SEND

Information and Local Offer

Support for Children

We are an inclusive school that welcomes and celebrates diversity. All staff believe having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s emotional well-being and academic progress. We have a caring, understanding team who look after all of our children

1.How does the school know if my child needs extra help?

We have a number of methods to help us identify if a child needs extra help. These include:

Information from your child’s pre-school or previous school.
Home visit by class teacher when starting at the beginning of the Reception year.
Class teacher visit to feeder pre-school to observe your child and speak to their key worker.
Information from other services who have worked with your child, for example a speech and language therapist.

This information will be used to ensure that we meet any additional needs your child may have. Once your child is in school we will monitor their progress and development. If we have concerns we may ask other professionals to give advice and support.

If you think your child may have special educational needs talk to your child’s class-teacher. Your concerns will always be taken seriously, as your views are very important to us.

2.How will school staff support my child?

Your child’s needs will be met within the class, supported by high quality teaching, including lesson planning that takes account of the needs of each child.
The progress of all children is reviewed on a regular basis.
The class teacher will develop a plan for your child with the Special Needs Co-ordinator, setting appropriate targets. This will be reviewed twice a year to ensure that support remains appropriate.
Where necessary an individual programme of support will be used and progress monitored.
Where necessary the school may seek support from outside services. This will be discussed with you and a referral made with your permission.
The governing body is responsible for ensuring that funding is used appropriately, and for monitoring teaching and accessibility. There is a designated SEN Governor who works with the Special Needs Co-ordinator.

3.How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

Lessons are pitched appropriately so that all children can learn and progress.
Teachers take account of the needs of the individual child and plan different tasks and materials appropriately.
Tracking and assessment enables each class teacher to analyse the progress of the child.
Pupil progress meetings are held three times a year with the Head Teacher, Special Needs Co-ordinator and class teacher to discuss suitable teaching programmes for each child.
Reviews of learning targets for your child are reviewed three times a year with the Special Needs Co-ordinator and class teacher and new programmes or support is organised as necessary, leading to personalised learning.
Children work in a variety of groupings, such as small supported groups, 1:1, mixed ability and similar ability groups.

4.How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Lessons are pitched appropriately so that all children can learn and progress.
Teachers take account of the needs of the individual child and plan different tasks and materials appropriately.
Tracking and assessment enables each class teacher to analyse the progress of the child.
Pupil progress meetings are held three times a year with the Head Teacher, Inclusion Manager and class teacher to discuss suitable teaching programmes for each child.
Reviews of learning targets for your child are reviewed three times a year with the Inclusion Manager and class teacher and new programmes or support is organised as necessary, leading to personalised learning.
Targets are set to support children’s individual needs and are regularly updated.
Children work in a variety of groupings, such as small supported groups, 1:1, mixed ability and similar ability groups.

5.What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

The school offers a variety of pastoral support for children, these may include:

Members of staff are readily available for children who wish to discuss issues or concerns, this may include social skills development and friendship groups;
behaviour programmes including rewards and sanctions are utilised across the school;
Medicines can be administered in school with parental permission.
There are nominated first aiders in school and several members of staff have paediatric first aid qualifications.
If your child has significant medical needs you will need to speak to the Headteacher or Special Needs Co-ordinator to discuss how we can best support you and your child. This might include drawing up a Health Care Plan.
The class teacher has responsibility for the overall well-being of every child in their class. If you have any worries speak to the class teacher first. If further support is needed the class-teacher will speak to the Headteacher.

6.What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

As a small school we may access support from other services, for example those provided by the Local Authority or South Lakes Rural Partnership;

Educational Psychology Service
Language and Learning Support Service
Speech and Language Therapy
School nurse
Autistic Spectrum Disorder services
Early years services
Education Support, Behaviour and Attendance Service
Occupational therapy
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Counselling services
Safeguarding and Child Protection Advisors
Traveller and English as an Additional Language Service
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Physical, Medical and Sensory Needs Specialists

7.What training have staff had, or are undertaking, to support children with special needs?

Different members of staff have received training related to SEND: we aim to ensure that all staff have the skills they require to support pupils.
Skills audits are carried out and a rolling programme of training is delivered by the Special Needs Co-ordinator or outside services as appropriate to needs.
Shadowing/peer observation regularly takes place.
Medical training to support pupils with medical care plans such as epilepsy, hydrocephalus, and epi-pen training as required.

8.How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

We make sure that activities outside the classroom and school visits are available to all.
Risk assessments are carried out for each trip and a suitable number of adults are made available to accompany the pupils, with 1:1 support if necessary.
Parents/carers are invited to accompany their child on a school trip if this ensures access
After school clubs are available to all pupils. Vulnerable pupils are given priority and adjustments will be made to support their participation.
Health and safety audits will be conducted as and when appropriate.

9.How accessible is the school environment?

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements, currently facilities include:

The school site is largely wheelchair accessible.
We have one accessible toilet in the main school building and one in Outback Hall, both are large enough to accommodate changing and suitable for wheelchair users.
There is a shower situated in the Medical Room in the main building.

10.How will the school prepare and support my child to join the Leven Valley School or transfer to a new school?

Transition events take place during the summer term for all children who are joining the Foundation Stage in September.
Close liaison between Special Needs Co-ordinator, teachers in Early Years, Key Stage 3 and dual placement settings. This may involve multi-agency meetings to support the transition.
Good transfer of all SEN information.
Previous schools contacted for information sharing.
Flexible entry to Early Years Foundation Stage class in Reception.
Transition to new class facilitated by sessions during the summer term with new class teachers and environment.
Transition sessions for Year 6 pupils during the summer term or earlier if necessary.
New school are invited to attend any reviews prior to transition.
Pupil voice (children are asked their views on an issue either individually or in small groups)

11.How are the school’s resources allocated & matched to children’s special educational needs?

The special educational needs (SEN) budget is managed by the Head Teacher, Special Needs Co-ordinator, SEN Governor and monitored by the Governing Body Finance Committee.
Resources are requested and ordered as necessary to support each pupil’s learning.
Regular meetings are held to monitor impact of extra support.
The governing body is kept informed of funding decisions.

12.How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

Each child is assessed individually according to the SEN Code of Practice and LEA guidance, and personalised or group learning support programme (s) will be developed dependent on need.
Additional assessments from outside services, such as educational psychologists, language and learning support, speech and language will inform the types of support and/or resources needed.
Regular review meetings with appropriate staff are carried out to discuss your child’s progress and any additional needs that require support.
Pupil progress meetings are held with the Head Teacher and class teacher to track progress and decide upon further support.
School based plans are discussed with parents and staff during the year (if appropriate).

13.How are parents involved in the school? How can I be involved?

All parents are actively encouraged to take part in the school community. This may include in assemblies, workshops, sharing skills and school visits.

14.Who can I contact for further information?

If you have a question, want to look around or perhaps you feel that your child’s needs are hard to meet and you want to discuss the matter in more depth, do not hesitate to contact us.

To find out about Weestmorland and Furness's Local Offer, please click here

This offer is accurate now, but services are regularly reviewed and could change. All information will be updated as soon as possible to reflect any new service offer.

early help leaflet.pdf

Early Help is a way of bringing people who know you best around the table to hear from you what might help when you are having problems and where it’s not clear what can make things better for you and your family.

This leaflet gives you more information about the assessment process.