Upperby Primary School 

Schools Extended Local Offer Response

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

At Upperby Primary School children are identified as having SEN through a variety of ways including:

·         Liaison with previous school

·         Child performing below age-related expectations

·         Concerns raised by parent

·         Concerns raised by teacher eg behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance

·         Liaison with external agencies eg Family Centre, Social Care

Health diagnosis through a GP, Paediatrician, Health Visitor

 

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

·         Our Inclusion Manager oversees all support and progress of any child requiring additional support across the school.

·         The class teacher will oversee, plan and direct the work with each child with SEN in their class to ensure that progress in every area is made.

·         There may be a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) or Teaching Assistant (TA) working with your child either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher/Inclusion Manager.  The regularity of these sessions will be explained to parents when the support starts.

·         The class teacher will meet with parents at least twice a year (usually as part of Parents Evening) to discuss your child’s needs, support and progress.

·         For further information the Inclusion Manager is available to discuss support in more detail.

·         The Inclusion Manager reports to the Governors every term to inform them about the progress of children with SEN; this report does not refer to individual children and confidentiality is maintained at all times.

·         One of the Governors, Mr Andy Lomax, is responsible for SEN and meets regularly with the Inclusion Manager, reporting back to the Governors to keep everyone informed. 

The Governors agree priorities for spending within the school budget with the overall aim that all children with SEN receive the support they need in order to make progress

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

·         All work within class is pitched at an appropriate level so that all children are able to access it according to their specific needs.  Typically this might mean that in a lesson there would be at least three different levels of work set for the class.  However, on occasions this can be individually differentiated.

The benefit of this type of differentiation is that all children can access a lesson and learn at their level.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

·         We offer an ‘open door’ policy where you are welcome at any time to make an appointment to meet with either the class teacher or Inclusion Manager to discuss how your child is getting on.  We can offer advice and practical ways that you can help your child at home.

·         We believe that your child’s education should be a partnership between parents and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has complex needs.

·         If necessary we will operate a home/school book which your child will bring home regularly so that comments from parents and teacher can be shared and responded to when needed.

·         If your child is on the SEN register they may have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or be part of a Group Intervention Plan which will have individual/group targets.  This is discussed on a termly basis and parents can be given a copy of the IEP/Group Plan if they wish.  The targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-scaled) with the expectation that the child WILL achieve the target by the time it is reviewed.

·         If your child has complex SEN they may have a Statement/Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) which means that review meetings or family meetings will take place at least yearly when progress is reviewed.

·         As a school we measure children’s progress in learning against National expectations and age-related expectations.

·         The class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas where they are improving and where further support is needed.  As a school, we track children’s progress from entry at Nursery through to Y6, using a variety of different methods including National Curriculum levels and Reading ages, as appropriate.

·         Children who are not making expected progress are picked up through Pupil Progress Meetings between the class teacher, the Headteacher and the Data Manager.  In this meeting a discussion takes place concerning why individual children are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to aid their progression. 

·         Children’s IEP/Group Intervention Plan are reviewed termly and progress is recorded.  If the child is on an IEP and has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be tried to ensure the child does make progress.

·         There are many opportunities for regular contact about things that have happened in school including Parents Evenings, Review Meetings, Home/School books.

·         Parents/carers are involved in planning their child’s SEN through  Annual Statement reviews/Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) meetings, Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings and Early Help assessment meetings.  If your child has complex SEN you may get advice directly from a specialist teacher. 

 

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

• We are an inclusive school; we welcome and celebrate diversity.  All staff believe that children having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s wellbeing.  We have a caring, understanding team looking after our children.
• The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact.  If further support is required the class teacher liaises with the Inclusion Manager for further advice and support.  This may involve working alongside outside agencies such as Social Care, Health Services, Inclusion Support, Family Support organisations and local authority Specialist Teachers.
• The school has a policy regarding the administration and managing of medicines on the school site. 
• Parents need to contact the school office if medication is recommended by health professionals to be taken during the school day.  A medication form will need to be completed.
• On a day to day basis the First Aiders generally oversee the administration of any medicines.
• As a staff we have training and updates of conditions and medication affecting individual children  as appropriate so that all staff are able manage medical situations.
• As a school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils.
• If a child has emotional difficulties an individual Behaviour Management Plan may be written alongside the child and parents to identify the specific issues, put relevant support in place and set targets.   As a result of the support we give, the rate of exclusions is very low at this school, however we do exclude if necessary.
• For further information please see the school Behaviour Policy.
• The school also has access to a School Counsellor one morning a week  where children who have emotional issues that are affecting their health and progress can talk about how they are feeling through play activities.
• Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis by the Inclusion Manager or Pastoral Care worker.  Lateness and absence are recorded and reported upon to the Headteacher.  Support is given through an incentive scheme where good attendance is actively encouraged throughout the school.  We have had many successes where families were struggling with lateness but are now able to get their children into school on time.  For more information please see the school Attendance Policy
• We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views on all aspects of school life.  This is usually carried out through the School Council. 
• Children who have IEPs discuss and set their targets with their class teacher/Learning Support Assistant.
• There is an annual pupil questionnaire where we actively seek the viewpoints of children especially concerning being able to speak to an adult if they have a worry.
• If your child has a statement or EHCP their views will be sought via a questionnaire before any review meetings.

 

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

• As a school we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school including:

v  Behaviour/Inclusion Support/Specialist teachers

v  Health including GP, Practice Nurse, School Nurse, Clinical Psychologist, Paediatrician, Speech & Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

v  Social Care including Locality Team, Social Workers, Educational Psychologist, Counselling services and therapists

 

v  Others eg Police Community Support Officers, Safety Net, East Cumbria Family Support, Barnardo’s, NSPCC

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

• Our Inclusion Manager is a fully qualified teacher with accreditation in and experience in managing Special Educational Needs.
• At any time in the school we may have staff working who are trained in the following areas including:
• v  Speech and language programmes
• v  Smart Moves
• v  Hearing Impairment
• v  Team Teach
• Reading Intervention and Maths Recovery programmes
• All relevant staff have had training in epilepsy awareness and anaphylactic shock first aid.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

• All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips.  We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.

A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised.  In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

The school site is wheelchair accessible for all areas with some disabled toilets large enough to accommodate changing.  The school is all on one level.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

• We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting when they will be shown around the school.  For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist them with acclimatisation of the new surroundings.  We would also visit them in their current school or home, if appropriate. 
• We write social stories with children if transition is potentially going to be difficult as well as making photo books of visits.
• When children are preparing to leave us for a new school, typically to go to secondary education, we can arrange additional visits if we feel they are appropriate.
• We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.

If your child has complex needs then a Statement/EHCP review will be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

• We ensure that all children who have SEND will have their needs met to the best of the school’s ability with the funds available.
• We have a team of LSAs (learning support assistants) who are funded from the school budget and deliver programmes designed to meet groups of children’s needs.
• The budget is allocated on a needs basis.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

• The class teacher alongside the Inclusion Manager will discuss the child’s needs and what support would be appropriate.
• Different children will require different types of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age expected levels.
• This could involve discussions with parents, as appropriate.
• We can judge if the support has had an impact by reviewing targets on IEPs/group intervention plans and ensuring they are being met,  by monitoring progress against national age expected levels and observing that the gap is narrowing, through verbal feedback from the parent and pupil and the fact that children may move off the SEN register when they have made sufficient progress in an identified area.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Parents are encouraged to keep in contact with the school about their chid's education at all times through termly parent teacher meetings.  Parents can also contact class teachers through the main office and the school email should they wish to arrange additional meetings with the class teacher.

Parents who want to get involved in school on a regular basis are encouraged to contact the school through the main office again.