Burnwood Nursery School

Burnwood is a Community School, where creative learning builds confidence and lifelong skills. Everyone is valued at Burnwood Community and we strive to create a safe, inclusive, enjoyable and creative learning environment for all. We are proud that our pupils enjoy coming to school and excel in their learning. We prepare our children to be lifelong learners and provide enriched activities which give a variety of opportunity to develop socially as well as academically.

The school has agreed clear aims which are developed and supported by the whole school community. These principles encourage development of self-esteem, confidence and achievement for all. These are embedded throughout the school. The school ethos underpins these aims by fostering a welcoming environment, respecting and valuing diversities and by rewarding positive behaviour.

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

The school accommodates all special educational needs and disabilities in line with the Equality Act 2010. Provision is available for the four areas of need; communication and interaction, cognition and learning, sensory and physical needs and social, emotional and mental health.

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?

At Burnwood Community School we identify children with special educational needs by using a range of information. We gain advice from health care and education professionals and listen to parents, teachers and the young person. This information is combined with assessment results as well as specific screening tests, standardised tests and observations. This gives us a clear picture of the child including their areas of strength as well as those areas that require further development and support. If you think your child may have special educational needs then please speak to their class teacher or contact the school SENCo.

How will the setting support my child/young person?

Children receive ‘quality first teaching’ and additional support where required. Support staff are used to provide targeted learning support and to deliver specific interventions. Where necessary, advice will be sought from specialist agencies or provisions and this will be planned as appropriate in consultation with parents. Progress is closely monitored and reviewed by the SENCo and the senior leadership team.

How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person's needs?

We use an inclusive, creative curriculum which is differentiated to match an individual’s ability. Personalised learning is identified through the Assertive Mentoring programme, the Stoke Pathways and by using advice from outside agencies. Class teachers carefully differentiate lessons to meet the children’s individual needs. Adaptations to lessons are made, including the use of specialist equipment where necessary, to ensure that all children are fully included and can access the curriculum.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support their learning?

Pupil passports are agreed and reviewed termly for all SEN support children as well as those with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health care plan. The passport identifies the targets that your child is working towards as well as how your child can be supported at home. Regular meetings between parents and school provide an opportunity for targets and progress to be discussed. Half termly assessments are used to help to track your child’s progress as well as observations. We operate an ‘open door’ policy and use home school diaries to support communication.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?

We are a nurturing school and follow the six principles of nurture; Children’s learning is understood developmentally, the classroom offers a safe environment, we recognise the importance of nurture to develop self-esteem, language is a vital means of communication, the importance of transition in children’s lives and that all behaviour is communication. Our behaviour support team work with children and encourage social and emotional development.  In addition, we use the PSHE Jigsaw Programme which supports children’s emotional literacy and social skill development.

If your child has a medical condition then a care plan will be created. For the school staff to administer medication, a parent will need to give permission and give details about the time of administration.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?

Within school the majority of staff are experienced in supporting children with special educational needs and/or a disability. The school receives support from SEND Service, the Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Educational Psychologist. We also access the school nurse hub and CAMHS. We regularly use the special school outreach programme including accessing their Rebound Therapy sessions.

The school receives additional support from:

• Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Behaviour Support Team
• Hearing Impairment Service
• Physical Impairment Service
• Visual Impairment Service
• ASD Support
• SLCN Resource centre
• Early Years Intervention Service

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?

Burnwood Community School ensures that all staff continue to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in the field of SEND through regular CPD which is held within school and through attending outside training events led by external agencies.

In addition:

• The SENCo attends SENCo Forum and SENCo network meetings and is supported by the local SEND Service. The information from these events is gathered by the SENCo and cascaded to all staff through INSET, staff meetings, progress meetings and one to one training sessions.
• The SENCo has half termly meetings with the support team to update them on key areas of SEND development within the school.
• Fortnightly drop-in sessions are held for members of staff who require support and advice for individual pupils.
• The SENCo will attend staff meetings to update teachers on key areas of development within SEND as necessary.
• Burnwood is a Dyslexia friendly school.

In addition to the above training and CPD opportunities there has been the following training:

• All staff have received Emotional Literacy training from the Educational Psychology Service.
• Numicon Training
• Talking Partners
• Talking Maths
• SENCo Award
• Child Protection
• Quality first teaching
• Positive Handling
• Stoke Speaks Out
• Solution Circle
• Precision Teaching
• Attachment Training
• School Readiness: Early Communication

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

We are an inclusive school and all children are included on school visits. Risk assessments are carried out and parents are kept informed of visits. Staff to child ratios are adhered to and reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that all children can access the activity or school trip.

How accessible is the environment?

Our school is fully accessible with lifts in various places throughout the building. Future building plans include adapting the office window opening so that it is at an accessible height for wheelchair users and identifying areas that require door openers. We have adapted toilets suitable for disabled users and use adapted equipment and technology. Parents can contact school using the telephone, email or the text service and for those parents whose first language is not English, we can use Google translate. Our school website is designed so that it can be translated in to many languages.

How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?

We promote independence and help children to prepare for the next stage of their education as well as teaching life skills. Additional transition visits are arranged for children with special educational needs and these visits give the children and parents an opportunity to meet their new teacher. Additional visits to high school are arranged for children who are in Year 6 and the school links with the other schools in the area to arrange transfer visits. 

How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

There is a regular review of resources within school. We purchase identified personal equipment, resources, training, research based interventions and additional adults to support children who have been identified as having special educational needs. The resources are used at the discretion of the head teacher, governing body and SENCo to best meet the needs of all learners.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

 All children receive quality first teaching. Following identification of a special educational need, a graduated response is used where children have access to additional support and intervention. Decisions regarding this support are based upon the advice and discussions with parents, school and outside agencies. Children who receive SEN Support will be carefully monitored and referred to the educational psychologist if they are working well below age related expectations and need to be considered for additional funding through an Education, Health Care Plan.  

How will our child and young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?

The children are involved in all stages of their learning and their views are included within their passport and/or annual review. Through these discussions the children are encouraged to consider what helps them with their learning and to identify any potential barriers so that school can help to overcome them. These discussions are usually between the children, their class teacher and where appropriate, the teaching assistant.

How will we be involved in the decisions about the learning of our children and young people?

Class teachers meet with parents termly to discuss and review the child’s progress and their new targets. This is an opportunity for parents to discuss the provision that school provide as well as providing their views. Throughout the SEN process parent’s views are gained along with permission for their child to access specialist advice or provision. We operate an ‘open door’ policy and encourage parents to contact the school or the class teacher if they wish to discuss their child’s development further.

How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?

Parents are welcome at Burnwood and we offer a range of ways to get involved. We have developed an extensive range of extended services and family learning opportunities which are designed around your needs and interests. We have committed groups who support the school with various projects, such as our Year 6 leavers’ event, community days and more. Please contact the school for more information.

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

If you have any concerns about the provision made for your child you should in the first instance discuss this with your child’s class teacher. If you require further advice then a discussion with the SENCo can be arranged, who will work in collaboration with the class teacher. If you feel that the situation has still not been resolved, an appointment with the head teacher can be arranged. Parents can also receive support from the SENDIASS service.

What other support Is available to parents and how can I contact them?

Parents can contact our school inclusion team:

Mrs R Rawlinson – SENCo

Mr W Rawson – Behaviour Support Manager

Mrs W Bryan – Home School Link Worker

To contact SEND Services telephone 01782 232538 or email SEND@stoke.gov.uk

Parents can also receive support from SENDIASS (formerly Parent Partnership) http://www.sendiass-stoke.co.uk/ or see their local offer http://localoffer.stoke.gov.uk/kb5/stoke/directory/service.page?id=O3xbjkG2dxM&familychannel=1