Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Report   

As a parent/carer, what might you ask us? As an academy, how would we answer?         

How does the academy know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?      

• Team meetings are completed prior to the children entering the academy and multi-agency meetings are held to identify and discuss any pre-existing needs - home visits are completed where deemed appropriate.          
• If a child is transferring mid-year, conversations will be held with the previous school/academy and parents and pre-existing needs will be identified through these. For children who are already members of the academy, they are continually assessed and progress is discussed as a team. Assessment information, along with observations and specific assessments completed by the Inclusion Lead and agency partners are used to identify specific needs.  
• If, as a parent, you feel that your child may have special educational needs you should discuss your concerns with the class teacher or academy Inclusion Team immediately so that we can work together to identify needs and potential provision opportunities to support your child in and out of the academy.
• If you have concerns about your child’s progress, you should speak to your child’s class teacher initially. If you continue to be concerned that your child is not making progress, you may speak to the Inclusion Lead. The Inclusion and Pastoral team can also be contacted for support. At this point, your child may be identified as needing “School Support” (SS) as outlined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014. With your permission, specialist support and advice from a professional outside of the academy will be sought e.g. The academy SEN/D Advisory Teacher, The Educational Psychologist, The ASD Outreach Team, Sensory Service (for students with a hearing or visual need), Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, School Nurse/Health Visitor, Physiotherapist etc.         

What kinds of SEND does the academy provide for? 
 

Our academy’s provision for children with a wide range of Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities, including Speech, Language and Communication, Physical disability, Visual or hearing impairment, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Autism, ADHD and specific learning disorders. We have extensive knowledge of a range of needs and we are always keen to extend our knowledge, seeking training where appropriate, to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of all children that choose our provision.          

How will the academy staff support my child?        
    

Your child may be supported in different ways. Firstly, targets will be set and in class strategies will be identified.  If the school has additional resources then additional support may be considered, for example, additional reading sessions, phonics boosters, concentration aids, small group activity sessions, Nurture/alternative provision.   Any support will be evaluated and reviewed regularly with the child and parents to ensure that progress is being made.  

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's needs?

1. Class teacher/, via excellent targeted classroom teaching (High quality teaching, Wave 2 and Wave 2+ provision).         

For your child this would mean         

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.         
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.         
• That different ways of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved in learning in class.          
• That specific or proven strategies (which may be suggested by the Inclusion Lead /Team) are in place to support your child to learn.         
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.         
• Dependent on available resources, your child may also access small group and/or individual targeted provision within the classroom and, sometimes, in a designated, quiet, distraction free area.    
• Personalised plans will be developed with parents and pupils to reflect all provision in place.  
           

2. Specialist provision delivered by outside agencies, e.g. Speech and Language therapy programmes, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and outreach support from Special School practitioners, Mental Health Support Counsellor        
    
3. Specified Individual support, funded through additional resources (as identified through the assessment process for EHCP)     

• If your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong, they may need specified individual support.         
• This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through high quality teaching and intervention groups. This specified support is usually provided within an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) (previously known as a Statement of Special Educational Needs).  This cannot be provided by the school until additional funding is received through the EHCP.  

For your child this would mean      

• The academy (or you) can request that The Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs via the EHC hub. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.         
• After the request has been made to the ‘panel of professionals’ (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), they will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), are complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you, and all professionals involved with your child, to write a report outlining your child’s needs.          
• After the reports have all been sent in, the panel of professionals will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the academy to continue with SEN school support and also set up a meeting in academy to ensure that a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.         
• The EHCP will outline the level of funding that your child will receive from the Local Authority, and how the support should be used, and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long- and short-term outcome goals for your child, which will be used to develop an EHCP Outcome and Milestone planner which helps us to track the smaller steps of progress.         
• An additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, individual programmes or small group provision/support including your child.         

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

• Your child’s progress will be continually monitored by his/her class teacher        
• His/her progress will be reviewed formally with Senior Leaders, including the Inclusion Lead, at every assessment point in reading, writing and maths. Other assessments will be used to inform progress discussions, e.g. Developmental Profiles (Locke and Beech), Renfrew, BPVS, Boxall Profile  etc.    
• Within the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) children within the academy will be assessed using the Nuffield Communication Screen. This informs the need for targeted intervention, both within the academy and through external agencies (Speech and Language Therapy)         
• All statutory tests are administered and you will receive individual feedback about your child in all relevant year groups.
• Where necessary, children will have targets set by outside agencies specific to their needs. Targets for all SEN/D children will be designed to accelerate learning and close the gap. Progress against these targets will be reviewed regularly, evidence for judgements assessed and a future plan made.        
• The progress of children with EHCP will be formally reviewed at an annual or interim review with all adults involved with the child’s education, health and care.         
• The Inclusion Lead/Team will also check that your child is making strong progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.
• All children will receive an annual report and you will be invited to attend a parents’ consultation bi-annually.          
• You will be invited to review and contribute to your child’s support plan   at least termly. Forward planning in line with your child’s needs will also be integral to this meeting. You and your child are valuable and respected partners within this process.         
• Parents are encouraged to make an appointment with the class teacher to discuss need and provision as and when needed/appropriate in line with our open-door policy.         
• Standardised testing, for example BPVS, Renfrew, Salford, Vernon, PIRA, PERA, PUMA and HAST can be completed and analysed for all children.          

How will our child or young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?

All of the children within our academy participate in half termly meetings with their class teachers. They are encouraged to talk about their achievements and to identify the next steps in their learning. Children are also encouraged to identify ways in which we, as staff, can support them in making progress and achieving goals. Where children are subject to an EHCP applications, where possible, depending on the age and understanding of the child, we will seek their opinions prior to and during the assessment process.          
        

How will parents be involved in decisions?

Parents are a vital part in the successful provision for children with additional needs and we ensure that Parents are involved in every step of a child’s journey.  Parents will be invited to regular parent consultation meetings with their child’s class teacher to discuss their child’s achievements, progress and next steps. Where there are other agencies involved, for example SEND services, Educational Psychology, CAMHS, Speech and Language Therapy, this may require Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings, where all parties will be invited to attend or present reports to discuss achievements, progress, provision and next steps.         

Where a child is subject to an EHCP, parents will be invited to attend a weekly review meeting with staff where required.         

What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?        

• In our academy the ethos is to be caring, understanding and inclusive; we welcome and celebrate diversity, and believe that high self-esteem is crucial to children’s well-being.         
• As “a nurturing academy”, our SEN/D pupils are known to staff. The academy entrances, corridors and doorways are staffed with adults who ‘Meet and Greet’ to welcome pupils and their families each morning and implement additional support and intervention where resources allow.          
• This ensures a smooth positive transition between home and the academy each day.         
• The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social and emotional care of every child in their class, therefore this should be your first point of contact via the communication diary. Where required, a meeting will be held with the class teacher and if further support is required the class teacher liaises with their year/Key Stage Leader, Inclusion Team/Lead and Deputy Head Teacher where appropriate. The Pastoral team can always be accessed for further advice and support. This may involve working alongside outside agencies such as Health and Social Care Services.  Reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure that the wellbeing of your child is paramount.         

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the academy?
 

Education, Health and Care Services will be accessed on identification of individual and personalised needs. Examples are given below:
        

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Advisory teachers (Inclusive Learning Services Team)          
• Educational Psychology Services         
• Physiotherapy         
• Occupational Therapy         
• Outreach – Special schools         
• Speech and Language Therapy         
• School Nurse/Health Visitor         
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)         
• Counselling Services
• Young Carers support
• Mental Health Support Team

What training do staff supporting children with SEND receive or have access to?
 

The academy provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEN/D. This includes whole academy training on SEN/D issues, such as high quality teaching, adaptations, specific needs, changes in policy etc. Staff also attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.        

We have staff within the academy who are trained and/or experienced in:         

• Speech and Language – Makaton, Spirals, Language Steps, Achieving Speech & Language
• Time to Talk,        
• Communication in print, Selective Mutism, Chatter Kids, Stoke Speaks Out (Level 3),
• Nuffield, Talk Boost
• Mental Health First Aid
• Nurture
• Better Reading Programme         
• Switch on
• Precision Teaching         
• Dyslexia         
• Dyspraxia        
• Precision Teaching
• Read Write Inc
• Numicon         
• Global Developmental Delay            
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder            
• Nurture – Boxall and Curtis Scale Assessments    
• Manual Handling         
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)    
• Emotion Coaching         
• Circle of Friends         
• Social Stories                
• Epilepsy         
• Diabetes  
• Stoma care        
  

How will my child be included in activities outside of the classroom including academy trips?

We aim for all children to have access to all trips and extra-curricular activities. We will ensure that necessary adaptations are made to provision where necessary to ensure that this can happen.         

How accessible is the academy environment?
    

Co-op Academy Northwood is situated on one level. All classrooms, including nursery, are at ground level. All entrances are accessible by walkways and ramps.   Access to the nursery building is enabled by an assisted door. There are adult disabled toilet facilities on both levels and an electrically adjustable changing bed in the disabled toilet on the ground floor.                   

An Accessibility Plan is in place for our academy. Specific reasonable adaptations for children are made with immediate effect where required.          

How will the academy prepare and support my child to join the academy or the next stage of education? 
   

Transition is important for all children. For children with SEN/D, specific, personalised induction/transition plans with additional transition arrangements, are implemented. These may include daily/weekly visits, transition books, Social Stories, talking points.      

Staff arrange induction/transition meetings for academy-school and parents/carers as appropriate. 

How are the academy’s resources allocated and matched to children's special educational needs?
 

All children within our academy receive high quality teaching that accommodates the needs of ALL pupils. Pupils with an EHCP are also entitled to additional, personalised provision that meets their specific needs. Academy resources, human and material, are reviewed to reflect the needs of the Special Educational Needs register.  

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

The budget is allocated on a need’s basis. The children who have the most complex needs are given the most support.   Different children will require different levels of support in order to help them make progress and achieve their potential.  Provision mapping, will be reviewed termly, in collaboration with parents and all parties involved; and support will be adapted as appropriate.         

How are parents involved in the academy? How can I be involved?
    

We have an open-door policy within our academy. Parent consultations take place termly but parents are encouraged to make appointments via class dojo with the class teacher and/or Inclusion Lead/Team as needs arise. Parent/child workshops/events take place regularly and a celebration of success events takes place weekly.  Parents are also welcome to volunteer in the academy, for example listening to readers or to help with academy events.     You will also be invited to attend SEN/D drop ins regularly and SEN/D Reviews, where your child’s Pupil Passport will be reviewed in consultation with yourself, your child and the class teacher.         

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?
        

Parents, initially are asked to discuss their concerns with the class teacher and progress through the stages of leadership within the academy. Parents who feel the need to make a complaint are advised to access the complaints policy, which is available from the academy office.        

What other support is available to parents and how can I contact them?

Within each academy there is the Pastoral team and the Inclusion team, all of whom can be contacted via class dojo or the academy office. Where further support is required an Early Help assessment and plan will be considered, which will enable parents to access support and guidance from a wide range of services.          

Contact Details

Co-op Academy Northwood

Mrs Dionne Wiltshaw

SENCO

Keelings Road

Northwood

ST1 6QA

01782 234379

northwood@coopacademies.co.uk                  

Data Protection

Co-op Academy Northwood is required to keep and process certain information about its staff members, pupils and parents in accordance with its legal obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The academy may, from time to time, be required to share personal information about its staff or pupils with other organisations, mainly the DfE, LA, other schools and educational bodies, and potentially children’s services. 

Further information can be found at northwood.coopacademies.co.uk

This Policy is linked to the following policies and documents:  

• Health and safety policy
• Equality, Diversity & Cohesion Policy & Scheme
• The Positive Behaviour Policy
• First Aid Policy
• Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs Policy
• Well-being Policy
• Anti-bullying Policy
• The Data Protection Policy    

https://www.northwood.coopacademies.co.uk