SPECIAL NEEDS CO-ORDINATOR:  Ms G Brookling

 SPECIAL NEEDS GOVERNOR:  Mrs Margaret Brown

 At Oldfield we aim:

 To enable every individual regardless of ability to achieve their full potential, to prepare for future life and to become life long learners, developing a thirst for learning and to become good citizens equipped for the challenges of the 21st century.

 

Our motto is – It’s fun to learn   

 

The values that underpin this vision can be set out under the following headings.

 

To Develop An Understanding Of Self

 

Each child should be guided to:

• Develop an appreciation and awareness of self
• Become independent learners and thinkers
• Achieve their fullest potential regardless of their ability
• Have high personal expectations of work and behaviour
• Have a positive attitude towards their own learning
• Show a healthy attitude to living an active life through sport and other
• recreational activities

 

To Develop An Understanding Of Relationships

Each child should

• Care for others
• Show mutual respect and tolerance for spiritual and cultural diversity
• Understand the importance of learning together as a team

 

To Develop An Understanding Of Society

Each child should endeavour to become

• Good citizens
• Effective and constructive members of the community
• Able to appreciate and celebrate their own and others success
• Valuable members of the school community

 

To Develop An Understanding Of The Environment

Each child should

• Appreciate the learning environment of the school
• Be safe and cared for in a stimulating learning environment
• Appreciate and respect the environment of the school

 

Through exposure to a wide range of teaching and learning experiences, pupils will achieve their full potential as independent, THINKING learners. Relevant, enjoyable and enriching activities will develop their thirst for life-long learning.

 

As a school our belief is that every child deserves to succeed regardless of his or her ability.

 

 

At Oldfield, we feel the well being of a child is important in order for them to achieve and get the best from their school.  We strive to support our children in their emotional, social, physical and academic development.

 

At Oldfield the SEN Policy is one of Inclusion.  We believe our aim is to personalise learning for all children.  We strive to make our teaching more innovative and responsive to the diverse needs of every child, and to help each child including those with Special Educational Needs to achieve their full potential.

 

Early Years Foundation Stage

As with all children atOldfieldSchool, children in the EYFS are reviewed regularly to ensure that any special needs are identified early and support is put into place as needed.

 

Oldfield School encourages a transition programme to support statemented children when they move from one facility to another (either playgroup to school, EYFS to KS1, KS1 to KS2 and KS2 to Secondary School) and between year groups, when appropriate.  Staff liaise across the facilities to make sure the children are prepared for moves/changes. Transition programmes are developed on an individual basis to take into account the needs of each child.

 

We follow the current requirements of the DfE’s Code of Practice, for the Identification and Assessment of Special Needs, and we continually strive to remove barriers to achievement.

 

We regularly review: -

 

• Groupings of children
• Our teaching styles
• The accessibility to curriculum materials for all children

.

Special Educational Provision

 

Aims

• To recognise that certain children have difficulties which call for special educational provision
• To give every child with special needs the greatest possible access to a broad and balanced school curriculum, including the National Curriculum
• To try and meet the needs of these children within this school setting.  Where this cannot be the case, to ensure that suitable provision is made
• To acknowledge the role parents/carers have in their child’s learning
• To work in partnership with parents/carers so that they may support their child’s learning
• To help special needs children to work in partnership with the teacher to support their learning
• To enable every child to feel and be successful with their learning and develop their self esteem

        

 

 

Objectives

The following list is given as a guide to possible kinds of need: -

• General learning difficulties
• Specific learning difficulties
• Behavioural and emotional difficulties
• Physical and sensory impairment

 

Further to this we would like to promote positive attitudes towards cultural diversity, gender equality and people with special educational needs. The physical environment of the school should promote access to the curriculum for all children.  It should take into account any special need e.g. lighting, seating, acoustics, steps.  The educational environment should consider appropriate groupings, flexible teaching styles and accessible curriculum materials

 

Provision Mapping

At Oldfield, Provision Mapping is:

• An ‘at a glance’ method of showing the range of provision available to all pupils within the school
• A means of ensuring each pupil is having his/her needs met
• A means of accounting for SEN provision
• A tool to describe good inclusive practice
• A way of auditing provision and intervention and planning

 

Provision Mapping can be used:

• To demonstrate cost effectiveness of provision
• To audit how well provision matches need
• To highlight gaps in provision
• To draw attention to repetitive or ineffective use of resources
• To assess school effectiveness when linked with outcomes for pupils
• To plan development to meet pupils’ identified needs
• To set annual success criteria for the SEN policy
• To report annually on the success of the SEN policy
  • As evidence of how resources are being used to meet needs (for SMT, parents, LEA, external agencies and OFSTED inspectors)
  • To focus attention on whole-school issues of teaching and learning rather than on individual child issues
  • On an individual basis as a starting place for writing, or as an alternative to IEP’s

 

Provision Mapping can be presented in various formats:

• As an adjunct to the SEN register to track, monitor or highlight individual pupil provision
  • Whole school – to demonstrate what is generally available at every level of the curriculum and at every level of need
  • By each intervention strategy for the purpose of costing
  • In an individual format to demonstrate provision over time for one pupil

 

The early identification and assessment of a child with special needs is a vitally important part of the remedial process. Identification and review occurs as and when it is deemed necessary, in all cases, as early as possible. All children at or above School Action level in the SEN Register will have an Individual Education Plan. Each member of staff is expected to keep up-to-date with information about SEN children in their class.

 

 

To ensure a continuum of special needs provision, staff initiate IEP’s (Individual Education Plan), at School Action level, based on a cycle of planning, intervention, evaluation and review. As far as possible, this objective is met within the normal classroom environment, and where this cannot be the case, suitable alternative provision is made.  Staff adopt a multi-sensory approach that is carefully structured to include the use of ICT when providing suitable learning activities. Teacher’s Assistants and Learning Support Assistants work closely with the teachers, to promote all aspects of education and welfare of SEN children.

 

Parents/carers are involved with the identification and understanding of a child’s difficulties.  The school sets up a partnership between parents/carers, pupil and teachers so that they all take an active role in supporting learning.  Teachers provide regular opportunities, on a formal or informal basis for parents/carers to discuss their child’s progress.  Parents are given the opportunity to discuss their concerns with the Senco/class teacher when required.

 

School provides pupils with regular opportunities to discuss their progress.  The school acknowledges the parents/carers rights to have their wishes take into account concerning special needs provision and to have access to all written reports etc. about their child.

 

Allocation of resources

In order to give every child with special educational needs access to a broad and balanced curriculum, the school has established a procedure for identifying and providing human and material resources to support individual special needs requirements.

 

Class Teacher

• Identifies pupils with learning difficulties with the class he/she teaches
• Keeps notes in the relevant child’s SEN file and in the green class file.  Liaises with the SENCO and parents, (The SEN files are kept in the School Business Manager’s office and are kept secure, however the class teachers have free access to these files).  Parents can see all papers held in the office
• Plans work for pupils at School Action level
• Liaises with the Senco for all planning
• Liaises with Senco for strategies, structure and plans for pupils at all stages
• Directs support from Learning Support Assistants, Teacher’s Assistants and volunteers
  • IEP’s are working documents and are used in all teaching. These are accessible in the classroom, but remain confidential

 

Learning Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants

• The school acknowledges the value of using Learning Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants in helping to implement the tasks described in IEP’s – see Provision Mapping
• Training and appropriate visits to other schools will be offered as required to all Learning Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants.
• IEP’s are working documents and are used in all teaching. These are accessible in the classroom, but remain confidential

 

SENCO

• Arranges meetings with parents and staff and keeps running notes on such discussions
• Offers informal drop-in sessions for parents of SEN children during the academic year
• Keeps SEN Governor well informed about provision, training and levels of need
• Supports the staff in setting up and maintaining special needs procedures
• Offers advice and help with the identification of SEN
• Maintains a current list of pupils on all Stages
• Collates the information on the Special Needs Return to produce a Special Needs School Profile
• Tracks progress of pupils on the SEN Register
• Discusses with the class teacher appropriate use of outside support agencies at School Action level
• Tries to ensure close co-operation between all agencies involved
• Identifies ‘areas of need’ within the school
• Provides opportunities for in-service training on special needs issues
• Purchases appropriate teaching materials to meet the needs of individual pupils
• Maintains a file of reference information on Special Needs
• Evaluates provision mapping

 

Resources

Teacher’s books and further professional reading is stored in the Headteacher’s office.  Resources to be used with children are also stored in the Headteacher’s office, School Business Manager’s office and the Resources Room.  Many of these resources are useful within the classrooms and may be stored semi-permanently there.

 

The budget allocation is reviewed and discussed with the staff and governors annually. The figure is agreed, in the light of information given by the SENCO, about levels and types of school’s need.

 

Governors

The Governors are responsible for evaluating the success of the school’s special needs provision.  The points to be considered during evaluation include: -

 

• Is the education provided to all pupils, inclusive
• Is the school being successful in removing barriers to achievement
• Early identification and assessment of children with special needs
• Implementation of appropriate support
• Appropriate use of support services and agencies
• Success of IEP’s in meeting the children’s’ needs
• Termly records are up to date
• Budget details are updated annually

 

How the Governing Body Evaluates

Appoints a Governor responsible for SEN who: -

 

1. Has regular meetings with SENCO.
2. Attend (with parent’s permission) at least one Annual Review.
3. Regularly observes work with pupils with SEN in the classroom.
4. Looks at a sample IEP and records for pupils with SEN.
5. Observes the data for early identification and assessment procedures.
6. Requests information on SEN budget.
7. Informs the full Governing Body on latest developments in SEN, and attends SEN training.

 

All staff have the school’s Special Needs Policy and regularly discuss, observe and share good teaching practice.  We realise these is a need for increased continuing professional development provision in the SEN field, and Inset is arranged at an individual and whole staff level according to need.

 

The SEN Policy will be reviewed annually.

 

DESCRIPTION OF LEVELS ON SPECIAL NEEDS REGISTER

 

The following headings clarify the levels found on the school’s Special Needs Register.

 

We aim to identify a child with a special need as early as possible in their school career. Each class has a SEN folder (green) in which notes/records are kept.  These are updated regularly by teaching/support staff.  The files are kept in a safe place in each classroom.

 

Alert

If a child is placed at Alert on the Special Needs Register it indicates that a teacher has expressed some concerns regarding that child’s progress, either academic, physical, sensorial, social, behaviour or emotional. The class teacher will share these concerns with parents and the child’s progress will be monitored. Learning Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants play an important role in recognising whether children are experiencing difficulties.

 

If a pupil requires help over and above the differentiated work, which is normally available within the classroom, they will be placed on School Action.

 

A child, in the opinion of the school, with severe needs may progress through this register at a faster rate than stated below.

 

School Action

School Action signifies that a class teacher/Senco has identified that a pupil has special educational needs. They will then provide interventions that are additional to, or different from those provided as part of the school’s usual differentiated curriculum and offer strategies to support the child’s individual needs. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Group Education Plan (GEP) will be devised in consultation with the class teacher, Senco and parents/guardians of the child. If after four terms the child is not making the anticipated progress, the school will follow the consultation process and consider moving the child onto School Action Plus.

 

School Action Plus

School Action Plus signifies that despite receiving an individual programme and/or concentrated support under School Action, a child continues to make little or no progress. The school will consult with specialists and outside agencies when they take action on behalf of the child. The class teacher/Senco are then provided with advice and support from these specialists, so that alternative interventions, additional or different strategies to those provided for the child through School Action can be put into place. The Senco usually takes the lead, although day-to-day provision continues to be the responsibility of the class teacher. A new IEP will usually be devised: specialists can give advice on fresh targets and accompanying strategies based on their observations and assessments.

 

For a small minority of pupils, progress onto School Action Plus may not provide adequate support for their needs. After consultation with parents, class teacher, Senco and outside agencies the school can make a request to the Local Education Authority for a Statutory Assessment.

 

 

 

A Statement of Educational Needs

Working with children who have a statement of educational needs.

 

If following a period of being supported at School Action Plus a class teacher/Senco still has significant cause for concern regarding a child’s progress they can request a Statutory Assessment from the Local Education Authority.

 

A statutory Assessment involves the LA working with the parents, the school and other agencies as appropriate. Following a Statutory Assessment a child may be issued with a Statement of Educational Needs by the LA. All children with a Statement whether in mainstream or special schools should have targets that reflect the needs and objectives as set out in section 3 of the Statement. These targets will be prepared by the SENCO, class teacher and associated outside agencies and shown in the IEP (Individual Education Plan) for that child. Children at School Action and School Action Plus, the IEP should only record that which is additional or different from the differentiated curriculum plan. A child who has a Statement of Educational Needs will have their progress/targets reviewed regularly by the class teacher and Senco and will have an annual review with class teachers/Senco/parents/outside agencies and the LA.

 

OUTLINE FOR THE TRACKING OF PUPILS

 

.Term 6          

• ·           Informal meetings held between present class teachers and SENCO to ensure smooth transition to next class of all pupils, particularly those on SEN register and new provision maps developed for the forthcoming year.

 

• ·           This meeting will guide all concerned in their strategies for teaching and learning, class organisation, provision of in-school and out of school agencies help, nature of contact with parents etc.  Teachers to share IEP’s and make an informal list to guide their practise for the next term.

 

Terms 1, 3 and 5

• At the beginning of these terms the SEN calendar is distributed to all relevant staff. with dates for reviewing and updating IEP’s and Annual Review information

 

IEP’s are written for all children at School Action, School Action Plus, Statutory Assessment and Statemented level on the SEN register. 

 

At the end of each of the 6 terms, IEP’s are reviewed with the child by either the teacher, a Learning Support Assistant or Teaching Assistant and are updated ready for the next term. Two copies of IEP’s are sent home to parents at the beginning of each term, one to sign and return to school, and one for parents to keep.  Following this, parents are able to come and discuss IEP’s with the class teacher if they wish (changes can be made if necessary).

 

Copies of each child’s IEP to be held in class teacher’s files and SEN file in the Bursar’s office.

 

Statemented Children

 

The Senco administrator will send out paperwork and liaise with relevant agencies, requesting reports in advance of annual review meetings.