Special Educational Needs

SEND - SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY

At Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School we want to make sure that every child gets the best support we can offer in order to help them to enjoy their learning, feel confident and happy amongst their friends and make the best possible progress.

Every child has individual needs that will affect their learning. Sometimes children need special support to give them an extra boost or to help them catch up with other children of the same age. They may need this support for a short time or a longer period, but during this time they will be part of our Special Educational Needs (SEN) Register and we will keep a close eye on their progress, look carefully at what special support they need and keep in close touch with their parents.

WHAT IS THE LOCAL OFFER?

The Children and Families Bill Act 2014 requires Local Authorities (LA) and schools 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. This is the ‘ SEN Information Report’.

The purpose of the Local Offer is to enable parents and young people to find out more easily the services that are available in their area and how to access them. The Local Offer will include provision from birth to 25, across education, health, social care and the voluntary sector.

THE LA LOCAL OFFER

For Children and Young People between 0-25 Years with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Islington LA have put together information to help you find out about all the services that exist in your local area. Find out more on their website.

We hope that the following questions and answers help you understand what our school offers for children with Special Educational Needs.

WHO ARE THE BEST PEOPLE TO TALK TO AT BLESSED SACRAMENT ABOUT MY CHILD’S DIFFICULTIES WITH LEARNING, SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OR DISABILITY?

• Talk to your child’s class teacher about your concerns.
• It is likely that the class teacher will have discussed your concerns with the school SENCO Ms Kelly Studman or Head of School Ms Fernandez.
• You may wish to arrange a meeting with the SENCO.
• If you continue to have concerns arrange to discuss these with the Head teacher.

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL LET ME KNOW IF THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT MY CHILD’S LEARNING, SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OR DISABILITY?

• Your child’s class teacher may initially speak to you at the beginning or the end of a normal school day and arrange a further time to discuss the concerns.
• The class teacher may also talk to you about any issues at a parent/teacher consultation meeting.
• The SENCO may contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss your child’s difficulties with learning and any possible support strategies the school might be considering.

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL CONSIDER MY VIEWS AND THOSE OF MY CHILD WITH REGARD TO HER/HIS DIFFICULTIES WITH LEARNING, SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OR DISABILITIES?

• At Blessed Sacrament school, we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in all areas of their child’s learning and we actively encourage discussions. We believe, where appropriate, that it is essential to understand your child’s views on any difficulties they may experience with their learning.
• You will be able to share your views and discuss your child’s progress at regular meetings with the class/form teacher and others.
• If your child has an identified special educational need you will be invited to a termly meeting with the class teacher and SENCO discuss current progress, support strategies being used and expected outcomes.
• If your child has a Statement of special educational need or an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) you and your child will be able to share your views at the Annual Review.

HOW DOES BLESSED SACRAMENT ENSURE THE TEACHING STAFF IS APPROPRIATELY TRAINED TO SUPPORT MY CHILD’S SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND/OR DISABILITY?

• At Blessed Sacrament school we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
• We regularly review the school training schedule and professional development for all teaching and support staff to ensure there is the appropriate expertise to support children with special educational needs.
• The school is able to access training programmes from different organisations including the Bridge Outreach, Samuel Rhodes Outreach, New River College, and Whittington Health.
• Individual training can also be arranged where necessary.

HOW WILL THE CURRICULUM AND THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT BE MATCHED TO MY CHILD’S NEEDS?

• At Blessed Sacrament we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
• We carefully plan our curriculum to match the age, ability and needs of all children.
• The class teacher will adapt lesson planning and teaching to match your child’s special educational needs and/or disability.
• It may be appropriate to adopt different strategies or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning needs.
• Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning.
• We regularly review our Accessibility Plan to ensure that all children have the fullest access to the curriculum and the school site as possible.

WHAT TYPES OF SUPPORT MAY BE SUITABLE AND AVAILABLE FOR MY CHILD?

This really depends upon the nature of your child’s needs and difficulties with learning. But our education provisions will match the needs of the four broad areas of need as defined in the SEN Code of Practice:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs

 At Blessed Sacrament we have a 3 tiered approach to supporting a child’s learning.

Universal – this is the quality first teaching your child will receive from her/his class teacher and may include minor adaptations to match learning needs.

Targeted - it may be appropriate to consider making additional short term special educational provision to remove or reduce any obstacles to your child’s learning.  This takes the form of a graduated four part approach of ASSESS/PLAN/DO/REVIEW

a) assessing your child’s needs, b) planning the most effective and appropriate intervention, c) providing this intervention and d) reviewing the impact on your child’s progress towards individual learning outcomes.

Specific targeted one to one or small group interventions may be run outside the classroom. These will be limited to a number a weeks to minimise disruption to the regular curriculum. You will be kept informed of your child’s progress towards learning outcomes.

Specialist – it may be necessary to seek specialist advice and regular long term support from a specialist professional outside the school in order to plan for the best possible learning outcomes for your child. This may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory advisory teachers and the child development service. The school may need to prioritise referrals to these services. For a very small number of pupils access to these specialists may be through a Statement of SEN or an EHC Plan.

HOW WILL YOU SUPPORT MY CHILD TO REACH HIS/HER LEARNING OUTCOMES?

• The class teacher and other staff working with your child ensure that your child receives appropriate teaching and support in order to reach these goals. The learning plan, strategies and progress will be reviewed termly.
• External agencies and specialists may also review your child’s progress and adapt their planning accordingly.

WHAT IS AN EHC PLAN AND WHO CAN REQUEST ONE FOR ONE FOR MY CHILD?

The purpose of an EHC Plan, which replaces Statements of SEN, is to make special education provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/her gets older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will contain;

• the views and aspirations of you and your child,
• a full description of his/her special educational needs and any health and social care needs,
• establish outcomes for your child’s progress,
• specify the provision required and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes
• You, your child and/or the school, usually the SENCO or Headteacher, can request that the local authority conduct an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan.

HOW WILL YOU HELP ME TO SUPPORT MY CHILD’S LEARNING?

• There may be suggested strategies or activities for you to do at home to support your child’s learning.
• We sometimes run parent/carer workshops in school to help you understand the strategies used in school. In addition, we may be able to offer you individual training in specific support strategies relevant to your child.
• The SENCO may also support you with strategies, resources and ideas for supporting your child’s learning at home.
• You may have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child.

HOW IS SUPPORT ALLOCATED TO CHILDREN AND HOW DO THEY MOVE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SUPPORT IN SCHOOL?

• The Head teacher, in consultation with the SENCO and school Governors, decides the budget for SEN provision on the basis of the needs of the children in the school.
• The Head teacher and the SENCO discuss the effectiveness of the school’s current interventions and provisions and prioritise an action plan, which may include additional or alternative interventions, staff training and equipment needs.
• This process is reviewed regularly to ensure the best possible intervention is provided to those children who require additional support to learn.

HOW WILL THE SCHOOL KNOW THAT THE SUPPORT HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE TO MY CHILD’S LEARNING AND HOW CAN I AND MY CHILD BE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW PROCESS?

• Your child’s progress will be assessed both in terms of his/her regular learning within the class and with regard to specific intervention programmes.
• The impact of the support given is carefully measured to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved and if not, what adaptations are necessary. It may be decided that a further period of support would be beneficial for your child.
• You and your child will be kept informed and encouraged to be actively involved at all stages of this support.

WHAT SUPPORT WILL THERE BE FOR MY CHILD’S HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING AT BLESSED SACRAMENT SCHOOL?

• At Blessed Sacrament school, we believe that the happiness and well being of all our pupils is paramount. All members of staff take this aspect of school life very seriously.
• You can be confident that in particular your child’s class teacher, the teaching assistants, and the SENCO  are available to provide support to match your child’s needs.
• You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.

HOW IS MY CHILD INCLUDED IN ALL THE SAME ACTIVITIES AS HIS/HER PEERS AT SCHOOL?

• Blessed Sacrament school is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all children.
• School clubs, educational visits and residential trips are available to all children.
• When necessary the school will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with SEN and/or disabilities are included in all activities.
• You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.

HOW WILL BLESSED SACRAMENT SUPPORT MY CHILD IN TRANSITION STAGES?

• We liaise closely with the school or nursery your child is transferring from. We are able to discuss with the relevant teachers any individual needs and how best to support your child in school.
• While at school we take care to ensure that during transition points (between classes each year and at the end of Key Stages) all staff are aware of individual pupils needs, learning progress and best support strategies.
• At Blessed Sacrament school, we make comprehensive arrangements to ensure there is a smooth transition when your child transfers to his/her secondary school of choice. Please contact us for further details.
• If your child has an EHC Plan, we will participate and/or facilitate its review in sufficient time prior to him/her moving between key phases of education. You will be kept informed of these arrangements and asked to attend the reviews.

IF I HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT MY CHILD AT BLESSED SACRAMENT, WHO CAN I ASK?

At Blessed Sacrament school, we are very happy to speak to you about any aspects of your child’s education. It is best to speak to one of the following in this order;

• The class teacher
• The SENCO
• A member of the leadership team
• the Head of School