Provision for pupils with SEND

Provision For Pupils With SEND

What type of provision does the school make?

Class teachers have responsibility to ensure that all pupils are supported within lessons using a variety of teaching and learning strategies appropriate to their needs including additional support from the class teacher and teaching assistants.  At Kings Norton we seek to promote and develop every pupil’s sense of independence and achievement within a supportive and nurturing environment. A ‘team’ approach is always adopted by class staff to avoid overdependency on one adult.  Pupils may have access to whole class, small group and some 1:1 support dependent on their needs. This means that activities are planned according to the level the pupil is working at.

The universal approach is known as High Quality Teaching.  For your pupil, this would mean:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.

• That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.

• Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class.  This may involve things like using more practical learning, adapting their physical environment, providing appropriate/specific resources, making changes to teaching styles or varying the level of adult  support.

• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCO and/or external agency advisory staff) are in place to support your child to learn, e.g. visual timetables, ‘now/next’ boards, sloping boards etc.

• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap(s) in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

For those pupils for whom High Quality Teaching is not enough, targeted support strategies can be used, which may include:

• Extra support within the classroom with specific targets to help him/her make more progress.

• Small group work outside the classroom focusing on specific targets.

• Individual Education Plans (IEPs)​ One Page Profiles or Individual Behaviour Plans (IBPs)

For pupils who have a high level of need, require a specialist programme of support and/or have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHC) other strategies may include:

• Acting on advice from other professionals or specialist staff, e.g. SENCO or other external agencies.

• 1:1 booster or tuition sessions.

• Creation of a One Page Profile and/or SEND Support Plan.

For pupils who have social and/or emotional/mental health needs our pastoral team provide support. This may take the form of specific interventions 1:1 or in small groups such as ‘Nurture Group’, ‘time to talk’, support at play times and dinner times, resilience & self esteem building tasks & activities, ‘meet and greet’ morning sessions to support the transition between home/school and encouraging pupils to participate in appropriate extra curricular activities such as after school & lunchtime clubs.

Pupils may also have an Attachment Support Plan or a Pastoral Support Plan.

Pupils who have medical/SEND needs may be supported through an Individual Care plan or  Physical Management plan which is reviewed regularly. Advice may also be sought from the Physical Difficulties Support Service (PDSS) or the Physiotherapy team regarding adaptions or support for PE.

Some pupils with SEND may also require a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan and additional risk assessments.

What types of learning resources does the school offer?

A range of resources will be available in all learning areas to support learning for pupils operating at different levels. These are identified on pupil’s Individual Education Plans.

• Classrooms are equipped with practical and visual apparatus to support learning and progress.

• Our early reading books, in class and to take home, are selected so that they are at the right level for your child to make progress.

• We have a range of ICT equipment including laptops, ipads, cameras and recording equipment to support children recording their work in different ways across the school.

• Positions of tables and chairs are always considered for children with physical, hearing or sight impairment.

• Children are encouraged to talk with partners or in small groups to develop their ideas, reason and articulate before recording them.

• Classrooms have resources recommended by Occupational Therapy to promote development of strength and comfortable sitting positions.

• Staff are organised in order to provide small group and 1:1 interventions which are devised to meet the particular needs of children, such as language groups, social skills groups, phonics intervention groups. Progress of individuals is regularly reviewed.

What resources does the school offer to support children with communication and social needs?

• Where necessary, resources will be available to support the learning of children who have significant social and/or communication needs.

• Our Individual Education Plans and Pupil Profiles identify the types of need a child may have.

• All staff have received Level 1 autism training

• We use visual timetables in all classrooms, so that children understand the bigger picture. This supports children who have difficulty with changes in routine.

• We have Reception staff who are trained to deliver speech and language intervention programmes.

• Staff use visual prompt cards to support understanding of verbal instructions.

• We have small group and 1:1 interventions to meet the needs of children, such as language groups, social skills, nurture group and yoga.

• Our timetable has the flexibility to include provision for specific needs, such as movement breaks.

What resources does the school offer to support children with social, emotional and mental health needs?

• We use visual timetables and support children with organisational skills where necessary.

• We run social skills groups across the school to support children who can find social situations difficult.

• Weekly circle time.

• We work in conjunction with Peacemakers in order to develop conflict resolution strategies.

• Behaviour management systems are in place, as set out in our Behaviour Policy, to encourage children to make the right choices. This is consistent across the school and some children may have individual behaviour plans (IBPs).

• Staff are trained in conflict resolution strategies, de-escalation strategies and emotion coaching.

• We have an experienced play therapist, who is available for your child to talk to if they wish.

• We liaise with parents/carers and discuss effective strategies to support individual children.

• We have transition systems in place to support movement into new classes.

• One page profiles outlining the child’s likes, dislike and ideas of how to support are used to ensure all staff are aware of the child’s needs.

• We take advice from the City of Birmingham Schools Service and Beacon School Support, and share ideas with families.

• Staff are trained in supporting children who may have experienced trauma or attachments difficulties and use emotion coaching to help children.

• Pupils have access to a Sensory Room.

 Access Arrangements

Adaptations can be made to assessments for pupils with identified special educational needs.  In many cases (including end of Key Stage 1 and end of Key Stage 2 assessments) these can be made by the class teacher in line with their usual classroom practice e.g. specific seating/access to a quiet, calm areas, allowing rest breaks, providing a scribe or a reader, adaptions to tasks or resources etc. For more personal advice regarding Access Arrangements please contact Mr Sheehan our Head Teacher and Lead for Assessment.