SEND

SEND Team 

Mrs K. Burnsall is the school Special Needs Coordinator.  Mrs L.Virr is the school SENDCO.  Mrs J Beckett is the Teacher in Charge in the Resourced Provision.  Mr Jonathon Metcalf is the SEND Governor.

If you have any concerns or would like to speak to them regarding your child then please contact the school office.  

At Fagley Primary School, we strive to provide our children with a bespoke enriched curriculum to ensure they can be successful in whatever they aspire to do.  We encourage everybody to believe in themselves and welcome new challenges so they can achieve in life, now and in the future.

With me in mind, Fagley is a place where there are no limits on learning!

Rationale

Fagley Primary School believes that all children should have equality of opportunity and access to a broad and balanced curriculum.  Our role is to help children make progress and raise standards of achievement both academically and behaviourally.  We believe in consistently encouraging achievement to promote self-esteem and self-confidence.  Central to the successful achievement of children is the involvement of parents/carers with the school. 

In September 2020 Fagley Primary School welcomed the opening of a Resource Provision to accommodate 12 children with a primary need of ASC/SLCN.

The Resource Provision is situated in the Children’s Centre alongside the Pre-School and other children’s services.

Safeguarding Statement of Intent

At Fagley Primary School, Resource Provision and Pre-school, we are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere.  We believe every pupil should be able to participate in all school activities in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from harm.  This is the responsibility of every adult employed by, or invited to deliver services at Fagley Primary School.  We recognise our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all our pupils by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect and bullying.

Definition of Special Educational Needs 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 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 or mainstream post-16 institutions xv.

For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers. For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind. xvi. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if he or she is likely to fall within the definition in paragraph above when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them (Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014). (Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years January 2015)

 Roles and responsibilities in relation to SEND

 The class teacher Is responsible for:

• Monitoring the progress of all children.
• Providing Quality First Teaching that is carefully adapted to the needs of pupils to ensure that all children reach their full potential.
• Identifying, planning and delivering any additional support that may be needed. This might include targeted learning, small group work or a personalised curriculum.
• Discussing any initial concerns with parents/carers and highlighting these concerns to the school’s SENDCo.
• Writing and evaluating individulised targets (provision maps) and sharing these with parents/carers.
• Ensuring that they follow the school’s SEND policy.
• Ensuring that any other adults who work with SEND children in school are aware of their strengths and difficulties.
• Helping other adults to deliver the planned program to help individual pupils to meet their targets.
• Writing and updating pupil passports and provision maps for all EHCP children.

The SENDCo Is responsible for:

• Writing the school’s policy for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
• Coordinating all of the provision for pupils with Special Educational needs or Disabilities.
•  Ensuring that parents/carers are: - Made aware of any concerns regarding their child’s progress. - Involved in supporting their child’s development. - Involved in evaluating and reviewing their child’s progress towards set targets.
• Liaising with outside agencies to support children’s development.
• Updating the schools SEND register.
• Ensuring that there are in-depth records of children’s needs, targets and progress.
• Providing support and training to teachers and teaching assistants so that they can help all children to reach their potential.
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The Co-Headteachers are responsible for:

• The day to day management of all areas of the school’s work, including provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.
• Working closely with the SENDCo and class teachers to delegate responsibilities and to ensure that the needs of all children are met.
• Keeping the Governing Body informed of any issues related to SEND.

 The Governing Body Is responsible for:

 Determining the school's general policy and approach to provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, in co-operation with the Headteacher and SENDCo

• Establishing the appropriate staffing and funding arrangements and maintain a general oversight of the school's work.

 The four areas of Special Educational Need Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas:

 Communication and interaction

1. Cognition and learning
2. Social, mental and emotional health
3. Sensory and/or physical Needs

 ‘Many children and young people have difficulties that fit clearly into one of these areas; some have needs that span two or more areas; for others the precise nature of their need may not be clear at the outset.’ (2014 Code of Practice)

 Identification prior to entry:

 Pupils entering school with special educational needs will be identified through close liaison with feeder resourced nurseries/schools, consultation with support and health agencies and with parents/carers.

 Assessment and Identification in Early Years At Fagely Primary School we recognise that many of our children enter school with verbal, cognitive and social skills that are below those expected for their age, and that they may need time to adjust to the demands of school-life.

 Unless there is a specific learning or physical difficulty already identified, children’s progress towards the Early Learning Goals will be closely monitored during the first term of the Nursery/Reception year.

 During the second term the Nursery/Reception teacher and the SENDCo will discuss any concerns about the progress of identified children, and set targets and success criteria accordingly. These will be recorded on an Initial Concern Form and parents/carers informed. The class teacher and SENDCo will review these targets and, if the child is still developing below age-related expectations, a decision will be made whether to place the child on the SEND register. We make use of the “Bradford Early Years Support Grid” to identify children who are falling behind age related expectations and to support our judgements on whether there may be a Special Educational Need.

 Assessment and Identification in Key Stage 1 and 2

Communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders Pupils with Communication and Interaction needs may have problems with one or more areas of speech, language or communication; including difficulties in understanding language or in making themselves understood. Where there are concerns about a child’s verbal skills or understanding of language, a referral may be made to a Speech and Language Therapist (with parental consent) in order to further understand needs and to gain advice on appropriate provision.

Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a range of complex conditions which may affect social interaction, communication and understanding of the world. Where an Autistic Spectrum Disorder is suspected the SENDCo will make a referral to the neurodevelopmental team or other health professionals such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to seek a formal assessment.

Cognition and learning needs

Children with difficulties with Cognition and Learning will learn at a slower pace than other children and may have greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy or numeracy skills or in understanding concepts.

We have rigorous assessment and progress monitoring procedure in place. Children are assessed at least termly using National Curriculum levels, teacher assessment.  Where there is concern that a child’s progress has slowed or stopped or that they are falling behind their peers, teachers with support from the school’s SENDCo, will begin to consider what barriers to learning a child may have and what ‘additional provision’ may need to be put into place to help a child to progress. Targets will be set and the additional provision will be reviewed after a suitable period of time. A decision will then be made as to whether further provision is needed and whether to add the child to the schools SEND register.

The needs of children with Specific Learning Difficulties will be assessed using the guidance in the SEND folder from Education Bradford and appropriate provision made. Where a specific learning difficulty is suspected a referral to SCILs Team may be made.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Children who have Social, Mental and Emotional Health Needs may have immature social skills and find it difficult to make and sustain healthy relationships. These difficulties may be displayed through the child becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as through challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. The class teacher, with support from the SENDCo, will usually identify where a child’s social or emotional difficulties prevent them from learning or developing healthy relationships. Where this is identified the focus of provision will be to develop social skills, self-esteem and emotional literacy with a view to developing learning readiness, often through a referral to the school Inclusion Mentor and Mental Health Champion.

Fagley Primary School recognises that behavioural difficulties do not necessarily mean that a pupil has SEND; where these are apparent, assessment will be used to determine whether these are the result of unmet learning or communication difficulties. If a learning or communication difficulty is identified appropriate targets and provision will be put in place following the ‘graduated approach’.

The Bradford Behaviour Support Services 5 level model and colour coded Matrix of need descriptions will be used to prescribe a ‘best fit’ level of need and to identify the provision which may be appropriate for children whose behaviour continues to have an adverse effect on their learning or social development.

Where there is concern that a child’s behaviour may be the result of mental health problems the school, with parental consent, will consult specialist agencies for support and to seek specialist provision.

If it is thought that housing, family or other domestic circumstances may be contributing to the presenting behaviour, the SENDCo , Mental Health Champion or Inclusion Manager will work closely with the child’s parents or carers to implement appropriate family support. A multi-agency approach, supported by the use of the Multi Agency Referral Form (MARF) may be appropriate.

Sensory and physical needs Identification of the Matrix of need of support needed for children with Physical Difficulties or Sensory Impairments will be made using the guidance in the SEND folder from the Local Authority. Referral for support from external agencies will be made by the SENDCo with parental consent.

Provision

Provision is always implemented based around the child’s individual needs and is carefully tailored to meet specific targets. For children with SEND, provision will consider the possible need for support in developing social relationships and will focus on enabling inclusion for all pupils.

Provision and specific interventions will be regularly evaluated to monitor their appropriateness and effectiveness. This will include assessment of pupil’s attainment at entry and exit to the intervention using appropriate data. Parents/carers and children will be invited to become more closely involved in their child’s learning and to give their views on the targets/ provision put in place.

The SENDCO, in consultation with colleagues, will continue to investigate and evaluate new intervention strategies as they become available to broaden and enrich the curriculum and to meet the diverse needs of our pupils. All intervention strategies will be based on need and not age. In this way children’s individual learning needs are met on a personalised level.

For a detailed description of provision which may be offered to pupils with SEND, including access facilities, see the School’s ‘Local Offer’ see school website.

The ‘Graduated Approach’ to SEND

Once a possible Special Educational Need or Disability has been identified, a cycle of assessment, planning, provision and reviewing will be used to ensure that the provision in place is the most appropriate in enabling a pupil to make good progress and secure good outcomes. As a greater understanding of a child’s needs and difficulties is developed, decisions will be revised and provision altered as appropriate. If necessary, more frequent review and more specialist expertise will be drawn on in successive cycles to ensure that provision and intervention meets the needs of the pupil.

The Graduated Approach in practice

At Fagley Primary School we are committed to setting personalised development targets for all pupils. Pupils and their teacher meet termly to review progress and to set targets for the coming term. Where a child has been identified as having a Special Educational Need or Disability using the Bradford Matrix of Need Descriptors these targets will be carefully tailored to address the child’s primary area of need.

Quality First Teaching is carefully adapted to suit the child’s preferred learning style and specific strategies are employed to help the child to meet these targets. These children will usually fall within Quality First Teaching Support of the Bradford Matrix of Need Descriptors. Where it is felt that the gap is not being closed by specially differentiated quality first teaching it may be considered appropriate to place the child in a small intervention group with children who have similar needs. The intervention will be carefully planned to address the children’s needs and will be led by a trained adult. All interventions will be recorded. The effectiveness of provision and children’s progress towards set targets will be monitored regularly

Fagley Primary School is committed to working in close collaboration with a number of professional agencies outside of school to ensure that children’s’ needs are fully met. Where it is felt that a child has additional needs or barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and specific small group interventions, advice may be sought from professional agencies outside of the school. In these cases the class teacher or SENDCo will contact the parents to discuss the need for outside agency involvement and to gain their consent for the referral to be made. Children’s targets and provision will be updated in light of advice from other professionals and their recommendations will be shared with parents.

Where a child is identified as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group support which cannot be provided from the budget available in school an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC plan) may be applied for. This will be done with the consent of the parents/carers and in collaboration with other professionals. The EHC Plan will give in-depth details of the child’s needs and provision. For pupils with an EHC Plan, Pupil Passports will be updated by the teacher using the objectives from the plan as guidance. These will be completed in collaboration with the child where appropriate and parents/carers will be invited to express their opinions on targets, provision and progress. An Annual Review will be held by the SENDCo for children with an EHC plan, to which all relevant parties will be invited.

Putting children and families at the heart of our practices We firmly believe that provision for children with SEND cannot be completely effective without cooperation with children and their parents/carers, and we value their unique knowledge of the child’s needs.

Through our target setting approach, pupils are fully included in evaluating their own learning and in setting targets for future learning in cooperation with their class teacher. This is extended throughout the graduated approach to SEND through Intervention Plans.

Children will be involved in agreeing the provision that is to be put into place to help them to meet set targets. These targets and provision will be shared with parents/carers at least termly. This is usually done at Parents’ Consultations where parents will be given the opportunity to share their views on their child’s needs, targets and provision put into place.

 For children with an EHC plan, an Annual Review will be held in addition to these meetings. This gives an opportunity for Parents/Carers, the school and other relevant professionals to discuss a children progress, provision and targets. The child’s views will be sought prior to the Annual Review and where appropriate, the child will be invited to attend the review.

Funding for SEND

The Co-Head teachers, in consultation with the SENDCo and Governors, will allocate the annual budget for SEND. This will be governed by the formula applied by Education Bradford and adjusted by additional funds as dictated by the Governor’s usual budgetary procedures.

Arrangements for considering complaints about SEND provision Fagley Primary School follows the Local Authority complaints procedure. In the first instance it is expected that any complaints will be dealt with through informal discussion with the relevant members of staff, including the SENDCo and the Co-Headteachers.

Admissions arrangements for pupils with SEND Fagley Primary School follows the Bradford’s Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for all admissions to Reception to Year 6. We are an inclusive school and all applications will be treated sensitively, including those for children with SEND.

If a child has a Special Education Need or an Education, Health and Social Care Plan and the school is named in the EHCP as the most appropriate school that can meet their needs, the child will be admitted regardless of the admission policy or whether a place is available.

Assessment

Whilst pupils will be assessed alongside their peers, sometimes additional forms of assessment may need to take place which are broken down into smaller steps, or will assess different areas of their learning. Assessment tools which may be used are:

• EYFS
• Pre key stage assessment
• Sensory profile
• SCERTS
• Autism Education Trust (AET) assessment framework
• B squared
• BOXALL

A learning journal is also kept by staff which reflects the pupil’s small steps progress through observations and photographs linked to the above assessment methods.

How does Fagley Primary School ensure accessibility for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?

Fagley Primary School is an inclusive school and actively seeks to promote the inclusion of students with SEND. We use our best endeavours to ensure that all students with SEND are able to fully participate in the life of the school, both in their learning and in the wider provision and life of the school. Adaptations and provisions are made for SEND students to enable them to participate in all school trips and other out of class activities. This includes wheelchair access, use of lifts and disabled toilets

Accessibility Plan

The Local Offer is a new way of giving children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers information about what activities and support is available in the area where you live.

Click here to visit Bradford's Local Offer Homepage

SEND Information Report

School Local Offer

SEND in a nutshell

Bradford Council, in partnership with Barnardo’s has developed a newsletter especially for young people with disabilities age 11 to 25 years.

The editorial team consists of a group of young people themselves with disabilities, who have created the name ‘The buzz’ along with the image, design, colours and layout for the newsletter.

The newsletter is available twice yearly, and will be available both online and through hardcopies sent to schools, youth groups, short break activities and through workers supporting young people with disabilities.

Click here to read the latest newsletter.