Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Information Report

Important information for Parents and Carers

Introduction

All Rotherham Local Authority (LA) maintained schools and academies have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special

Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible. 

The broad areas of SEND needs are:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
• Sensory and/or Physical

What is the LA Local Offer?

The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 0-25. The LA refers to this as the 'Local Offer'.

The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision locally.

What is the Special Education Needs Information Report?

Schools utilise the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy and the provision that the school is able to provide. Schools refer to this as ‘The Special Education Needs Information Report’. The questions and answers below provide for more information about SEND at Anston Park Infant School.

Question 1. Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning, special educational needs or disability (SEND)?

There are several staff you can talk to in school regarding your child’s learning or SEND. If you are unsure who to approach, please have an initial chat with your child’s teacher.

Your child’s class teacher is responsible for:

• Checking your child’s progress and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (e.g. like targeted work, additional support) and letting the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) know as necessary.
• Writing pupil progress targets/ support plans and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
• Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

You can also talk to our SENDCo / Headteacher, Mrs A Tyler.

As SENDCo she is responsible for:

• Developing and reviewing the school’s SEND policy
• Co-ordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
• Ensuring that you are involved in supporting your child’s learning and kept informed about the support your child is getting. They will also regularly review how they are doing.
• Liaising with all the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology etc.
• Updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept.
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best progress possible.

You are also welcome to talk to Mrs A Tyler as Headteacher.  She is responsible for:

• The day to day management of all aspects of the school, including the support for children with SEND.
• Making sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND.  The Headteacher will give responsibility to the SENDCo and class teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.

Parents are welcome to approach the school in person, initially via our School Office or Class Teachers. Alternatively you can make contact with us by email or telephone:

Email: enquiries@api.wwpat.org 

Telephone: 01909 550011

Question 2: What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?

Class teacher

Class teacher Input via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching).  For your child this would mean:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. 

This may involve things like using more practical learning.

• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCo) are in place to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

Specific group work and interventions which may be:

• Run in the classroom or outside.
• Run by a teacher or a Teaching Assistant (TA).

Specialist groups 

 Specialist groups run by outside agencies e.g. Speech and Language Therapy - as per the SEND Code of Practice 2014: School Support (SS):

This means they have been identified by the SENDCo/class teacher as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services such as the Inclusion Support Services 
• Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service (EPS).

What could happen?

• You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them better in school.
• The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.

Specified Individual support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are, severe, complex and lifelong. This is provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching.

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

Your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from Local Authority central services, Inclusion Support Services and outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy Service.

For your child this would mean:

• The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process that sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.
• After the request has been made to the ‘Panel of Professionals’ (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), they will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support.
• After the reports have all been sent in, the ‘Panel of Professionals’ will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.
• The EHC Plan will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long and short term goals for your child.
• The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.

Question 3: How can I let the school know I am concerned about my child’s progress in school?

• If you have concerns about your child’s progress, please speak to your child’s class teacher initially.
• If you continue to be concerned that your child is not making progress, you may speak to the Special Education Needs/ Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo).
• The school SEND Governor can also be contacted for support.

 Question 4: How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning in school?

If your child is identified as not making progress, or if staff have a particular concern, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:

• listen to any concerns you may have
• plan any additional support your child may need
• discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning.

Question 5: How is extra support allocated to children and how do they progress in their learning?

The school budget includes money for supporting children with SEND.

The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors, on the basis of needs in the school.

The Head Teacher/SENDCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:

• the children who currently receive additional support
• the children needing extra support
• the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected and decide what resources/training and support is needed.
• the child’s view will be sought informally and for review meetings; this may not always be possible with very young children / children with delayed development.

Question 6: Who are the other people providing services to children with SEND at Anston Park Infant School?

School provision

• Class teachers
• Teaching Assistants
• After School Club and Breakfast Club staff
• SMSAs (School Meals Supervisory Assistants)

Local Authority Provision delivered in school

• Inclusion Support Services
• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs

Health Provision delivered in school

• Speech and Language Therapy
• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

Question 7: How are the teachers in school helped to work with children identified as having SEND and what training do they have?

The SENDCO’S job is to support the class teacher in planning for children with SEND.

• The school provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Speech and language needs.
• Individual teachers and support staff attend training run by outside agencies that is relevant to the needs of specific children in their class, for example, from Inclusion Support Services and Educational Psychology Service.

Question 8: How will the teaching and learning be adapted for my child with SEND?

• Class Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
• Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, can adapt planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
• Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
• Planning & teaching will be adapted daily, if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs.
• Additional interventions may be planned to meet specific needs of pupils either on an individual basis or in small groups.

Question 9: How will we measure the progress of your child in school?

• Your child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her class teacher.
• His/her progress is reviewed formally every term in reading, writing and numeracy.
• If your child is in Year 1 or above, a more sensitive assessment tool can be used, which shows their attainment in more detail (P Scales/PIVATs)
• All year 1 pupils complete a Phonic Skills Check. Some children will complete this check for a second time in year 2.
• At the end of each key stage (eg at the end of Year 2) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). This is something the government requires all schools to do and these are the results that are published nationally.
• Children may have a support plan / personal targets which will be reviewed, and a future plan made.
• The progress of children with an EHC Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review, with all adults involved with the child’s education.
• The SENDCo will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.

Question 10: What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with a SEND?

• The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used.
• The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you and the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
• Personal progress targets/support plans will be reviewed with your involvement.
• Home learning will be adjusted as needed to suit your child’s individual needs.
• Alongside the home school journal, an additional home/school communication book may be used to support contact with you, when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.

Question 11: How is Anston Park Infant School accessible to children with SEND?

• The building is accessible to all children whether able bodied or disabled.  The main entrance is wheelchair access friendly and there are ramps into the hall giving access to all areas of the school.
• We ensure, wherever possible, that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
• After school provision is accessible to all children including those with SEND.
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.

Question 12: How will we support your child when they are leaving this school OR moving on to another class?

We recognise that transition can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

If your child is moving to another school:

• We will contact the school SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.

When moving classes in school:

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher IN ADVANCE and a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. Support plans will be shared with the new teacher.
• Your child will take part in transition visits to their new class in order to familiarise themselves with their new environment and get to know their new class teacher and, where applicable any teaching assistants with whom they will be working.
• In some cases, a Pupil Passport or Transition Book will be made for your child, in order to help them understand and prepare for moving on.  This will include photographs of relevant staff, classroom, cloakrooms etc.

Question 13: What Emotional & Social Development support do we have for a child with a SEND?

• We recognise that pupils with SEND may well have an Emotional and Social Development need that will require support in school.
• The Emotional Health and well-being of all our pupils is very important to us and all classes follow a structured PSHE curriculum to support this development.
• We have a robust Safeguarding Policy in place; we follow National & LA Guidelines.
• Additional referrals to other agencies are completed as necessary.
• We have robust Behaviour & Relationship and Anti Bullying Policies.
• The Head, Deputy, and all staff continually monitor the Emotional Health and well-being of all our pupils; this may be for example, via pupil questionnaires or the school suggestion box.
• Nurture activities and games are used to support children.

Graduated Response to SEND:

Download Graduated Response to Send 

Visit the S.E.N.D Rotherham website

The School SEND Code of Practice:

Download SEND Code of Practice