SEN Information Report 2020-2021

Introduction

All Sandwell (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible. The four broad ‘areas of need’ are Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.

What is the Local Offer?

Our intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area. You can read more about the local offer on http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/send

What can we at Joseph Turner Primary School offer you?

At Joseph Turner Primary School, we embrace the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational need of every child is different; this is certainly the case for children with Special Educational Needs.

Q1. What are Special Education Needs and Disabilities?

A special education need can be a number of different things. For example, your child may be having problems with reading, maths, writing or behaviour. The school can help by putting extra support in at school and by working in partnership with yourself. It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for a child to use the same educational facilities that the school provides for the majority of children. For some children this may be a temporary difficulty, while others may have a long term need for help.

Types of special educational needs can include:

• General Learning difficulties- children who’s learning progresses at a slower pace.
• Speech and Language
• SEMH (Social Emotional Mental Health) including behaviour
• SpLd (Specific learning difficulties with reading, writing, maths and spelling)
• Dyspraxia (problems with motor skills, core strength and organisation)
• Autism
• ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Downs Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Other physical/medical needs

Q2. Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning/Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)?

The class teacher is responsible for

• Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be targeted work or additional support) and letting the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENCo) know as necessary.
• Writing Action Plans, sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
• Personalised teaching and learning for your child as identified on the school’s provision map.
• Planning lessons according to meet the specific needs of all groups of children in their class and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
• Ensuring that the school’s SEN Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEN.

The SENCo: Mrs L. Collins is responsible for

• Developing and reviewing the school’s SEN policy.
• Co-ordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
• Ensuring that parents are

i) involved in supporting your child’s learning

ii) kept informed about the support your child is getting

iii) involved in reviewing how they are doing.

• Liaising with the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child’s learning, e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology.
• Updating the school’s SEN register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept.
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school, so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best progress possible.

The Head teacher: Mr R. Workman is responsible for

• The day-to-day management of all aspects of the school; this includes the support for children with SEND.
• The Head teacher will give responsibility to the SENCo and class teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
• The Head teacher must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND.

The SEN Governor: Miss S Ward is responsible for

• Making sure that the necessary support is given for any child with SEND who attends the school.

School contact telephone number:  0121 557 8733

headteacher@josephturnerprimary.me.uk

Q3- What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in school?

Our School provision

Teachers are responsible for teaching SEN groups/individuals. Teaching Assistants and Cover Supervisors work mainly with either individual children or small groups. The School Counsellor and positive learning mentors offers support for children with behavioural, emotional and social issues.

a) Class teacher input, via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching).

For your child this would mean

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• That different ways of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
• That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCo) are in place to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

b) Specific group work/interventions

Interventions may be run in the classroom or a group room. It may be run by a teacher or a teaching assistant (TA). The small group/ 1:1 interventions we offer are listed below.

Small group/ 1:1 interventions

Talk Boost

Max’s Marvellous Maths

BRP

5 minute number box

5 minute literacy box

Overcoming barriers to maths

Phonological awareness intervention

HFW and early word recognition

Rapid Reading

Fast Lane

RWI 1 to 1

RWI Fresh start

Rapid Maths

Lego therapy

Social use of language programme (SULP)

WELLCOMM

Speed up

Write away together

Precision Teaching

Springboard Maths

Enable

Better Reading Partnership

Fun Fit

Lego Therapy

Success with Sentences

Reciprocal Reading

Write from the start

Sandwell Writing Intervention

Sandwell Numeracy Intervention

DC Gaps

c) Specialist groups run by outside agencies

This means a pupil has been identified by the SENCo or class teacher as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from

• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
• Parent Partnership Service
• SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHs)

What could happen:

You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional, e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and you to understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them more effectively in school.

The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.

d)  Specified Individual support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

For your child this would mean:

The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child. After the request has been made to the ‘Panel of Professionals’ (with a lot of information about your child, including information from you), they will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support. After the reports have all been sent in, the Panel of Professionals will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).

The EHC Plan will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used, and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long- and short-term goals for your child.

The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.

Q4- How can I let the school know that I am concerned about my child’s progress in school?

If you have concerns about your child’s progress, you should speak to your child’s class teacher initially. You can do this at the end of the day when you collect your child or by phoning the school to make alternative arrangements. If you continue to be concerned that your child is not making progress, you may speak to the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENCo). The school SEN Governor, Sarah Ward can also be contacted for support.

Q5- How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning in school?

If your child is identified as not making expected progress, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to listen to any concerns you may have, plan any additional support your child may need and discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child.

Q6- How is extra support allocated to children and how do pupils progress in their learning?

The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, in consultation with the school governors on the basis of needs in the school. The Head Teacher and the SENCo discuss all the information they have about SEN pupils in the school, including the children getting extra support already, the children needing extra support, the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected. From this information, they decide what resources/training and support is needed. The school identifies the needs of SEN pupils on a provision map. This identifies all support given within school and is reviewed regularly and changes made as needed, so that the needs of children are met, and resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

Q7-How will we measure the progress of your child in school?

• Your child’s progress will be continually monitored against new National Curriculum objectives by his/her class teacher. His/her progress will be reviewed formally with the Head Teacher and SENCo every term in reading, writing and numeracy.
• At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of year 2 and year 6), all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). This is something the government requires all schools to do and are the results are published nationally.
• Where necessary, children will have an Action Plan based on targets from the Different Class Tracker (DC Pro) set by teacher/SENCo or outside agencies specific to their needs. Targets are designed to accelerate learning and close the gap. Progress against these targets will be reviewed regularly, evidence for judgements assessed and a future plan made.
• The progress of children with a statement of SEN/EHC Plan will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education.
• The SENCo will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group intervention that they take part in.
• Regular book scrutinies and lesson observations will be carried out by the SENCo and other members of the Senior Management Team to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.

Q8- What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with SEND?

• The class teacher is regularly available at the end of the day to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have. Also to share information about what is working well at home and at school, so that similar strategies can be used.
• The SENCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be shared with you with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report. Personal progress targets /action plans will be reviewed with your involvement every term.
• Homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s individual requirements.
• A home-school diary is available to support communication with you.
• The School Counsellor is available to support you and address any concerns or worries you may have.

Q9-How is Joseph Turner Primary School accessible to children with SEND?

• The school is fully compliant with Disability Discrimination Act requirements.
• The school is on one level with easy access double doors and ramps.
• There is one disabled toilet, shower area and changing facilities.
• We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
• After-school provision is accessible to all children, including those with SEN.
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEN.

Q10- How will we support your child when they are joining or leaving this school?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEN, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

If your child is joining us from another school:

The SENCo will contact previous school to gather information about your child. We will invite you into school prior to your child joining to discuss all of their needs and how we can best support them, including strategies that you use at home. If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them. Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.

If your child is moving to another school:

We will contact the school SENCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENCo from the new school. We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible. If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

When moving classes in school:

Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and in most cases a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. Action plans will be shared with the new teacher. You will be invited to meet your child’s new class teacher before the transfer if possible or soon after.

In Year 6:

The SENCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCo of the child’s secondary school. In Year 5 Children with EHCP will begin transition discussions to identify schools they would like to go to.  In most cases, a transition review meeting, to which you will be invited, will take place with the SENCo from the new school. Your child will participate in focused learning relating to aspects of transition, to support their understanding of the changes ahead. Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions with a member of support if appropriate, and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school. If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

Q11-How will we support your child’s emotional and social development?

We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative. All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult we offer

• Additional 1 to 1 school counselling support
• Support from our positive behaviour mentors

Q12- What are the arrangements for parents of children with SEN who may wish to complain about the provision?

Parents who wish to complain are strongly encouraged to follow the Local Authority’s and School’s complaint procedure. You are also encouraged to initially speak to the Head Teacher regarding their complaint. If the issue can’t be resolved at this level or the complaint is regarding the Head Teacher the parent would be directed to contact the Chair of Governors (Janet Poxton)

Q13-What are the contact details of support services for the parents of children with SEN, including those for arrangements made in clause 32*?

FASTA Services (including speech and language, physiotherapy and occupational therapists)-0121 612 2010

Sandwell Inclusion Support-0121 569 2777

Sandwell SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SEND IASS)-0121 555 1821

Orchard School-0121 569 7040

Glebefields Health Centre-0121 530 8040

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHs)-0121 612 6620

Fair Access and Inclusion Team-0121 569 2777

Q14- Where is the Local Authorities Local Offer published?

The Local Offer is published on the Sandwell’s website http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/send

* Clause 32- Advice and information for parents and young people

 A local authority in England must arrange for the parents of children for whom it is responsible, and young people for whom it is responsible, to be provided