Asquith Primary & Nursery School

At Asquith Primary School we believe that all children are special and that they should feel valued. They should feel able to make mistakes or succeed in a safe and supportive environment so that they can learn to use their mistakes as a learning experience and achieve success and build their self esteem. We continually adapt our provision to meet the needs of our diverse community.

Children who have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children in their class, or are achieving at a much higher level, those whose physical needs prevent or hinders them from participating in activities and pupils who have emotional or communication difficulties will be considered to have special needs.

The teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCo, Senior leadership team and SEN governor liaise continually to determine and meet the needs of all individulas within the school.

Our SEN Information Report was updated September 2022

Throughout the school, we continually monitor and assess the progress of all our children. All staff have a responsibility for Special Needs children. We track the progress of children, and where expected progress is not being made, steps and interventions are put in place to support areas of need. We also work closely with our local pre-schools and previous schools to identify any special educational needs children may have prior to them joining us, in order to ensure they receive the correct support from the start.

If parents have any concerns at all regarding the progress of their child, or believe they may have an area of special educational need, then we would urge them to talk to their child’s class teacher, our SENDCO or Headteacher.

The SENCO co-ordinates provision, liaising with parents, school staff, and specialist advisors from the Local Authority and Health Service where appropriate. The school follows guidelines set out in the SEN Code of Practice 2014.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEN provision the school encourages feedback from staff, parents and pupils throughout the year, through parents evenings, review meetings and school reports.

Teachers analyse class data on a regular basis and have regular meetings with SLT and/or SENDCo to discuss specific needs of children. Parents meetings are held termly and a detailed school report is sent home in the Spring Term. A summary report is also sent at the end of the Summer term.

Pupil progress for those on the SEN register will be monitored on a regular basis through review meetings and or Parents Evenings. Some children on the Special Needs rigister may need more regular meetings to monitor progress and targets. Parents and pupils will always be invited to attend these meetings.

The SENDCo and Senior leadership review data and progress regularly.

The SEN Information Report and Policy are reviewed annually. The SEN information report was updated September 2022

Parents and child will be invited to a meeting with the SENDCO, classteacher and outside agencies if they are involved, to set outcomes for a year and put together or update a pupil profile.

Through monitoring, observing and assessing a child’s needs, staff work together with the SENDCO to put in place appropriate support and provision and this is reviewed at least termly. The progress of all children is monitored termly and Parents Evenings are held each term, to discuss how children are doing. All children will have a simple report in Jnuary and March outlining targets and a more detailed report will be sent out in the Summer term.

Parents of children with SEND will also be invited to review meetings through the year and teachers will have informal chats with parents to discuss progress or concerns.

Asquith Primary has an open door policy and parents are welcome to come in and discuss the needs and progress of their child.

Children with a complex needs may require an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). This will be determined by Nottinghamshire County Council. The plan will be reviewed annually and a report written.

At Asquith Primary School we believe that all children are special and that they should feel valued. They should feel able to make mistakes or succeed in a safe and supportive environment so that they can learn to use their mistakes as a learning experience and achieve success and build their self esteem.

The children will be included and activities adapted appropriately to meet the needs of the individual and additional adult support given when required either in or out of the class.

Class based learning is adapted for all children in our school. Some individual targets may be supported within lessons by the class teacher or a Teaching Assistant (TA), others may be supported outside of a lesson through a specific intervention programme which may be delivered by a TA.

Teachers work hard to ensure work is adapted for children, providing appropriate support and challenge. We aim to deliver a stimulating and exciting curriculum in a multi-sensory way that engages all children and where necessary, children are supported by a Teaching Assistant. We also aim to make sure our learning environment meets all our children’s needs.

Parents of children identified with SEND will be invited to a meeting and through discussion with the SENDCO, class teacher and child where appropriate, targets and provision will be decided upon. Review meetings will be held during the year.

Support is allocated where it is needed and reviewed to continually to meet the changing needs of all pupils

If support is needed from outside agencies the SENDCO will liaise with them following agreed procedures.

As a school we value highly the benefit of education outside of the classroom and believe that all children should have the opportunity to participate in these experiences. Prior to any trips, a pre-visit is made by staff and a risk/benefit assessment is carried out, which considers the needs of children with SEND. Where necessary, we meet with parents to discuss any additional support that may be required. We also aim to ensure all children have the chance to be part of lunch time or after school clubs

The social and emotional wellbeing of our pupils is a priority and we have worked to develop and maintain a strong community ethos. Opportunities are visited in al aspects of teaching to discuss and develop understanding social and emotional issues. We also have a trained Pastoral Teaching assistant who is able to offer additional support. Where necessary, specific plans are put in place to support a child’s wellbeing and in these cases parents are consulted. Outside agencies will be consulted as needed and referrals can be made to a trained counsellor through the Sherwood Area Partnership (SAP)

The SENDCO at our school, Helen Jackowska, can be contacted through the school office or by asking a class teacher to request a meeting.

The office phone number is 01623 454969

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 SEN. Training is accessed to meet specific needs as required for individual pupils.

Our school participates in the following training programmes as needed:

• Safe Handling
• NQT/Induction courses
• SLT
• Courses related to specific needs e.g Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Autism, ADHD We also invite specific agencies to train staff for individuals eg Diabetes.
• Accessing local authority training in specific areas to meet the needs of individuals.
• Accessing training on interventions to support progress of pupils.
• ELSA training and supervision for our Pastoral TA

The SENDCO attends relevant SEN courses, Family SEN meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff including INSET, Staff meetings and Twilight sessions.

We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEN issues. The SENDCO, with the senior leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision management.

We have links with a wide range of outside agencies who offer specific guidance and support to our school and families. These include:

• Educational Psychologist
• Therapists including those for Speech and Language, Occupational and Physiotherapy and the Physical Disabilities Service
• Local Authority Advisors including those for Early Years, Cognition and learning, Communication and Interaction, Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment and Personal, Social, Emotional Development team.(SAP)
• Health Services including the School Nurse and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Social Care
• Outreach services including voluntary organisations. eg Think Children
• Bereavement counselling

We seek support from outside agencies for staff and families whenever it is needed. The SENDCo oversees provision within our school. Staff training is ongoing to ensure the school is kept up to date with any changes and priorities. The training needs within our school reflect the needs of the staff and children we work with. Our SENDCo meets regularly with SENDCos from other local schools in meetings chaired by an Educational Psychologist (called a Springboard Meeting)

The school also employs a TA to support children who join us with English as an additional language (EAL) and  Language Support TA who through liaison with the SALT service provides programmes of support for children with Speech and language difficulties which are implemented daily. Our school also has a pastoral TA who works specifically with emotional and behavioural concerns. This TA is ELSA trained 

Any additional equipment will be sourced through the support services following protocol. If the equipment cannot be accessed through these services this will be discussed with parents/carers and decisions made together on how to access necessary equipment.

Reasonable adjustments have been made to improve accessibility. Our school site is wheelchair accessible with 4 disabled toilets large enough to accommodate changing and a wheelchair accessible shower.

 In the first instance there will be a meeting between the class teacher and parents where concerns will be raised and the parents notified if the child is to put on the Special Needs Register.Parents will discuss the child’s progress at parents evenings and any review meetings arranged by the class teacher.

 
For those children on Special Needs register who have a need for greater support or possible involvement of outside agencies there will be a meeting with parents, class teacher  and the SENDCO to discuss targets we will be setting for the year, how these will be achieved and any additional support that will be put in place.  There will be a short review with the parents each term to determine progress; these may tie in with Parents evenings.

 Parents of all children will receive a full report outlining their child’s progress in the Summer term and target reports in January and March

Wherever possible we endeavour to involve children in reflection and setting and reviewing of their targets. Children will be involved in checking their targets in class with the class teacher and where appropriate included in review meetings with parents and staff. We actively encourage all children to participate in all aspects of school life.

If parents are unsure about any of the support or provision being made for their child, they should not hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment with their child’s class teacher, our SENDCO or Headteacher. If parents feel their concern is not resolved through this process, they should refer to our Complaints Procedure which can be found on our school website.

The Governing Body supports the school in agreeing to staff training, and support the Headteacher/SENDCO in utilising outreach services as listed in response to question 5.

The SEN Governor delegated responsibility to the head teacher and SENCO but meets with them to discuss the needs of the school and pupils to ansure best provision is provided.

The school will signpost parents to use the Local offer website or to specific support groups as appropriate.

We encourage visits to our school before applying. Careful planning is made for all children but for children with SEND, an additional transition plan may be put in place. This will generally include early discussions with the school/setting they are coming from and any external agencies that are providing existing support. Parents are involved in transition discussions so that the needs of the child and any particular concerns are shared. 

We have a Ready for Nursery Group to support parents and children in preparing for entry to Nursery and a detailed transition is put into place for Nursery children moving up to main school.

Children moving from one school phase to another have planned transitions.

If a child is moving to another school, staff at the new school will be invited to  meet with the child and specific visits to the new school are often planned, allowing the child to familiarise themselves with the learning environment and the staff who will be working with them. Transition books may be put in place with photographs of the new buildings, new staff and key areas. The child can take this home to look at with their family and become familiar with.

Transition for specific individuals who have a specific need will be planned with all parties involved, both schools, parents and where possible the pupil.

Children will be given sessions on life skills as appropriate to their need to support them in attaining skills and knowledge to enable them in adulthood through out their time at Asquith Primary School.

Parents can look at the Nottinghamshire county council website to view the local offer.

https://www.nottshelpyourself.org.uk/

This outlines agencies, support groups and others who can support both parents and children.

Parent Partnerships is a support group for parents who require advice and information about children with SEN

https://askusnotts.org.uk/