. Children with SEND are included and well represented in all our extracurricular activities and on our school council.
- How does the school involve other services in providing for children with SEND?
- The school benefits from the support of Inclusive Learning Services.
- The SENCO liaises, when appropriate, with a network of external support, including Health, Social Care, Inclusion Services, Educational Psychology Service, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, advisory teachers for visually and hearing impaired and CAMHS.
- Who can I contact to help support me and my child?
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 Brookes
- Deputy Head Teacher – Mrs Pearse
- Pupil Support Officer – Mrs E Burton
- SENCo – Mrs Brookfield
- Assistant SENCo – Mrs Poole
- Senior Teaching Assistant – Miss A Burton
- How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Abbey Hulton Primary School or transferring to a new school or new year group?
Abbey Hulton primary School aims to ensure that pupil’s transition is as smooth as possible. Strategies include:
- Nursery staff do home visits prior to a child joining Nursery.
- Nursery hold ‘Play & Stay’ sessions in the summer term prior to them joining the school in the Autumn Term.
- Nursery children have a staggered start to the school year to break them in gently.
- 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 Days where each class spend the afternoon with their new class teacher.
- Some children received an enhanced transition to the next year group if they need extra support with this.
- Secondary school staff visit pupils prior to them joining their new school.
- Meetings between teachers and/or the SENCO and the SENCO from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils and to plan together for the child’s transition into secondary school.
- Where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting is arranged with Mrs Brookfield, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.
Pupils who are considered vulnerable are offered extra transition support to high school; this may include extra visits or holiday clubs.
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