Moorpark Junior School

OFSTED rating

Moorpark Junior School is located in Burslem. We educate children from Year 3 to Year 6.

At Moorpark we aim for high standards and outstanding achievement in a creative and fun environment that has an emphasis on the mastery of basic skills within an enquiry based “finding out” approach to the wider curriculum.

We encourage our children to REACH and be successful learners. We foster attitudes to ensure that all children BELIEVE in themselves and that anything is possible with positive challenge and determination. Moorpark teaches children to EXPLORE their environment and learn from the variety of enriching experiences that the school has to offer. Ultimately we BELIEVE that everyone at Moorpark can ACHIEVE the best in everything that they do.

As of July 1st 2018, we are now part of the New Guild Trust.

Contact name Mrs Karen Peters
Contact position Head
Contact telephone 01782 234440
Contact email moorpark@moorparkjunior.co.uk
Venue address Park Road
Burslem
Stoke on Trent
ST6 1EL
Venue notes

Moorpark Junior School is a trauma informed school, with Nurture trained staff. Moorpark offers wrap around care in the form of our before and after school club. Before school care club opens at 7.30am and after school care club is open until 6pm.

Website http://www.moorpark.stoke.sch.uk
School's extended local offer response

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

Moorpark Junior School accommodates all SEND in line with Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all four areas of need outlined in the 2015 SEND code of practice.  These are:

  • Cognition and Learning (C&L)
  • Communication and Interaction (C&I)
  • Social, Mental and Emotional Health (SEMH)
  • Physical and or Sensory Difficulties. (PD or SD)

To ensure that all children’s needs are met, we will work with parents, carers and external agencies to ensure that we can best meet the needs of all our learners. 

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, or the pupil’s previous school
  • Tracking of attainment outcomes indicates a lack of progress
  • Pupil observation indicates that they have additional needs 
  • A pupil asks for help

If your child is then identified as not making progress, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:

  • listen to any concerns you may have
  • plan any additional support your child may receive
  • discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning

If you have concerns, then please discuss these with your child’s teacher. 

  • This then may result in a referral to the SENCo: Mrs S Mills
  • You may wish to also speak to the Head of school, Mrs L Wright, or the Head Teacher, Mrs K Peters

All parents and carers will be listened to. Parent and carer views and their aspirations for their child will be central to the assessment and provision that is provided by the school

How will the setting support my child/young person?

All pupils will be provided with high quality teaching (Quality First Teaching) that is differentiated to meet the diverse needs of all learners. 

Pupils with a special educational need or disability (SEND) will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” in order to increase their access to the taught curriculum.

If there are concerns raised regarding a child’s progress, an individual assessment of the pupil will be undertaken in order to make an accurate assessment of their needs. 

Additional action/support to increase the rate of progress will be then identified.

If, after additional action/support has been given, a review indicates that further support will be required, parents and carers will be informed that the school considers their child may require SEN support and their partnership will be sought in order to improve attainments.

  • SEN support will be recorded on a passport that will identify a clear set of measurable, expected outcomes. Progress towards these outcomes will be tracked and reviewed termly with the parents and the pupil.
  • If progress rates are still judged to be inadequate despite the delivery of high quality interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies regarding strategies to best meet the specific needs of a pupil.  This will only be undertaken after parent permission has been obtained
  • For a very small percentage of pupils, whose needs are significant and complex and the special educational provision required to meet their needs cannot reasonably be provided from within the school’s own resources, a request will be made to the local authority to conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs.  This may result in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan being provided.

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

We have high expectations of all our children and believe that the key to success is to involve all children in decisions about their learning.  Our curriculum is very child led. We allow the children to review previous topics and design new ones. Where possible, we use children’s interests and hobbies in their learning. We believe in hands-on, fun learning that is specific to meet the different levels that children are working at.

Teachers plan using pupils’ achievement levels, differentiating work to better match ability to work provided for all pupils in the classroom. We strive to give each child quality first teaching. Where a pupil has been identified as having special needs, their work will be further differentiated by the class teacher to remove barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum more easily.   In addition, they will be provided with additional support that may include specialised equipment or resources, ICT and/or additional adult help as identified by outside agencies. 

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 sent home 3 times a year so that you are aware of academic progress termly. Your child’s SEN passport will be reviewed termly this will involve your own views- reviews will be sent home to ensure you are included in the review process. SEN passports are also sent home so that you too can support your child at home and ensure that they make good progress.  If any help is required we are always happy to support you.

There are parents’ and carers’ consultation meetings held termly and your child’s class teacher will inform you of the progress your child is making. In addition to the regular parents’ and carers' consultation meetings, our SENCO, Mrs Mills, holds termly SEN updates for those parents and carers who would like a more in depth conversation about their child’s targets and what the school is providing for their child through various interventions.  Annual reports are sent home and these can be discussed at the final parents’ and carers’ meetings held in July.

You can make an appointment to see the class teacher, Home School Link Worker (Mrs Findler) or SENCO (Mrs Mills) to discuss any matters regarding your child’s progress.  If external agencies are involved, we will discuss this with you so that their role is clear. We will also ensure you have copies of any reports that they issue.

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

At Moorpark Juniors, we want every pupil to feel safe and secure.  Our aim is to provide positive role models for the children so that they can foster their own positive relationships and get on well with others. In order to ensure that we are a very inclusive and nurturing school, Moorpark have a variety of ways to ensure that this is possible. 

  • A positive behaviour and rewards policy that is reviewed yearly to ensure that it meets the needs of all pupils, including those pupils with SEMH needs.
  • Staff trained in nurture to help guide and support pupils with additional needs
  • Children peer mediators are available at break times to help children deal with playground conflicts in a positive and productive manner.
  • Home School Link Worker (Mrs Findler)
  • Nurture leader (Mrs Hazledine)
  • Weekly Younger Mind counselling services for those children who need a little extra support.
  • Outside agency support such as the school nursing service, Educational Psychology and SEND services who can also provide further help and development strategies for children.

We can also provide help and support for parents and carers, to enable you to better understand your child’s needs and support their wellbeing. We are there to support the wellbeing of parents and carers too.

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

We have access to a wide range of expertise including:

  • School nursing service,
  • Occupational therapy (supporting the child to remain independent physically),
  • Speech and language therapy,
  • Physiotherapy (supporting with physical difficulties and exercises)
  • Educational psychology (supporting emotional difficulties)
  • SEND services (provide help for those children with specific learning difficulties, language difficulties and those on the autistic spectrum)
  • Hearing and Visually impaired services.
  • Additional support for children with an EHCP or statement from the specialist providers across the city.
  • EWO (Educational Welfare Officer)
  • CAMHS (for children who require more specialist support regarding their social, emotional and mental health)
  • Younger Minds and the Dove service.
  • Behaviour Support Service (for children who may need more support in making positive choices in their behaviour.)

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

Staff have regularly receive training on delivering a wide range of interventions. They have had specific training which will continue, on inclusive strategies and early identification of needs, attachment and trauma, Quality First Teaching and restorative justice. We have been trained on relationships and how early positive relationships can impact on a child’s social progress.

Specifically, we can offer staff who are trained to deliver reading and writing extra support programmes, including those to support dyslexia and speech and language problems. Across the school we use booster programmes as extra support for maths.

Some of our staff have received further training to support children’s emotional and social needs, including several staff with nurture accredited training.

Other staff offer support for physical difficulties, visual and hearing impairment.  For those staff who are working with children with specific disabilities, we will always seek relevant advice and/or training from external agencies involved in the care of that child. 

We also have staff members that have completed training to support those children displaying Autistic behaviours, others are experienced working with children with ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Difficulty).

A few of our staff are MAPA trained (Managing Actual and Potential Aggression). Though used extremely rarely, this enables us to keep children safe in heightened risk of physical situations.

Staff work quite flexibly across the school so that their training and expertise is used by those individuals who need it. Our training remains ongoing to ensure our interventions are delivered to a high standard. Should a child’s need be identified that we currently can’t meet, then training and sharing knowledge across schools is planned so that we can. If we are ever in the position of recruiting new staff then their experience and expertise are considered to best meet the needs of our individuals.

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

All children are included in educational visits regardless of their needs. This may mean that specific risk assessments are completed or additional adults are included. Places that we visit are informed of specific needs, so that they can plan ahead in order to meet the needs of our children.

How accessible is the environment?

Access to the curriculum is carried out through differentiation which includes different ways of recording, differentiation through success criteria and differentiation through learning outcomes.  We will provide reasonable adjustments for those children who require additional support to access the curriculum.  For example, coloured overlay, sloping boards and larger keyboards if necessary.  To ensure that all children can access the curriculum, staff and the SENCO regularly consult with SEND services and any other external agencies to ensure that we are making the curriculum accessible for all.

Access to the building is reviewed through our premises committee and any children who require modified access are discussed and reasonable adjustments made to accommodate their needs.  Some examples of this are: moving classrooms for those children who cannot access stairs easily, visually distinct hand rails for children with visual impairments and disabled toileting facilities for staff and children with specific physical and medical needs.  

We ensure that parents and carers have access to all school information in a format that meets their specific needs e.g. larger printed newsletters, one to one sharing of information direct from adults in school, translated information via the website or on request via the employment of a translator. We encourage parents and carers to let us know how we can best provide any information if we are not already doing so.

We review our accessibility policy annually to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our whole school community.

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

A planned programme of transition visits are provided in the summer term for pupils starting Moorpark in September.   This is carefully planned and in consultation with colleagues from our main feeder school, Jackfield Infants.  In order to help this transition, throughout the year we share assemblies, concerts, playtimes, workshops, visitors as well as full transition days in the Summer.

Parents and carers are invited to a meeting at the school in the summer term and are provided with a range of information to support them in enabling their child to settle into the school routine.

If pupils are transferring from another school, the previous school records will be requested immediately and a meeting will be set up with parents to identify and reduce any concerns, if necessary.  

For those children moving on from Moorpark Junior School, we will provide all the relevant information to their new setting.   

When the children leave in Year 6, there is a full transition programme in place which begins in Year 5.  Children visit the local high schools and take part in lessons, tours and by the time they reach Year 6 in the Summer Term, they will be taking part in full days to gain a real taste of what secondary education is like.  For those children at SEN support/Statement or EHCP level, transitions will begin much earlier in the Autumn or Spring Terms so that they can be prepared for this change.  The school SENCO team at the secondary school will be informed and a plan put in place to best meet the needs of your child. 

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

If a child requires a particular item of equipment or an adult requires certain training in order to meet the child's needs then that is allocated accordingly. In order to meet this need, the use of pupil premium funding may also be used. 

Support staff are allocated to classes/groups of children depending on their experience and relationship with the children. If a class has many needs to meet, then they will have greater access to adult support.

Other ways we can allocate resources are as follows:

  • Specialist support from teachers or Learning Support Practitioners e.g. quality structured intervention groups or individual programmes, 1:1 tuition
  • Bought in support from external agencies e.g. Educational Psychology, Younger Minds Counselling services
    • Purchase of resources for programme delivery for specific needs eg. Nessie for phonic and spelling work
  • Purchase of Assessment tools including: spelling, reading and vocabulary tools to identify children with language and literacy difficulties. 
  • CPD relating to SEND for staff.

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

This will be done in consultation with our Advisory Teacher (a specialist teacher from the local authority). All approaches now follow the new SEN code of practice guidance which follows a process of assessing your child’s needs, planning an intervention programme and support which is specific to their needs. This is then completed for a specified time period and then reviewed at specified intervals. Parents or carers, children and staff are all involved in the review process so that targets set meet the needs of the child offering a complete approach to their learning.  If a child is still not making enough progress, further support will be gained from external agencies.  On the other hand, if a child makes progress, adult support may gradually be withdrawn to enable them to become more independent learners. 

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

Children’s views are collected via termly questionnaires, transition day activities and interviews with them throughout the year. We also have a very active school council team, who work with the local councillors to shape the school on a termly basis. 

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

We love home learning and at Moorpark we have weekly homework, which has either a Maths or English focus. The children are also working together as a class as they attempt to 'Read around the World' with our whole school competition.

The views of parents and carers are collected via termly questionnaires, teacher or and SENCO meetings, you will be involved in the review of your child’s special needs passport and have input on their future targets.

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

At Moorpark Juniors, we want parents and carers to be involved in every stage of their child’s education.  We have an open door policy and welcome parent’s and carer’s views and ideas regarding school, the curriculum and any other ideas you may have.

You are very welcome to be involved with our Parent Council who meet on Friday afternoons. They support the school by helping out at events such as sports day, concerts and discos. They may support the children during golden time activities and on educational visits.

Parents and carers are actively encouraged to come into school for our regular coffee mornings, 'Watch me Learn' sessions and to help us shape policies we often ask for your feedback. We may go through new things that are happening or being introduced and ask for your thoughts.

Parents and carers are asked to complete a range of surveys to provide us with regular feedback on how we are doing and what we can make even better.

There is a minimum of two parent governors who are members of the school’s full governing body.

Parents’ and carers’ consultation evenings and SEN meetings take place three times a year.

Pupil Passports are sent home informing parents of progress, targets and how the child feels about their learning. These are sent 3 times a year.

SEN Passports are discussed and reviewed 3 times a year. Those children who have a Statement of Special Educational Need are reviewed annually with parents; these are now called EHC (Education, Health and Care) Plans.

Some children, where appropriate, take part in a planned ‘meet and greet’ first thing in the morning or a ‘check out’ at the end of the day. This provides a ‘hand over’ time between parents or carers and staff.

Some children take home a communication book. This provides parents or carers with information from the school day and invites parents or carers to inform staff of important information from home.

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

If you have a complaint regarding any issue in school, we ask that you first of all meet with the class teacher or SENCo to see if the problem can be resolved immediately.  If you feel this is not appropriate, or that it is a more serious issue that needs to be dealt with by more senior staff, please do not hesitate to contact the head teacher, Mrs Karen Peters, to air your concerns and discuss the issues that are concerning you. 

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

Within school we have a number of people to help, support and provide information. 

School

01782 234440

Mrs Peters: Headteacher

Mrs Wright: Head of School

Mrs Mills: SENCo

Mrs Findler: Home School Link

Mrs Hazeldine: Nurture Leader.

If you need further support from an external agency, the following may be able to support you:

SENDIASS - SEND Information, Advice & Support Service

Monday - Friday Telephone Helpline Operates: 10.00 to 17.00pm - 01782 234701 or 01782 234847

www.sendiass-stoke.co.uk/

SEND services  (Special Educational Needs Service Stoke on Trent)

01782 234538

http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/content/council-and-democracy/0409-directorates/cyps-folder/send-services-information-for-families.en

Stoke on Trent Council

Here you will find relevant support, information and guidance as to other agencies available to help you. 

http://localoffer.stoke.gov.uk/kb5/stoke/directory/home.page