Special Educatational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Offer

At Westbrook Primary School, we strive to meet the needs of all pupils within our school. All staff are aware of SEND within the school and receive high quality information and training. We aim to quickly identify pupils, who are making limited progress and provide targeted interventions and support to meet their needs. We ensure that parents are fully aware of the SEND process and informed of their child’s learning at regular points throughout the year. We are a fully inclusive school and work alongside the Local Authority, Health Professionals and community organisations to find the most appropriate and effective support for pupils within our care.

Within our rich and varied curriculum, every child is given opportunities and support, in a safe, caring and stimulating environment, which should facilitate each child’s chance to reach the highest possible standards. All staff are committed to meeting the needs of all our children and strive to break down any barriers that are preventing children from making the progress they are capable of. As a school, we recognise the importance of not only supporting children’s academic progress but also developing their behavioural, emotional and social skills to enable them to become confident, independent learners.

SEN Legislation

The reforms in the Children and Families Bill 2014 affected the way children with special educational needs (SEN) are supported in schools. This new approach was implemented in September 2014 and places pupils at the centre of planning.  Building on best practice, the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 sets clear expectations on schools to deliver a whole school approach to SEN, with good quality teaching as a first response and a clear focus on outcomes. Teachers are at the heart of the new SEN support system, supported by the strategic role of SENCOs, with strong leadership from head teachers and governors.

How does the school identify special educational needs?

Teachers and support staff through their experience, training and observations, are able to quickly detect if there is a concern with a child and how they learn. As part of our daily observations, we carry out daily informal assessments and look carefully at how each individual child interacts with others and meeting the targets that have been set for them; this will help us decide if a child is having difficulties or needs additional help and support. 

We work extremely closely with parents and carers and communication is of paramount importance.  We encourage parents to share information with us and to discuss and raise any concerns they may have as early as possible.  We would encourage all parents to speak to the class teacher if they have any concerns, as they are your first point of contact. The class teacher can then discuss any concerns with the school Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO), who will be able to contact and work alongside outside agencies to support the child. Parents will be fully informed and involved with all decision making and planning for the needs of their child. Other agencies and referrals will only be made if parents, teachers and the SENDCO felt this was necessary.

How will school staff support my child?

Your child’s class teacher will take responsibility for the daily provision for your child and will be supported and advised by the school SENDCO.  The teacher will discuss with you any support that is required, which is additional to and different from what we would offer to children as part of our usual classroom practice. The needs of your child will be clearly identified and form part of a SEND Support Plan. Outcomes and targets will be set and reviewed regularly with the child, parents and professionals. If it is identified that there is a need for a specific in-school assessment or involvement from any outside specialist services, the SENDCO will then talk to you about this and seek your permission to proceed. Depending on the support and resources needed, your child may be working with support staff who are highly trained in specific special needs areas.  Your child may undertake 1:1 work, small group work or close supervision within class, individual counselling and access to the school Nurture Group. If it is deemed necessary, we will contact the Local Authority for additional funding to provide extra support for your child in class.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s/young person’s needs?

High quality classroom teaching and adjusted plans and resources for individual pupils is the first step in responding to children who may have special needs.  We feel it is vital to ensure all children can achieve and succeed in a happy and safe learning environment.  We aim to be inclusive in all areas of our curriculum, however from time to time children who require additional support may work on a specifically designed programme of study to help boost their understanding of reading, writing and number work.  In these circumstances, your child may work within a smaller group of children. These groups, also called intervention groups, may be run:

• In or outside the  classroom;
• By a teacher or a member of support staff who has been trained to run these groups;
• By an external specialist from outside such as a Speech and Language Therapist.

To enable pupils to make progress within areas of their learning, your child may be placed onto a SEND Support Plan (ILP) within school. This will provide pupils with specific targets, which are: short, manageable, achievable and reviewed. This information will be discussed in a short parent meeting and targets agreed with yourself at least three times per year. 

If further specific support is required, it will be requested from the Local Authority through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).  This means that the class teacher and SENDCO have identified your child as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching, which cannot be provided for solely from the budget available to the school. Therefore, an assessment of their needs will be requested. Parents are fully involved in the systems in place for identifying additional needs and are continually informed throughout the process. 

How will information be shared with parents? 

We have an open door policy for any daily information that needs to be shared between school and home.  Parents and teachers may arrange private meetings with the class teacher or with the SENDCO if there is anything urgent or of a private nature to be discussed.  In some instances, a home-school communication book may be used.

Children are continually assessed as part of classroom best practice, but they will also be assessed termly both as part of formal assessment and teacher assessments. These results are discussed with all teachers in school and the Senior Leadership Team. Our findings are tracked and monitored closely and this enables us to ensure all children are making good progress. If we have a concern regarding your child’s attainment and progress, the class teacher will contact you following these half termly assessments to keep you fully informed.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

The SENDCO at Mrs Benton.  She is our Deputy Headteacher and a member of the Senior Leadership team.  We have a Specialist Centre for children with vision impairments. This is led by Mr Broad, who holds the mandatory qualification for teacher of children and young people with Vision impairments (QTVI). He is supported by another QTVI and 3 specialist support staff (LSA VI). 

The school governor responsible for SEND and can be contacted via the school office.

We have many experienced support staff who specialise in reading intervention, delivery of phonics, mathematics support, behaviour management, pastoral care and working with children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC).  If we feel that our strategies have not met the needs of a child in our care, we will access specialised skills and support from the Local Authority to help us  plan for a child with a specific special educational need.

We work alongside Educational Psychologists, special advisory teachers, early years specialists, speech therapists, CAMHS (Child and Adult Mental Health Services) the school nurse and other health professionals. 

What training have staff completed to support children and young people with SEND?

We ensure our teaching and support staff have opportunities for training based on the needs of the children in the school such as Autism, ELSA and Social skills training. Staff are enrolled on more individualised training if they are supporting a pupil with a more specific need. Our SENDCO and Deputy SENDCO have undertaken the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO). Both Specialist Teachers in our centre hold the mandatory qualification for teachers of children and young people with vision impairments. 

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

Risk assessments are carried out for school visits including residential trips and reasonable adjustments will be made when required.  Where needed the risk assessment would include a meeting with parents as well as taking account when assessing the needs of all children.

On some occasions, an individual member of staff may be assigned to support a small group or individual child if the risk assessment indicates that this is necessary.

Health and Safety audits are regularly conducted to ensure that the school provides a safe environment for all pupils.

How accessible is the school environment?

• All areas of the school provide access for wheelchairs.  
• Accessible toilets and changing facilities are available in EYFS, KS1 and Upper Key stage 2.  Shower and personal care facilities are also available.
• We ensure that the learning environment is as fully accessible and inclusive for all learners as practicable within our resources.

How does the school plan for transition?

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

If your child is moving to another school:

• We will contact the school SENDCO 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 transferred as soon as possible.

When moving classes in school:

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher and in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher to discuss your child’s strengths and difficulties and the strategies that have been successful.  Provision maps, Support Plans, EHC plans will be shared with the new teacher.
• Where a child has additional support, for a vision impairment, this will be discussed and planned for in the summer term before transition.

In Nursery/Reception:

• There are induction events for all children joining the Early Years.
• Arrangement of Home visits.
• Visits to Day Care Providers.
• There may be additional visits for children identified as having SEND and additional meetings will be arranged with parents and other agencies who have been involved with your child, such as Early Years Teaching and Support Service.

In Year 6:

• The year 6 teachers and the SENDCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCO/Inclusion Manager of their Secondary School.
• The new Schools are invited to attend any review that we hold before your child transfers to them.
• Your child will take part in focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead.
• 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.

Children with a vision impairment,

• You and you your child will be invited to school to discuss specific needs. An assessment placement is offered in the first instance to enable educational and health professionals to compile reports that will contribute to your child EHCP.
• Environment audits are carried out to ensure that the learning environment supports your child`s learning and vision needs.

How are the school’s resources allocated to meet children’s specific needs?

The School Budget received from the Local Authority includes money for supporting pupils with SEND. The senior leadership team and governors decide on the budget for SEND based on the needs of the pupils in the school. The school may receive an additional amount of “top-up” funding for pupils with higher level needs.  The school will use its SEND funding in the most appropriate way to support your child.  This support may include some individual or small group work with a member of the team as well as a range of other support strategies.  SEND funding may also be used to purchase specialist equipment or support from other specialist support agencies etc.

There are regular meetings to monitor the impact of interventions and SEND provision and the Governing body is kept informed of funding decisions.

How is the decision made about what type of and how much support my child will receive?

Each child is assessed individually according to the SEN Code of Practice and Local Authority guidance and a personalised support programme will be developed.

There will be regular meetings between the class teacher and the SENDCO where we look closely at the provisions that have been in place and their effectiveness and impact on children’s learning.

Additional assessments from external services, such as Education Psychologists help us decide what type of support and resources are needed.

Inclusion at Westbrook Primary

Children with SEND are encouraged to play an active role within our school and participate in all school activities e.g. school trips, outside learning, assemblies, sporting events, after-school clubs and other initiatives including the Meaningful Work Programme. (See Policy on Equal Opportunities  for further information).

Arrangements are made, where necessary, to meet the specific needs of a child to enable them to experience the same opportunities e.g. specific travel arrangements. Risk assessments are carried out for all external visits (see Policy on Risk Assessments for further information) and parents are welcomed in a voluntary capacity to accompany children on school trips and share specific expert  knowledge (see Policy on Parent Volunteers). First aid trained staff participate in all school trips.

A regularly up-dated list of first aiders is available to all members of staff.

Accessibility

The school and governing body take all reasonable steps to ensure that the school environment is accessible to people with a disability (See the Accessibility Plan)

Pupil Voice

How will my child be involved in the process of assessing their needs?

Pupils with SEN, disability and/or an EHC plan are involved in the consultation process to assess their needs and monitor their progress towards meeting any long term outcomes.  

attend the annual review and share their thoughts on the provision they receive and their

ambitions. Children who currently have a statement and would continue to do so in line with

current guidelines will transfer to an EHC plan.

How do pupils discuss wider issues concerning them?

The school has an active school council facilitated by the Deputy Head, which enables pupils to voice their opinions on a range of matters affecting the school community. The class councillors, who are selected by their peers, meet regularly and always discuss outcomes with their class after  the session.

Children and parents also sign a home-school agreement and use the home-learning diary as a forum  for regular discussion about a child’s learning or individual needs.

 Governors

Westbrook Primary has an active Governing Body with a named Governor having responsibility for over-seeing Special Educational Needs provision within the school. Information detailing the  progress and achievement of pupils with SEN and Disability is regularly fed back to and discussed  by the Governing Body.

We also have a nominated Parent Governor providing a point of contact for other parents but also encouraging active involvement of parents within the school community.

Further information for parents:

For further information or to access all the school’s policies please go to the school’s website: www.westbrookprimary.com

Link to the local authority’s Local Offer:

http://fsd.hounslow.gov.uk/kb5/hounslow/fsd/family.page?familychannel=2341