The Langley Heritage Primary

Schools extended Local Offer response

Special Educational Needs policy

The school’s SEN policy, Curriculum policy, Equality policy, Behaviour policy and Complaints policy can all be found on the school’s website (details available further)

Teaching and learning

Most pupils needs will be met without the need for an Education, Health, Care Plan (EHCP). Teachers plan and deliver through first quality teaching so that they meet the needs of all pupils. They would use planning, differentiation and manage/direct other staff in order to remove or reduce barriers to achievement and set ambitious targets for pupils. Pupil achievement is reviewed half termly, and termly Pupil Progress Meetings (PPMs) are held with phase leaders, senior management and the SENCo to monitor closely the progress of all pupils especially those in vulnerable groups. Pupils who are a cause for concern are then identified and interventions planned to support them. The school is currently looking into and developing resources to support these interventions.

Identifying and assessing Special Educational Needs

 

Class teachers in consultation with SENCo and outside agencies will assess a child to see if they have SEND.  Parents also at times raise concerns about whether their child has a SEN and the school will work to identify the strengths and areas of development of the child.  Following the graduated approach set out in the 2014 code of practice, pupil’s needs are assessed, support strategies are planned and carried out and then reviewed. The school will carry out assessments, in the first instance by the class teacher and implement strategies in class as part of quality first teaching. An IEP will be written for the child with the agreement of parents and these are reviewed termly.  If a child continues to experience difficulties or has complex needs the SENCo together with outside agencies will be used to provide recommendations and advice to the school to enable them to support a pupil appropriately. Pupils who are looked after (LAC) with SEN have regular PEP (Personal education plans) meetings to review progress and set targets alongside IEP’s which are set out in school.

The above is summed up in the graduated approach shown below.

Graduated approach: 

Assess – by class teacher in the first instance, including drawing on pupil’s progress in comparison to peers, and then advice from external support services if required
Plan – using resources/ approaches/ strategies, which are wherever possible evidence based, to support pupils 
Do – teacher is responsible for carrying out intervention/ strategy or directing appropriate staff to do so;
Review – teacher review pupil progress according to agreed timescales.

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

 

Parents are seen as partners with the school in securing progress for pupils. Parents can discuss with class teacher how to support their child eg read and talk (role model) tasks together such as spellings, handwriting, times tables.  

There are parent consultation meetings with the class teacher where strategies and targets are discussed and planned.  IEP targets are agreed and reviewed with parents.  An annual report is sent out to parents which summarizes the pupil’s achievement and sets a target.  There are also formal annual (Statutory) reviews of progress for pupilswith Statements/EHCP. The views of both parents and pupils are collected and presented at these formal reviews.  We have currently members of staff who can translate for parents who speak Urdu, Punjabi and Polish. For non-verbal pupils, their views are collected through images and if the child is at a developmental stage where they are not able to yet understand or express like and dislike in this manner, then a member of staff may complete a pupil’s views form based on observations of the child. The school invites outside specialist such as Educational Psychologist, Health Professionals (eg Speech and Language Therapist, CAMHS) and Social Care to these formal review meetings.    

To facilitate communication between home and school for key pupils who have significant communication difficulties we use Home-school books. Class teachers are available usually before/after school.  Parents can ring to make an appointment with the SENCo if they wish too. 

There is a programme for reviewing progress in the school which runs throughout the whole academic year, this includes:Monitoring of data, Pupil Progress Meetings (PPMs) termly with SENCo, management team and class teachers, and there are currently termly reviews with the EP for pupils that have EP involvement.

Additional support

 

The Class teacher will plan differentiation for sessions, with regular evaluation and reviews as part of quality first teaching to enable CYP’s access to the curriculum. There are a variety of resources that are used to help pupils who require further support. Special arrangements can be made for some pupils when taking end of Key Stage tests, currently this could include applying for extra time, using scribes and readers.

Communication and Interaction;

Pupils may be referred to Speech and Language Therapy Service (SALT) for assessment following a classroom assessment by the class teacher or a parent may raise a concern.  Following assessment targets and/or programme are followed and implemented by school staff which includes class teachers, LSA’s and staff who have had speech and language training. Communication aids are used for individual pupils under advice from SALT, for example PECS and IPads as well as Makaton.

Cognition and learning

Pupils with additional cognition and learning needs, under advice from the E.P., have a range of strategies utilised to support them for example individualised reading programmes such as See and Learn and Dancing Bears. There are booster groups and intervention throughout the school which children can access and these pupils are identified by their class teachers and year group leaders. Pupils may work with a Specialist Teacher to support them with areas for development.

Social, mental and emotional health
Social skills programmes are run for specific groups of pupils who may need additional support these include PALS and Mixed Feelings programmes. Where teachers and year group leaders identify a need for social development in addition to the normal classroom practice SEBDOS (social emotional behavioural difficulties outreach service) can come in to run assemblies and workshops. There are also parent workshops which are run for early years intervention to support pupils and families. Holding Hands is also used to support individual EYFS/Key Stage 1 pupils requiring a higher level of support. Pupils with ASD may also have social skills programmes provided by ASD outreach services and which are delivered by school staff.  The school’s learning mentor also works with pupils who have an emotional or mental health need. Pupils with emotional or mental health needs may be referred to CAMHS and advice/recommendations from the service are them implemented. Outreach workers from SEBDOS can be requested for pupils requiring a highly significant level of support.

Sensory and/or physical.

Parents and class teacher often raise a concern about a sensory need and in the first instance it is recommended that parents see their GP or Health Professional. A referral can also be made to the school nurse service (SNS). After assessment SNS will contact parents and recommend further referrals as needed.

Pupils with sensory needs are referred to Sensory Consortium Services (SCS) following medical diagnosis and advice provided is followed in school. 

Pupils with physical needs usually have Occupational Therapy (OT) and/or Physiotherapy services involved and programmes or advice are implemented in school by staff following training. Pupils may have these services already in place, or they can be referred in consultation with parents if a difficulty/concern is identified.

Pupils with personal care needs would have support eg for toileting they may need a changing plan and log. For pupils requiring medication the school will need signed consent and instructions from parents/GP and medication is administered by appropriately trained staff.  

The school building was modernised and extended last year and so is accessible for pupils with mobility difficulties/wheelchair users, however the classrooms are small. Reasonable adaptations for auditory and visual needs are made under advice and recommendation from SCS.  There is one wheelchair access changing and toilet facility.

Extra activities

 

There are clubs and activities available for pupils throughout the year and a termly list goes out to parents so they can make a selection from the range on offer. The majority of staff are involved in running these clubs.

The school would support the participation of pupils with SEND in these clubs either by differentiating the tasks or by providing additional adult support depending on the pupils needs.  The participation of all pupils with SEN in trips and visits is planned for with appropriate risk assessments informing this.

Meeting social and emotional needs of children/young people

 

Class teachers and LSA’s are usually the first members of staff to identify social, emotional and behavioural needs of a pupil. They would usually manage the pupil’s needs in the first instance throughdifferentiation and support as well as consulting with parents.  Persistent or escalated needs would be discussed with the SENCo, Learning Mentor or CP Officer and strategies identified, implemented which may or may not be alongside a referral to appropriate outside agencies eg Social Services, EP or SEBDOS. Pupils who do not have a SEN but who have a Social or Emotional Need would still have access to this graduated approach for support for example, year 6 pupils who may never have had a SEN can be referred for a transition programme to help them manage anxieties around moving schools.  The school has an anti-bullying policy and a behavioural policy in place, both can be found on the school’s website.

 

Keeping up to date with knowledge and skills

 

Staff have training through inset on teaching and learning of pupils with SEN and emotional/behavioural needs.  There are also external courses available and staff can attend these.  IDP (Inclusion Development Programme) materials are used in school to train staff.  Outside agencies are used to provide guidance and advice eg SEBDOS and EP. Outreach workers from SEBDOS and Littledown School (Special School) can work alongside school staff to show management strategies over a short term. As part of the school’s Provision Map the impact of interventions is evaluated and changes planned to make improvements as needed.

 

For parents to keep up to date with changes and to enable them to support their child we send out details of workshops and events as we are informed eg SALT workshops, Down’s Syndrome workshops. We aim to hold coffee mornings termly for parents of a child with a statement/EHCP to help them get informal information and to provide a support network of parents in a similar situation.

Transitions

 

Where the is a pupil with SEND who is due to join the school there is often a transition meeting or phone call to discuss the needs of the pupil depending on the complexity of needs.  The SENCo and class teacher will usually meet with any agencies who have been involved with the child and the parents to identify the needs of the child and any preparations that need to be made for the child to start. For key identified pupils transition booklets are prepared to help a child transition to their next class or key stage. Pupils transitioning onto a new school at the end of Key Stage 2 usually have a transition assembly and identified pupils will take part in transition groups with parental agreement, these may be on or off site. The SENCo will meet with, or contact, either receiving SENCo’s or staff from the receiving school to hand over information about pupils with SEND.

 

Helpful contacts

 

Our contact details are:   

The Langley Heritage Primary (Parlaunt Park Primary Academy)

Kennett Road

Langley, Berkshire 

SL3 8EQ 

01753 542269

There is a list of class teachers and SENCo available on the school website https://langleyheritageprimary.org/

School Policies are available on the website   

SEND information Advice & Support Service (SENDIASS)

St Martin’s Place 

51 Bath Road 

Slough SL1 3UF 

01753 787693 

sendiass@slough.gov.uk