Milton Primary Academy
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The philosophy of our academies is simple: we aim to foster individual growth, to provide children with skills that will be valuable in life and to challenge and stimulate their intellect, enabling them to achieve high academic levels. Our academies are characterised by their happy, friendly outlook developed through a partnership between home and school in an atmosphere of mutual respect and co-operation. This results in children who feel secure and enables them to grow in confidence and capability. Education begins at birth and continues throughout life. The primary stage is just one phase in the process. We hope that we can, with your cooperation, play our part effectively in the development of happy individuals who can be adaptable, resourceful and resilient in a rapidly changing world. |
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| Contact name | Miss Wilson |
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| Contact position | SENCO |
| Contact telephone | 01782 234780 |
| Contact email | milton@learningvillage.org.uk |
| Venue address | Leek Road |
| Milton | |
| Stoke on Trent | |
| Staffordshire | |
| ST2 7AF | |
| Date | Mondays - Friday 8:30 - 4:00 |
| Website | http://www.miltonprimary.org.uk |
| School's extended local offer response |
What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?Milton Primary Academy is proud to be a mainstream inclusive primary school. We admit children from age 3 – 11 with a range of needs. Children’s learning needs can be vast and varied but can often fall into one or more of the following identified categories:
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?The approach taken at Milton Primary Academy is one where we regularly review and record what we offer EVERY child or young person in our care. This is termed our ‘Universal provision’. We strive to support all children to enable them to achieve their full potential as we guide them through their learning journey. Underpinning ALL our provision in school is a cycle of monitoring, evaluating and improving what we are doing. These assessments form part of our ongoing tracking in which the progress of each child is monitored. This tracking of pupils enables the early identification of any pupil who is not making expected progress. Any concerns regarding progress or attainment will be raised with parents at the earliest convenience either in informal discussions or at formal parents’ evenings which occur twice per year. If concerns continue despite class teacher intervention, the Academy will speak to parents and discuss the next steps which may involve entering your child onto the Special Educational Needs register. This will mean they have needs that require intervention that is greater than or different from their peers in order to make expected progress. What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?
How will the setting support my child/young person?Milton Primary Academy has a graduated response for supporting children. This begins with good quality teaching. Phonics is taught from Foundation Stage upwards and regularly assessed to ensure that progress in reading is as rapid as possible. Additional one to one support is given to those children who need it. In Mathematics gaps in children’s skills are identified and addressed. Those who need additional support in other areas may complete an intervention programme in a small group, which will usually be for 10-12 weeks. Some pupils who need intensive support may have one to one/small group support for part of the curriculum. Any advice given by professionals will be integrated into the curriculum. Teaching Support Assistants (TAs) support children’s learning including those with special educational needs or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Where additional needs have been identified, the Academy is able to access a range of outside agencies to support children. How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person's needs?Our aim is to provide a curriculum that is relevant and broad and helps children to become as functionally literate, numerate, communicative and as independent as possible in an environment that promotes positive learning experiences. Teachers plan based on children’s needs against age-related expectations, differentiating work to closely match children’s ability and learning needs. When a pupil has been identified with special needs their work will be further differentiated by the class teacher to support removing individual barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum more easily. In addition to this, they will be provided with further support that may include specialised equipment or resources, IT and/or additional adult help such as pre-teaching new vocabulary/concepts. If appropriate, specialist equipment is given to the pupil, e.g. writing slopes, concentration cushions, pen/pencils, grips or easy to use scissors. If a child is identified as having a special educational need, they will be given a ‘Pupil Passport’, these replace Individual Education Plans (IEP’s). Targets will be set according to their area of need. These will be regularly monitored by the class teacher as well as the SENCo at least three times per year. Teaching assistants may be allocated to work with a pupil in a one to one or small focused group to target more specific needs. The level of work set will be matched to children’s age and the level they are working at. Some children may need particular resources such as coloured overlays, pencil grips, sloping writing boards etc. Computer programmes may be used to support learning such as Nessy and Clicker. 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 progress of all pupils is monitored through pupil progress meetings termly where class teachers discuss the progress of all children with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Parents are consulted in a variety of ways including parents’ consultation evenings and informal discussions. Review meetings are held for children with additional needs and strategies to support them are agreed. These are shared with parents at the review meetings which occur 3 times in the academic year. If needed, the Academy will set up home/Academy diaries; this will give staff and parents the opportunity to share positive and relevant information more easily and keep track of any significant events either at the Academy or at home. Class teachers are always willing to discuss ways in which you can support your child. The Academy uses its social media platform to demonstrate strategies to support your child’s learning at home as well as to invite parents to workshops/’taster sessions’ that parents can attend. What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?Milton Primary Academy has a nurturing ethos based on working together as a team to achieve our best. We want to develop the wellbeing of all of our children so that they are happy, well rounded individuals who have a love of learning through which they can achieve and progress. These values are based on being positive, understanding your impact, taking personal responsibility, having bounce-back -ability and setting huge goals. There is a consistent positive behaviour policy and every day is a fresh start. All teaching staff are able to support children with social or emotional needs. We also have materials in place in each classroom to help identify understand how are children are feeling through our Health wellbeing scale and Zone of regulation charts. Pupils with medical needs will be provided with a healthcare plan compiled by the Academy with support from appropriate health professionals and in partnership with parents and if appropriate the pupils themselves. All medicine administration procedures adhere to the LA policy and DfE guidelines included within supporting pupils at the Academy with medical conditions (DfE) 2014. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?Staff at Milton Primary Academy are able to deliver a range of intervention programmes including communication, reading, phonics and maths programmes. A range of specialist services can be accessed including:
We have sourced a private Educational Psychologist for the academy. She would normally only work directly with pupils whose needs are identified as being complex and who have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them. This involvement is planned by the SENCO (Miss Wilson) with the permission of Parents/Carers. In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the Educational Psychologist will generally meet/ speak over the phone with the parents and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. She will offer advice to the Academy and Parents/Carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward. Our Educational Psychologist is called Mrs. Suzy Shaw. The Academy has access to a specialist advisor which can include training, specialist support or generic whole academy advice. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?All staff at Milton Primary Academy have training on safeguarding children. Staff have been trained in the use of a wide variety of intervention programs to support children’s learning. These include Inference Training, Switch On Literacy, Numicon, Better Reading Partnership, Talk Boost, Active Literacy Kit (ALK), Beat Dyslexia, Deaf Awareness, Precision Teaching, Emotion Coaching, Nurture programme, Attachment & Trauma Awareness. Some staff have completed Stoke Speaks Out Level. All staff have also received Prevent training. INSET (In service training) needs for all staff are delivered through the professional development programme as identified in the Academy Development Plan. We are committed to developing the expertise of our staff. We try to spread the skills throughout the Key Stages where possible so that all classes have access to relevant practitioners. All staff are trained in Level 1 Safeguarding and all Middle and Senior Leaders are at least Level 2 Safeguarding trained. Considerable thought, planning and preparation goes into utilising our support staff to ensure children achieve the best outcomes, gain independence and are prepared for adulthood from the earliest possible age. Specialist visits by the Local Authority and other outside agencies are requested to advise, train and support staff development in different areas of need. How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?Milton is an inclusive Academy which endeavours to provide opportunities for all children to participate in activities including visits and clubs. When planning visits children’s needs are considered and adjustments are made or additional support provided in consultation with parents where necessary. Where this is not possible, every effort will be made to provide a suitable alternative. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable children to participate. If the Academy or a health and safety risk assessment suggests that a child needs one to one support due to their particular needs the Academy will be able to provide this. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities, which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school. How accessible is the environment?Milton Primary Academy is one level building with 16 classrooms in total. Foundation Stage 1 and Foundation Stage 2 are in a separate building on the Academy grounds. We have access to a field for outdoor activities and sports and a woodland area for Forest School activities. The Academy has wheelchair access and if necessary classrooms are relocated according to the needs of pupils. Walkways through the building are free from clutter and obstacles. Displays are tidy and orderly to prevent sensory overload. There are suitable toilet facilities for children with disabilities. The local authority provide hearing impaired pupils with portable Sound-field system which will amplify sound in the classroom. Interactive whiteboards are available in all classrooms. How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?Children joining Nursery class are invited to play and stay sessions during the Summer Term. This supports a smooth transition and helps the children settle in well. Children joining mid-term may be supported by Teaching Assistants according to their needs. For children with special educational needs or a disability we may facilitate a phased transition to help your child to acclimatise to their new surroundings. In many cases, a member of staff has met or spoken with staff from the previous setting to gain information which will help with your child settling in our school. If required, parents and pupils can access tours of the school in order to familiarise themselves with the environment. When children transfer to other settings, staff from Milton liaise with the new setting to share information and plan transition, ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood by the new setting. This may include staff accompanying children and parents on transition visits to the new setting. Staff from secondary provision are invited to SEND review meetings in year five/six. Extended transitions can be arranged if this is required for individual pupils and the next education provider accepts it. Again transition meetings and sessions have been held virtually to introduce the children to their new setting and key members of staff. How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?Milton Primary Academy receives funding from the Local Authority to respond to the needs of pupils with SEND from a number of sources:
This funding is then used to provide the equipment and facilities to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities through:
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?Decisions about support will be agreed at pupil progress meetings according to your child’s needs and progress. Some support may be recommended by outside agencies and this will be implemented wherever possible. For pupils with SEND but without an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, the decision regarding the support required will be taken at meetings with the SENCO, Inclusion lead (Mr Brown), class teacher, parents/carers and other relevant staff as appropriate. Your child’s thoughts will also form part of that consultation. Children with EHC Plans will be allocated the level of funding advised in their EHC Plan. At the EHC Plan Review (at least annually), funding can be reviewed. How will our child and young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?They will be involved in reviewing their targets on their Pupil Passport and will be asked about what helps them to learn on a day to day basis. Pupils are consulted and asked for their views as part of the Annual Review process if they have an EHCP. Pupils contribute ideas and say what they would like to find out about when planning the learning of a new topic in their class. The Academy parliament has a SEN representative ensuring that our SEN pupils have a voice within the academy. How will we be involved in the decisions about the learning of our children and young people?Involving parents and learners in the dialogue is central to our approach. Parents/Carers of children with identified special educational needs are encouraged to contribute to Pupil Passports. They will be able to discuss the support their child is receiving via a review which will be held three times a year. Structured conversations are held and parents’ views are sought through the annual Review Process for pupils with EHC plans. Parents are also invited to meet with professionals from outside agencies. We consider the views of our parents/carers and children with the highest regard. Meetings are held in school between parents, pupils and staff. At times, the SENCO or Inclusion Lead maybe present during these meetings. How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?At Milton Primary Academy parents are welcome to speak to staff at a mutually agreed time by telephone or through a meeting before or after the school day. Regular newsletters are sent out to parents/carers. Parents’ evenings are held twice a year and there is an annual report on your child’s achievement. Pupils work and achievement are also showcased through our social media platform (For example: Pop-Up Museums; Art exhibitions, Science experiments, interactive and practical lessons, Forest Schools etc.). What do I do if I want to make a complaint?The initial point of contact is the child’s class teacher. If concerns cannot be dealt with by the class teacher, then an appointment can be made with the Phase Leader. If you are not satisfied with the response from the Phase Leader then you can ask for an appointment with the SENCO - Miss Wilson or our Family Welfare coordinator and member of our senior leadership team (Miss Parry). If you still feel that your concerns require further attention, then you can make an appointment with the either of our co-heads (Mr Brown or Mr Jones). If any person feels that their complaint has not been dealt with adequately by the academy staff, they are able to contact the Chair of the Standards Committee who will report their concerns to the board of trustees. In addition the Local Authority provides a disagreement resolution service. The LA also provides a parent partnership service (SENDIASS) details of which are also displayed in the entrance hall, or can obtained by the SENCO. What other support Is available to parents and how can I contact them?SENDIASS - SEND information advice and support services is a service which provides free, accurate , impartial confidential, information, advice and support relating to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) for parents/Carers, children and young people aged 0-25 years. Tel: 01782 234701 / 01782 234847 Email: iass@stoke.gov.uk Website: www.sendiass-stoke.co.uk Business hours – Monday-Friday – Telephone Helpline operates 10:00am – 17:00pm |