Beeston Fields Primary and Nursery School

• Early identification of pupils with SEN is a priority for our school. All teachers, alongside parents and other staff are responsible for identifying pupils with SEN and, in collaboration with the SENCo, will ensure that those pupils requiring different or additional support are identified at an early stage.

1. Concerns in school

• When a teacher or a parent has raised concerns about a child’s progress, and targeted teaching has not resulted in expected progress, the teacher will bring this to the attention of the SENCo.
• There are also meetings every term between each class teacher and a senior staff member in the school to ensure all children are making good progress. This is another way your child may be identified as not making as much progress as expected, and the SENCo will be alerted.
• In consultation with the SENCo (who will also monitor progress from this point), the teacher will discuss the best approach to support the child; this might involve arranging checks of vision or hearing, putting different strategies in place in class, or referring to an intervention group or an outside agency, such as Speech and Language Therapy.
• If your child is still not making expected progress the school will discuss with you:

• any concerns you may have, or any additional information you may have regarding family history or medical conditions
• any further interventions or referrals to outside professionals which may be necessary to support your child’s learning
• how school and home can work together to support your child

1. Parental Concerns

• If you have concerns about your child’s progress you should speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
• If you are not happy that the concerns are being managed and that your child is still not making progress you should speak to the SENCo or Head teacher.

The pupils will be supported and that support evaluated by using a graduated approach outlined below.

A graduated approach:

Quality First Teaching

High quality teaching, scaffolded for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have a special educational need. Planning for differentiation may include:

• Ensuring the child’s strengths are used to build confidence, self-esteem and maintain motivation
• Using a multi-sensory approach to give pupils the opportunity to learn effectively in a way suited to their ability
• Helping pupils overcome learning difficulties by, for instance, supplying frequent spoken instructions for children with reading difficulties or reading aloud key texts/ instructions before the child reads them
• Including work recorded in alternative formats
• Matching demands to current level of development
• Providing a range of activities to ensure participation
• Providing similar work for a group but allowing different outcomes
• Using a clearly defined step-by-step approach promoting gradual development of concepts and skills
• Using jargon-free, unambiguous language starting from the child’s own language, introducing new words as needed
• Explaining new words regularly to ensure understanding and use
• Allowing sufficient repetition to consolidate skills
• Allowing time for reflection
• Ensuring that the pace of the lesson takes account of the differences between individuals
• Supplementing information in books with audio, video, pictures, charts, diagrams
• Simplifying written worksheets and texts or verbal instructions

SEN Concern

1. All children’s achievement and progress is monitored closely both through in-class continual formative assessment and regular progress dialogue meetings held by the Head Teacher with each class teacher. Through these processes, any child who is falling outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators will be identified.
2. 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. At this point they will be added to our list of ‘SEN Concern’ children.
3. 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.
4. The SENCo will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.
5. Through (b) (c) and (d) it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward.
6. If a pupil has recently been removed from the SEN Support Register they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary.
7. 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.
8. The child is formally recorded by the school as being under observation due to concern by parent or teacher but this does not place the child on the school’s SEN Support Register. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference.
9. 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.

SEN Support

If a child continues to cause concern, we will then add them to our SEN Support Register and put appropriate provision in place for them.  Some children, due to the nature of their need, may be added straight to the SEN Support Register, rather than being monitored on the SEN Concern List.

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised, and the decision will be added to the pupil’s school records.  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. The support provided consists of a four-part process:

• Assess
• Plan
• Do
• Review

This is an ongoing cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes.

Assess

This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s needs using the class teacher’s assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of parents. The pupil’s views and, where relevant, advice from external support services will also be considered. Any parental concerns will be noted and compared with the school’s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing.

This analysis will require regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to need, that barriers to learning are clearly identified and being overcome and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required. Where external support staff are already involved their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents.

Plan

Planning will involve consultation between the teacher, SENCo and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental involvement may be sought, where appropriate, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. 

All those working with the pupil, including support staff will be informed of their individual needs, the support that is being provided, any particular teaching strategies/approaches that are being employed and the outcomes that are being sought.

 Do

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 /subject teacher. They will work closely with teaching assistants and /or relevant specialist staff 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 identification of appropriate interventions and strategies will be provided by the SENCo.

Review

Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates. 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 their 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.

Parents will be provided with clear information about the impact of support to enable them to be involved in planning next steps.

• Pupil progress is monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEND Code of Practice.
• Children who have been identified as having additional needs will have a Pen Portrait. This document outlines the specific targets they are working on as well as the support they need to achieve this. This document is constructed with your child, you, the class teacher and the SENCO at termly meetings. During these meetings we will review the progress your child has made towards their previous targets and set new targets for the term ahead.
• If a child has an EHCP, they will also have a Pen Portrait. In addition to the termly review meetings, your child will also have an annual review where we will review their progress towards the targets as outlined in the EHCP. In addition to inviting your child, you, the class teacher and the SENCO, any other professionals who have worked with your child within the last academic year will be invited.
• Annually the SENCO will collate pupil and parent thoughts on the provision for children with SEND in the school. This will take place through focus group discussions. All parents are welcome to share their thoughts through the annual school questionnaire or by contacting class teachers or the SENCO as ad hoc ideas arise.

Parents are an integral part of the decision making process, as outlined in Section 3 above. They are also informed through:

• Reading Diaries
• Regular face to face contact with class teachers at the start and end of the day
• Class Dojo
• Termly Parents’ Evenings
• Review Meetings
• The annual school report
• A non-teaching SENCo who is available for meetings with parents
• A Family Support Worker who is available for advice and support

High quality teaching, scaffolded for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have a special educational need.  Below are some approaches we might take.  This list is not exhaustive and adaptations will be made in line with individual children’s needs.  These adaptations allow children with SEND to fully participate in school life alongside their peers.  If children access nurture spaces or intervention groups, they will have times planned to work alongside their peers in their classrooms, maintaining a feeling of belonging with their peers.  Any plans like this, will be discussed with parents.

Adaptations we might make:

*Use dual coding (images alongside words) to support learning vocabulary

*Allowing sufficient repetition to consolidate skills

*Providing low sensory spaces

*Structuring play times

*Providing sensory-regulating resources

*Ensuring the child's strengths are used to build confidence, self-esteem and maintain motivation

*Providing pre-teaching opportunities to increase confidence and post-teaching to reinforce learning

*Using a clearly defined step-by-step approach promoting gradual development of concepts and skills.

*Allowing work recorded in alternative formats (e.g. pictorally, orally, using computers)

Each child's needs are assessed and identified.  This happens through consultation with the child, parents, outside agencies and assessments completed by the class teacher and SENCO.  Once the needs of the child have been established, adaptations within the curriculum (outlined in previous question) and interventions are planned.  These are all outlined in the child's SEND Support Plan, which is drafted and reviewed each term.

• Support for children with SEND is initially funded from the school’s budget. A few children will receive extra funding from the Local Authority. All pupils with SEN will have access to Element 1 and 2 of a school’s budget which equates to up to £6,000. This is called Place Funding. This is used to pay for resources and staff necessary to support children with Special Educational Needs e.g. TAs to administer interventions.

• Some pupils with SEN may access additional funding called Top-Up funding. This additional funding might be from a budget which is devolved to our Family of Schools (AFN – Additional Family Needs) for moderation by the SENCos within the School Family and is managed by the Family SENCo. For those pupils with the most complex needs, additional funding is retained by the local authority (HLN – High Level Needs). The School SENCo, with the support of the School Family and the Family SENCo, will refer individual applications to a Local Authority multi-agency panel, the High Level Needs Panel, who will determine whether the level and complexity of need meets the threshold for this funding.
• Decisions about how much support each child requires is decided in termly review meetings, which are attended by parents, the class teacher and the SENCO.  If appropriate, outside agencies can also be invited to reviews.  This can be instigated by either families or school.

We aim to make sure that children with special educational needs are able to take part in all the activities of the school, including extra-curricular activities. Pupils will be supported during such activities with the appropriate support they need

 We recognise that some children may need extra support and guidance at some point in their school career. We have a graduated pastoral response in place to support such children.

• The class teacher has overall responsibility for all children in their class.
• Children receive PSHE lessons as part of our curriculum in which issues of friendship, relationships and behaviour are explored.
• We ensure children tackle issues such as bullying, health and economic wellbeing in a whole class supportive framework.
• The school has nurture spaces, a qualified nurture teacher and specialist teaching assistants.
• We have a wide range of nurture interventions which can be offered to children to support their social and emotional wellbeing, such as Lego therapy, draw and talk, cooking, gardening, health and hygiene, positive peers.
• There is currently a lunchtime nurture group and a breakfast club for named pupils.
• Children with significant behavioural difficulties have support plans drawn up to address specific issues.
• We have a full time Family Support Worker to support parents and children with social, emotional and behavioural issues outside of school.
• Counselling, art or play therapy may be offered if the school feels it would be beneficial to the child.
• If we feel that the in-school graduated response has not been sufficient, we may (with the consent of parents) involve a child counsellor if appropriate.
• Bullying is never accepted, and we recognise that those with a disability are more at risk of bullying. We teach children to accept and celebrate the differences between us so that bullying is not accepted by the whole community.

We work very hard to build a strong partnership between home and school. We encourage all parents to share information about their children with us and we make every effort to be available to them.

We encourage all parents to communicate with their child’s class teacher regularly so we know what they are doing at home and we can tell you about what we are doing in school. This is to ensure that we are doing similar things to support them both at home and at school and can share what is working in both places.

We have termly parent consultation meetings to discuss progress and to share strategies that we are employing in school. 

All pupils with identified special educational needs will have a SEN Pen Portrait, which outlines the targets they need to work on and the provision required to meet these. These are reviewed termly and parents are invited to come in and discuss previous/new targets with the class teacher and SENCo.

In addition to this;

• The SENCo is available by appointment to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
• Any information from outside professionals will be discussed with you by the visiting professional involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
• A home/school contact book may be used to support communication with you, when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.

If you child is undergoing statutory assessment you will also be supported by the Local Authority.  They will ensure that you fully understand the process.

We recognise the need to train all staff on SEN issues so 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. The SENCo attends relevant SEN courses, Family SEN meetings and facilitates/ signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for staff and cascades information back to staff. The SENCo, with the Senior Leadership Team, ensures training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision mapping.

At Beeston Fields we have had recent training in:

• Physiotherapy to support children’s gross motor skills
• Strategies to support children with hearing impairments
• Emotion Coaching
• Dyslexia
• CRB
• Nurture
• Speech and Language
• Target setting
• Children and Young People’s mental health and wellbeing

We work with outside agencies when the pupil’s needs cannot be met by the school alone. We have links with the South Broxtowe School’s Attendance and Behaviour Partnership, Alderman White Family of schools SENCo Support Network with Family SENCo and the opportunity to have wider links with a network of schools within the White Hills Park Federation and the Flying High Trust. We work with, amongst others, Social Care, Sure Start, Healthy Families Team, Community Paediatricians, Mental Health Support Team, SaLT, the LA Schools and Family Specialist Support Services and Educational Psychologists.

We work with outside agencies when the pupil’s needs cannot be met by the school alone. We have links with the South Broxtowe School’s Attendance and Behaviour Partnership, Alderman White Family of schools SENCo Support Network with Family SENCo and the opportunity to have wider links with a network of schools within the Flying High Trust. We work with, amongst others, Social Care, Sure Start, Healthy Families Team, Community Paediatricians, Speech and Language therapy, the Local Aurthority schools and Family Specialist Support Services and Educational Psychologists.

At Beeston Fields we have had recent training in:

• Physiotherapy to support children’s gross motor skills
• Strategies to support children with hearing impairments
• Emotion Coaching
• Dyslexia
• CRB
• Nurture
• Speech and Language
• Target setting
• Children and Young People’s mental health and wellbeing

We aim to make sure that children with special educational needs are able to take part in all the activities of the school, including extra-curricular activities. Pupils will be supported during such activities with the appropriate support they need.  This will level of support will be discussed and decided with parents.

• The school has ramps and handrails and a disabled toilet for pupils with physical disabilities. We have a small Nurture Unit that provides breakfast and break time toast for identified pupils and a lunch time group for a few named pupils.
• Pupils with SEN will be given access to the curriculum through the specialist SEN provision provided by the school as is necessary, as far as possible, in line with the wishes of their parents and the needs of the individual.
• 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.
• Class Provision maps outline what provision has been made for children with Special Educational Needs. These are updated half-termly.
• Staff are informed of the special educational needs of any pupils in their charge including sharing progress reports, medical reports and teacher feedback
• Training and learning opportunities for staff are available from the local authority, Alderman White family of schools and the Flying High Trust.
• In-class provisions and support should be used effectively to ensure that the curriculum is differentiated where necessary.
• Individual or group tuition is available where it is felt that pupils would benefit from this provision.
• Individual targets are implemented that motivate pupils to do their best, and achievements are celebrated at all levels.

We will support children with SEN at times of transition (as appropriate). Transition arrangements may include:

• Transition meeting with the current class teacher, new teacher and parents
• Support on whole school transition days from a teaching assistant
• The creation of a transition booklet for the child to use in school and at home
• In the case of children leaving Beeston Fields, liaison with the next school in the form of a meeting with parents, current support staff and new support staff. It may also include extra transition days.
• With pupils new to the foundation stage, liaison with a previous early years’ setting and any professionals currently working with the child
• Any other professional activity we see fit to support the child

All children with SEND will have a SEND Pen Portrait, which will identify the targets they need to work on.  As a result of deciding on these targets, provision will be planned to ensure the child meets these targets. The SENCO will work with families and class teachers to ensure this provision is appropriate.  Where appropriate, outside agencies will also be involved in planning these targets and provision. 

Provision maps and timetables are also used to allocate individual and group interventions. 

We have a clearly defined transition programme for entry into Nursery and Reception classes.

• We have a programme of accompanied and unaccompanied visits and the option of a ‘staggered start’ for new reception pupils.

• In both cases there is the opportunity for parents to visit the school and to attend a meeting before their children start school. 

• If a child has an identified SEN before starting school, we would arrange a transition meeting where we could ensure that we were prepared to meet the needs of the child before they start school.

We might also arrange a phased entry into school.

If your child is joining us from Year 1 up from another school:

a. We will contact the SENCo of your child’s previous school to discuss the support that your child will need in school.

b. If your child would be helped by making a booklet on the features of their new classroom and timetable, then it will be made for them if suitable.

c. The school SENCo can attend SEN review meetings where practicable to discuss the child’s needs in advance of them starting in a new class.

d. Additional visits can be arranged where it is felt it would benefit the child.

If your child is transferring to secondary school or moving to another school:

a. We will contact the new school’s SENCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. They will be invited to the final SEN support plan review meeting of the year, where you can meet them and raise any questions you may have.

b. We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.

c. The SENCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCo of their receiving school in advance of the SEN support plan meeting as appropriate.

d. Where possible your child will visit their new school with our school staff on several occasions and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.

When we hold review meetings, we will plan the next targets for the children.  At least on these targets will consider preparation for adulthood, considering how the children will be well-prepared for community inclusion, independent living, employment, good health.  Teachers have access to resources, which help plot the different stages children should work through to be ready for adulthood when the time comes.

Parents/ carers play a vital role in the education of their child. We work with parents/ carers and the child to look at ways to ensure the very best education. We are regularly in contact with parents/ carers and value the wealth of knowledge that they bring. There are review meetings throughout the year and extra contact as needed. This can take place, face to face, by telephone, e mail, and letter. As a team of home and school we will have far greater impact on the future of your child.