The Meadows Primary Academy

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A 'Good' (OFSTED 2018) Primary School.

At The Meadows, every child is encouraged to believe in themselves and to have high aspirations. Through promoting a positive attitude combined with a strong work ethic; our children know that they can do well in life if they work hard and aim high. This is woven into everything that we do through our core values of respect, positivist and collective responsibility.

The school is set in large grounds and therefore benefits from being built all on one level. There are very few steps around the site and none at all inside the building. 

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

The school accommodates all SEND in line with The Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all four areas of need as outlined in the 2014 SEND Code of Practice:

Communication and interaction- difficulty in communicating with others, including children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Asperger’s Syndrome, who may have difficulties with social interaction, language, communication and imagination.

Cognition and learning - where children may learn at a slower pace than their peers. Children may also have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia. 

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties - children may display challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour which may reflect underlying social, emotional and mental health issues. The school will seek to recognise and identify these underlying issues through our knowledge of the child. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical needs- where children have a disability which prevents them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided and includes children with visual impairment, hearing impairment or a multi-sensory impairment. They require specialist support and/or equipment to enable them to access learning and all the opportunities that are available to their peers.

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 The Meadows Primary Academy School we believe early intervention is essential so that every child has their needs met. This is achieved through a comprehensive screening process which initially focuses on the areas of speech, language and communication to ensure any difficulties in these areas can be addressed.

In addition, we know children need extra help if:

• concerns are raised by parents/carers, school staff, or the pupil’s previous school
• there is lack of progress despite appropriate differentiation within class
• there is a marked change in the pupil’s behaviour for no apparent reason
• a pupil asks for help.

If you think your child has special educational needs the first person to speak to is your child’s class teacher who will be able to discuss your concerns. Should your child continue to experience difficulties the class teacher will liaise with the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO) for further advice. The SENCO Team will then establish what, if any, interventions, support or advice from other agencies need to be put in place. The SENCO Team may also meet with the School Nurse to establish if any input from the School Nurse Team is required. 

How will the setting support my child/young person?

Your child’s needs will be met within the class, supported by high quality teaching, including lesson planning that takes account of the needs of each child.

The progress of all children is reviewed on a regular basis.

The class teacher will develop a plan for your child with the SENCO, setting appropriate targets. This will be reviewed three times a year to ensure that support remains appropriate.

Where necessary an individual programme of support (intervention) will be used and progress monitored. The length of time of any intervention will vary according to need, but will usually be for one term initially.

Where necessary the school may seek support from outside services, usually via Local Authority SEND services. This will be discussed with you and a referral made with your permission.

 The governing body is responsible for ensuring that funding is used appropriately, and for monitoring teaching and accessibility. 

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

The curriculum taught at The Meadows Primary Academy takes account of the needs of every child and lessons are pitched appropriately so that all children are able to progress in their learning. Teachers take account of the needs of the individual child and plan different tasks and materials appropriately.

Robust tracking and assessment is in place to enable staff to monitor and analyse the progress of each child. Targets are set to support children’s individual needs and are regularly updated.

Children can work in a variety of groupings, according to individual need, such as small supported groups, 1:1, mixed ability and similar ability groups within the classroom. A small number of children may need additional intervention within small groups or 1:1 with appropriately trained staff outside the classroom.

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

Here at The Meadows Primary Academy, all staff have a clear idea of how each child is achieving.  All children have progress and attainment tracked through a school tracking system called School Pupil Tracker Online.  This shows each child’s progress against the National Curriculum Objectives as the year progresses.  Each class teacher can access all of their class and the SENCO, can access all progress data on children in the school. Family Consultations take place twice year which is a discussion held between the parent/carer, teacher and child and yearly reports go out in July. For children on the SEN register termly discussions are also held to discuss your child's progress alongside their targets. At any point you are welcome to come into school to share any concerns that you may have.

As a parent, you can find advice on how to help your child at home through our leaflets on entry to school, also discussions with the class teacher will support you in what to do at home to support your child.  If your child has an SEN or Disability they will receive additional monitoring through the use of diagnostic and standardised assessments which give more detailed information about what support you child may need.  Also children with Education and Health Care Plan will receive an annual review to enable all involved to be clear on progress.  All children receiving SEN support will have an IEP which outlines the child’s targets and how we are going to support them to achieve these.

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

The Meadows Primary Academy staff consist of a very experienced and knowledgeable team to support the well being of your child. We have supported pupils who need provision such as nurture groups and social skills and friendship groups, behaviour programmes including rewards and sanctions.

Medicines can be administered in school with signed parental permission.  There are nominated first aiders in school and several members of staff have pediatric first aid qualifications. If your child has significant medical needs you will need to speak to any member of the Families Team to discuss how we can best support you and your child.  This might include drawing up a Health Care Plan with the School Nurse.

We also have access to specialist services and expertise through the Local Authority.

The class teacher has responsibility for the overall well-being of every child in their class.  If you have any worries speak to the class teacher first. If further support is needed the class-teacher will speak to the SENCO or appropriate member of staff.

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

Agencies used by the school to offer further advice include, Local Authority SEND Services, Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Special Schools Outreach Team.

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

Staff at The Meadows Primary Academy have received a wide variety of up to date training in a wide range of areas. This includes specific needs such as ASD and Dyslexia as well as core curriculum areas.

Staff who work more intensively with children who have special educational needs have had up to date training in those specific areas.

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

The Meadows Primary Academy ensures all children are included in activities outside the classroom as they are within. Risk assessments are carried out for each trip and an appropriate number of adults accompany the pupils, with 1:1 support where necessary. Parents/carers are invited to accompany their child on a school trip if this ensures access for a child who has particular needs. After school clubs are available to all pupils. Vulnerable pupils are given priority and adjustments will be made to support their participation. Health and safety audits are conducted as and when appropriate.

How accessible is the environment?

Facilities we have at present include: low level entrance and exit points to make the building accessible to all, one disabled toilet. 

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

Induction events take place prior to children who joining the Foundation Stage in September.

Close liaison between school staff and Early Years, Key Stage 3 and dual placement settings. This may involve multi-agency meetings to support the transition.

Previous schools/new school/placement contacted for essential information sharing.

Transition sessions for Year 6 pupils during the summer term or earlier if necessary. 

New school are invited to attend any reviews prior to transition.

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

The special educational needs (SEN) budget is managed by our School Business Manager. Our finances are monitored and audited regularly and we utilise resources to support the strategic aims of our setting as well as individual learner needs. We seek to ensure a ‘value for money’ service, therefore all interventions are costed and evaluated to measure impact of provision.

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

All of our children receive quality first teaching which is rigorously monitored and evaluated every term.  Where this is not enough for an individual child, additional support or intervention will be planned to address your child’s needs initially by the class teacher.  If this is still not having the impact required, discussions will be held with the SEN Team and an additional layer of support will be planned for which may involve requesting advice from one or more of the outside agencies such as SEND services, Educational Psychologist, Special School Outreach Team. We also employ our own school counsellor.

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

The children are involved in the running of the school through the school leadership team. Each class also nominates a class member to sit on the school council team.

In addition, children are always invited along with their parents to Family Consultation Evenings and discuss reviews of their targets and progress.

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

The Meadows Primary Academy has an open door policy and staff are available to talk with parents over any concerns or worries that either party may have. We consider the views of our parents / carers and children with the highest regard. We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents. We are open and honest with parents and hope that they are able to do the same with us.

We also have parent questionnaires which go out to all families each term and parent coffee mornings for each key stage and the key stage leader.

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

We work in partnership with parents to support each child’s well-being, learning needs, progress and aspirations. We operate an open-door policy to allow parents to contact their child’s class teacher with ease. Parents are invited to become involved in school-life through a number of means e.g. hearing children read, parent volunteers and ongoing invitations to school events throughout the year.

Our Governing Body includes Parent Governors/representatives.

SEND: A Guide for Parents and Carers can be found at: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data

/file/344424/Special_educational_needs_and_disabilites_guide_for_parents_and_carers.pdf

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

The initial point of contact is the child’s class teacher. Appointments may also be made with the SENCO/Head teacher.

If any person feels that their complaint has not been dealt with adequately by the school staff, they are able to contact the Chair of the Standards Committee who will report their concerns to the Governing Body. 

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

The Meadows Primary Academy has a Families Team that is made up of Home School Link Worker, Learning Mentor, Behaviour Coordinator, SENCO and Inclusion Manager. Any of these people are  available to help however they can and can be contacted at the school on 01782 235025.

In addition, there is also: SENDIASS are a local organisations that offers advice and support. Tel: 01782 234701 Email: sendiass@stoke.gov.uk   Website:www.sendiass-stoke@co.uk

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

Agency support can be located on the Stoke on Trent Local Offer website.  The link is detailed below:   http://localoffer.stoke.gov.uk/kb5/stoke/directory/home.page   

Further information and advice can also be found on the Stoke and Staffordshire Safeguarding websites: http://www.safeguardingchildren.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/portal/ or www.staffsscb.org.uk/