St Nathaniel's Academy - Organisations

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"With Gods all things are possible" Matthew 19:26

St Nathaniel's Academy believes that education is preparation for life and we seek to prepare each child to face life beyond the school with confidence. We aspire to set high standards for personal behaviour and self-discipline, with consideration, courtesy and respect for other people of all ages, religions and cultures. We aim to deliver exciting and quality learning experiences in a safe, secure and happy environment. We endeavour to achieve high standards in every aspect of school life by making the most efficient use of all the resources available.

How will the school staff support my child?

• Your child will be supported in a variety of ways including:
• Quality first teaching
• Additional support & group work  
• Outside agency support
• Specialist provision
• Outreach – support from specialist schools
• Evidence-based interventions
• Pupil passports
• Parental involvement
• Individual risk assessments
• Care plans
• EHC (Education, Health and Care) Plan

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

• Quality first teaching is delivered within the classroom.
• Additional support will be provided where required, this is planned by the class teacher alongside the SENCo. They will take advice from outside agencies where necessary.
• Progress with be carefully measured, this is monitored by the SENCo and Senior Leadership Team.
• Decisions are made about how much support will be received based on need.
• Advice is sought from external agencies.

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

Saint Nathaniel’s Academy is supported by specialist professionals including:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• CAMHS
• Learning Mentor
• Bilingual Support
• PCSO’s
• School Nurse/Health Visitor
• Occupational Therapy
• Hearing/Visually Impaired Specialist Teachers
• Educational Psychologist
• SEND Advisor
• Social Workers
• Educational Welfare Officer
• Training

What training have the staff supporting SEND had or what training are they having?

Staff at Saint Nathaniel’s have received training on:

• Changes to the Code of Practice
• Dyslexia Awareness
• Speech and Language
• National SENCO Award
• Forest Schools
• Mental Health First Aid
• Autism and Sensory Processing

How will the school know how my child is doing?

We will be aware of how your child is doing through:

• Measuring children’s progress against age related expectations
• Data tracking
• Standardised assessments e.g. reading/spelling ages
• Pupil Progress meetings
• Monitoring and evaluation e.g. Lesson observations/book scans
• Pupil/parent feedback
• Pupil Passport reviews
• Annual Reviews (EHC)

How will I know how my child is doing?

You will know how your child is doing through:

• Termly Parents Evenings
• Informal meetings with Class Teachers
• Communication through Class Dojo
• Pupil Passport Reviews
• EHC Plan Annual Reviews
• Meetings with SENCO/ Educational Psychologist
• Written report at the end of the academic year
• Certificates and praise postcards

The class teacher and SENCO will regularly monitor the impact of the provision through assessment and conversations with the child and teacher. You are welcome to make an appointment to meet with the class teacher or SENCo to discuss your child’s progress.

Providing Support… How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

• We will help you to support your child’s learning through:
• Regular communication
• Providing advice and support
• Sharing of strategies/resources
• Parent courses  
• Home learning and reading
• Target setting e.g. Parents evenings/Pupil Passports/Annual Reviews (EHC)
• The school website  
• Meetings with external agencies

How will my child be included in activities outside the school classroom including school trips?

All children are given equal opportunities to access and enjoy activities outside the classroom including:

• Before and after-school clubs
• sports day
• special events
• educational visits
• residential trips

We may need to provide additional support arrangements such as accessibility arrangements, rest breaks, preparation for the child or additional adults. No pupil is excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability.

Parents, teachers, SENCO and provider work together to ensure equal access.

How are parents involved in the school?

• Communicating with the class teacher and SENCo
• Working on targets set by teachers and outside agencies
• Supporting with home learning
• Attending events and parents evenings.
• Keeping up to date with our website, newsletters and curriculum letters.
• Attending parent workshops and coffee morning events.
• Informing school of any safeguarding concerns they have.
• Stay and Play sessions
• Volunteering in school
• Attending Parent Learning courses

What support will there be for my child’s overall well being?

We aim to ensure that all children feel safe and have good relationships with staff and their peers.

We have many strategies to develop children’s overall wellbeing, including:

• Caring staff
• Inclusion Team
• Daily Assemblies/ Worship time
• PSHE/SEAL Lessons
• Class Circle Times
• Positive Reward System
• Learning Support Practitioners (LSPs)
• Learning Mentor
• Playground Buddies
• Individual work with an adult
• After school clubs
• Lunch time club
• Behaviour Diaries
• Home-school communication books
• Open communication with parents
• Young Carers club
• Anti-bullying policy
• Open door policy with Senior Leadership
• Support for families e.g. Early Help
• Mental Health First Aiders

How Accessible is the school both indoors and outdoors?

Our school has an accessibility policy available on the school website

All areas of the school are accessible by wheelchair. Ramps are provided near stepped areas and two disabled parking bays are available in the car park

There are two accessible toilets within the school building. These two toilets also act as wet rooms.

If you have any concerns about accessibility, please speak to a member of staff.

How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school, transfer to a new setting or to the next stage of education and life?

Transition arrangements are made to the school, within the school and moving on from the school.

These include:

• Home visits (Nursery)
• Stay & Play sessions
• Visits to the school before starting (at any age)
• Buddy system for children new to the school
• Planned transitions between key stages
• Transition days between classes & high schools
• Meet the teacher meetings for parents
• Circle times/Assemblies at transition times
• Sharing of information between teachers/settings
• Some children may need additional support with transition and this is provided on an individual basis, for example, supported visits, transition books
• Black Sheep Transition Programme for children going from Year 6 to Year 7.
• Encouraging independence in Year 6, for example walking to/from school, following a timetable

How does the school know if children need extra help?

At Saint Nathaniel’s Academy children are identified as having SEND through a variety of ways including the following:-

• Communication with nurseries and previous schools/settings
• Communication with external agencies e.g. health visitors, paediatricians, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists
• Careful monitoring of pupils who are performing below age related expectations
• Concerns raised by parents or pupils
• Concerns raised by teachers
• Regular assessments of progress identify those whose progress:
• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress

Raising Concerns - What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

If as a parent / carer you have concerns about your child’s progress your first action is to make an appointment with the class teacher via the office. If you would then like to speak to our SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) Mrs Meredith, you can arrange an appointment in person (via the office), by phone (01782 528261) or email: office@sna.sbmat.org.

Other Useful Contacts

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress, you should discuss these with your child’s class teacher. General information relating to SEND can be found on the school website, including the SEND Policy.

If you need further information you can arrange to meet with our SENCO: Mrs Lucy Meredith SENCO 01782 528261 office@sna.sbmat.org

If you wish to make a complaint, please see the our complaints procedure, available on the website.

SEND Services Telephone: 01782 232538 Email: SEND@stoke.gov.uk

Aiming High Telephone: 01782 237429 Email: emily.thornhill@stoke.gov.uk

Burslem Children’s Centre Telephone: 01782 237429 Email: BurslemChildrensCentre@stoke.gov.uk Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm, Friday 9am – 4.30pm

SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) Formerly Parent Partnership Service Website: http://www.sendiass-stoke.co.uk/ Telephone: 01782 234701 / 01782 234847 Email: iass@stoke.gov.uk

British Dyslexia Association Website: http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/ Helpline: 0333 4054567