Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

In the SEN Code of Practice there are four broad areas of need:

• Communicating and Interacting: this relates to children who have speech, language and communication difficulties which makes it hard for them to make sense of language or communicate with others.

• Cognition and Learning: this relates to children who learn at a slower pace to others their age, have difficulty understanding aspects of the curriculum, struggle with organisation and memory skills or have a specific barrier to learning which affects their progress in one aspect of their learning, such as English or Maths.

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties: this relates to children who have difficulties in forming and managing relationships with others, children who are withdrawn or who display behaviour which has a negative impact on their learning or on their emotional health and wellbeing.

• Sensory and/ or Physical needs: this relates to children who have visual or hearing impairments, or a physical need which means that they will require additional and ongoing support and resources to access the curriculum and the learning environment.

   

Our school currently provides additional and/or different provision for a range of needs, including:

• Communication and interaction (for example, speech and language difficulties)

• Cognition and learning needs and Moderate Learning Difficulties

• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (for example, Autistic Spectrum Condition)

• Sensory and/or physical needs (for example, hearing impairments, visual impairment, processing difficulties, physiotherapy needs)

• Specific learning difficulties (such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia)

Here at Swallownest Primary School, we aim to work together to identify children with SEND needs through:

• Regular communication with parents/carers.
• Regular communication as a staff body, consisting of pro-active staff who will report any worries or concerns to the school SENDCo or another member of the leadership team.
• Transition meetings with our feeder schools and secondary provision.
• Termly pupil progress meetings.
• Frequent consultation with parents/carers, as both SEND Review Meetings and Parent Consultation evenings.
• Termly monitoring activities, such as data analysis, learning walks and work scrutiny to ensure high expectations for all pupils within the school.
• Pupil, staff and parent questionnaires.
• The use of a graduated response and acting upon guidance from external professionals.
• Ongoing training and CPD for all staff, including specific support on meeting a range of learning needs, as well as sensory support and emotional regulation.

We also make the following adaptations as part of our 'Universal Offer' to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:

• Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example by grouping pupils, 1:1 work, adapting teaching style, content of the lesson, etc
• Adapting our resources and staffing to suit the needs of the class
• Using recommended aids, such as laptops and ICT equipment, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, etc.
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing time, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud, visual instructions and scaffolds
• Providing movement breaks, sensory breaks and calming spaces throughout the school day.

At Swallownest Primary School, we aim to identify children with SEND  quickly, providing the tools needed for them to access lessons, which are in turn adapted to enable & challenge each child to meet their full potential.

If concerns are raised about a child, either through the school’s monitoring and review systems, or where parents have raised their own concerns about their child, we would begin to monitor the child more closely.  Common reasons for this would be:

• Failing to make expected progress despite quality first teaching and intervention.

• Struggling to meet learning milestones.

• Struggling to adhere to school and classroom boundaries.

• Struggling with social, emotional and mental health issues.

We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents/carers and we strive to be open and honest with yourselves and hope that you are able to do the same with us. If you have concerns around the development or progression of your child, please feel free to ask to speak to your child's class teacher to initiate the conversation and share your concerns.

What is an EHCP?

An Education, Health & Care Plan or EHCP is a document which sets out the education, health and social care needs of a child or young person aged up to 25, and the support that is necessary to help them achieve their outcomes.

Who needs an EHCP?

EHC plans are for children and young people (age 0-25) who have a special educational need or disability that cannot be met by the support that is already available at their school or college

Most children and young people with special educational needs will have help given to them without the need for an EHC Plan. This is called SEN support.

The purpose of SEN support is to help children achieve the outcomes or learning objectives that have been set for them.

How to get an EHCP

n EHC plan can only be issued after a child or young person has gone through the process of EHC needs assessment. At the end of that process, the local authority has to make a decision to issue an EHC Plan or not. For this assessment to take place there must be evidence that a graduated response has already been put in place by the school or setting (for example appropriate assessment and interventions including support and resources available through the local offer). 
 

The local authority must complete the assessment within 16 weeks and if it decides to issue an EHCP, do so within 20 weeks of the original request.
The Special educational needs and disability code of practice 2015 is important statutory guidance. It tells us lots of the practical steps and things that should be considered when decisions and actions are made and taken in relation to children and young people with special educational needs.

If the Code says something must be done, then it is referring to a legal duty that must be complied with.

If it says something should be done, then this means the guidance should be followed unless there is a lawful reason not to.

The organisations and bodies who need to consider the SEND Code of Practice are:

local authorities (LAs)
the governing bodies of schools
the governing bodies of institutions in the further education sector
the proprietors of academies
the management committees of pupil referral units
section 41 schools and colleges 
all early years providers in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent
sectors providing free education and childcare places  
the NHS and Integrated Care Board
Youth offending teams and relevant youth  accommodation, and
the SEND Tribunal
Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities may be able to get help in public examinations.

This can include, for example, extra time or having a computer or a person to read or write for the pupil (except for exams that specifically test these skills). There is a range of other possible arrangements for pupils with visual or hearing impairments, or other difficulties

At Swallownest we recognise that times of change can make children feel worried and anxious.

We endeavour to support your child as they start with us at school, when they are moving class and when they are leaving the school to start a new school.

How we do this:

• Members of the Foundation team make visits to pre-school settings and offer stay and play sessions in the Foundation unit prior to the children starting school.
• Foundation teachers also complete a home visit so we can meet the child/ren in their home surroundings and discuss any worries or concerns that you may have about your child starting school.
• In the Summer Term before your child moves classes time is spent with the new Class Teacher in their new classroom. Focused transition conversations are held before the end of the school year so all information is passed on to the next teacher. 
• Summer term SEN Review Meetings are a key opportunity to discuss the progress and areas of development from the year. The current class teacher will set the targets for each child to ensure a smooth transition into the next year group.
• As your child prepares to move onto secondary education, staff will visit the class and the children will have opportunity to visit their next school. Staff from the secondary schools are invited to attend the Summer term SEN Review Meetings.
• We are able to arrange support from Aspire Outreach to provide a small talking group of Y6 pupils to share their worries before the end of their time with us

You can find copies of our SEND Newsletters saved here.

Please get in touch with Mrs Leivers if you would like any more information on the contents of any of these documents.

For guidance and support around your child's sensory needs, please read the following documents:

Rotherham-Sensory-Strategies-Guide.pdf

Rotherham-Sensory-Toolkit.pdf

For some basic strategies, shared by the Local Authority, please read the Green Book attached below.

Autism-Strategies-to-support.pdf

For an accessible and easy-to-read overview of SEN Support, please see the following document, as shared by the Department for Education:

Easy-Read-Send-Forms-For-Parents.pdf

To find out about resources, services, support, activities and events for Rotherham’s children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by following this link to the Rotherham SEND Local Offer.

The Rotherham Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) can also offer impartial information, advice and support for parents of children with SEND. Click here to access their website and services.

Rotherham Early Help is also available to support families. Early Help staff will work with you at difficult times so that small problems don’t get bigger. They work with children, young people and families to offer support and advice when it’s most needed. Early Help can work with you in your local area at one of our centres or even in your home.

Further support for parents and families is also available through the Rotherham Parent Carers Forum.