Welcome to our school - full of happy, hard-working children and teachers. We want every child to participate fully, respect other people, be independent and determined in achieving excellence.
Little Eaton Primary School Special Education and Disabilities Policy and Information Report 2024 - 2027
We are committed to giving all of our children every opportunity to achieve the
highest of standards. We do this by taking account of pupils’ varied life
experiences and needs. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum and have high
expectations for all children. The achievements, attitudes and wellbeing of all
our children matter.
This policy helps to ensure that our school promotes the individuality of all
children, irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, age, disability, gender or
background.
This policy is in collaboration with the Revised Code of Practice (2014).
SENDCo: Michelle Simmons & Sarah Holmes (previously Rouke)
Headteacher: Paul Schumann
School Governor with SEND responsibility: Katie Maclean & Natalie Hickman
Contact: 01332 831471
Email: enquiries@littleeaton.derbyshire.sch.uk
Review date: January 2024
Next review date: January 2027
The aims of Little Eaton Primary School complies with the statutory
requirements laid out in Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs 2014.
Further information can be found at:
www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/special_educational_needs
Aims of the Policy
• To ensure the identification of pupils requiring SEND provision as early
as possible.
• To ensure parents are kept fully informed of their child’s progress.
• To provide a regular process of review to ensure progression and
continuity for all children with SEND.
• To ensure pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.
• To provide a differentiated curriculum appropriate to the individual’s
needs and abilities.
• To ensure that, wherever applicable, children with SEND participate as
fully as possible in all school activities.
• To involve the relevant external agencies in the provision of pupils with
SEND.
Inclusion
This policy builds on the school’s commitment to inclusion and recognises the
entitlement of all pupils to a broad and balanced curriculum. The SEND policy
reinforces the need for teaching that is fully inclusive. Children with Special
Educational Needs and/or Disabilities are integrated into mainstream classes
and are included in all the activities arranged by the school, providing that it is practicable for the pupil concerned and compatible with the efficient education of other pupils. The Governing Body will ensure that appropriate provision will be made for all pupils with Special Educational Needs. The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), as amended by the SEND and Disability Act 2001, placed a duty on all schools and LAs to plan to increase over time the accessibility of schools for disabled pupils and to implement their plans.
Further information can be found in the SEND Local Offer. Every local
authority must publish a Local Offer. It is a resource which is designed to
support children and young people with special educational needs and/or
disabilities and their families. It describes the services and provision that are
available both to those families in Derbyshire that have an Education, Health
and Care Plan and those who do not have a plan, but still experience some form
of special educational need. The SEND Local Offer includes information about
public services across education, health and social care, as well as those
provided by the private, voluntary and community sectors. It must include
information about education, health and care provision. It should also tell you about training, employment and independent living for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. More information can be found on:
www.derbyshiresendlocaloffer.org/
Definition of Special Educational Needs
For the purpose of this policy, and with regard to the SEND Code of Practice 2014, we use the following definition of SEND:
A child has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or
disability, which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or
her.
A child has a learning difficulty if he or she:-
a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of
children of the same age
b) has a disability that either prevents or hinders the child from making use
of the education facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age
in mainstream schools or mainstream post 16 institutions.
For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or
training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nurseries, mainstream post 16 institutions or by relevant early years providers.
Learning difficulties can fall into one or more of the following categories:-
• Communication and interaction
o Children with a speech, language and communication need. This
includes social communication need.
o Children who may have a speech delay, stammer or stutter.
o Selective mutism.
o Children who have Autism Spectrum disorder with difficulties in
social communication.
• Cognition and learning
o Support for a wide range of learning difficulties including MLD
(moderate learning difficulty) or SLD (severe learning difficulty).
• Social, mental and emotional health
o Support for children who are withdrawn, isolated, displaying
challenging, disruptive behaviour.
o Anxiety, depression (including physical symptoms)
• Sensory and/or physical
o Supporting children’s sensory needs
o Children with visual impairment / hearing impairment
o Fine / Gross motor including hypermobility and other physical
disability
All pupils in school study a full range of subjects, including the National
Curriculum. All teachers recognise their responsibility to provide access to the curriculum for all pupils in their class.
The in-class support provided by teaching assistants, SSSEN (Support Service Special Educational Needs) and other agencies is carefully considered by each class teacher in order to ensure all pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities continue to receive a broad and balanced curriculum. When pupils are working on their personal targets related to their Special Educational
Needs, the class teacher will ensure, where possible, that this does not affect the pupil’s access to the full range of curriculum activities.
Differentiation will be provided in a range of ways, depending upon which is most appropriate, and will include but is not limited to; differentiation by task, by ability grouping, by the level of adult support, by the level of expectation, by the allocation of appropriate resources or by outcome.
How pupils with Special Educational Needs are identified and their needs determined and reviewed
• Parents may inform the school prior to or during admission.
• Outside agencies may contact the school prior to / during admission or
whilst the child is a pupil at the school.
• Class teacher may identify concerns including progress or behaviours and
SLT, SENCO, Teaching Assistants may become involved.
• Class teachers make regular assessments of the progress of all children.
From this the school is able to identify children who are making less than
expected progress given their age and personal circumstances.
• It may be that the school seeks additional information from a specialist
teacher e.g. Educational Psychology, Behaviour Support Service,
Paediatricians, Speech and Language Therapists, school health, etc.
Who are the best people in school to talk to about my child’s difficulties with
learning / Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)?
The class teacher has responsibility for all of the children in the class. ‘Every
teacher is a teacher of SEND’ and it is through their expertise and training
which will enable them to identify children in their class who have particular
needs. Where a pupil is identified, action is taken to put effective special
education provision in place.
The Class Teacher is responsible for:
• Promoting high standards for all children with SEND and for them to
achieve their full potential through an aspirational curriculum
• Personalised teaching and learning
• Monitoring the progress of all children and identifying, planning and
delivering any additional help a child may need (this could be
interventions, resources, additional support) and informing the SENCO and parents as necessary
• Collaborating with the SENCO to plan an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
to support individual needs, if needed.
• Ensuring that the school’s SEND policy is followed in their classroom and
for all the pupils they teach with any SEND and liaison with Teaching
Assistants.
• To follow the Equality Act in the classroom.
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, you should 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 SENCO - Michelle Simmons / Sarah Rouke.
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, the school will set up meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:
• listen and record any concerns that you may have
• plan any additional support your child may need including social and
emotional support
• discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals, if needed, to
support your child’s learning
What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?
Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching) is our first approach. 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 including visual aids to support class work.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCO) are in place
to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress
(pupil progress meetings) 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 / Intervention which may be:
• Led in the classroom or outside.
• Led by a teacher or a Teaching Assistant (TA).
• Some intervention programmes available at Little Eaton Primary include:
Positive Play, Numicon, Fine Motor skills work, Dough Disco, Phonics
Intervention, Talk Boost, Toe by Toe, First Class at Number, Number
Shark, Memory Magic, etc.
·
SEN Code of Practice 2015: SEND support
This means they have been identified by the SENCO / 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 ASD Outreach Team or
Sensory Service (for students with a hearing or visual need).
• Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service (EPS).
What could happen:
• Parental consent would be given for the school to refer your child to a
specialist professional e.g. a Behaviour Support Specialist or an
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. The school will then implement recommended programmes and
strategies. The specialist professional may come back in to review
progress.
The SEND support will take form of a four-part cycle:
Assess
The graduated approach involves using the information teachers gather from
on-going, day-to-day assessment to make judgements about the progress a child is making and to alert the SENCO to any barriers that may be getting in the way of them making comparable progress to their peers. There will be a discussion on previous progress and achievement including any concerns expressed by
parents. The assessment phase includes high quality teaching, support,
interventions and a differentiated curriculum for the individual alongside
observations, assessments and pupil progress meetings.
Plan
This part of the cycle involves discussing, planning and agreeing what will be put
in place as an outcome of the assessment information gathered. The planning
involves the child, parents and staff from the school who know the pupil well.
Where other professionals are working with the child, they should also
contribute to planning. The initial step of the planning process includes agreeing
targets for the child in order to focus attention on key areas and give them a
clear idea of what they need to do to improve their work. The targets should
aim to support the child to work towards their long-term outcomes. Following
this, additional or personalised support should be identified, along with any
specific teaching strategies, approaches or resources to be used. This might
include:
• Specialist programmes or a personalised curriculum.
• Additional resources.
• Working in a small group - e.g. for an intervention.
• Peer support or extra support from an adult.
• Physical or personal care support.
A timescale for reviewing the plan, and details of how progress will be monitored, also needs to be identified.
• One-page profiles.
• Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Do
The Code of Practice makes it clear that it is the responsibility of class and subject teachers to implement the plan on a day-to-day basis. In practice, implementing the support plan will mean:
• Delivering high-quality teaching to the student in every lesson.
• Implementing any adjustments, specific strategies or approaches to
classroom teaching that have been identified in the IEP.
• Managing any teaching assistants who are supporting students with SEN
in your lessons. The CPD of teaching assistants, who work regularly with
children with additional needs, is reviewed and updated to meet the needs
of the child.
• Implementing any targeted interventions or specialist provision where
this requires the involvement of the teacher.
• Continually assessing and monitoring the student’s progress and making
any necessary adjustments to planning and teaching as a result.
• Communicating regularly with the student their parents, the SENCO and
any other staff involved in order to establish how things are going and
whether any changes are required.
Review
The SEN review will provide an opportunity to focus on the specifics of the
support plan and to formally evaluate how successfully the support is meeting
the needs of the student. The reviews can be incorporated as part of parents’
evening meetings or dedicated meetings can also be planned. When the review
meeting between the child, parents and any relevant professionals takes place,
we consider:
• What progress has the student made? Have they achieved their
agreed targets and what is the evidence for this?
• What impact has the support/intervention had on progress?
• What are the students’, parents’ and professionals’ views on the
support/intervention?
• What changes need to be made to targets or provision next term?
A record of the outcomes of the review discussions should be kept and used to update the IEP.
A continual process
The assess, plan, do, review process is a cycle - the idea being that this process is continual. If the review shows a student has made really good progress, this may mean they no longer require the additional provision made through SEN support. If this is the case, the student is likely to be taken off the SEN
record and, instead, will be monitored through our ‘wave’ system, to ensure
progress is sustained through inclusive high-quality teaching.
What are the different types of support available in school?
At Little Eaton Primary, we always plan to support learners through quality first teaching initially to ensure access to learning for all children in individual
classes. Supportive strategies which may be used include - visual timetables, writing frames, differentiated resources, alternative recording, behaviour
reward systems, sensory breaks and practical apparatus.
Children who are identified as having SEND are entitled to support that is
additional to or different from a normal differentiated curriculum. The type of
support that they receive depends on their individual learning needs and is
intended to enable access to learning and overcome the barrier to learning
identified. We support children in collaboration with parents and young people
who have choice and control over their provision. We also collaborate between
education, health and social care services to implement the most specialist
support.
Interventions
Each learner identified as having SEND is entitled to support that is 'additional to or different from' a normal differentiated curriculum. We offer a wide
range of interventions across the school to children who are identified with SEND delivered by teachers and TA’s. These are closely monitored by the
SENCO, subject leaders, class teachers and TAs and if necessary are adapted to meet the needs of the individual children who are taking part.
Possible interventions at Little Eaton Primary:
• Precision teaching
• Daily readers
• Phonics intervention
• Speech and Language support
• Maths interventions
• Number shark
• Physical Literacy
• Social stories
• Toe by Toe
• First/Second Class at Number
• Positive Play
• Lego Therapy
• Memory Magic
• Dough Disco
• Talk Boost
Where possible, interventions are planned during assembly times, lunch times, at the beginning/end of the school day, so that children are not removed from
other areas of the curriculum.
Monitoring progress is an integral part of teaching and learning at Little Eaton
Primary. Children with SEND are set targets within an Individual Education Plan,
alongside the rest of the children in school which are shared regularly with
parents/carers. If we find that a child is not meeting their set targets through
the quality first teaching, additional interventions and the involvement of
external agencies we may take the decision to apply for additional funding called
GRIP (Graduated Response to Individual Pupils). This is our first approach
before applying for an Educational Healthcare Plan (EHCP) for a child.
Parents/carers are kept regularly informed through this process.
Adaptions to the curriculum or learning environment may be made to remove
barriers to learning and to enable children to participate in the curriculum. Here are some examples:
• Sitting at the front of the classroom
• Coloured overlays
• Use of symbols, signs and visual timetables
• Using adapted, enlarged resources
• Use of technology including laptops, Ipads, voice recorders
• Sensory breaks
How will we measure the progress of your child in school?
Your child’s progress is continually measured by the class teacher, the SENCO
and SLT.
• Progress in Reading, Writing and Maths is formally assessed each
term.
• Termly wave forms, which monitor the provision and differentiation
within each class, are completed by the class teacher and reviewed by the SENCO.
• Progress is monitored regularly by the Head Teacher, SENCO and
Senior Leadership Team.
• At the end of KS2 (Year 6) all children are required to be formally
assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). This is a
government requirement and the results are published nationally.
• Where necessary, children will have an IEP based on areas of need
identified or a one-page pupil profile to identify their needs, support
staff and how they learn best. Progress against these targets will be
reviewed regularly and future provision amended as necessary.
• The progress of children with a GRIP/EHC Plan will be formally
reviewed at an Annual Review where all the adults who work with the child, along with parents, can celebrate success, set further targets and evaluate provision.
The SENCO will also check that your child is making good progress within individual work and targeted group work
• Learning walks
• Book scrutinise
• Observations
• Data analysis
• Discussion with children
• Discussion with class teachers
• Meetings with parents and feedback from parents
How is extra support allocated to children and how do they progress in their learning?
The school budget received from Derbyshire LA, includes money for supporting children with SEND. Different children will require different levels of support in order to help them make progress and achieve their potential.
The Head Teacher will decide on the deployment of resources and staff for
children with SEND in consultation with the SENCO and governors, on the basis of needs in the school and children.
The Head Teacher and the SENCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school including;
• The children getting extra support already and the impact
• The children who have been identified as needing extra support
• The children who have been identified as not making as much progress
through the ‘waves’ form, which for SEND children, identifies all
resources / training and support.
• All training/resources and support are reviewed regularly and changes
made as necessary.
• Children will be taken off the SEND register if and when progress is
consistent and targets/outcomes have been achieved.
Who could support your child SEND in this school?
School Provision (directly funded by the school):
• Teachers are responsible for planning differentiated sessions to meet
the needs of all pupils within the class setting
• Teaching Assistants working with small groups or individual children under
the direction of the teachers. This is funded from the SEND budget.
• The CPD of teachers and teaching assistants is reviewed and updated to
meet the needs of children within the school. This can be delivered
through staff meetings, off-site training courses or through targeted
INSET day training (which is delivered by outside agencies).
• Small groups for reading interventions, writing support, fine motor skills
work and Numeracy programmes.
• Teaching Assistants offering support for children with Phonics
intervention, positive play, Physical Literacy, etc.
• Educational Psychology Service
Multi Agency Provision including Local Authority Provision delivered in school:
• Support Service for children with Special Educational Needs (SSSEN)
• Educational Psychology Service
• SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
• Autism Outreach Service
• Behaviour Support Service
• Specialist Teachers for the hearing, visually and physically impaired
• Social Care
• School Health
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Input from Paediatricians
• Multi-agency team (MAT)
Voluntary Sector
• Umbrella
• SENDIASS
• Action for Children
• QWELL
More information can be found on: http://www.derbyshiresendlocaloffer.org/
What support do we have for you as a parent / carer of a child with a SEND?
• The class teacher and headteacher is available before or after school to
discuss your child’s progress, any concerns you have or to share information. Please arrange a meeting with them.
• The SENCO (Michelle Simmons/Sarah Rouke) is available to meet with you to discuss any concerns or worries you may have. (Please make an appointment with the school office.)
• All information from outside agencies / professionals will be shared with
you, with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a
report.
• IEP targets and Pupil One Page profiles will be created in partnership
with you.
• The child’s targets will be reviewed three times a year, we will meet with
parents to plan and to discuss how things are progressing at a review
meeting.
• We will hold meetings with outside agencies
• We hold information/transition meetings
• We will share information on support groups for parents / carers
• We will help parents with completing family information forms for GRIP
funding or for children’s EHCP’s
• Homework will be set so that it meets your child’s individual
requirements.
• If required, a home / school communication book can be set up.
More information can be found on: http://www.derbyshiresendlocaloffer.org/
How is Little Eaton Primary accessible to children with SEND?
• The school is fully compliant with DDA requirements.
• We have an up to date Accessibility Policy (see website)
• There is a disabled toilet area
• School has contact with external agencies who can ensure wherever
possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their need.
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for all children including those
with SEND.
• All children have equal opportunities to go on school trips and risk
assessments are carried out to any off-site activity.
How does the school support children with medical conditions?
• The school has a policy on the administration and management of
medicines on the school site.
• Staff have updated information on conditions and medications affecting
individual students and are given training where appropriate.
• Medication is also taken with the individual when off site for school trips.
How will my child be supported through transitions?
Starting school
• Visits to previous setting
• Visit to school
• Parent sessions / meetings
• Share information records
• Little Eaton school information booklet
When moving classes in school:
• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher and a planning /
transition meeting will take place in the summer term.
• The new class teacher to be invited to any meetings that are arranged
during the summer term prior to moving classes.
• Some children benefit from having photographs or a ‘passport’ to support
them in understanding moving to a new school this can be made with them
so that they can keep referring to it.
In Year 6:
• The SENCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCO
of the child’s secondary school. In most cases, a transition review
meeting, to which you will be invited, will take place with the SENCO from
the new school.
• As well as the arranged transition days, if your child requires additional
visits, this can be arranged. On some occasions, the staff from the new
school will visit your child while they are at Little Eaton Primary.
What support is there for my child’s overall wellbeing?
At Little Eaton Primary School, we believe that pupils achieve best when they
are happy. We celebrate the children’s successes with positive learning
experiences. Sometimes children also experience some setbacks or challenges
along the way and we are committed to supporting them through these times
through our whole school nurturing approach. These needs can present
themselves in a number of ways including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, being upset or uncommunicative.
Any member of staff, or the child’s family, can refer concerns about a child’s
wellbeing to the SENCO, Headteacher or class teacher. Decisions are then
made about the appropriate response. Safeguarding, SEND and Equality policies
are followed and applied. If further support is required, Michelle Simmons/ Sarah Rouke (SENCO) can seek further advice and support. This may involve working alongside outside
agencies such as Health and Social Services, and/or the Behaviour Support
Service.
For some children who struggle with the transition between home and school, we can arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’. Furthermore, we have a Teaching Assistant who has a focussed well-being role, providing opportunity to talk about their
thoughts and take part in activities to support them. This is part of our Positive Play intervention, where personalised objectives and activities are planned to meet your child’s needs. Class Teachers may also plan enrichment opportunities to engage pupils, such as cooking, sewing, chess, etc.
At lunchtimes, play leaders run activities to support the children with social skills and this also ensures that everyone has someone to play with.
Where there is a social and emotional need, school staff work closely with
families and the child to identify the issue and use appropriate means to
support the child. School promotes strong relationships and communication with parents which enable us to work in partnership.
Other agencies are involved, as appropriate, and the school nurse comes and visits to provide emotional support, healthy eating, vaccinations, weight
management, hearing tests and teeth cleaning. Other health professionals and/or specialist educational services are assessed, as required.
How will my child be able to share their views?
We value the uniqueness of every child, and therefore celebrate them being able to express their views on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through regular meetings of the school council, child questionnaires, class discussions and the use of Safety Bear (where anonymous problems can be
shared). If your child has an EHC plan, depending on their age, they will be given an opportunity to be part of the person-centred review. Videos are shared
during the review to show the children’s learning experiences.
How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our SEND provision?
• We aim to get direct feedback and the views of pupils and their parents
through regular meetings, phone calls or questionnaires.
• The SENCO, class teachers and school leadership team will use the four-
part cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review, through which decisions and
actions are revisited, refined, and revised.
• All staff working with the individual gain an understanding of the child’s
needs and the strategies required to enable the child to made good
progress and secure good learning outcomes. This is known as the
graduated response.
What are the admissions arrangements for Little Eaton Primary School?
Admissions to the school are made through the Derbyshire Local Authority. See Admissions Policy on the school website.
7. Links with other policies and documents This policy links to our policies on: Accessibility Plan Behaviour Equality information and objectives Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions Safeguarding Positive Handling