Parents’ F.A.Q.

• We are a mainstream school and the majority of our pupils are expected to reach the learning goals for their age. A small number of our pupils do have special educational needs.
• Children are identified as having SEND when their progress has slowed or stopped and the interventions, resources etc. we normally put in place do not enable improvement.
•  A Cause for Concern Form is used to identify these children. The school listens to parents. Sometimes, the first signs of difficulty are picked up through conversation at home so parents are always welcome to contact the school to talk about concerns.

• Typically, children with SEND in our school have difficulties with speaking and communication, learning generally (especially reading and/or writing), social or emotional development, ASD, sensory difficulties and with sight or hearing.

• Our class teachers closely monitor the progress made by all the children and ask advice from the Inclusion Manager as soon as they have concerns about any pupil.
• The Inclusion Manager helps class teachers to plan activities such as small group work or special programmes to help the child.
• If these activities don’t help the child to make good progress, the Inclusion Manager might suggest other programmes or temporary additional support, or ask for advice or assessment from an external specialist service.
• If the child still does not make good progress the class teacher will meet with parents/carers and together agree the additional SEND support required.

• As soon as a need has been identified, the class teacher will contact you and invite you to come into school to discuss plans to help your child.

• The progress of all children across the school is tracked.
• The Inclusion Manager assesses and reviews these results in regard to SEN children, to ensure that any provision is effective in helping them make expected progress.

• Additional assessments from external services may include STS (Specialist Teaching Services), SALT (Speech and Language Therapist) and the Psychology service including CAMHS.

• Review meetings happen termly with the class teacher.
• Those meetings that involve outside agencies will also include the Inclusion Manager.
• All assessments are reported to parents during the termly meetings.
• An annual report in common with all children is also produced.
• During Year 5 and Year 6 the Inclusion Manager ensures future providers from feeder secondary schools join the meetings.

• The teacher will have the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in his or her class. All teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• Your child’s teacher/s will use different teaching methods to ensure your child is fully involved in class learning. This may involve using more practical learning or providing different resources adapted for your child.
• Your child’s teacher will also put in place specific strategies (which may be suggested by the Inclusion Manager or staff from outside agencies) to enable your child to access the learning task.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on his or her progress to monitor if your child has gaps in his or her understanding/learning and needs some extra support in order to close the gap between your child and the age related expectations.
• They will plan group sessions for your child with targets to help them to make further progress.
• These group activities are led by either a teacher or a trained teaching assistant working to plans made by the class teacher.
• The termly curriculum letters will provide information about what the class is learning at the moment.
• In addition the class teacher will share information about how they are helping your child to make good progress.

• The school site is on one level so is accessible to all. There are two disabled toilets.
• Adaptations are used in all classrooms to suit the individual needs of children. These include enlarged print, coloured overlays, wobble cushions, specific pencil grips as well as personalised differentiation.

• Small intervention groups and one to one support is timetabled to help SEND children.
• We have well trained TAs who work in small group, whole class and one to one situations.

• Teachers will report to parents using provision reviews to highlight the support in place for your child.

• Please see the list of extra-curricular activities that are available to children of different age groups.

• There are a range of groups that children with emotional and social development needs can attend. The school also works alongside the Educational Psychology Service, CAMHS, and different counselling services such as REACH, and we are working with Coventry and Warwickshire MIND as part of the Big Umbrella

• Mrs Tracy Butcher is the school’s Inclusion Manager. She is an experienced SENCO who has achieved the NASENCO award. She can be contacted in school on a Tuesday and Wednesday or by emailing the school office.

• The school has a school development plan that includes identified training needs for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEND This may include whole school training on SEND issues or to support identified groups of learners in school, such as attachment disorder, ASD, etc.
• Whole staff training takes place to share knowledge, strategies and experience and to ensure consistency of the school’s approach for children with SEND.
• Teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class for example from STS (Specialist Teaching Services), or MASH to support staff when implementing healthcare plans.
• If you would like to hear about current or past training undertaken by school staff, please speak to the Head teacher or Inclusion Manager.
• The Inclusion Manager and teachers work closely with specialists from external support services who may provide advice or direct support as appropriate.

• The school will provide auxiliary aids.
• STS (Specialist Teaching Services) can provide equipment such as hearing equipment when prescribed by a relevant health specialist and additional visual aids.

• Termly reviews will take place with the Class Teacher usually at Parent Evening appointments. The Class Teacher and Inclusion Manager are available for informal conversations. There is a termly curriculum newsletter and regular emails from the school.

• The school will send home information to parents about home support throughout the year. The class teacher will give further advice concerning home support for SEND children during termly meetings.

• Children fill in their own self-assessment evaluation forms each term. They are involved in their review meetings and at the end of KS2 make active contributions towards them.

• Your first step should be to make a complaint directly to your child’s class teacher.
• See our complaints procedure and the contact details for the Class teacher /Inclusion Manager / Headteacher / Governors.

Table of involvement of external services support for SEND

• Warwickshire SENDIAS (family-action.org.uk/wias) can provide support for families of SEND children. Other agencies such as CAHMS provide a direct involvement with school and families. STS (Specialist Teaching Services) provide some outreach services.

• Contact SENDIAS (https://www.family-action.org.uk/wias) or Warwickshire Parent Carer Forum (mailto:warwickshireparentcarerforum@gmail.com)

• School transition processes/ information sharing between schools begins in Year 5 provision review meetings.
• Support including additional visits to secondary schools is available for pupils with SEND, to help them to make successful transitions. Parents and children are fully involved in this process.

The Warwickshire Local Offer website has information about the services that are available. See www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send