Heron Cross Primary School - Organisations

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Heron Cross Primary School is a 2-form entry mainstream school for children aged 3-11, nursery through to Year 6.

At Heron Cross, we have high aspirations for every child. Our broad, balanced and exciting curriculum is designed to spark curiosity, develop essential skills and knowledge, and instil a lifelong love of learning.

Alongside academic achievement, we are committed to supporting the personal development of our pupils. We promote values such as respect, resilience and kindness, equipping children with the character strengths needed to thrive. Enrichment opportunities such as a wide variety of school trips, after-school clubs and community projects allow pupils to explore interests and discover new talents.

The school can cater for a range of pupils with Special Educational Needs. The school has two buildings, both on one level. Each building has a ramp and wide doors for ease of access. Both buildings have disabled toilets and changing facilities. All playgrounds are easily accessible with flat ground, wide spaces and wide gates. Physical needs will be assessed on an individual basis and equipment will be provided if advised by the Local Authority Inclusion Service.

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

Children may have a special educational need or disability either throughout or at any time during their school life. At Heron Cross Primary School, we accommodate all children with special education needs in line with the Equality Act 2010. Provision is made for all four areas of need as outlined in the 2014 SEND Code of Practice.

The four areas of need are:

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

Some pupils may have needs in more than one area and needs can 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 have been identified with Special Educational Needs before they start with us, we work with the parents and professionals who already know them, and use the information available to plan to meet the needs of the child.

If parents, carers or staff think a child has a Special Educational Need/s, we will explore the concerns raised following the graduated approach of assess, plan, do, review cycle.

If, after additional support has been planned and implemented, a review of the graduated approach indicates that the child has an identified special educational need, and further support is required, parents will be informed that school have identified that the child requires Special Educational Needs support and the child will be placed on the Special Educational Needs list to ensure they receive the support they need. Children who require SEND support will have one of the above named as their primary area of need, but may also have needs in the some or all of the other areas of need.

Every pupil with a special educational need will be provided with a pupil passport and a one-page profile. This is written by the class teacher with input from the pupil. It is shared and reviewed with the parents. Individual, personalised targets are recorded on the pupil passport that will identify specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely outcomes for the pupil. Progress towards the outcomes is monitored regularly, reviewed termly and shared with the pupil and parents. The one-page profile outlines information about the child, their strength, difficulties, how they learn best and how best to help them.

If a child continues to make minimal progress and continues to need additional support, despite high quality teaching and interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies to meet the specific needs of a pupil. This will be undertaken with parent’s permission.

If following the assess, plan, do, review cycle, a higher level of support is required, a request will be made to the local authority for an assessment for an education, health and care plan. If the assessment indicates that additional support is needed for the child, the local authority will provide an education, health and care plan.

If parents have concerns then these can be discussed with the class teacher or Mrs Hardy (SENDCo). All parents will be listened to and informed when decisions are made about their child.

How will the setting support my child/young person?

All pupils will be provided with quality first teaching that is purposely planned by the class teacher and adapted and/or scaffolded to meet the needs of all children. Specific strategies and resources will be used to support individuals or in small groups within the classroom. Every child with special educational needs will have a pupil passport and a one-page profile, that is reviewed termly. This will outline personalised targets linked to the child’s area of need.  Small group interventions matched to need will be planned to support children to make progress against their targets.

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

Heron Cross Primary School have high expectations of all pupils. We aim to provide an inclusive, creative curriculum to develop the whole child. Where possible, the needs of the learners with special educational needs are met in the classroom through high quality and adaptive teaching.

Teachers plan lessons using pupils’ current ability level and they adapt lessons so that every child is able to learn at their own pace, in their own way. Work will be adapted by the class teacher to remove barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum. In addition, children will be provided with additional support that may include specialised equipment or resources, ICT and/or additional adult help.

Small group interventions will be planned to support children to make progress, identifying and closing gaps to ensure the children make progress. Teachers are accountable for the progress and achievement of these pupils.

A small number of children, with a higher level of need, will receive a personalised curriculum and approach to their education. This may include additional adult support, a personalised timetable, additional interventions and where appropriate, involvement from external agencies.

Pupils with a disability will be provided with ‘reasonable adjustments’ so that they are able to access the curriculum.

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

At Heron Cross Primary School, teachers check how well a child understands and makes progress in each lesson through ongoing assessments and evaluations.

The Senior Leadership Team conduct regular lesson observations and learning walks to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of SEND provision in every year group.

Alongside teacher assessments, termly standardised tests are carried out to enable pupil progress in reading, spelling, understanding of language and maths to be accurately monitored throughout the year. SLT also monitor the progress of all children every term. Pupil attainment and progress is then discussed with teachers at pupil progress meeting, tracking pupils against National Curriculum Age Related Expectations (ARE). Discussions between teachers and SLT are carried out to ensure that the right support is in place for all children make progress, including those with Special Educational Needs. 

Targets from Pupil Passport are reviewed every term, to make sure that children are receiving the most appropriate intervention to support them to make progress. Parents will be invited to a meeting to discuss progress and to set targets for children according to outcomes.

Children with an EHCP will have an annual review to review the targets and provision set out in the EHCP.

Any concerns regarding the progress of your child can be discussed with the class teacher and/or the SENDCo at any time, either by visiting the school, via a phone call or email.

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

At Heron Cross Primary School everyone works in partnership to maximise the life chances for all pupils. We work hard to ensure that our pupils feel safe in school. The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils.

Personal, Social, Health and Emotional Development underpin our curriculum delivery.

Staff are trained to have an awareness of emotional needs of individuals and we have staff who are trained in emotion coaching and ELSA.

Our link Mental Health Support Practitioner provides a full day support, providing a range of activities for pupils, staff, parents and stakeholders every week, bridging the gap between universal school support and specialist mental health services.

All members of staff are first aid trained, and many hold the paediatric first aid certificate.

Care plans and asthma plans are devised, with parent input, for children with medical/asthma needs. With permission from parents/carers, care plans/asthma plans and other important medical information is shared with relevant members of staff.

With permission from parents, children are referred to the school nurse if there are unmet medical needs or need emotional or mental health support.

The school promotes healthy eating.

Heron Cross has a specialist PE teacher, teaching PE across school from Nursery to Year 6.

With regards to Social, emotional and Mental Health needs, there is reasonable adjustments made to the implementation of the behaviour policy. Staff draw on the SENDCo for advice, if required. Further support and advice is given by the Inclusive Learning Service and the Educational Psychologist. A graduated response is implemented and parents are involved at every stage.

Our Education Welfare Officer works closely with our Home School Link Worker, Mrs Pilling, and with parents to address and attendance concerns.

Where necessary, we work closely with Social Care and Family Support Workers. The SENCo or a member of SLT will attend all meetings.

Pupil views are sought through the pupil leadership team, regular whole school pupil voice and individual pupil voice for one page profiles.

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

To ensure we meet the needs of the children with special educational needs, we work with a range of outside agencies. These agencies provide advice and guidance on how to best meet the needs of individual children. School may also request this if they feel that a child is not making sufficient progress.

The outside agencies include, but are not limited to: Stoke-on-Trent Inclusive Learning Service (previously SEND services), Educational Psychologist, Specialist services for Specific needs including Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Speech, Language and Communication Needs, Occupational therapist, Speech and Language Therapists, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Physiotherapists, Education Welfare Officer, School Nurse and Health Visitors, Our link Mental Health Support Practitioner, Specialist School Outreach Work, and other Children’s services.

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

The school carefully plans staff training by conducting a comprehensive audit of staff development needs related to meeting the diverse needs of SEND pupils, ensuring that professional learning is targeted and relevant. Training priorities are aligned with the school’s development plan, allowing staff to build skills that directly support the school’s strategic goals. In addition, the training program is responsive to any issues identified through ongoing monitoring, assessments, or feedback, ensuring emerging challenges are addressed promptly. Staff development is also tailored to meet the specific needs of pupils with SEND, ensuring that training equips staff with the knowledge and strategies required to provide high-quality, inclusive support that positively impacts learning outcomes for all students.

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

Our Inclusion Policy promotes equal access and enjoyment of all of our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside of the classroom. Risk assessments are completed and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate in all school and after school activities including trips, residentials and afterschool clubs. Parents/carers are involved in completing the risk assessment. Any additional support required for a child’s full inclusion will be provided.

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

New Nursery Children

Children coming into our Nursery will be invited into school for 2 sessions before transition day in July. Any information regarding Special Educational Needs can be discussed at this visit so that the necessary support can be put into place when the child enters school. If the child attends a day nursery setting, the SENDCo will contact the nursery to discuss the child’s special educational needs and a visit to the nursery will be arranged.

If needed, extra visits can be arranged for any child who may find the transition between home and school difficult. A child may also need to begin to attend school on a part time basis to ensure a smooth transition between school and home.

Meetings will be arranged for children already known to the Early Years Forum to ensure that the correct support can be put into place. Information packs are sent to parents to ensure they are informed of the school routines and expectations.

Pupils from, or going to, another school

If a pupil is transferring from another school, the previous school safeguarding and SEN records will be requested immediately. The SENDCo will ring the previous school to discuss the child’s needs and the provision needed to meet the needs. A meeting will be arranged with parents to discuss their parents views of the child’s special educational needs. If a pupil is leaving Heron Cross Primary School and they have SEND, this information will be sent immediately to the receiving school. The SENDCo, if necessary, will ring the receiving school to discuss the child’s needs, provision and support.

Transition within school

Each class spends at least one day with their new class teacher in their new classroom at the end of the Summer term. If needed, children are provided with additional visits to their new learning environment, additional time with the new staff and social stories to support their transition. Feed forward meetings are held between previous and receiving class teachers, where information about the SEND children is shared. The SENDCo ensures that new class teachers receive information about the SEND children in their new class.

Transition to high school

Year 6 children will visit their new secondary school at least once during the summer term prior to leaving. Children will Special Educational Needs may have additional visits to get to know the staff and the learning environment. Teachers from the secondary school will visit the Year 6 children in school. The SENDCo from the secondary school will be invited to meet the SEND children and the SENDCo to share information.

For children in Year 6 with an Education, Health Care Plan, the secondary school SENDCo will be invited to the annual review in Y6 or a transitional review will be arranged mid-year.

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

At Heron Cross Primary School, we aim to keep parents fully involved and updated on the decisions made about their child's learning. Parents views will be gathered regularly through conversations, questionnaires, and at parents evening meetings. If you have a child with Special Educational Needs, you will be invited to termly pupil passport review meetings to discuss your child’s progress and outcomes towards their individual targets.

We have an open door policy. Class teachers, the SENDCo or the Headteacher are available to discuss any issues and concerns that you may have.

Complaints

The first point of contact for parents is the class teacher. If the concern is not resolved through the class teacher, parents are welcome to contact the SENDCo; Mrs Hardy, or the Headteacher; Mrs Willdigg, to discuss any concerns. We hope that any concerns would be resolved by school but if not, the Governing Body can be contacted via the school office. Finally, the local authority needs to be informed of any major unresolved issues. Any complaint will be dealt with sensitively and promptly. Please also see the complaint’s policy published on the school website.