SEND
Inclusion Manager: Miss K Whalley
Introduction
At Bedford Hall Methodist Primary School our job is to do the best we can to enable all of our children to reach their full potential. In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey.
This information is to inform you of the types of support available to your child at Bedford Hall Methodist and signpost you to the Local Authority support where necessary.
How does Bedford Hall Methodist know if my child needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child has special educational needs?
A child has a special educational need if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for a special educational provision to be made for him or her.
Children with SEND have learning difficulties and/or physical difficulties that make it harder for them to learn than most children of a similar age, and they may need extra help or support. They may have difficulty with:
- some or all of the work in school
- reading, writing or mathematics
- understanding information
- expressing themselves
- understanding others
- organising themselves
- sensory perception or physical mobility
- managing their friendships or relating to adults
If a child continues to have difficulty after Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO's) offered in school, intervention or support, or has a high level of difficulty when they join us, they may be considered to have special educational need or disability (SEND) and be placed on the school's SEND Register. This will be discussed with the class teacher, Inclusion Manager and the parent/carers.
The four areas of SEND are identified in the Code of Practice as:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and/or physical needs
The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2014 gives guidance to schools in meeting the needs of pupils. It sets out how help should be given in a step by step approach. As parent/carer, you will be consulted at all stages of this graduated approach (please see link below)and staff will inform you of the additional work they do with your child. The link below provides more information about the Wigan Council Graduated Approach to SEND.
Class teachers will assess your child to identify their strengths, needs and any extra support they may require. If they need more additional support than most children their age, they may have a low level need.
Low Level Need
This may involve:
- Extra help from a Teacher, Teaching Assistant or Higher Level Teaching Assistant
- Small group or individual support during class time
- Additional ELO's, interventions or support
- Alternative resources such as access to ICT or visual prompts
If your child continues to have difficulty even with this extra support, we may seek additional advice from other professionals and your child may then be placed at high level need.
High Level Need
These professionals may be:
- Visual or hearing impairment team
- Target Educational Support Team (TESS)
- Health Professionals
- Outreach from Specialist Provision settings
- Education Psychologists (EP)
- Children's disability service. (This service provides a wide range of advice and support about children with a disability which may include additional or complex needs, learning difficulties, sensory impairment or children with a speech, language and communication need.)
- Speech and language therapy (SALT)
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- School nurse
- Local Authority SEND team
If your child is on the SEND register, class teachers will create a personalised 'Assess, Plan, Do, Review' document relevant to the child's needs or follow recommendations/outcomes from outside agencies.
This will be reviewed by the teacher, adults working with the child and parents on a regular basis, or as necessary, and new targets may be set or further recommendations followed.
Please see link below for Local Authority council website - what support is available for children aged 5-16?
Support
How will staff at Bedford Hall Methodist support my child?
We have an experienced team of staff who are passionate about being inclusive, they will be involved in supporting your child at Bedford Hall. These include:
· Your child's class teacher, who will make sure that the tasks set for are appropriate and accessible for your child. The class teacher will inform the parent/carer of any additional provision and targets that may need to be set.
· Teaching Assistants or Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA) who support children in class and carry out some of the interventions.
· The Inclusion Manager will ensure the school is effective in its arrangements and provision for children with SEND, attending regular local authority meetings/ training and keeping up to date with any national changes, Ofsted guidance and disseminating to all staff in school.
· Mrs Pierce, our Governor for SEND, works with the Inclusion Manager in leading SEND throughout the school. The Governors receive a termly report from the Inclusion Manager to keep them updated with provision in school.
· Staff from other agencies can work in school to support children with a particular focus. For example, Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, Targeted Support Service (TESS), Outreach and Educational Psychologist.
All support, whether from a specialist agency or within school, is reviewed on a regular basis with the Inclusion Manager, the class teacher, and/or any other adults involved. Parents will receive reports carried out by specialist services and given updates at parent's evening and/or 'Assess, Plan, Do, Review' meeting with the class teacher, depending on what has been agreed.
Local Authority funding and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan)
School (or parent/carers) can apply for additional funding from the local authority if school, parents and professionals feel that it will be appropriate to meet any additional needs. This is called Targeted Individual Support (TIS) funding, Early Year Resource funding (EYAR) or Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). The Inclusion manager and/or Local Authority can make the referrals for the necessary funding alongside the parent/carer.
An EHCP plan brings together all the professionals that work with your child and ensure that your child's needs are being met as much as possible. This could mean funding, extra staff time, special equipment and/or attendance at a school with specialised resourced support. This additional provision will be reviewed annually (Annual Review), or sooner if required, and would normally include parents, class teacher, key worker (where applicable), Inclusion Manager, pupil and other external agencies that work with your child. More details about EHCP plans, personalised budgets and the Annual Review process are available on the local authority website, see link below.
Where provision and support for children exceeds £6,000 per year, an Education Health and Care Plan may be considered for additional funding. This process is completed by the school and parents are kept up to date throughout the process. An EHC Plan can be applied for at any time, following the Graduated Approach.Parent/carers may also apply via the Local Authority.
The link below provides more information about Wigan Council's Educational Health Care Plan:
https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Business/Professionals/SEND/Education-health-and-care-plans.aspx
Curriculum
How will the curriculum be matched to my child's needs?
All children in school receive quality first teaching. This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs. All of our year groups are supported by teaching assistants, and pupils can participate in ELO's, interventions or small group work when necessary.
At Bedford Hall Methodist Primary School the progress and attainment of all children is reviewed on a half termly basis by class teachers and members of the Senior Leadership Team, at which time provision may be adjusted to meet identified needs. The Inclusion Manager is in contact with all staff regularly, but carries out an official meeting with the class teacher termly to discuss SEND needs, update key information, progress and reports.
Communication
How will both you and I know how my child is doing, and how will you help me support my child's learning?
We will know if a pupil will need help if concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, professionals or the child; limited progress is being made; or if there is a change in the pupil's social, emotional, mental health needs or progress.
You will be informed about your child's general progress and targets through the two parents' evenings and annual end of year report. You will be informed of how your child's learning is assessed and planned and what support you may be able to provide at home.
The class teacher and/or Inclusion Manager may speak to you more regularly depending on the need and progress.
If you are concerned about your child please contact your child's teacher as soon as possible - you do not have to wait until a parent's evening to talk to a member of staff about your child. The class teacher will inform the Inclusion Manager.
At Bedford Hall we understand that you have a valuable understanding of your child's needs and wishes and we aim to involve you in every aspect of the decision making progress.
Well Being
What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?
At Bedford Hall we support every child's wellbeing on a number of different levels and in a number of different ways. All children and parents are encouraged to follow 'Our School Rules', 'Methodist Values' and 'Home School Agreement'.
We have a Pastoral Manager who provides support to children with SEND where appropriate. They also support behaviour and attendance. If a child has a medical need, there are trained first aiders in Early Years, Key stage 1 and Key stage 2. Mrs Baxter facilitates all Health Care Plans.
The Inclusion Manager and Pastoral Manager facilitate the pupil voice, where children have opportunities to share their views about their provision. They may do this through communication with their class teacher, support assistant or filling in a pupil voice sheet. There is a parent questionnaire for SEND on the school website for all parents to share their views.
Specialist Help
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by Bedford Hall Methodist?
As part of our support for all children in school we consult and liaise with all relevant professionals within our local authority.
Relevant professionals may include:
- A Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) who works regularly in and out of school to assess and support children.
- Educational Psychologist (EP) may offer advice or complete an assessment for a child if necessary.
- Professionals from the TESS (Targeted Education Support Service) Team can offer assessments and advice about how to help children manage their social, emotional and mental health needs and/or learning difficulties and support with school training.
- Outreach Worker from specialist provision schools in the local authority can offer support to children and staff in school about a child's specific need and/or school training needs.
- We also work with Secondary Schools SENDCOs to ensure a successful transition to Year 7. When children are moving to a new school we can arrange extra transition visits when required. Parents are encouraged to visit the new school and ask any questions they have that may be specific to their child. The SENDCO liaises closely with other schools to ensure continuity of provision.
- GP's/ Hospital professionals/Paediatricians, etc
- Ethnic Minority Achievement Support (EMAS)
- Local Authority SEND team and Early Years SEND team
Inclusion
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
At Bedford Hall we pride ourselves on our inclusive policy and ethos. All children are given the opportunity and encouraged to go on school trips and take part in all activities in and out of the classroom. Thorough risk assessments are carried out for any out of school trip or activities. Individual risk assessments can be made for children with SEND that require a more personalised approach. The local authority sets out ratios for adults to children according to age groups, however if a class teacher feels additional support is required then this will be provided. This may be in the form of another member of staff, a volunteer or a parent. If it is a specific child with an additional need, school will involve the parent in planning the activity or trip.
Access
How accessible is Bedford Hall Methodist?
Bedford Hall is accessible for all due to the open-plan layout of the building. An audit of the accessibility is carried out every 3 years by an external company. If you wish to see the audit report, please contact the school.
From the audit report, an accessibility action plan is developed with key actions. This can be accessed via the 'Accessibility Plan' tab below.
School makes every effort to support children and parents/carers whose first language is not English. There are services available to translate and work with children on a regular basis to support their language development where appropriate.
Who can I contact for further information?
Your child’s class teacher is your first contact if you wish to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have.
Alternatively, you can arrange to speak the Inclusion Manager (Miss K Whalley) or Pastoral Manager (Mrs M Anderson). Please contact the school office on 01942 672614.
For information about the support the Local Authority provide, please click the link below. Any complaints regarding SEND can be directed to the Head of School - Mrs L Draper; Director of Education - Mrs A Burkes; Chair of Governors - Mr K Meredith or the Wigan Local Authority.
https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Council/Contact-us/SchoolComplaintsProcedure.aspx
Wigan Local Offer provides information of services which could support children and young people with SEND:
The Autism Pathway and Service work with schools, teachers and parents to help support children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), you will find further information at the link below:
https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Business/Professionals/Educational-support/ASC-Pathway-Service.aspx
Or if you prefer to speak to someone please call Wigan SEND team on 01942 486136.
Reviewed: September 2023
Next Review September 2024