Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice makes it clear that all teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress of all learners in their class, including where they access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. At St. Andrew’s Primary, all teachers make regular assessments of progress for all children. This seeks to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances. This can be characterised by progress which:
- is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
- fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
- fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
- widens the attainment gap
It can also include progress in areas other than academic attainment – for instance where a pupil needs to make additional progress with wider development or social needs in order to make a successful transition into adult life. The first response to such progress is always high-quality teaching targeted at their areas of weakness.
Early Identification of Need
In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:
- Follow the graduated approach as outlined in the SEN Code of Practice
- Work in partnership with parents/carers and pupils
- Consult with relevant external agencies to gain specialist advice and support
- Use assessment tools & materials in school to assess and monitor needs
- Use observations
- Use Short Notes to ensure needs are identified at the earliest opportunity
SEN Support
Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.
This means that we will:
- Assess a child’s special educational needs – we identify the difficulties they are experiencing and the barriers to learning they may possess. This may be done at school level or require further assessment from external professionals.
- Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes – our SENDCo will collate information from the assessment stage to provide bespoke support for each child, relevant to their learning needs. Parents and children play a vital role in this stage of the process.
- Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes – a host of qualified staff will run interventions (group or individual) to ensure the children are in receipt of effective provision. These interventions are closely monitored by the SENDCo.
- Review the support and progress – the SENDCo identifies the effectiveness of each intervention – on an individual and group level to ensure effective value for money and quality of provision. Where insufficient progress has been made, immediate steps are taken to address this. We hold regular reviews of the children’s academic progress and attainment, as well as reviewing outcomes from SEN support plans. We also carefully monitor how children achieve socially and emotionally to ensure that the holistic needs of a child are met. Again, parents and children are an integral part of this process.
As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes & provision to meet those needs. Parents/carers and child/YP (where appropriate) views are integral to the this process.
Teachers, the SENDCo and support staff work with the children to identify the specific support that is needed to meet the agreed outcomes. The provision is then planned and interventions are allocated on a bespoke basis, individual to specific needs. The children take an active role in setting their own targets (where appropriate), discussing them with the class teacher and the SENDCo. The children are included in each step of the process, an integral part of their own learning and development.
A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.
An EHCP plan is for children who require more support than is currently available within school through special educational needs support. EHCPs identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs. Children at this level have their plans initiated and ceased by the Local Authority, but reviewed and monitored by the school and parents at least annually (mid-term reviews are undertaken at the end of each academic term). At present, we have four children at St. Andrew’s Primary School who have an Education, Health and Care Plan. These children have a very bespoke curriculum, individualised to themselves to meet their complex needs.
For more detailed information see the Local Offer
Details of Identification and Assessment of Pupils with SEN
It is often the case that children will join us at St. Andrew’s Primary School with their parents having a clear and comprehensive understanding of their child’s special educational needs. At St. Andrew’s Primary School, we value parents and their contribution as partners in their child’s educational carer and strive to build positive and long-lasting relationships. However, it may sometimes be the case that school staff notice an initial concern with regards to the individual child’s learning and development. In these circumstances, we consult with parents at the very earliest of opportunities to discuss our concerns and to agree on what is the best course of action to take. Initially, this may simply be to monitor and observe the child very closely, providing minor adjustments and using Quality First Teaching as the primary response. For some concerns, it may be relevant to discuss the involvement of external specialist support, such as Educational Psychology or Occupational Therapy. It is imperative to understand that the involvement of professionals does not always seek to ‘label’ or ‘diagnose’ children, but to seek specialist advice and support to enable them to reach their full potential. SENDIASS offer support to parents throughout the entire process and here at St. Andrew’s Primary School, we welcome their involvement and advocacy for parents.
At St. Andrew’s Primary School, each class teacher is responsible for all children in their class, including those with SEND. They work alongside the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) to plan for the needs of children with SEND and also work closely with their parents. Close monitoring and early observation is then used to tailor the curriculum to meet the special educational needs of each child using methods of delivery that are appropriate to their need. If there is ever evidence that this is not occurring, the SENDCo will initiate training to challenge staff and enable them to provide a curriculum that ensures equality and diversity for all.
At St. Andrew’s Primary School, we have 6 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers and 10 teaching assistants who work with all children, including those with SEND. They have a wealth of experience and have supported children with a wide range of needs. Additionally, our school has a Learning Mentor who specialises in removing barriers to learning with regards to Social, Emotional and Mental Health aspects of development. The SENDCo is currently undertaking the required National Award for SEND Co-ordination via Bath Spa University. The SENDCo regularly reviews the qualification needs of all staff to ensure they match the needs of the children we have in school and additional training is arranged if required. This ensures that teaching styles and methods are appropriate and up to date, enabling SEND children maximum access to the curriculum. In addition to this, all school staff receive specialist support and training where there is a need e.g. strategies to support a child who has Down’s Syndrome. As a school, we continually support each other and share expertise to ensure our teaching styles can be adapted appropriately so all children reach their full potential.
Children with SEND are supported in a number of ways; through one to one support, group activities or whole class work. The teacher of each class will ensure that everyday activities within the curriculum can be adapted to ensure all children are fully involved at the correct level. Some children will benefit from intervention groups, whereby they are removed from the class for a minimal period of time in order to address needs that are bespoke to them. Here at St. Andrew’s, we recognise that every child with SEND is unique and therefore the provision that we offer is based on each child’s bespoke needs. Our school strives to deliver high quality provision to each and every child and each member of staff is dedicated to the inclusion of all children. For further information on inclusion, please see our Curriculum Policy in our school policies section of our website.
At St. Andrew’s Primary School, children with SEND’s progress and attainment is measured in a very bespoke way. As these children are very unique learners, the school provides an individualised and aspirational trajectory of expected progress in order to very closely monitor these children. This progress is based on each individual’s starting point and also measured against National Curriculum measures. Progress and attainment is also closely monitored via close scrutiny of SEN support plans and achievement of personal outcomes. Pupil Progress Meetings are held termly between the SENDCo and class teachers in order to ensure rapid and sustained progress. Where this has not been the outcome, immediate action is taken.
For further information please view or download our Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.
