SEND

SEND at Audlem
Children with special educational needs have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age. There are four broad categories of SEN:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Physical and sensory

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and the Children and Families Act 2014 sets out the processes and procedures that all organisations should follow to meet the needs of children. We use this code to inform our graduated approach in school that recognises that children learn in different ways and can have different kinds of SEND. This begins with quality first teaching in class and can then develop into small group or individual, specific interventions. Our aim is to identify, at the earliest opportunity, barriers to learning and to ensure that every child experiences success in their learning and achieves to the highest possible standard. The progress of every child is monitored at half termly standards meetings and children identified are monitored by the teacher and interventions implemented to boost and support. Once a child is identified as needing SEN Support, a meeting will be held with parents to create a SEN Support Plan and support can be put in place to help overcome the difficulties that a child may have. If further support is required the school may request a statutory assessment of special needs, which may result in an Education, Health and Care Plan being issued to the child. Statements have been replaced by EHC plans which can be used to support children from birth to 25 years. Children who currently have a Statement of Educational Need will transfer to an EHC plan during a transition period of three years.

The interventions we use with all pupils to boost attainment and progress are evaluated for their effectiveness and include: ELS (Early Literacy Support), Read Write Inc, Fresh Start, Lego Therapy, Inference Training, Big Maths CLIC, One-to-One Tuition, Precision Teaching and Direct Instruction and IDL.

Interventions to support Emotional Health and Wellbeing include Cool Connections, Resilient Classrooms, Next Steps, Friendship Terrace, Lego Therapy and Zones of Regulation. The children have access to safe spaces in classrooms, wellbeing boxes and we have recently developed a Wellbeing Area in school.

The progress of pupils with special educational needs is tracked closely and where necessary, smaller steps such as PIVATS are used to track progress for individuals.

We are a member of the Nantwich Education Partnership and our SEND coordinator regularly attends a local cluster group of SENCos to keep abreast of current developments and to gain valuable mutual support. There are also close links with the Educational Psychologist, CEAT (Cheshire East Autism Team), Speech & Language, Emotionally Healthy Children and Young People Team, CAMHS Link Team, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy. This is accessed as a cluster and we have a referral system in place. When necessary, additional liaison takes place with feeder EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) settings and High Schools, including the arrangement of more visits to High School to allow pupils to become more familiar with premises and staff. This is to ensure smooth transition between schools so that a child continues to receive the appropriate intervention and teaching.

Policies
Our Inclusion and Equality Scheme includes our policy for SEND in school. This can be found in the policies section of our website.

Click here to find out more about the Cheshire East Local Offer.

Please see the PDF at the top of the page for our local offer.

Number of pupils with SEND
We currently have 14% of our children on the special educational needs register including SEND support and EHCP. Needs range from specific educational difficulties to social and emotional needs. We have a small number of children whose needs require a Statement of Educational needs. These children have their statement reviewed yearly and will transfer to an Education, Health and Care Plan during a transitional period.

INTENT

Let Your Light Shine.' Matthew 5:16

At Audlem St James Primary school, we embrace the adventure of learning, encouraging everyone to step out further, think more deeply and become more understanding. Inspired by our Christian values, we are developing our skills, our courage and our wisdom to achieve beyond expectations and become successful learners, caring citizens and confident individuals. Through God's love, we are nurtured, we are inspired and we shine.
Our intention for Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) is to ensure that all children receive a high-quality and ambitious education regardless of need or disability. Our aim is to provide all our children with an engaging, empowering curriculum that equips them with the tools needed to become independent, inquisitive learners both in and out of the classroom.

Through our high-quality planning, teaching and provision we intend to:

• Identify pupils with SEND early and provide intervention to ensure that progress and opportunities are maximized.
• Ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is differentiated to enable children to understand the relevance and purpose of learning.
• Provide an accessible learning environment which is tailored to the individual needs of all pupils.
• Develop children's independence and life skills
• Regularly monitor the progress of children with SEND, using a child-centered approach.
• Provide good quality and relevant training for all staff members supporting children with SEND.
• Use the 'assess, plan, do, review' method to identify and monitor pupil's progress and needs.
• Work in partnership with parents and carers.
• Work closely with external agencies and other professionals to develop our provision for children with SEND.
• Ensure secure transitions between settings e.g. EYFS providers or High School.
• Work within the guidance provide in the SEND Code of Practice, 2014 and provide a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).

IMPLEMENTATION

At Audlem St James Primary School, every teacher is a teacher of SEND. As such, inclusion is a thread that runs through every area of the school enhanced by collaboration between senior leaders, teachers, support staff, external agencies, parents and most importantly, the child.

At Audlem St James Primary School, pupils with SEND will:

• Be included in all aspects of the school day.
• Be provided with quality first teaching, differentiated to their needs.
• Access a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Have an accessible learning environment.
• Be identified as early as possible to maximise opportunities and progress
• Be respected and their contributions valued and acknowledged.
• Be supported to develop independence and life skills.
• Be supported by termly meetings with teaching staff, the SENCO and parents/carers through the plan, do, review system
• Be closely monitored for progression towards targets set out on their personalised Plan, Do, Review
• Be supported with extra transition (either between classes or different educational settings e.g. EYFS or High School)
• Be supported by school staff and monitored by the SENCO
• Be taught and supported following the guidelines set up within the guidance of the Code of Practice 2014.

At Audlem St James Primary School, pupils with SEND may:

• Have specific 1:1 or small group intervention to support their Phonics, Maths or English learning.
• Take part in social and emotional support interventions such as ELSA, Lego Therapy, Resilient Classrooms, Cool Connections and Next Steps with the aim to remove any barriers to learning.
• Have additional support from our Wellbeing Team with access to the Wellbeing Area.
• Receive additional support with their speech and language development from trained teaching assistants supported by SALT.
• Carry out some of their learning outside through Forest School , Wellbeing Wednesdays and Resilience Passports.
• Have access to Calm Spaces, Well-being Resources and build a personal toolkit through the Zones of Regulation.
• Have individual plans to support their inclusion including RAMPs and Sensory Processing Plans.
• Have additional targeted support allowing children extra time for pre-teaching, confidence building and securing new skills.
• Work alongside external agencies such as an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Cheshire east Autism Team, Emotionally Healthy Children and Young People Link Team or The Sensory Processing Pilot to develop specific targets/programmes tailored to the child's individual needs.
• Be tracked individually using small measures of progress checks such as, PIVATS or the APF (Autism Progression Framework)
• Require further support. If so the school or parents may request a statutory assessment of special needs, which may result in an Education, Health and Care Plan being issued to the child.

IMPACT

As a result:

• Children at Audlem St James Primary School feel happy, safe and respected.
• Behaviour at Audlem St James Primary School is exemplary and diversity is celebrated.
• Children demonstrate high levels of engagement in activities, developing their speaking, listening and social skills.
• Children with SEND make good progress at Audlem St James Primary School from their starting points due to Quality First Teaching and to the use of resources and small group intervention which meets the needs of the pupils.
• On leaving Audlem St James, children with SEND have developed good independence and life skills.
• Pupils will make secure transitions between classes and educational providers e.g. EYFS or High School

The arrangements made by the governing body relating to the treatment of complaints from parents / carers of pupils with special educational needs concerning the provision made at the school.

The normal arrangements for the treatment of complaints at Audlem St James CE Primary School are used for complaints about provision made for special educational needs. We encourage parents to discuss their concerns with the class teacher first and then further to the SENDCo or Headteacher to resolve the issue before making the complaint formal to the Chair of the governing body.

This can be done by emailing the SENDCo, directly

senco@stjamesaudlem.cheshire.sch.uk or by making an appointment via the school office on 01270906283

If the issue is not resolved, please email the Headteacher, directly on head@stjamesaudlem.cheshire.sch.uk

The Chair of the governing body can be contacted via the school office.

If the complaint is not resolved after it has been considered by the governing body, then a disagreement resolution service or mediation service can be contracted. If it remains unresolved after this, the complainant can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), if the case refers to disability discrimination, or to the Secretary of State for all other cases.

There are some circumstances, usually for children who have an Educational, Health and Care Plan, where there is a statutory right for parents to appeal against a decision of the Local Authority. Complaints that fall within this category cannot be investigated by the school.

Here are some useful links:
National Autistic Society
Autism UK
Autism Speaks