Special Educational Needs

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer

WHITNASH PRIMARY SCHOOL SEND INFORMATION REPORT

Welcome to our SEND information report, which is part of the Warwickshire Local Offer for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Details of which can be found at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer. All governing bodies of maintained school and maintained nursery schools have a legal duty to publish information on their website about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEND. This information is updated annually.

At Whitnash Primary School all members of our school community are valued. Our report benefits from input from pupils, parents and carers, governors, and members of staff. We welcome your comments on this, so please do contact us. The best people to contact are:

Headteacher – Mrs Donna Ellison
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO) – Mrs Rebecca Stevenson

(covering Mrs Louise Hackett who is currently on Maternity leave)
SEND Governor – Helen West

Special Educational Needs

Click here for SEN Policy

Our approach to teaching learners with SEND

At Whitnash Primary School we ensure that all pupils in our schools are equally valued by having equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum, which is differentiated to meet individual needs and abilities.

We have effective management systems and procedures for SEND, taking into account the current Code of Practice (2014) and school policies (Behaviour Policy, Inclusion Policy).

We aim to have successful communication between teachers, children with SEND, parents of SEND children, intervention group leaders and outside agencies. Staff share knowledge during weekly briefings and are aware of SENCO responsibilities in school. SENCO liaises with external agencies and draws groups together to achieve the best for pupils.

We acknowledge and draw on parents’ knowledge and expertise in relation to their own child by involving them in the assessment and planning of the provision for their child. Progress is shared with parents termly through the creation of Individual Education Plans and parent meetings.

Through a mentoring approach the children are encouraged to take an increasingly active role in their review cycle, in line with their readiness to do so. Pupils are invited to take part in the decision making process in termly meetings with their teachers.

We are committed to developing the knowledge and skills of all staff to ensure that all support is of high quality, and to manage the challenges of the range of needs in the school. We continue to review the needs of our pupils and how staff are trained to meet these needs. Examples are training from the Early Intervention service and the Educational Psychology Service.

We have an effective review cycle that allows us to monitor, review and plan for next steps of development through the cycle of Individual Education Plans, Provision Mapping for children and termly Pupil Progress meetings.

We ensure that consideration of SEND crosses all curriculum areas and all aspects of teaching and learning.

Identifying the Special Educational Needs of Pupils

At different times in their school life, a child or young person may have a special educational need. The Code of Practice 2014 defines SEND as follows:

“A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special education 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:

a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or
b) 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 or mainstream post-16 institutions."

Where pupils’ progress is significantly slower than that of their peers, or fails to match their previous rate of progress, despite high quality teaching targeted at specific areas of difficulty, it may be that the child has SEND. Information will be gathered, including seeking the views of parents and the pupil, as well as from teachers and assessments.

There can be a many reasons for learners 'falling behind'. These may include absences, attending lots of different schools, difficulties with speaking English, or worries that distract them from learning. The school understands that children who experience these barriers to learning are vulnerable. This does not mean that all vulnerable learners have SEND. Only those with a learning difficulty that requires special educational provision will be identified has having SEND.

About Whitnash Primary School

Whitnash Primary School is a single story, fully accessible building for pupils and adults with disabilities including disabled toilets, accessible shower and First Aid Room. All areas of the school are accessible.

In 2022/23 our SEND profile shows that we have 27.55% of children identified as having SEN. This percentage is made up of the following groups:

8% are identified as having SEND linked to Autistic Spectrum Disorder - 8 children.
22% are identified as having SEND linked to Moderate Learning Difficulty - 22 children.
23% are identified as having SEND are linked to Social, Emotional and Mental Health - 23 children.
43% are identified as having SEND linked to Speech, Language or Communication Need - 43 children.
1% are identified as having SEND linked to Vision Impairment - 1 child.
3% are identified with other difficulties - 3 children.

Special Needs within the school is currently lead by Rebecca Stevenson (who is covering Louise Hackett who is on maternity leave), a fully qualified SENCO holding the National Award for Special Needs Co-ordination. The school also has other staff in school with this qualification.

We have staff who are trained in; ASD, Attachment Disorder, speech and language therapy, nurture, emotional literacy, Team Teach, Early Help, specific English and Maths Interventions, Dyslexia, Behaviour Intervention. The school is currently embarking on Thrive training for all intervention screening of children's social, mental and emotional health.

Whitnash Primary School has fortnightly whole day visit by a specialised teacher from the Early Intervention Service, weekly whole day visits from a trained Counsellor, fortnightly half-day visit from an Educational Psychologist. Visits from the Integrated Disability Service, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists in line with the needs of the pupils.

Whitnash Primary School is committed to the continuous training of staff to meet the needs of our pupils.

What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress or well-being, then please speak to either your child’s class teacher or Mrs Ellison or Mrs Stevenson (SENCO) to discuss your concerns.

Support for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities

If a learner is identified as having SEND, we will provide support that is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, personalised teaching’ intended to overcome the barrier to their learning. This support is set out in the individual school’s whole school Provision Map and a child’s Individual Education Plan.

When providing support that is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ we engage in a four-stage process: Assess, Plan, Do and Review.

Assess – this involves taking into consideration all the information from discussions with parents or carers, the child, the class teacher and assessments. This takes the form of teacher and peer feedback (see marking policy).

Plan – this stage identifies the barriers to learning, intended outcomes, and details what additional support will be provided to help overcome the barriers. Decisions will be recorded and will form the basis for termly review meetings with class teacher.

Do – providing the support – extra assistance for learning or learning aids – as set out in the plan.

Review – measuring the impact of support provided, and considering whether changes to that support need to be made. All of those involved – learner, their parents or carer, teacher and SENCO - contribute to this review. This stage then informs the next cycle, if necessary. Meetings with Teachers and Teaching Assistants (TA’s) to discuss progress of learners are held weekly, as well as termly Pupil Progress Meetings with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

This additional support, ‘intervention’ will be tailored to meet the child’s needs, and will target the area of difficulty. This support may be provided in class or in another area of the school, on a 1:1 basis or as part of a small group of learners with similar needs. These ‘interventions’ may be run by a teacher or a teaching assistant. The support provided, and its impact in class, will be monitored closely and shared regularly with the child and with their parents or carers.

For a small number of learners, their needs may require access to technology e.g. Modified ICT equipment, recording devices etc.

While the majority of learners with SEND will have their needs met in this way, some may require an Education, Health and Care needs assessment to determine whether it is necessary for the Local Authority to make provision in accordance with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Assessing the Impact of Intervention

The interventions used will be those that are proven to make a difference for most learners.

At Whitnash these interventions include:

Pre-teaching
1:1 Mentoring
Small Group Mentoring
Talking Maths
1:1 Phonics (Read Write Inc)
Small Group Phonics
Toe by Toe
Accelerated Reader
Daily Reading/Paired Reading
Handwriting Intervention
Socially speaking
Social Skills Groups/Thrive Screening
Professional Counselling
Nurture/Thrive Groups

A baseline assessment will take place at the beginning of an intervention – this will provide the point of reference for measuring progress made by a child – and a target outcome set. Regular reviews will take place to ensure that the intervention is having the intended effect. Should progress be less than anticipated, consideration will be given to adapting the frequency and/or intensity. The termly reviews will involve children and their parents or carers, as well as class teachers, and a record kept of agreed actions.

Where difficulties persist despite high quality interventions and appropriate adjustments, advice and support may be requested from other professionals, with the parent’s consent. This might involve: Early Intervention Service, Speech & Language Therapy services, Counsellor, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, an Advisory Support Teacher or Educational Psychologist or health services such as a Paediatrician.

Where a child has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC), there will be an annual review held in addition to the termly review meetings, taking into account the views of the child, their parent or carer, and all other professionals involved with the child.

Opportunities for Enrichment

At Whitnash Primary School we believe all learners are entitled to the same access to extra-curricular activities and off site visits, and are committed to making reasonable adjustments to ensure participation for all. Please contact us if your child has any specific requirements for extra-curricular activities and off site visits. Currently 21% of our children undertaking clubs are on the SEND register. (Approximately 20 of the 94 participants).

Managing Change and Preparing for Next Steps

Transition is a part of life for all learners, whether that involves moving to a new class or moving to a new school. We recognise that transition is an important time for all children, but especially so for a child with SEND. Consequently, we work closely with parents, children and staff to ensure these transitions run as smoothly as possible.

Planning for transitions is a continual process. Preparations for new reception in take and Year 6 pupils will take place in the Summer Term; arrangements for pupils with SEND in transition to the school and those leaving for Secondary School will be planned according to individual need.

During Year 6, information – previously agreed with parents – will be shared with the SENCO at their next school. This information will outline needs and support that has proven effective. Where possible, children will visit their new school on several occasions and, in some cases, staff from the new school will visit him or her at Whitnash Primary School or our staff will accompany the child on visits to their next school.

Have Your Say

Whitnash Primary School is a community school. This report details our school offer to learners with SEND. To be effective it needs the views of all: Parents/carers, learners, governors and staff.

If you have any comments, please contact Mrs Rebecca Stevenson (SENCO) at stevenson.r2@welearn365.com or Mrs Donna Ellison (Headteacher) at ellison.d@welearn365.com.

Complaints are handled in line with the School Complaints policy. For further information please contact the Head Teacher at ellison.d@welearn365.com or refer to the School Complaints Policy which is on the website. A copy on request can also be provided from the school office.