SEND information report
Introduction
Saint James Church of England Primary school is a large three-form entry, inclusive mainstream school catering for 630 pupils. All children are welcome and we will make reasonable adjustments to meet their abilities and needs. At Saint James we believe that all children should have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, which is differentiated to meet their individual needs. We work hard to ensure all children are given the right balance of support and challenge to enable them to be happy and successful learners.
How can I let the school know if I am concerned about my child?
Concerns:
If parents have concerns about their child or their progress, they should initially contact:
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The class teacher.
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The SENCo who will be happy to make an appointment to meet with parents to discuss any concerns.
How will staff know if my child needs extra help?
At Saint James we aim to identify children who require additional support as early as possible. This can take place at any point during the school year.
We know when pupils need help if:
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concerns are raised by parents or carers, a teacher or your child
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a pupil is making limited progress (as identified through assessment procedures)
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there is a change in the pupil’s behaviour or progress
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an early years setting or previous school has notified us of the support they are offering your child at the point of their transition to Saint James
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Your child’s progress is continuously monitored by their class teacher and is reviewed formally each term with senior staff as part of the school’s pupil progress procedure. During these meetings we discuss your child’s progress in general as well as their specific progress in Reading, Writing and Maths, or if applicable the Early Years Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals.
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If at any point during the year your child does not appear to be making expected progress, even when the teacher has adapted their teaching methods and materials to suit your child’s style and rate of learning, then they may require ‘SEN support’. We will discuss the reasons why this may be, and identify your child’s barriers to learning. We may use reading, spelling and maths assessment or a screening test (e.g. dyslexia) to inform our understanding of your child’s particular area of need.
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If your child is identified as requiring ‘SEN support’ you will be informed by their class teacher or SENCo. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be produced and shared with you. This will state your child’s current individual targets and detail any additional support your child will receive. The SENCo, class teacher, learning support assistant (where appropriate) and SEND team will work together to put in place strategies or support to enable your child to progress.
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If we believe that your child requires more specialist support than is offered at Saint James, your child’s class teacher and/or SENCo will discuss this with you. This support may include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social and emotional support or educational psychology. You will be asked whether you agree to us making a referral for your child to the relevant professional service. No referrals are made without your consent. Your child’s class teacher and/or SENCo will keep you informed about external professional involvement.
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Your child’s progress and targets will be reviewed regularly by your child’s class teacher and the SENCo will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual or group interventions that they take part in. Each term you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher to review the progress made and discuss plans for the following term. Parents also have the opportunity to make an appointment at the SENCo Surgeries, which are held throughout the year.
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If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (‘EHCP’, formerly known as a Statement of SEN), this will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review. You are very much encouraged to attend this meeting, together with the external colleagues from the agencies that are involved with supporting your child.
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At Saint James, we use a range of goals, tests and teacher assessment to measure children’s progress and attainment. Whilst the majority of children at Saint James will take these tests, for those with the most complex special educational needs this may not be appropriate. The Government’s Phonics Screening Test takes place in Year 1. The formal end of key stage Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) take place during Year 2 and Year 6.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
At Saint James, we have high expectations for all children. We strive to support all children to enable them to achieve well at school. In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey. For some children there are occasions when additional support may be needed to help them achieve their targets. This support may be offered by your child’s class teacher, class learning support assistant (LSA) or members of the SEND team. We will amend the curriculum and support your child in a variety of ways:
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High quality teaching In the classroom (Wave 1 Provision):
Your child’s class teacher will adapt the curriculum planning and teaching, to provide differentiated and relevant learning opportunities and activities (including home learning) that suit your child’s individual needs and targets. Activities will build on your child’s strengths, skills and prior knowledge. Differentiation for your child may include additional support from the teacher or learning support assistant, providing access to additional or different resources or equipment, using different teaching styles such as practical learning and outdoor spaces, or adopting specific strategies suggested by the SENCo and/or other professionals from outside agencies.
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Small ‘Booster’ Groups (Wave 2 Provision):
Small booster groups, which may be run by class teachers or learning support assistants, are available to any child within school. Your child may join one of these groups if their skills require a ‘boost’ in an aspect of reading, writing, spelling or mathematics. Depending upon the activity, this learning may take place in a quiet area outside the classroom.
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Individual Support (Wave 3 Provision):
If your child has more specific gaps in their understanding or learning they may be taught by a trained learning support assistant or member of the SEND team in a 1:1 situation to help them progress and meet their targets. This learning may take place within or outside the classroom. The duration of the intervention will vary according to need. The intervention will be regularly reviewed by all involved, to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning for your child.
If your child requires an NHS Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy programme to be delivered by school, this will be carried out by one of our trained learning support assistants.
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Speech and language support within school:
Our Speech and Language learning support assistants work as part of the SEND team with children across all year groups on a 1:1 basis or sometimes with small focus groups. They support children who are receiving NHS Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) by helping them in school to work on the targets set by their NHS therapist.
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Specialist support from outside agencies:
Sometimes a pupil’s barrier to learning cannot be overcome through high quality teaching and intervention support. They may need more specialist support from:
- School Nurse
- The Local Authority Educational Psychology Service
- Outreach Service
- Specialist Teacher Advisory Services for Physical Disability (PD), Hearing Impairment (HI), Visual Impairment (VI) and Communication and Interaction (C&I)
- Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Physiotherapy (PT)
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Primary Behaviour Support Service (PBS)
- Ethnic Minority and Traveler Achievement Service (EMTAS)
If your child has been identified by their class teacher or SENCo as needing more specialist support, or you have raised your own worries, then you will be asked to meet with the class teacher or SENCo to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward. You may be asked permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional for assessment. This will help the school and yourself to understand your child’s particular needs better and how they can be best supported in school.
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Pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
This applies to a minority of pupils in school whose learning needs are severe, complex and long term and who have been assessed and provided with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) from the Local Authority. In this case, your child will have been identified as requiring a particularly high level of individual support, which will have been specified by the Local Authority. This will typically involve specialist support in school from an external professional, for example a Specialist Teacher Advisor for Physical Disability (PD), Hearing Impairment (HI) or Visual Impairment (VI), or from the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) service. If your child joins our school with an EHCP we will work in consultation with you as parents, and professionals to put support in place for your child.
If your child is identified as a potential candidate for an EHCP whilst at Saint James, you or the school can request that the Local Authority carry out an assessment of your child’s needs. This process is always undertaken as a partnership between home, school and the professionals involved with a child’s support. The needs assessment request takes the form of an extensive document detailing information about your child. Your views will be included in the evidence for the EHCP request. The Local Authority will decide whether or not to proceed with the needs assessment process. If the needs assessment request is successful then the professionals working with your child will be asked to submit reports outlining your child’s needs. Once the Local Authority has received all the requested reports, they will decide whether an EHCP should be issued. If this is the case, they will write an EHCP outlining the nature and amount of learning support that your child will receive. It will also state the goals that your child will be working towards by the end of the key stage.
How will you help me to support my child at home?
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The class teacher may suggest ways of how you can support your child.
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The SENCo may meet with you to discuss strategies to use when supporting your child’s learning at home.
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The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) may meet with you to discuss strategies to use if your child has social or emotional needs.
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The school employs a Pastoral Support Worker who can also signpost you to external help (from outside agencies) if this is required.
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If outside agencies such as SALT, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Primary Behaviour Support, or the Educational Psychologist have been involved with your child, then suggestions, recommendations and intervention programmes or exercises are normally provided that can be used at home in order to support your child’s progress.
What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
- Within our SEND team, we have a trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) who supports a number of children throughout the school. These children may have difficulty with friendships, social skills, understanding and regulating their emotions, selfesteem, and bereavement or family changes. Depending upon their need, children are supported on a 1:1 basis or in a small focus group typically over a six-week period. ‘Oneoff’ or occasional support is also available and is most likely to occur as a result of a pupil using our ‘chatterbox’ post box to request ELSA support in an area that is worrying them.
If we identify that a series of ELSA support sessions would be beneficial to your child, then their class teacher will notify you. If there is anything that you think will be helpful for us to know before starting this work, then please let the class teacher or ELSA know. If you are concerned that your child may be experiencing difficulties relating to their wellbeing, and think that ELSA support would benefit them, you should speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance to discuss this. All ELSA referrals are made via your child’s class teacher.
- In case of an accident, illness or need for medication, there are several members of staff trained in first aid to deal with this. If it is felt that your child is too unwell to remain at school, a member of the office staff will contact you and ask you to collect your child. If you require the school to administer medication prescribed to your child, we will ask you to complete a parental consent form. We will be unable to administer the medication without this. The prescribed medication should be handed to the school office where it will be kept securely.
How will I know how well my child is doing?
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Your child’s class teacher is regularly available at the end of the school day to discuss how well your child is doing and to share information about what is working well at home and school, so that similar strategies can be used. If you have concerns about your child’s progress, we would encourage you to speak to or email your child’s class teacher initially. If you continue to have concerns you should contact the SENCo.
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If your child is receiving Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy support from an outside agency then, where appropriate, you will be invited to attend assessments that are held in school.
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We hold parents’ evenings during the year where you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher. Your child’s progress and targets will be reviewed with you at this time.
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If your child has an EHCP, you will also be kept informed of their progress through the Annual Review process.
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Opportunities to meet with the SENCo are available by booking a SENCo Surgery appointment through the school office.
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You will receive a formal school report for your child during the summer term each year.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
The school receives a budget from the Local Authority to support pupils with SEND. Senior leaders decide what resources, training and support is needed and how resources are allocated, according to children’s needs. Children with an EHCP may have specific allocations in terms of resources, and additional adult support.
How will my child and I be involved in discussions about planning for my child’s education?
We are very keen to work in partnership with you to support your child and their learning. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education. This may be through:
- Informal discussions with the class teacher
- Parent/Teacher consultations during parents’ evenings (where your child’s IEP targets are shared and discussed)
- Meetings with the SENCo/other professionals
- Annual Reviews (for children with an EHCP)
How are the staff in school helped to work with children with SEND and what training do they have?
The SENCo holds the The National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) qualification. She offers guidance to class teachers in making provision for children with SEND. As part of the performance management cycle, every staff member has opportunities to improve practice, teaching and learning of all pupils, including those with SEND. This may include whole school training including INSET days, support staff training and participation in individual courses or external training events. Individual staff may also access advice and support from outside agency professionals who are working with specific children.
How accessible is Saint James to children with SEND?
We welcome visits to the school to discuss an individual’s access requirements. Please contact the school office if you would like to make an appointment to visit us.
- We operate a morning drop-off ‘drive through’ system for children who travel to school by car and are able to get themselves to their classroom independently.
- There are a limited number of visitor disabled parking bays for disabled badge holders. Due to the size of our school, we operate an allocated time-slot system for morning dropoff and afternoon pick-up. Requests to use a disabled parking bay need to be made to the school office.
- Saint James has two single-storey buildings built on a gradual slope. There are some areas with uneven surfaces around the site, including an incline in the corridor and a slope within the Foundation Stage outside area. Access from most classrooms onto the playground is typically via a threshold/step.
- The pond in our environmental area is accessible via two steps. Risk assessments are in place to ensure the safety of all children when they are using our environmental area facilities.
- Our facilities include a large accessible toilet.
- We ensure that wherever possible, learning equipment and resources are accessible to all children, regardless of their needs.
- We endeavor to ensure that any extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.
Should any pupil become disabled or any pupil with a disability join the school, then we will seek professional advice and endeavour to provide any necessary aids to assist them to gain full access to the curriculum. Where appropriate, risk assessments and personal emergency evacuation plans are produced.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?
We recognise the value of opportunities for children to learn outside the classroom and believe that these experiences should be available to all children. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. If an intensive level of support is required for your child, where possible we will assign a key member of staff to support your child. Alternative arrangements may need to be made and you will always be included in these discussions.
How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Saint James or transferring to a new class or school?
We recognise that transitions can be unsettling times for a child with SEND. At Saint James, we work hard to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.
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If your child is joining the Foundation Stage (Year R):
Our Foundation Stage teachers will endeavour to either visit your child’s pre-school or make links with the pre-school and agencies involved with your child before they join Saint James. Prior to your child starting school, we will hold a transition visit for your child to attend with their pre-school. There will also be an opportunity for you to visit the school with your child. In addition, you will be invited to attend an information evening.
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If your child is joining Saint James from another school:
We will contact the SENCo to request all relevant records about your child ensure that we know about any special SEND arrangements or support that your child has received. This will enable us to make an assessment of your child’s needs and put in place the necessary provisions to support them at school.
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When your child moves between classes at Saint James:
Towards the end of the summer term, your child will visit their new class to meet their new class teacher and any other adults supporting them, during a whole school transition event. Additional transition support can be provided by our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) if this would help your child prepare for the move to a new class. If your child would be helped by a social story to help them understand moving on, then this can be written and shared with them in school. A transition booklet containing photographs and information about your child’s new class, routines and the adults who will be teaching and supporting them may be shared with your child at school and given to them to share with you at home. Information about your child’s learning and their special educational or disability needs will be shared between their current and new class teachers.
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When your child transfers to secondary school:
The Year 6 class teachers and SENCo will meet with the transition Leader and/or SENCo of our linked secondary schools, to discuss the specific needs of your child. In the event that this is not possible, contact will be made via telephone. Your child may be offered additional transition visits to their new secondary school and if appropriate, staff from the new school may visit your child at Saint James. Additional support may be provided by our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) to prepare your child for their move to secondary school and talk through any worries they may have.
Who can I contact to get further information about SEND provision at Saint James?
Our SENCo is Mrs Lisa Griffiths, SENCo Assistant is Mrs Charlotte Kahl and our SEND Governor is Mrs Heather Pearce All can be contacted through the School Office:
Saint James Church of England Primary School,
Moorgreen Road,
West End,
Southampton,
Hampshire,
SO30 3EG
Tel: 02380 900995
Email: adminoffice@st-james-westend.hants.sch.uk
What should I do if I think my child’s needs are not being met?
It is in everyone’s interest that concerns and complaints are resolved at the earliest possible stage. Many issues can be resolved informally, without the need to use the formal stages of the complaints procedure. Saint James CE Primary School takes concerns seriously and will make every effort to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
If parents are concerned that their child’s needs are not being met, they should initially contact: 1) the class teacher
2) the SENCo who will be happy to make an appointment to meet with parents to discuss any concerns.
In the event of a complaint, parents should follow the steps outlined in the school’s complaints procedure:
- Speak to the class teacher initially
- Put the complaint in writing to the class teacher and send a copy to the Year Group Leader
- Contact the Phase Leader and SENCo
- Contact the Assistant Headteacher
- Contact the Deputy Headteacher
If parents are still not satisfied having followed each of these steps, they should then discuss the matter with the Headteacher, Mrs Michelle Marsh. The Governor with responsibility for SEND is the next port of call. If the matter has not been resolved at this point, then contact the Chair of Governors. Finally, if concerns remain unresolved, a letter should be addressed to the Local Education Authority.
A copy of the school’s complaints procedure is available on the school website or can be requested from the school office.
Where can I get further information about services for my child?
- The information in this School Information Report forms a part of Hampshire’s Local Offer which outlines all services and support available across health, education, social care and leisure services for children and young people from birth to 25 who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).
The Hampshire Local Offer can be accessed at: https://fish.hants.gov.uk/kb5/hampshire/directory/localoffer.page
- Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support (SENDIASS) provides impartial information and advice. Their helpline service can offer advice via telephone and email to all Hampshire residents aged 0-25 who have SEND and their parents or carers. The SENDIAS website, social media and YouTube channel also provide information on a wide range of SEND issues. Telephone helpline: 08081 645504; Email: infor@hampshiresendiass.co.uk; Website: www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk