FAQ
What should I do if I feel my child has SEN?
If you are concerned that your child has a special educational need (SEN), in the first instance we ask that you speak to your child’s class teacher who will then follow up your concerns. Concerns can be discussed at parents’ evenings, or by making an appointment to meet with your child’s class teacher at any point throughout the school year.
A meeting with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) can also be arranged. The SENCO is responsible for:
Coordinating all the support for children with SEND and developing the school’s SEND Policy to make sure all children get a consistent, high quality response to meeting their needs in school
How will the school respond to my concerns?
The class teacher will listen to any concerns you may have at a pre-arranged meeting. If your concern cannot be met at that meeting then the class teacher will take some time to look into the concern and liaise with the SENCO and/or Head. A follow up meeting will be arranged to ensure your concern is addressed and to plan any additional support your child may receive. If relevant at this stage, possible referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning will be discussed.
How will the school decide what extra support my child will receive?
If your child is identified as making limited progress within any area of need, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:
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listen to any concerns you may have
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plan any additional support your child may receive discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning.
What will the school do to support my child?
All children, regardless of their need, receive excellent classroom teaching known as Quality First Teaching.
This means:
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That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
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That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
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Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class within well differentiated ability groups. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
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Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has gap in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
However, we recognise that each child's needs are unique and so each child will receive different support, depending upon their specific needs. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and class teacher will decide which strategies and resources are appropriate to support your child's needs. Where outside agencies are involved, they will provide advice about how best to support your child's needs.
Any pupil identified as having a special educational need and/or disability is on the SEND register. Extra help will be given to these pupils to help them to make progress. Some examples of ways we may support your child further may include:
Specific group work
This group or one to one support may be:
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Run in the classroom or outside
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Run by a teacher or a Teaching Assistant who has had training to run these groups
SEN Support
Your child may engage in group sessions with specific targets to help him/her to make more progress.
A Teaching Assistant/teacher or outside professional may run these small group/individual sessions.
You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) or Educational Psychologist (EP). This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them better in school.
The specialist professional will work with you, your child, class teacher and SENCO to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:
Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better.
Support to set specific targets which will include their expertise. A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g. a social skills group
This type of support is available for a child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning and who therefore has been identified as requiring SEN Support.
Education, Health Care Plans
From September 2014, 'Statements' will be replaced by 'Education, Health and Care Plans'. This document will continue to outline a pupil's special educational need and the support that the school needs to put in place to help them, but it will be a much more child friendly document, based around the pupil and their family. Over a 2-3 year period, most current 'Statements' will be replaced by an 'EHCP' at a child's annual review.
Only children with the most complex and significant special educational needs will be considered for an Education, Health Care Plan (EHC).
How does the school know how well my child is doing?
Your child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her class teacher. We know how well your child is doing by using the following:
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Assessments based on the Early Learning Goals Ages and Stages in the Foundation Stage.
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In KS1/KS2 his/her progress is reviewed formally every term and a National Curriculum level given in reading, writing, numeracy and science.
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Children in Year 1 are required to complete the National Phonics Screen that will assess their ability to read real and pseudo (nonsense) words.
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If your child is in Year 1 and above, but is not yet at National Curriculum levels, a more sensitive assessment tool is used which shows their level in more detail and will also show smaller but significant steps of progress.
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The levels are called ‘P levels’.
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At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of year 2 and year 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). This is something the government requires all schools to do and the results from these are published nationally.
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Children with SEND will have a one page profile, which will be reviewed with your involvement and plan for the next steps to be made.
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The progress of children with an EHC Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education.
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The SENCO will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.
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Outside professionals also provide school with further in depth assessments.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child's needs?
Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that your child’s needs are met. They have the children’s personal targets, alongside their planning to ensure children with SEND individual’s needs are met.
Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
Planning and teaching will be adapted on a daily basis, if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs
Waves of support
The waves of intervention model shows the way we target additional support.
Wave 1 describes quality inclusive teaching which takes into account the learning needs of all the children in the classroom. This includes providing differentiated work and creating an inclusive learning environment.
Wave 2 describes specific, additional and time-limited interventions provided for some children who need help to accelerate their progress to enable them to work at or above age-related expectations. Wave 2 interventions are often targeted at a group of pupils with similar needs.
Wave 3 describes targeted provision for a minority of children where it is necessary to provide highly tailored intervention to accelerate progress or enable children to achieve their potential. This may include one to one or specialist interventions.
How can I help my child?
You can support your child by attending parents’ evenings, helping them to complete their homework to a good standard and on time, ensuring your child gets to school on time and with all the appropriate equipment, talking to the class teacher if you have any concerns about your child, providing lots of opportunities to speak and have conversations with your child, read and practise number skills.
Teachers are more than happy to share any ideas they have with you so you can top up the learning at home.
How can I access support for myself and my family?
By looking at the Local Authority’s website, you will see a list of all the services available to you and your child. You can arrange to meet with our SENCO or school’s Inclusion and Attendance Officer, who might also be able to point you in the right direction.
