Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Our SENCos are- Anna Clarke (Assistant Head Teacher- Inclusion and standards) and Alex Green, who can be contacted on the school office 01757 702464.

We value all children equally whatever their background, and aim to provide a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, culture, religion or ability.

Any pupil with S.E.N.D will be welcome at our school. In the event of a parent wishing to admit a child with such difficulties to the school, then every effort is made to accommodate the needs of the pupil.

The school does all that it can to ensure equal access to the whole curriculum for all children with Special Educational Needs, which includes children with disabilities. Procedures are regularly updated following our adoption of the Disability Equality Scheme which is a legal requirement in all schools, along with meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Our aim is to ensure a match between the teaching styles and the learning needs at any one time of an individual child in order that he/she can make the best possible progress and fulfil his/her potential. This includes all vulnerable children such as looked after children, children with English as an Additional Language, Traveller children and those who have special educational needs.

Once the specific needs of the child have been identified appropriate provision is decided and implemented by the class teacher, support staff and any specialist staff that may be required. This includes differentiated work, additional help as required and a wide range of learning opportunities.

Link to the North Yorkshire Local Offer

SENDIASS
http://sendiassnorthyorkshire.co.uk/

SEND policy link to SET Website

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy link to SET Website

What to do if I think my child has Special Educational Needs?

Selby Community Primary School SEN information report

Code of Practice 6.79

‘The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools have a legal duty to publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published must be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year must be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the draft Special Educational Needs (Information) Regulations and reflects the information required for the local offer’.

Schools should ensure that the information is easily accessible by parents and is set out in clear, straightforward language. This should include information on the school’s SEN policy, named contacts within the school where parents have concerns and details of the school’s contribution to the local offer.

In setting out details of the broad and balanced curriculum provided in each year, schools should include details of how the curriculum is adapted or made accessible for pupils with SEN.

1 What kinds of SEN are provided for in your school?

We are a very inclusive school and cater for a wide range of needs. These will fall under the four broad categories from the code of practice 2015- Communication and Interaction (includes Autism), cognition and learning (includes dyslexia and dyscalculia), sensory and/ or physical needs (includes hearing and vision) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (includes ADHD and ADD). We will always endeavour to meet your child’s needs.

2 What policies do you have for identifying children and young people with SEN? How do you assess their needs? What is the SENCo’s name and how can I contact them?

If you have a concern about your child this should be raised in the first instance to the class teacher, they will then discuss these concerns with the SENCo, and it is then monitored. The SENCo will arrange a review meeting if this is appropriate. The SEN list is updated termly, by the class teachers and the SENCo. All children who are significantly behind the national average will be placed on the register. Also children who are not progressing will be placed on the register. Vulnerable children are identified and monitored during termly Inclusion meetings. All mainstream schools have a SENCo. Our SENCo is- Anna Clarke (Assistant Head Teacher- Inclusion and standards) who can be contacted on the school office 01757 702464. They, along with your child’s class teacher, will be able to discuss your child’s needs with you, the support for learning that we are providing to meet their needs, and what expectations we have for your child’s progress. This will include explaining to you where your child is in their learning, and the targets we have set for your child. You and your child will be asked for your views on these targets. You will be informed about the progress your child is making in line with national expectations. If you are not sure what these mean, don’t be afraid to ask. We want to fully hear you and your child’s views and expectations.

3 What arrangements do you have for consulting with parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child’s education?

We have parents evening during the spring term where you will be able to find out about what your child is doing and how they are progressing in correlation to their targets. Currently there is very limited face to face contact with the staff but you are welcome to ring or we can arrange a video meeting through Microsoft teams. Formal assessments take place on a termly basis but if staff are concerned between these times they will approach parents. Termly review meetings take place for all children on SEN support or with an Educational, health and care plan. Home school books are used when it is beneficial. Individual Provision Map’s are reviewed and updated on a termly basis with the teacher, parent and child. All pupils with SEND should make at least expected progress, in line with their peers.

4. What arrangements do you have in place in your school to consult with young people with SEN and how do you involve them in their education?

A yearly survey takes place to ascertain the children’s views. We use growing up in North Yorkshire every two years. SEN Children are represented across the school in varying situations for example school council, UNICEF champions, after school clubs, mental health champion.

5. What arrangements are in place for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. Please can you explain what opportunities are available to enable you to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review

All children are assessed on a regular basis. All children should make expected progress. Pre Key Stage standards are used. Parents will be informed of assessments and interventions at the termly review meeting. All children on SEN support will have an Individual Provision Map. Assertive Mentoring takes place in consultation with the teacher and child.

6. What are the arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood? How do you ensure that as young people prepare for adulthood the desirable outcomes reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society

We have strong links with all secondary schools in the area. There is a transition day for all Year 6’s. Additional visits may be set up, High Schools are invited to Annual Reviews in Year 5 and Year 6, and the children’s files are photocopied and sent up to the High School or transferred using CPOM’s. If a your child is transferring to our school we will contact the previous school for information, attend review meetings, set up transition day visits and make a book about our school (if this is appropriate). If your child is leaving our school we will contact the new school with any relevant information and then photocopy all files to send on or attach it to CPOM’s. The originals will be kept in school in accordance to statutory guidance. Life skills are taught within the curriculum and all children have access to a range of experiences.

7. What is you School’s approach to teaching children and young people with SEN?

High quality support for learning within mainstream lessons is the most important factor in helping pupils with SEND to make good progress alongside their peers. Teaching assistants are deployed where the need is and this can be done on a lesson basis in order to respond flexibly and swiftly to need. If a specific allocated time is given to a child then parents will be informed. This may be in the form of in class support or interventions run outside of the Maths and Literacy lessons. Some of the interventions we run in school are Sounds Write, Reading Intervention, Thrive and First Class in Number. Governors will question the provisions and what impact they are having on the children. Regular slots are provided in the governors meeting for new things happening in school. For a very few children more help will be needed than is normally available through the school’s own resources. Schools, parents and other agencies may decide that it is necessary to request a statutory assessment through the local authority. We can talk to you about this in more detail or you can contact SENDIASS (see number below). Where we feel that something additional or different is needed to support your child because they have SEND we will discuss this carefully with you. This information may well be recorded in a document for you and your child, known as an individual provision map. This will include: details of any strategies being used to support your child in class; details of any extra support or interventions for your child; your child’s learning targets; the next date when your child’s progress will be reviewed. If your child is not making progress and the gap between them and their peers is widening then your child would take part in an intervention either in a 1:1 situation or in a small group to address the need of your child. If they are still not making progress, in class support by a Teaching Assistant may be deployed if this is thought to be beneficial. This is by no means always the case. Most importantly, this support should be aiming to make your child more independent in lessons. This decision will be made by the SENCo and head teacher. More long term class support would be discussed in review meetings and through structured conversation. We use a range of interventions to support pupils with SEND to make better progress. Interventions are structured learning programmes. We can  explain to you:- what interventions your child is receiving and what are the intended learning outcomes; when during the week any interventions will be delivered and for how many weeks; who will be delivering the interventions (usually a well-trained teaching assistant) and where (e.g. in class or outside the classroom) how the interventions will relate to and support learning in the classroom;  how they will be monitored closely to make sure they are helping your child to make accelerated progress.

8. What sort of adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEN?

Our teachers deliver good quality wave 1 teaching and will adapt the classroom and their teaching to ensure all children make the best progress they can. This includes things like visual props in class, visual time tables, use of different coloured backgrounds, writing slopes and pencil grips. The school has a whole school provision map which details strategies and adaptations to the curriculum for a variety of needs. We have a large disabled toilet.  All classrooms have blinds and carpets. We have a clear action plan in place in linked with the school development plan and the Equality scheme.

9. What sort of expertise for supporting children and young people with SEN do you currently have in school? How do you ensure that the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN is current? How do you access and secure further specialist expertise?

All staff are trained on a range of needs. An audit is done to see where the training needs are. This is a mixture of in school training and external training. 2020/2021 training included Thrive, Mental Health First Aid, epilepsy, and Social, emotional and mental health training. As a school we may need specialist support for your child. If we feel that the involvement of another agency would be beneficial to help with your child’s needs you will be informed and asked to give your consent. We also employ a speech therapist in school who works with children and trains staff.

10. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEN?

All classes deliver quality first teaching which is regularly observed. We use the graduated approach to support our children- Assess, Plan, Do, Review. If your child is not making the expected progress an intervention may be required this will be done through the graduated approach. Your child will be assessed to see where their strengths and weaknesses are, an evidence based intervention (EBI) will be picked or a carefully planned programme will be put together, the intervention will be delivered for a set period of time on a regular basis and then they will be reviewed at the end of this period. Some assessments which may be used are the YARK, dyslexia portfolio, WRIT or the Vernon spelling test. If at the end of an intervention your child has not made progress they will be placed on the SEN register and outside agencies may be contacted to seek advice and support.

11. How are children and young people with SEN enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEN?

All children have access to all activities both in school and out. For a school trip a pre-visit will happen, a risk assessment will be done and adaptations will be put in place. Adaptations previously put in place include parents accompanying the child, transport by car due to not being able to get on a coach and daily time on websites looking at the place the child is going to ensure familiarity. Parents will be consulted by the class teacher regarding any difficulties we may encounter. We will always go the extra mile to ensure every child can access a school trip.

12. How do you support children and young people with SEN to improve their emotional and social development? Please explain the extra pastoral support arrangements for listening to the views of children and young people with SEN and measures to prevent bullying.

We are very concerned with a child’s overall well being.  We use the growing up in North Yorkshire survey every two years. Training is given to staff for medical needs when they arise for example epi pens and gastronomy feed. We have a personal hygiene policy and staff will change nappies where necessary. The school has an inclusion team.  Children will be able to speak to the inclusion team about anything that may be worrying them.  They work with a range of learners, but give priority to those who need the most help, especially those experiencing multiple disadvantages. The variety of issues covered is vast, ranging from punctuality, family break up’s, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, absence and challenging behaviour. Behaviour in school is carefully monitored strategies include social groups; inclusion team; time out; liaison with parents and phone calls home.

13. How does the School involve other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEN and supporting their families?

Within school we can make referrals to the HUB which provide outreach support. These are Social, emotional and Mental Health difficulties; Specific learning difficulties; communication and interaction, Severe Learning difficulties and the educational psychologist. This is done through the single point of access. We can also make referrals to speech and language, social care, CAMH’s, and SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities Independent Advice Service. We also work in close partnership with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, school nurse, hearing and vision teams.  SENDIASS will offer information and support to families of students with SEND up to the age of 25 years whether or not they have a statement or EHC Plan. For further information contact 01609 536923. They may also be able to put you in touch with other organisations or parent support groups. Support will be accessed from the virtual school for support of children who are looked after by the local authority. See the Pupil premium report for a breakdown of spending to support children in receipt of this funding.

14. What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEN about the provision made at the school.

If you have a complaint please speak to the class teacher in the first instance and if this is not resolved speak to The SENCo or the Head teacher. If it still cannot be resolved please follow the schools complaints procedure (available on the school website).   Updated September 2021