St Lawrence SEND Report 2019-20
All Hampshire Maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND). All schools are supported by the Local Authority to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with SEND being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.
The Children and Families Bill was enacted in 2014. Local Authorities are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’. The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area, including from the local authority, health services, schools, leisure services and the voluntary sector.
St Lawrence SEND Information Report
In compliance with section 69(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014 and Regulation 51 and schedule 1 of The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, the governing body must publish a report on the school’s policy for pupils with SEND.
St Lawrence CE Primary School is a mainstream school. We provide a broad and balanced curriculum within a caring and secure environment. We have high expectations of all children and respond to each child’s learning needs, ensuring every child succeeds. Some children have barriers to learning that mean they require provision that is additional or different from their peers.
Please see the questions below for more information about the SEND policy at St Lawrence School and how we can support your child.
What does it mean if my child has Special Educational Needs?
The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2014 states that a child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty If they:
Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age
Have a disability which prevents or hinders them in making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream or post mainstream institutions.
High quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised will meet the needs of the majority of children and young people. Some though, will need educational provision that is additional to or different from this. This is special educational provision under Section21 of the Children and Families Act 2014. We will use our best endeavours to ensure that such provision is made for those who need it.
Admission Arrangements
Parents of children with a special educational need will apply for a place at St Lawrence in accordance with the school’s admission policy.
How does the school know if a child needs extra help?
Class teachers monitor the children’s progress continually and formally assess at key points during the year. As well as class- based assessment , we also use a range of external assessments such as Year 1 phonics screening and NGRT reading test
The principle of early identification and intervention underpins our approach to identifying those children who need extra help. If a child is not making expected progress or has difficulties in a particular area of learning, interventions are put in place in order to help the child catch up; this does not imply that the pupil has a special educational need.
At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive more specialised expertise. The purpose of this more detailed assessment is to understand what additional resources and approaches are required to enable the pupil to make better progress. In some cases, underlying needs may explain inadequate progress or challenging behaviour. Parents will be consulted prior to consulting an outside agency and the results of assessments shared with them. Where necessary, meeting with parents will be arranged to discuss support plans.
Pupils who require additional and different support and who would not be able to make progress without it are identified as having a special educational need and are recorded as such on the SEND register. The school works closely with SEND children to build an understanding of the child’s needs and put in place strategies to support the child. The class teacher will meet regularly with the parents to review provision, these meetings may involve the SENco and any outside agencies working with the child
What can I do if I am concerned about my child’s progress?
All parents are invited to discuss the progress of their children on a termly basis and receive a written report once a year. In addition we are happy to arrange meetings outside these times.
If a child does not make expected progress or appears to struggle with particular areas of learning the class teacher will contact parents to discuss what we will be doing to address these needs.
The class teacher and SENco are available to discuss any concerns. Parents should speak to the child’s class teacher or leave a message with the office to make an appointment.
Parents will be actively supported to contribute to assessment, planning and review. We also encourage parents to share information about what is working well at home so similar strategies can be used at school.
Parents of pupils with a statement of SEN/ Education Health Care Plan are invited to contribute to and attend annual review meetings which, wherever possible, will also include other agencies involved with the pupil.
What are the different types of support available to children with special educational needs?
Schools receive funding for all SEN pupils. This funding is used to support and enhance high quality teaching in the school. It helps to ensure there are sufficient resources for pupils requiring special educational provision. The support offered is matched to the needs of individual pupils with SEN and evidenced based. The amount of support required for each pupil to make good progress will be different in each case. The different types of support are outlined below
High quality teaching from the class teacher, including targeted support and differentiation for individual children, is the first step to responding to pupils who have or may have SEND.
Special educational provision is underpinned by high quality teaching and is compromised by anything less’ (SENCoP, 2014)
This means that:
Specific group work with smaller groups of children.
This work, known as intervention groups, may take place in the classroom or outside and may be led by a teacher, a teaching assistant or the SENco.
This means that:
Specialist groups or individual support to deliver a programme recommended by an outside agencies e.g. Speech and Language therapy
This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through high quality teaching and intervention groups. This means that:
Making changes to the way the child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better
Support to set better targets which will include their specific expertise
A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g a social skills group
The class teacher will remain responsible for working with the pupil on a daily basis.
Specified Individual support
This is usually provided via a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).This means:
The EHC Plan outlines the number of hours of individual /small group support the child will receive, how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It also includes long and short term goals for the child.
How are the School Governors involved with pupils with SEND and what are their responsibilities
How will the curriculum be adapted for a child with SEN?
Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that every child’s needs are met.
How does the school monitor the progress of children with special educational needs?
The SEN Code of Practice (2014) describes adequate progress as:
At St Lawrence the following systems are in place:
Who are the best people to talk to about my child’s Special Education Needs?
Class teachers
Class teachers are responsible for:
The SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO)
The SENCO at St Lawrence is Wendy Turner. She is responsible for:
Wendy is available on 01420 84400 or e-mail: adminoffice@st-lawrence.hants.sch.uk She works Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
SEN Governor
Governors are responsible for making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEN. The designated governor for SEN is Caroline Weighton who can be contacted via the school office.
How are teachers in the school helped to work with children with SEN and what training do they have?
All teachers and teaching assistants have regular training to support them in meeting the needs of children with special educational needs. We also offer specific training to teaching staff providing personalised support programmes for individual children. Training providers we can approach include the Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language therapist, Occupational Therapists and Teaching and Learning Advisors, Outreach workers.
How is the school accessible for children with SEND?
St Lawrence School was built in 1840 and does have several different floor levels this means that it is not fully wheelchair accessible although there is full wheelchair access to the school hall.
We ensure that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs and extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.
There is a disabled toilet which has wheelchair access
Unfortunately the school has no car park.
Who are the external agencies providing support to SEND children and their teachers?
The governing body have engaged the following services:-
A Service Level Agreement with Educational Psychology service
Access to local authority SLA with Speech and Language Therapy Services / Occupational Therapy Services / Physiotherapy Services
School Nurse
Alton Buckle Parent Support Workers
What is available to support and develop a child’s overall well being?
What support is there for behaviour, avoiding exclusion and increasing attendance?
How are children able to contribute their views?
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How will the school prepare and support my child when joining the school and transferring to a new school?
Children and their parents are invited to several ‘Stay and Play’ sessions before starting school. Each child has a Home Visit from the Reception Teacher..
Information from pre-schools is sought.
Part time attendance is arranged for some children starting school if deemed appropriate
Children transferring in and out of the school are encouraged to have a ‘Taster Day’ prior to starting.
Due to the location of the local secondary schools, children from St Lawrence regularly use their facilities and therefore become familiar with the secondary schools long before starting there as a Year 7.
Year 6 children attend taster days at the local secondary schools.
The local secondary schools, Amery Hill and Eggars', organise additional support days for children with additional needs.
Who should I contact if I want to make a complaint?
The same arrangements for the treatment of complaints at St Lawrence are used for complaints about provision made for special educational needs and disabilities. We encourage parents to first discuss their concerns with the class teacher and SENCO to resolve the issue. If necessary, parents can then contact the Headteacher or refer the matter to the Chair of Governors. (See the Complaints Policy on the school website)