Princefield First School

Special Educational Needs Information ReportWhat is the Local Offer?

The ‘Children and Families Bill’ was enacted in 2014. One outcome of this was that Local Authorities are now required to publish, and keep under review, services on offer for children and young people from 0-25 years of age. This is called the ‘Local Offer’. For more information on Staffordshire’s Local Offer please phone 0300 1118007.

What is the School’s Information Report?

The School’s Information Report sets out to inform parents and carers about the provision available in individual schools to meet the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs. This Report outlines the Special Educational Needs provision at Princefield First School.

What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?

The first point of contact should be with the child’s class teacher where initial concerns can be raised. Princefield operates an open door policy where parents can arrange to meet with the class teacher at the end of the school day. Appointments with teachers SLT or the school Senco can also be arranged via the school office.:

Telephone: 01785 714050. E-mail: office@princefield.staffs.sch.uk

If you have further concerns, then please contact the Headteacher:

Telephone: 01785 714050. E-mail: headteacher@princefield.staffs.sch.uk

What are Special Educational Needs?

Teachers plan and deliver a broad and balanced curriculum which is differentiated (adapted) for all children in the class. If a child requires extra support, or even greater adaptation of the curriculum, then they will most likely fall under the umbrella of Special Educational Needs (SEN).This may be due to physical, emotional/behavioural or learning needs. Children’s needs may be short or long term.

What kinds of special needs are provided for at Princefield?

Children may experience many diverse special needs.

Medical needs: E.g. epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, short term medical conditions. Staff receive training as necessary for different medical needs. A Care Plan is completed with parents and a Risk Assessment may be carried out with parents and, where appropriate, children.

Physical Needs: the school site is level, meaning that there are very few steps to negotiate. We have access to the Physical Disabilities Support Service (PDSS) to give advice and support as necessary. As a school, we are also happy to discuss individual access requirements.

Educational needs: At Princefield, we provide support for a variety of learning needs. These include, for example, identified learning needs, such as: Dyslexia; Dyscalculia; Dyspraxia; Speech, Language and Communication needs; Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome. We also provide support for children who have difficulties with aspects of Literacy, Maths and Communication.

Social, Emotional and Behavioural needs: There are a number of Pastoral systems in place for children and their families who need support. As a school, we are also able to access support from the Local Authority, this would only be carried out with full parental support. We are happy to discuss needs on an individual basis.

How do staff at Princefield know if my child needs extra help?

There is a rigorous monitoring and assessment system in place at Princefield, which is monitored and reviewed by SLT (Senior Leadership Team) and school Governors. Regular teacher assessments show if a child is making expected progress, or progress above or below that of their peers.

There are also a number of summative assessments in place which formerly assess children on Reading, Comprehension, Spelling and Maths skills. Concerns may also be raised by parents/carers, which will be taken seriously by school.

If children are assessed as needing some extra support in school, staff would consult with parents and put extra interventions and/or support in place. This would be based on the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle.

Assess – a child would be assessed in a number of ways, which may include: teacher assessment; teacher observations; standardised testing; individual assessment (such as phonics screening).

Plan – the teacher will plan for support. Do – extra support will be given, which may include: intervention groups;

small group work; individual support programs. Review – the teacher will review any progress made to determine if the

child needs any further support.

A child may be placed on the school’s Special Educational Needs Register, in order to closely monitor and plan for their access to the school curriculum.

How will I know how school staff support my child?

In addition to the usual Parent Evening meetings, school reports and open door conversations with teachers, children who have special needs will also have an APDR put in place. This APDR will be devised in conjunction with parents and children. It will set out a number of Aspirational SMART targets (Small, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Targets) which children, parents and school will be working towards.

The APDR will set out individual targets, resources needed and how school, parents and the child can go about meeting each target. The APDR will also set out any extra provision that is being put in place for a child.

A copy of this APDR will be made available for parents to keep at home.

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

High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have, or may have SEN. The curriculum will be adapted to meet the ‘level’ that each child is working at. This may involve: providing work at a lower ‘level’; allowing a child to work at a slower place; ensuring there are opportunities for over-learning; using different teaching techniques (often more practically based); having access to specific resources; and repeating instructions in smaller steps or using picture cues to help children understand instructions.

Where necessary, children may also be given access to specialist equipment, such as:

Writing slopes Pencil grips/ergonomically designed pens Easy grip scissors Wobble cushions

How will I and school know how my child is doing?

School uses a variety of methods to monitor and assess the progress of all pupils, including those who have, or may have, SEN. These include: Teacher assessments; Key Stage 1 SATs; Year 1 phonics screening; Individual Phonic Phase assessments; assessing of IEP targets; high quality formative assessments, such as PIRA, PUMA and Single Word Spelling Tests.

These all feed into the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle, alongside teachers’ formative assessments and observation and discussions with parents. These are all used to inform the next steps. Next steps could include further aspirational targets or may show that a child no longer has SEN difficulties and can be supported through day to day classroom differentiation. All of this is shared with parents and parents are consulted about all decisions regarding their child at every step.

As a parent, how will school help me to support my child’ learning?

Parents can be supported in their child’s learning in a number of ways. For example:

Discussions with class teachers or Senco Regular homework set for children School reports Parents’ Evenings which are held three times a year APDR targets will say how parents can support their children in meeting

their targets Via the school website Through parent workshops in school

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

The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual’s needs. The decision about how this money is spent is made by the Headteacher, SLT and Governors. Additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings, meetings which are held between class teachers and members of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss the progress of pupils in each class), or if a concern has been raised by class teachers at another time during the year.

Whole School Provision mapping is in place to provide an overview of what types of support and interventions are available for SEN children at Princefield. It is constantly under review due to the changing needs of children in school.

At times, children may require a higher level of support in school. For children who meet certain Local Authority criteria, it may be possible for school to apply for additional funding. The outcome of any such applications will be decided by the Local Authority during a panel meeting. Children in receipt of an EHC (Education, Health and Care Plan) may also have extra support with funding being attached directly to the EHC.

How is my child involved in decisions?

At Princefield, each child is at the centre of their own learning journey. They are involved in talking about their APDR’s and personal targets. Children also take an active part in reviewing their own targets and how much progress they have made towards achieving them. All children are treated with respect and discuss aspects of their learning with adults at an appropriate level.

What specialist services and expertise are accessed Princefield?

At times, a child may experience difficulties which would benefit from expert advice and support. Princefield is able to access a number of specialist services for children. Any outside agency involvement would only be done in conjunction with complete agreement from parents/carers.

Some of the services who support children in school include: Autism Outreach Team Child Protection Advisors Educational Psychologist

CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service) AAP (Attendance Advisory Practitioner previously known as Educational

Welfare Officers) Social Services Speech and Language Team Local G.P. surgeries’ School Nurse Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy Physical Disabilities Support Service

The school Senco is able to refer children to some of these agencies on behalf of parents. Other services, such as Occupational Therapy, can only be accessed via a referral from a G.P. The school Senco is able to advise parents on the different agencies, referral criteria and procedures as necessary.

How are parents involved in the school?

Princefield operates an open door policy, welcoming parents/carers into school to discuss the needs of any children. At Princefield, we actively seek parental involvement in school through regular contact via newsletters and the school website. Parents are welcome to e-mail the school office or Headteacher for advice or support. We are also fortunate to have an active PSA which constantly welcomes new members.

For children with SEN, their parents are involved with every step of their child’s journey. They are advised and consulted at every stage and their engagement with school is highly valued.

For parents who feel that they would like support at home or with Emotional or Social difficulties within the home, school are able to help parents to access Local Authority Support via Staffordshire’s ‘Local Support Team.’ Again, this can be discussed on an individual basis.

How will school support my child in joining Princefield or transferring to a new setting?At Princefield, we have many strategies in place to enable the pupil’s transition to be as smooth as possible. These include:

Discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving.

All pupils attend an induction day in the summer term where they spend some time with their new class teacher/new school.

Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school.

Staff are always happy to meet with parents/carers prior to their child joining the school.

Early Years staff endeavour to visit and meet children in their pre-school settings.

Middle school staff also visit pupils prior to them joining their new school. The school Senco liaises with the Sencos from the receiving schools to

pass on information regarding SEN pupils.

Where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged middle school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.

For children joining us in other Year groups part way through the school’s academic year, we support children and parents through additional transitional visits so that children can meet their new teachers and classmates.

For some children, it can be helpful to make a ‘transition book’. Children may make these with a member of staff and they can include pictures of their new school, classroom environment, new teachers and school staff. These books can form the basis of discussion points at home. Some children can find that they develop a familiarity with their new classroom or school, helping to alleviate fears and any feelings of uncertainty.

How will school support my child’s medical needs?

An individual policy is in place for children with medical needs. Please contact the school office for a copy.

School are very happy to discuss children’s medical needs on an individual basis. A Care Plan is completed in consultation with parents and, where necessary, a risk Assessment may also be completed and made available to parents, children and relevant staff.

What training is available (or has been given) to staff for children with SEN?

A member of staff attends the Entrust SEN updates termly. Subject Leaders attend relevant updates Medical training is given to relevant staff Training is provided by outside agencies. E.g. Speech and Language train

individual key workers; Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy train relevant members of staff to work on individual programs with identified children.

Staff have undergone training on supporting children with dyslexic tendencies.

How accessible is the school both indoors and outdoors?

Princefield is a single storey building which is accessible, with no steps. Doors are wide enough for wheelchair access. There are off-road parking facilities and a disabled car parking space is available.

For further information, please refer to the school’s accessibility plan.

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

Where necessary, appropriate adult support will be arranged in accordance with the Local Authority child to adult ratio advice.

Again, needs will be discussed on individual basis and with reference to the trip planned and the needs of the child.

SEN at Princefield

We hope that our School’s Information Report has answered any questions that you may have about Special Needs provision at Princefield. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact the school office where a member of staff will be only too happy to speak with you.

The Staffordshire Send Family Partnership offer independent advice and support to parents, carers and young people.

Helpline number: 01785 356921E-mail: sfps@staffordshire.gov.uk