Leverton C of E Academy

At Leverton C of E Academy we recognise a wide range of special educational needs which we aim to support and make provision for. We categorise these into four areas of as follows need, as outlined in the SEND code of Practice 2015:

• Cognition and learning – Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation.
• Communication and Interaction - Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
• Social, emotional, mental health difficulties - Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficultieswhich manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.
• Sensory and/or physical needs - Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time.

As a school we will endeavour to work with pupils, parents and professionals to consider the support and provision a child may need related to the areas outlined above.

We use a wealth of information about our pupils to identify if there are any areas of concern that we should pursue. Listed below are some of the methods we use to identify these pupils. As a school we use a range of assessments and information from a variety of sources to determine where support may be required. Classroom teachers will take part in regular pupil progress meetings, where assessments and professional knowledge of the child are used to consider if additional support is required and what this support might look like. We will consider short-term interventions to support children in making accelerated progress and closing any gaps they have. Where long-term support is required because a child requires something which is additional to or different from that which is being provided we will speak with parents/carers about identifying their child as having a special educational need. If a parent/carer has concerns about their child they should speak with the class teacher and the SENCO who will listen to their concerns and consider steps to address these.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEND provision the school encourages feedback from staff, parents and pupils throughout the year. This will take place through SEND review meetings with parents and staff.

Pupil progress will be monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEND Code of Practice. We will review the impact of the provision for pupils with SEND through review meetings where the provision maps, targets and progress will be evaluated.

Individual intervention programmes will be assessed regularly by the SENCO to evaluate their effectiveness. Intervention programmes run for approximately 6 weeks. Where a pupil has not progressed in this time and additional support is needed the SENCO will contact the teacher and parents to discuss the next stage with support.

As a school we will ensure parents of pupils receiving additional support are provided with regular updates about how this is supporting their child. When children have been identified as having a special educational need, teachers and the SENCO will meet with parents and pupils termly to review the plans in place and the impact they are having. During review meetings, parents will be offered information on how they can support their children. We use a variety of assessment information to track small steps of progress and create aspirational targets for pupils based on their starting point.

We ensure that every child receives high quality teaching first and foremost. Children are supported to achieve at their level of understanding and ability through a range of strategies. Children with special educational needs will have carefully planned provision maps and targets outlined which will ensure everyone involved in their education and care has a clear understanding of how best to support and work with the child. This will include identifying their strengths and interests and what works best for the child. We will work alongside other agencies and specialists to ensure we have considered the differing approaches for each child’s individual circumstances.

Staff use a range of resources available to them in school alongside a progressive curriculum to identify the starting points within each area of learning. Where necessary, individualised curriculums will be planned as part of a child’s provision map to make it clear the curriculum matches the needs and starting points of the child. These provision maps are regularly updated to reflect an ambitious curriculum for individuals.

As a school we work as a team to consider the approaches and support that is required for pupils. We will create provision maps, intervention timetables and support plans as necessary for all pupils that require this. We work alongside the family of schools and the family SENCO to consider if a school requires additional funding in order to fulfil the support needed. Our SENCO will consider the need to apply for additional needs funding using the processes provided by Nottinghamshire County Council.

It is of paramount importance to us as a school that every child is given the same opportunities to access activities both in and out the classroom. We will work with parents/carers and other professionals to ensure we have considered all aspects of how we can include all children. Where it is appropriate we will make use of specialist advice and risk assessments when planning these opportunities.  

The well-being of our pupils is of upmost importance across school. We provide a safe and welcoming environment across school where staff know the children well. Children are encouraged to support one another through restorative practise which allows pupils to have their voice heard and to solve problems as a team. Where children are experiencing difficulties with their emotional needs we have plans in place to support these. We will speak with parents and pupils and decide the best action to be taken. Where it is appropriate we will provide nurture sessions for pupils on a 1:1 or group basis using in school assessments to support us in identifying how we can help.

The SENCO at Leverton C of E Academy is Mrs Jennie Bailey j.bailey@leverton.snmat.org.uk

Our school SENCO has achieved the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination. She supports staff across school in accessing any additional training that will enable them to support children in the best way. Staff have accessed training related to Autism recently and plans are in place to enable staff to continue their professional development through a variety of areas according to the needs of the pupils within the school. Our school is committed to providing training as is necessary to meet the needs of all pupils, training needs are identified yearly to take account of the emerging needs within school at any one time.

All staff are trained through Nottinghamshire on how to ‘Contain risky behaviour’. Staff have also accessed training on personal emergency egress plans. Staff are currently accessing ELSA training which supports children with emotional difficulties through a nurture based provision.

As part of the Retford Oaks Family of schools we are able to access the support and advice of local SENCOs as well as the Family SENCO. Alongside this we work with a range of specialists, including but not limited to:

• SFSS – Schools and Families support services
• Educational Phycologist
• BPBP – Bassetlaw primary behaviour partnership
• Sensory Solutions
• SALT - Speech and language therapy
• Healthy Family Team
• Health professionals (Epilepsy, diabetes, paediatrician etc
• CAHMS – Children and adolescent mental health servic
• APTCOO – Family support for children with additional needs based in and around Retford

As a school we are a wheelchair friendly site, we have a disabled parking bay and changing facilities within the school. The school site is fully secure with a large outdoor space in early years/KS1 as well as a large playground and field across a self-contained bridge.

As a school we hold three parent meetings across the year. We meet with parents of children with special educational needs termly alongside these parent meetings to review provision and set new targets. This gives opportunities to discuss any additional or specialist support that might be required. Parents/carers are included in all aspects of decision making.

Children are included in the review meeting process, whether this be in person at the meeting or where information is gathered prior to meetings. The SENCO gains pupil voice as part of monitoring activities to consider the approaches that are working for pupils and to hear how the support is working for them.

Concerns and complaints should be directed to the class teacher and/or SENCO initially. If there is no resolution, parents/carers are asked to consider the complaints policy from the school website.

The governing body support the school in ensuring the SEND policy is fulfilled. They work alongside the SENCO to ensure the appropriate organisations and services are consulted to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and their families.

As a school we offer signposting informally through discussions with parents where necessary. We also provide additional information on our school website to organisations that are available within the local area

We will work closely with the parents/carers and specialists involved with a child to ensure the transition into our school is right for the child. We will consider a transition plan to outline the steps we will take to support children when joining and make sure this works for all involved.

Throughout school staff work closely to ensure information is shared between classes as children move from one class to another. We consider the needs of the child when considering transition and where it is necessary a transition plan will be put into place to support them. We work closely with the feeder secondary school to access any additional transition sessions children may require before moving schools. The SENCO will work with any school a pupil comes from or goes to when they have a specified identified need, this includes specialist provision.  

The school is aware that being supported towards greater independence and employability can be life-transforming for pupils with SEND. It recognises the importance of starting early, centring on pupil aspirations, interests and needs, and will ensure that pupils are supported at developmentally appropriate levels to make a smooth transition to what they will be doing next, e.g. moving on to higher education.

The school will:

• Seek to understand the interests, strengths and motivations of pupils and use this as a basis for planning support around them
• Support pupils so that they are included in social groups and develop friendships
• Ensure that pupils with SEND engage in the activities of the school together with those who do not have SEND, and are encouraged to participate fully in the life of the school and in any wider community activity
• Engage with secondary schools, as necessary, to help plan for any transitions

Our school website has our SEND policy as well as a range of other information about what our school offers. www.levertonacademy.co.uk