SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

At Sunning Hill Primary School, we work hard to provide a caring, stimulating and inclusive environment where every child can reach their full potential.

We recognise that you know your child best and you may feel that they need some additional help or support for some or all of their time at school. The information included here is to inform you of the types of support available for your child at Sunning Hill. It will help you to understand who can help and how this support can be accessed.

How does the school know if children need extra help?

All children in school receive quality first teaching. This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs. All classes are supported by teaching assistants and pupils are also frequently offered additional small group work or interventions where needed. Children are tracked and monitored regularly to ensure that they are working at age related expectations.

If a child is assessed as well below age related expectations, has a specific difficulty when they join us or as they change during their school life, they may be considered to have a special educational need or disability (SEND). Progress is monitored closely to help inform any decisions around special educational needs, with concerns from parents/carers and staff in school being used to initially identify a possible need. A health diagnosis would be used to identify a child as being SEND due to a disability. Children with SEND can have difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn at the same pace as their peers. They will need extra or different support. Schools and other external agencies can help most children overcome their difficulties quickly and easily. Some children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

SEND stages and terminology

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice gives guidance to schools in meeting the needs of children. It sets out how help should be given in a step-by-step approach. You will be consulted at all stages and staff will inform you of the additional work they do with your child through the SEND review meetings. Class teachers will assess your child to identify their strengths, needs and the extra help they require. If they need extra or different support than most children their age they may get extra support through school, this may involve:

  • Differentiated work.

  • Small group or individual support.

  • Alternative resources such as specific ICT programmes or visual prompts.

  • Individual sessions with a Special Needs Assistant.

  • Support at playtimes and lunchtimes.

If your child continues to have difficulty, even with this support, we may seek advice from agencies outside of school. This may be from services such as a Speech and Language Therapist, Hearing/Visual Impairment Teacher or an Educational Psychologist. Your child would continue to get a high level of extra support in school guided by the advice of these professionals.

Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

If your child’s needs are complex or severe we may suggest that we ask the Local Authority for a statutory assessment. This may result in your child having an ‘EHCP’ which will outline your child’s particular needs and the help they should receive in school.

EHCP’s usually involve the Local Authority recognising the extra resources needed to help your child. Additional resources often include staff time, specialist support and/or equipment.

How will staff support my child?

Class teachers plan for every child within their class and a One Page Profile is created for children with special educational needs. This One Page Profile is developed alongside the child. The plan has two or three key targets which are small, measurable and relevant.

The targets may include strategies to support both parents and staff within school who may work with the child. The plan also utilises advice from any outside agencies who may be involved with the child. Where possible, the child is able to identify areas he or she wants to work on and this is shared with parents/carers. One Page Profiles are reviewed every term with the child and shared with parents. All correspondence about any child is passed to the school’s SENCO who monitors all One Page Profiles termly.

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

Through ‘Quality First Teaching’, school provides a curriculum to meet the needs of all children. All lessons offer the challenge and support necessary for each child to learn and where necessary differentiation occurs through planned activities, appropriately framed questioning or the support given. However, on occasions, a child may require more specific activities working in a small group or individualised support.

We offer a wide range of interventions to support the different areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The areas of need, as set out in the SEND Code of Practice, are: Cognition and Learning needs; Speech, Language and Communication needs; Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs; and Physical and/or Medical needs.

We regularly inform parents/carers about the intervention and support that their child is receiving. You are also welcome to make an appointment to meet with either the class teacher or our SENCO, Mrs Torpey, to discuss your child’s progress and any concerns you may have. Our specialist staff can also offer advice.

What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

Sunning Hill ensures that all children are supported socially and pastorally by staff who know the children.

School offers a variety of interventions to support children with their mental wellbeing. Alongside this, there is a wide range of activities both within school and the community to support their social and emotional development such as school visits, educational trips, links with the community and a range of cultural visits.

School has a medicine policy which supports parents/carers with the management of their child’s medication within school and staff are regularly trained in key areas such as asthma, epilepsy and the use of an EpiPen. If a child comes into school with a specific need, the school nurse will provide the relevant staff with training. The school has numerous members of staff trained in first aid.

School has a positive behaviour policy, which is adhered to by all staff across the school. Exclusions are rare in school and this is due to the high expectations school has of children’s learning and behaviour and the support from parents/carers. Children who need specific support with their behaviour will be identified and support will be provided. This support may range from additional support in the classroom, to interventions and support from behaviour support. Good behaviour is celebrated across school through class rewards and certificates. 

Good attendance is celebrated across school with weekly whole class certificates and end of year attendance rewards. School will ring home to query a child’s non-attendance at school. Parents are asked to contact school if their child is unwell so that they can be marked as ill. If parents do not contact school this will go down as unauthorised absence. Mrs Rawlinson, Deputy Headteacher, will work with families to achieve regular attendance and punctuality.

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

Our SENCO is Mrs Torpey. She has a strategic overview of the needs of our pupils with inclusion needs and the interventions that are in place to support these needs. Mrs Torpey manages inclusion on a day-to-day basis to ensure the provision is in place to allow children to access their learning.

Support will provided by a range of staff: your child’s teacher, who will always make sure that tasks set are appropriate and accessible for your child; Teaching Assistants (TAs), who support all pupils in class; and 1:1 Special Needs Assistants, who help and support individual children with their learning.

We also, when necessary, seek support from external agencies. We have close links with:

  • Our School Nurse who we can contact for advice and to assess any medical needs.

  • Speech and Language Therapist, who will come into school to assess and work with children with speech and language difficulties. If you or your child’s teacher are concerned that your child has difficulty pronouncing some sounds or words, we can also refer them to SALT clinic.

  • A few children may need advice or input from our Educational Psychologist.

  • Ladywood Outreach service regularly come into school and support learners in mainstream settings.

 

What are the options for staff training?

The SENCO attends local authority training which is then shared with all staff. As required, staff are trained to deliver certain types of support e.g. Welcomm intervention. The SENCO provides in-house training around specific SEND needs as necessary to support a particular child or group of children.

Where necessary for specific situations, specialist training is bought into the school, such as behaviour support and speech and language.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

Sunning Hill is fully-inclusive and all children attend all events and trips and are encouraged to take part in all activities both within and outside of school. Where necessary, extra support will be provided to ensure full participation by all children and parents are fully-informed as to the trips and activities open to every child. Some of the trips and educational visits may be subsidised by the school to ensure all children can access these extra-curricular activities.

How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school or to transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life?

School encourage parents and children to visit the school and meet their new teacher prior to joining the school. A member of staff will show the child and parents around school and be available to answer any questions.

Meetings are organised in the summer term prior to entry into EYFS. Mrs Torpey meets with SENCOs from feeder settings or high schools to discuss individual needs prior to children starting school or transitioning to secondary school. 

Below are related policies and additional information related to SEND.

Building a Bright Future Together