SEND

A learning difficulty or disability is present if a child:

• Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than others of the same age.
• Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age.

In consultation with parents, pupils who have an identified special educational need will be included on the school SEN register, which is maintained by the SENCO.

The school plans for a broad range of needs which may cross over one or more of these areas:

1. Communication & Interaction
2. Sensory & Physical
3. Cognition & Learning
4. Social, Emotional & Mental Health

For further information, please refer to the SEND Code of Practice (2014)

• In the first instance, talk to your child’s class teacher about your concerns who can advise you/provide resources.
• If you continue to have concerns, you can arrange a meeting with the Assistant Head for Inclusion/SENCO Shainey Slater. Please book an appointment with the office.

If there are any concerns around your child’s learning, happiness or wellbeing we will communicate this with you and work together to action support and next steps for improvement.

We do this through:

• Discussions with the teacher before/after school
• During parent/teacher meetings
• During inclusion meetings with the class teacher/SENCO

Staff at Bevington are very well trained to support all children.  Training opportunities within and outside school enable all staff to have a thorough understanding of how children learn, including how to best support their needs.

For staff working directly with pupils with more complex needs, training is provided by specialist providers to ensure intervention is well-matched to individual children.

Recent training opportunities include: Autism Awareness, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), ELSA (Emotional Literacy), Dyslexia, supporting reading difficulties, supporting handwriting difficulties, Dyscalculia, supporting pupils through frightening events, hoist training, Epi-pen training, attachment, emotional regulation,  working memory and epilepsy awareness training.

Staff use a range of strategies to support pupils and will make reasonable adjustments to the curriculum and environment to cater for the needs of all learners in the classroom.

At Bevington Primary School, we have a 3 tiered graduated approach to ensure children are well supported. Most children will achieve well with quality first teaching provided in the classroom (that which is ‘universal to all). Some children may require additional support in the form of interventions. Pupils may or may not have an identified special educational need to access intervention. Parents will be consulted in the assessment, planning and reviewing of interventions by the class teacher (‘targeted’). Where pupils require additional support or the needs of pupils are complex or not clear, a referral may be made to external specialists. Referrals will always be made in consultation with parents and carers (‘specialist’).

Most pupils will graduate through each wave, however some pupils will require external specialist support straight away if their needs are complex.

The SENCO oversees referrals to specialists in consultation with staff and parents. The specialist services available upon a referral basis are:

• Speech and Language Therapist
• Educational Psychologist
• Primary Behaviour Specialists (TBAP)
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Early Help
• Occupational Therapist
• Child Development Services (CDS)
• Education Mental Health Practitioner
• Autism and Early Years Intervention Team.

At Bevington, we want parents/carers to talk to us and feel involved in all areas of their child’s learning – you know your children best!

Here are some of the ways we may collect your views:

• Through regular meetings with the class teacher to discuss progress and attainment.
• Parent workshops
• Parent questionnaires to collect your views
• If your child has an identified special educational need, you will be invited to a termly meeting with the class teacher and SENCO to discuss current progress, support strategies and expected outcomes.
• If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you and your child will be able to share your views more formally at the Annual Review Meeting.
• If a child is a Looked After Child (LAC), they can speak to the designated officer for LAC (Shainey Slater) and/or give their views in meetings with education, health and social care providers.

The class teacher and other staff working with your child ensure that your child receives appropriate teaching and support in order to reach their learning goals.

Pupils with SEN may have an Support Plan drawn up with the class teacher and/or SENCO, in consultation with you and your child (where appropriate). This plan sets termly targets for pupils to achieve and outlines strategies to be used to support pupils both in school and at home. Progress is discussed and reviewed termly during parent/teacher evenings.

 If your child is supported by an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) or your child’s needs require specialist or external agency support, the SENCO (Shainey Slater) will organise a larger meeting to discuss your child’s Support Plan and invite all adults involved in supporting your child. These meetings will occur at least termly but may be more frequent depending on what your child needs.

An EHCP stands for an Education, Health and Care Plan. The purpose of an EHCP is to provide special provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/she gets older, prepare for adulthood. EHCPs can be requested by a child’s parent, the young person themselves (if over the age of 16 but under 25) and a person acting on behalf of a school (with the knowledge and agreement of the parent and young person where possible.

Please make an appointment with Shainey Slater (SENCO) if you wish to discuss whether an EHCP would benefit your child.

Working with parents is important in securing the best possible outcomes for pupils. We can help you to support your child’s learning in a variety of ways:

Bevington Primary School receives funding from the local authority which is used to support the learning of children with SEN and disability. Funding is fairly allocated to support pupils accessing supporting at the universal and targeted tier of support and can contribute to funding for resources such as:

• iPads for pupils with SEN
• Assistive technology
• Intervention resources to support SEN
• Teaching Assistants to support pupils in class
• Resources to support fine/gross motor skills
• Training for staff
• Resources to support learning and well-being
• Specialist equipment (if required)

We want all pupils to achieve well and we will provide the support required to ensure pupil needs are met. If longer term funding is required, for example to employ a 1:1 TA to support a pupil, the SENCO will consult with parents to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Your child’s academic progress will be assessed within the classroom by the class teacher and shared with you during parent/teacher meetings.

Support Plans are written for pupils on the SEN register to outline the outcomes expected and support provided. Parents and pupils (where appropriate) will be included in the planning and reviewing of plans to ensure their wishes are taken into account. Pupils will be asked to rate their progress using a simple visual measure.

Where pupils have completed interventions which are proven to be effective and have not made adequate progress, the SENCO may decide to ask for more specialised help. Specialists will discuss with you how they assess pupils and will include you and your child in the planning and review process.

At Bevington Primary School, we take children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health very seriously and offer and range of programmes and resources to support children and families.

Some of the strategies we use include:

• MindUp curriculum
• Brain Breaks throughout the school day
• Support from the school’s Education Mental Health Practitioner, Nisha Patel
• Access to Art Therapy
• West London Zone intervention programme
• Emotional Literacy

For more information on any of these strategies, please see our ‘Wellbeing’ section on the school’s website.

Bevington Primary School is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all children. School clubs, educational visits and residential trips are available to all children, regardless of their needs or disability.

When necessary the school will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) are included in all activities. You should feel free to contact you child’s class teacher if you have any concerns.

Between Schools:

• Transition visits – pupils see their new classrooms and meet new staff
• The old school and new school will discuss how best to support your child.
• Useful resources and information will be passed to the new school.
• A transition book may be used to prepare pupils for the change in school.

Between Teachers:

• Useful resources, strategies and information will be passed to the new teacher
• Children may make planned visits to their new classroom and meet their new teachers.
• A transition book may be used to prepare pupils for the change in teacher and room.
• A transition passport will be written to identify pupils strength, interests, needs and supportive strategies.

Transition books:

Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 says that a person has a disability if the person:

• Has a physical or mental impairment, and
• The impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

Long term refers to 12 months or more and ‘substantial’ refers to more than minor or trivial.

Facilities provided for by school are:

• Access to mental health support via a weekly resident CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)therapist .
• A lift to support pupils with physical disability
• A hoist system to support pupils with physical disability
• Disabled toilet facilities including hoist, change bench, toilet handle bars, safety alarm and height adjustable sink
• Evacu-chairs to support the safe evacuation of pupils with a physical disability down the stairs
• Height adjustable classroom table
• Ramps or inclines at key doorways

If your child has special educational needs or disability (SEND) but does not have an Education, Health and Care Plan, you can apply for a place in the same way as other parents.

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the admissions process for your child is a little different. You must liaise with your child’s EHC Coordinator at the local authority where you live, who will support you to name a school on your child’s EHCP. The named school must then offer a place for your child.

Initially speak with your child’s teacher/SENCO about your concerns and hopefully they can address these.

You can then contact the Head teacher, who may direct you to the school’s complaint’s policy and procedure.

The Local Offer is the council’s offer for parents and young people. It includes provision both in and out of school and will include services and support provided by the private and voluntary sectors as well as the council and the NHS. It will also include information about the arrangements for identifying and assessing children and young people’s special educational needs and for requesting an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment. In addition there will be information on how to raise concerns about services

Please click here to be taken to the Bi-borough Local Offer.

The quality and effectiveness of SEN provision available to pupils at Bevington is monitored by the senior leadership team and in particular by the SENCO. Monitoring may include:

• Evaluation of the impact of provision on pupils (quality provision should yield quality outcomes for pupils)
• Observations of teaching and learning
• Pupil observations
• Pupil questionnaires
• Parent questionnaires
• Staff questionnaires
• Book Looks
• Environment checks
• Observations of support staff
• Learning Plan evaluation
• Planning checks

Please click on this link to find out information related to support services for parents/carers of pupils with SEN:

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/kb5/rbkc/fis/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=9

Please also look at the Full of Life website to access support: http://www.fulloflifekc.com/