Healdswood Infant and Nursery School

If any pupil in our school has a barrier to learning, we will make sure that there are the best opportunities for them to take part in every aspect of school life.

Barriers to learning include:

• Communication and Interaction (Speech and language difficulties or Autism Spectrum)
• General learning difficulties both moderate and severe, and including, for example, dyslexia
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties such as ADHD or attachment disorder
• Problems with sight or hearing, or other physical disabilities
• Alternatively, your child may have a different less common disability or medical condition that causes a barrier to learning.

Children with SEND are identified as early as possible within our setting. Initial identification is usually through comments or concerns brought by parents, or school staff working directly with the child. These concerns may be based on the pupil’s general well-being, their emotional or behavioural presentation, their progress in comparison to their peer group, or their profile against recognised characteristics of specific forms of SEND. School staff members receive a regular programme of training to support them in the identification of SEND. Early identification is paramount; therefore, children’s progress is monitored carefully by staff. Termly pupil progress meetings are held with class teachers, led by the Headteacher.

Following these meetings, class teachers and/or the Headteacher will discuss any SEND issues raised with the SENDCO. The SENDCO will then discuss concerns with adults working with the pupil, the pupil’s family and the child. This discussion focuses on identifying barriers to learning and desired outcomes for the child, and looks at what provision might be necessary to enable the child to reach those outcomes. Depending on the level of the child’s needs, strategies to support the child’s learning may be put into place. These might be class-based support approaches or for some pupils a package of specific interventions might be offered. Those pupils with the highest levels of need might be referred to other agencies for further advice and support. The SENDCO keeps a register of pupils requiring additional support in order to monitor the progress of these pupils, and to plan for provision across the school.

If you have concerns about any aspect of your child’s education, the first port of call should be your child’s class teacher. Class teachers are usually available at the end of the school day or are happy to arrange appointments if you require a longer discussion. The class teacher may then seek the involvement of the SENDCO. Alternatively, the SENDCO can be contacted by arranging an appointment via the school office.

More details can be found in the school SEN policy, Section 8, which is available from the school's website: http://www.healdswood.notts.sch.uk/sen/

The SENDCO, Headteacher and senior leadership team undertake regular monitoring of learning, pupil progress and the effectiveness of provision. The school works closely with a cluster of local schools which enables opportunities for shared support for senior leaders in undertaking rigorous monitoring. The success of intervention programmes is monitored to ensure they provide high quality outcomes and remain good value for money. The individual opinions of pupils and parents regarding the effectiveness of support are sought and used to inform decisions about future provision. The school uses B Squared and internal data systems to assist with regular analysis and tracking of pupil progress.

All members of staff in school have high expectations for all learners. Monitoring of progress by pupils takes place on a day to day basis by class teachers, and they are usually best placed to identify rates of progress. Formal monitoring of progress takes place termly in the form of a pupil progress meeting held between class teachers and the Headteacher. Information about pupil progress is shared with parents at parent-teacher meetings and via an annual school report to parents which is sent home towards the end of the summer term.

For some learners, more regular contact with families takes place, for example through informal conversations at the end of the school day or sometimes in home-school communication books. For learners with SEND, Individual Education Plans will be discussed with parents each term. For those pupils with EHC plans, an annual review will be held with the SENDCO and other involved agencies. Parents are welcome to seek additional appointments to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher or SENDCO as required. The school has an ‘open door’ policy, and class teachers are usually available for informal discussions at the end of each school day. Additionally, home-school planners are provided to aid communication between parents and teachers, and Class Dojo, is set up to aid with communication also.

Learning is planned around the National Curriculum. An overview of learning themes and year group expectations is available on the school website. At the start of each term, teachers provide information to parents outlining areas of learning for the term. The school also offers a range of opportunities throughout the year for parents to ‘learn about learning’, for example literacy and numeracy workshops and information sessions.

The school teaches pupils with SEND in accordance with the Nottinghamshire Local Offer (see link on our website). It is our aim that all children are given the opportunity to access appropriate learning opportunities in an inclusive manner. Our priority is the provision of high quality class teaching which is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Class-based approaches to support pupils with SEND might include alternative forms of recording work, visual prompts, small group or individual teaching.

Class teachers and support staff are provided with regular professional development opportunities to support them in differentiating learning opportunities for the learners in their class. The school has a wide range of intervention programmes available, which go beyond class-based approaches, for children who require additional support. Some of these intervention approaches are published or commercially available packages of support, such as Switch On, Fun Fit, Lego Therapy, NELI; others are personalised approaches based on best practice guidance, for example social stories, support groups, exploring emotions. For those with significant or complex needs, the school seeks the advice of specialists, such as speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, paediatricians, SEMH team, School and Families Support Services, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

In some cases, these specialists might work in school with the child or they may provide training or guidance for school staff to follow. Where additional levels of support are required, an Individual Education Plan will be created to outline the provision available to the child. Parents will be fully involved in the planning of support for their child and will have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress at regular review meetings. The school SENDCO may be contacted as needed to discuss the child’s needs in more detail.

All class teachers take responsibility for meeting the needs of all learners in their class by differentiating learning. Where pupils have SEND, class teachers will be aware of each pupil’s strengths and areas for development, and will make every effort to provide for these. For example, for learners with literacy difficulties, the class teacher may provide personalised spelling banks, or for those with language processing difficulties, visual supports may be used to accompany auditory information.

Where learners are working at a level below that of their peer group, class teachers adapt teaching to ensure that gaps in learners’ knowledge are covered, for example by re-visiting objectives covered in previous year groups. We aim to encourage independence in all learners and this is promoted by ensuring that independent work tasks are matched as closely as possible to the level and strengths of the learner. For those pupils who require a more specialist approach to learning, class teachers are encouraged to discuss strategies of support with the SENDCO, who may in turn seek advice from other local SENDCOs or specialist agencies such as speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, Schools and Families Support Services, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

All additional provision for pupils with SEND is monitored by the SENDCO and Head teacher, and discussion of these pupils’ progress takes place at regular meetings held between class teachers and the SENDCO

When a child is initially identified as having SEND, a discussion takes place between teachers, parents and pupil. At this meeting, barriers to learning as well as desired outcomes for the pupil will be discussed, and the provision or support needed to meet those outcomes will be agreed. School staff are usually best placed to recommend the nature of support needed, but occasionally the school seeks the support of other agencies for advice. Parents and pupils will be fully involved in discussions about support and provision, and any decisions to implement provision which is different from or additional to that received by the majority of children are made in conjunction with parents and pupils. If there are differences of opinion about the nature of support required, the school may seek the advice of external agencies to facilitate the decision-making process.

As an inclusive school setting, we seek to ensure that all pupils, regardless of need, are able to attend enrichment opportunities such as after school clubs, school trips, etc. Therefore, we work creatively and flexibly to make relevant adaptations to enable pupils with SEND to attend. For example, this might mean offering support to pupils attending after school clubs or providing 1:1 support on school trips. We have a range of out of school clubs and activities which change from time to time (details available from school), all of which are available to pupils regardless of need. For pupils with very high levels of need, we seek to liaise with families about suitable alternatives if necessary.

Personal, social and emotional well-being is at the heart of our curriculum, and class teachers address this through regular sessions in class. Staff seek to support children in managing their emotions and relationships on a day-to-day basis. For those requiring further support, the school provides support sessions with an intervention assistant, who might work individually with children or with small groups. We offer Exploring Emotions through art, Exploring Emotions through nursery rhymes, eggspressions and Lego Therapy interventions. We have a designated staff member who is trained to deliver interventions, and a range of strategies are used to support pupils experiencing difficulties with emotions or relationships. We use a range of assessment tools to help us monitor this area of pupil development, including Boxall profiles and SDQ’s. For children with more complex needs, the school may seek the advice and support of other agencies, e.g. CAMHS, SEMH Team

The SENCO is Mrs Helen Berry

01623 462449

hberry@healdswood.notts.sch.uk

Mrs Berry works part-time and will be available in school on a Wednesday and Thursday all day, and Friday morning.

Within our family of schools, once each term the SENCOs meet to discuss our training needs. The Family SENCO organises training events across the schools either in-house or using external providers.

The SENCO supports all staff within school and will organise whole staff and individual training or support where necessary. Sometimes this may involve seeking the advice from external agencies or professionals.

We always welcome parental help in identifying the most appropriate external support.

More information can be found in the SEN policy, Section 13

The SENDCO holds the National Award for SEN Coordination and has weekly non-contact time set aside to fulfil SEN responsibilities. The school is within the Quarrydale Family of schools and is able to share expertise with other school partners. The SENDCOs meet regularly to discuss and support the provision of SEND in the local area. Group consultation meetings are also held with educational psychologists and Schools and Families Support Services. Through the family, a programme of SEND training is in place to update and maintain staff knowledge of SEND issues.

The school possesses a range of equipment and facilities (e.g. differentiated reading material, coloured overlays etc.) to support pupils with SEND. The SENDCO and Headteacher make strategic decisions about the allocation of these resources based on the needs of pupils. Additional resources are procured as and when required. Where more specialist personalised equipment is required (e.g. specialist seating), the SENDCO or Headteacher liaises with the relevant external advisory service (such as occupational therapy) to seek advice on the best options for procurement. Parents will be involved wherever possible in these discussions

We want parents to feel fully involved in every stage. Sharing information is vital and will be done through

• Regular more formal contact to discuss progress including parent’s evenings, additional review meetings and written school reports
• Informal chats or phone contact and an invitation to come into school if needed if something arises between more formal meetings
• Sharing ideas about how you can help your child at home
• Home School diaries

Every effort is made to ensure that the opinions, thoughts and feelings of our pupils are an integral part of any plans made about their education. For review meetings, pupils’ opinions are sought at a level accessible to the individual. For some learners this might mean that they are supported to meet with professionals; for others this might mean enabling them to contribute to meetings without actually attending by being given the opportunity to contribute their ideas in discussions with a familiar adult who acts as an advocate for them at any meetings, or records their voice within their Individual Education Plan. We recognise the need to protect self-esteem and that it may not always be appropriate to highlight to the pupil the range of their difficulties; in these circumstances, pupil involvement is carefully planned with those who know the pupil best, i.e. families and those working closely with them.

As a school, we encourage parents to address any worries or concerns as quickly as possible, initially with the class teacher and then, if they are unable to help, with a senior member of staff such as the SENDCO or Headteacher. In the vast majority of cases, we find that by talking things through we are able to find solutions to most problems. However, if after discussing your concerns with these people, you remain unhappy with any aspect of the school’s performance, our complaints procedure is available on the school website. Guidance on what to do if you are unhappy with a decision made by the local authority regarding a pupil’s SEND can be found on the Notts Help Yourself Website ( www.nottinghamshire.sendlocaloffer.org.uk )

The school works with a wide range of services. We have close links with health professionals, for example, school nurse, community paediatricians, CAMHS, SALT, SFSS, physiotherapy and OT. We work closely with social care teams. Some of our pupils access SALT and OT on site. When necessary, we organise multi-agency meetings to discuss pupils’ needs (Early Help) to ensure good communication with these groups in order to meet the needs of pupils and their families.

Please see the information in the above box.

Transition into the school is carefully considered with the child’s best interests as a focus. In addition to transition events for all pupils, families of pupils with SEND will be invited to meet with the Headteacher or SENDCO to share information about the child’s needs and the provision which may be necessary. Information from this meeting is then shared with the prospective class teacher. For those pupils with a higher level of need, a multi-agency meeting is held. This meeting is an opportunity for families and professionals to share information about the pupil and for actions to be set to ensure the pupil is appropriately supported in the transition process.

Following this meeting, the school will consider any provision necessary and, if appropriate, take steps to acquire any resources needed to implement the provision. The action plan is reviewed either prior to entry or shortly after. A range of transition measures may be put in place. These will be personalised to meet the needs of the pupil but may include additional visits to the school, visits by school staff to the pupil’s home or current setting, a transition pack containing photos.

For children moving on to a new educational setting, wherever possible we prepare pupils in a manner most appropriate to the individual. For some pupils this takes the form of additional visits to the new setting, for others this might be working through materials which address key aspects of the new setting. We work closely with families at this time to ensure consistency of information. We have good links with our local Junior school, Skegby Junior Academy, and work closely with their SENDCo

Please see box above.

There are a variety of lunchtime and after school clubs that provide children, including those with special educational needs, with skills that will equip these children for the wider world. Such clubs include Gardening Club, Nature Club, Choir, Technology Club, Baking Club and Multi-sports. 

There are lots of different organisations, networks, support groups and charities that offer advice, play activities, support and information. You can find what is available in our Local Authority area on the LA website Local Offer.