Special Educational Needs

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School is a mainstream primary school and welcomes children and young people with SEN in one or more of the following areas:

• Communication and interaction e.g. speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Asperger’s Syndrome
• Cognition and learning e.g. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) global developmental delay, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD)
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH) e.g. attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), depression, eating disorders, attachment disorder
• Sensory and/or physical needs e.g. vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) or Cerebral Palsy (CP) epilepsy {Note – the building is accessible to pupils with mobility difficulties. See section 6}
• Medical needs Where pupils have medical needs and special educational needs, we will plan and deliver education provision in a co-ordinated way with their healthcare plan if they have one. We will also follow the statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.

All of our teachers teach children with SEN. All of our staff recognise the importance of identifying SEN early and making effective provision quickly. The identification and assessment of SEN is built into the schools approach to monitoring the progress of all pupils. We assess each pupil’s skills and levels of attainment when they first come to the school. This builds on the information from the child’s previous early years or school where appropriate, and provides us with information we need to monitor their progress. It also ensures that we discover any areas of difficulty early on. Where children already have their SEN diagnosed or identified we will work closely with the family and our partners to make sure we know as much as possible about the child before they start at the school. Teachers are supported by the Senior Leadership Team to regularly assess pupils’ progress.

This helps to identify any pupils whose progress:

• is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• fails to match or better their previous rate of progress
• fails to close the attainment gap between them and their peers

Where assessments show that a child is not making adequate progress, our first response is to make sure there is high quality teaching in place. Making high quality teaching normally available to the whole class is likely to mean that fewer pupils will require additional support. If their progress continues to be slower than expected the teacher will work with the family and the Inclusion Leader to carry out a clear analysis of the child’s needs and identify if they need additional support.

There can be many reasons why a child doesn’t make the progress expected of them – perhaps there has been a significant change in family circumstances such as a new baby, a move of home, or bereavement. Or perhaps because they have a special educational need. The school uses a range of different assessment tools and systems to help identify and assess pupils with SEN. The tools and assessments gradually draw upon more frequent reviews and more specialist expertise to understanding SEN and match interventions to the SEN of pupils. They are summarised in the diagram below:

When considering if a child needs SEN support the school takes into account:

• the pupil’s previous progress and attainment
• the teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• the pupil’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• the views and experience of parents
• the pupil’s own views
• advice from external support services, where appropriate

Most of our pupils with SEN have their needs met as part of high quality teaching. This may include teachers adapting what they do and having different approaches to meet different learning styles, personalised learning arrangements for different pupils and a range of interventions normally provided by the school.

If a pupil is identified (through the assessment process above) as having special educational needs their teacher and Inclusion Leader will consider everything we know about the pupil to determine the support that they need and whether it can be provided by adapting the school’s core offer or whether something different or additional is required.

Where provision for SEN is needed, we work with pupils and their families to plan what to do. This usually includes writing a plan of action using one of the SEN planning tools we have available to use. The tools we use are summarised below.

Provision Mapping: A document that is used to capture targeted and specialist interventions that will be ‘additional to’ and ‘different from’ the usual differentiated curriculum.

Individual Plan (e.g. Pupil Passport): Our new format for Individual Plans contains a one page profile and an action plan listing the goals and provision to meet the needs.

SEND Support Plan: A document containing a one page profile and a detailed action plan listing the goals and provision to meet the needs. This is the same action plan that can be used as part of the eCAF and the EHCP.

Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP): Where the school has done everything it can to identify, assess and meet the SEN of the child and they are still not making the expected progress, the school or parents may consider requesting an Education, Health and Care assessment.

The process for requesting an EHCP in Islington can be found on the Council’s Local Offer website.

www.islington.gov.uk/localoffer

Education Health and Care Plans are issued by the Local Authority where necessary and are used by the school to plan SEN provision for children with severe and complex needs. The EHP includes:

• a detailed profile of the child, their strengths and aspirations for the future
• any education, health and care needs they have
• the goals or outcomes for the pupil agreed by the family and professionals for the next phase of their education
• any education, health and social care provision in place to meet their needs

The EHCP includes a detailed annual support plan/action plan. This plan sets out the goals for the pupil for the next year, and the activities that everyone supporting the child will put in place to support them.

The quality of teaching is the most important factor in ensuring all pupils make progress. We regularly review the quality of teaching in the school and ensure that teachers are able to identify how individual children learn best and what support they need.

We test the effectiveness of our SEN provision by checking pupil progress and to see if the agreed goals and outcomes for a pupil are being met. Where professionals from health or social services are involved with the child we will ask for their help to inform and review progress, to make sure that all those supporting the family are working together effectively.

The teachers work with the Inclusion Leader, the parents and the child to make sure any SEN support is adapted or replaced by another approach if it is not being effective.

The Inclusion Leader and the head teacher report regularly to Governors on the quality of SEN provision and the progress towards outcomes being made by pupils with SEN. Governors also consider the attainment data for pupils with SEN and compare it with the progress of other pupils and the progress of pupils in similar schools. This helps to ensure that the approaches used to meeting SEN are based on the best possible evidence and are having the required impact on progress.

Every pupil in the school has their progress reviewed regularly and this information will be shared with both parents and pupils. We provide an annual report to parents on their child’s progress, at the end of the school year.

Where a pupil is receiving SEN support, we provide feedback to parents regularly. We also have a review meeting at three times each year. Some pupils with SEN may have more frequent reviews if they are required.

Reviews may be led by the child’s teacher with a good knowledge and understanding of the pupil’s needs and attainment, supported where necessary by the Inclusion Leader.

Reviews involve the pupil, the family and other professionals where this is appropriate. They are used to:

• discuss what is working well and not working well
• find out if the SEN provision has been delivered as planned
• review the pupil’s progress towards their goals and longer term outcomes
• discuss and agree clear outcomes for the future
• discuss and agree the support needed
• share advice and information on the things that parents can do at home to reinforce or contribute to their child’s progress
• Identify the actions needed to meet the agreed outcomes, the responsibilities of the parent, the pupil, the school, the local authority and other partners

A record of the outcomes, action and support agreed through the discussion is then shared with all the appropriate school staff and the pupil’s parents.

When the school has an Ofsted inspection the Inspectors take a particular interest in the progress of pupils with SEN. The school’s most recent OFSTED inspection can be found on the school website.

All pupils, including those with SEN, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers plan lessons carefully and think about the wide range of different needs in their class and use the information from assessments and progress reviews to set targets which are deliberately ambitious to encourage pupils to aim high. Teachers plan their lessons with the SEN of pupils in mind, which means that most pupils with SEN and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum along with their peers.

Teaching staff always aim to match the work given to pupils with their ability to do it. School staff such as Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants and other specialist staff, may be directed to work with pupils, in pairs or small groups or individually.

The type of SEN support provided is based on reliable evidence of what works. We are careful to avoid the over reliance of individual support for pupils as evidence shows that in many cases this prevents them becoming independent learners.

The Inclusion Leader, supported by leaders throughout the school ensures that staff have sufficient skills and knowledge to deliver the interventions that pupils need.

We are committed to meeting the needs of all pupils including those with SEN. We have a duty not to directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people. We make all reasonable adaptations to the curriculum and the learning environment to make sure that pupils with SEN are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. We work closely with families and partners to work out what disabled children and young people might need before they start with us, and what adjustments we might need to be make. We discuss with families what we could do to adapt the curriculum and/or the building as necessary, and in order to getting additional resources and support.

Teachers are supported by the Inclusion Leader to assess, plan and differentiate the curriculum or make adaptations to meet the needs of pupils with SEN. This may also involve working with outside partners. For example we might need to:

• Provide visual resources to support learning
• rearrange the layout of the classroom
• create a quiet area in the school
• buy specialist ICT software

In considering what adaptations we need to make the Inclusion Leader works with the head teacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements. A link to the Equality Act 2010 can be found below

• http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

The school organises the additional support for learning into 3 different levels (also called waves).

Wave 1 (Universal): describes quality inclusive teaching which takes into account the learning needs of all the children in the classroom. This includes providing differentiated work and creating an inclusive learning environment.

Wave 2 (Targeted): describes specific, additional and time-limited interventions provided for some children who need help to accelerate their progress to enable them to work at or above age-related expectations. Wave 2 interventions are often targeted at a group of pupils with similar needs.

Wave 3 (Specialist): describes targeted provision for a minority of children where it is necessary to provide highly tailored intervention to accelerate progress or enable children to achieve their potential. This may include specialist interventions.

The provision available at each level (or wave) is summarised in our provision map. We provide additional support for pupils with SEND to be able to access exams, when needed. We are able to support the administration of medication if it is recommended by health professionals

The values and curriculum within the school aim to encourage the emotional and social development for all pupils, including those with SEN.

We work hard to create a culture within the school that values all pupils, allows them to feel a sense of belonging and makes it possible to talk about problems in a non-stigmatising way. We have clear policies on positive behaviour and anti-bullying that set out the responsibilities of everyone in the school. We have clear systems and processes so that staff can identify and respond to mental health difficulties.

For children with more complex problems, additional in-school interventions may include:

• advice and support to the pupil’s teacher – to help them manage the pupil’s behaviour within the classroom, taking into account the needs of the whole class
• small group sessions – to promote positive behaviour, social development and self-esteem
• individual action plans – to support pupils during transition periods, break times
• additional support for the pupil – to help them cope better within the classroom
• therapeutic work with the pupil, delivered by specialists (within or beyond the school), which might take the form of cognitive behavioural therapy, behaviour modification or counselling approaches
• Family support and/or therapy by health professionals – to help the child and their family better understand and manage behaviour.

For further information please see our behaviour management policy on our school website.

Our Inclusion Leader is a qualified teacher and also the Deputy Head, who is working at the school and has responsibility for SEN. The Inclusion Leader works closely with the head teacher and governing body as well as all teachers. If you have concerns about your child you should speak to your child’s teacher before you speak to the Inclusion Leader.

The Inclusion Leader is responsible for:

• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy
• coordinating provision for children with special educational needs
• liaising with and advising fellow teachers
• overcoming barriers to learning and sustaining effective teaching
• managing teaching assistants
• overseeing the records of all children with SEN and Disability
• liaising with parents of children with SEN
• planning successful movement (transition) to a new class group or school
• providing specialist advice and facilitating training to ensure that all staff are skilled and confident about meeting a range of needs
• liaising with external agencies including the Local Authority support and educational psychology services, health and social services, and voluntary bodies

Mrs Laura Mayende – Inclusion Leader
Email: school@stmarys.islington.sch.uk
Phone: 020 7359 1870

You can request a meeting with the Inclusion Leader in person, by email or phone. The Inclusion Leader is available at parent’s evenings and in the school playground most mornings and at the end of the school day.

The school supports its staff to access a wide range of information on appropriate interventions for pupils with different types of need, and to access associated training to ensure they have the necessary knowledge and expertise.

The responsibility for ensuring staff have the appropriate training and expertise to meet the needs of pupils with SEN training is shared between the Head teacher, Inclusion Leader and the Governing body. We closely monitor the training and development needs of our staff through annual appraisal.

Our staff access training and materials provided through outreach services offered to mainstream schools by each of Islington’s special schools. SEN training and expertise will be sought when the needs of individual children require it, for example when there is a need to prepare for a child coming to the school. This can include:

• Reading about the conditions
• Visits to other schools to see good practice
• Home visits
• Training by the Complex Care Nursing Team

St Mary’s is a one level site with one playground, separated into a large and small area that are both at the same level and step free. Our school building is a one storey block. All classrooms are arranged on the ground floor. There a disabled toilet for adult use. The school offices, staffroom, ICT/Music room, hall, small teaching rooms and first aid room are all on the ground floor. The school has lift access, ramps and step free access.

The school will consider purchasing equipment if there is an agreed identified need. We will consider this at the pupil’s termly or annual review. In the past we have worked with partners to purchase specialist equipment tailored for an individual including:

• Personal laptops/ipads
• Move and sit cushion
• Specialist hand writing equipment
• Sensory equipment

All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education through:

• discussions with the class teacher
• setting, supporting and reviewing targets
• attending parents evenings
• commenting and contributing to assessment, planning and reviews during discussions with our Inclusion Leader or other professionals.

If your child has a SEN statement or an Education, Health and Care plan we will discuss their progress with you every term and have a formal review with you and your child at least annually. Further information about reviews can be found in question 3b above.

Specific support to help you support your child at home will include;

• Meetings with teachers and SEN staff to discuss progress and support including ideas for home.
• Parents as Educators programmes e.g. maths workshops, Early years workshops on maths, Early writing, Phonics and reading.

If we think your child needs significant amounts of extra support we will always discuss this with you and, where appropriate, a meetings with the parents and the people supporting your child can be arranged.

We have parents and Parent Governors who are happy to talk with prospective parents to share their experience and answer any questions you may have; if you would like to talk with one of them please contact the Inclusion Leader.

Engaging all pupils as active participants in their own education and in making a positive contribution to their school and local community is a priority for the school.

Where pupils have SEN, we will take extra care to involve them and make sure their voice is heard. Children are consulted about their learning and how they feel about a range of topics termly which are shared with parents. All children are consulted about their learning and how they feel about a range of topics termly which are discussed with parent. Their involvement will be tailored to each child and take into account their preferred methods of communication. This may include:

• providing them with relevant information in accessible formats
• using clear ordinary language and images rather than professional jargon
• giving them time to prepare for discussions and meetings
• dedicating time in discussions and meetings to hear their views
• involving the pupil in all or part of the discussion itself, or gathering their views as part of the preparation
• supporting their access to an adult who can help them express their views where necessary (this could be a family member or a professional)
• Ensuring staff are skilled in working with children, parents and young people to help them make informed decisions and have access to training so they can do this effectively.

We ensure that pupils with SEN are included and represented in the groups and activities that we have set up to listen to the views of pupils and involve them in decision-making. This includes our school council and annual pupil survey.

The views of the individual child sit at the heart of the SEN assessment and planning process at St Mary’s. We will make sure that assessments include the wishes and feelings of the child, their aspirations, the outcomes they wish to seek and the support they need to achieve them. Whenever possible we include pupils with SEN in planning how best to support them, and in reviewing their progress. This may include the use of questionnaires, story boards or symbols.

All pupils with SEN will have specific goals and outcomes and they will be part of the discussion to agree and review these. Where a personal budget is being used for those with an EHCP, the school will support the child’s involvement in decisions about their support.

We are committed to providing excellent services to all our children and their parents and we believe the best way to do this is to listen to your views. We encourage parents to contact us about their concerns and not to wait for the next formal opportunity to meet. So if you have something to tell us, whether good or bad, please contact the class teacher or Inclusion Leader.

If you have a complaint about SEN provision, please tell us promptly by contacting the following people in this order;

• the class teacher
• the Inclusion Leader (details below)
• The head teacher – using the main school number
• The SEN Governor (a letter can be submitted through school office) who will then refer to the complaints procedure to address the issue.

The SEN governor will then refer to the complaints procedure to try and address the issue.

We realise that parents can sometimes find schools a bit scary and may need someone to help them approach us if things aren’t going well. If you need support to raise a concern or make a complaint you may want to contact
The Special Educational Needs Community Support Service (SENDIAS)
Tel no 0203 316 1930
Website www.family-action.org.uk
Email islingtonsend@family-action.org.uk

As a matter of last resort parents can also make a formal complaint to Ofsted: guidance for parents can be found here http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/schools/for-parents-and-carers/how-complain, or by phone on 0300 123 4666.

Where a pupil continues to make less than expected progress, despite evidence-based support and interventions that are matched to the pupil’s area of need, we may seek advice and support from specialists from outside agencies such as:

• Educational psychologists
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• specialist teachers
• therapists (including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists)
• Social workers

We involve parents in any decision to involve specialists.

The Inclusion Leader is the person who coordinates the contact and works with these outside agencies. We mainly use other agencies outside of the school to:

• help us train staff e.g. epilepsy and diabetes
• get more specialised advice e.g. advice on hearing impairment
• carry out assessments e.g. a social care assessment
• ask for a service to be delivered e.g. physiotherapy
• setting programmes for implementation at home and in school
• review progress and plan provision e.g. at annual reviews

The main agencies used by the school are shown below.

External Organisations

Information about local support in Islington is called The Local Offer and is located here: www.islington.gov.uk/localoffer

The Family Information Service – 020 7527 5959
Gives free impartial information, advice and guidance about services for children, young people and families.
email fis@islington.gov.uk
Website: www.islington.gov.uk/fis

The Special Educational Needs Community Support Service (SENDIAS)
is based at Family Action, Northern Health Centre, 580 Holloway Rd, Islington, London N7 6LB:
Offers a range of services to assist the parents/carers of children with SEND. These include:
• Advice, information and support on Education, health and social care issues
• Support to express your views and wishes
• Support at meetings with schools and the Local Authority
• Help to complete SEN and Disability related paper work
• Supporting young people up to 25 in their own right
• Signposting to other services
Tel no 0203 316 1930
Website www.family-action.org.uk
Email islingtonsend@family-action.org.uk

All children with SEND and their families may be particularly anxious about changing classes or ‘moving on’ from school to school. We work with families and our partner organisations to make sure changes are planned and well managed.

Transition guide table

All Local authorities must publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled.

The Local Offer has two key purposes:

• to provide clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the available provision and how to access it
• to make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its development and review

The school cooperates with the Local Authorities in the local area to:

• make families aware of the kind of support available to them and where to find the Local Offer
• help people access the Local Offer information, especially where there are barriers to them accessing it. This can include helping them to access the internet, printing off pages, explaining , interpreting and
• consult children and young people and their families directly in preparing and reviewing the Local Offer
• keeping the Local Offer information up to date and identifying gaps in provision.

To find out more about the range of services on offer locally go to: Islington Local Offer: www.islington.gov.uk/localoffer