Inclusion/Special Needs Provision

Our Inclusion Lead is Mr P Eames

My name is Mr Eames and I am the SENCo at St Paul’s. My role in school is to help children who have a special educational need and/or Disability (SEND) access the highest level of support possible. A vital part of this role is to work closely with a child and their parents, using their views and aspirations as the basis of any plans that are created.

I work alongside class teachers and teaching assistants to ensure that the adaptations that are being made for children are specific to their individual needs and are most effective for them.

I also work closely with other professionals and agencies, such as: The Inclusion Service, Speech and Language Therapy, Ethnic Diversity, Occupational Therapy and our Educational Psychologist, utilising their expertise to shape our practices.

If you have any concerns about your child’s education or would like any further information about SEND at St Paul’s, please get in touch with me. My email is: peter.eames@st-pauls.stockport.sch.uk

If you would like to meet with me (either face to face, via telephone or virtually), I am flexible with meeting times and can accommodate a time to suit you. Please either contact the school office or email me directly.

St Paul's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Information Report

A child or young person would be placed on the SEN Register 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 then the majority of others of the same age, or

· Has a disability which prevents him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions (SEN Code of Practice 0-25 2014)

A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if he or she is likely to fall within the definition of the 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).

At St Paul’s C of E Primary School, we strive to fully include and support any child with special educational needs and/or a disability by identifying barriers to learning at an early stage and working with parents, staff and outside agencies to decide on the best provision for the individual. This School Offer will allow parents to be advised on any questions they may have.

How does the school know if a child needs extra help and/or has special educational needs?

If a child’s teacher has concerns about a child, they will contact parents to discuss these concerns. Teachers will use assessments of the children in terms of academic progress and behaviour. The school will then decide on how they will be able to meet the child’s needs. Key indicators that a child needs extra help and may have special educational needs are that the gap between their attainment and their peers’ is widening or that their social, emotional, health or physical development is of concern.

Inclusion Lead, Mr Eames, will also be consulted about the needs of your child. Mr Eames works closely with the teachers at St Paul’s, advises on extra support or interventions, and will consult with outside agencies. Mr Eames also monitors the progress of all children with SEND (Special Educational Needs/Disabilities) and chairs all review meetings.

How will I as a parent know how well my child is doing and how will you help me support my child?

Parents are invited in for parents evening in the Autumn and Spring term, in which parents are told how their child is progressing. Concerns from both parties can be raised in this meeting too.

Any child, who is supported 1:1 by the Inclusion Service, will have regular review meetings with the Inclusion Lead, class teacher and support teacher to discuss specific work which has been done with these agencies and progress made.

Any child who has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have an annual review meeting to discuss progress and support. It is vital that parents attend these meetings so that you can be involved in discussions about how to best support your child in school.

However, if at any other time parents are concerned about their child’s progress or development or if they need to share information, their first contact is always the class teacher to arrange a meeting or telephone call.

The class teacher, Inclusion Lead and other outside agencies will be able to advise you on what help and support you can give at home to best support your child.

How will the school support my child?

St Paul’s strives to be fully inclusive and has many approaches to best supporting children with SEND.

Putting support in place for children with SEND is a graduated response and we will devise a plan of action and any additional intervention the child may require. This can be in many forms, such as adapted work, small group work, and 1:1 support in and out of class. Depending on the complexity and diversity of a child’s needs, it may be appropriate to seek advice and support from outside agencies.

In each lesson the teachers plan adapt work to support and extend the range of abilities within a class. It may sometimes be appropriate for a child with SEND to complete a different programme of work, but parents will be consulted.

Other resources within school are used to support children with SEND and are matched to their need, such as computers and programs, specialist seating and tools. If additional resources are required to support a child, this is discussed with agencies and the SENDCo.

Where any additional support from school is not enough to improve progress and development in the areas of need, an outside agency will be consulted with the parents’ permission. If progress continues to be a concern despite a variety of support in place from school and outside agencies, it may then be appropriate to apply for an EHC plan. This of course will be discussed in detail with parents and agencies.

If a child is having specific difficulties with their social and emotional behaviour and following the school’s behaviour policy is difficult, a support plan may be created to help them. The Inclusion Service may be consulted, with parental permission to advise on support and strategies.

A number of key staff have been trained in ‘Team Teach’, which helps them promote positive behaviour and support children to make good choices if need be. It also enables staff to carry out positive handling strategies, which parents will be advised of.

The progress of children with SEND is carefully monitored by the Governing Body, and there is a designated SEND Governor who discusses any queries or concerns regarding SEND when needed. The SENDCo and SEND Governor work closely and meet termly to ensure children with SEND are being supported appropriately, included fully in school life and are making good progress.

What training are the staff supporting my child having or had?

St Paul’s carefully monitors continuing professional development for teachers and any support staff and allocates expertise where required. All staff at St Paul’s have recently had training in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), ADHD awareness and Dyslexia Friendly Schools. Other training that staff have received is plentiful but includes Speech and Language, Makaton, Team Teach, Cerebral Palsy in mainstream schools and Motor Skills United.

How will my child be included in school trips and activities outside the classroom?

At St Paul’s we strive to include every child in all aspects of school life where possible. Our school is fully accessible to wheelchair users.

St Paul’s run different after school clubs which children are encouraged to join, and if a child finds certain elements difficult, school will work with parents and the child to try and alleviate problems. All children are invited on school trips and additional support is available if need. Risk assessments are completed, and discussions are taken where necessary with the venue. We take into account any children with SEND to ensure they are safe at all times.

What specialist services and expertise are available and accessed by St Paul’s?

St Paul’s works with a number of outside agencies from who we can ask for advice and support, and to refer children so they may be assessed, and support put in place. It is important to note that supporting children with outside agencies is part of a graduated response and they require work to have been done in school before they assess them for additional support.

The agencies we currently work with are:

· Educational Psychology

· Occupational Therapy

· Physiotherapy

· Speech and Language Therapy

· Ethnic diversity

· Primary Jigsaw

· The Inclusion Service

· Sensory Support

· Counselling

How will the school support my child with moving to a new school or the next stage of education?

When a child joins St Paul’s they are invited with parents to visit the school and class they will be joining. We are happy to help with any additional transition work from previous settings.

If a child leaves us before the end of a key stage, we will speak to their next school to discuss the child’s needs and current arrangements. Any paperwork will be sent to the new school so the child can carry on where they left us.

As children move classes, teachers meet to discuss the progress and any children with SEND, and will spend time getting to know the children, especially those who may find the move difficult.

All year 6 children do transition work before moving to secondary school and if your child has SEND, they can have additional visits and have a familiar member of staff with them if appropriate.

Any child with an EHC plan applies to their chosen secondary school in the Year 5 annual review. Any extra transition work can be done by the class teachers, support staff and The Inclusion Service.

How do school manage the administering of medicines?

St Paul’s staff undertake regular training to equip them to deal with known medical needs within school such as Asthma. Teaching Assistants are first aid trained.

Only prescribed medicines are administered in school. Parents are required to complete a medicine form before any will be given. These can be found at the school office.

Who can I contact if I have any questions or for further information?

Parents can contact their child’s class teacher, the SENDCo or the Head teacher. Parents may also find it useful to read the school’s policy for Inclusion, Disability Equality and Special Educational Needs, which can be found under the ‘Policies’ tab on our school website.

Below is a link to Stockport Council’s Support for Children with Additional Needs’ web page where you can find out more information and find links to services involved in SEND support.

Stockport Local Offer

Stockport SENDIASS Information, advise and support service

What is the Entitlement Framework?

The Entitlement Framework provides advice and guidance to support schools to continue to build upon and enhance their provision for our most vulnerable learners.

Good teaching for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is good teaching for all and the document seeks to support schools in the promotion of high quality SEND practice in every classroom. It details key features of successful teaching and how to support emerging and increasing need at SEN Support.

Stockport Entitlement Framework.pdf

What is the Stockport Co production charter?

‘Co-production happens when all voices are actively listened to from the start of the planning process. This involves a mutual respect for each other’s views, with an open and honest relationship that is transparent and continually evolving to achieve meaningful and positive outcomes.’

Stockport Local Authority, 2020.

St Paul’s has made a pledge to this co production charter.

This means that we pledge to work pro-actively and co-productively with parents, carers and children to improve our SEND provision and to ensure we are child, young people and family focused.

We aim to create a culture where we will:

Be Open and Honest
Actively Listen
Value the Lived Experiences
Do What Matters
Be Accountable and Responsive
Work Together
Be Respectful

If you would like more information on Stockport’s Co production charter, please follow the links below.

Stockport Co-Production Charter.pdf

What is the Stockport Outcomes Framework?

In Stockport, our vision is for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to have the best start in life. We want all children and young people to be happy, prepared for adulthood and able to achieve their goals. We want families to feel supported, confident, resilient and connected to their community.

We have worked together with parents, carers, young people and workforce across the local area to co-produce a set of Outcomes that we all want to achieve for children and young people. These are set out in our Outcomes Framework that was launched in November 2020.

The agreed statements are: