Sherwood Junior School

Sherwood Junior School is an inclusive mainstream Junior School that strives to ensure a safe, happy and caring learning environment where children are able to reach their full potential and authentically recognise themselves and others as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. Staff are committed to providing high-quality education for all regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and family background.

As an inclusive school, we recognise that some children and young people need something additional to or different from what is provided for the majority of children; this is special educational provision.

We have a strong ethos of inclusion at our school. Each child at Sherwood Junior School is treated as a unique individual and we will consider all their needs and requirements. 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 and pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Whilst many factors contribute to the range of difficulties experienced by some children, we believe much can be done to overcome them by parents, teachers and pupils working closely together.

Special Educational Needs and Inclusion is always a priority at Sherwood Junior School. All staff and the Governing Body are highly committed to inclusion and the principles outlined in our SEN policy; working hard to ensure that provision is made for those who need it and that all children are given the opportunities to be the best they can be.

When students join us in Year 3 from their feeder infant school identification of any additional need has already been assessed and appropriate provision detailed.

We, Sherwood Junior School, closely monitor the progress of all pupils in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEN. 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 and added to our ‘SEN Aware Register’. 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. The SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class. If a pupil is then identified as having SEN, they will be closely monitored by staff and the school SENCO, in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties. Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. Children will be also be added to the ‘SEN Aware Register’ if they have been on the SEN register but no longer meet the criteria.

If any parent/carer has a concern about their child, they should initially discuss this with the class teacher. All parental concerns will be listened to, and looked at together with the school’s information about the child and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing. The class teacher and SENCO will liaise to discuss potential barriers to learning and, where required, ensure appropriate intervention is put in place.

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this and the pupil will be added to the school’s SEN register. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEN is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEN provision the school regularly evaluates its provision and its effectiveness through a range of different monitoring activities. This includes:

• data analysis
• discussions at parents meetings
• learning journey review meetings with the child and any other professionals working with the child
• discussions with the SENCO, teachers and support staff
• pupil interviews
• Monitoring the progress of all children identified with SEND.

In addition to this, there is an annual formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the school SEN provision and policy. The evaluation is carried out by the SENCO and head teacher. SEN information is gathered from different sources such as child and parent views, teacher and staff feedback and parents evenings, alongside careful tracking of data.

Recognition and value will also be given to all forms of achievement including personal development and wellbeing.

Pupil progress is monitored on a termly basis within school.

Where children have significant special educational needs, termly review meetings will be held. Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates, but will usually take place on a termly basis.  The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENCO will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil’s progress and development making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and the pupil.

During these review meetings and at our parent’s evenings, parents will be provided with clear information about the impact of support to enable them to be involved in planning the next steps, including information on how they can support their child’s learning and development at home.

Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having a special educational need they will be closely monitored by staff in order to identify any possible difficulties. The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide suitable learning opportunities that are matched to the child’s ability and help support their needs.

The class teacher may ask the SENCO for support and advice to ensure the child receives the best possible learning opportunities.

Every effort will be made to educate pupils with SEN alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom setting. Where this is not possible, the SENCO will consult with the child’s parents for other flexible arrangements to be made. Consistent contact will be made throughout any unprecedented period of absence form school (i.e. lockdown).

We aim to make appropriate provision to overcome all barriers to learning and ensure pupils with SEN have full access to the National Curriculum. This will be co-ordinated by the SENCO and class teacher, and will be carefully monitored and regularly reviewed in order to ensure that individual targets are being met and all pupils’ needs are catered for.

The class teacher remains responsible for working with your child on a day-to-day basis. They will plan and work closely with teaching assistants to provide a suitable package of support. This support may be provided in class by the teacher or TA, or may involve the child being withdrawn for additional intervention.  Interventions may be delivered in small groups or on a 1:1 basis. The interventions that we currently deliver are tailored to meet the needs of individuals and develop skills in maths, reading, writing, social skills, speech, language and communication, Emotional and social communication support and Fun Fit, which supports children who have coordination difficulties.

For all children with identified SEN, the school will develop a Learning Journey alongside the student, which will outline:

• Strengths
• Difficulties
• resources they need
• Strategies staff are expected to use to support them.
• target goals
• interventions
• Any interventions to your child’s learning will be timetabled on their provision map (personal timetable). Outcomes of support are monitored closely by the SENCO, Class Teacher and Senior TA to inform future practice.

Decisions about the type and amount of support a pupil may receive are made based on the individual needs of each child. Decisions are usually made by the class teacher in conjunction with the SENCO the head teacher and the senior leadership team.

A small number of pupils with SEND may require access to additional funding. This additional funding will be from a budget, which is devolved to and moderated by the Family of Schools. (Our Family of Schools comprises of Meden secondary school and its five feeder primary/Junior schools). For those with the most complex needs, additional funding is retained by the local authority. This is accessed through the Family of Schools. The Family SENCO will refer individual applications to a multi-agency panel, which is administered by the Local Authority, who will determine whether the level and complexity of need meets the threshold for this funding. The decision to apply for additional funding is made by the school SENCO in collaboration with the Head Teacher.

All children are encouraged to take part in out of class learning and appropriate support will be put in place to allow all pupils to access after school clubs, lunch time activities and school visits, wherever possible.

The school works hard to ensure that pupils with disabilities participate fully in school life. Disabled pupils attend all school trips and residential visits, ensuring that risk assessments take into account additional resources and adjustments that need to be made.

Additional support is provided at break and lunch times, for those pupils who find the unstructured parts of the day difficult, through the use of ‘Buddies’ and specific ‘lunch clubs’.

We believe that children learn best when they are continually and consistently encouraged to behave well. We promote this through a range of positive behaviour strategies and rewards. Our consistent approach to behaviour is outlined in our behaviour policy, which can be found on our school website.

We provide additional support for children when they are experiencing difficulties with their emotional health and wellbeing, through carefully planned and managed interventions supported by our 'Den' teaching assistants. We openly seek advice and support from outside agencies such as the Healthy Family Team, the primary Mental Health Support Team and Sherwood Area partnership to enhance our provision.

If a parent has any concerns regarding their child’s overall well-being, these should be discussed with the child’s class teacher.

The person responsible for overseeing and co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with SEN is the SENCO, Mrs Philippa Naylor. Her role is to oversee the school’s policy for inclusion, and is responsible for ensuring that it is implemented effectively throughout the school.

Mrs Naylor works two and a half days (equivalent) carrying out her SEN co-ordination role within school.

Mrs Naylor can be contacted by telephone (01623 842545), or by visiting the school office.

The school Governors are responsible for the overall effectiveness of provision for special educational needs within the school and our Governor responsible for special educational needs is Ms Laura Higgins

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. Whole staff training is carried out on a regular basis to increase staff’s knowledge and understanding of a wide range of topics related to special educational needs and disabilities.

Training is made available for whole staff or targeted at specific groups, such as; governors, midday staff, TA’s etc. This is accessed through the Local Authority, Family of schools or through in-house training.

Recent and up-coming training that staff have had or will soon access relating to SEN includes:

• Adaptations within the classroom
• Executive functioning
• ELSA
• Senior Mental Health Lead Training
• Sleep workshops for parents and children.
• SEND Anxiety Training
• Emotion Coaching
• Sensory circuits
• Autism Educational Trust level 1 and 2 training
• Screening for Dyslexia
• Understanding and supporting cognitive load in the classroom
• Dyspraxia & Developmental Coordination Disorder

In addition to this, the SENCO attends relevant SEN courses, Family SEN meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff.

We believe that sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key in providing effective and successful SEN provision within our school.

The school will seek advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils, from external support services through the termly Springboard meetings, Early Help Unit, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, Small Steps, SAP (Sherwood Area Partnership) which is the Schools Behaviour and Attendance Partnership and The Primary Mental Health Team.

For a full list of services that are available for school to access enabling us to support SEN pupils the best way possible, please see our full SEN policy, which is available on our school website.

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services in order to fully support our SEN pupils and aid school inclusion.

At Sherwood Junior School we endeavour to comply with accessibility requirements regarding the physical environment and access to the curriculum.

We recognise that additional modifications may need to be made at any time, to ensure all pupils are able to fully access the school site and the curriculum we offer.

The school currently has a range of facilities for pupils with SEN in place. These include:

• Wheelchair access to the lower floor site.
• Disabled toilet
• Use of Dyslexia friendly resources throughout school
• Use of iPad
• Sherwood Acorns/The Den nurture provision.

If a situation arises where specialist equipment was needed, then advice would be sought from specialist services, such as the Physical Disability Support Service.

At Sherwood Junior School we work closely with parents to gain a better understanding of their child, and involve them in all stages of their child’s education. If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs or a special educational need, the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Support will also be offered in terms of understanding SEN procedures and practices, providing regular reports on their child’s progress, and providing information on the provisions for pupils within the school as a whole, and the effectiveness of the SEN policy and the school’s SEN work.

Parents are invited to attend meetings with staff and external agencies (if involved) regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child.  In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs.

At Sherwood Junior, we work hard to create a school environment where pupils feel safe to voice their opinions of their own needs. We believe that pupil participation is a right. This will be reflected in decision-making but also encouraged through wider opportunities for participation in school life.

Children with special educational needs, wherever possible, will be involved in their target setting and reviewing process and attend their termly review meetings where appropriate. Their views about the provision will always be taken into account.

The SENCO works with SEN pupils, their parents/carers and their teachers on a regular basis (both in and out of the classroom), in order to monitor the appropriateness of provision and to gain their views and opinions about the issues that matter to them.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, they are advised to speak to the relevant class teacher. If the issue is regarding a child’s special educational needs and the provision made by the school, then they should make an appointment to speak to the school SENCO (Mrs Philippa Naylor), who will hopefully be able to suggest ways forward and make steps to resolve the issue.

If parents feel the matter is still unresolved and would like to submit a formal complaint then a full copy of the complaints procedure can be obtained from the school office upon request. It can also be found on the school website.

At Sherwood Junior School, we work with and in support of outside agencies when the pupils’ needs cannot be met by the school alone.

We have a number of services who work alongside staff, pupils and parents at our school to provide support and advice, enabling us to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child and their family. This includes Specialist Family Support Services, Early Help, Educational Psychologist, Sherwood Area Partnership, Primary Mental Health Team, Sure Start, Small Steps, Visual Impairment Team, Targeted Support, CAMHS, Speech and Language Therapy, School Nurse and Social Services. Additional services/professionals can be contacted to support, as the need arises.

Additional services and organisations are recommended to parents, carers and young people as and when a need arises. Services which may be recommended include support groups, charitable organisations, and clubs for children.

Parents will be signposted to Nottinghamshire local offer page on the website, access to this can be supported by school if parents have difficulties accessing a computer, smart phone or tablet.

www.nottinghamshire.sendlocaloffer.org.uk

The SEND Local Offer is a resource which is designed to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. It describes the services and provision that are available both to those families in Nottinghamshire that have an Education, Health and Care Plan and those who do not have a plan, but still experience some form of special educational need.

When a child with additional needs joins the school every effort is made to ensure that they have a smooth transition and that training resources are in place to meet their individual needs.

The SENCO will liaise with the child’s previous school or forward setting to ensure that all of the relevant information has been shared.

The local Authority, is responsible for admissions and the SENCO will liaise with the child’s previous setting to ensure that all of the relevant information has been shared.

We encourage visits from all children and their families prior to starting school.

Wherever possible, for those children who have support in place from professionals, related to their area of need, we like to hold an informal meeting between ourselves, parents, the professionals, and the child (where appropriate) before they start school, or within the first few weeks of them joining us. This helps us get to know each other, share information and ensure appropriate provision and support are in place, to achieve the best outcomes for the child and their family.

The SENCO will co-ordinate and oversee transition into different educational settings and ensure that the provision is appropriate to children’s individual needs. The SENCO will ensure liaison between staff members and SEN teams within school to ensure that the provision is individualised where needed.

As pupils move to a new class, plans are put into place to support both the pupil and new staff to enable them to successfully transfer alongside their peers. This may include the organisation of additional visits, sharing of information, creating photo books, meeting new staff and facilitating any appropriate staff training.

The school closely liaises with our local infant and secondary schools to enable an effective transition to take place.  Parents are actively involved and kept fully informed throughout this transition process. The SENCO is able to accompany parents on visits to potential secondary schools upon request.

We encourage children to be as independent as possible, in preparation for adulthood. The teaching of life-skills is embedded in our everyday practice. We understand that for pupils with significant special educational needs, learning life skills is equally as important as acquiring new skills in reading, writing and maths.

Further information can be found on the SEND information page our school website: www.sherwood.notts.sch.uk or by contacting the SENCO (Mrs Philippa Naylor) via the school office or on 01623 842545.