Heymann Primary and Nursery School

Heymann is a mainstream nursery and primary school. We aim to provide the very highest standards of education within a caring, exciting and stimulating environment. We want our children to be excited by the curricululm and challenged to achieve their potential. We want our children to enjoy their learning and feel valued. We work closely with families to ensure all our children have an excellent start to their education.

We aim to actively include children with a broad range of special needs. We aim to provide every child with access to a broad and balanced education. This includes the National Curriculum and is in line with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

Children are identified as having SEN in 2 main ways;

1. All children are regularly assessed and progress is tracked and monitored. Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and age related expectations, have social or emotional difficulties, are vulnerable or have specific diagnosed needs will be monitored. Some of the strategies we use to assess are included in the SEN policy and below.
2. Children are also assessed by outside agencies and sometimes specific diagnosis made. Where outside agencies are involved the school will work alongside them in collaboration with the family.

Intervention work is reviewed termly by the Senco team with class teachers and teaching assistants, using teacher assessments, specific test results and observations. Children with SEN are also carefully monitored at termly progress meetings with the head teacher and  Sencos.

This monitoring is reported back to the governors by the Head teacher. The Senco team tracks intervention on a termly basis to ensure that provision is effective. Both the school policy and the information report are reviewed annually to ensure consistent and effective provision. The last review was January 2022.

The class teacher’s assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, specific assessment tasks and tests as well as the views of parents and pupils is used to identify needs. Advice may also come from external support services.

Parents will be offered a chance to discuss progress  and how best to support their child each term. More regular meetings happen where staff and families feel necessary. Multi-agency meetings where support from other agencies is necessary will also happen as well as the termly review meetings. A home-school communication book can also be set up where daily contact is needed.

We aim to provide all children with first class teaching. We may also use interventions to support their learning.

Interventions may involve group or one-to-one teaching both in class and away from the main teaching on specific schemes of work. It may also involve use of different equipment or the adaption of the curriculum.

Children who have an additional need, and are part of the SEN support group, will have the targets and strategies they are working on recorded on an send support plan. This will be reviewed termly and discussed with both the pupils and their families at review meetings. The support plan will include strategies on how families can best support their child.

A very small number of children will have exceptional needs that require the school to request support and additional funding from the West Bridgford Family of schools or Children and Young People’s Services. Children whose needs may not mean they need to be on a support plan, but do need close monitoring and may need some intervention to ensure good progress will be part of the school support group. This group is also careully monitored by the class teacher's and senco team.

The curriculum may be adapted through differentiation, using prompts, adapted resources and by support from teachers and teaching assistants. In some cases specific schemes of work (including for social and emotional difficulties) and interventions will be used.

Examples of the interventions we use include literacy interventions such as units of sound, active literacy, additional phonics, 5 minute box, and speech and language programmes. We use numicon to support maths and have schemes of work to help with self-esteem, anxiety and managing feelings.

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. Decisions on how support is provided consists of a four – part process:

Assess    Plan      Do     Review 
 
This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes.

At all stages of this process we welcome the support and views of families and children

We will aim to include all children in all enrichment activities. Where necessary we will work alongside families and support services to ensure children access a broad and balanced curriculum.

We also aim to make sure all children are have equal access to school life including clubs, school council and in the day to day roles and responsibilities in school.

In Emotional Health and Well-being education, as in all other areas of the curriculum, we recognise the value of the individual and strive to provide equal access of opportunity for all. 

Classroom support systems clarify how class teachers and other adults within school can be sought to provide help and support for children. Support systems, in consultation with children, are set up in each class during the first half of Autumn Term.

These systems can be used by any child wishing to talk to their teacher about emotional difficulties. Additional systems may be put into place for specific needs of a child/family.

We have programmes of work to support children to around issues of self-esteem, anxiety, managing feelings and relaxation.

As a school we committed to work alongside additional support services including: Rushcliffe Primary Behaviour Partnership, Children's Centres, CAMHs, Healthy Families Team, Mental Health Support Team and bereavement services.

Further information about SEN at Heymann can be found in our SEND policy available on the school website and from the SENCO team:  Sarah Hewitt, Cora Whitney and Sophie Goswami

senco@heymann.notts.sch.uk 

Many of our staff have attended specialist training including: autism, ADHD, play therapy, fun fit, attachment issues, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Makaton, interoception, social and emotional wellbeing and positive behaviour management, FASD and CRB. Our staff also attend specialist medical training where necessary. 

Our school operates the following training programmes:

• Local authority training where relevant
• TAs also attend Local authority professional development
• Specialist schools and Families services training.
• The Rushcliffe Primary Behaviour Partnership provides training for teaching staff, TAs and Midday Supervisors on behaviour management and social and emotional issues.
• The Educational Psychologist also provides training for example on attachment issues.

The family of schools a work together to train staff.  We are also a member of the  Equals Trust: a multi acacdemy trust with 11 other primary schools and we will share expertise and training within the trust.
Individual staff also attend training to support specific needs.
 

Heymann invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEND. We also access the expertise within the Equals Trust, our family of schools and within the Rushcliffe Learning Alliance.

The SENCO team are the designated people responsible for liaising with other agencies which include the following:

• Education Psychology Service
• Behaviour Support Service
• Social Services
• Speech and Language Service
• Schools and Families specialist services
• Specialist Outreach Services
• Children's centre
• CAMHs and MHST
• Healthy Families Team

Assistive technology

In school we use technology to support the children in a variety of ways. We have specific software for the laptops and apps for the iPads to support children with different needs. We use computer based interventions to support the children with dyslexic tendencies. 

Heymann School has two buildings:

Nursery and KS1 Building

This building was finished in 2014 and is fully adapted to accommodate children with a physical need. There is an incline between the two outside levels.  Although year 1 use the steps to reach the first floor, there is access to a lift where necessary. There are handrails on all stairs. The doors are all wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. Each floor has a disabled toilet. All classrooms have an adjustable table for wheel chair access. The car park has 2 disabled car parking spaces. The KS1 Building also has a well-equipped, purpose built sensory room.

The linking path between the two sites meets DDA requirements.

KS2 Building

The school has been partially adapted to accommodate children with a physical disability.  The car park has a designated disabled parking space with ramped access to the pavement. The entrance to the main school building has handrails, ramped approach and doors suitable for wheelchair access. There is purpose built disabled toilet with shower facilities. The steps have hand rails; yellow paint identifies the edge of steps and pillars around the whole school for children with a visual impairment.  There is also a smaller disabled toilet in the Year 6 area and an adapted toilet/changing room in the classrooms near the small playground.

We believe that children do their best when staff and parents/carers work together.  Parents/carers have a unique knowledge of their child and we encourage them to share this knowledge with the class teacher. Parents / carers are invited to review meetings, Parents’ Evening and to contribute to their child’s SEND Support Plan. Information on support agencies, including the Parent Partnership Project, is available from the SENCO team.  Parents/carers to receive a leaflet about Special Educational Needs at Heymann in their admission packs which is also available on the school website.

We can always be contacted for an appointment to discuss other concerns.

Parents can contact their class teacher at the beginning or the end of the day to make an appointment or by phoning or emailing the school office.

The SENCO team: Cora Whitney (Key Stage 1) / Sophie Goswami (Key Stage 2) / Sarah Hewitt can be contacted by phoning the school office or emailing: senco@heymann.notts.sch.uk 

In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs. The SENCOs may also signpost parents of pupils with SEN to the local authority Ask Us service (formerly the Parent Partnership service), children’s centre and other specialist organisations where specific advice, guidance and support may be required.

If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies 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. The school’s SEND governor, may also be contacted in relation to SEN matters.

Children with special needs are supported to fill in a pupil view form every term before their review. Children where able are asked to review meetings to contribute their view on the provision they are accessing and how they feel they can best be supported. Some children have additional provision from behaviour support teaching assistants to allow time to express their views and feelings

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 one of the SENCOs, who will try to resolve any difficulties and also be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint.The Head Teacher and senior leadership team will aim to resolve any complaints as soon as possible.

The School complaints Policy is on the school website or available on request from the school office.

Governors have a responsibility to ensure children with SEND can access services by:

Determining school’s general policy
Appointing the ‘person responsible’ for Special Needs (SENCO)
Having regard to the Code of Practice in all decisions
Establishing the appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and maintain an overview of the school’s work
Ensuring that where the ‘responsible person’ has been informed by the LA that a pupil has special educational needs, those needs are made known to all who are likely to teach him or her
Ensuring that teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for, those pupils with special educational needs
Working with the governing bodies of other schools in the area where necessary to co-ordinate special educational provision.
Ensuring that necessary provision including accessing other services is made for any pupil who has special educational needs and that all pupils are fully included.
 

Heymann hold regular drop in sessions with children’s centre staff to advise parents on services that can provide other services. We also aim to work with other agencies to provide most useful information and appropriate service for families.

Transition into school, between classes and onto their next school is carefully managed by all the staff. At the end of each year the class teachers hold meetings with the children’s new teachers. TAs also meet at the end of each year to pass on information about targeted children. Class teachers pass on all relevant information regarding children including details of any interventions, difficulties etc. All the children take part in two transition mornings in the summer term.  Some children will also take part in additional transition activities.

The Director of learning for Inclusion at West Bridgford School is invited to Year 6 reviews to meet with the children and their families. We also liaise closely with the head of Year 7 and the pastoral assistant. When a child is moving to a different secondary school we would also contact and liaise with the relevant staff.

In the summer term the KS3 SENCO invites all children with SEND and those whom there are concerns re transfer to visit the Learning Support Centre.  Some children will also attend extra visits at West Bridgford School to familiarise themselves with the support available, meet staff and support transition.

The children also produce a passport to support their transition.

Transfer forms are completed by the SENCO/class teacher and relevant documentation is transferred indicating the child’s needs and placement on register, relevant assessments and nature of current support.

Parents / Carers seeking advice if they have a concern about their child can contact the following

Sarah Hewitt/Cora Whitney/Sophie Goswami (school SENCOs) : senco@heymann.notts.sch.uk  Tel: 0115 9145035

Abbey and Lady Bay children’s Centre; Tel: 0115 9694480

Ask Us (Formerly Parent partnership): www.ppsnotts.org.uk   Helpline: 0115 948 2888

NORSACA ; autistic spectrum support group; www.norsaca.org.uk Tel: 0115 976 1805

Information for children and young people with disabilities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire can also be found through Ask Iris:

www.askiris.org.uk