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).
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 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.
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’.
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.
Within our school, responsibility for SEND is shared across a number of roles:
Responsible for:- ·
The SEND Coordinator
Responsible for:-
The Head Teacher
Responsible for:- ·
The SEND Governor
Responsible for:-
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:
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.
Class Teacher input:
Outside Agency Support:
At Trinity school, outside agency support can include:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
As a School we recognise:
Our school understands the need for good transition practice and this is especially important for a child with SEND.
The school will ensure that:
In Year 6:
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:
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 – Useful Links: