SEND

covid-19-sen-information.docx SEN INFORMATION REPORT 2021 .docx

Nevill Road Infant School

SEND Policy

Principles and Philosophy

At Nevill Road Infant School we value every child as an individual and recognise that all children, whatever their academic ability, can achieve and have success. We have an inclusive policy and aim to help all children to gain access to the curriculum and reach their full potential.

We respect the fact that children:

have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations;
require a range of strategies to facilitate learning;
acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates;
need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.

Compliance

This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice

0 – 25 (September 2014) and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents:

SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25 September 2014
Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2013
The National Curriculum in England Key Stage 1 and 2 framework document Sept 2014
Teachers Standards 2012
Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions April 2014
Accessibility Plan

Aim

Our aims at Nevill Road Infant School are rooted firmly in the belief that every teacher is a teacher of every child including those with special educational needs.

This school provides a broad and balanced curriculum for all children that is designed to enable all children to go on to participate fully in society.

We aim

To create an inclusive environment that meets the needs of each child;
To ensure that the additional needs of children are identified, assessed and provided for;
To fully integrate children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), giving them full access to the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum;
To raise the aspirations and expectations for all pupils with special educational needs;
To focus primarily on the outcomes for children alongside hours of provision or support
To make clear the roles and responsibilities of staff in providing for children’s additional needs;
To enable all children to have full access to the school curriculum.
To work in partnership with parents, child and appropriate agencies.

Objectives

To identify and provide for pupils who have special educational needs and additional needs.
To work within the guidance provided in the SEND Code of Practice, 2014.
To operate a “whole pupil, whole school” approach to the management and provision of support for special educational needs.
To provide a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who will work with the SEN Policy.
To provide support and advice for all staff working with special educational needs pupils.

The Head teacher and the governing body have delegated the responsibility for the ongoing implementation of this SEN Policy to the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

The SENCO is responsible for reporting regularly to the Head teacher and the governor with responsibility for SEN on the on-going effectiveness of this policy.

All staff in school have a responsibility for maximising achievement and opportunity of vulnerable learners – specifically, all teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs and EAL. Staff are aware of their responsibilities towards all vulnerable learners and a positive and sensitive attitude is shown towards all pupils at all times.

The Head Teacher at Nevill Road Infant School is Mrs. Alison Marshall.

The SENCO at Nevill Road Infant School is Mrs. Jo Chatters

The SEN governor at Nevill Road Infant School is Ms Vicki North

All can be contacted via the school office on 0161 439 4817

Identifying Special Educational Needs

The SEND code of practice details 4 broad categories of need; they are as follows:

Communication and interaction

6.28 Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.

6.29 Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Cognition and learning

6.30 Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.

6.31 Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

6.32 Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

6.33 Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils. The Department for Education publishes guidance on managing pupils’ mental health and behaviour difficulties in schools –see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link.

Sensory and/or physical needs

6.34 Some children and young people require special educational provision because theyhave a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Information on how to provide services for deaf/blind children and young people is available through the Social Care for Deaf/blind Children and Adults guidance published by the Department of Health (see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link).

Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

The purpose of identifying a child’s needs is so that the school can work out what action is needed rather than to just fit a child into a category. At Nevill Road Infant School we identify the needs of pupils by considering the whole child which will include not just the special educational needs of the child but their other needs too.

Having set out the broad categories of need there are factors which are NOT SEN but which may impact on progress and attainment;

Disablilty (the Code of Practice outlines the “reasonable adjustment” duty for all settings and schools provided under the current Disability Equality legislation – these alone do not constitute SEN)
Attendance and punctuality
Health and Welfare
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Being in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant
Being a Looked After Child
Being a child of a Serviceman/woman
Behaviour as a need does not necessarily describe SEN but can be an underlying response to a need.

Nevill Road Infants has a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEN. The benefits of early identification are widely recognised – identifying need at the earliest point and then making effective provision improves long term outcomes for the child or young person.

A Graduated Approach to SEN Support

Quality first teaching is the responsibility of all teachers at Nevill Road Infant School. All teachers differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of all children in their class and children are assessed regularly to ensure that they are making progress.

In deciding whether to make special educational provision, the teacher and SENCO should consider all of the information gathered from within the school about the pupil’s progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress. This should include high quality and accurate formative assessment, using effective tools and early assessment materials.

At Nevill Road Infants all class teachers will differentiate work for all their pupils according to their individual level of need. Teachers will modify and adapt resources, activities and environmental factors to enable all pupils to access the curriculum, regardless of the nature of their educational needs. Pupils who require further classroom support are given additional small group and sometimes individual interventions or Early Intervention programmes. If Early Intervention support does not assist pupils in making expected progress, some pupils may need ‘additional to or different from’ (CoP 2104) learning experiences and these pupils, under the Code of Practice, are known as needing ‘SEN Support’.

The class teacher will meet with the parents to complete a ‘One Page Profile’ of the child. This identifies the child’s strengths, areas of need and strategies that support learning. Where ever possible, the child will be able to feed into their One Page Profile. The teacher will then write an SEN Support Plan with SMART (small, measurable, achievable, realistic, time constrained) targets which will be shared with parents and will then be implemented and reviewed in the following term with parents. Children who have an SEN Support Plan will be on the SEN Register.

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where they access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.

If limited progress has been made after two cycles of targets and reviews or at any relevant point in the support process it may be decided to seek advice from outside agencies in order to better support the child’s needs. The SENCO will collate all information relating to the child and will seek permission from the parent to make a referral to a particular service. If the criteria are met then the relevant agency will support the child and provide an Individual Therapy Plan (ITP) that will be reviewed after 6 months by the professional who set it in consultation with the class teacher and parents.

Formal Assessment for a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP):

The SENCO is responsible for collating all evidence relating to a child’s progress through the preceding stages which will include attainment levels from outside agencies such as LSS or the Educational Psychologist along with evidence of how the school has supported the child, along with the views of parents and the class teacher. This evidence is sent off to the LA for Formal Assessment.

Where a Statement of Special Educational Need or and EHCP is given by the LA, the SENCO is responsible for organising interim and annual review meetings for all concerned parties where the child’s progress on the targets as outlined on the Plan is discussed. At the annual review meeting it will be decided if the current level of support is adequate, needs to be continued for a further year or if the child’s needs could now be within school at SEN Support level.

Managing Pupils’ Needs On The SEN Register

The SEN register details all the children who are receiving SEN support and the interventions being used. It is regularly updated and each child’s needs and progress is closely monitored. Children on the register will have an individual SEN Support plan which targets the particular area where they require ‘additional to or different from’ support. Those pupils identified with additional needs will receive support in one or more of the following ways:

Teaching Assistant (TA) support
Differentiated work, modified timetable, environment
A specific intervention programme
Ideas for home support activities

There is a core expectation that the teacher holds the responsibility for evidencing progress according to the outcomes described in the plan.

The level of provision needed is decided by using progress data and outcomes from ongoing assessments. If progress data and observations indicate that provision is not fully meeting the needs of the child, the school will modify the outcomes and take into account the expertise of other professionals. If it is felt that it is appropriate to request additional funding the school, with parental and external agency support, will commence the statutory assessment process to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan (ECHP).

Criteria for Exiting SEN Support

When a child consistently meets the outcomes set on their SEN Support Plan and is ‘keeping up’ not ‘catching up’ with age appropriate expectations they will then receive Early Intervention strategies and their progress will be monitored closely by the class teacher. At this point they will come off the SEN register. The SEN register is updated twice a year.

Supporting Pupils and Families

The Local Authority Local Offer can be found at

https://stockport.fsd.org.uk/kb5/stockport/fsd/localoffer.page

The school’s local offer can be found on our website http://nevillroadinfant.co.uk/

Information on admission arrangements and accessibility can also be found on our website in the ‘Parents’ tab on the ‘Home’ page.

To ensure children with SEND are able to access assessments the school follows DfE guidelines and the responsibility for monitoring this belongs with the Head teacher.

The transfer of children between the infant school and the junior school – most of the children at Nevill Road Infant School transfer to Nevill Road Junior School on our shared site – is managed through a well-planned programme of transition visits and activities. Information is shared between staff and parents attend induction meetings at the junior school. Where children transfer to another school at the end of Key Stage 1 or part way through a year we ensure that information and data is passed quickly and securely to the new school.

Supporting Pupils at School With Medical Conditions

The school recognises that pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported sot that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Some children with medical conditions may be disabled and where this is the case the school will comply with its duties under the Equality Act 2010.
Some may also have Special Educational Needs (SEN) and may have a statement or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan which brings together health and social care needs, aswell as their special educational provision and the SEND Code of Practice (2014) is followed.
The school has a policy in place to support pupils at school with medical conditions and this can be found by contacting the school office on 0161 439 4817.

Transition

The SENDco has close working relationships with the SENDco in the Junior school. Transition review meeting are held throughout the year and support packages put in place for the children to aid their transition to the Junior School.

Monitoring and Evaluation of SEND

The Head teacher and leadership team regularly and carefully reviews the quality of teaching for all pupils by undertaking work scrutiny, lesson observations and analysis of pupil progress. This includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving teachers’ understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and also their knowledge of the types of Special Education Needs they most frequently encounter. Where necessary, the school nurse, Children’s Services, Educational Psychologists and other appropriate outside agencies will be contacted and liaised with in order to maintain the appropriate provision for a child with additional educational needs.

Training and Resources

Training around SEND is accessed for all staff as appropriate to ensure the needs of children are met to the best of our ability.

Priority areas are addressed through our annual CPD programme for staff.

Local authority training is accessed by relevant teaching assistants and teachers. All training needs highlighted through the involvement of other agencies are taken where possible.

Roles and Responsibilities

Provision for pupils with SEND is the responsibility of all staff at Nevill Road Infant School. This includes the following roles:

SEN Governonr with a responsibility to liaise with the SENCO and monitor the participation and progress of the pupils with SEND.
All of our teaching assistants are trained in implementing a range of intervention strategies and programmes.
The Designated Teacher with Specific Safeguarding Responsibility is Alison Marshall and her Deputy is Penny Spencer. However, all staff have a duty to report any concerns in their absence.
Designated Teacher for Looked After Children is Alison Marshall.
Designated Teacher for Pupil Premium is Penny Spencer.
Member of staff responsible for meeting the medical needs of pupils is Julie Williamson.

Storing and Managing Information

The school stores and handles records in accordance with DfE guidelines.

Accessiblity

Our Accessibility plan is available on our school website http://nevillroadinfant.co.uk/

Reviewing the Policy

The policy is reviewed annually by the full Governing Body.

Dealing With Complaints

If you, as a parent, are concerned about any aspect of your child’s education regarding SEND, please contact the class teacher, the SENCO or the Head teacher as soon as possible.

Written information about a formal complaints procedure is available from the school office.

Stockport Local Authority provides advice and support about special educational needs issues. Information can be found at:

www.pipstockport.org

www.togethertrust.org.uk

Bullying

Please see our Anti-Bullying Policy on our school website.

Useful Links

Stockport MBC website

http://www.stockport.gov.uk/atozindex/sendreform/localoffer

Contact IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice)

www.ipsea.org.uk

Stockport Parent Partnership Service