Woodthorpe Infant School

• The school supports pupils with a wide range of needs including ASD, Physical and Sensory needs including visual and hearing impairments, Specific Learning Difficulties including dyslexia and dyspraxia, Global Learning Difficulties, ADHD, pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as pupils who are in regular long-term interventions.

• Pupils who may need extra help are identified by gathering information from parents/carers/carers, education assessments, health and care services to build a full picture of the pupil’s needs prior to their entry into the school.
• The Headteacher invites parents/carers of prospective pupils to contact him as soon as they have received an offer of a place. He also requests relevant information with the pupil admission form which is then passed to the SENDCO and Class teachers.
• If appropriate, the Headteacher / SENDCo / F2 teacher will attend reviews at the pre-school setting/home and visit the pupil in their setting to gather further information prior to transfer to Woodthorpe.
• During the course of their time in school, staff continue to monitor the progress of all pupils in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEND as they may arise through the school year. Continuous monitoring of those pupils with SEND by their teachers will help to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential and enable the school to put in appropriate support and review its effectiveness. This will be done by termly snapshots and teachers liaising with the SENDCO through the school year to raise concerns.
• If parents/carers are concerned about their child then they can contact the SENDCo on 0115 9263820.

• The provision for pupils with SEND is evaluated through tracking progress which is monitored on a termly basis. The school also takes feedback from staff, parents/carers, pupils and other involved professionals throughout the year for their views on how effective the provision is.
• Termly review meetings against targets/goals set are held.
• Individual provision maps are collated against pupil need and reviewed termly.

• The school will inform parents/carers on a termly basis of the progress their child is making. This will take the form of 2 Parents/carers evenings and 1 annual report. If a pupil is receiving SEND support then they will also have three reviews a year with the class teacher, SENDCO and external professionals, as appropriate, to discuss how the needs of the pupil are being met within school. The professionals involved will depend on the nature of the special needs, their severity and who is involved in the provision. The Head Teacher may also be involved in these reviews.

• The school’s approach to teaching pupils with SEND is to follow the graduated response outlined in the latest Code of Practice (details can be found in the school SEND policy).
• Wherever possible the child’s needs will be met within the classroom with differentiation and high quality first teaching. The class teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class teacher.
• The class teacher will work closely with teaching assistants and /or relevant external professionals to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and links with classroom teaching.
• Support with further assessment of the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the SENDCO.

• The school will ensure that all children have access to a balanced and broadly based curriculum, and that the National Curriculum programmes of study are flexible enough to meet every child’s needs. No child will be excluded from any learning activity due to their impairment or learning difficulty, unless it is clearly of benefit to that individual. The curriculum will be reviewed by Curriculum Leaders and Leadership Team.

• If it is decided that a pupil is not making progress through classroom differentiation and adaptation of teaching style then in discussion with the parents/carers, school will look at how the pupil can best be supported within school. Every effort will be made to educate pupils with SEND alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom setting. Where this is not possible, the SENDCO/ Head Teacher will consult with the child’s parents/carers for other flexible arrangements to be made.
• If a pupil meets the criteria for Additional Family funding or High level needs funding then the SENDCO will bid in for this to provide the support the pupil needs. The Senior Leadership team meet weekly and discuss vulnerable children as part of the ongoing agenda and discuss deployment of staff to support them.

• Staff at Woodthorpe Infant School value pupils of different abilities and support inclusion. Within the school, staff and pupils will be constantly involved in the best ways to support all pupils’ needs.
• SEND pupils are encouraged to take part in after school and extended service activities which make appropriate provision for their access to these opportunities.
• SEND pupils are supported on school trips 1 to 1 where necessary and appropriate and their needs are taken account of in risk assessments completed for such educational opportunities.

• At WIS there is a very strong pastoral ethos and the SENDCO and Leadership team work in conjunction with all staff to ensure there is support for the pupils well-being. A pupil with SEND support may additionally have small group or individual support or be included in friendship groups to address social/emotional needs.

• The person responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEND is Mrs E. Bowler (Head Teacher).
• The person co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with SEND is Miss T. Sheppard (SENDCO)
• All the above can be contacted via the school number 0115 9263820

• We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with SEND.
• The SENDCO attends termly Family of Schools meetings to update and revise developments in SEND and Inclusion. The SENDCO will attend the annual SENDCO conference organised by the Local Authority if it is held and attendance is possible.
• TAs can access LA training put in place to develop their training needs and that of the school which is disseminated through the Springboard meeting (a multi-agency meeting to discuss the needs and support for pupils with SEND)
• ELSA training has been undertaken by 5 TAs (Emotional Literacy Support)
• 2 TAs have had training on how to use Lego Therapy.
• 3 TAs have had training on using Theraplay.
• All staff had training in supporting pupils with early trauma in February 2019 and training from the Gedling Area Partnership team about using therapeutic relationships techniques in March 2020.

• Termly Springboard meetings will be held at which requests for involvement with pupils from the Educational Psychologist Service (EPS) and Schools and Family Specialist Services (SFSS) including the Communication and Interaction Team, the Cognition and Learning Team and the Sensory Impairment team are made. These requests for referrals are taken back to the teams and decision are made by the services as to how best to support the school / pupil.

• The following services will be involved as and when is necessary:
  • Social Care
  • School Nurse
  • Community Paediatrician
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech and Language
  • Visual /Hearing Impairment teams
  • Education Psychology Service
  • Early Years Support Service
  • Inclusive Technology Support Service
  • Physical Disability Support Service
  • The GAP team (social, emotional and mental health needs)

• Parents/Carers are part of the discussion around referring for additional support from other agencies and are kept informed about the outcomes of that involvement.

• The school has one disabled toilet which has a shower facility and changing station for disabled pupils.
• A ramp was installed in August 2019 to provide access to the main entrance.
• Lighting has been improved and all classrooms have curtains or blinds and safety arrangements (for example, markings on steps outside and painted handrails) for all visually impaired pupils. Classrooms acoustics have been improved by carpeting in certain areas, so that the effects of hearing difficulties are minimised.
• The school has several areas including the Atrium and community room which can be utilised as places for provision outside the classroom.
• The school has a designated disabled parking area which is at the rear of the school building. This allows safe access to the school to taxis and parents/carers/carers bringing pupils to school.
• Children requiring specialist equipment due to an impairment will be assessed by the appropriate agency in order to gain the support that they require.
• An access path has been installed in the Early Years playground to enable an alternative to the steps up the small slope.
• A ramp was installed (April 2022) for access into reception. 
• A sensory integration room was installed for use from September 2022.

• Woodthorpe Infant School believes that a close working relationship with parents/carers is vital to enable early and accurate identification and assessment of SEND leading to the correct intervention and provision.
• Parents/carers are kept up to date with their child’s progress through termly Individual education plan reviews, Annual Reviews, Parents/carers’ Evening, and an annual full school report.
• In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents/carers is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs.

• At WIS we believe that due to the age of the pupils it is difficult to involve them in planning and in any decision making that affects them. However, their views are taken account of in the review process and they are made fully aware of their individual targets.

• WIS encourages the inclusion of all children in the School Council so that they have a voice in their own education.
• Class teachers ensure all pupils know what their targets are and how to achieve them.

• The parent discusses the concern informally with the class teacher to try to find a resolution. The teacher may look for additional support from the SENDCO.
• If the parent is not satisfied they may request a meeting with the SENDCO/Headteacher to find a resolution.
• To take make a formal complaint, parents/carers will need to contact the Chair of Governors via the School, following the LA Complaints procedure which has been adopted by the School. Copies can be requested through the School and accessed on the school website

• The Governing Body is committed to supporting all pupils and this is identified in their Equality policy.
• The Governing Body challenges staff and the Head to check that all pupils achieve their potential. To do so Governors review progress of SEND pupils (not by name) and ensure that funding is well spent to support pupils.
• The school regularly consults health service professionals. Concerns are initially brought to the attention of the school nurse by the SENDCO and referrals will be made as appropriate.
• Other agencies will be accessed by the SENDCO who will co-ordinate referrals made and be kept informed of their work with the pupil.
• The SENDCO will also signpost to organisations which support the whole family.

• The SENDCO will give advice to parents/carers and signpost to the Nottinghamshire’s SEND Local Offer at nottinghamshire.sendlocaloffer.org.uk
• There are many voluntary organisations supporting SEND. The SENDCO maintains an up to date list. Parents/carers/carers will be given details of these groups on request or as appropriate.

See below

From Infant to Junior school transition:

• The HT liaises closely with the Headteachers at subsequent schools and SENDCOS liaise to pass on information about specific children with SEND. If the needs are complex then the receiving Headteacher / SENDCO is invited to attend any review meetings
• If appropriate, extra familiarisation visits in addition to usual transition arrangements will be made for children with SEND.
• There is sometimes preparatory work if another organisation or service is already working closely with a pupil.
• Prior to transfer the Junior School will receive the SEND register for that cohort, detail of outside agency involvement, any programmes of work, examples of successful methods/approaches and all confidential files including each child’s individual records

In this age group the preparations are about self help skills, personal hygiene and mutual respect.

• Further information can be accessed from the SEND Policy on the school website: woodthorpeinfantschool.co.uk