Sandon Primary Academy - Organisations

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Sandon Primary Academy is a local academy situated within Meir that supports children aged 3-11 from Nursery through to Year Six.

The academy also has a swimming pool that is used to support and enhance the learning of its pupils as well as boasting many other outdoor learning opportunity areas such as a MUGA (Mutli-Use Games Area), golf course, forest and BBQ hut . An established before and after-school club is also offered at Sandon Primary Academy.

Findings from our most recent OFSTED report rated 'outstanding' June 2024 state that All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are doing very well across the ambitious curriculum.

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

Sandon Primary Academy  strives to accommodate for all SEND in line with the Equality Act 2010

The Academy uses a multi- agency approach to guide us in creating a personalised approach for pupils.

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 Sandon, we recognise the importance of the early identification of special educational needs or disabilities. There are a number of ways that the academy may identify if a child needs help or support:

First of all, they may join the academy already considered to have a special educational need or disability. If this is the case, professionals from previous settings will liaise with the academy SENCo’s (Miss L. Colclough and Mrs K. Burrows) and relevant teachers, providing information on how to best support the child. Standardised assessments will also be undertaken as part of their entry into the academy to gain an accurate and holistic view of the child’s current needs.

Secondly, as a parent you may have a concern. If this is the case, then it is advisable to make an appointment with the Academy’s Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCo). During this appointment, you will have the opportunity to outline your concerns to the SENCo and the child's class teacher.

Thirdly, your child’s class teacher may have concerns about the progress of your child or any difficulties they have noticed. If this is the case, an appointment will be made to see the parent of the child and discuss any concerns.

Finally, the SENCo may identify that your child has some difficulties through the tracking of children’s progress across the academy or observations. If your child is falling behind this may trigger a concern.

Once concerns have been raised, the child is then placed on a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Concerns List and a graduated approach using the assess, plan, do review cycle is followed to address the specific educational need/needs of the individual child. Initially, the SENCo will observe the child and complete standardised assessments. Having gathered this assessment evidence, the SENCo will plan alongside the class teacher and parents on how to overcome the difficulties the child is presenting with within the quality first teaching environment. This plan is then put into action for an agreed period of time, depending on the severity of the need. A review will then take place to identify the effectiveness of the support put into place. If the academy does not see improvements in the child after the agreed length of time, the child will be placed on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Register. This will then allow the academy to consult with other professional agencies on how to best support the child and the assess, plan, do, review cycle will be followed again.

How will the setting support my child/young person?

At Sandon, the teachers will lead and support all pupils including those with a SEND. They are accountable for the progress and achievement of these pupils. The needs of pupils with a SEND are met, where possible, in the classroom through high quality and adaptive teaching.

Where necessary, (and dependent on school staffing resources) the child with a SEND will receive a higher level of adult support. In line with reasonable adaptations, additional interventions and a personalised learning strategies will also be planned. If needed, outside agency support will be sought (including the use of an Educational Psychologist) and the academy will endeavor to put into place any advice given where resource and staffing allows.

While we are committed to achieving the highest standards of support and accessibility, we recognise that the capacity to make adjustments is influenced by the nature of our mainstream setting and available resources. We continuously work to balance individual needs with the realities of a busy, dynamic school environment, and aim to provide additional support wherever possible.

Every pupil with a SEND at Sandon will be provided with a pupil passport/provision map. This is written alongside the child and is shared and reviewed with parents each term to ensure that the provision outlined in the passport still meets the needs of the child. A pupil passport/provision map. will outline how the child wants to be supported and what strategies and/or resources are being provided in the classroom in order for the child to access mainstream education.

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

Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class and will ensure your child’s needs are met through adaptive teaching and quality first teaching. Specific resources and strategies will be used to support children individually or in groups.

The academy will have identified through a meeting with the SENCo, parents and where necessary outside agencies what the category of need is for the child with a SEND.

Below, outlines the curriculum and expertise available to support each area of need.

Physical or sensory need: If your child has a physical or sensory need the academy will be supported by

outside agencies and will be advised on how to best support your child within the setting. For example, the academy may call upon the expertise of physiotherapists or occupational therapists. These agencies can then advise the academy and check that classrooms and other areas of the setting are accessible for pupils. Sometimes, the academy may need to purchase specialist equipment to support children with physical disabilities or may need to make adaptations to the environment. Where possible, the academy promotes independence for children with physical disabilities and does not want them to become dependent on adult support.

Hearing impairment/ Visual impairment: The academy uses advice and support from the visual and hearing impairment teams. The

academy can be advised on how to support children in the use and maintenance of hearing aids, where to sit children in relation to the class

teacher and even what font size to use when providing written resources.

Social, emotional and mental health needs: The academy has a range of SEMH interventions that it can use within the educational setting to support children including Volcano in my Tummy, Smart Thinking and boxall profiles. The academy also uses CAMHS and counselling services available to children by referring children if deemed necessary. If a child needs counselling this will usually take place at the academy. The Academy has appointed a Learning Mentor, whose role it is to support the emotional health and wellbeing of a range of pupils presenting with difficulties in this area. These sessions are held at the need of the individual pupil and the targeted interventions are personalised to meet specific needs. If the academy feels that domestic circumstances are causing difficulties in this area an Early Help or further assistance for the family may be provided

through safeguarding procedures. The academy also has a Mental Health Policy and Mental Health Lead Practitioner to guide and support best practice. Additionally, we have links with a Mental Health Support Term,

who offer sessions to parents, children and staff in supporting children with social and emotional needs.

Cognition and learning needs: The academy will use a range of interventions and supportive strategies in class to provide a personalised and adapted curriculum for these pupils. The academy has Teaching Assistant's trained in a range of interventions which will accelerate pupils’ progress and help them to catch up with peers. All teaching provision is regularly monitored by members of the SLT to ensure quality first teaching for all pupils including those with a SEND.

Communication and interaction needs: Teachers from within all areas of the academy and the school SENCo, are also trained in the tier one communication and interaction programmes (Talk Boost and Language for Thinking) enabling them to provide daily interventions to the children identified. For children with a more severe communication and interaction need, support and advice from outside agencies will be sought and where necessary referrals can be made to the local authority speech and language team for an individualised care plan to be completed.

Autistic spectrum disorders: The academy will use the expertise of outside agencies to diagnose and support pupils with an Autistic Spectrum disorder. Outside agencies will advise and support staff in providing the right environment and learning methods to overcome difficulties in this area. This provision will be outlined in a personalised provision map. The academy will not label any child with autistic spectrum disorder unless diagnosed by a medical professional. If teachers or parents have a concern about ASD the academy’s SENCo will support parents with a referral to CAMHS or Hazel Trees Educational Nursery depending on their age and providing there is enough evidence to support these concerns.

Dyscalculia/ Dyslexia: The academy will use the expertise of the specific learning difficulties team to both diagnose and support learning needs within this area. Children with these difficulties will be able to access additional resources to support them within class and the academy can offer interventions for both areas of difficulty.

ADHD/ ADD: The academy will use advice given by outside agencies to support children with this difficulty.

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 academies SLT conduct regular lesson observations and learning walks to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of SEND provision across the academy. Every term, the SENCo will also check the progress of pupils with a SEND need by looking at academy progress data, intervention data (where applicable) and discussions with class teachers. This will then be shared with parents as part of a review meeting. This meeting will take place every term and will give parents chance to ask questions about how they can further support their child at home. During the meeting, each child’s pupil passport will be updated so parents and the academy SENCo can share the child’s next steps and discuss how the academy plan to support their child to achieve these during the following term.

Parent conference meetings are also held where children’s attainment and progress is discussed with the class teacher.

Children with an EHCP will have an annual review where targets and progress against these targets are discussed and reviewed with parents and professionals. Prior to this meeting, children will again have the opportunity to share their views on their own progress, what is working well and what they might like to change to help them further.

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

A key part of the academy ethos is 'Learn to be happy be happy to learn'.

Regular observations of teaching check that nurturing environments are strong in all classrooms.

The Academy promotes pupil voice and will ensure that all children with a SEND take part in setting their own targets and discussing how they want to be supported with the class teacher.

A broad curriculum is also delivered that aims to provide pupils with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to enhance and develop their emotional and social wellbeing; with a particular focus on this during the teaching of RSE. All pupils are also supported to access weekly Physical Education and swimming sessions that are led by specialist teachers.

The academy has appointed a Learning Mentor, whose role it is to support the emotional health and wellbeing of a range of pupils presenting with difficulties in this area. These sessions are held at the need of the individual pupil and the targeted interventions are personalised to meet specific needs.

We do recognise that for pupils with more complex or extreme SEMH needs, this universal offer may not be sufficient on its own. In such cases, the academy will endeavour to use what resource it has available to provide additional personalised support and targeted interventions. However, we do recognise that in some cases alternative provision may be required to ensure individual’s needs are appropriately met and they are able to engage meaningfully in their learning and development.

The academy also follows a clear behaviour policy (which can be found on the academy website) and behavioural expectations are promoted and adopted throughout the academy through the academy ethos of Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Responsibility for Actions. This academy ethos is taught in assemblies, embedded in classroom expectations and is displayed within the learning environment. The principles support children in promoting a positive attitude to themselves, others and their environment and prevent negative attitudes or bullying. All academy staff are also available at all times of the day to monitor attitudes and behaviours as well as to discuss and support with any concerns from children and parents.

The Academy uses Dojo to instantly share positive learning experiences and behaviours with parents in the form of messages and photographs-keeping parents at the centre of their children's learning and allowing success to be shared and celebrated.

Where needed, asthma care plans are completed for individual children alongside parents and shared with the class teacher.

Regular risk assessments are completed for onsite and offsite activities.

All staff are up to date with safeguarding, fire safety, prevent training and first aid training.

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

The academy has access to and is supported by a range of outside agencies. These are listed below:

< >SENDS (Special Educational Needs Disability Services)Social CareEducational PhysiologistSpeech and Language TherapyHearing and Visual Impairment ServiceFamily supportEarly HelpOccupational TherapySENMAS (Special Educational Needs Monitoring and Assessment Services)SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Information Advice and Support Service)CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).Mental Health Support TeamNorth Staffordshire Mind CounsellorSchool Nurse.iass@stoke.gov.uk

We hope that all complaints can be resolved through school however if this is not the case then alternatively you can contact the Sandon Trust by writing to academytrustees@sandonprimary.org.uk

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

Parents can access further support through Early Help and Family support. This can be accessed by contacting the academy's safeguarding lead, Mrs. Kate Burrows or the Deputy Safeguarding Lead Miss. Mel Lear on 01782 319097.