The Langley Academy Primary

Schools extended Local Offer response

Special Educational Needs policy

What is the schools SEN Policy? 

The Langley Academy Primary’s SEN policy describes the way that we meet the needs of children who experience barriers to their learning. These barriers to learning may relate to; sensory or physical impairment, learning difficulties or emotional or social development, or factors in a child's environment (including the learning environment they experience in school).  

How is the schools SEN policy implemented? 

We do this through continually monitoring the progress of all pupils to identify needs as early as possible and provide appropriate support. We use high quality teaching which is differentiated to support all individual needs, provide full access to the curriculum through a rich, balanced provision and by involving parents and carers at every stage in the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle. We use a holistic approach to SEND as we value the different skills people bring to the table. This means that Senior Leadership, teacher, parents and professionals from outside agencies all work together to ensure that all of our SEND children are continually receiving tailored support for their individual needs.

Teaching and learning

How do you ensure that all children achieve?  

A key to successful learners is to ensure that all children feel safe and secure within their environment and closely monitor the engagement and wellbeing of our pupils. We endeavour for all children to feel confident enough to fully participate in all areas of the curriculum. We set challenging but realistic targets to enable children to succeed. Progress of all children is continually monitored through lessons, observations and assessments by all members of staff. If a specific need is identified an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be provided to support the child.   

What is an IEP?  

An Individual Education Plan is a programme designed for children with a Special Educational Need and it sets out specific, achievable targets that will enable the child to make progress towards overcoming their individual barriers to learning. The IEP is used to set up interventions and provision that meet the specific needs of the child; These provisions are used within whole class lessons to ensure that all children are fully accessing the curriculum. An IEP will have a manageable amount of targets and will be continually monitored and reviewed every half term. During the review progress, input by the SENCO, class teacher, support staff, parents and the child will be used to measure progress and formulate new targets. 

How does teaching ensure that all pupils achieve? 

To ensure that all children achieve, high quality teaching which is differentiated to meet the needs of all children is used daily at The Langley Academy Primary. Knowledge of each child’s abilities and next step targets are closely monitored through formative assessments and are used to contribute to the planning.

Identifying and assessing Special Educational Needs

The Langley Academy Primary School acknowledges that pupils’ needs fall into four general areas: 

1. Communication and Interaction,
2. Cognition and Learning,
3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulty
4. Sensory and/or Physical Needs 

What is the definition of special educational needs? 

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her (SEND Code of Practice, 2014) 

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: 

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post 16 institutions
• is under compulsory school age and falls within the definition of the above descriptors or would do so if special education provision was not made for them (section 20 Children and Families Act, 2014)

How are children identifying to have Special Educational Needs?

At The Langley Academy Primary, children are identified as having a Special Need through a variety of ways.  These can be through meeting with a child’s previous setting, concerns raised by a parent/carer, significantly lower than expected levels of achievement, concerns raised by a member of staff or information gained through meeting with other professionals that might be in contact with the child such as; a health or medical practitioner, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist or paediatrician. 

What happens after a children is identified to have a Special Educational Need? 

Once a child has been identified as having a Special Educational Need, the school follows the graduated approach as set out in the SEND Code of Practice, 2014 (paragraph 6.44) in order to help the child make progress towards reducing their barriers to learning. Initially a meeting the parents/carers will take place to discuss the identified need and how best to support the child.  An IEP will be set up relating to the child’s individual needs and will detail the specific targets that will be used to support the child daily in school within lessons, interventions and within the provision. Further support through outside agencies will be sort where appropriate. The child’s IEP will be continually monitored and will be reviewed every half term by the SENCO, class teacher and support staff, parents/carers and the child.

Involving parents and children/young people in planning and reviewing progress

How are Parents and Carers involved in planning and reviewing support for their child’s individual needs? 

At The Langley Academy Primary we ensure that all parents work closely with the school to support their child’s individual needs. Parents/carers have a unique knowledge of their child and we encourage them to share this knowledge with the class teacher. The forms of communication we use can be; written communication through home school records, face to face meetings, phone, email or parent-teacher meetings. In addition to these we will also hold extra IEP meetings and annual reviews for children with EHCPs. During these meetings parents will have the opportunity to share their concerns, alongside the child where appropriate, and help write targets to further support them. The Langley Academy Primary prides itself on having great relationships and communication with parents. Parents are able to email their child's class teacher or the SENCO if they have any concerns or just something to share about their child. They may also call the school or make an appointment to talk to an appropriate person at any time in the child's educational journey. This open communication enables parents to be involved in planning and reviewing support for their child every step of the way.

How are pupils involved in planning and reviewing available support?

As part of our schools values we ensure that we regularly hear what our pupils have to say in regards to their learning experiences. Pupils views are also gathered for IEP and annual review meetings through the form of a discussion or picture. 

How else does the school sort advice for additional support? 

As well as involving parents, carers and children in planning and reviewing needs, we will also be able to sort advice and support through external agencies such as an Educational Psychologist, Health Professionals, Speech and Language Therapists, CAMHs and Social Care.

Additional support

What additional support is available for children with an identified special educational need? 

The school offers a range of additional support for children in all areas of learning. This can be 1:1 sessions which are used to support key areas of learning, as well as small focus groups of up to 6 children. Additionally we offer access to a wide range of outside agencies when appropriate.  

Another area of additional support which we use to support our curriculum is differentiated provision which can be accessed at all levels by all children. Within each classroom we have accessible visual timetables, visual instructional prompts and easily accessible resources to promote independence. Our behaviour policy is implemented by all members of staff to ensure consistency.

Individualised additional support, where possible, will be sourced should a child have a need that is not already catered for in school.

How is additional support implemented and monitored?

Additional support and provision is overseen by the school’s SENCO and implemented by all members of teaching staff.  Any additional support is closely monitored and regular assessments will be used to analyse its impact on progress.

Extra activities

What after school clubs are available? 

The Langley Academy Primary currently offers a breakfast club and an after school club which is available for 24 children on a first come, first serve basis. This club is available to all children regardless of any additional needs and includes activities based on a full curriculum.  

What trips are available? 

In line with our focus on museum learning, all children will have opportunities throughout the year, to take part in a wide range of trips. These trips will be educational and be based around the prior and future learning opportunities which will be made available in school and will also incorporate the children’s needs and interests. Risk assessments are carried out for all trips. For those children who require additional support in order to take part in a trip, a ‘Needs Analysis’ would be completed and discussed with parents.

Meeting social and emotional needs of children/young people

How are parents involved in meeting the social and emotional needs of children? 

There are many opportunities for parents to discuss their concerns with members of staff. During parent-teacher discussions in the morning or after school, more formal parent-teacher meetings, through email or an arranged meeting with the SENCO or Headteacher.  

How are staff members involved in meeting the social and emotional needs of children?

Regular observations are carried out on all children within our school and any concerns are raised with the class teacher, SENCO and Headteacher.  If a need is identified a meeting with the child’s parents will take place to discuss the concern and appropriate support will be put in place. At the beginning of each academic year, all children are assessed based on the Leuven Scale of Wellbeing and Involvement. From this assessment, we target individual children who need extra support with their wellbeing to ensure that they are ready to learn. The children's wellbeing is continually monitored throughout the year.  

How are social and emotional needs identified before a child starts school? 

When all children start in Reception, a nursery and home visit is undertaken by members of our staff to ensure that any social, emotional and behaviour needs are identified as early as possible.

Keeping up to date with knowledge and skills

Through our recruitment process we ensure that all staff have relevant experience, knowledge and skills to work with children who have SEN. In addition to this, our induction programme ensures that all staff are aware of safeguarding procedures and have copies of the relevant policies.  

What training opportunities are available for staff? 

Throughout the year we recognise the importance of on-going training and ensure that we are up to date with current practice through attending relevant courses and taking part in-service training and the sharing of outstanding practice.

Transitions

At the Langley Academy Primary School we understand the importance of supporting children with Special Needs when undergoing a transition between different year groups or schools. 

How are children with special educational needs prepared for transition between year groups? 

Children with Special Needs are prepared for transition to a new year group through visits to the new class during the summer term. In addition to this, each child is given a transition booklet made specifically with the individual child in mind.  The booklet is written as a social story that can be read over the summer break. This will be amended in relation to the needs of the school as it grows year by year. 

How are children with special educational needs prepared for transition between primary and secondary school? 

When children with Special Needs are transitioning between our primary school and a secondary school, we ensure that we follow the Local Authority transfer arrangements. We have close links with the Secondary Academy. 

The SENCO [and Inclusion Manager] meet with secondary staff to discuss all children with special needs prior to transfer.  The SENCO or Inclusion Manager can arrange additional visits to the secondary school for children prior to transfer when appropriate.  

In addition, Secondary staff are invited to the final annual review of a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan. All pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans have a One Page Pupil Profile in which all strengths, needs, differences and special arrangements are documented. The Profiles are updated annually and handed to relevant members of school staff in preparation for the new academic year.

Helpful contacts

Headteacher – Tracey Bowen 

SENCO – Renice Miller

Inclusion Governor – Martin Burford