Special Needs IR 2018

Special Educational Needs Information Report.

All children need support in many different ways. At Lomeshaye Junior School, we aim to give this support in a sensitive and purposeful way ensuring that each child is valued, has independence and is fully included in school life. All children benefit from the expertise and care of our experienced teaching and support staff team.

The SEND department provides support for children across the 4 areas of need as laid out int he SEND Code of Practice 2014:  Communication and interaction  Cognition and learning  Social, emotional and mental health difficulties  Sensory and/or physical needs When identifying children, the SEND department uses the definition of SEN as stated in the SEN Code of Practice 2014 (xiii): “A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for specail education provision to be made for him or her.”

How does our school ensure that children who need extra help are identified early?

Children are identified as having SEND, and their needs assessed through a variety of ways including:  Information passed on from infant /previous schools attended;  KS1 results, baseline testing and progress data;  Pupil performing below age expectations;  Concerns raised by parents;  Feedback from teaching staff and observations;  Pupil Premium interventions not showing impact;  Other Health and Social care professionals.

We also consider evidence that a child may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and, if so, what reasonable adjustments we may need to make for them.

What should a parent do if they think that their child may have special educational needs?

Talk to us!

In the first instance you should contact your child’s class teacher. If you still have any concerns you may contact the SENDCo, Mrs Kelly.

We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents and will respond to

any queries honestly.

What are the contact details?

SENDCo – Mrs. L. Kelly Telephone - School Number: 01282 612063 Who will explain my child’s needs and progress to me?

Class teachers will meet with parents on a regular basis to dicuss needs and progress.

For further information the SENDCo, Mrs Kelly is available to discuss support in more detail.

How will my child be taught?

In all cases of SEND, school will always place focus on quality first teaching within the classroom using appropriate differentiation, targeting a child’s area of weakness or need, with extra adult support where appropriate.

Personalised provision for children with SEND will be made through adapted activities and resources. Examples of this personalisation for children with more complex needs may include: the adaptation of how a text is presented in terms of colour and font size; use of specific resources including iPads, Penpals, touch typing computer programmes.

In class, children may work in groups in order to target specific levels of progress as well as receiving extra intervention support.

Some children with SEND will receive a tailored Maths or English curriculum delivered within the Learning Leaves class.

For some children with SEND, special access arrangements will be made for tests and examinations. These may involve a child receiving more time to complete the work or adaptation/modification of the test papers.

How else will school support my child?

The SENDCo oversees all support and progress of any child requiring additional help across the school.

Class teachers will oversee, plan and work with each child with special educational needs or disabilities in their class to ensure that progress is made.

All children will be allocated specific targets to work towards achieving.

There may be a teaching assistant working with your child individually or as part of a group in class, in order to maximise impact and progress.

Some children with well being or emotional needs will work with our Pastoral Support worker Mrs Wilkinson. Sessions can support children in the areas of bereavment, personal hygiene, and emotional literacy.

Mrs Cooke, our SEND teaching assistant supports children who have specific learning needs during afternoon interventions. She delivers Lego Therapy sessions, motor skills and working memory activities, and literacy and numeracy support through the implementation of precision teaching, Words First and Toe by Toe. Two members of staff in school, Mrs Safdar and Mrs Walmsley, deliver weekly speech and language support sessions in line with programmes provided by speech

therapists for children who require them.

How will effectiveness of provision be evaluated?

As a result of formal assessments and progress against individual targets, impact tracking is completed at least termly and adapatations to provision made in light of this. Evaluation of progress is shared not only with the senior leadership team, but also reported to the school Governor with responsibility for SEND (Mrs Safdar).

How will my child’s progress be assessed?

All teachers in school use a graduated approach to all of their teaching, recognising a continuum of need which means that they constantly assess, plan, do and review.

All data from formal assessments is collated and each child’s progress is tracked throughout their time with us in school.

If a child has their own personal SEND targets, these are reviewed on a weekly basis and any adjustments are made accordingly.

Parents are kept informed of their child’s progress. They receive written reports from work completed with external professionals; copies of completed and new targets as well as an end of year report. As well as this, meetings, above and beyond the normal allocation, can be arranged.

What support is available for improving the social, emotional and mental health of children?

Children are well supported in these areas.

There is an anti-bullying policy in place that is supported by all school staff, and we adopt a restorative approach towards any incidents.

The Pastoral Care Worker in school works with children both individually and in small groups according to their needs. During sessions, children are often involved in playing games to help develop their emotional understanding of situations, confidence and social skills. Likewise the Drawing and Talking programme is also utilised.

Lego therapy activities have been introduced for children who need to develop their social interaction skills.

All children also have the opportunity to have their voice heard through the School Council, Pupil Leadership Team and Eco-Warriors.

What SEND expertise do the staff have?

The SENDCo is qualified to degree level and has completed the National SENCO Award.

All class teachers have experience of teaching children with SEND. Individual staff in school, teachers and support staff, have received individual training and qualifications in specific areas. Such training includes: speech, language and communication difficulties; autism; hearing and visual impairments; moderate learning difficulties; Lego therapy; dyslexia.

All staff receive annual epi-pen training from the school nurse and we have 15 members of staff who are trained in first aid.

How is extra support secured?

To supplement the SEND expertise already present, school engages in extra support from external services. These include: educational pyschologist; specialist teachers; teachers of the hearing and visually impaired; speech and language therapists.

These individuals not only work with SEND children on an individual basis, but also support and advise school staff on how best to support children within the classroom.

School will always consult with parents and carers before any support from an external provider is sought.

How do you consult with parents?

The views of parents are very important to us and, every parent or carer with a child in school will be invited to 2 parents evenings per year. Following these events, parents always have an opportunity to provide feedback to school with their views.

Should school need to discuss the support or progress of a child with SEND, parents or carers will be contacted in the first instance by telephone and a meeting will be arranged if necessary. Likewise, if parents wish to arrange a meeting they may do so.

All parents have the opportunity to complete a questionnaire in the Autumn term and parents of children with Special Educational Needs are provided with regular opportunities to feedback with regards to their child’s targets.

Our Parent Liaison Officer/SEN Governor (Mrs. S. Safdar) is also available on the yard at the end of every for parents to talk to.

Do the children get a say?

Children with SEND are always involved with their own progress reviews. They are kept aware of how they are doing and are also able to create their own personal targets to work towards.

The children who have statements or EHC plans are invited to their annual reviews and contribute prior to these by completing a document that shows how they feel about school, their progress and what they would like achieve.

Through the Pupil Leadership Team all children have the opportunity to feedback to teachers and the Senior Leadership Team with regards to what is taught, how it is delivered and in some cases, choosing what topics are taught. Thus children take some responsibility for their own learning.

Lomeshaye has successfully achieved the Investors in Pupils award. This involves all of the children in school taking a certain amount of ownership for their progress through setting themselves personal targets, engaging in classroom responsibilities and generally developing an understanding of how to become responsible citizens.

All children receive half termly one to one mentoring sessions with their teacher where they can discuss their progress.

Who do I contact if I have a concern?

The first point of contact should always be your child’s class teacher with whom you can share your concerns.

You can always arrange to meet the SENDCo using the contact details mentioned earlier.

How does the Governing body support SEND in school?

The governing body are in receipt of regular updates with regards to the SEND situtation in school and are always ready to support any decision challenges.

We have a nominated governor for SEND (Mrs. S. Safdar) and all governors receive appropriate training.

How can parents receive support?

At Lomeshaye we understand the important role of the whole family in the development of a child.

All parents are given support on how best to help their children at home during our welcome meetings in the Autumn term.

We have successfully achieved the Parent Partnership award which comes partly as a result of a the wide range of classes, workshops and activities that we have on offer for parents. The classes we have on offer are wide ranging, and can provide both social and academic opportunities for family members. These can be accessed by most parents, and if you wish to receive further details you can do so by contacting our Parent Liaison Officer (Mrs. S. Safdar) through normal school contact methds.

Year groups provide workshops for parents to provide information on how best to support children at home and the SENDCo and Mrs Cooke provided training on how to use specific interventions at home.

If parents, or carers, require some advice or further support in terms of a child with SEND then they can meet the SENDCo who will be happy to discuss different opportunities with them.

Further information and support for parents can also be accessed through the SEND Information Advice and Support Service: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/special-educational-needsand-disabilities/help-for-parents-and-carers/information-advice-and-support.aspx or alternatively through contacting the Lancashire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice, and Support Service: http://www.iassnetwork.org.uk/find-your-iass/north-west/lancashire/ How will my child be supported through transition to a new school?

All children joining Lomeshaye in year 3 are invited to attend 3 transition mornings in the summer term prior to them starting school in September. This gives them the opportunity to meet their new teachers and other staff, as well as getting used to their new learning environment. During this same term, parents and carers of all new intake children are invited to attend a meeting with the year 3 teachers and the SENDCo. Parents and carers of children with SEND are welcome to discuss any concerns they may have about their child with the SENDCo at this meeting. They are also able to arrange further meetings to hold more indepth discussions before the children start.

Prior to year 3 children starting at Lomeshaye, the SENDCo visits the local feeder school to discuss the new intake with her counterpart. This ensures that any

necessary provision can be arranged before the children arrive in school.

When children with SEND are transitioning to secondary schools, the SENDCo holds a meeting with her counterparts at the new settings in order to transfer any necessary information, and extra transitional visits to the new settings are also arranged for children with SEND. If parents are unsure about secondary school selection or processes, they can share their concerns with school staff or the SENDCo and support can be offered either directly from school or through the Parent Partnership service.

What is a Local Offer?

This is a legal document which provides greater information on what services children and their families can expect from school.

A copy of school’s Local offer can be found at: http://www.lomeshaye.lancsngfl.ac.uk/documents/view/1617: This document was written following guidelines set out in the Local Offer for Lancashire County Council which can be found at: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/special-educational-needsand-disabilities.aspx