SEN Information Report

At The Meads Primary school, we believe in achievement, ambition and progress for all children. We aim to meet the needs of individual children through highly effective teaching and learning. There is an emphasis on early identification of needs through supportive and preventative strategies which reduce barriers to learning.

We work in a flexible way to develop effective partnerships with children and their parents/carers, the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Senco), specialist teaching staff both within the school and external professionals such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and child and adolescent health services (CAMHS) to ensure that the school can meet and support a broad range of special educational needs.

We undertake a rigorous system of monitoring children’s progress, supporting academic achievement and personal achievement by removing barriers to learning and use a wide range of teaching and learning strategies to foster a culture of lifelong learning and independent living skills for all children.

1. How does the school identify and organise support for children with special educational needs?
The system in place for identifying and organising support for children with special educational needs is as follows:

• Teaching staff inform the Senco of initial concerns regarding a pupil who is not making adequate progress or is presenting with additional needs.
• The class teacher of the pupil will discuss concerns with parents.
• The Senco examines the evidence, may perform simple testing if appropriate, then in consultation with the class teacher will identify whether to maintain usual differentiated provision or to place the child onto School Support and the school SEN register. It is at this point that an Individualised Learning Plan (ILP) will be created.
• The ILP will be written by the class teacher, who may seek advice and guidance from the Senco, and will contain short term targets that:
  • Are measurable and utilise the pupil’s learning profile.
  • Will identify the teaching strategies to be used.
  • Will have a review date set and will have clear success/exit criteria

Where appropriate, ILP targets will be set with the child and parental contribution, but all ILPs will be shared with the parents to review, agree and sign. The targets are also shared with the child so that they too have ownership of their own learning; the child may also sign the ILP.  The ILP is accompanied by a Parent/Carer Contribution Sheet where additional information can be shared and annotated. The ILPs are reviewed at least termly alongside parents.

• If appropriate or necessary, and always with parental consent, the Senco may also seek advice and consultation from external agencies at this point which would mean these pupils are placed onto School Support Plus.

2. Who are the key people in the school available to discuss parental/carers’ concerns about their child’s difficulties? (e.g. Class Teacher, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator etc.)
Parent/carers are always welcomed to discuss any concerns that they have with the class teacher, but are given the formal opportunity to discuss their concerns at termly parental consultation evenings and ILP reviews. The Senco is also be available to talk to parents/carers during the organised parent evenings.Parents/carers are also able to book appointments with class teachers, or the Senco (via the school office) throughout the school year.

3. How will parents/carers be informed about a child’s progress within the setting and how will his/her progress be measured?
The achievement and progress of children is monitored throughout the year through the school’s monitoring and assessment cycle. Formal assessment is carried out termly, in which class teachers formally record assessments and pupil progress meetings take place. The progress made by individual children is shared regularly with Parents/carers through the termly consultations and reports in the Spring and Summer terms; it may also be shared through:

• Home/School communication books
• Structured Conversations
• Letters

The progress of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), is formally reviewed at an Annual Review, with all adults involved in the child’s education in attendance. Children with an EHCP will also have an ILP, which will be reviewed at least termly.

4. What support will parents/carers receive if their child has been identified as having special educational needs?
Parents/carers will receive a variety of help and support if their child has been identified as having special educational needs. Within school, this support may be offered by the class teacher, the Senco, the family workers, the pastoral support worker or a combination of these people.
Parents and carers are also made aware of the different support groups that may be available; the dates of these may be printed in the weekly newsletter or shared via other means. Parents and carers are also able to meet with members of the team, when appropriate and this can be arranged via the school office.

5. What support is offered to ensure the well-being of children with special educational needs and disabilities? 
The children at The Meads Primary School are able to access a variety of groups and activities to support and ensure their wellbeing.
Our pastoral support worker provides 1:1 and group sessions for children for whom this is required. Within the school, the Good To Be Green system is used to help reward good behaviour, both individually and within whole classes. Some children may have their own behaviour charts which focus on a smaller time frame, should this prove necessary.
The school carries out a variety of incentives to improve attendance, including the ‘Attendance Bear’, ‘Spin the Wheel’ ‘100 Club’ and ‘Good Attendance Awards’. 
The school’s Welfare Officer is able to administer and/or support the administration of medication to children who require it. This is normally done in the Medical Room, which also has a wet room for any children who need these facilities. 
The Meads has a School Parliament, in which representatives from each class share views and discuss new ideas and initiatives. These children are chosen by their own classes and are changed yearly, in order to enable a variety of children to take on responsibility. Children with special educational needs and disabilities are always included in the council and given the opportunity to share their views.

6. How will teaching be adapted to support the child with special educational needs?

In order to make progress, a child may only require differentiation of the plans for the whole class.  The differentiation may involve modifying learning objectives, teaching styles and access strategies. Under these circumstances, a child’s needs will be provided for within the whole class planning frameworks and individual target setting.  Differentiation will be recorded in the daily planning by the class teacher. Monitoring of progress will be carried out by the class teacher and used to inform future differentiation within whole class planning. The child’s progress will be reviewed at the same intervals as for the rest of the class and a decision made about whether the child is making satisfactory progress at this level of intervention.

The school uses the definitions of adequate progress as suggested in the revised Code of Practice, that is, progress which:

• Closes the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• Prevents the attainment gap from growing wider
• Is similar to that of peers starting at the same attainment baseline, but less than the majority of peers
• Matches or betters the child’s previous rate of progress
• Ensures full access to the curriculum
• Demonstrates an improvement in self-help or social or personal skills
• Demonstrates an improvement in the child’s behaviour

Where a period of differentiated curriculum support has not resulted in the child making adequate progress OR where the nature or level of a child’s needs are unlikely to be met by such an approach, provision at School Support may need to be made. Reasons for this may include that:

• There has been little or no progress made with existing interventions
• Additional support is required to develop literacy or numeracy skills
• Additional support is required for emotional, behavioural or social development
• Additional support is required for sensory or physical impairments
• Additional support is required for communication or interaction needs

There are likely to be two groups of children recorded at School Support;

• Firstly, children who may have similar needs to other children with additional needs e.g. lack of phonic knowledge or language skills, functional number skills etc
• Secondly, children whom we consider to have more complex or longer-term needs that are likely to result in an application for further professional advice.
• Where needs are similar, it is appropriate to support these children within a group, focusing on the common needs and as such Group Learning Plans (GLPs) may be utilised in the first instance.  However, there should be scope within the School Support plans and provision for each child to have individual targets which will be individually evaluated and may lead to a more individualised plan being implemented if there has been no progress compared with the other members of the group.
• Both groups of children will have provision for common needs in a small group setting as well as some individualised support for their more unique needs. Provision will run concurrently with differentiated curriculum support and continuous provision.
• The responsibility for planning for these children remains with the class teacher, in consultation with the Senco and may also take into account advice and guidance offered by external specialists. 

Monitoring will be carried out on the appropriate proforma when significant achievements and difficulties have been noted. The Senco will look at the monitoring information on a half-termly basis and in discussion with the class teacher make adjustments to the provision for the child, if appropriate. ILPs will be reviewed at least three times a year; some pupils may need more frequent reviews. Parents/carers and wherever possible, their child, will be invited to contribute and will be consulted about any further action.

As part of the review process, the Senco and school colleagues, in consultation with the parents/carers, may conclude that despite receiving an individualised programme and/or concentrated support for a considerable period, the child continues to have significant needs which are not being met by current interventions. This would likely mean that child moving on to School Support Plus.

School Support Plus would be indicated where there is evidence that the level and duration of the child’s additional needs is such that the child:

• Continues to make little or no progress in the areas of concern
• Continues working at National Curriculum levels substantially below that expected of children of the same age
• Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy and numeracy skills
• Has emotional, behavioural or social needs which regularly and significantly interfere with the child’s or others learning
• Has sensory or physical needs which require additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits from a specialist service
• Continues to have communication and interaction needs that interfere with the development of social relationships and act as a barrier to learning
• Continues working at National Curriculum levels substantially below that expected of children of the same age
• Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy and numeracy skills
• Has emotional, behavioural or social needs which regularly and significantly interfere with the child’s or others learning

Where this is the case, a decision may be made to make provision at School Support Plus.

School Support Plus
Provision at this level always includes the involvement of specialist services.  A variety of support can be offered by these services, such as advice to the school about targets and strategies, specialised assessment or some direct work with the child.  The specialist services will always contribute to the planning, monitoring and reviewing of the child’s progress individually, as part of a wider discussion with other professionals and, in some cases, via Professional Meetings. A child receiving support at School Support Plus will continue to have an ILP.  Monitoring will take place as for School Support and reviews will be on at least a termly basis.  Provision will run concurrently with differentiated curriculum support, additional interventions and external agency guidance being incorporated into practice.

School Request for a Statutory Assessment
For a child who is not making adequate progress, despite a period of support at School Support Plus, and in agreement with the parents/carers, the school may request the Local Authority to make a statutory assessment in order to determine whether it is necessary to make an Education, Health and Care Plan. The school is required to submit evidence to the Local Authority whose ‘Moderation of Assessments Panel’ makes a judgment about whether or not the child’s need can continue to be met from the resources normally available to the school or whether additional provisions are necessary to support provision.  This judgment will be made using the Local Authority’s criteria for making a statutory assessment.
Planning, provision, monitoring and review processes continue as before while awaiting the outcome of the request.

Education, Health and Care Plan
A child who has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will continue to have arrangements as for School Support Plus, and additional support that is provided using the funds made available through the EHCP. The specialist services will always contribute to the planning, monitoring and reviewing of the child’s progress individually, as part of a wider discussion with other professionals and, in some cases, via Professional Meetings. A child receiving support via an EHCP will continue to have an ILP and provision will be in line with the guidance set out in the EHCP to support the steps in meeting the end of

Key stage outcomes for the pupil.  Monitoring will take place as for School Support and reviews will be shared with parents/carers on an at least a termly basis.  An Annual Review, which is chaired by the Senco, reviews the appropriateness of the provision alongside the parents/carers in order to make recommendations to the Local Authority as to whether the EHCP will remain as is or whether amendments are needed, either to the EHCP itself or to the funding arrangements for the child. Other professionals who have contributed to the evidence and provision within the EHCP will also be invited to attend the EHCP annual review alongside the Senco and parents/carers.

7. What different types of support can the child receive in school? (e.g. small group or individual) 
As all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs, all children within the class will have equal opportunities to be taught by their class teacher, irrespective of their level of need. For some children with more significant needs, and in all cases of children with an EHCP, they will also have the support of a specialist teaching assistant to enable them to have the greatest access to learning and to assist them in reaching their fullest potential. Support can be offered in a wide variety of ways and is dependent on a range of factors. For instance, at times a child may be supported on a one-to-one basis, in a group, through split class teaching sessions or in a whole class teaching situation. They will be supported by teaching and support staff within their classrooms but may also work with a teaching assistant or teacher from another class, a year group leader, a member of the Leadership team or Specialist Service professional at times. A child may receive support in academic subjects such as Reading, Phonics, Writing and Maths or they could be supported to develop other skills such as their concentration, communication and language skills, their fine motor skills or their social skills.

8. How will the school support your child in unstructured times such as lunchtimes and playtimes and enable her/him to have access to after school clubs, school trips and journeys?

The Meads Primary School endeavours to make all clubs, trips and activities accessible for all children within the school. The school offers a variety of different activities in order to support children with additional needs. Nurture groups/social skills groups may be provided during lunch times; these are on an invitation basis and referrals are made through class teachers and/or senior staff (including the Senco or year leaders etc). All parents will be notified if their child has been referred to a nurture group. 

Lunchtime clubs may also be set up and are for all children in the school; however, children may be asked if they would like to attend, particularly if lunchtimes have been identified as a time of day that proves difficult for the child. 
All children are encouraged to join after school clubs, regardless of individual need. Support will be provided for the children as required in order for them to be able to access the club they have chosen to join. Likewise, all children within the school are able to access school trips. Occasionally, staff will work with the parents/carers in order to adapt a trip to suit the needs of a child, particularly if they would struggle to access it. This may be through asking parents/carers to accompany their child, or offering an alternative trip that may be more suitable.

9. How does the school involve children/young people in decisions that affect them?
Where appropriate, The Meads Primary School works with children to involve them in their learning and progress. Some of the ways we may include them in decision making processes and expressing their preferences include:

• Sharing targets on ILPs
• Children contributing to the reviews of ILPs
• Children with an EHCP/Statement are supported to contribute their ‘pupil voice’ in preparation for Annual Review meetings
• Using children’s areas of interest as a focus for learning activities, allowing children to be involved in the planning and preparation for this
• Supporting the children in selecting extra-curricular activities in which they would like to participate and accessing support and development for the children’s areas of interest and expertise
• As part of the school monitoring cycle, children with SEND may be asked to contribute to evaluations of interventions 
• Empowering the children to ask for help as it is needed and to develop skills in saying what they are able to do for themselves

10. How are the school's resources allocated to support children with SEND?

SEND funding is allocated to the school by the Local Authority, Luton Borough Council, via the formal budget.

The Headteacher decides on the budget for SEND in consultation with the school’s Business Manager and school governors on the basis of the needs of the children currently in the school. Monies in the school’s overall budget are allocated towards the school’s SEND budget by considering factors such as the number of children already receiving extra support and the number of children who may be in need of extra support. The required resources and training needed in order to meet the children’s needs effectively are also considered. Additional funding is also allocated for children who have an EHCP.

 All SEND funding is used to provide children with SEND the extra support and resources required to meet their learning needs. This may include employing teaching assistants, delivering specific intervention programmes or purchasing specialist teaching materials or resources, which may change over time and is based on ongoing assessments of need to ensure that all children are receiving the highest quality of support that make measurable impact on their progress.

When children require special educational provision, the support is recorded on a provision map which is written by teaching staff under the guidance of the Senco. These are reviewed on an ongoing basis and new provision maps are drawn up half termly, in order to identify and monitor provision of interventions. All interventions are reviewed and the impact is recorded. If an intervention is deemed to make inadequate impact, it will be stopped and another intervention put in its place to ensure that all children are receiving the highest quality support and to ensure that the budget is being utilised to maximise impact.

11. What services external to the school can provide support to children with SEN?
Within a school setting, liaison with external professional agencies is vital and we aim to work closely with colleagues across the fields of education, health and social care to best meet the wide and varied needs of those children with SEND at The Meads Primary School.

We work effectively with professionals from both the Local Authority, such as the Special Education Needs Service, the Educational Psychology Service and Social Care Service, as well as from the NHS, such as the School Nursing Service, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and the Edwin Lobo Centre. However, we also employ a number of private Specialist Services, such Magic Words Speech and Language Therapy, to further enhance our provision.

The way in which we work with external services is varied as is often led by them. Some professionals come into school to meet with class teachers to discuss particular needs of children before verbally suggesting ways to facilitate greater access to learning, whereas others may observe specific children in their classroom environment and write a formal report to be shared with staff and parents that includes recommendations for further support. Some professionals will carry out one-to-one work with groups or individual children whereas others will attend multi-agency meetings to make suggestions to school leaders about the next steps for specific children. The way of working with any one external professional is wholly dependent on the service they offer and the needs of the individual child.

Before asking the advice of an external agency, permission from parents will always be sought. We will always share the advice and recommendations with parents as soon as we receive such information.

12. How are staff in the school supported to work with children with special educational needs and what training do they have?
Teachers and support staff will encounter a wide range of pupils with special educational needs, some of whom will have disabilities. In many cases, the action necessary to respond to an individual’s requirements for curriculum access will be met through greater differentiation of tasks and materials, consistent with school-based intervention as set out in the SEND Code of Practice.

Where a need is identified as being additional, specific training is given to all the staff supporting that child. All teachers receive regular and appropriate training in order for them to deliver high-quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised to meet individual needs and cater for a wide range of learning styles and needs. This training will be a mixture of “in house” and externally sourced specialist Continuing Professional Development. As a school we draw upon the expertise of a wide range of external professionals to support students with SEND. They are used in school to provide observations, reports, advice for teachers and parents, and to attend professionals’ meetings.

In addition to the training delivered on school systems and policies, we also have a wealth of experience and/or have received training in working with children with a great range of specific needs. These include: Speech and Language difficulties; Autistic Spectrum Conditions; Chromosome Disorders; Global Developmental Delay; Learning Difficulties including language processing difficulties, working memory difficulties and dyslexia; ADHD; Behavioural, Social & Emotional difficulties; Mental Health difficulties; Fine and Gross Motor Difficulties and Dyspraxia. In order to meet the needs of some of these children we effectively adopt a range of well-known strategies, which include/have included Makaton, Sign for Writing, Social stories, Picture exchange cards (PECs) and TEACCH.  We also use Widgit in order to create visual timetable and reminders for children.

13. How will the setting support the child in moving on to another school or college or to the next key stage in their education or life?
At The Meads Primary School, we recognise that moving on to another school or key stage can be difficult for all children. At The Meads we take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.For all children moving class with SEND, the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator will work with the Pastoral Support Worker, the Family Team and class teachers to discuss transition arrangements for individual children. This may include extra sessions in their new classroom, transition booklets and opportunities to spend time with their new teacher. All strategies in place for each child are passed to the next teacher to ensure consistency.

For a child with SEND in Year 6 the Senco makes contact with the new school to transfer information regarding the child’s social, emotional and academic wellbeing. We work with the new schools to ensure that transition is thorough and the children are ready to progress to their next school. For those that need it, extra transition days are set up between the schools.

For those with an EHCP in place parents/carers work alongside the Senco and supporting professionals around the child to continue to review and establish the most appropriate setting for educational provision. Parents are formally requested to share their educational placement requests at the EHCP annual review. An annual review may be brought forward in order to support the request for a change of educational establishment and/or due to a change in needs. This request will be reviewed by the Local Authority. Where a pupil is transitioning to a specialist educational provision the Senco will work with the Local Authority and new school to ensure that transition is thorough and meets the needs of the pupil.

14. How accessible is the school environment?
The Meads Primary School is a single site school, with Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. At this time there is wheel chair access into the main building via the main entrance, the Calverton Road entrance, the Year 5/6 entrance and the KS1 playground. The Family Unit also has wheel chair access. All classrooms have wheelchair access available.We have a wheelchair lift installed in the small hall to enable wheelchair access to the two levels of the school. There are also shower, changing and laundry facilities onsite along with three disabled toilets.

Most of our classrooms provide good acoustic conditions so that the effects of hearing difficulties are minimised (part-carpeting). Children requiring equipment due to impairment will be assessed in order to gain the support that they require.

Visual timetables are displayed in each class throughout the school and symbols are used by individual children when required. Individual work stations can be set up in classrooms for the children that require this area to assist them with their learning.

15. Who can parents/carers contact for further information at the school?
Parents/carers who are concerned about the well-being or progress of their child should contact the child’s class teacher in the first instance, who will liaise with the Year Leader/Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator/Family Worker as appropriate to provide additional support and/or intervention.

If you would like further information on the Luton Local Offer set out by Luton Borough Council, please contact Davina Stubbs, Manager of the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) on 01582 548158. Alternatively, please access the Luton Local Offer directly by following the link to Luton Borough Council’s website on the school’s website or by clicking on the link below:
http://directory.luton.gov.uk/kb5/luton/directory/family.page?familychannel=11

Pastoral Support Worker

Our pastoral support worker, Lauren Boyce, supports children using short-term, structured interventions to overcome and mitigate barriers to learning.  This is done on a one-to-one basis or in small groups to resolve issues such as anxiety, friendships and transition to high school. The children are encouraged to explore their thoughts, behaviours and emotions while making positive choices around behaviour and social interactions.