Collingtree C of E Primary School staff strive to provide the highest quality teaching and learning to all pupils. Teachers plan lessons that support the learning and progress of all pupils through a variety of methods, creative and innovative teaching techniques and the use of a wide range of resources. These methods are adapted to suit the needs of all learners, including those with a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND), in their classrooms (known as differentiation). Furthermore, if a child is not making a good rate of progress at any point, they may receive additional intervention sessions to boost their learning back on track. Despite high quality classroom teaching and interventions, some children at our school may be unable to make expected progress in their learning for a variety of reasons – one of which is a special educational need.

How do we define SEND in our school?

The definition of a child with SEND is ‘…where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.’ - The SEN and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years, 2014

How do we identify SEND?

The rate of progress a child makes is carefully tracked and monitored during their time at our school. If their rate of progress is unsatisfactory despite high quality teaching and additional interventions, the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) will investigate the potential of an undiagnosed special educational need. The SENCo will liaise with the child’s parents, class teacher and other staff who may have supported the child; work with the class teacher to complete diagnostic work with the child if appropriate; and refer the child (with parental consent) to specialist professionals who work with the SENCo (e.g. Speech & Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Educational Psychologist, etc.). Once this information has been gathered, a meeting will be arranged with parents and professionals to discuss the child’s needs and the appropriate actions that need to be taken to help support their learning, including adding the child to the single category on the school’s SEND register. If a child with SEND does not make good progress with additional intervention, a request for an Education & Health Care Plan may be discussed with parents. For more information, refer to our whole school statement for SEND.

What kind of SEND provision is available at our school?

The SEN and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years, 2014 states that ‘All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage…Schools also have wider duties to prevent discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity and to foster good relations’. Collingtree C of E Primary School is an inclusive school, which actively seeks to promote inclusion of all children, including those with SEN or disability. We use our best endeavours to ensure that all children are able to fully participate in the life of the school, both in their learning and in the school’s wider provision. For more information, refer to our whole school statements on Disability, Equality and Accessibility.

What is the school’s approach to teaching children with SEND?

Additional support for children with SEND will be put in place to help them make good progress. This may involve:

• Further differentiation in class (teaching and resources);
• Advice to staff on a child’s needs and the associated specific strategies for teaching and learning;
• One-to-one or small group targeted intervention sessions with school staff and/or external professionals;
• One-to-one in-class support;
• Modifying the learning environment, e.g. bespoke furniture/resources, etc;
• Adapting the curriculum, e.g. adapting teaching content/sequences;
• Technology support.

Any additional support for a child with SEND is mapped on provision maps and documented on children’s Individual Education Plan (IEP), which are reviewed at least termly by those professionals involved, the school’s SENCo, the child and their parents.

How are staff trained to support children with SEND and what specialist expertise does the school secure?

Collingtree C of E Primary School has a SENCo who is also a qualified teacher. The school’s SENCo oversees the provision for all children on the SEND register and for those children with a suspected undiagnosed SEND. All staff receive on-going professional development training on high quality teaching and learning, including that for children with SEND. This training is balanced between general and specific support for children with SEN.

Collingtree C of E Primary School works in partnership with a range of external professionals and specialists to ensure that we can provide the highest quality provision for children with SEND. These professionals include:

• Educational Psychology
•  Social Care Team; Physical Disability Team (inc. Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy); Autism Team
• Speech and Language Therapy (NHS and private provision)
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• School Health Team
• The Bereavement Counselling Service
• JOGO Behaviour Support team

How does the school support the emotional and social development of children with SEND?

Collingtree C of E Primary School prioritises the social development and emotional well being of all its children. As a result, social and emotional development is embedded throughout the school curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning. For those children who need additional support to improve their social and emotional development, our school provides a range of opportunities, which include intervention and nurture groups as well as one-to-one provision such as social stories. We also work closely with external professionals to provide adaptive support where needed. In addition, the school has one member of staff trained as Lead Professional in Common Assessment Framework to support families in promoting children’s social and emotional development. For more information, refer to our whole school statement and procedures for Anti-Bullying.

How does the school support children with SEND on entry to the school and when they leave?

Some children who join our school are already diagnosed with a special education need or disability. Information is passed on to the school from the child’s pre-school setting (where applicable) and this is used by the SENCo and the school’s Reception team to appropriately adapt provision. When children leave our school at the end of Year 6, the SENCo and the Year 6 teacher meet with the receiving secondary school’s SENCo and class teacher. Information is shared both verbally and in writing by transferring the child’s SEND file to the receiving school, which contains all assessments and records used to support the child’s progress during their time at our school.  Children with SEND will have the opportunity to attend an additional induction day at their secondary school and the SENCo may work with them on preparing for the transition.  

How does the school consult and involve children with SEND and parents of children with SEND?

Children with SEND review their progress against their specific target areas alongside classroom staff every term. They are encouraged to reflect on what is going well, what they feel they can now do in their specific area of need that they couldn’t do previously and how effective they feel the support they receive is. This information is shared with parents at IEP Review meetings. In addition, all children are aware of their next steps in their learning as a result of high quality teaching.

Parents are actively encouraged to be partners with the school in their child’s education through informal discussions, telephone contact, home school diaries (where appropriate) and parent consultation meetings. In addition to this, parents of children with SEND are invited to termly IEP Review meetings attended by the SENCo and professionals where views of parents are actively sought as well as a full review of the child’s provision and progress to date and the agreement of future provision. Parents receive minutes and copies of key documents from these meetings.

How does the school assess the progress children with SEND are making towards their outcomes?

All class teachers are responsible for assessing and tracking the progress children make, including those with SEND. This is done continuously through high quality teaching practices and the use of a whole school electronic assessment tool. This provides the SENCo and other senior managers and leaders with up-to-date data and information about the progress of individual children, which is then scrutinised and discussed at half termly Pupil Progress meetings. The focus of these meetings is to evaluate the effectiveness of provision in relation to progress toward children’s individual targets and end of year/end of phase projected outcomes.  This information is shared with parents in reports, parent consultation meetings and at IEP Review meetings.

How does a parent complain about the provision in place for their child with SEND?

Parents who wish to complain are strongly encouraged to initially discuss their concerns with the SENCo and the Head Teacher. If the issue cannot be resolved at this level, parents will be directed to the school’s Complaints Procedure.

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

Our school evaluates the effectiveness of its SEND provision based on the progress children with SEND make. This occurs at least half termly through:

• Progress made from additional provision, including targeted interventions and one-to-one-support;
• Progress made between Pupil Progress meetings;
• Review and evaluation of the annual SEN Learning Improvement Plan.

Other relevant information:

School SENCo: Suzanne Waller, c/o Collingtree CE Primary, Lodge Avenue Collingtree Northamptonshire NN4 0NQ UK

SEN Governor:  Kerry Tear

Local Authority’s Local Offer: Refer to http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk