Policy for Special Educational Needs and Disability
Christian Values
The specific Christian Values of Love, Respect and Courage underpin, and are intrinsic to the ethos and belief of Saint James Church of England Primary School.
Our Vision
At Saint James we accept challenges, take risks and work to make to make positive change in ourselves and our community.
Focusing on building resilience and compassionate relationships allows everyone to flourish.
Using our Christian values to guide us, we develop skills to navigate rough seas and transform our world.
Be strong and courageous and do it.
1 Chronicles 28:20
Introduction and context
Saint James Church of England Primary school is a large three-form entry, inclusive mainstream school catering for up to 654 pupils. All children are welcome and we will make reasonable adjustments to meet their abilities and needs. Consequently, all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 years (2014) and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents:
- Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE (Feb 2013)
- The Children and Families Act (2014)
- SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years
- Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2017)
- The National Curriculum in England Key Stage 1 and 2 framework document (2014)
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) (2023)
- Schools SEND Information Report Regulations (2014)
- SEND Information Report
- Teachers Standards
- Safeguarding Policy
The following related documents are available either on the school website or by request from the school office:
- Administration of Medicines Policy
- Admissions Policy
- Attendance Policy
- Behaviour Policy
- Mental health and Wellbeing Policy
- SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years
- SEND Information Report
- Supporting Medical Conditions in Schools Policy
This policy was created by the SENCo in liaison with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, Governing body and staff.
The National Award for SEN (NASENCo), which is a statutory requirement of the post, is held by the SENCo, alongside qualified teacher status (QTS).
What is a Special Educational Need (SEN) or a Disability?
At our school we use the following definitions for SEN and disability from the SEND Code of Practice:
SEN:
"A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or 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 mainstream schools" (p.15-16). "Special educational provision is educational provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools" (p.16).
Disability:
"Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 -- that is '...a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'... This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer" (p.16).
Our Aims and Objectives
The aims of our special educational needs and disability policy and practice are:
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To value all children equally.
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To raise the aspirations and expectations for all pupils with SEND.
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To identify, at the earliest possible opportunity, barriers to learning and participation for pupils with special educational and additional needs.
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To provide support, advice and continuing professional development for staff working with pupils with special educational or additional needs
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To meet the variety of children's needs through a varied and flexible provision within the school, enabling them to participate in lessons fully and effectively.
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To ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that is differentiated to meet individual needs.
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To nurture happy, confident and successful learners.
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To ensure that every pupil experiences success in their learning and achieves to the highest possible standard.
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To work in partnership with pupils and parents.
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To seek guidance and advice and work in partnership with professionals and outside agencies where appropriate, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of pupils with special educational or additional needs.
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To work within the guidance provided in the SEND Code of Practice (2015).
The Headteacher and the governing body have the responsibility for ensuring the policy is implemented, monitored and reviewed, in order that the above objectives are achieved.
Identifying Special Educational Needs and Disability
The school sees early identification of SEND as essential. Screening and assessment at Saint James can help to identify difficulties and provide appropriate support. We also use assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of support and monitor pupil progress. We use a variety of methods of assessing and monitoring progress. Although it can be the class teacher who informs parents regarding concerns about a pupil, it can equally be parents who raise initial concerns. Once concerns have been raised, appropriate support will be discussed and implemented, with the parents' ideas and opinions being an important part of this process. The school welcomes parents to share concerns either at arranged meetings or, at any other mutually agreed time.
The SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years describes the four broad categories of need, which are detailed below. These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take. At Saint James we identify the needs of pupils by considering the needs of the whole child which will include not just their special educational needs.
Four Categories of SEND -- Broad Areas of Need
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Communication and Interaction
This is when pupils have difficulty in communicating with others and may be due to:
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Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).
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Autism Spectrum Disorder, including Autism and Asperger's Syndrome (ASD).
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Cognition and Learning
This is when pupils learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. They include:
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Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).
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Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) where pupils are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication.
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Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.
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Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) affecting one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia (difficulties with reading and spelling), dyscalculia (difficulties with maths), dyspraxia (co-ordination difficulties), dysgraphia (writing difficulties) and auditory processing disorder.
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Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
These include:
- a wide range of difficulties that manifest themselves in many ways, for example becoming isolated, withdrawn, displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. They may reflect underlying mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained.
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
- Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
- Attachment Disorder.
- Anxiety.
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
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Sensory and/or Physical Needs
These include:
- Visual Impairment.
- Hearing Impairment.
- Multi-Sensory Impairment.
- Physical Disability.
Identifying Additional Needs
The following areas are not SEND, but may impact on progress and attainment. These include the following:
- Attendance and Punctuality.
- Health and Welfare.
- English as an Additional Language (EAL).
- Being in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant.
- Being a Looked After Child.
- Being a child of a Serviceman/Servicewoman.
- Young carer.
A Graduated Approach to SEND Support
At Saint James, we use the graduated response to identify, monitor and provide for the needs and progress of our children in line with the current SEND Code of Practice. The four steps in the graduated response cycle are:
| Step | Description |
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| Assess | The class teacher and SENCo will liaise to clearly analyse a pupil's needs before identifying a child as needing SEND support. This analysis will draw on assessment and experience of the pupil, previous progress, attainment and behaviour, comparison to their peers and national data, the views and experience of parents and the advice from external professionals. |
| Plan | Parents will be notified whenever it is decided that a pupil is to be provided with SEND support. Appropriate adjustments, intervention and support are identified, together with expected impact on progress and review dates. These are recorded on an Individual Education Plan (IEP). |
| Do | The class teacher will remain responsible for working with the pupil on a daily basis. Where the interventions involve group or 1:1 teaching away from the main teacher, he/she still retains responsibility for that pupil's learning. |
| Review | The effectiveness of the support will be reviewed in line with the agreed date. |
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Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
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High quality teaching which is differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEND. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching.
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At Saint James the quality of teaching for all pupils, including those at risk of underachievement, is regularly appraised. This includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving teachers' and support staff's understanding of strategies in order to identify and support vulnerable pupils and develop their knowledge of the SEND most frequently encountered.
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The decision to make special educational provision involves the class teacher and SENCo considering all of the information gathered from within the school about the pupil's progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress. For higher levels of need, we draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals. The school makes and maintains links with other services, for example: Social Services, Educational Welfare Officers, Behaviour Support Team, Educational Psychology Service, Outreach from special schools and a range of National Health Services as well as Hampshire's Specialist Teacher Advisory Service. If the school considers it helpful to consult an outside agency concerning a child, parents will usually be asked to give their consent before any action is taken. They will be informed of liaisons with external agencies and may be invited into school to meet with specialists, as appropriate.
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If a child is identified as having SEN or a disability, parents are consulted and the pupil is placed on the SEND Support Register. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is drawn up by the class teacher in conjunction with the SENCo, pupil and his/her parents. Where possible, the school encourages pupils with special educational needs or disability, to participate in the decision making processes that occur in their education. This includes the setting of learning targets, and contribution to IEPs and selecting resources that interest and motivate them. Children's views are valued and respected.
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If, despite additional provision and consultation with external agencies as appropriate, the pupil's progress and/or levels of achievement are still cause for concern, a decision may be made to request the Local Authority to carry out a formal needs assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan ('EHCP', formerly known as a 'Statement of SEN'). On gathering all relevant advice about a pupil's progress, the Hampshire County Council SEN Team may as a result, issue an EHCP outlining outcomes to be met and additional provision to be provided.
Managing Pupils' Needs on the SEND Support Register
The class teacher alongside the SENCo will discuss individual pupils' needs and the nature of intervention and/or support that would be appropriate. If required, advice from an outside agency will be sought. Individual pupils will require different and varying levels of support in order to bridge the gap to maximise progress towards age-expected attainment levels.
The class teacher meets with the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher and SENCo every half term for a Pupil Progress review. During this meeting, pupils' progress is discussed and progress data is shared. If there is a lack of satisfactory progress, further assessment may be carried out and/or a referral to the Educational Psychologist or other external agencies may be made, once parental consent has been obtained. For children with more complex needs, a Local Authority statutory needs assessment may be appropriate. At this point the class teacher, SENCo and pupil's parents will liaise to submit a request to the Local Authority. The Hampshire County Council's SEN Team will then decide if an EHCP is necessary. If it is identified that the school is unable to fully meet the needs of a pupil, further advice will be sought from external agencies.
All children on the SEND Support Register have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This will set out their individual targets based on their individual needs. Wherever possible these are written in conjunction with the pupil. IEPs are reviewed at least termly. If the pupil has not reached their target, the reason for this will be discussed by the class teacher and SENCo then the target may be broken down into smaller achievable steps. Alternatively, a different approach may be adopted to ensure that the pupil's progress is maximised. Progress made is shared by class teachers with the pupil and his/her parents at parents' review evenings.
Criteria for Exiting the SEND Support Register
Where a pupil no longer meets the criteria for SEND Support according to the SEND Code of Practice and the Hampshire County Council Criteria for SEND Support, or if he/she has made sufficient progress to 'close the gap', they will be removed from the SEND Support Register and the pupil's parents will be informed.
The progress of pupils who have recently been removed from the SEND Support Register will continue to be closely monitored by their class teacher. Pupils whose progress is causing concern, but not at the level of SEND Support, are also closely monitored by the class teacher. Where necessary, early intervention targeted support is given to help the pupil get back on track.
Supporting Pupils and Families
Partnership with parents is highly valued at Saint James. Parental participation in supporting a child with special educational needs or disability is of paramount importance and is actively sought by the staff.
School Emotional Literacy Support Assistant and Pastoral Support Worker
Saint James employs two Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) and Pastoral Support Worker, to provide help and guidance to families who request it. Where necessary, we will provide access to other agencies to support the family and pupil. When the family has a child on the SEND Support Register, the ELSA, Pastoral Support Worker and SENCo liaise closely with each other, to provide support to both the child and the parents.
Hampshire County Council Local Offer
Up to date Information about services and support in Hampshire for children and young people with special educational needs and disability between the ages of 0 and 25 can be found at: https://fish.hants.gov.uk/kb5/hampshire/directory/localoffer.page
The SEND Information Report
We are required by law to provide a SEND Information Report. This contains information about the implementation of this policy and can be found on our school website or a copy can be requested at the school office.
Further Information for parents
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Impartial Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support (SENDIASS) in Hampshire: https://www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/
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Hampshire Parent Carer Network: http://www.hpcn.org.uk/
Admission
Normal admission arrangements apply. The admissions policy is based on the agreed Hampshire County Council policy. We strive to be a fully inclusive school. All children will be treated according to their needs and in line with the school's policy for equality of opportunity. No child will be denied admission because of his or her race, gender, physical ability or academic attainment. Where a child has a particular need, reasonable adjustments will be made to meet those needs.
If a child is transferring into the school with an EHCP, the continuation of this support will be negotiated with the appropriate officer in Hampshire County Council to ensure that their needs can be met. Any variation to the above will need to be agreed by the full governing body.
Transition
We recognise that transitions can be difficult for any child, especially a child with SEN or a disability, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. We liaise closely with external colleagues when receiving children from and transferring children to different schools, ensuring that relevant information and paperwork is passed on and individual needs are discussed and understood. Where appropriate, pupils transferring between year groups within Saint James are offered support through our transition programme, which can include Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) support.
Access Arrangements
A small number of children may need additional arrangements so they can take part in the Key Stage 2 Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs). Decisions to apply for additional time, or the use of a reader, prompter or scribe are made by the Year 6 teachers in conjunction with the Headteacher and SENCo. In these rare cases, the school will have evidence to show that resources are routinely committed to providing this support.
Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions
Saint James CE Primary School is an inclusive community that aims to support and welcome pupils with medical conditions. The school recognises that pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Some pupils with medical conditions may be disabled and where this is the case the school will comply with its duties under the Equality Act 2010.
Some pupils with medical conditions may also have SEND and an EHCP, which brings together health and social care needs as well as their special educational provision. In this situation, the SEND Code of Practice is followed.
Please refer to the school's policy on managing the medical conditions of pupils and administration of medicines policy for further information.
Monitoring and Evaluation of SEND
All pupils’ progress is monitored closely and those who have, or may have, SEND are monitored explicitly as part of formal Pupil Progress meetings, as well as on-going liaison between staff and liaison with external professionals. If the desired outcome for progress is not achieved, a discussion will take place to establish the reasons for the lack of impact. It may be that a different form of intervention is required over a longer period. Regular monitoring of teaching takes place to ensure that the highest quality of teaching and learning is carried out. This is in the form of observations of staff members, work sampling and book scrutiny, parent and pupil questionnaires. The governing body also has responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of the educational provision for all children. Evaluation and monitoring arrangements promote an active process of continual review and improvement of provision for all pupils.
Training and Resources
The school has an on-going commitment to In-Service Training for staff and governors working with Special Educational Needs. Training needs are generally identified by the SENCo and as part of Performance Management interviews. Individual and whole staff training takes place as appropriate including: external courses, in-school training from outside agencies and from other members of staff including the SENCo. The SENCo regularly attends the cluster SENCo Circle meetings in order to keep up to date with local and national updates in SEND and the Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) regularly attend the cluster ELSA Supervision meetings.
Funding is received from the delegated SEN budget and also from Hampshire County Council. However, the school is committed to providing a high level of support for children and uses an excess amount of funding from the general school budget.
Delegated funding for pupils with an EHCP is mainly used to pay salaries for one-to-one dedicated staff. Other devolved funding is allocated to support the needs of pupils with additional needs where required. Pupil Premium money is used to support learning for disadvantaged children in order to enable them to make rapid progress and ensure that the gap between pupil premium children and other children narrows. Additional school funds support the management of SEND provision by training staff to meet the changing needs of the pupil profile, and purchasing resources, for example intervention programmes and assessment packages, and training staff in their use.
Roles and Responsibilities
All teachers are teachers of special educational needs and disabilities. In addition, the school's Headteacher, the SENCo and all other members of staff have important day-to-day responsibilities relating to the education of children with SEND. Provision and teaching children with SEND is therefore a whole school responsibility.
The role of the SEND Governor
The duties of the Governing Body are set out in the SEND Code of Practice. A SEND Governor is appointed to liaise with the SENCo to ensure that SEND children's needs are met.
The role of the SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator)
As identified in the SEND Code of Practice, the SENCo, in collaboration with the Headteacher and governing body, plays a key role in determining the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school, in order to raise the achievement of children with SEND. The SENCo takes day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the SEND policy and co-ordination of the provision made for children with SEND, working closely with staff, parents and colleagues from other agencies.
The role of the Teachers
Teachers liaise with the SENCo to identify pupils with SEND and plan to meet their individual needs. Teachers write individual education plan (IEP) targets for those pupils in their class with additional needs, and regularly monitor and review pupil progress.
The role of Support Staff
A number of staff are employed to support pupils with SEND, including Learning Support
Assistants (LSAs), Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) and Pastoral Support Worker.
Other Roles
The staff with Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) responsibilities are the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Assistant Headteachers.
The member of staff in role as the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children (LAC) is the SENCo.
The member of staff responsible for managing the Pupil Premium Grant funding is the Headteacher.
The member of staff responsible for managing the school's requirement to meet the medical needs of pupils is the Headteacher.
Storing and Managing Information
Documents containing sensitive and personal information are kept securely. Information is shared on a need to know basis and documents are stored in line with the school policies on handling information and Confidentiality. Copies of these can be obtained from the school office.
Reviewing the Policy
This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if there is a significant change in statutory requirements or guidance.
Accessibility
Statutory Responsibilities
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The Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA), as amended by the SEN and Disability Act 2001, places a duty on all schools and Local Authorities to plan to increase over time the accessibility of schools for disabled pupils and to implement their plans.
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Saint James CE Primary School has produced a written accessibility plan, available to view on request.
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The school fully recognises its responsibility to admit children with special educational needs, except where the County Council decides that for a child with an Educational Health and Care Plan the school is not an appropriate placement. The school will work with parents to discuss their child's needs and share advice from outside agencies.
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There are two separate single story buildings on the school site. Both have wheelchair access and accessible toilet facilities. The main building's accessible toilet includes a shower. Although the school buildings are on 'one level', the playgrounds and environment cannot be accessed directly from all the main building's classrooms or cloakrooms without the use of steps. The school site is therefore not fully wheelchair accessible. If necessary and where possible, temporary access ramps may be used.
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All pupils at Saint James are entitled to receive a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum whatever their special education needs. Pupils with SEND are taught in the classroom alongside their peers for the majority of the school day. For some pupils, additional group interventions or individualised programmes are administered. Where necessary, resources are modified and additional learning equipment is provided in order to help curriculum access.
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Where appropriate, the school ensures information is provided to the pupil in a form that is accessible to them. Examples might include handouts, visual timetables and other pictorial information. The information will take into account the pupil's needs and their preferred learning formats.
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Pupils are supported as necessary to enable them to take part in whole school activities including Collective Worship, break times, lunchtimes and school trips.
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We liaise with the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) when appropriate, to help us to support pupils and families from a range of backgrounds including those with English as an Additional Language (EAL).
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If parents have a query or concern, or would like to request a meeting with the Class Teacher or SENCo, appointments can be made via the school office.
Concerns and Complaints Procedure
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
a) the class teacher
b) the SENCo.
In the event of a complaint, parents should follow the school’s complaints procedure steps:
a) Contact the class teacher, initially
b) Put the complaint in writing to the class teacher and send a copy to the Year Group Leader
c) Contact the Phase Leader and SENCo
d) Contact the Assistant Headteacher
e) Contact the Deputy Headteacher
If parents are still not satisfied having followed each of these steps, they should then raise the matter with the Headteacher. In the rare and unlikely event that the issue is not satisfactorily resolved by this point, parents should then contact the Governor with responsibility for SEND. The final point of contact in school, upon no satisfactory resolution, would then be the Chair of Governors. Finally, if concerns remain unresolved at this point, 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.
Bullying
Saint James Church of England Primary School has an Anti-Bullying Policy which is inclusive of all pupils. The policy reflects the need to educate pupils on how to deal with and report incidents of bullying. Saint James observes National Anti-bullying week, annually, and uses material to help educate pupils in this area. The Anti-Bullying Policy is available from the school website or can be requested from the school office.
Appendix
SEND Information Report
- For further information on special educational needs at Saint James Church of England Primary School, please see our SEND Information Report. This can be found on our website or can be requested from the school office.
Key Contacts
For further information regarding this policy, please contact the SENCo directly or via the School Office: adminoffice@st-james-westend.hants.sch.uk