Holy Trinity CE Primary School is a mainstream educational setting. We are committed to providing high quality education to all our children. We believe all children, including those children identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life.
Inclusion Manager/SENDCO - Mrs Lynne Howard
lhoward@htprimary.co.uk 01444 454295
SEND Information Report
How does the school 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?
- Holy Trinity CE(A) Primary tracks the progress of children using the Early Years Foundation Stage objectives or National Curriculum subject objectives, using a computer based tracking system called ‘Insight’. This data is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team on a termly basis and children who are not making expected progress or attainment levels are highlighted, so additional support can be provided.
- If parents have a concern that their child has a Special Educational Need, they should discuss this first with the class teacher, who will then inform the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) of the concerns that parents have raised.
- The SENDCO will then begin to monitor the child and may undertake classroom observations and some additional in-school based assessments to get a clearer picture of the areas of strength and difficulty.
- The SENDCO will then inform the parents of any results and further steps will be decided, as to whether external agency advice will be required or additional intervention in school will be provided to support the child/young person. Parents will be kept fully informed of any external assessments or referrals that the school intends to undertake and consent will be obtained.
- Our school is currently taking part in the West Sussex Autism Schools Project with WSCC and have achieved out Silver Autism Aware Award.
How will school staff support my child/young person?
- For children who are on the special needs register, the SENDCO co-ordinates provision throughout the school, deploying support staff appropriately to deliver interventions that have been planned on children’s Individual Learning Plans (ILPs).
- We have a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Teacher (SEND Teacher) who works with individuals as well as groups of children. We also have a number of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) and Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) who deliver tailored interventions on a regular basis to individual children or groups of children that have been identified as requiring additional provision.
- Children who have been identified as having additional SEND needs have termly targets which are reviewed with parents, teaching, support staff, and the SENDCO or SEND teacher. We have a rigorous ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle which ensures that children are monitored on a regular basis through ILP review meetings and pupil progress meetings. After discussion, their provision is adapted if necessary and the impact of this is measured to ensure progress is being made.
- The SENDCO holds termly meetings with the SEND Governor to report upon the impact of provision and any current issues within the school. The SENDCO also writes a report to the Governing Body detailing the number of children with SEND that are currently in the school, the type of provision they are receiving and the impact of this provision.
- Provision is monitored regularly using assessment data to ensure impact on children’s progress.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s/young person’s needs?
- Lessons are planned rigorously and children who may need additional support or adaptations are identified on weekly planning. Adaptations are made explicit on planning, providing children with multi-sensory learning experiences and additional practical resources to help embed their learning. For some children with specific special educational needs, we will use the previous years’ learning objectives to plan, teach and assess them, ensuring that the curriculum is matched to their level of ability. We will use our best endeavours to ensure that all children achieve their best, become confident individuals and are well equipped for the next stage in their education.
- We use a Quality First Teaching approach implementing the strategies suggested in West Sussex's document 'Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice'.
- Where necessary the learning environment may be adapted, for example, some children are offered or may use their own individual work station.
- Interventions are timetabled across the whole school by the SENDCO and are included on class timetables, to ensure staff and children know when they are taking place. Interventions include Narrative Therapy, Lego Therapy, Lexplore, Jump Ahead, Funky Fingers etc. For some children we run pre-teaching of topic vocabulary groups to ensure they have a full understanding of some of the topic words, prior to the lessons taking place in class.
How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
- We hold parents consultation evenings in the Autumn and Spring terms to give parents an opportunity to discuss their child’s progress. The SENDCO is available to meet with parents at these consultations.
- Parents of children who have an ILP are invited to termly ILP review meetings to discuss progress against the previous term's targets and be involved in setting new targets for the next term. We provide parents with ideas of how to support their children on their ILP targets.
- We ask children and parents to contribute to ILP review meetings, so that they can have their say about new ILP targets and so they are fully aware of what the next stage in their learning is.
- We hold parents meetings for parents of children in Early Years to provide information on how they can support their children, particularly with reading and phonics.
- All class teachers hold parents' meetings in the Autumn term to inform parents about the year's learning and to provide parents with ideas and strategies for supporting their children with their learning at home.
What support will there be for my child’s overall well being?
- Holy Trinity has a Learning Mentor who works with children on a 1:1 and small group basis. Children can be referred to the Learning Mentor if they have friendship issues, low self-esteem, anger management difficulties, anxieties, have parents that have separated or their family have suffered a bereavement. The main remit of a Learning Mentor is to ‘remove barriers to learning’. If parents feel that their child would benefit from seeing a Learning Mentor they need to speak to their child’s class teacher who can put in a referral. The Learning Mentor will contact parents prior to starting work with their child and will feedback to parents after the sessions are completed. (Place availability subject to a waiting list.)
- We also have a Play Therapist who works with children on a 1:1 basis. If the school feels that a child would benefit from play therapy, they will discuss this with the SENDCO and play therapist. Parents will be contacted to ensure that they give their consent for their child to receive play therapy and will be encouraged to be part of the process, so they can continue to support their child at home with strategies that are suggested. (Place availability subject to a waiting list.)
- Holy Trinity works with Thoughfull who provide an Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) to provide 1:1 support including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to help address anxieties, phobias etc.
- Intervention groups take place to support children’s social skills, if it is felt necessary, including ‘Circle of Friends’ and ‘Lego Therapy’.
- If a child requires prescribed medicine to be administered whilst they are in school a consent form can be obtained from the school office, which parents need to sign in order for the medicine to be given to their child (see Managing Medicines in School (Policy).
- For children that may require toileting/intimate care we have members of support staff who are responsible for ensuring their needs are met. A Healthcare Plan will be created detailing what the nature of the care is and how often it needs to be carried out.
- At Holy Trinity, we favour positive reinforcement and behaviour management strategies. We use a behaviour ladder to make children aware of and recognise their behaviours. This is adapted as required for identified individual needs. Alongside moving up the ladder, we praise children’s good behaviours by encouraging them to earn ‘values’ tokens. Our school values are ‘Perseverance, Aspiration, Respect, and Teamwork’. We also have ‘Leaf of Achievement’ assemblies where children that have been identified as working particularly hard or aspiring to improve in their learning will be invited to come up in Worship/assembly and be rewarded with a ‘Leaf’.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
- We have a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Teacher who has undertaken a variety of courses, including a specialism in supporting pupils with dyslexia.
- A number of Learning Support Assistants and Teaching Assistants have undertaken a range of speech and language training courses.
- If we feel that a child needs additional support or we would like a clearer understanding of their needs, we can refer them to the School Nurse, Child Development Centre (CDC), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)Occupational Therapist (OT), Sensory Support Team, Learning and Behaviour Advisory Team (LBAT). Autism and Social Communication Team (ASCT) or Educational Psychologist (EP).
- For families that require family support, the Inclusion Manager/SENDCO can support them by referring them for Enabling Families or Early Help support accessed through the West Sussex Integrated Front Door. If a wider range of support is required to support the family, an Early Help Plan could be opened, which would enable a family to reach a variety of services that are offered within the locality. The SENDCO would attend regular Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings for a family with an Early Help Plan (EHP). This is a multi-agency meeting to co-ordinate the various services involved with a family.
What training do the staff supporting children and young people receive?
- Support staff are given regular training opportunities both through the locality and within the school setting. The SENDCO and SEND Teacher have arranged training days to develop the skills and knowledge of staff working with children with SEND, including training on Dyslexia, ADHD, Autism and Speech and Language.
- Regular meetings with support staff are held to aid professional development and address needs.
- The locality hold annual support staff conferences focusing on strategies that can be used in class to support children’s learning.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
- We strive to ensure that all children will be fully included with all activities outside of the classroom. We encourage outdoor learning and have vast school grounds, including some woodland and a pond. For children who are entitled to Pupil Premium school trips can be funded by the school using the Pupil Premium funding.
- For children that would benefit, we give them additional preparation for a trip (visual timetable etc), as well as resources and extra adult support if necessary.
- Resourcing and accessibility round school (ramps, handrails) has been put in place to ensure children who have mobility issues can access all areas (see Accessibility Policy).
- Risk assessments are undertaken (pre-visit by adults or the child).
- Discussions with parents and carers address any needs.
How accessible is the school environment? (see Accessibility Policy)
- The school building is accessible for children with mobility difficulties. There are ramps installed to access the classrooms at a higher level and a slope down to the main entrance. We have hand rails installed by all steps down into the playground and an internal lift to ensure accessibility to all areas of the school.
- A training toilet seat and step stool is provided in some children’s toilets which can be used for children who have stability difficulties when on the toilet. A disabled toilet/changing room is available for use.
- Low arousal spaces are provided around the school to help children, who may find the sensory demands of school dysregulating.
- For children that have English as an Additional Language we can access support from the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) who will provide advice and support to ensure their needs are catered for.
- Regular auditing of provision is undertaken and individual needs are assessed to see what is required to support all children.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join and transfer to a new school/college or the next stage of education and life?
- We have a very structured transition programme in place and liaise closely with the Secondary Schools.
- For some children additional visits prior to the transition can be organised to their new school/college if we feel it is appropriate.
- We have visits from secondary school transition mentors/tutors, which start in January prior to the September transition. These visits happen throughout the summer term, providing children with opportunities to ask questions and begin to understand how their new school operates.
- For children who have additional/special educational needs, the SENDCO of Holy Trinity meets with the SENDCO of the Secondary School prior to the transition to inform them of the provision the children may require. All files relating to children with additional special educational needs will be handed on to the next school, so they are fully aware of any external agency advice.
- Transition booklets are used for some children, which can be taken home over the summer holiday for reference by the child and their parents.
- Use of published transition programs are used for children who may be anxious about the move to Secondary School. These provide an opportunity to explore situations which may arise once they have moved and how these situations can be dealt with.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s/young people’s special educational needs?
- The Special Educational Needs budget is approved by the Headteacher and Governors in April. We are constantly looking to update resources and research into new resources and intervention programmes that are available.
- Staffing is allocated to year groups according to the children's needs in the year group.
- We have a purpose built SEND suite which is a central resource room within the school particularly for SEND resources, as well as a teaching area for tailored intervention programmes. Resources are available for all support staff to use with their intervention groups and then return for other users.
- Resources are allocated according to needs, particularly if children require specialist equipment, additional adult support or intervention programs.
- Liaison with parents and advisory teachers/healthcare professionals occurs to gain a deeper understanding of the child’s needs to decide what resources are most appropriate.
Raising your concerns
• If a parent has a concern about the provision or the policy they should, in the first instance, raise it with the SENDCO who will try to resolve the situation.
• If the issue cannot be resolved, the parent can raise their concern with Headteacher.
• Any issues that remain unresolved at this stage will be managed according to the school’s Complaints Policy. This is available on request from the school office and is on this school website.