SEND

Oughtrington Primary School SEND Policy and Information Report 2023-2024

School Vision:

At Oughtrington Primary School, all children are given the opportunity to progress in their learning in a positive way.  As a school, we offer a personalised and enriching curriculum to meet the specific needs of all children to help ensure that every child is making progress based on their own educational needs. 

The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of the whole staff including the SEND Governor, with any extra provision or expertise being provided by external agencies and professionals. 

 Aims:

In school we aim to:

• Create a school environment in which all children are included, valued and challenged whilst having access to all elements of a rich, broad and balanced curriculum either through whole class teaching or in small group or individual interventions;
• Value all children: we aim and expect all children to experience success and achievement, by raising aspirations allowing them to reach their full potential and make progress;
• Provide support and advice for all staff working with SEND pupils by offering bespoke training for staff and whole staff training through insets and regular staff meetings;
• Identify SEND as early as possible, by working closely with outside professionals and SEND consultants to gain up to date knowledge about assessment and intervention in the early stages of development;
• Use a range of organisational approaches and a variety of teaching styles in our teaching and learning to ensure learning needs are properly addressed and to engage and motivate learners;
• Work closely with parents/ carers to ensure that we take account of the children’s own views and aspirations and the parent’s experience of, and hopes for, their children.  Parents and carers are invited to be involved at every stage of planning and reviewing the SEND provision for their child, through regular meetings with the schools SENCo and class teacher.
• Involve the child in the planning of targets and future provision and to acknowledge the child’s own views and aspirations for their learning and achievement (at all ages and stages to the best of their ability).  
• Liaise with outside agencies to support high quality provision.

Legislation and guidance:

This policy and information report is based on the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2014) and the following legislation:

• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which sets out schools’ responsibilities for pupils with SEN and disabilities.
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, which set out schools’ responsibilities for Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, SEN co-ordinators (SENCOs) and the SEN information report                                            

Definitions:

A pupil will be identified as having SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. 

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, and may require outside professional support, e.g. Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapy, Paediatric support; or
• A disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind, generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools. 

The SEND Code of Practice identifies four broad areas of need which schools need to consider when planning a provision.  The SEND Code advises that these areas are not to be used to fit a pupil into a category, as children often have needs in more than one area.

1. Communication and interaction
2. Cognition and learning
3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
4. Sensory and/ or physical needs

Roles and responsibilities:

• Mrs A. Titchner- SENCo
• Mrs J. Clayton- Assistant SENCo 
• Ms N.Brown- Pastoral Support 
• Miss G.Marsland- Headteacher
• Mrs Y.Poskett- SEND Governor 

Identifying pupils with SEND and assessing their needs:

Early identification and assessment:

At Oughtrington, we believe in early identification and intervention, and therefore it is essential to have good liaison with all staff and outside professionals, so that high quality teaching and provision is planned to meet the needs of the pupil.

The school follows a graduated approach for identification and assessment as laid out in the SEND Code of Practice.  In some cases, the school may feel that an EHC application needs to be completed immediately for a child due to concerns for that child’s safety and wellbeing. In these circumstances professional advice will be sought beforehand.  This may happen with new children to the school or when a medical condition, e.g. Sensory Impairment, comes to light.  

The first step of identifying a pupil who may have SEND is through high quality teaching which is differentiated for individual pupils.  School regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils, including those at risk of underachievement, through regular book looks, learning walks, pupil voice and Pupil Progress Meetings.  This also includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving, teachers’ understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and increasing their knowledge of SEND in line with the Code of Practice.

We will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting 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;
• Widens the attainment gap.  (para 6.17, SEN CofP, 2015) 

This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social and emotional needs. 

Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN. 

 When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer of Quality First Teaching, or whether something different or additional is needed.  At this point we may also request to seek the advice from outside professional support.

Although the school can identify special educational needs, and make provision to meet those needs, we do not, and cannot, offer diagnoses.  

Co-production with Parents/Carers:

We will have an early discussion with the pupil and their parents/carers when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty;
• We take into account the parents’/carers’ concerns and future plans are made in co-production with the parent
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child;
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are.
• Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s record.

We will notify parents/carers when it is decided that a pupil will receive SEN support, and will be put on the school’s SEND register. 

Assessing and reviewing pupils' progress towards outcomes:

Oughtrington has due regard for the SEND Code of Practice when carrying out its duties towards all pupils with SEND.

We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review.

The class teacher will work with the SENCo to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil;
• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour; 
• Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant;
• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data;
• The views and experience of parents/ carers;
• The pupil’s own views;
• Advice from external support services, if relevant.

The assessment will be reviewed regularly. Where support ‘additional from or different to’ that normally available to pupils the same age is required, it will be provided through ‘SEN support’.  

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress, through termly school pupil progress meetings and continually updating a child's graduated approach when needed. 

Where concerns remain despite sustained intervention/ provision, the school will consider requesting a Statutory Assessment for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC Plan).  Parents/ carers will be fully consulted at each stage.  We recognise that parents/ carers have a right to request a Statutory Assessment for and EHC Plan at any point in their child’s education.

Our approach to teaching pupils with SEN:

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class.  Every teacher is a teacher of SEND pupils.

High Quality First Teaching is our first step in responding to pupils who have SEND.

Our whole school curriculum will be adapted and tailored to meet every child’s individual needs within the classroom. 

We will also provide specific identified interventions where needed which are tailored to meet each child’s individual needs. 

Where appropriate we may seek outside professional advice to ensure that the correct support is being provided. 

Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment:

We make the following adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:

• Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 intervention work, teaching style, content of the lesson, visual aids and concrete resources 
• Adapting our resources and staffing; 
• Using recommended aids for the pupil, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, etc. and, where applicable, for the adults, such as  having a hearing loop;
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud, etc.;
• Support from our pastoral lead in the school to provide any social and emotional interventions where needed.

Additional support for learning:

As well as Quality First Teaching, we employ a number of trained Teaching Assistants who offer additional classroom based support and deliver specific interventions.  Teaching assistants are well supported by the school’s leadership team and the SENCo and will be deployed based on need. 

Some Teaching Assistants will support pupils in small groups and some will provide 1:1 support based on identified health needs. 

We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEND:

• School Health Advisers;
• Speech and Language Therapy (SALT);
• Child Development Centre (CDC);
• Occupational Therapy (OT);
• NHS services such as Audiology team, Visual Impairment team;
• Educational Psychology Service.
• Warrington Mental Health Support team
• Sensory impairment team 

Expertise and training of staff:

Oughtrington Primary has a number of trained staff to teach and support children with special educational needs. The Head Teacher, SENCo and Assistant SENCo have the National Award for SEN Coordination. 

Through our strategic planning, we will make provision for teaching and support staff to access relevant training either as a whole staff or in small groups or individuals.  This will be based on whole school priorities or individual/ group needs of pupils. 

Our SENCo will access local networks regularly to remain informed and up-to-date with latest research, policies and professional development.  We will work with external consultants for advice as needed.

Storing and Managing Information:

The school records the steps taken to meet pupils’ individual needs through a chronology kept in the pupil’s main SEND file.  This file is stored securely online in the schools electronic secure files. The file will also be stored on our secure online software CPOMS. Paper copies of any professional paperwork are stored in files in the SENCo office. The SENCo will maintain the records and share them regularly with the child’s class teacher.  In additional to the usual school records, the SEND file may include:

• Information from parents/ carers;
• Information on progress and behaviour;
• Information on interventions taking or have taken place
• Pupil’s own perceptions of difficulties;
• Information from health/ social services;
• Information from other agencies and professionals.

Evaluating the effectiveness of SEND provision:

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by:

• Reviewing pupils’ individual progress towards their goals each half-term (or more frequently if needed);
• Reviewing the impact of interventions after six weeks (maximum) and regularly through the course of an intervention;
• Gaining pupil voice 
• Monitoring by the SENCO; 
• Holding annual reviews for pupils with EHC plans (or more frequently if deemed necessary by school or at parent/ carer request).

Enabling pupils with SEN to engage in activities available to those in the school who do not have SEND:

All of our extra-curricular activities and school visits are available to all our pupils, including our before-and after-school clubs. 

Oughtrington, is a fully inclusive school and activities and school trips are open to all. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. If a child requires a more intensive level of support or an additional adult, a parent/carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity. Residential Visits take place from Year 5 onwards. During the planning stage every attempt will be made to include all children and may involve a school/parent meeting to discuss details and accessibility

Support for improving emotional and social development:

We provide support for pupils to improve their emotional and social development through individualised, group or whole class interventions.

Our PSHE policy places emphasis on the children’s emotional and social development, and this is incorporated in the everyday learning within our classrooms.

We have a member of staff whose role is to deal with pastoral support and is available to discuss any concerns with children and their families. Miss Smith, our Deputy head is the school's mental health lead.

The whole school has recently been trained in restorative practice and this is being implemented within the classroom to support positive behaviours and to  help develop emotional resilience. 

Two members within the school are also trained as ‘Emotional Literacy Support Assistants’ and are able to run high quality social and emotional interventions. 

Children with medical needs:

Where a pupil has a specific medical needs, a care plan is written and updated annually. This is written in consultation with parents/carers, the class teacher, our school medical co-ordinator and the school nurse. Locked medicine cabinets are located in staffroom and teachers take out a first aid bag (including inhalers) when outside or on educational visits and when going swimming. Oughtrington Primary, has named First Aid trained staff in all Key Stages of the school. Children with severe medical needs have their information in key areas in school for staff to have heightened awareness of their needs. Staff are updated regularly at staff meetings on any changes to children’s needs. Prescribed medicines are allowed in school but must come through our medical coordinator and be signed for by the parent. A medical request form must be completed and signed by the parent or carer. Staff at Oughtrington Primary have received training in : Epilepsy, using an Epi-pen, Asthma, Diabetes and Using a Defibrillator (The defibrillator is located in the main office area), Emergency inhalers are held in school and will be administered by staff if a consent form has been signed by parents.

Working with other agencies 

Oughtrington invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for SEND. The SENCo and the assistant SENCo is the designated person responsible for liaising with the following Education Psychology Service, Occupational service, Sensory Impairment team, Speech and Language Service, Schools and Family Support Services and the Mental health support team. SEND Representatives from voluntary organisations and other external agencies are invited to liaison meetings throughout the year to discuss SEND provision, progress and keep staff up to date with legislation. 

Monitoring arrangements:

Consultation with staff and parents: 

This policy will be reviewed by the SENCo working with the Head teacher and SEND Governor annually. It will also be updated if any changes to the information are made during the year. 

There will be a fixed period of consultation following any changes made to the policy with staff and parents before being considered for approval by the Local Governing Body.

Complaints about SEN provision:

Parents/ carers are encouraged to raise any concerns they may have about their child’s experience in school to the class teacher.  Early discussion between home and school can develop a collaborative approach to meeting pupils’ needs and provide an open door policy to all our families.

Complaints about SEN provision in our school should be made to the Headteacher in the first instance. 

The parents of pupils with disabilities have the right to make disability discrimination claims to the first-tier SEND tribunal if they believe that our school has discriminated against their children. They can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:

• Exclusions;
• Provision of education and associated services;
• Making reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services.

The Local Authority local offer

Our local authority’s local offer is published here: https://askollie.warrington.gov.uk/localoffer

For further information on our SEN offer at Oughtrington primary school please read our SEN Information Report:

/uploads/236/files/SEND report 2023-2024(1).pdf

Glossary

CAMHS – Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service

EHCP – Education Health Care Plan

SEMH – Social Emotional and Mental Health

SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

SENCO – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

SMART TARGETS – Specific, Measurable, Realistic and Time-Limited Targets

TA – Teaching Assistant

EP- Educational Psychologist 

OT- Occupational Therapist

SALT- Speech and Language Therapist 

ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD-Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

ASD-Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SpLD-Specific Learning Difficulty

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