ST EDWARD’S CHURCH PRIMARY SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS INFORMATION REPORT

SUPPORT FOR YOUR CHILD AT ST EDWARD’S We can support your child to achieve the very best they can at our school. We value the input that parents make to their child’s education and aim to work together to provide the best possible support for your child. From time to time, children may need extra support with their learning and the following will inform you of the types of support available for your child at St. Edward’s. It will help you understand who can help and how this support can be accessed. It takes the form of ‘Frequently asked questions’.

WHAT DOES HAVING A SEN MEAN? ‘A child or young person has SEN (Special Educational Needs) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they: (a)have a significantly greater difficulty in learning then the majority of others of the same age; or (b)have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. (SEND Code of Practice 2014 p.4) This is a broad definition covering all children and young people from 0-25 years of age.

The Code of Practice identifies 4 broad areas of need: Communication and interaction Cognition and learning Social, emotional and mental health difficulties Sensory and/ or physical needs (SEND Code of Practice 2014 p86 6:28 - 6:35)

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF MY CHILD? At St. Edward’s, the progress and attainment (linked to national data and expectations) of all pupils is reviewed termly (December, March, June/July) by the class teacher, SENCo (Special Educational Needs co-ordinator), Literacy and Maths leaders, Deputy Head as assessment leader and Head teacher, at which time support may be changed to meet identified needs.

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL LET ME KNOW IF THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT MY CHILD’S LEARNING? You may have informal contact from your child’s class teacher at school or by telephone requesting a meeting. You will be informed about your child’s general progress and targets through the three times yearly Parents’ Evenings that you sign up to. You will receive a formal report in the Spring term followed by an up-dated ‘mini’ report in the summer term for years 1-6. Foundation forward the formal report in the Summer term, termly updates in the form of a ‘mini’ report for the Autumn and Spring term are also given.

HOW DOES THE SCHOOL IDENTIFY THAT A CHILD HAS A SEN? There is a stepped approach in place:- All children receive high quality teaching in the first instance. Children’s progress is monitored by the class teacher and reported on a termly basis, when it is then analysed by subject leaders. A ‘SEN cause for concern’ document, our raising concern system, may then be started if a child is not making expected progress. Class teachers put additional support in place to support the child to meet identified needs and arrange to meet with parents to discuss the child further.

If, following this, there is limited progress, then the SENCo becomes involved and a further meeting with parents and the child is organised to discuss the way forward. The decision is made that the child requires additional support in the form of ‘SEN support’ and SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, time bound) targets are agreed with desired outcomes. The next step on from this would be to draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals by holding a multi-agency meeting to ensure we can access the best possible support for your child. (See school policy for SEN (awaiting governor approval))

WHO ARE THE BEST PEOPLE TO TALK TO IN SCHOOL IF I THINK MY CHILD HAS A SEN? We encourage you to share any concerns that you may have about your child as soon as possible, by contacting these members of school staff: Class teacher – The majority of children with an SEN can have their needs managed by the class teacher, they are responsible for the day to day progress and development of their pupils including those accessing support from both Teaching and Learning support assistants. SENCo – You can also discuss your child’s needs further with the SEN co-ordinator

WHO IS THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SEN? 1. Class teacher – The person responsible for the day to day progress of each child in his/her class. 2. SENCo – Mrs Evans can support both the class teacher, parents and child to plan for the best outcomes possible, learning or otherwise. 3.Head teacher, Mrs A Smith 4. SEN Governor Mrs S Eve

WHAT TRAINING OR SPECIALIST EXPERTISE DO YOUR STAFF HAVE AROUND SEN? Our SENCO (Mrs Caroline Evans) is experienced in this role and has been at this school for 16 years. She attends all local training and updates and works closely with other SENCos in the local area. She also coordinates the provision of SEN in school. Mrs Evans is supported by our Learning support assistant Mrs Mitchell, who is very experienced in her role, having worked with children in our school for the past 21 years. Mrs Evans Mrs Mitchell

WHAT FURTHER EXTERNAL SUPPORT CAN THE SCHOOL ACCESS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH SEN AND THEIR FAMILIES? School funded Counsellor Excellence Cluster Multi-Agency Support staff LA funded services Plymouth Advisory Learning Support (PALs) Communication Interaction Team (CIT) Community Educational Psychology Service PATSS Outreach for Physical Difficulties and ICT Plymouth Parent Partnership

Health Service funded Community Nursing Service Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHs) Children’s Speech and Language Service

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY CHILD MOVES FROM CLASS TO CLASS OR ANOTHER SCHOOL? At St. Edward’s, every effort is taken to ensure that transition times are successfully managed. Some children take part in completing transition booklets about their new class and teaching staff, they are also given plenty of opportunities to visit with the teaching staff prior to the whole class ‘Meet the Teacher’ day. Children moving to other schools at transition times are also given the opportunity to have an ‘enhanced’ transition consisting of a number of structures visits in liaison with the receiving school.

WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE SCHOOL SUPPORTS CHILDREN WITH SEN? We have a committed team of staff who may be involved in supporting your child at St. Edward’s. These include: Your child’s teacher, who will always make sure that the learning is appropriate and accessible for your child. Please approach your child’s class teacher if you would like to discuss things further. Teaching Assistants, who support all pupils in class and can provide additional support to individual children or small groups under the direction of the class teacher. Access to Learning Mentors through MAST (Multi-agency support team) who help to support children with barriers to learning. Counsellor (Mrs S Coniam) who works with children who have experienced emotional trauma. Sometimes school may commission Specialist Support to work with identified children with a Particular focus eg Speech and language therapists, Occupational therapists or Educational Psychologists.

To ensure our staff have the skills and knowledge to support children with SEN, there is a programme of on going training. Recent training has included: I.D.P ~ Inclusion Development Programme, Manual handling Training and Precision Instruction training. All pupils in school receive high quality teaching. This means that a range of teaching and awareness of learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs. All of our classes benefit from being supported by teaching assistants who can support small group work or catch up programmes where needed. (YF ~ full time teaching assistant, KS1 classes ~ every morning, KS2 classes ~ x2 mornings per week) All of our MTAs know the children well and can support them with appropriate behaviour at lunchtime. Using lunchtimes we also offer a Quiet Room for children who need different provision at lunchtimes. Age appropriate lunchtime and after-school clubs may be accessed by all children.

WHO IS THE PERSON I SHOULD TALK TO IF I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THE SUPPORT BEING PROVIDED FOR MY CHILD AT THE SCHOOL? HOW CAN I SHARE MY CONCERNS OR MAKE A COMPLAINT? In this instance, you should address your concern to those responsible for children and young people with SEN, namely… The class teacher The SENCo The Head teacher Please see our Complaints policy for further information

WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR ADVICE AND SUPPORT FOR MY FAMILY AND HOW? There is a wealth of information on the… Plymouth Online Directory (P.O.D.) Select ‘For Young people and Families’ ~ SEN and disability This will also give you information on the Local offer. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our SENCo, Mrs Caroline Evans.