SEND Information Report

What kind of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) does our school provide for?

We are a mainstream Primary School and follow a graduated approach to SEND as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice 2015. At St Mary’s school we believe in participation for all. We want all adults and children to lead and participate in learning and we celebrate all members of our community. We want to create an inclusive culture in our school and we aim to be more responsive to the diversity of children’s backgrounds, interests, experience, knowledge and skills.

We support children with a broad range of SEND, we currently support pupils with:

• Communication and Interaction Needs;
• Cognition and Learning Needs;
• Social, Mental and Emotional Health Needs;
• Sensory and Physical Needs.

How do we identify children with SEND and assess their needs?

At different times in their school career, a child or young person may have a special educational need. The 2015 Code of Practice defines SEND as:

“A child or young person has SEND 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 or disability if they:

1. have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age: or
2. have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.”

The attainment and progress of all pupils is monitored frequently and consistently. Where a child is not making progress or fails to close the attainment gap, the class teacher will adapt learning materials and teaching to meet the child’s needs. Those children will be highlighted to all adults working with them including the Special Educational Needs Disability Co-coordinator (SENDCO) and the parents will be informed. Where progress continues to be less than expected, the class teacher formally refers the child to the SENDCO who would advise her/ him of suitable interventions to implement. If a learner is identified as having SEND, we will implement provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ the normal differentiated curriculum, intended to overcome the barrier to their learning.

Key Stakeholders

Class Teachers, support staff, parents/carers and the learner themselves will be the first to notice a difficulty with learning. At St Mary’s school we ensure that assessment of educational needs, directly involves the learner, their parents/carer and of course their Teacher. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) will also support with the identification of barriers to learning.

For some learners we may want to seek advice from specialist teams such as:

• Educational Psychologists;
• Speech and Language Therapists;
• Occupational Therapists;
• Educational Diagnosticians;
• Specialist Children’s Services;
• Specialist Teachers from Whitefield School;

At St Mary’s school we are committed to ensuring that all learners have access to learning opportunities, and for those who are at risk of not learning, we will intervene. This does not mean that all vulnerable learners have SEND. Only those with a learning difficulty that requires special educational provision will be identified as having SEND.

Safeguarding

St Mary's School recognises that evidence shows pupils with SEND are at a greater risk of abuse and maltreatment, so will ensure that staff are aware that pupils with SEND:

• Have the potential to be disproportionately impacted by behaviours such as bullying.
• May face additional risks online, e.g. from online bullying, grooming and radicalisation.
• Are at greater risk of abuse, including child-on-child abuse, neglect, and sexual violence and harassment.

The school recognises that there are additional barriers to recognising abuse and neglect in this group of pupils. These barriers can include, but are not limited to:

• Assumptions that indicators of possible abuse such as behaviour, mood and injury relate to the pupil’s condition without further exploration.
• These pupils being more prone to peer group isolation or bullying (including prejudice-based bullying) than other pupils.
• The potential for pupils with SEND or certain medical conditions being disproportionally impacted by behaviours such as bullying, without outwardly showing any signs.
• Communication barriers and difficulties in managing or reporting these challenges.
• A different cognitive understanding and being unable to understand the difference between fact or fiction in online content.

The headteacher and governing board will ensure that the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy reflects the fact that these additional barriers can exist when identifying abuse. When using physical intervention and reasonable force in response to risks presented by incidents involving pupils with SEND, staff will have due regard for the procedures outlined in the school’s Physical Intervention Policy.

Care will be taken by all staff, particularly those who work closely with pupils with SEND, to notice any changes behaviour or mood, or any injuries, and these indicators will be investigated by the DSL in collaboration with the SENCO.

School staff will be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for pupils with SEND and additional needs.

The governing board and headteacher will ensure that pupils with SEND are taught about how to keep themselves and others safe including online. The school will ensure that teaching of safeguarding is tailored to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of pupils with SEND.

Any reports of abuse involving pupils with SEND will involve close liaison between the DSL and the SENCO.

How do we consult parents of children with SEND and keep them involved?

At St Mary’s we allocate one review meeting per term for children with SEND. The child and their parents contribute to this meeting. These meetings are in addition to the scheduled Parent Teacher Consultation meetings which take place during the Autumn and Spring Terms. Children with Education Health and Care Plans will have an annual person centred review. Parents can request a meeting with the class teacher or SENDCO at any time if they are concerned or need clarification regarding the provision for their child in school.

How do we adapt the curriculum to support learners with SEND at St Mary’s School?

When a child is identified as making less than expected progress, the first response of our school is high quality teaching targeted at the area of weakness. Every teacher is required to adapt the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all children in their class. As stated in the 2015 Code of Practice ‘every teacher is a teacher of SEND’. The Teacher Standards 2013 detail the expectations on all teachers and we at St Mary’s are proud of our teachers and their development.

Each learner identified as having SEND, will have support that is ‘additional to or different from’ a normal curriculum. Different teaching resources may be used. This will usually take place within the classroom as part of the lesson to maximize the impact. Interventions can range from a short daily session to longer less frequent sessions a week depending on the need of each child. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide for children with SEN in his/her class and to follow the school’s procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision to meet those needs. Where the interventions involve teaching away from the main class, the teacher still retains responsibility for the child and works closely with support staff to plan and assess the impact of the interventions and how they can be linked back to classroom teaching. The SENDCO provides advice, monitoring, and links with outside agencies. There is a school governor for SEND who oversees the school’s work with SEND and ensures the quality of provision is regularly monitored.

How do we know if this Support is Effective?

High expectations of all children at our school coupled with skilled differentiation by teachers usually ensures that children are making at least expected progress and for some pupils higher than expected progress. However some children still require additional support in spite of this. Where a child requires additional support, parents are informed and targeted intervention is put in place. A My Additional Support Plan (MASP) is written detailing the support and interventions. This support is monitored closely by both class teacher and SENDCO and regularly modified. Most interventions take place over 1 or 2 terms and progress is reported back to parents at parent consultations, Support Plan review meetings or more regularly if needed. The effectiveness of the school’s provision for children with SEND is evaluated, reported to governors and monitored by OFSTED.

The My Additional Support Plan (MASP) is reviewed at least once a term, where the child (if appropriate), parents and teacher discuss progress and next steps. If a learner has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC plan,) the same termly review conversations take place, but the EHC plan will also be formally reviewed annually.

Progress data of all learners is collated by the whole school and monitored by Teachers, Senior Leaders and Governors. Teachers are observed once per term by an external educational consultant who judges not only the lesson but the inclusion and provision for pupils with SEND.

What are the arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education?

The school provides all parents with an annual report on their child’s achievement and two formal parental consultation sessions. We also review the child's My Additional Support Plan for children with SEND every term. Where specialist advice has been sought, the school and professional will liaise with parents to discuss any outcomes of assessment and discuss the activities and support that will help their child. Parents are able to request meetings with the class teacher and SENDCO when there is a pressing need or issue.

How does the school support children in moving between phases of education?

Parents of new Reception children are invited to a welcome meeting where they are informed of what to expect and how to support their child for the transition to school. During the first two weeks of the autumn term, the Reception teacher and Nursery Nurse undertake home visits to discuss each child’s needs and any parental concerns. Careful consideration is given to children with SEND who need support with transition to a new year group. They are supported by knowing who their teacher will be and meeting them before the summer holidays. If appropriate, a photograph of all the adults who will be supporting a child will be sent home before the summer holidays.

Transition to secondary school is managed in a similar way. An information meeting is arranged where a representative from the secondary school meets with the Year 6 teacher to discuss any relevant needs and ongoing concerns. 

Any child with an EHC plan will have a carefully considered transition to secondary school. Discussions take place in Year 4. Schools are named in Year 5 annual reviews and in Year 6 annual reviews are arranged in conjunction with the allocated secondary school to ensure a smooth transition process.

What is the provision for improving emotional and social development?

When it is necessary, referrals are made to CAMHS to investigate and support social, emotional and mental health development of a child. Any referral to an outside agency would be with the consent of the parent or carer. It would be discussed with the parent or carer prior to a referral being made. We are working closely with CAMHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) to provide workshop coffee mornings for parents, individual family support and peer mentoring.

Referrals will be recommended for counselling, mental health support team or mentoring and with parent/carer consent will be implemented. 

We make use of the Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society counselling service when it is appropriate or needed.

We discuss and explore bullying and how to respond to it if you see it or if it should happen to you. Children are taught, through example, respect, tolerance and acceptance. Please refer to the Anti-Bullying Policy on the school website.

Are children with SEND fully included in all school activities?

We make reasonable adjustments to include all children in school activities and occasions. Children with SEND participate in extra-curricular activities, school trips and residential visits. We plan and discuss their support during such occasions with their parents. Careful consideration is given to the health and safety of all parties attending a school trip. Risk assessments would include any specific information about individual children in order to keep them safe. For further information, please refer to our Educational Visits Policy.

What training do staff have to support children with SEND?

The SENDCO, Mrs Sabreen Munshi is an experienced teacher who brings in extensive experience in both special schools and leading an autism resource provision within a mainstream setting. She is currently working towards her National Professional Qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (NPQ SENCo), further enhancing her capabilities in this vital role. Our Learning Support Assistants, Teachng Assistants and support staff members receive specialist training from a range of professionals, including speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and specialist outreach teachers. This comprehensive training equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively support children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Specific Learning Difficulties.

At St Mary’s, we employ Positive Handling Strategies to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for all our pupils, supporting their personal and academic development.

We organise outreach support from Flouish to broaden our understanding and provision for children with specific needs as required. Flouish also provide a wide programme of free training termly which staff are encouraged to access. 

Managing Complaints

The school will publish the Complaints Procedure Policy on the school website.

Following a parent’s serious complaint or disagreement about the SEND provision being made for their child, the school will contact the LA immediately to seek disagreement resolution advice, regardless of whether an EHC plan is in place.

The school is aware of the formal and informal arrangements for resolving disagreements at a local level and will work with the LA in responding to requests for information as part of procedures for:

• Disagreement resolution.
• Mediation.
• Appeals to the SEND Tribunal.

The school will meet any request to attend a SEND tribunal and explain any departure from its duties and obligations under the ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’. 

Where can I find support as a parent of a child with SEND?

Parents can contact the Waltham Forest Special Educational Needs Disability Information Advice and Support Service.

Waltham Forest SENDIASS

Parkside Children's Centre

Peel Close

Chingford

London E4 6XQ

Tel 020 8496 5230

Freephone 0800 587 2521

Email wf.sendiass@walthamforest.gov.uk

Please click on this link for more information on their website .

The Citizens Advice Bureau also provides advice and support.

CAB

220 Hoe Street

Walthamstow

E17 3AY

Tel: 0300 330 1175

School Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Contact:

Our school SENDCO is Mrs Sabreen Munshi who can be contacted through the school office on 02085294723.

Have your say

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School we endeavour to shape and develop provision for all of our learners ensuring achievement for all. This SEND report declares our annual offer to learners with SEND, but to be effective it needs the views of all parents/carers, learners, governors and staff during feedback during meetings. So please engage with our annual process to ‘assess plan, do and review’ provision for SEND.

Local Authority

Please click on the link below to view Waltham Forest’s Local Authority’s local offer:

Link: Waltham Forest Local Offer

 

Link to Policies