SEND Information Report

There are now four broad areas of SEND, these are:

• Communication and Interaction
  This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs
• Cognition and Learning
  This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
  This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn
• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
  This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

Types of special educational needs can include:

o    Moderate Learning Difficulties – children whose learning progresses at a slower pace

o    Social and Emotional needs

• Speech and Language Difficulties
• Behavioural Difficulties
• Dyslexia (difficulties with reading, writing and spelling)
• Dyspraxia (problems with motor skills, organisation)
• Dyscalculia (difficulties with number work)
• Autism
• ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Down Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Other Physical/Medical Needs

At present, there are 55 children identified as having SEND needs throughout school, including nursery, and of those 55 children, 5 have an Education Health Care Plan.

Needs within school are identified as:

A graduated approach: ‘Every Teacher is a Teacher of SEND’.

Quality First Teaching  Note: ‘The baseline of learning for all pupils’.

1. Any pupil who is falling outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators will be monitored.

2. Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEND they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.

3. The class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.

4. The SENDCo will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.

5. Through the above actions it can be determined which level of provision the pupil will need.

6. If a pupil has recently been removed from the SEND register they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary.

7. Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. Parents are encouraged to share information and queries with the school.

8. The pupil is monitored if concern is raised by parent or teacher but this does not automatically place the pupil on the school’s SEND register. Concerns are discussed with parents/carers. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference in a ‘Quality First Teaching Note’.

9. Reviews of the ‘Quality First Teaching Note’ with teacher and parents are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by the student. The frequency of these meetings is dependent on individual progress.

1.            SEND Support:

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEND, parents will be formally advised of this before inclusion of the individual on the School SEND Register. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEND is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four-part process indicated below:

·         Assess

·         Plan

·         Do

·         Review

This is an ongoing cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of an individual grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes. A Support Plan is used as a framework for this process.

Assess

In identifying a child as needing SEND support, the class teacher, working with the SENDCo should carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This should draw on subject assessments, teacher observations, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of parents. The opinion and feelings of the individual and advice from external support services will also be considered. Any parental concerns will be recorded and compared with the school’s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing.

This analysis will require regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to need; barriers to learning are clearly identified and being challenged and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required. Where external support staff are already involved, their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved, they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents.

Plan

When it is decided to provide a pupil with a SEND support plan, parents will be involved in writing this plan with the class teacher. The plan may involve consultation between the class teacher, SENDCo and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental involvement is vital, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home.

All those working with the pupil, including support staff, will be informed of their individual needs, the support that is being provided, any teaching strategies/approaches that are being employed and the outcomes that are being sought.

Do

The class teacher remains responsible for working with the pupil on a daily basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or 1:1 teaching away from the mainstream class. They will work closely with teaching assistants and relevant specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and links with classroom teaching. Support with further assessment of the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the SENDCo.

·         Support plans written with SMART outcomes and reviewed regularly.

·         A well planned, differentiated curriculum designed to meet the needs of the children

·         Small groups, pairs and 1:1 provision etc.

·         Use of technology: talking tins, ICT and appropriate websites to support all areas of needs. Eg use of Clicker 8 to engage and support with writing. Assistive technology

·         Work closely with, and implement advice of,  professionals and agencies.

·         Regular training – for staff and SENDCo

Review

Reviewing pupil progress will be done at regular intervals, as arranged with parents in the support plan. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. The SENDCo and class teacher will revise the support and considering pupil progress and development, making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents.

2.            Referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan:

If a pupil has lifelong or significant difficulties, they may undergo a Statutory Assessment Process which is usually requested by the school but can be requested by a parent. This will occur where the complexity of need or a lack of clarity around the needs of the pupil are such that a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning provision and identifying resources, is required.

The decision to make a referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan will be taken at a progress review involving parents, SENDCo and class teacher.

The application for an Education, Health and Care Plan will combine information from a variety of sources including:

·         Parents

·         Teachers

·         SENDCo

·         Social Care

·         Health professionals

Information will be gathered relating to the current provision and a summary of any action points taken; the preliminary outcomes of the targets set form the basis of the profile. A decision will be made by a group of people from education, health and social care about whether the pupil is eligible for an EHC Plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision not to initiate a statutory assessment leading to an EHC Plan.

3.            Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plan)

1. Following Statutory Assessment, an EHC Plan will be provided by Durham County Council, if it is decided that the needs of an individual are not being met by the support that is ordinarily available. Both staff in school and parents will be involved in developing and producing the plan.

2. Parents have the right to appeal against the content of the EHC Plan. They may also appeal against the school named in the Plan if it differs from their preferred choice.

3. Once the EHC Plan has been completed and agreed, it will be kept as part of the pupil’s formal record and reviewed at least annually by staff, parents and the pupil.

The Annual Personal Review enables provision for the pupil to be evaluated and, where appropriate, for changes to be put in place.

A link to  Durham SEND Local Offer is available here.  Additional information and support can be received by contacting the SEND Information Advice and Support Service on: (SENDIASS)

https://durhamsendiass.info/

For further information please contact the SENDCo or Head Teacher.

4.            Access to the curriculum, information and associated services

Pupils with SEND will be given access to the curriculum through the specialist SEND provision provided by the school as is necessary, as far as possible, taking into account the wishes of parents and the needs of the individual.

Every effort will be made to educate pupils with SEND alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom setting. Where this is not possible, the SENDCo will consult with parents for other flexible arrangements to be made.

Regular training and learning opportunities for staff on the subject of SEND and SEND teaching are provided both in school and across the Trust and local schools. Staff members are encouraged to attend voluntary twilight and Inset training to further develop skills and knowledge.

Ensuring Access to the Curriculum for Pupils with SEND:

The SENDCo, Head Teacher and Senior Leaders are responsible for:

·         Keeping staff fully informed of the special educational needs of any pupils.

·         Providing regular training and learning opportunities for staff on the subject of SEND and SEND teaching. Ensuring staff members are kept up to date with teaching methods which will aid the progress of all pupils including those with SEND.

·         In-class provision and support are deployed effectively to ensure that the curriculum is differentiated where necessary.

·         Individual or small group tuition is available where it is felt that pupils would benefit from this provision.

·         Setting appropriate individual targets that motivate pupils to do their best and celebrating achievements at all levels.

Monitoring and evaluating the success of the education provided for pupils with SEND

Monitoring progress is an integral part of teaching and leadership; parents/carers, pupils and staff are involved in reviewing the impact of interventions for learners with SEND. We follow the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ model and involve parents/carers and pupils in each step. Baselines are recorded to ensure we are able to measure the impact of provision where applicable.

Children, parents/carers and their teaching and support staff will be directly involved in reviewing progress. This review can be built into the intervention itself, or it can be a more formal meeting held at least once a term where progress and next steps are discussed. If a child has an Education Health and Care Plan, termly reviews are supplemented by a formal annual review.

The SENDCO collates impact data of interventions to ensure that interventions are proving effective. Progress data of all learners is monitored by all staff and governors.

At Rosa Street, the Designated Teacher for Looked after Children is Mrs Gibbons (Deputy Headteacher). Mrs Gibbons monitors closely to ensure teachers understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEND.

Looked after children are supported through their SEND following the school’s Assess, Plan, Review, Do process.

Progress is reviewed, and closely monitored by the LA and relevant professionals such as Social Workers alongside the school.

Progress is reviewed using SEN Support Plan/EHCP and PEP paperwork.

Provision

Each class teacher adapts the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all children in their class. Teachers use various strategies to adapt access to the curriculum including use of visual timetables, laptops or other relevant recording devices, positive rewards system, and de-escalation techniques.

Each learner identified as having SEND is entitled to support that is ‘additional to or different from’ a normal differentiated curriculum. The type of support is dependent on the individual learning needs and is intended to enable access to learning and overcome the barrier to learning identified. This support is described on a provision map detailing interventions and actions that we undertake to support learners with SEND across the year groups. We modify provision termly and it changes each year as our learners and their needs change.

At Rosa Street, we believe that every child has individual and unique needs and strengths. All teachers are teachers of special educational needs. A continuous cycle of ‘plan, do, review and assess’ takes account of the wide range of abilities and aptitudes within the classroom. We value high quality teaching for all learners and actively monitor teaching and learning in the school.

We will use our ‘best endeavours’ to meet the needs of our pupils in the most inclusive way we can. This includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils and supporting those with medical conditions.

·         Use of technology for recording work

·         Adapting and amending activities to suit ability and need

We aim to create a learning environment which is flexible to meet the needs of all learners. We monitor the progress of all learners which includes regular pupil progress meetings. Where progress is a concern, this is shared with parents and the curriculum is adapted to support progress.

The school curriculum is regularly reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. This includes learning outside the classroom and offsite provision.

The school will seek advice where appropriate around individual pupils, from external support services.

All children, regardless of ability, are encouraged to engage in the activities of the school. SEND children are actively encouraged as School Council members, Rights resecting Ambassadors, Young Carers, Eco Club members etc. Where a child requires additional adult support in school to participate within after school provision a member of staff will accompany them to ensure their needs are met.

Rosa Street will work closely with families to provide/source the correct form of support for the child and family.

For example:

·         Nurture Group

·         Lego therapy/art therapy

·         Therapeutic Writing

·         Mindfulness activities

·         Yoga and planned regular brain breaks

·         Relax Kids

·         Advice from external agencies – early help referrals, CAMHS and counselling

·         Anxiety therapies and support (such as the Anxiety Gremlin)

·         Early Help referrals

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

How we will support children with SEND when they are moving on to another class or leaving this school:

·         We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting when they will be shown around the school and any concerns can be addressed. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

·         School/Parents may feel the need to arrange several transition meetings / sessions between the schools in order to alleviate pupil concerns.

·         Many of our ‘feeder’ secondary schools run a programme specifically tailored to aid transition for the more vulnerable pupils. We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex needs then an Education Health Care Plan review may be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend.

·         In the case of Looked After Children with SEND – transition support staff are invited to the child’s PEP meeting.

·         Within school, children with SEND are able to access additional time in their new classes and spend time with their new teachers/support staff.

Educational Psychology

CAMHS

Speech and Language

Cognition and Learning Team

Physiotherapy

Movement Difficulties Team

Occupational Therapy

School Counsellor

Emotional Wellbeing Team

This document will be renewed on an annual basis (next update July 2025)