At Threshfield School we recognise that some children may require extra help for some of the curriculum while in school. This could be for academic, social or behavioural reasons. There are ongoing identification procedures for SEN as part of our continuous assessment. The Code of Practice for Special Education Needs provides a structure to support pupils in their learning. The process is detailed below. It is recognised that at any one time up to 20% of pupils may have a special educational need during their time in school. For many children this will only be for a short time, for others it may be for all of their school life.
1. What kinds of SEND are provided for in your school?
We provide an inclusive education for all pupils with a wide range of needs. We welcome children with special educational needs or disabilities including:
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and Learning
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs
- Sensory or Physical
We educate the whole child to achieve their very best, making academic, emotional and social progress.
2. What policies do you have for identifying children and young people with SEND? How do you assess their needs? What is the SENCo’s name and how can I contact them?
Our special educational needs co-ordinator is Bethany Alexander and you can contact her at school on 01756 752348 or via email at [email protected]
A link to our SEND policy can be found below. This policy explains how we identify pupils who have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.
We follow an assess- plan- do- review cycle. Teachers, parents or carers work together to carefully plan provision to meet the needs of the pupil. This plan is then reviewed by teacher, parent and pupil.
When needed, we can call for advice from North Yorkshire Local Authority specialist teachers who can offer guidance and also come into school to work with pupils.
3. What arrangements do you have for consulting with parents of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education?
Excellent communication with parents is vital for all our children. The school communicates with parents regularly throughout the year:
- Our head teacher, Sarah Harper, is on the gate before and after school
- Meetings can be arranged with Class teachers via the school office
- Parent Consultation Evenings two times a year
- Curriculum meetings to help parents support their child in their learning.
- Termly meetings with parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities to discuss and review individual education plans
- Class Dojo for daily communication and celebration
- For some families, a home school communication book is used to write daily notes to and from school
Additional meetings with specialist staff from North Yorkshire Local Authority may also be arranged.
4. What arrangements do you have in place in your school to consult with young people with SEND and how do you involve them in their education?
Listening and acting upon pupil voice is a priority at Threshfield Primary School. Our school council has representatives from all classes who plan and run whole school events but also take an active role in school decision making.
In their learning, children know what their next steps are and how they can improve their work and progress. Both verbal and written feedback is given and all children have regular opportunities to respond to this feedback using purple pens.
All pupils with special educational needs or disabilities are included in termly discussions about their learning and shape their own Individual Education Plan with the support of their teachers and parents/carers.
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.
Our pupils with SEND have child centred Individual Education Plans (IEP) that are reviewed termly (half termly if needed). The plans are written by the class teacher, pupil and parent or carer. SMART targets are decided and the provision, that will help the pupil achieve them, will be highlighted.
Inclusion Passports can be 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.
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
Transition is carefully planned for pupils at our school; we take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. For pupils joining Threshfield Primary School:
- If appropriate, a transition booklet will be put together including photographs of staff and classrooms.
- The SENCo and/or class teacher will liaise with all relevant parties and attend a transition meeting which will then be reviewed after transition has taken place.
When moving classes within school:
- Information will be passed onto the new class teacher. Pupil Progress meetings happen throughout the year, to share information. During periods of transition specific groups of children, including children identified as SEN, are discussed to support ta smooth transition.
- If your child would benefit from a transition booklet to support their understanding of transition, then this will be provided.
If your child is moving to another school:
- We will contact the school SENCo to ensure they know what provision needs to be in place to support your child.
We arrange for pupils to make any additional visits to their new school if necessary. In some cases, staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.
7. What is you School’s approach to teaching children and young people with SEND?
All staff at Threshfield are committed to providing Quality First Teaching so that all pupils can make good progress in their learning.
We endeavour to meet the needs of all pupils through careful and inclusive planning.
- Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
- We use evidence based interventions as well as running pre-teaching and catch up sessions for pupils who need them.
- We also offer interventions that can help pupils socially and emotionally. The SEND provision can be viewed on our Whole School Provision Map.
We monitor our provision to ensure that it has an impact on a pupil’s learning. This is communicated with the pupil, parents and carers at the pupil’s termly meetings.
8. What sort of adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEND?
We make effective changes to the curriculum and learning environment to ensure that all pupils are able to achieve their full potential. All staff have high expectations of all children and make relevant adaptations, to ensure the pupils achieve this.
We aim to make our learning environment accessible to all. Further adaptations are sometimes necessary for more specific needs such as partially sighted pupils and hearing impaired pupils. These are specific to individual pupils and will be addressed accordingly.
9. What sort of expertise for supporting children and young people with SEND do you currently have in school? How do you ensure that the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEND is current? How do you access and secure further specialist expertise?
Our SENCo is Miss B Alexander.
At Threshfield we promote and actively encourage CPD for all staff including accredited courses by external providers. Sometimes, a pupil at our school has particular needs which require additional training for staff.
We encourage parents to be involved and come into school to share their in-depth knowledge of their child’s Special Educational Need or Disability.
We have strong working relationships with local specialist SEND support staff and we call on their expertise for the benefit or our pupils whenever necessary.
10. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEND?
The SENCo, Head Teacher and SEN governor monitor SEND provision.
Provision mapping is used throughout the school to ensure consistency across the school for the inclusion of all pupils including those with SEND. Individual Education Plans are kept for all pupils with SEND.
Learning walks evaluate Quality First Teaching. The SEND policy is reviewed annually.
11. How are children and young people with SEND enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEND?
We endeavour to ensure all our pupils have equal opportunities. Provision is made for all children to take part in extra- curricular activities, trips, school plays and sports.
We encourage pupils with SEND to put themselves forward for positions of responsibility.
12. How do you support children and young people with SEND 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 SEND and measures to prevent bullying.
All pupils participate in PSHE lessons and circle time activities, as well as whole school assemblies.
We have worry monsters in each of our classrooms and our teachers all feel confident to provide a more personalised strategy for pupils who may need additional social, emotional and wellbeing support.
We encourage all our pupils to talk about emotions and feelings in and out of the classroom. Our interventions also offer further support.
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 SEND and supporting their families?
We have access to a wide range of professionals, specialist staff and outside agencies who we can contact for further support and advice. In discussion with parents, agreement is reached about involvement of other professionals:
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Educational Psychologists
- Enhanced Mainstream Schools for:
- Cognition and Learning
- Communication and Interaction
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
- Specialist Teachers for hearing and visually impaired children
- Children’s Social Care
14. What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEND about the provision made at the school.
Should you feel dissatisfied with the provision made for your child in school regarding SEND, your first point of contact is the class teacher or SENCo. If you are not satisfied that your concern has been addressed, speak to the Head Teacher.
We encourage parents to make us aware of concerns as soon as they arise so that they can be addressed quickly. If you do not feel that issues have been resolved, then you may follow our complaints as outlined in the Complaints Procedure Policy.