Hoyland Common Primary School is committed to ensuring that it values the abilities and achievements of all children and adults who access it and is committed to providing, for each individual, the best possible environment for development and learning; this is reflected in our whole school vision.
SEND Aims of the School
• To ensure that all children have access to broad and balanced learning opportunities and are able to access the full curriculum, alongside their peers.
• To provide appropriate support to the individual’s needs and ability.
• To ensure the early identification of all children requiring SEND provision.
• To ensure that children with special educational needs take as full a part as possible in all activities.
• To develop and maintain positive relationships and work alongside parents and carers of learners with SEND, ensuring they are kept fully informed and involved in their child’s learning, progress and attainment.
• To ensure that SEND children are involved, where practicable, in decisions affecting their future SEN provision and learning.
• To ensure that all children are able to achieve their full potential.
• To provide a fully inclusive learning experience across all curriculum areas.
SEND Team
Jane Robinson – SENDCO
Lauren Eyre – Intervention Lead and co-SENCO
Pastoral (Supporting Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs of the school community)
Laura Davies- Learning Mentor
The role of the SENDCO and Co SENDCO
The key responsibilities of the SENDCO may include:
• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy
• co-ordinating provision for children with SEND
• with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEND
• advising on the graduated approach to providing SEND support
• advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
• liaising with parents/carers of pupils with SEND
• liaising with early years providers, other schools, Educational Psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
• being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
• liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
• working with the Headteacher and school Governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date
• working with the school leadership team provide relevant CPD for all staff.
The role of the Pastoral Team in SEND
• To support the development of provision for children with social, emotional and mental health needs.
• To ensure the safety and wellbeing of learners at HCPS.
• To work collaboratively with families and wider professionals.
Definition of Special Educational Needs
A child or young person has Special Educational Needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions
A child is classed as disabled if:-
• Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEN. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision, they will also be covered by the SEN definition.
There are four broad categories used when identifying a child’s needs. These are;
• Communication & Interaction
• Cognition & learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs
If you feel that your child falls into any of the above categories, then please make your child’s class teacher aware in the first instance. A meeting with the SENDCO can then be arranged.
Admissions
The Local committee believes that the admissions criteria should not discriminate against
pupils with SEND and has due regard for the practice advocated in the Code of Practice, in that
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits schools from discriminating against disabled children and young people in respect of admissions for a reason related to their disability’. (COP, 1.28)
• must consider applications from parents of children who have SEN but do not have an EHC plan on the basis of the school’s published admissions criteria as part of normal admissions procedures
• must not refuse to admit a child who has SEN but does not have an EHC plan because they do not feel able to cater for those needs
• must not refuse to admit a child on the grounds that they do not have an EHC plan.
Identification, Assessment and Provision
At Hoyland Common Primary School we have adopted an inclusive approach to SEND policy and practice. Children identified as having SEND are, as far as is practicable, fully integrated into all activities. Every effort is made to ensure that they have full access to learning opportunities and/or the National/EYFS Curriculum and are integrated into all aspects of the setting.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 makes it clear that all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs. It is ultimately the responsibility of the class teacher to ensure each child receives appropriate learning opportunities. All teachers/practitioners are responsible for identifying children with SEND and, in collaboration with the SENCO and/or Lead Teacher, will ensure that those children requiring different or additional support are identified at an early stage.
Our quest, our mission as educators, is to ensure that all children receive a high-quality education that promotes their development and equips them with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life, leading them back to their rightful status as fully engaged, authentic learners. It is important that all children are given the support needed to make good progress.
The school leadership team regularly conduct a range of monitoring activities such as lesson observations, work scrutiny and environment audits to ensure that teaching and learning is of a high standard and differentiated to an appropriate level for each child. Based on the outcomes of these observations support is planned in the form of staff development and INSET to ensure that all staff are up-skilled in their understanding of strategies to support vulnerable pupils or those that have/may have SEND. Our school also subscribe to the National College Online Training platform, where staff have continuous access to a vast range of CPD webinars including many linked to SEND.
The first step in responding to pupils who have/may have SEND is when a need has been identified by the adults who work with the child; this could be the parent/class teacher or TA or member of the SLT.
The graduated approach to identifying Special Educational Needs
The purpose of identification is to work out the action the school needs to take to meet the child’s individual needs, not to fit a pupil into a category.
In supporting pupils with SEND, in line with the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2015) we follow a process of Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
Assess
Following the initial concern around a special educational need, a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs would be carried out collaboratively, in partnership with the parent(s)/carer(s), class teacher, and a member of the SEND Team. This will explore the pupil’s key strengths, barriers to learning, attainment and progress information, attendance, previous support and impact considering all views, including the views of the child. An observation of the child may also take place by the SENDCO, if it is felt this is relevant.
Plan
Following this assessment, if it is felt necessary, an SEND support plan will be drawn up in collaboration with those involved. This will identify key needs assessed, outline key targets and outcomes as well a design appropriate provision to support achievement of these goals; including provision linked to specific subjects. In some cases, a referral to outside agencies may be required; this is done in consultation with parents. This final support plan will be shared with parents and key staff involved and the child will be added to the school SEND register.
Do
All parties involved in the planning stage of the SEND support plan takes their agreed responsibility as identified on the plan. The class teacher will remain responsible for implementation of provision in school with support of the SEND team.
Review
Support Plans are monitored regularly and reviewed in line with an agreed date, in collaboration with families, child, class teacher and, in some cases, the SENDCO, to measure the impact of support on progress; this is usually termly, however can be more frequent. Next steps are then agreed collaboratively and this process repeats. All reviews follow a ‘person centred approach’ and keep the child at the centre. Review meetings are documented as part of the support plan.
Where concerns remain around a child’s progress and development or the provision needed to support a child is beyond what the school currently has capacity to provide, it may be necessary to request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment. If this is accepted, the child will be issued with an Education Health and Care Plan. This is a legal document which outlines the pupil’s strengths, barriers to learning, learning outcomes and provision needed to meet their more complex needs and provides additional funding to support the implementation of the outlined provision.
Where a pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the local authority must review that plan as a minimum every twelve months. The school will co-operate by holding these annual reviews, in line with the guidance. Annual Reviews are carried out in partnership with school, the family and wider agencies involved.
At all times the teacher holds the responsibility for evidencing progress according to the outcomes described in the plan.
At Hoyland Common Primary, Pupils who hold an EHCP will also have a EHCP Monitoring Plan to reflect current targets and specific provision. This will reflect the longer-term goals outlined in the child’s EHCP.
Allocation of Resources
It is the school’s responsibility to provide the resources to fund additional provision up to £6000. When the level of support required to meet a child’s needs exceeds this, school or parent(s)/carer(s) will look to request an EHC Needs Assessment in the hope of securing the additional ‘top up funding’ needed to meet the child’s needs. Where a child has an EHCP, their allocation of resources is outlined in the document.
Children with an EHCP can apply for a personal budget, where all partners involved must set out in their joint commissioning arrangements.
English as an additional language
Particular care will be needed with children whose first language is not English. Their progress will be closely followed ascertain whether any problems arise from uncertain command of English or from special educational needs. It will be necessary to assess their proficiency in English before planning any additional support that might be required.
Record Keeping
The school will keep records of both the steps taken to meet children’s individual needs as well as wider SEND or medical documentation. These will be kept securely in line with school policy.
Accessibility
The school is accessible to all regardless of SEND. There are wheelchair friendly ramps and lifts to allow access to all areas of the school building. For further information see our schools Accessibility Policy.
Transition
All children access transition days with their class. In some cases, children may require additional transition time, this will be decided by school in partnership with parents.
Transition may include: –
• Meetings between teachers.
• Children meeting their new class teacher.
• Development of a package that will follow your child through to their next classroom. e.g. A communication package- upskilling of staff in child’s preferred communication mode.
• Home visits by school prior to start date.
• Visits to new setting.
Managing the medical needs of pupils
Where a child has both SEN and a medical health condition the EHC plan will specify the type and level of support required to meet their needs. Where an EHC plan is not in place, school will work with parents and carers and the wider medical team involved to specify the type and level of support required to meet their needs and if required explore a request for an EHC Needs Assessment.
For further information see the Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions Policy.
SEN policy review
The setting considers the SEN Policy document to be important and undertakes a thorough review of SEND practice and provision each year. The outcomes of this review are used to inform the School Development Plan.
