Hallcroft Infant and Nursery School

As a school we aim to include all children regardless of the nature of their special educational need.  The school is single level and has facilities which meet the needs of disabled pupils. 

If you think (or know) that your child has special educational needs then please speak to your child’s class teacher or if your child is not currently in school please contact the school SENCO.

As a school we will know if your child needs extra help by following the procedures outlined below:

 A graduated approach:

 Quality First Teaching

a) Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and grade boundaries will be monitored.

 Cause for concern

b) Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEN they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.

c) The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.

d) The SENCO will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.

e) Through (b) and (d) it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward.

f) The child is formally recorded as cause for concern when identified by a parent, teacher or other agency, and are under observation but this does not place the child on the school’s SEN list. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference, and monitored by the class teacher.

Individual Monitoring

g) If a pupil has recently been removed from the SEN list they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary.

h) Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school.

i) The child is formally recorded as individual monitoring when identified by a teacher or other agency, and are under observation but this does not place the child on the school’s SEN list. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference, and monitored by the class teacher who may seek advice from the SENCO.

j) Pupil progress meetings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by the child. The frequency of these meetings is dependent on the individual child’s needs and progress being made.

k) Where concerns continue the next step will be SEN support.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEN provision the school encourages feedback from staff, parents and pupils throughout the year. Pupil views will be obtained through pupil interviews and parent views through a parent questionnaire and more individual parent and child feedback at review meetings. 

Pupil progress will be monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEN Code of Practice. Provision for SEN will be mapped, monitored, reviewed and evaluated in line with school systems for pupil progress.  These processes are designed to support pupil progress.  Information from pupil progress reviews will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of provision.

Evidence collected will help inform school development and improvement planning. 

Your child’s progress will be tracked, alongside all other pupils, termly or half termly depending on their age.  Teachers, SENCO and the Head Teacher will look closely at the progress your child is making and discuss any extra support which may be required.

We will hold twice yearly Review Meetings with you, the class teacher and, where appropriate, the SENCO to review their progress and set new targets.  We will explain at these meetings how you can support your child.

Your child will be set homework which will guide you in supporting them and teachers will speak to you as and when required if there are particular issues which you could help with.

Pupils with Special educational Needs will have equal access to the curriculum, trips and events within school as their peers.  Sometimes the activities will be adapted to meet an individual child’s needs.

The curriculum will be adapted in many ways, sometimes with resources or extra support from adults but more often by the way in which the teacher differentiates the lessons.

Decisions made about support are taken by the class teachers and the Head teacher (also the SENCo) during pupil progress meetings or Review Meetings for SEN pupils.  If support if required beyond that which the school can fund then the SENCo will apply for external funding and if the child meets the criteria this will be accessed.

Your child will be included in all trips and extra activities.  Sometimes these activities will be adapted to meet their needs and this will be agreed, in consultation with parents, on an individual basis.

We aim to take great care of all the children within our school and your child will be treated with the same care and attention.  If there are particular issues relating to their well-being we will work closely with parents to ensure the best possible outcomes.

The school Special Education Needs Co-ordinator is Mrs Jo Cook she is also the Head Teacher and can be contacted by telephoning school on 01777 702728 or by emailing head@hallcroft.notts.sch.uk  She will be happy to meet with you and your child, show you around our school and answer any questions you may have.

Over time staff have accessed a variety of training including areas such as reading and writing interventions, using signs & symbols, manual handling training etc. If a child’s particular special need creates a training need then there is money set aside to fund staff training.

School accesses many specialist services as and when required, including Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Think Children Therapists, ASD County Advisors etc.

Equipment and facilities to support pupils will be funded by the school budget, if appropriate or in some cases by asking specialist services to provide extra equipment. The school is single storey and is wheelchair accessible. For further infomration please see the school's accesssibility plan which is available on the school website.

We consult with parents through an annual questionnaire and take into account the views on Parent View. We also encourage views of parents at Review Meetings which happen at least twice a year. We have an open door policy and work very closely with parents of all our children.

We consult with pupils on an individual basis as and when required.  This will somteimes take the form of general pupil interviews or more spcific questions prior to individual review meetings.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the SENCO, who will be able to give advice on formal procedures for complaint.  Please see our school complaints policy available on the schools website.

The Governing Body, via the leadership of the Head Teacher and SENCo involve other organisations in meetings pupils needs either by referring (with parental consent, if appropriate) the pupil to an outside agency e.g. Speech and Language Therapy.  Sometimes parents will refer their own child, for example by going to the GP, it is helpful when parents inform school that they are doing this.

We have a parents’ noticeboard in the entrance hall. If staff thought a particular organisation could support a child or family then we would discuss this with the family. Parents could also access infomration from the SEND Local Offer sometimes this could be used in a review meeting to identifiy services, provision and organisations that might be appropriate.

We will organise transition visits for your child.  You will be welcome to stay in school with your child until you feel they are settled and you are happy to leave them.

We will also, depending on need, arrange meetings with other agencies to get a better understanding of what support your child will require in school.

We take pupils on extra transition visits to our feeder Junior school and teachers from both schools meet to pass on information about the child’s particular needs, learning styles etc.

As our children are very young this tends to focus on developing independence skills – we will work with suggested programs, for example with Occupational Therapy programs to teach a child to brush their own teeth.

Please see our school website which holds lots of information about school, including our SEN Policy.  The SEND Local Offer also has further infomration which is useful to parents and carers.

 Most importantly though come and see us!