Special Educational Needs

All Elevate schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) and are supported by the Elevate SEND Hub to ensure that all pupils, whatever their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. A leaflet about the Trust SEND Provision and how SEND children in our Academy are supported can be found here.

Elevate Trust SEND support leaflet for parents

Even though we are an Academy the local Authority still has a SEND role in our school. They have published their Local Offer for parents/carers of children who have Special Educational Needs or a disability (SEND) and all those who support children with additional needs. This can be found here.

• What is the school’s SEND Information Report?

Our SEND Information Report outlines how this school contributes to the Local Authority Offer by detailing the support and provision you can expect to receive at Carlton Miniott Primary Academy. This report can be accessed here. There is also information set out below that explains how we support children with SEND.

• Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning/ Special Educational Needs or disability (SEND)?

Class teacher
Responsible for:

• Planning and delivering high-quality differentiated lessons to meet the needs of all pupils in the class.
• Assessing the progress of your child and informing the Headteacher/SENCo  if your child is falling behind or experiencing difficulties which cannot be overcome without additional support or intervention .
• Writing the Support Plan, setting pupil targets, then sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term either through Parent consultations or on the Pupil Reports .
• Liaising with all staff working with your child in school to deliver the planned work/programme for your child, so they can achieve the best possible progress.
• Ensuring that the school’s Inclusion Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with SEND.

SENCO (Trust SENCO - Carol Logan-Meredith,  School link SENCO - Anita Amesbury)
Responsible for:

• Coordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) and developing the school’s Inclusion Policy to make sure all children receive a consistently high quality response to meeting their needs in school.
• Ensuring that parents and carers are:
• involved in supporting their child’s learning
• kept informed about the support their child is getting
• involved in reviewing how their child is progressing.
• Liaising with all the other professionals who may come into school to help support your child’s learning (see  below)
• Maintaining the school’s inclusion register (a system for ensuring all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that there are up to date records of your child’s progress and needs.
• Coordinating specialist support and advice for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.

Headteacher (Steve Crocker)
Responsible for:

• The day to day management of all aspects of the school, this includes the support for children with SEND.
• Ensuring that the training needs of SENCO and other staff are met.
• Reporting to the Governing Body on provision and progress for pupils with SEND.

SEN Governor (Lianne Robinson)
Responsible for:

• Monitoring the provision and progress for pupils with SEND.
• Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND.

• What are the different types of support available for children with SEND at Carlton Miniott Primary Academy?

Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching (also known as Quality First Teaching).

• The teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.

• All teaching is builds on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• Differentiated  teaching and learning activities are in place so that every child is fully involved in learning in class. This may include presenting and recording learning in different ways (written, ICT or practical); support from a Teaching Assistant for some pupils; work set at different levels.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCO or outside staff) are in place to support your child to learn: eg use of coloured overlays, wordbanks, adapted equipment.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have planned the support your child needs to help them make the best possible progress.

2. Specific group work within a smaller group of children. 
This means they have been identified as needing some extra support in school in a specific aspect of their learning.

• S/he will engage in group sessions with specific targets to help him/her to make more progress, usually led by a Teaching Assistant who has been trained in how to lead the programme.
• This type of support is available for any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning.

3. Specialist support from outside agencies 
This means they have been identified by the class teacher/SENCO as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school.

• Your child will have been identified by the class teacher/SENCO (or you will have raised your worries) as needing more specialist input instead of or in addition to quality first teaching and intervention groups.
• You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
• You will be asked to give your permission for us to refer your child to the relevant  specialist professional , who may also ask you to give information about your child in order to give the most effective advice and support for your child.
• The specialist professional will make recommendations and advise on appropriate progress targets, which may result in changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g some individual support;  changing some aspects of teaching; a group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional ;  group or individual work with outside professional

• The school may suggest that your child needs some agreed individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

              This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning which cannot be  overcome purely through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

4. An Education, Health & Care Plan (replacing  Statements of SEN)
In exceptional cases  your child will have been identified by a range of professionals  as needing a particularly high level  of support and provision beyond that usually available in a mainstream classroom, if their learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong. A Request for Statutory Assessment will be made to the Local Authority, who will decide on the appropriate level of additional provision to be made and draft an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHC Plan)for your child,  if required.  The Plan would be formally reviewed at least once a year.

Should this apply to your child, the school will work closely with you and other professionals working with your child to guide you through the process.  

• How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning in school?

• If your child is then identified as not making progress the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:
• listen to any concerns you may have too
• plan any additional support your child may receive
• discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning
• With your permission, add your child to the school’s SEND register, if appropriate.

• How is extra support allocated to children and how do they move between the different levels?

• The school budget, includes money for supporting children with SEND.
• The Head Teacher decides on the budget for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors, on the basis of needs in the school.
• The Head Teacher and the SENCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:
• the children getting extra support already
• the children needing extra support
• the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected
• Decide what resources/training and support is needed.
• All resources/training and support are reviewed termly and changes made as needed.

• Who are the other people providing services to children with SEND in this school?

• Directly funded by the school:
• Teaching Assistants trained in specific intervention programmes
• Paid for centrally by the Local Authority but delivered in school or at clinic:
• Autism Outreach Service (ASCOSS)
• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
• Speech and Language Therapy (provided by Health but paid for by the Local Authority)..
• Specialist Teachers & Teaching Assistants supporting Minority Ethnic Achievement
• Provided and paid for by the Health Service (North Yorkshire NHS Trust) but delivered in school or clinic:
• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy

• How are the teachers/teaching assistants in school helped to work with children with SEND and what training do they have?

• The SENCO’s job is to support the class teacher in planning for children with SEND.
• The school has a training plan for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on supporting specific aspects of SEND such as ASD or Speech and language difficulties.
• Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.

• How will  teaching be adapted for my child with SEND?
  

• Class Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
• Specially trained support staff can adapt the teachers planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
• Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
• Planning and teaching will be adapted on a daily basis if needed to meet your child’s learning needs.  If you have concerns about your child’s progress and ability to complete homework tasks, your child’s class teacher can personalise the learning further.

• How will we measure the progress of your child in school?

• Your child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her class teacher and will be shared with you formally at Parent Consultation Meeting and in your child's termly written report.
• You may also be invited to attend a review meeting during the year to discuss how things are progressing.  If your child has support from an outside agency, they may be invited to this review to share their thoughts and make suggestions.
• If your child is in Year 1 and above, but is not yet at National Curriculum levels, a more sensitive assessment tool is used which shows their level in more detail and will also show smaller but significant steps of progress. 
• At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of year 2 and year 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). This is something the government requires all schools to do and the results are published nationally. If you are concerned that your child may not be able to access the tests, your child’s class teacher or SENCO will be able to discuss this further with you.
• Children on the school’s SEND register will have individual targets which will be reviewed regularly. New targets will then be set.
• The progress of children with an EHC Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education. In some cases, we meet to review their progress at certain points through the year too.
• The SENCO will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.

• How is Carlton Miniott Primary Academy accessible to children with SEND?

• The main building and 1 external building is accessible to children with physical disability via level entrances to either side of the building and through all internal doors.
• A disabled toilet is available.
• We ensure that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.

• What support do we provide for you as a parent of child with Special Educational Needs or disability (SEND)?

• The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used.
• The SENCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be shared with you at a meeting, by phone,  or in a written report.  We are available to discuss reports with you in school and explain where necessary.
• Individual Targets and Support Plans will be reviewed with you each term.
• Homework will be adjusted to your child’s individual needs, if required.
• A home/school contact book may be used to support communication with you, when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.
• Email contact can be established as an additional layer of home/school communication if required.

• How will we support your child when they are leaving this school or moving on to another class?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

• If your child is moving to another school:
• We will contact the receiving school’s SENCO and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
• When moving classes in school:
• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. All Support Plans will be shared with the new teacher.
• All children spend some time in their new classroom during the summer term.
• If your child would be helped by a book to support them understand moving on, this will be made with them.
• An individual transition plan will be devised, if required.
• In Year 6:
• SENCO will meet with the SENCO of their secondary school to discuss the specific needs of your child and a transition package will be put together for them individually.
• Your child will access focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead.
• If deemed necessary your child will visit their new school on several occasions and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this document in more detail, or require it in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The following is a list of external agencies who may be involved with your child.

Directly funded by the school:

• Teaching Assistant support

Paid for centrally by the Local Authority but delivered in school:

• Autism Outreach Service ( ASCOS)
• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
• Speech and Language Therapy (provided by Health but paid for by the Local Authority).

Provided and paid for by the Health Service but delivered in school:

• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy