SEND

St Paul’s C.E. Primary School

SEND Information Report

 2023 -2024

This Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Report provides information about the identification of and provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs; in accordance to the SEND Code of practice 2014.

 

St Paul’s is a Gold Standard Rights and Respecting school.

The United nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that:

• Article 28: “Every child has the right to an education.”
• Article 31: “Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.”
• Article 27: “Every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical, social and mental needs.

Our aim at St Paul’s is to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Being a Rights and Respecting school embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.  

Introduction

St Paul’s C.E Primary School is an inclusive school and we welcome everybody into our community. It has accredited ‘Communication Friendly’ status.

The Staff, Governors, pupils and parents work together to make our school a safe, happy, welcoming place where children can achieve their full potential and develop as confident individuals. This means that equity must be a reality for our children. We make this a reality through the attention we pay to the different groups of children within our school, thus providing a learning environment that enables all pupils to make the greatest possible progress and achieve their full potential in a caring, supportive and fully inclusive environment.  

We are committed to narrowing the attainment gap between SEND and non-SEND pupils. This may include short-term intervention learning programmes, more personalised interventions and extra- curricular activities.

All children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:

• become confident individuals who recognise their strengths
• achieve their potential
• have the tools for a successful life journey.

 

1. What kinds of special educational needs is provision made for at our school?

 

Additional to and/or different provision is currently made in school for children with a range of needs. These additional needs are detailed under these four areas as stated in the SEND code of practice

• communication and interaction
• cognition and learning
• sensory, medical and physical
• social, emotional and mental heath

The needs may include having difficulty with:

• processing and understanding information
• using expressive language
• social understanding
• making friends or relating to adults 
• attention and engagement
• accessing reading, writing or mathematics at an age appropriate level
• organisation and sequencing
• engaging with adult led tasks
• visual/hearing impairment
• sensory processing
• physical mobility
• regulating emotions

Our SENDco has 32 years in teaching experience and has held the position of SENDco at St Paul’s for 21 years, working closely with a number of outside agencies and other schools and making significant links with outreach services. Through continuous professional training, she is very knowledgeable in all four areas of need.

The SENDco is also:

• The Senior Lead for Mental Health
• Mental Health First Aider (MHFA)
• Lead co-ordinator for Healthy Schools
• Designated Teacher for looked after children.
• Designated Safe Guarding Lead

 

Our team of teaching assistants have experience and training in planning, delivering and assessing intervention programmes. Communicating the needs of pupils with additional needs is central to our induction process to the whole school staff group as all staff have responsibility of ensuring our pupils have the best possible experience both with learning and socially. Staff receive training each year on the needs of any new pupils joining the school – this can include training from specialist agencies or consultants, as well as from the SENDco or other staff with relevant expertise.

SEND training forms part of the continuing professional development of all teachers and TAs and is organised in accordance with the needs of our children. The SENDco, as part of the leadership team, takes a strategic lead in planning provision to meet the additional learning requirements of our children.

The school’s Accessibility Plan (available on the website) outlines adaptations made to the building to meet particular needs and enhance learning. It also sets actions to ensure inclusive access for all.

In 2018 -2019 the SENDco delivered whole school training resulting in St Paul’s being awarded Communication Friendly Status. The SENDco and one other members of the staff have achieved level 4 accreditation as part of this status with three other members of staff achieving level 3 accreditation in Speech and Language for 5 -11 years. They are known as ELKLAN champions.

Communication Friendly Status is awarded to schools that have trained and supported all their staff in communication and language development. This staff training will not only benefit St Paul’s pupils identified with language and communication needs but all pupils. The Communication Counts training covered:

• What is communication and developing appropriate interaction.
• Asking effective questions.
• Extending vocabulary.
• Developing understanding and speak out.
• Encouraging expressive language and narrative development.

In 2022 members of the Early Years Staff trained in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), an evidence-based intervention for reception aged children (4-5 years) to improve children’s language and early literacy skills.

In 2023 all staff were trained in using the Zones of Regulations to support pupils with understanding emotions and unexpected behaviours, using suggested strategies to regulate.

2. What are school’s policies and processes with regard to the identification and assessment of children with SEND?

The SEND policy is available on the website.

Assessment is an ongoing core process throughout the school. If a child is not making the expected progress, then we identify a need and determine the reasons why.

Making less than expected progress can be characterised when progress;

• is significantly slower than their peers from the same baseline
• fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• the attainment gap widens

Following the SEND Code of Practice the school promotes a graduated approach to assessing, identifying and providing for pupils’ special educational needs. This process is known as   Assess   Plan   Do   Review.

This approach follows a model of action and intervention to help children make progress and successfully access the curriculum. It recognises that there is a continuum of SEND and that where necessary increasing specialist expertise should be involved to address any difficulties a child may be experiencing.

Throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 the children are assessed against nationally set criteria to check their progress across all areas of learning / subjects. (See the school’s Assessment Policy on the school website). It is through this process that children who are not making expected progress are highlighted. Teachers and support staff play a vital role in raising concerns about other barriers to learning, including social and emotional and mental health matters.

Parents/carers are informed if there are concerns around the child’s progress and the parent and the child (as appropriate) are involved in planning to meet the identified need.  An eyesight and hearing test are always recommended to discount these aspects as possible underlying causes for learning issues.

A rigorous assessment procedure to track children’s progress is continuously used. If a child does not make expected progress the next stage would be to move to the use of school intervention and/or outside agency involvement for the identification, assessment and recording of children’s additional needs. We incorporate these procedures into our normal working practice.

At St Paul’s a range of assessment tools are used to identify an individual’s needs in order to plan targeted intervention programmes and to provide a baseline for measuring impact.  These include:

• WellComm – Speech and Language Toolkit for Early Years and Foundation Stage
• Nuffield Early Language Intervention
• YARC – York reading and comprehension test
• HAST – spelling test
• Early identification for Dyslexia
• Dyslexia Screening
• Portfolio for Dyslexia
• Sandwell Numeracy Test
• Nessy Learning Assessment
• Phonological Assessment Battery (PHab)
• Motor Skills United (assessment from Occupational Therapy)
• Boxhall Profile – an assessment tool for social and emotional needs
• First Response Pack – Speech and Language Therapy resource
• Autism Education Trust – Tools for Teachers
• Social Communication Pathway

Class teachers have a number of assessment checklists provided to support identifying needs, complemented by recommended strategies for identified needs which are summarised in the Quality First Toolkit, Working towards a Supportive Classroom.

In addition, school consults with external agencies to support the graduated approach

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Catalyst Educational Psychology
• Specialist Teacher for Specific Learning Difficulties
• Occupational Therapy
• Sensory Service for Visual Impairment
• Sensory Service for Hearing Impairment
• Outreach service for Sensory and Physical needs
• Outreach service for Social and Communication needs
• Outreach service for Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Following assessment and meetings with the class teacher and SENDco, possibly following specialist outside agency advice, a child’s additional needs are identified and the needs are recorded on the whole school’s provision map and class provision maps where the child’s individual provision is recorded. Targets are set on Individual Educational Plans (IEP’s) or on a class provision map.

Review meetings are held three times a year. Pupils with Educational Health Care Plans (ECH plans) will have a person-centred annual review.  A member of the transition team from the local authority will attend the annual reviews of pupils in Year 5.

At St Paul’s we aim to identify children with additional needs as early as possible through observation and assessment. We acknowledge that gifted children often require additional resources and personalised planning to reach their full potential. Children with English as an additional language may also require planned intervention and differentiation of the curriculum.

We acknowledge that not all children with disabilities have special educational needs. All teachers take responsibility of ensuring the physical environment of the classroom and equipment used allows for equal access to the National Curriculum and statutory arrangements. Reasonable adjustments to the learning environment are always planned to support equitable access. Teachers plan enough time for the completion of tasks and identify aspects of programmes of study and attainment targets that may present specific difficulties for children with disabilities.

3. What are school’s policies for making provision for children with SEND?     a) How do we evaluate the effectiveness of provision for children identified as SEND?

• Use of a whole school provision map, detailing additional need, provision provided and a record of agreed actions. This map is used by the leadership team to ensure the needs of all groups, including vulnerable groups are met.
• Use of a class provision map detailing provision, expected impact and actual impact for all identified children in their class. The class provision map is reviewed each term and outcomes included. The class provision map is then passed onto the next class teacher to ensure continuity and progression.
• Individual Education Plan (IEP)/ Speech and Language programmes and Personalised Education Plans detailing short-term targets and outcomes.
• Use of attainment/information/progress rates – pre and post – interventions.
• Use of national curriculum expectations for children with additional needs as part of the school’s tracking of pupil’s progress.
• Review meetings with pupils and parents/carers.
• Monitoring by SENDco.

b) How do we assess and review progress of children with SEND?

• On- going formative and summative assessments by class teacher and teaching assistants.
• Initial concerns about a child’s progress are discussed with the SENDco and parents and followed by placement on intervention programmes or referral to external agencies.
• Evaluation of class provision maps (including IEP’s).
• Tracking of pupil progress in terms of National Curriculum expectations.
• A cycle of consultation meetings, based on assess, plan, do, review model which takes place throughout the year.
• Regular meetings held with class teacher, teaching assistant and SENDco.
• Team meetings held three times annually to review class provision maps and IEP’s.
• Pupil voice through One Page Pupil profiles (OPP).
• Team meetings to track pupils progress through data analysis three times annually.
• Termly planning meetings with external agencies (Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and Specialist teacher) and SENDco.
• Meetings with parents/carers and class teachers to discuss recommendations and reports written by specialist agencies.
• Annual reviews for pupils with an Educational Health Care Plan; interim reviews can also be arranged throughout the year if deemed necessary.
• When children with SEND are being assessed, consideration is given to whether they need materials modified, need a scribe or need additional time.

c) What is the approach to teaching pupils with SEND?

All staff at St Paul’s agree that “Every teacher is a teacher of special needs and that Quality First Teaching is the key to narrowing the gap.”

High quality teaching, appropriately differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to possible special educational needs

Class Teachers have responsibility for enabling all pupils to learn. To achieve this, they use the Wave Model to support the graduated approach.

Wave 1:  Quality First Teaching (QFT)

Class teachers plan stimulating, challenging and creative lessons, differentiated, to ensure all pupils have access to the learning opportunities and make progress. Additional adults are used to support individual children or small groups in accessing the QFT.  Differentiated or specialised learning materials are included in lessons to allow children with additional needs to access the curriculum. The learning environment, within the classroom is planned to ensure that it helps not only those pupils with additional needs but all children.

Teachers use a QFT statement bank to support planning by using the   identify/ reflect/respond model. Teachers identify when there is a barrier to learning for an individual child or a group, reflect on their practice and respond with appropriate strategies to ensure their classroom is supportive and inclusive.

Wave 2:  Additional interventions to allow pupils to catch up and work at age appropriate expectations or above

Teachers and teaching assistants deliver catch up planned intervention programmes to groups of children. Flexible teaching approaches are used to allow the class teacher or teaching assistant to teach the planned objectives. Groups can be withdrawn from the class or be given extra focused teaching time during the day.

Wave 3:  Additional highly personalised interventions

Children receive 1:1 or small group timetabled support to work on personalised learning targets. Teachers are involved in planning the support following recommendations by the SENDco and external agencies. Trained teaching assistants deliver planned interventions following targets recorded on Individual Education Plans (IEP’s).

d) How do we adapt the curriculum and the learning environment?

St Paul’s staff through training and following specialist advice scaffold and differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of all children. This is achieved through:

1. grouping of pupils (1:1, small groups, partner work)
2. teaching styles (taking account of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners – children that respond to seeing/ hearing and doing)
3. flexible teaching to adapt planning and revisit learning objectives for identified pupils
4. alternative ways of recording – use of ICT software/ thinking maps/mind maps/word maps, photographs and learning journals
5. follow advice from external agencies for pupils with physical disabilities, hearing impairment, visual impairment in order to make reasonable adjustments to the physical environment of the classroom
6. provide specialist equipment – sensory cushions, sloping boards, auxiliary aids for pupils with physical disabilities/ ear defenders
7. provide dyslexia friendly classrooms which include clearly labelled resources, word mats/ words walls/ writing frames/coloured overlays
8. provide language friendly classrooms – visual timetables, visual prompts, sequence cards, low stimulus working areas/ chunking of instructions, thinking time / adult and pupil interaction
9. use the physical layout of the school to enable us to make provision for small groups of children as well as personal learning areas – thus allowing us to provide greater differentiation with more quality support  e) What additional support for learning is available for children with SEND?

At St Paul’s we have a highly experienced team of staff involved supporting children with SEND, these include:

• Teaching Assistants who work across our school in a variety of roles which may include general class support together with targeted provision for identified pupils.
• Family Worker who works with parents/carers and children to offer advice on home and school matters / monitor attendance and participate in EHA meetings (team around the child)
• External Agencies who with parent permission will work with identified children and assess their needs to support target setting

f) How are provision and support organised and resources deployed?

• There are currently 352 children on roll. We have 18, (8 full time, 10 part-time) teaching assistants employed in school, providing a higher staff to pupil ratio which maximises learning potential for all our children; most are trained to deliver a number of intervention programmes throughout the school.
• Some TAs are deployed in classes to support children on a 1:1 or small group basis or to cover the class in order that the class teacher can provide 1:1 or small group support.
• A large number of intervention programmes are in place for children who require additional support e.g. Language and listening, Learning to Listen, Colourful Semantics, Mr Word, Five minute box, Tessy Learning, Starewell to Spelling, Power of One/Two, Teaching Reading Through Games, Comprehension reading cards, Inference Intervention, Social Communication groups, Lego therapy, motor skills groups.
• For children with specific identified or diagnosed needs, we work very closely with external agencies to ensure that the best possible support is in place (e.g. educational psychologist, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers from specialist settings).
• Team around the Child (TAC) Meetings are often held in school involving specialists and/or parents to set targets, evaluate progress and ensure consistency of approach in addressing needs in school and at home.
• Specific resources or strategies are in place for many children recommended by external agencies e.g. coloured overlays/exercise books, sloping boards, sensory cushions, motor skills equipment use of learning breaks, access to an area for time out, visual time tables and social stories/ language assisted software/ special stories.

g) How do we engage with Outside Agencies and what services do they provide?

When a child is demonstrating further cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent than can be met by the school interventions already put in place, school will engage with relevant outside agencies. This is triggered when:

• a child continues not to make expected progress despite personalised planning being put in place.
• continues to have difficulty in developing English and Maths skills.
• has social, emotional, mental health difficulties which are a barrier to learning.
• has sensory or physical needs and requires additional specialist equipment or requires regular advice or visits by a specialist service.
• has on-going communication or interaction differences, needing supportive scaffolds to navigate social demands.
• a child’s learning needs are manifesting themselves either in a more complex or in a more specific way as they move up through the school.

For these children, the difference between their attainment and that of the other children is widening and this needs further investigation.

A request for support from external agencies is likely to follow a decision taken jointly by school staff and with parental permission. In seeking the support of external support services, those visiting the school will need to have access to the child’s records in order to establish which strategies have already been tried and parental permission must be given.

These services include:

• School Nurse Team who can advise and assess medical needs and support the referral process and lead or participate in Early Help Assessment meetings (team around the family).
• Speech and Language Therapist who is available to advise school on how to support children with speech, langugage, communication and interaction differences.
• Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher (Specific language needs/ sensory and physical needs) may be used to advise school on meeting children’s needs and deliver diagnostic assessments.
• Specialist Teacher may be used to advise parents and school on specific strategies to support pupils with social and emotional needs.
• Specialist teachers and Teaching Assistants from the Sensory Service will come to school and work with individual children and offer advice to parents and teachers about the learning environment and access.
• Physiotherapists will come to school to advise on access and provide programmes to improve mobility for pupils identified as having physical needs.
• Occupational Therapist will come to school to provide programmes to improve pupils gross or fine motor skills or provide support around sensory processing differences.
•  
• h) What activities are available for children with SEND in addition to those available in accordance with the curriculum?
• All extra – curricular activities are available for children with SEND. Additional support is provided to ensure access and appropriate risk assessments are put in place.
• Leaders of extra curriculum activities are given information about pupils with additional needs so reasonable adjustments can be made.
• Access to before school care (breakfast club Kidzone).
• Links with after school care to ensure additional needs are recognised and met.
• Life skills after school club is provided for identified pupils.
• Residential trip to Ghyll Head for year 6 pupils.
• Lunch time reading club.
• Lunch time home learning club.
• Inclusive sport competitions.
•  
• i) What support is available for children with social and emotional difficulties?

• Reasonable adjustments to classroom routines to support regulation of emotions, and sensory processing differences.
• Using the Zones of Regulation in all classes to support pupils in understanding emotions and how to respond to unexpected behaviours.
• Information on the school website signposting support for mental health and wellbeing.
• Family support worker to meet with parents and children to discuss and share needs.
• A specified teaching assistant in each team with a focus on pastoral care.
• A Sports leaders group to ensure all pupils are included in unstructured times.
• Specialist advice from a Speech and Language therapist for pupils with social and communication difficulties.
• Specialist advice from Outreach service such as Bridgelea.
• Specialist advice Educational Psychologist.
• Specialist advice form CAMHS (Children and Mental Health Service).
• Autism Education Trust (advice and resources for schools and parents).
• Individual behaviour plans to complement the school’s behaviour policy and provide a layered approach to meet need.
• Designated areas for time out.
• Assessment tools and intervention programmes.

j) How we plan to meet significant need?

When a child is demonstrating a significant cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent than can be met by the interventions already put in place, statutory assessment will be considered. The Education Health Care Plan (ECH plan) incorporates all information about the child from birth to 25. All parties, including health and other agencies involved with the child contribute to this plan. The child and parent are central to the plan. If a Statutory Assessment is required, the school, in consultation with the child, parents and outside agencies, will submit reports for consideration by the Local Authority’s Provision Panel. The request is made to the Local Authority (Manchester City Council).

Parents may also make a Request for Statutory Assessment. They will need to contact the Information Advice Service at the Local Education Office to be advised of the way forward. If the school makes a Request for Statutory Assessment, parents can still access the Information Advice Service Services at any point in the process. The process is defined by a specific timescale and statutory procedures.

All of the evidence is gathered and sent to the Local Authority Special Educational Needs Officer who in turn sends it for review to the Special Educational Needs Panel. If the request is successful, then further evidence is gathered from all of the agencies who have been involved with the child.

If the Provision Panel agrees to the need for an ‘Education Health Care Plan’, the Local Authority will lead on the process. School will prepare the necessary documentation and send it to the Local Authority.

EHC Plans are subject to annual review which will include parental views and the child’s views. Further reviews can be arranged at any time if significant concerns arise. Children under 5 years of age are subject to 6 monthly reviews.

The Local Authority will need to have:

• information about the pupil’s progress over time
• documentation detailing the child’s specific need
• details of action the school has taken in meeting the child’s need
• details of any special resources, reasonable adjustments made or particular arrangements put in place

This information includes where relevant:

• individual provision planned
• records of regular reviews and the outcomes
• health reports, including speech and language and mental health reports
• reports and records of progress
• educational and other assessments including those from specialist teachers and Educational Psychology
• reports from other professionals involved with the child (Social Care Services/ Health and welfare services)

4. What is the name of the SENDCo and contact details for the SENDCo?

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) is: Ms Jenny Power

Ms Power is the Senior Assistant Head. She is contactable through the school office/ email

Telephone: 0161 3595316

Email: j.power@st-pauls-pri.manchester.sch.uk

5. What is the level of expertise and training of staff in relation to children with SEND and how will specialist expertise be secured?

• Our SENDCo has 31 years’ experience of teaching pupils identified has having additional needs and has been the SENDco for 20
• The school employs four Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA) within a team of 18 TAs who are trained to deliver a range of interventions to small groups or on a 1:1 basis.
• 25 members of staff are trained First Aiders who have their certificates renewed every three years. First aid training meetings are held every term.
• Staff trained in manual handling has refresher training every two years.
• Refresher training with regard to asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis is held throughout the year or when deemed necessary.
• The SENDCo and relevant staff (i.e. staff directly involved with children with a specific need) training is updated in areas such as Dyslexia, Working Memory, Autistic Spectrum Condition, Speech and Language Needs, Hearing and Vision Impairment, Sensory processing differences, Emotional regulation.
• Staff have received training (i.e. staff directly involved with children with specific need relating to the course) in areas such as meeting the needs of pupils with Autism – using the Picture Exchange Communication System, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Colourful Semantics, ELKLAN Speech and Language Training, Selective Mutism, sensory processing and gross and fine motor skills development.
• CPD training is offered regularly to enhance the school’s Improvement Plan and afford personal development to staff.
• Particular support is given to trainee teachers, Early Career Teachers (ECTs) Recently Qualified Teachers (RQTs) and other new members of staff.
• Throughout the year our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator attends SENDco network meetings, an annual SENDco conference organised by Catalyst Psychology to support Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators with work in school, affording an opportunity to discuss special educational needs issues with colleagues in other schools and disseminate information regarding current practice to colleagues in our school.
• The SENDco and staff members can access training and advice from Manchester Healthy School's service.
• In the summer term meetings are held to discuss the transition of pupils with SEND to new classes/ new year groups and information on class provision maps shared. One Page profiles are updated. The SENDco will communicate with Secondary Schools and meetings arranged with receiving schools if required.
• As a member of the leadership team the SENDCo will discuss training needs and review the progress of pupils with SEND.
• Our SENDCo organises training on a needs basis and also staff may request specific training.   

      6. How are equipment and facilities to support children with SEND secured?

Resources, equipment and facilities are secured following advice and recommendations from specialist agencies. Discussions are held with parents and leadership team to support these recommendations. St Paul’s endeavours to secure all recommended resources and equipment to enable access for pupils with identified needs. These can include:

• an area of low stimulation for a child with a specific diagnosis
• an area for the delivery of physiotherapy programmes
• recommended software programmes for pupils with specific communication difficulties/ physical needs
• communication friendly resources
• a fully equipped hygiene suite
• adjustable bed for toileting and changing facilities
• hoist equipment to support personal care
• specific equipment for identified learning need e.g sloping boards, sensory cushions, IPads, coloured overlays, enlarged texts, adjustable tables for wheel chair users

We regard our duty to make reasonable adjustments as an anticipatory duty – i.e. it applies not only to disabled children who already attend our school but also to disabled children who may attend in the future (this does not imply that we anticipate every possible auxiliary aid and service that may be required by current or future children attending our school, but that we anticipate those auxiliary aids and services which it would be reasonable to expect may be required). Auxiliary aids could include for example the provision of a piece of equipment; additional staff assistance for disabled children; readers for children (and adults in our school community) with visual impairments.

7. What are the facilities provided to help all pupils with disabilities access the school?

Our school’s Accessibility Plan (available on this website) outlines adaptations made to the building to meet particular needs and enhance learning.

This involves improvements to the physical environment of the school and the physical aids to access education. When necessary school seeks advice form the school nurse or outreach specialist teams to produce: Individual Health Care Plans, Risk Assessments, Emergency Medical Protocols and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans. These plans are reviewed on an annual basis with both parents and professionals.

8. What are the arrangements for the admission of pupils with disabilities?

Before children enter school if they are known to have specific disability, the SENDco will have an initial meeting with parents and other professionals to plan a successful transition into school. Other professionals may include the school nurse, educational psychologist, occupational therapy, physio therapy, speech and language therapy and sensory support for pupils with hearing and vision impairment.

9. What are the arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEND about and involving such parents in the education of their child?

The partnership between parents and school plays a key role in promoting a culture of positive expectation for SEND pupils. Parent partnership is encouraged through:

• Parents evenings held in the Autumn and Spring term with an end of year annual written report.
• Review meetings held three times a year to discuss progress of set targets and next steps.
• Person Centred Annual reviews for pupils with an Educational Health care Plan. The views of the child and parents are central to reviewing actions and agreeing on outcomes. Children and parents’ views forms are used in writing One Page Pupil Profiles for communication with staff and receiving high school. At Year 5 reviews; transition to high school is considered involving parents and a member of the Local Authority. At Year 6 annual review, the SENDco and any staff involved in transition, from the receiving high school is invited.
• Parents may be invited to discuss their child’ progress at any time and additional meetings will be organised at the request of the parents or to share recommendations for external agencies. The SENDCo is contactable via the school office or by email.
• Progress and outcomes are discussed during consultation meetings with our Educational Psychologist/ Speech and language Therapist / Specialist teachers when reports or assessments are shared.

10. What are the arrangements for consulting children with SEND about and involving them in their education?

• Personalised targets/One Page Pupil Profiles/ Communication passports are reviewed with children
• Children’s self-evaluation is actively encouraged throughout the school and children are supported where necessary to think of areas for development and how best to develop in these areas in school and at home. Through teacher and teaching assistant feedback, children are aware of their next steps and the challenging targets set to support their development.
• Child views forms are used at annual reviews to obtain children’s views about their learning and involvement in school

11. What are the arrangements for supporting children with SEND in transferring between phases of education?

• Transition to a new class within school is planned for children with SEND on an individual basis. It begins as early as possible in the summer term in preparation for September. Some children will have a One Page Pupil Profile informed by the views of the pupil, parents and teacher, so the receiving staff know what is important to the pupil and how best to support them.
• Transition arrangements may also include visits from the new teacher to the pupil’s class in their current setting and a series of visits from the pupils to the new classroom with a teaching assistant. Transition books are produced with photographs of the classroom/ setting and relevant staff for parents to share with the child at home. A communication passport is produced for pupils with specific communication needs so new staff understand the best ways to support.
• Staff from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)) make home visits to the pupils transferring to school and find this useful in identifying additional need.
• Transition from Year 6 to High School is planned on an individual basis with the Secondary School, pupils and parents. A number of meetings are held with a representative from the high school, Year 5 and 6 Team Leader and the SENDco. Pupils produce transition passports to be passed onto the high school. Teaching assistants work with small groups or in a 1:1 with a focus on transition – activities such as timetables / subjects / questions and concerns about change are addressed.
• Extra visits to high schools are made for specific children accompanied by a teaching assistant.

12. What are the arrangements made by the Governing Body relating to the treatment of complaints from parents of children with SEND concerning the provision made at school?

It is in everyone’s interests for complaints to be resolved as quickly and at as low a level as possible and our SEND complaint procedure is as follows:

• The complaint is dealt with by the class teacher – the complainant needs to feel that they have been listened to and that all points raised have been addressed. If the matter remains unresolved.
• The complaint is dealt with by the SENDco or by a senior manager. If there is still no resolution the Head teacher should become actively involved.
• If the matter is still not resolved, the complainant must put their complaint in writing to the Chair of Governors.
• The Governing Body will deal with the matter through their agreed complaint resolution procedures.
• In the unlikely event that the matter is still not resolved, the parent can then take the complaint to the Local Authority or request independent disagreement resolution and the school will make further information available about this process on request.

13. How does the Governing Body involve other bodies, including health and social services bodies, local authority support services and voluntary organisations in meeting the needs of our children with SEND and in supporting the families of such children?

• The governing body has selected a named governor with responsibility for SEND who meets regularly with the SENDco.
• Our SENDco will meet with the named school governor to review the SEND action plan and report annually to the schools governing body.
• External support services play an important part in helping school identify, assess and make provision for pupils with special educational needs.
• School commissions the services of an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist and Specialist Teacher for specific learning needs who assesses pupils and provides training, support and advice to staff.
• The speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services (NHS) involved with individual children support school in the implementation of specific programmes and contribute to the monitoring of progress and reviews of children.
• School maintains links with child health services, children’s social care services and education welfare services to ensure that all relevant information is considered when making provision for our children with SEND.
• The School Health Practitioner is available for advice and attends meetings (attendance, EHA (Early Help Assessment), case planning, (Child in Need) in school on request following referrals to the service made by school.
• Liaison meetings with local pre-school groups are held in the summer term before children enter our Reception classes.
• The Local Authority’s Early Help procedures are adhered to by school whereby help is offered to children and families before any problems are apparent and when low level problems emerge.

14. What are the contact details of support services for the parents of children with SEND?

If you want advice from professionals outside school you may find the following numbers helpful:

• School admissions: 0161 234 7188
• Family Worker (Mrs J Cyprys ) 0161 359 5316
• Early Help Hub South 0161 234 1977 earlyhelpsouth@manchester.gov.uk
• School Nurse Service: 0161 946 9431
• Information, Advice and Support (IAS) 0161 209 8356 parents@manchester.gov.uk
• Statutory Assessment Team: sen@manchester.gov.uk 0161 245 7439
• Manchester Families Service Directory: http://manchester.fsd.org.uk
• Special Educational Needs Families Support Group 0161 755 348 senfsg.com

15. Where are the Local Authority’s offer and the School’s Local offer published?

• • The School’s local offer can be found on the website
  • The Local Authority’s Local Offer can be found at manchester.gov.uk/localoffer