Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff

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We aim to create an environment in which all pupils, their families, staff and visitors feel valued and included, and are able to recognise the unique contribution that they and others make to our community.

Our Early Years provision ensures that our children are given the best possible start to their education and our governors are keen to involve children at the earliest opportunity offering free, full time places within our nursery class.

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

The school accommodates all SEND in line with Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all four areas of need as outlined in the 2015 SEND Code of Practice:

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and/or Physical

Some pupils may have needs in more than one area and needs may change over time.

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?

When children are due to start our school in the nursery we carry out home visits to meet the children and their families. This helps to identify children with additional needs and allows for the planning of appropriate interventions or support before the pupil starts at our academy. If children join our academy in another year group we communicate with the child’s previous school to ensure the correct support is in place.

Once a part of Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff the pupils are assessed regularly and routinely. Their progress is tracked every half term through pupil progress meetings held between class teachers, Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). If a pupil is highlighted during one of these meetings; an appropriate support is agreed and parents are consulted. Teachers are also able to raise concerns with the SENCo at any time by submitting a 'Cause for Concern' form. If you are concerned about your child's progress or think that they may need extra help with something please speak to their class teacher in the first instance. If after discussion with the class teacher there are still concerns please speak to the SENCO.

How will the setting support my child/young person?

If your child is identified as needing extra support this will, in the first instance, be delivered by the class teacher and other staff within the classroom. It may take the form of small group work for a short period of time. If after this short period of time, your child is not making expected progress they will be referred to the SENCO who will carry out observations and assessments in order to establish the most appropriate form of support for your child. The SENCO may also call upon expertise from outside agencies such as the Inclusive Learning Service, Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and the Mental Health Support Team. Your child will then be placed on the SEN register and have a plan of support through an Individual Support Plan (ISP).

The ISP will contain Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) targets relating to the areas that they need support in. These targets will be communicated and agreed with you and your child early each term and progress will be reviewed at the end of the term with you and your child. Those pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan will receive additional support as stated in their plan and this will also be tracked half termly in pupil progress meetings, termly through ISP meetings and yearly through their annual reviews.

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

Our curriculum is planned and carefully sequenced to meet the needs of all our children, with key knowledge and skills to allow progression identified. High quality teaching practices form part of our universal offer to all pupils and teachers receive regular training and staff meetings to keep up to date with the latest research and best practice. Where children do not make expected progress despite access to high quality teaching, reasonable adjustments, in-line with the Equality Act (2010), will be made within the classroom in order to allow access to the curriculum. Some pupils with SEND may also receive additional support to develop essential skills in the form of interventions that take place both inside and outside the classroom; some interventions may be delivered by external 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?

Standardised assessments of pupils on the SEND register are carried out at the beginning and end of each academic year; this allows progress to be tracked accurately and also provides diagnostic information in order to ensure that their area/s of need are identified correctly. Further to this, termly progress reviews relating to SMART targets from ISPs helps to ensure that your child is receiving the most appropriate forms of intervention. Results of whole school assessments and tracking are updated termly and this tracks pupils progress based upon the National Curriculum Age Related Expectations (ARE). 

Parents are encouraged to communicate with class teachers and the SENCO through the Class Dojo system.

We have termly parents' evenings to share how your child is progressing in all areas of their development; however, should you wish to discuss your child's progress at any time, we are happy to arrange this through whichever is the most convenient form of communication - face to face or video meetings, telephone conversations, email or notes home.

The progress of all pupils on the SEND register will be communicated termly through ISP reviews; this is also an opportunity to discuss how you can support their learning at home and strategies will be included on the ISP document.

We are also able to support families as a whole, through the Early Help framework and are keen to meet regularly with you if there are any areas of support that you feel you and your child would benefit from.

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

All the staff at the school ensure that the health and well-being of the pupils is a priority. We have an inclusion team that is made up of the SENCO, Family Support Assistant and School Liaison Officer. Any member of staff or parents may also refer pupils to the Mental Health Support Team or Stay Well through the SENCO or Family Support Worker. 

Our school is part of the 'Trailblazers' project working in partnership with the Department for Education, the NHS and other local mental health organisations in order to support the wellbeing of all our pupils.

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

The SENCo at Clarice Cliff Primary is a Specialist Specific Learning Difficulties Teacher (PgDipSpLD) and an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA). She holds a current Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) and is able to assess for and diagnose specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, in addition to being qualified in the planning and delivery of structured, cumulative multi-sensory tuition. She also holds a Certificate in Education and Training and is able to provide staff with SEND training when required.

We also work closely with the local authority Inclusive Learning Service (ILS). This involves a lead SEND Advisor who is available to advise the school in what support is needed for pupils requiring more than class teacher support.

The school works closely with our Educational Psychologist when needs are becoming more complex and require additional support. 

As part of the Stoke Speaks Out initiative, we have access to a speech therapist who is able to assess and support our children with speech, language and communication difficulties, and to advise and train staff in delivering interventions for children.

Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy services are available to assess and/or support children with physical needs. By referral to a central hub we can also access a range of health services including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the Mental Health Support Team (MHST), Stay well, and school nurses.

We have links with Abbey Hill School and College, who provide staff training and an outreach service relating to SEND, and dDeaflinks Staffordshire, who are able to provide British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters for meetings and school events.

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

All of the staff at the school have regular training opportunities to support their work with pupils with Special Educational Needs. The training offered takes full account of the many and varied needs of the pupils we teach. Training can take the form of in-house workshops led by the SENCo or outside organisations such as the Dyslexia Association of Staffordshire. Staff take part in regular accredited Level 2 training in a number of topics related to SEND via the AIM group.

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

It is the aim of the school that all pupils will have opportunity to access a full range of activities both in and outside of school, including school trips. Where difficulties may arise the staff will liaise with parents to minimise issues and to reduce risks. We will always aim to make reasonable adjustments to ensure all children can fully participate.

How accessible is the environment?

We have a disabled parking bay directly in front of the school. Within the building, there is disabled access to all of the ground floor classrooms and communal spaces. There is a lift to the first floor and there are accessible toilets available on both floors.

In terms of the curriculum, reasonable adjustments are made to accommodate all SEND and the SENCO supports class teachers with this in terms of providing advice for inclusive teaching strategies and resources such as coloured exercise books, tinted overlays, ear defenders and sloped writing boards. Each classroom also has a 'learning bay' in with pupils with sensory sensitivities can work should they need to, a visual timetable and 'feelings board'.

Parents and visitors can request information to be presented in a range of ways including larger print, different languages etc. and we use 'Dyslexia-Friendly' fonts in all written communication. When required to support families with English as an additional language or those who use BSL, interpreters may be invited to attend meetings.

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

We do as much as we can to make all transitions as smooth and comfortable an experience as we can. Home visits are carried out before your child starts in our nursery and a number of stay and play sessions are offered to all the children and their parents to introduce your child to the staff and school during the Summer Term before their Autumn start. Transition days take place each year for all of the children in the school during the Summer Term which enables all classes to move up to their next teacher and classroom.

For children for whom this move may be more of a concern, additional sessions are planned in to build relationships with key members of staff. All children will have a transition day at their chosen high school and any child who has additional needs or may find the move more difficult will have specific additional sessions planned. Discussions are held between key staff in our school and the high schools to share all the relevant information about your child to ensure their individual needs are met.

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

The first step in allocating resources correctly is ensuring that children's needs are identified accurately through diagnostic and standardised assessments. Once needs are identified, appropriate resources and intervention can be put into place; the effectiveness of which is reviewed termly through the review of SMART targets set on ISPs. The SEND budget is allocated each financial year and the money is used to provide additional support and resources.

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

In cases where a pupil is not progressing with high quality teaching within the classroom, the class teacher will request advice from the SENCO who will observe the child and decide whether standardised and diagnostic assessments are necessary. These assessments allow a 'learning profile' to be built for pupils with SEND; they may be carried out 'in-house' by the SENCO or by specialists from outside agencies such as the ILS or CAMHS. The results of these assessments inform the planning of appropriate reasonable adjustments and an ISP.

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

For pupils with SEND, there are opportunities at least termly to discuss their needs in ISP reviews. The ISP helps a child to identify what is working well for them and what is not. 

For pupils who have a higher level of support through an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan their views are gathered at termly ISP reviews and will be fed into the statutory reviews at least annually.

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

In much the same way as pupils are involved throughout, parents are also involved. Parents are invited to attend informal and more formal meetings with class teachers throughout the year.  There are regular opportunities to share ideas and strategies. For pupils with SEND, parents are invited to contribute to the ISP at least 3 times per year. 

Also, for pupils with an EHCP, parents have opportunities throughout the year to contribute to reviews and share their views on how their child can best be supported. The school welcomes the views of any pupil or parent about how outcomes can be best achieved.

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

All parents are invited to meet with the class teachers prior to starting a new class. Parents are also invited to our family learning sessions and class workshops and assemblies which give an insight into the kinds of things we do. All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education; this may be through discussions with the class teacher throughout the year, taking part in ISP reviews for children with SEND, discussions at parents’ evenings and annual review meetings for children with an EHCP.

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

If there are any concerns we encourage parents to approach the class teacher in the first instance; they are available either at the end of the day when a child is dismissed or via an appointment made with the school office. A response from the class teacher, SENCo or a member of the Senior Leadership Team (as appropriate) will be made as soon as possible. If concerns persist, a formal complaint may be made to the Headteacher. If it is felt that the issue is still not resolved following this, a formal complaint may be made to the Governing Body, correspondence should be addressed to Chair of Governors, Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff, Golden Hill Road, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 3DP. For more details, please see the school's Complaints Policy which can be found on the school's website or obtained from the school office.

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

Support is available from:

Mrs E Jones  - SENCo (Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff)

Tel:  01782 881480

Email: clar-office@coopacademies.co.uk

Inclusive Learning Service

Tel: 01782 232538

Email: SEND@stoke.gov.uk

Special Educational Needs Assessment and Monitoring Service (SENMAS)

Tel: 01782 231863

Email: SENMAS@stoke.gov.uk

SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)

Tel: 01782 234701

Email: iass@stoke.gov.uk

Website:www.sendiass-stoke@co.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