SEN

(Special Educational Needs)

What is a local offer?

The local offer provides information on what services children, young people and their families can expect from a range of local agencies, including education, health and social care. Knowing what is out there gives you more choice and therefore more control over what support is right for your child.

The local offer provides information on a number of things, including:

• special educational provision;
• health provision;
• social care provision;
• other educational provision;
• training provision;
• travel arrangements for children and young people to schools, colleges and early years education; and
• preparing for adulthood, including housing, employment and leisure opportunities.

Code of Practice 6.79 states: ‘The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools have a legal duty to publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published must be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year must be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the draft Special Educational Needs (Information) Regulations and reflects the information required for the local offer’.

As a school, we should ensure that the information is easily accessible by parents and is set out in clear, straightforward language. This should include information on our school’s SEN policy, named contacts within the school where parents have concerns and details of the school’s contribution to the local offer.

In setting out details of the broad and balanced curriculum provided in each year, we have include details of how the curriculum is adapted or made accessible for pupils with SEN.

The North Yorkshire local offer can be found at: http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/article/23542/SEND—local-offer

The school policy is available for download at the top of this page.

1. What kinds of SEN are provided for in your school?

(This is what we provide in our school)

We welcome all children to our school regardless of their needs. We will use our best endeavours to meet the needs of children with SEN. All needs are catered for in order to provide an inclusive education for all. At Cawood School our aim is to inspire and challenge our pupils to achieve their best and achieve their full potential.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

Children and young people (CYP) with a wide range of SEN are welcomed into the school. If a parent of a pupil with an EHCP requests a place at the school, the CYP is welcomed and strategies sought to meet needs.

2. What policies do you have for identifying children and young people with SEN? How do you assess their needs? What is the SENCo’s name and how can I contact them?

(This is what we provide in our school)

We pride ourselves on our ‘open door’ policy. Parents and carers are encouraged to speak with their child’s class teacher about any concerns they may have. They will be able to discuss any support your child is receiving. If you wish to discuss your child’s needs further please contact the Headteacher or the Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCo). We have Mrs Sharon Rodgers (Early Years/KS1) and Mrs Rachel Walker (KS2) who will be able to talk about how we can support children with SEND.

Children are assessed regularly to ensure that they are making the expected progress. Some children can be identified as ‘stuck’ and will therefore receive some extra help and support. The class teacher is usually the first person to notice that the child needs extra help. If this is the case then they will ask for a meeting with the SENCO to discuss strategies. If these strategies are not working and the gap is becoming significantly wider than their peers in any area then a discussion with parents/carers about the possibility of putting the child on the SEN register will take place.

Once a discussion has taken place, a final decision will be made by parents/carers, the class teacher and the SENCO regarding the next appropriate steps.

An Individual Provision plan (IPP) will be written with specific targets and strategies to help your child make progress. They will also have an Inclusion Passport which will outline strengths, areas of need and record additional and different provision made. There will be meetings to discuss the progress of the targets. This will be arranged by the class teacher.

Sometimes children may not make progress despite receiving additional support in school and from external agencies. In consultation with parents and other agencies, the school may decide to request additional support to help meet a child’s additional needs. A request for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be made if parents and professionals supporting a child feel that the young person’s needs cannot be provided from within the resources normally available to mainstream schools. An EHCP assessment will not always lead to an EHCP.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

The name and contact number of the SENCo should be readily available for parents. Where the school feels that something additional or different is needed to support your child because they have SEND they will discuss this carefully with you. This information may well be recorded in a document for you and your child, known as an individual provision map or an individual education plan. This should include:-

• details of any strategies being used to support your child in class;

• details of any extra support or interventions for your child

• your child’s learning targets and their long term desired outcomes

• the next date when your child’s progress will be reviewed.

Most pupils will benefit from SEN support, but some pupils who need high levels of support, or who have complex needs will need to be referred for an education, health and care plan.

3. What arrangements do you have for consulting with parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child’s education?

(This is what we provide in our school)

Regular contact with parents is vital for our children with SEND. The school communicates with parents regularly throughout the year through:

Parents evening three times a year

Meetings with parents to discuss IEP targets

Review meetings with parents

Meetings at request of parents

For some children, regular communication takes place on a daily basis through contact with the class teacher before or after school.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

Schools communicate regularly with parents, usually once a term, to discuss how well their child is doing. They listen to what parents have to say and respond to it. For pupils with SEND it is often desirable that there is more frequent communication as it is vital that parents and school work together closely. Your knowledge and understanding of your child’s needs is essential to support the school in making the best provision for them. This should also take account of your and your child’s hopes, personal goals and interests.

This will allow the school to regularly explain to you where your child is in their learning, and to work with you to ensure the most appropriate targets are set to ensure progress.

On-going communication with school may include:

• regular contact through a home-school book or by e-mail to keep you informed of things that are going well or particular successes

• more regular meetings to update you on your child’s progress and whether the support is working

• clear information about the impact of any interventions

• guidance for you to support your child’s learning at home.

4. What arrangements do you have in place in your school to consult with young people with SEN and how do you involve them in their education?

(This is what we provide in our school)

The children are consulted in a variety of ways to gain pupil voice.

Various things to do with school life are discussed through the School Council which are held regularly.

All pupils with SEN are included in discussions about their learning (where appropriate). Their views will be heard and this is a good opportunity for them to discuss things that help them in school as well as things that might not help. Their views are recorded on the inclusion passports.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

School will obtain the views of all children (pupil voice) to shape provision in school. Your child’s school may have a school council.  In addition, it is vital that the views and aspirations of children and young people with SEN are listened to and they are supported to achieve their aspirations as far as possible. You school will be able to describe how this is undertaken and the frequency with which the child is consulted.

5. What arrangements are in place for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. Please can you explain what opportunities are available to enable you to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review

(This is what we provide in our school)

All children should make the expected progress in a year. Some children may need additional and different support in order to achieve this. Even with additional support some children may not fully meet these expectations but will still make progress. They are assessed regularly throughout the year in order to monitor the progress that they are making according to their individual starting points. Monitoring of progress towards identified outcomes will be undertaken by all the adults involved with the provision. Progress will be reviewed on an on-going basis and recorded on the  Inclusion Passport. Inclusion Passports are used to communicate the provision and progress of children with SEND when accessing support from external services or when a child is going through a period of transition from or to another school. IPPs are used to highlight targets and areas for development and outline strategies that will be used to help.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

All pupils with SEND should make at least expected progress, in line with their peers. Your school will be able to explain how it will be monitoring your child’s progress to ensure that it is at least in line with expectations. This will usually include progress made with personal targets, and overall progress on the National Curriculum.

Many schools use inclusion passports. This is a document that summarises the support that has been given to a pupil over a period of time, and the difference that this support has made. You may like to ask your child’s school whether an inclusion passport would be useful for you and your child. Your child may well have their own version which they can share with staff and which can help to explain their interests and things that help them learn and to enjoy school.

6. What are the arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood? How do you ensure that as young people prepare for adulthood the desirable outcomes reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society

(This is what we provide in our school)

Transition is carefully planned for all children. Discussions are held with the Secondary schools to discuss individual children and their needs.  The Inclusion Passport is also passed on to the next school. This documents all the interventions that have happened in primary school along with other information such as interests and recent achievements.

Children with SEND may also have extra visits to their new school in order for them to become familiar with the routines of the day.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

Your SENCo should arrange an appropriate transition review in plenty of time before any move. Staff from the receiving school should be invited to attend. Transition meetings and visits should be arranged for the pupil or student, often accompanied by a well-known member of staff. The pupil should receive as much transition work as they feel necessary.

7. What is you School’s approach to teaching children and young people with SEN?

(This is what we provide in our school)

All staff at Cawood Primary are committed to providing quality first teaching so that all children can make good progress with their learning. Lessons are differentiated to meet the needs of all children. We use evidence based interventions to support the needs of all children. Interventions are carefully monitored in order to ensure that they have an impact on children’s learning. Staff receive training and support provided by a number of different agencies. All interventions are recorded on an Intervention map each term.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

High quality support for learning within mainstream lessons is the most important factor in helping pupils with SEND to make good progress alongside their peers. There may be occasions when the school feels that some additional support within lessons may help your child to make better progress. This is by no means always the case. However, if some additional small group or one to one support within lessons is planned, the school will explain how this will work, what the aims of this support will be and how and when the impact of this support will be reviewed. Most importantly, this support should be aiming to make your child more independent in lessons

Schools use a range of evidence based interventions to support pupils with SEND to make better progress. Interventions are structured learning programmes. Your school will be able to explain to you:

• what interventions your child is receiving and what are the intended learning outcomes;

• when during the week any interventions will be delivered and for how many weeks;

• who will be delivering the interventions (usually a well trained teaching assistant) and where (e.g. in class or outside the classroom)

• how the interventions will relate to and support learning in the classroom;

• how they will be monitored closely to make sure they are helping your child to make accelerated progress.

8. What sort of adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEN?

(This is what we provide in our school)

We believe that all teachers are teachers of SEND. We will make effective changes to the curriculum and learning environment to ensure that all children are able to achieve their full potential. All staff have high expectations of all children and will put relevant adaptations in place to ensure they achieve this.

The learning environment is dyslexia friendly which means it is accessible to all.

Further adaptions could be necessary for more specific needs such as partially sighted children, children with mobility issues and hearing impaired children. These are specific to individual children and will be addressed accordingly.

Risk assessments would be put in place for children who require them.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

Your school will be able to describe some of the approaches that classroom teachers and other staff will be using throughout the day to help address your child’s needs within lessons. They may also be able to share with you the school’s overall plan of support (provision map), which outlines many of these strategies.

Some children with a high level of need will also need a care plan or a health care plan which may include a risk assessment.

9. What sort of expertise for supporting children and young people with SEN do you currently have in school? How do you ensure that the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN is current? How do you access and secure further specialist expertise?

(This is what we provide in our school)

Staff who deliver focused interventions such as Read Write Inc 1-1 have all had the necessary training. All our staff are highly trained and they are observed by the Headteacher delivering the interventions. By doing this we can ensure that all the staff are consistent in their approach.

Further expertise may be sought from the Enhanced Mainstream Schools and outside agencies.

We have two SENCo’s, one for each phase Mrs Sharon Rodgers who has been a SENCo for 8 years and Mrs Rachel Walker who will complete the NASENCO qualification during the next 3 years.

We also have 2 SEN Governors.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

All staff should receive regular training to enable them to meet a range of SEN. Teachers and teaching assistants should have regular generic training and specific training to meet individual needs as necessary.

Schools must make good use of their SEN funding to meet a range of need. However, if a pupil has particular needs and the school has exhausted its repertoire, specialist support should be sought promptly.

10. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEN?

(This is what we provide in our school)

Progress of children with SEND is monitored through analysis of data, and intervention monitoring.

Individual Provision Plans are kept for all children with SEN. These are reviewed with parents every term to ensure that the provision is having an impact.

Quality first teaching will be evaluated every term through teacher observations by the Headteacher.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

The progress and attainment of all children is carefully monitored and reported to parents. Your school will be able to explain how they track pupil progress in their school. If a child is provided with additional and different provision/interventions, the school will carefully monitor the impact by a variety of methods; such as: measuring how the intervention accelerated progress over a given time – known as a ratio gain or the before and after impact on self-confidence, behaviour etc. During the planning meeting with parents and where possible the child or young person, the teacher will explain what the expected impact will be by the time the intervention is reviewed and how this will be measured. Many schools use Individual Provision Maps (IPMs) to capture this information, which is written during your meeting. This meeting with you and your child is often described as a ‘learning conversation’.

The school will evaluate the impact of all interventions and whether they have a strong evidence base of effectiveness.

Other provision, for example provision regularly used in-class (known as Quality First Teaching), will be evaluated regularly by the Senior Leadership Team. Your school will be able to describe how this is undertaken.

11. How are children and young people with SEN enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEN?

(This is what we provide in our school)

All of our children with SEND have the same opportunities as everybody else in school. Provision is made for all children to take part in extra-curricular activities, trips, school productions and sporting events.

We pride ourselves with the provision we make to ensure children with SEN can take part in everything we have to offer.

Children with SEND have positions of responsibility in school such as School Council.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

The school’s policies should all state how all pupils are actively included in a wide range of curriculum and extra-curricular activities, including school trips. Pupils with SEN should be equally represented in positions of responsibility e.g. the school council.

12. How do you support children and young people with SEN to improve their emotional and social development? Please explain the extra pastoral support arrangements for listening to the views of children and young people with SEN and measures to prevent bullying.

(This is what we provide in our school)

At Cawood Primary School we support children emotionally in a variety of ways. All children participate in PSHCE/SEAL lessons and circle time activities.  Whole school worships introduce Christian Values and also tackle issues such as relationships and bullying.  All our children have the opportunity to share their feelings with a member of staff that they feel comfortable with.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

Some of the interventions implemented should be for emotional support e.g. SEAL nurture groups, the provision of a key worker.

13. How does the School involve other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEN and supporting their families?

(This is what we provide in our school)

The school has access to a wide range of professionals and outside agencies that we can contact for further support and advice. If we feel that outside agency input would benefit your child then we will have a meeting in school to discuss this with you.

We have access to:

Speech and language therapists

Educational Psychologists

Prevention Services (parent support)

Enhanced Mainstream schools for Specific Learning Difficulties, Communication and Interaction and Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Specialist teachers for hearing and visually impaired children

Social care

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

The Local Authority offers a range of specialist support and outreach services, including educational psychologists and local enhanced mainstream schools, to help schools to deliver appropriate support and interventions, Other specialists such as speech and language therapists can also support schools in this. If the school feels that the involvement of another agency will help them to meet your child’s needs you will be informed and asked to give your consent.

14. What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEN about the provision made at the school.

(This is what we provide in our school)

If you are not satisfied with the provision made for your child in school regarding SEN your first point of contact should be the class teacher or SENCO. Explain your worries or concerns to them first. If you are not satisfied that your concern has been addressed, speak to the Head Teacher and ask for a school Governor representative. Finally, if you do not feel that the issues have been resolved then you will need to follow our formal complaints procedure as outlined in the SEND policy.

(This is North Yorkshire LA’s minimum expectations of good practice)

There must be a designated governor for SEN in the school and complaints about SEN should follow the general complaints procedure. It is always best to approach the teacher or the Headteacher first, to see if your concerns can be immediately addressed. If you still feel that your view has not been listened to or answered to your satisfaction you can make a formal complaint by writing to the chair of governors at the school.