Inclusion Team

Inclusion manager - Mrs R Weatherby

SENCo - Mrs K Sams

Pastoral and parent engagement officer - Mrs K Vass

To contact a member of our inclusion team please email office@stbernadetteschool.co.uk or telephone 01895232298

St Bernadette is committed to ensuring all children achieve their potential and are able to participate fully in school life.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 states that ‘a pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.’

The broad areas of need are:

1. Communication and interaction

2. Cognition and learning

3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

4. Sensory and/or physical needs

Who should you contact to discuss any concerns or needs of your child?

If you have concerns about your child you should speak first to their class teacher. They are responsible for adapting the curriculum so that it meets the needs of all children, for assessing the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivery of any additional support. Your child’s phase leader may also be able to provide further advice or direct you to the school’s pupil well-being manager.

You may then be directed to the school's SENCO. The school’s SENCO is Mrs Sams. She is responsible for co-ordinating SEN provision and developing the school’s SEN policy. The school’s SENCO is supported in her role by the Inclusion manager, Mrs Weatherby.

How does the school know if your child needs additional support?

Through ongoing observations and assessment of all children, class teachers are able to identify any pupils who are not making expected progress and who may have additional needs.

Children who are not making expected progress will be a focus at termly pupil progress meetings. Class teachers with support of their phase leader will identify what targeted support the child will receive in the classroom to enable the child to make progress.

What will happen if your child continues to make less than expected progress?

If a child continues to make less than expected progress despite targeted provision within the classroom, the class teacher will liaise with the SENCO to assess whether the child has a Special Educational Need. As a result of this, additional support will be put into place. This may be targeted small group intervention, individual intervention or enhanced resources.

This additional support will be identified on an individual education plan (IEP). Short term targets will be set with the expected impact on progress and the review date. Termly reviews will be held of targets to evaluate the impact of the provision and to set new targets. If your child continues to make less than expected progress despite targeted intervention the school may refer to external agencies. The advice and recommendations from the external agency will then be built into your child’s IEP. Where a child continues to make no progress despite targeted provision and advice from external agencies being implemented, the school may then consider requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment if the child meets the LA criteria.

How will you know how well your child is doing?

If your child is identified as having SEN you will be informed by the school and invited in for a meeting to discuss the short term targets, the additional support and how you can support at home. You will receive a copy of your child’s IEP. You will then be invited in for termly review meetings to discuss the impact of provision and to set new targets.

How will teaching be adapted to meet the needs of your child?

Teachers are skilled at adapting teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning takes into account individual children’s needs and requirements. Differentiation is approached in a range of ways to support access and ensure that all children can experience success and challenge in their learning. Grouping arrangements are organised flexibly with opportunities for both ability and mixed setting to maximise learning opportunities for all. Additional adults are used flexibly to help groups and individual children with a long term goal of developing independent learning skills. Monitoring takes place to avoid students becoming over reliant and dependent on this adult support.

What interventions are available to support your child?

If your child meets the criteria, the following interventions can be put in place:

a. Literacy

b. Numeracy

c. Speech & language

d. Social skills and emotional well being

e. Additional Adults

f. Independent Learning

What support from outside does the school use to support your child?

The school works with a number of external agencies to seek advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met. These include:

• Educational Psychologist
• Speech & language therapist
• Inclusion Team
• Occupational Therapy
• Child Development Centre
• School Nurse
• Children and Adolescent mental Health (CAMHs)
• Private counsellor

How does the school support children with medical conditions?

The school has regard to statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ (Sept 2014). The school ensures that pupils at school with medical conditions are properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education.

The Head teacher, SENCO, class teachers and welfare assistant consult with health and social care professionals, pupils and parents to ensure that the needs of children with medical conditions are effectively supported.

All support is laid out in a care plan.

Accessibility

The entire school is accessible to children with a physical disability via a lift. Visual signage is used across the school to improve the accessibility to school for all children with a disability.

For further information see Accessibility Plan.

How does the school support transition from year group to year group or to a new school for SEN children?

• Year 6 pupils attend a Transition Day where they spend the day at their new school
• Additional visits to secondary schools, with familiar school staff, are organised for pupils who require them
• Secondary School staff meet with Year 6 staff and pupils to discuss transition
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• Each class has a transition session to meet new staff and become familiar if their new classroom when preparing to move to a new year group
• Nursery and Reception children have additional transition sessions in their new classrooms with familiar members of staff
• Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new class
• Transition Books are provided for pupils who require them

How skilled are staff in meeting the needs of your child?

An ongoing programme of training is in place to ensure that teachers and support staff have appropriate skills and knowledge in areas that will improve their teaching and support of children with SEN. The SENCO actively engages with local opportunities to share best practice and keep abreast of current local and national initiatives and policy to support students with SEN.

The school also seeks advice and guidance from local special schools to review, evaluate and develop provision for students who have the most complex needs.

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to student need?

The school ensures that the needs of all children who have SEN are met to the best of the school’s ability with the funds available. A team of Learning Support Assistants are funded from the SEN budget to deliver programmes to groups or individuals. The budget is allocated on a needs basis and students with the most complex needs are given the most support.

How can you support your child at home?

As a parent you can support your child by:

• reading frequently with your child and talking to them about the book
• practicing any phonics and spellings provided by the school
• helping your child to learn their number bonds and times tables
• completing any activities sent home by school

Who do I contact if I have a complaint about the provision for children with Special Educational Needs?

We strongly encourage our parents to contact us if they have any concerns about their child's provision. Please contact Mrs Weatherby, our Head of School and Inclusion manager via office@stbernadetteschool.co.uk or 01895232298

if you wish to escalate your complaint further please contact Mrs Acres, the Executive Headteacher via office@stbernadetteschool.co.uk or 0189232298