Minchinhampton Primary School

Approval: 2013
Minchinhampton School
Special Educational Needs Policy
Purpose
At Minchinhampton C of E School we believe that each pupil has iniviual
an uni!ue nees" #owever$ some pupils re!uire more support than others to
achieve at school" %e ac&nowle'e that a si'ni(cant proportion of pupils will
have special eucational nees )SE*+ at some time in their school career"
Many of these pupils may re!uire help throu'hout their time in school$ while
others may nee a little e,tra support for a short perio to help them
overcome more temporary nees" -f these pupils are to achieve their full
potential$ we must reco'nise this an plan accorin'ly"
.he school aims to provie all pupils with strate'ies for ealin' with their
nees in a supportive environment$ an to 'ive them meanin'ful access to
the *ational Curriculum" -n particular$ we aim to:
/ enable every pupil to e,perience success
/ promote iniviual con(ence an a positive attitue
/ ensure that all pupils$ whatever their special eucational nees$ receive
appropriate eucational provision throu'h a broa an balance curriculum
that is relevant$ i0erentiate an emonstrates coherence an pro'ression
in learnin'
/ 'ive pupils with SE* e!ual opportunities to ta&e part in all aspects of the
school1s provision$ as far as is appropriate
/ ensure that chilren with SE* have opportunities to receive an ma&e
&nown information$ to e,press an opinion$ an have that opinion ta&en into
account in any matters a0ectin' them
/ ientify$ assess$ recor an re'ularly review pupils1 pro'ress an nees
/ involve parents2carers in plannin' an supportin' at all sta'es of their
chilren1s evelopment
/ wor& collaboratively with parents$ other professionals an support services
/ ensure that the responsibility hel by all sta0 an 'overnors for SE* is
implemente an maintaine"
Defnition of Special Educational Needs
Chilren have special eucational nees if they have a learning difficulty that
calls
for special educational provision to be mae for them"
Chilren have a learning difficulty if they:
#ave a si'ni(cantly 'reater i3culty in learnin' than the ma4ority of
chilren of the same a'e"
#ave a isability that prevents or hiners them from ma&in' use of
eucational facilities of a &in 'enerally provie for chilren of the same
a'e in schools within the area of the local eucation authority"
Are uner compulsory school a'e an fall within the e(nitions above or
woul so o if special eucational provision was not mae for them"
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
Chilren must not be re'are as havin' a learnin' i3culty solely because
the lan'ua'e or form of lan'ua'e of their home is i0erent from the lan'ua'e
in which they will be tau'ht"
5or chilren of two or over$ eucational provision is that$ which is aitional
to$
or otherwise i0erent from$ the eucational provision mae 'enerally for
chilren of
their a'e in schools maintaine by the 6A$ other than special schools$ in the
area"
.his SE* policy etails how Minchinhampton school will o its best to ensure
that the necessary provision is mae for any pupil who has special
eucational nees an those nees are mae &nown to all who are li&ely to
teach them" Minchinhampton school will use its best eneavours to ensure
that teachers in the school are able to ientify an provie for those pupils
who have special eucational nees to allow pupils with special
eucational nees 4oin in the activities of the school to'ether with pupils who
o not
have special eucational nees$ so far as is reasonably practical an
compatible with
the chil receivin' the special eucational provision an the e3cient
eucation of the
pupils with whom they are eucate"
Minchinhampton school will have re'ar to the current Special Educational
Needs Code of Practice when carryin' out its uties towar all pupils with
special eucational nees an ensure that parents are noti(e of a ecision
by the school that SE* provision is bein' mae for their chil"
Partnership with parents plays a &ey role in enablin' chilren an youn'
people with
SE* to achieve their potential" .he school reco'nises that parents hol &ey
information an have &nowle'e an e,perience to contribute to the share
view of
a chil1s nees an the best ways of supportin' them" All parents of chilren
with
special eucational nees will be treate as partners an supporte to play
an active
an value role in their chilren1s eucation"
Chilren an youn' people with special eucational nees often have a
uni!ue
&nowle'e of their own nees an their views about what sort of help they
woul
li&e to help them ma&e the most of their eucation will be ascertaine" .hey
will be
encoura'e to participate in all the ecision7ma&in' processes an contribute
to the
assessment of their nees$ the review an transition processes"
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
Identifcation, Assessment and Provision
Provision for chilren with special eucational nees is a matter for the school
as a
whole" -n aition to the 'overnin' boy$ the school1s hea teacher7 Mr Moss$
the SE*C87 Mrs %ilson$ an all other members of sta0 have important ay7
to7ay responsibilities" All teachers are teachers of children with special educational
needs" .eachin' such chilren is therefore a whole school responsibility"
At the heart of the wor& of every primary school class is a continuous cycle of
plannin'$ teachin' an assessin' which ta&es account of the wie ran'e of
abilities$
aptitues an interests of chilren" .he ma4ority of chilren will learn an
pro'ress
within these arran'ements" .hose chilren whose overall attainments or
attainment
in speci(c sub4ects fall si'ni(cantly outsie the e,pecte ran'e may have
special
eucational nees"
Provision
Minchinhampton school will assess each chil1s current levels of attainment
as soon as possible after entry in orer to ensure that they buil upon the
pattern of learnin' an e,perience alreay establishe urin' the chil1s pre7
school years" -f the chil alreay has an ienti(e special eucational nee$
this information may be transferre from the Early 9ears settin' an the
SE*C8 an the chil1s class teacher will use this information to
provie startin' points for the evelopment of an appropriate curriculum"
ientify an focus attention on action to support the chil within the class
use the assessment processes to ientify any learnin' i3culties
ensure on'oin' observation an assessment provie re'ular feebac&
about
the chil1s achievements an e,periences to form the basis for plannin' the
ne,t steps of the chil1s learnin'
involve parents in implementin' a 4oint learnin' approach at home"
.he ienti(cation an assessment of the special eucational nees of
chilren whose
(rst lan'ua'e is not En'lish$ re!uires particular care" %here there is
uncertainty
about an iniviual chil teachers will loo& carefully at all aspects of a chil1s
performance in i0erent sub4ects to establish whether the problems they
have in the
classroom are ue to limitations in their comman of the lan'ua'e that is
use there
or arise from special eucational nees"
-n orer to help chilren who have special eucational nees$
Minchinhampton school will aopt a 'rauate response that reco'nises
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
there is a continuum of special eucational nees an brin's increasin'
specialist e,pertise to bear on the i3culties that a chil may be
e,periencin'" .he school will recor the steps ta&en to meet the nees of
iniviual chilren" .he SE*C8 will have responsibility for ensurin' that the
recors are &ept an available as neee" -f schools refer a chil for a
statutory assessment$ they shoul provie the 6EA with a recor of their wor&
with the chil incluin' the arran'ements they have alreay mae"
The role of the SENCO
.he SE* Coorinator )SE*C8+ responsibilities inclue:
overseein' the ay7to7ay operation of the school1s SE* policy
coorinatin' provision for chilren with special eucational nees
liaisin' with an avisin' fellow teachers
mana'in' learnin' support assistants
overseein' the recors of all chilren with special eucational nees
liaisin' with parents of chilren with special eucational nees
contributin' to the in7service trainin' of sta0
liaisin' with e,ternal a'encies incluin' the 6EA1s support an eucational
psycholo'y services$ health an social services$ an voluntary boies"
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
Monitorin' chilren1s pro'ress
.he school1s system for observin' an assessin' the pro'ress of iniviual
chilren
will provie information about areas where a chil is not pro'ressin'
satisfactorily"
:ner these circumstances$ teachers may nee to consult the SE*C8 to
consier
what else mi'ht be one" .his review may lea to the conclusion that the
pupil
re!uires help over an above that which is normally available within the
particular
class or sub4ect" .he &ey test of the nee for action is evience that current
rates of
pro'ress are inae!uate$ 'iven suitable support in class"
Ae!uate pro'ress can be e(ne in a number of ways" -t mi'ht be pro'ress
which:
closes the attainment 'ap between the chil an their peers
prevents the attainment 'ap 'rowin' wier
is similar to that of peers startin' from the same attainment baseline$ but
less than that of the ma4ority of peers
matches or betters the chil1s previous rate of pro'ress
ensures access to the full curriculum
emonstrates an improvement in self7help$ social or personal s&ills
emonstrates improvements in the chil1s behaviour"
School Need
%hen a class teacher or the SE*C8 ienti(es a chil with special eucational
nees$
the class teacher will provie interventions that are aitional to from those
provie
as part of the school1s usual i0erentiate curriculum" .his will be calle
School
Need" .he tri''ers for intervention throu'h School Need will be concern$
unerpinne by evience$ about a chil who espite receivin' i0erentiate
learnin'
opportunities ma&es
little or no pro'ress even when teachin' approaches are tar'ete
particularly
in a chil1s ienti(e area of wea&ness
shows si'ns of i3culty in evelopin' literacy or mathematics s&ills which
results in poor attainment in some curriculum areas
presents persistent emotional or behavioural i3culties which are not
ameliorate by the behaviour mana'ement techni!ues usually employe at
Minchinhampton school )see behaviour policy+ an which lea to concerns
about emotional health
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
has sensory or physical problems$ an continues to ma&e little or no
pro'ress espite the provision of specialist e!uipment
has communication an2or interaction i3culties$ an continues to ma&e
little or no pro'ress espite the provision of a i0erentiate curriculum"
-n some cases outsie professionals from health or social services may
alreay be involve with the chil" %here these professionals have not
alreay been wor&in'
with the school sta0$ the SE*C8 may contact them if the parents a'ree" .he
SE*C8
will support the further assessment of the chil$ assistin' in plannin' future
support
for them in iscussion with collea'ues an monitorin' the action ta&en" .he
chil1s
class teacher will remain responsible for wor&in' with the chil on a aily
basis an
for plannin' an eliverin' an iniviualise pro'ramme" Parents will always
be
consulte an &ept informe of the action ta&en to help the chil$ an of the
outcome of this action"
Nature of intervention
.he SE*C8 an the chil1s class teacher will ecie on the action neee to
help the
chil to pro'ress in the li'ht of their earlier assessment" .his may inclue
i0erent learnin' materials or special e!uipment
some 'roup or iniviual support;
e,tra ault time to evise the nature of the planne intervention an to
monitor its e0ectiveness;
sta0 evelopment an trainin' to introuce more e0ective strate'ies"
access to 6EA or other support services for one7o0 or occasional avice on
strate'ies or e!uipment
.he process moel followe will be one of Assess < Plan < =o < >eview"
Individual Education Plans and Provision Maps
Provision of e,tra support will be recore on Provision Maps an -niviual
Eucation Plans )-EPs+" .hese may also be calle ?My Plans1" .he -EP or Plan
will inclue information about:
the short7term tar'ets set for the chil
the teachin' strate'ies to be use
the provision to be put in place
when the plan is to be reviewe
outcomes )to be recore when -EP is reviewe+"
.he -EP2Plan will recor that which is aitional to$ or i0erent from$ the
i0erentiate curriculum an will focus upon three or four iniviual tar'ets
that
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
match the chil1s nees an have been iscusse with the chil an the
parents" -t will also usually inclue information about ambitions or concerns
of the chil" .he -EP will be reviewe at least termly by the class teacher an
chil" -n aition$ parents1 views on their chil1s pro'ress will be sou'ht at
-EP parents1 meetin's$ twice a year" .here will also be internal meetin's with
the SE*C8 to review provision"
A re!uest for support from e,ternal services is li&ely to follow a ecision ta&en
by the
SE*C8 an collea'ues$ in consultation with parents$ at a review of the chil1s
-EP"
-f this is the case$ e,ternal support services such as avisory teachers will
usually see the chil so that they can avise teachers on new -EPs with fresh
tar'ets an accompanyin' strate'ies$ provie more specialist assessments to
inform plannin' an the measurement of a pupil1s pro'ress$ 'ive avice on
the use of new or specialist
strate'ies or materials$ an in some cases provie support for particular
activities"
.his sta'e is calle ?My Plan @1 an may involve some consierable liaison
between i0erent services$ incluin' the school$ *#S$ an any other relevant
boy" .he tri''ers for this sta'e woul be that the chil:
continues to ma&e little or no pro'ress in speci(c areas over a lon' perio
continues wor&in' at *ational Curriculum levels substantially below that
e,pecte of chilren of a similar a'e
continues to have i3culty in evelopin' literacy an mathematics s&ills
has emotional or behavioural i3culties which substantially an re'ularly
interfere with the chil1s own learnin' or that of the class 'roup$ espite
havin' an iniviualise behaviour mana'ement pro'ramme
has sensory or physical nees$ an re!uires aitional specialist e!uipment
or
re'ular avice or visits by a specialist service
has on'oin' communication or interaction i3culties that impee the
evelopment of social relationships an cause substantial barriers to
learnin'"
%hen school see&s the help of e,ternal support services$ those services will
nee to
see the chil1s recors in orer to establish which strate'ies have alreay
been
employe an which tar'ets have been set an achieve" .he e,ternal
specialist may
act in an avisory capacity$ or provie aitional specialist assessment or be
involve
in teachin' the chil irectly" .he resultin' Plan for the chil will set out fresh
strate'ies for supportin' the chil1s pro'ress" .hese will be implemente$ at
least in
part$ in the normal classroom settin'" .he elivery of the interventions
recore in
the -EP continues to be the responsibility of the class teacher"
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
School reuest for !i"h Needs Support
.he vast ma4ority of chilren will have their nees met within the school$
either with hi'h !uality teachin'$ or with hi'h !uality teachin' booste with
e,tra tar'ete support" #owever$ there are a few chilren whose nees are
more severe or comple,$ who may re!uire a very hi'h level of e,tra support"
%here a chil continues to nee this hi'h level of support$ intervention an
e!uipment which can only be provie with substantial aitional funin'$ a
re!uest for an Eucation an #ealthcare Plan )E#CP+ may be mae by the
school to an 6EA" .he 6EA will nee information about the chil1s pro'ress
over time$ an will also nee ocumentation in relation to the chil1s special
eucational nees an any action ta&en to eal with those nees$ incluin'
any resources or special arran'ements put in place" .he school will provie
this evience throu'h the reviewe outcomes of the My Plan an My Plan @.
.his information may inclue:
iniviual eucation plans )or My Plans+ for the pupil
recors of re'ular reviews an their outcomes
the pupil1s health incluin' the chil1s meical history where relevant
6evels of attainments in literacy an mathematics )for e,ample >eain'
A'e+
eucational an other assessments$ for e,ample from an avisory specialist
support teacher or an eucational psycholo'ist
views of the parents an of the chil
involvement of other professionals such as health$ social services or
eucation welfare service"
.he 6EA will use this information to ecie whether #i'h *ees 5unin' is
re!uire an at what level"
!i"h Needs Assessment #ith Special Educational Needs
Assessment involves consieration by the 6EA$ wor&in' co7operatively with
parents$ the chil1s school an$ as appropriate$ other a'encies$ as to whether
aitional #i'h *ees 5unin' is re!uire to support the chil1s special
eucational nees" A chil
will be brou'ht to the 6EA1s attention as possibly re!uirin' this support
throu'h the collaboration of the chil1s school$ parents or other a'encies"
%here the evience presente to the 6EA su''ests that the chil1s learnin'
i3culties have not respone to relevant an purposeful measures ta&en by
the school an e,ternal specialists an may call for special eucational
provision which cannot reasonably be provie within the resources normally
available to mainstream schools$ the 6EA will consier the case for allocatin'
#i'h *ees support in an Eucation an #ealthcare Plan"
.he 6EA may ecie that the e'ree of the pupil1s learnin' i3culty an the
nature
of the provision necessary to meet the chil1s special eucational nees is
such as to
re!uire the 6EA to etermine the chil1s special eucational provision throu'h
an Eucation an #ealthcare Plan )E#C+"
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013
.his will inclue:
the pupil1s name$ aress an ate of birth
etails of all of the pupils special eucational nees
aims an concerns of the chil
relevant non7eucational nees of the chil
information on non7eucational nees
the funin' that is a'ree to support this chil1s nees
.he 6EA will allocate a fun holer for the bu'et$ which can only be spent
with the approval of the 6ocal authority for the purposes ienti(e in the
E#C"
All chilren with Eucation an #ealthcare Plans will have short7term tar'ets
set for them that have been establishe after consultation with parents$ chil
an
inclue tar'ets ienti(e in the statement of eucational nee" .hese tar'ets
will be
set out in a plan an be implemente$ at least in part an as far as possible$
in the
normal classroom settin'" .he elivery of the interventions recore in the
-EP will
continue to be the responsibility of the class teacher"
Annual revie#s of Education and !ealthcare Plans $E!Cs%
All E#Cs must be reviewe at least annually with the parents$ the pupil$ the
6EA$ the school an professionals involve invite to consier whether any
amenments nee to be mae to the escription of the pupil1s nees or to
the special eucational provision speci(e in the statement" .he annual
review shoul focus on what the chil has achieve as well as on any
i3culties that nee to be resolve"
At the review in year A$ the aim shoul be to 'ive clear recommenations as
to the
type of provision the chil will re!uire at the seconary sta'e" -t will then be
possible for the parents to visit seconary schools an to consier
appropriate
options within the similar timescales as other parents" .he SE*C8 of the
receivin'
school shoul be invite to atten the (nal annual review in primary school of
pupils
with statements$ to allow the receivin' school to plan an appropriate -EP to
start at
the be'innin' of the new school year an enable the pupil an the parents to
be
reassure that an e0ective an supportive transfer will occur"
.he information in this policy is ta&en from Special Eucational *ees Coe of
Practice 201B
Minchinhampton Primary School
Approval: 2013