SEN Information Report

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities - our School Offer

Ethos

We have a highly inclusive ethos.  All of our team share high expectations and aspirations for all of our pupils.  We work hard to encourage every child in our school to achieve everything possible. Our focus is on early intervention, starting from the transition process into our school and on raising attainment in order to ‘close the gap’ as much as possible.  We achieve this through responding to the individual needs of our learners by providing first quality teaching alongside carefully planned and targeted personalised interventions and catch up sessions.  We ensure appropriate intervention and support is provided as soon as a need is identified.  Our approach is flexible and creative, always aiming to enthuse and engage our learners as well as boost progress.  We believe that emotional wellbeing is vital for children to flourish educationally and this is an integral part of our school ethos and SEND provision.    

Leadership

The school is effective at leading on SEND. Our SENCo, Mrs Sam Grime is a full time member of staff and member of the school Senior Leadership Team. She is fully supported by both the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher.  Our other SENDCo is Miss Rebecca Rowley-Smith.  Our Learning Mentor takes a lead in our social skills and emotional wellbeing intervention programme, supported by our SENCos. Our valuable team of support staff lead their own small group interventions and 1:1 work where appropriate. Our SEN provision follows a graduated approach of Assess, Plan, Do and Review at least termly. Following this our SEND Register is updated, Personalised Plans are reviewed and amended and any provision is adapted. Attainment is closely tracked and progress is monitored and analysed termly. Following this analysis, our SENCos both work closely with class teachers to action plan for future improvement. We meet with the parents and carers of children with Personalised Plans regularly to give progress updates and to ensure that they can make their contribution to their own child’s Plan. Our SENCos meet termly with our SEN Governor where they work collaboratively to write reports, which are shared with the Governing Body, showing what provision looks like across school and how children with SEN are performing in school. There is also an SEND action plan in place which is reviewed termly with the SEN Governor.

Budget

Within school, we receive a notional inclusion budget. On top of this we can apply for additional funding (FFI) for children who have needs which meet a given criteria. Funding is used in different ways depending on each individual child.

Sometimes the funding may be used to support children who need adult support at times throughout their school day, sometimes it is used for additional resources to allow the child to access their learning. Sometimes children will receive targeted support; other times children will be supported in small groups for set times in the day. Interventions and catch up sessions take place every day throughout our timetable and this is different for every year group depending on the needs of the learners within that group.

Policies

You will find all our policies in the policies section of the school website.

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

We have a challenging and exciting curriculum that meets specific needs of our pupils and all pupils are able to access their learning. Our provision within the curriculum for pupils with SEND begins with quality first teaching. Our classrooms are stimulating and effective learning environments which we make accessible for all the learners in the group. Our class teachers make effective use of appropriate resources and assistive technology is used as required to ensure access to the learning for all of the pupils. Planned outcomes are challenging but appropriate for each individual child and tasks are differentiated effectively. Within these lessons, the children actively work towards the outcomes of their Personalised Plan, supported by an adult when required. A range of targeted support sessions or interventions are then provided should a child require this additional support. These are carried out on both a 1:1 and small group basis and are personalised based on the needs of the individual learners within that class. We have good transition arrangements in place from year group to year group as well as the transition for our Year 6s going to High School. Additional transition programmes including visits take place for the pupils who need them. There is extra pastoral support arrangements to support and develop the social, emotional and behavioural needs of our children- this work is led by our Learning Mentor. Our whole school ethos, reinforced by our PSHE curriculum, encompasses all parts of emotional well-being and includes measures to prevent bullying.

Assessment

Assessment is on-going and takes place within every lesson. More formal assessments take place at least twice yearly. This data is summarised and analysed by the Senior Leadership Team. Pupil Progress meetings will then take place with all staff where the progress of every child is discussed. All children that are working below age related expectations are tracked and monitored by the SENCo. It is at this point when Personalised Plans are updated and the effectiveness of the current intervention programme is evaluated and any amendments are made. For some of our pupils with additional needs we use the Bsquared assessment system to help structure their programmes and to measure progress.

Training

Inclusion has a high priority at our school. Regular meetings take place between teaching staff, support staff, the SENCo and the Senior Leadership Team to discuss pupil progress and the intervention programme. Staff are supported and trained appropriately so that they are able to effectively meet the needs of the individual pupils that they are working with. Both our teaching and support staff have the opportunity to attend training where necessary. There is an expectation that once staff have participated in training that this expertise will be disseminated throughout school and that the impact of this be recorded and evaluated. We are well equipped to support families within our community and have members of our staff in school who are Early Help trained.

Partnership

We have built up strong relationships with teams and outreach services that we work collaboratively with to continuously improve outcomes for our pupils with SEND. These include the Educational Psychology Team, Specialist teachers from SENIT, Behaviour and Inclusion, CAMHS, STARS, Visually Impaired Team, Teachers of the Deaf and Speech and Language Therapy amongst other more specialist services. Our SENCo attends the SEN network meetings for our area where good practice is shared and training takes place. We work alongside Pudsey Cluster and Family Support Workers to support our families when needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

Please contact our school SENCo:

Mrs Sam Grime- 0113 2558719 or s.grime@farsleyspringbank.co.uk

Miss Rebecca Rowley-Smith - 0113 2558719 or r.rowley-smith@farsleyspringbank.co.uk

How accessible is the school?

We have got wheelchair access at the main entrance point and disabled toilets in both buildings. Our school has lift access where there are steps or a ramp into the main office. We ensure that classrooms are accessible for all. We have hoists with tracking systems and pull down changing tables in both the main building and Year 3 annex.

Children have access to ancillary aids where required and we work closely with relevant professionals to ensure that our pupils have any resources that will help them to be able to access their learning.

Further information can be found in our accessibility plan.

How will I know how well my child is doing and how will you help me support my child’s learning?

If you ever have any queries or concerns about your child we are always available to discuss this. Please contact our SENCo (details above), your child’s class teacher or our Headteacher to make an appointment. As a parent you will have input into the outcomes of your child’s Personalised Plan. This will be done through an initial meeting to write the plan, followed by a review which are scheduled to be at least termly however a review is available whenever you would like. Some of this will be done through our biannual Parent’s Evenings as well SEND review meetings. If your child has an Educational Health Care Plan or top-up funding (FFI) there will be a formal annual review meeting held in the Summer term. Our class teachers report to parents formally at the end of every year.

Over the year there are regular opportunities for parents to take part in our open mornings or afternoons, where parents can come in and work with their child’s class. Our Home Learning Policy is on the website and this summarises our approach to this. All home learning is differentiated and opportunities are given for pupils to have support in school with this if they require. We offer curriculum evenings and workshops for parents to help you to support your child with their learning at home.

How are parents and carers involved in the school?

As well as the regular consultation that will take place with regards to your own child’s progress, all parents and carers are automatically members of our Parent Teacher Association and letters will be sent out to everyone to ensure that everyone knows what is happening and when and where meetings are taking place should you wish to be involved.

Parents and carers are regularly invited into school for special assemblies or exhibits of children’s work and are kept well informed through our newsletters. Our governing body has parent representatives that are elected by our parents and carers.

At the end of each school year a survey is sent out to all parents so they are able to give feedback to the school on all aspects of school life. This helps the school continually adapt and improve the work they are doing.

What services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?

All children have access to quality first teaching which we would call our ‘Universal offer’. If we feel, in consultation with parents and the child, that more support is needed we would look at some ‘targeted support’ groups. These are often delivered in a small group setting but are tailored to the child’s needs. Following on from this would be our ‘specialist support’ path, which is where a child would take part in a 1:1 intervention. The services we use and the provision we can offer can be found on our provision map, which is available upon request.

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

All children will be included in activities outside of the classroom. School trips take place in every year group and Years 4-6 take part in a 2 night residential. If your child has complex needs we would consult with you in order to help plan effectively for any activities outside of the classroom.

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to the children’s needs?

Resources are allocated on a ‘needs led’ basis. We always strive to make pupils as independent as possible but do recognise that for some children additional adult support may be required to help them to learn in the most effective way. This support can be delivered whole class, small group and 1:1. It will be delivered for a number of weeks and the impact of this will be measured. These decisions are made by our Senior Leadership Team who will always consider the views of all stakeholders involved, particularly the parents and carers, the pupil and any recommendations made by any relevant professionals.

How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of its provision for SEND pupils?

Children who are added onto the SEN register will need provision that is additional to or different from everyday classroom practice. This will usually be delivered through ‘targeted support’ sessions or ‘specialist support’. The provision that has been put in place is evaluated every term in three ways:

• We would look at the progress the child has made through taking part in the extra session/s
• Get feedback off the member of staff delivering the session
• Get feedback off the child taking part

After evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions the SENCO, class teacher and support staff then adjust the provision accordingly. This all follows the Graduated approach.

What support is available for improving the emotional, mental and social development of pupils with special educational needs?

Day to Day Practice

This type of support starts at a classroom level. Children have clear boundaries and know who they can go to if they have any problems. Each classroom also has a ‘Feelings Box’ where children are able to write down any worries; these could either be about themselves or other members of the class. Members of staff make sure they investigate any concerns appropriately and will contact parents if this is necessary. As part of the PSHE curriculum children learn about many aspects relating to emotional, mental and social development. This is often taught through Circle Time activities. Bullying allegations are taken very seriously and there is a clear procedure for staff to follow.

Learning Mentor

We have a learning mentor in school (Mrs Julie Walton) who delivers a lot of the targeted support/interventions to support emotional, mental and social development of pupils. These sessions are delivered both 1:1 and in small groups depending on the needs of the child.

Lunchtime club

Every lunchtime the learning mentor holds a lunchtime club. The focus of the club is to provide emotional support, help with social development and allow children to build up skills or confidence to join their peers in the playground. Some children attend the club regularly where as others just drop in every now and again. If children are working on specific outcomes they are told to attend on certain days whereas other children choose the days they wish to attend.

Circle of Friends

This is an evidence based intervention which needs parental consent. It is a successful intervention which allows children to develop their social and communication skills. Children take part in a one hour session per week which is delivered in small groups by the learning mentor and catered to the needs of the pupils.

Social stories

Social stories present information in a literal, 'concrete' way, which may improve the child's understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity. The presentation and content can be adapted to meet the individual child's needs. 

Drawing and Talking

Drawing and Talking is a safe and easy drawing intervention for use with children and young people who have suffered trauma or have underlying emotional difficulties affecting their mental health and well-being. It is usually a 6 week programme which has a very specific delivery method. 

Other 1:1 session

The learning mentor also plans other 1:1 sessions for short periods of time that support children going through particular difficulties, e.g. Bereavement or breakdown of family relationships. These could include a particular piece of work often requested by the child.

Emotional register

These are used several times throughout the week to get an understanding of children’s emotional needs. The children will answer the register with a number 1-5 depending on how they are feeling and it gives the teacher an indication of if a conversation is needed with an individual child.

Blob Trees

In KS2 each child fills in a ‘blob tree’ which is handed to the teacher and gives them an idea of how that child is feeling. The children have the opportunity to write a sentence about why they have chosen that certain character from the sheet if they wish to.

Health week

During Health Week children learn about mental health and emotional health.

Referral Process for children with SEMH needs

If we feel that children need more specific support then we can refer to Pudsey Cluster guidance and support. The referral form is filled in by the SENCo, teacher, parent and child in order to give the truest picture. The referral is then presented to a panel of professionals and the best support is put into place. Commonly this could be: Family support worker, TAMHS (Targeted adolescent mental health support), CAMHS (Child adolescent mental health support) or Counselling. Once the correct support has been decided then sessions will be arranged in school and parents will be made aware of when these will be taking place.

Playtimes

In the playground we have a friendship bench that children can sit on if they are feeling a little lonely as well as playground buddies who set up games for children to get involved in at lunchtimes.

What are the arrangements for consulting children with special educational needs about, and involving them in, their education?

At Springbank, children are included in meetings about their personalised plan. They are asked to think about their strengths and difficulties which are recorded on their plan. Following input from child, parent and teacher the provision is then decided. SEND pupils also have an individual child passport which tells the teacher what they can do to help the child, what they are going to do to help themselves and what they might need to access their learning. As mentioned earlier, child voice is also important when evaluating provision that has been put into place therefore a survey is completed at the end of the year.

Where do I go if I have a complaint about the provision that has been put in place for my child?

See Complaints Policy available on website.

Contact details of support services for the parents of pupils with special educational needs:

Leeds SEND information advice support service - https://familyinformation.leeds.gov.uk/sendiass-site/sendiass

Pudsey Cluster - https://pudseycluster.org/

SCOPE - https://www.scope.org.uk/support/services/scope-leeds

Parent Space (Pudsey Cluster) – https://pudseycluster.org/parent-space-2/

Family information service SEND - https://familyinformation.leeds.gov.uk/send

Farsley/ Calverley Children’s Centre - https://www.farsleyfarfield.org.uk/childrens-centre/

Leeds Local Offer

For more information the Leeds Local Offer, click on the icon to go to Leeds City Council website.

https://leedslocaloffer.org.uk/#!/directory 

The Leeds Local Offer brings together in one place all the information on what services children and young people and their families with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities can expect from a range of public agencies, including education, health and social care.