Butler's Hill Infant and Nursery School

At Butlers Hill Infant School we hope to provide a happy learning environment in which all our children can develop to their full potential through a broad and balanced curriculum.  We hope to encourage the children to be independent and self-confident.

We recognise that at some stage in their school life some children will experience special educational needs which may require additional support and extra provision and resourcing.  It is important that such provision is seen as positive and welcomed by the child, the parents, teachers and the child’s peers.  Each child is very much valued and a sensitive response to individual needs ensures equal opportunities for all.  We aim to be pro-active in promoting equality, tackling unlawful discrimination and challenging inequality.

We endeavour to do this by ensuring that each individual receives the support and encouragement in which to:

To work together to provide a safe and happy environment in which all can grow and learn.
To provide creative and holistic learning experiences to ensure that each child reaches their full potential.
To respond sensitively to individual needs, ensuring equal opportunities for all.
To become independent, motivated lifelong learners with high aspirations.
To work in partnership with parents and the local community.
To demonstrate empathy, tolerance and respect towards everyone in the local and global communities.

‘Growing & Learning Together’
All teaching and support staff cater for the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs within their own practice in accordance with the 2014 Revised Code of Practice.

We have a wide range of resources, experience and training to support children with SEN. All of our TA’s are trained to a high standard and have experience supporting children with a range of needs, using a range of intervention strategies. We are committed to whole school inclusion and will do out upmost to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all pupils’ education, health and care needs are appropriately catered for. We also employ a Parent Support Advisor who works with young people and parents to maximise home/school links.

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, by school staff or an appropriate professional, parents will be formally advised of this and the information will be added to the pupil’s school record. 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.

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 progress will be monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEN Code of Practice.

There is an annual formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the school SEN provision and policy. The evaluation is carried out by the SENCO/Head Teacher/SEN governor and information is gathered from different sources such as child and parent surveys/teacher and staff surveys/parents evenings/ consultation evening/feedback forms/school forums. This will be collated and published by the governing body an annual basis in accordance with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

Evidence collected will help inform the priorities for the school improvement plan (SIP). 

At Butler’s Hill we constantly monitor the progress of all children.  In Autumn and Spring terms we hold Parents Evenings to discuss how children are doing. In the Summer term all parents will receive an end of year written report, detailing progress within all areas of learning and parents are invited to discuss this with their child’s class teacher.  The progress of children with SEN is measured and reviewed against IEP targets at least termly and these are discussed and shared with parents at parent’s evenings or at an SEN review meeting if the child has complex needs or other agencies are involved in the support of the child. Copies of all relevant paperwork shared with parents.

At Butler’s Hill we also have an ‘open door’ policy and encourage parents to discuss any concerns they have with their child’s class teacher and or SENCO. 

At Butler’s Hill class based learning is adapted for all children in our school; work is differentiated to meet the needs of the pupils. Teachers work hard to ensure work is planned and delivered offering the right amount of support and challenge for all pupils whilst addressing children’s preferred learning style. Some individual targets are supported within lessons by the class teacher or a Teaching Assistant; others may be supported outside the classroom through a specific intervention programmes which may be delivered by a Teaching Assistant.

Identify the needs of pupils with SEN as early as possible. This is most effectively done by gathering information from parents, education, health and care services [and feeding schools or early years settings – where applicable] prior to the child’s entry into the Nursery/school.

Monitor the progress of all pupils in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEN. Continuous monitoring of those pupils with SEN by their teachers will help to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential.

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 will be carefully monitored and regularly reviewed in order to ensure that individual targets are being met and all pupils’ needs are catered for.

Work with parents to gain a better understanding of their child, and involve them in all stages of their child’s education. This includes supporting them in terms of understanding SEN procedures and practices, providing regular reports on their child’s progress, and providing information annually on the provisions for pupils within the school as a whole, and the effectiveness of the SEN policy and the school’s SEN work.

Work with and in support of outside agencies when the pupils’ needs cannot be met by the school alone.

Work in partnership with the Family SENCO, SBAP, PSA

Create a school environment where pupils feel safe to voice their opinions of their own needs. Teachers /TAs to gain the views of pupils when reviewing IEP targets. This will be reflected in decision-making but also encouraged through wider opportunities for participation in school life e.g. membership of the School Council.

Utilise and develop the skills and resources available and accessible to the school. Nurture Groups, Sensory Room, Family Centre etc

1. 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.
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.
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) 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 list 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 list. 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.

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this and the decision, made by the appropriate professional, will be added to the pupil’s school record.  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.

Some pupils with SEND may access additional funding. This additional funding will be from a budget which is devolved to and moderated by the Family of Schools and is accessed by a bid made by the SENCO and moderated by the Family - AFN (Additional Family Funding). SEND pupils with the most complex needs may access further funding - High Level Needs allocations (HLN) moderated by the Family of Schools and from the LA.

Resources within school are allocated on a needs basis by the SENCO/Head Teacher. Where appropriate, other funding streams/sources of support will be accessed eg pupil premium, continuing care packages, equipment provided through inclusive technology etc

The school curriculum is regularly reviewed by SENCO to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. This includes learning outside the classroom. Reasonable adjustments and detailed risk assessments are created, dependent on the type of activity, to enable all pupils to be included. There will be discussions with parents prior to a trip or activity to ensure all reasonable adjustments are put in place.

The social and emotional well-being of all our pupils is a priority and all children have access to support and guidance through our PHSE Curriculum and extensive Nurture Provision. Where appropriate, plans are put in place to support a child’s well - being following consultation with pupils and their parents/carers. We follow guidance from trained health professionals to meet additional health, medical and personal care needs of individual children. School staff are trained as appropriate to meet these needs. Where a child has complex needs requiring complex arrangements they may undergo a Statutory Assessment Process known as an Education Health Care Plan (EHC) formally known as a statement. This process is for our children with the most complex needs or where additional clarity is needed around the planning and provision an EHC can be requested by school, parents or other professionals.

Melinda Amos

office@butlershill.notts.sch.uk
 0115 952 5904

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 SEND.

The SENCO and teaching assistants attends relevant SEND courses/conferences, Family SEN meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff.

We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEN issues and we have funding available to support this professional development. The Senior Leadership Team ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision mapping. CPD opportunities are provide that link clearly to the Schools Improvement Plan (SIP).

All members of staff are MAPA trained and access this course annually.

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.

Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEN provision within our school. Any one of the support services may raise concerns about a pupil. This will then be brought to the attention of the Inclusion Team who will then inform the child’s parents.

We invite and seek advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEN. The SENCO is responsible for liaising with the following:

• Education Psychology Service (EP)
• Schools and Family Support Service (SFSS)
• Behaviour and Education Support Team (B+EST)
• Personal Social Emotional Development Team (PSED)
• Physical Disability Support Services (PDSS)
• Social Services
• Speech and Language Service (SALT)
• School Nurse
• Health Visitors

We also work closely with the Children’s Centre, which is based on our site. This provides us with access to other agencies and support for parents.

Where possible we provide equipment or complete necessary funding applications to provide any equipment that is deemed necessary in order to support children in school. We contact the Physical Disability Support Services (PDSS), who provide specialist advice. We aim to ensure that all activities and equipment are accessible to all children, parents/carers and visitors to our school.

Reasonable adjustments have been made to improve accessibility for all. Our school site is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled toilet facilities including space to accommodate changing. Risk assessments and safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of all staff and children. We use symbols and visual timetables where appropriate

Parents/carers are involved in every step of the way in Special Needs education.  They are welcome into school anytime to speak to the Head Teacher, class teacher, teaching assistant and special needs co-ordinator about their child’s progress and IEP.  They are encouraged to actively support their child’s learning and progress.  If problems should arise, they should feel free to discuss the situation with any member of staff.  We view parents as a very important part of the partnership between child, school and home and hope they will take an active part in supporting their child.

We believe that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure

• early and accurate identification and assessment of SEN leading to the correct intervention and provision
• continuing social and academic progress of children with SEN
• personal and academic targets are set and met effectively

 
In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs.

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.

All children are involved in decisions about their education. They are aware of personal targets and the progress they have made in lessons as well as intervention programmes completed.

Where possible, children are asked to give their views prior to each IEP review so that personal successes can be celebrated. When children can’t express their views a judgment is made based on how responsive a child is to the intervention in place

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 Class teacher/SENCO, who will be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint.

This responsibility is delegated to the SENCO by the Governing body. The SENCO, in liaison with parents/carers and class teacher, will refer to agencies for specialist support if it is felt necessary. Support could be around advice for the parent/carer in the home, staff in school or may involve direct work with the child.

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services, we invite and seek advice and support in the identification and assessment of and provision for SEND in order to fully support our SEN pupils and aid school inclusion. The SENCO/Designated Teacher/PSA are responsible for creating and maintaining those links.

In cases where a child is under observation or a cause for concern, focused meetings will be arranged with the appropriate agency.Parents will normally be invited to and informed about any meetings held concerning their child unless there are over-riding safeguarding issues.

Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEN provision within our school. Any one of the support services may raise concerns about a pupil. This will then be brought to the attention of the SENCO/Designated Teacher who will then inform the child’s parents.

We also work closely with the Children’s Centre, which is based on our site. This provides us with access to other agencies and support for parents.

The Nottinghamshire County council Local Offer is a comprehensive directory of local services, opportunities and access for children and young people with SEN and disabilities. This can be accessed at www.nottinghamshire.sendlocaloffer.org.uk.

All Children will have a planned transition into Nursery and Infant school, which includes home visits, parent meetings and visits to the environment to experience the daily life at the named school and meet staff.

Children with more complex needs will experience additional visits.

Some children may require additional planning meetings with agencies, passports and visual prompts to be made to support transition.

Butlers Hill School has good links with other mainstream schools and is part of the Holgate family of schools. The majority of our children transfer to Broomhill Junior School at the end of Key Stage One.  Visits are arranged for children to see their new school and meet their teachers.  Written assessments and records are passed to the receiving school prior to the transition of any Special Needs child.  Additional visits are often arranged for special needs children and also a book of photographs (‘a passport’) made for some children who need it. As liaison is good between local schools the Special Needs child’s transfer is usually smooth and uneventful.  When pupils leave Butlers Hill School for a school outside of the catchment area all records etc. are forwarded as soon as possible. We also have links with Fountaindale Special School and Brackenhill Special School. 

Parents of all pupils with SEN will be included in the decision making and planning process.

In school we aim to prepare all children for adulthood and develop independence to take a full and active part in society.

Please contact the school directly on 0115 952 5904 or visit the School Website www.butlershill.notts.sch.uk