Trinity
CofEVA Primary &
Nursery SchoolSEND
Special Educational Needs and / or Disability (SEND)
Our School's SEND Coordinator (SENDCo) is Mrs Alex Dolphin. She can be contacted through the school telephone number (01392 790151) or by email: alex.dolphin@trinityprimaryexeter.co.uk. Mrs Dolphin has worked as a teacher for over 20 years and has been a SENDCo for 8 years. She has completed her National Award for SEN Coordination and has a Post Graduate Certificate in Special Educational Needs. She has recently received her National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders (NPQSL).
Introduction
Trinity Church of England Primary School, together with Devon County Council, is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have a good start in life. Some children and young people have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) and these needs mean a child may require additional support at certain times during their life.
Our school aims to be as supportive and as inclusive as possible, with the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met within the school setting wherever possible. We have a committed and dedicated team to ensure good quality teaching within our school for all our pupils.
Our School’s Vision
Our vision is that Trinity CofE VA Primary and Nursery School will be a secure, happy and welcoming environment, in which emotional needs will be considered and everyone can achieve their potential as life-long learners.
As a Church of England school that serves our community, we aim to embrace Christian values which enable us to be socially responsible members of our rich and diverse community within a changing world.
Definition of Special Educational Needs and Disability
The Code of Practice (2014) states that a child or young person has a special educational need or disability 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 educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools
For more information the Code of Practice for SEN can be accessed via the government website.
The Local Authority Local Offer
The Children and Families Bill will become enacted in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish, and keep under review, information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.
- The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
- The Devon Local offer can be accessed at: https://new.devon.gov.uk/send/
Our School Offer - SEN Information Report
At Trinity Church of England VA Primary and Nursery School, we understand that every child is different, and therefore, the educational needs will need to be specific to each individual child. This is very much the case for pupils with Special Educational Needs.
No pupil will be refused admission to our school on the basis of his or her special educational need. In line with the Equality Act 2010 we will not discriminate against disabled children in respect of admissions for a reason related to their disability. We will use our best endeavours to provide effective educational provision.
Responsibility within the School for SEND
Within our school, responsibility for SEND is shared across a number of roles:
The Class Teacher
Responsible for:- ·
- The very best teaching which enables all children to progress and achieve to their full potential.
- Checking on the progress of a child, planning and delivering any additional help a child may need (this could be direct work related or additional staff support), updating the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) on concerns/progress.
- Writing Individual 'My Plans' and setting progression targets. Reviewing these termly, updating and feeding back to parents
- Following guidance from outside agencies on ways of teaching children with specialist needs
- Ensuring that the school’s SEN policy is followed in the classroom.
The SEND Coordinator
Responsible for:-
- Developing and reviewing the School’s SEN policy in conjunction with the SEN Governor Co-ordinating and submitting the SEN Audit
- Ensuring that parents are involved with their child’s learning, through review meeting, TAF meetings etc
- Liaising with outside agencies coming into the school to support pupils with a specific need, e.g. speech and language therapy, educational psychology.
- Updating the school’s SEN register
- Providing support for Class teachers so they can provide the best help for children with SEND.
The Head Teacher
Responsible for:- ·
- The day-to-day management of the school; this includes supporting children with SEND.
- The Head Teacher will give responsibility to the SENDCo, however will still be responsible for that child’s SEND progression.
- Updating the Governing Body on issues relating to SEND children.
The SEND Governor
Responsible for:-
- Reviewing the SEN Policy with the SENDCo.
- Making sure that necessary support is given to any child with SEND who attends our school.
How does the school identify a child having problems with learning and what happens once a need has been identified?
Every child at our school is monitored to make sure they are making progress in their education.
If there are gaps within their progress plan, then measures are put in place to help that child to narrow the gaps. For example if a child is not making good progress in reading they will be given additional reading interventions (small working groups) or one to one reading sessions to help the child gain more confidence and understanding of reading. Where appropriate this will include a rigorous programme based on synthetic phonics to enable them to catch up.
If your child is identified as not making progress, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with parents in more detail and to:
- Listen to any concerns parents may have.
- Plan any additional support the child may need.
- Discuss any referrals to outside professionals to support the child.
- Set up an Individual Education Plan (My Plan)
- Talk about homework and adjust homework levels accordingly.
- Use a home school diary to communicate between the school and home.
What should I do if I have concerns about my child?
Talk to us! The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns. You can also contact the school SENDCo, Mrs Dolphin. We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents. We are open and honest with parents and hope that they are able to be the same with us.
Support for Children with SEND
Class Teacher input:
- Our teachers have the highest possible expectations for children with SEND needs and all other children within their class.
- Teaching is based on what the SEND child already knows, can do and understand.
- Different ways of teaching are practised, so that the child is fully involved in learning within a classroom environment. This may include a more practical approach to learning.
- Specific strategies and resources are used to support the child’s learning. These could be things that have been suggested by outside agencies or by our SENDCo.
- The child’s progress will be carefully monitored and any gaps in their learning will be identified and bridged accordingly.
- Specific Intervention Work (Group Work) run within a classroom environment with Teaching Assistants (TAs) or Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA’s)
Outside Agency Support:
At Trinity school, outside agency support can include:
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Educational Psychology Service
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Support
- Occupational Therapists
The outside agencies are called on when the school has identified a need for specialist support. They are identified by the SENDCo in conjunction with the class teacher and parents.
What may happen when an outside agency is involved?
Parents are notified and asked to give permission to the school so they can refer their child to the relevant outside agency. This helps the school to understand the child’s particular need in more detail and the best way in which to support him/her effectively within the school.
There may be a form in which parents are asked to fill in regarding their child.
The specialist agency worker will come into school and work with the child to understand their needs and make recommendations on ways to support the child further in their education. They may also meet with the parents/carers.
Specified Individual Support
This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) through a statutory assessment. This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups. Your child may also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school, which may include any agency that is listed above.
How does a child get referred for statutory assessment?
A statutory assessment must set out clearly the reason for it and provide information about the provision the child has already received. Once it has been decided, routes for referral can come via a few different ways:
- A request for an assessment by the child’s school or setting
- A request for an assessment from a parent or person with parental responsibility (statutory assessment request – online form)
- A referral by another agency
Parents will be involved throughout the assessment process and will be provided with regular updates.
If you are a parent of a child at Trinity School and you think your child needs to be referred please make an appointment to see the class teacher or the school’s SENDCo before submitting an application. The school will be required to submit supporting evidence to back up the assessment you do.
How is a child with SEND funded for support?
The school receives from Devon County Council in its budget a sum of money to support children with SEND.
The Head Teacher and School Governors decide how to deploy this resource to meet the SEND childrens’ needs.
The Head Teacher and SENDCo co-ordinate and discuss all the information they have on SEND within the school. This includes what support is already in place, which children need additional support and which children are not making as much progress as expected. From this the school pulls together a plan of action so that resources are shared as effectively as possible for each child with SEND needs.
We plan to draw up an action plan, which the school and Governors will monitor the impact of to make sure the resources are being used in the correct places.
Who provides support for children with SEND needs?
The School:
- Teachers through careful planning, 'My Plans' and small group work for children not meeting their target levels.
- HLTAs and TAs working in small groups and one to one sessions.
- Specialist teachers and TAs offer support for children with emotional and social needs through one to one or group nurture sessions.
- Specialist training for children with health issues such as diabetes training/epi-pen training
- Liaise regularly with parents/carers to ensure the provision is right.
The school arranges in conjunction with the SENDCo specialist training and support for teaching and support staff to improve learning for children, including those with SEND. This can be whole school training within school such as EPI-Pen or diabetes training to individual training by outside agencies.
The Local Authority (via):
- Educational Psychology Service
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Support
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Speech and Language
Health provision delivered in school:
- Diabetes trained nurse
- School Nurse
- Occupational Therapy
- Physiotherapy
How does the school measure a SEND child’s progress?
- A child will be continually monitored by the class teacher
Their progress in maths, reading and writing will be reviewed by the Head Teacher and SENCo every term. - The progress is monitored on a specific assessment programme which shows their attainment in more detail.
- At Year 6 all children are required to be assessed using the Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). This is a government requirement and results are published nationally.
Where a child has a 'My Plan' the targets are set out termly and updated the following term so parents can see whether they have met the targets set. - Where children have an Educational Health Care Plan, then annual reviews take place with all adults involved with the child’s education.
- The SENCo will also monitor progress and discuss this with the child’s class teacher.
Accessibility to the school
As a School we recognise:
- Our duty under the Disability Discrimination Act (‘95) as amended by the SENDA (2001)
“from September 2002, it will be unlawful for schools and LEAs to discriminate against disabled pupils in their admissions and exclusions, education and associated services”
- Schools and LEAs must:
- not treat disabled pupils less favourably; and
- take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage (the ‘reasonable adjustment’ duty)
- That Local Education Authority and school governors have the duty to publish Accessibility Strategies and Plan
Transition from another school
Our school understands the need for good transition practice and this is especially important for a child with SEND.
The school will ensure that:
- Our SENDCo has had contact with the SENDCo from the previous school, to gain a good understanding of the SEND child’s requirements/needs.
- We will provide taster sessions so she/he can visit the school and stay for a few hours to get use to the new school environment.
- We will obtain the child’s records from the previous school to help understand needs.
In Year 6:
- Our SENDCo will discuss the specific needs of the SEND child with the SENDCo from the secondary school. In most cases a meeting will take place between both SENDCos to discuss the SEND children.
- Additional transition will be arranged, with our TA’s helping in the process to keep familiarity in the transition period.
- Some children can be helped by booklets such as “Moving up” or having a individual transition book made for them.
Emotional and Social Needs of a Child
Our school understands that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need developing and supporting. Some children struggle with behaviour difficulties, are anxious or can’t communicate.
The school provides structured PSHCE lessons within the class environment - we use a scheme called Jigsaw. However sometimes some children present with more complex difficulties so therefore we provide:
- Small group work or nurture sessions to help these children with behaviour.
- Additional play equipment for lunchtime and break time supported by planned activities by our Meal Time Assistants to promote positive play and communication.
- Afterschool clubs to encourage these children to take part in a different activity and play as part of a team with other children.
- There will also be scheduled meetings with parents/carers to closely monitor the behaviour.
- The child may have a Relational Support Plan outlining the support and strategies put in place for them.
If a child is still requiring additional support, our SENDCo will contact the parents/carers, to seek permission to get further support from outside agencies to arrange a Team Around the Family meeting (TAF), which will help to understand the child’s emotional needs further and set out a plan to work with that child accordingly.
Who can I contact for further information?
If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or are unhappy about something regarding your child’s schooling please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with your child’s class teacher and/or the SENDCo.
Do not hesitate to contact the school with any further questions.
How can I get more information about SEN in Exeter and Devon?
Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) https://www.devonias.org.uk/ provide general advice and support on many aspects of education of children with SEN and disabilities and can be of particular help at times of transition from primary to secondary school.
The Devon Local offer which details the support provided by Devon Local Authority for children with SEN and disabilities can be found at https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send-local-offer
Teachers and the SENDCo can direct parents to other organisations and services that can provide additional support for SEN.
SEND POLICY 2023-24
SEND – Useful Links: