SEN

Current SEN Updates

What is Pupil Premium?

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’). Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and children of service personnel.

Why has it been introduced?

The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.

Who decides on how the money is spent?

In most cases the Pupil Premium is paid direct to schools, allocated to them for every pupil who receives free school meals. Schools decide how to use the funding, as they are best placed to assess what their pupils need.

How are schools accountable for the spending of Pupil Premium?

They are held accountable for the decisions they make through:

• the performance tables which show the performance of disadvantaged pupils compared with their peers.
• the new Ofsted inspection framework, under which inspectors focus on the attainment of pupil groups, in particular those who attract the Pupil Premium.

Children and Families Bill 2013

The Children and Families Bill takes forward the Coalition Government’s commitments to improve services for vulnerable children and support strong families. It underpins wider reforms to ensure that all children and young people can succeed, no matter what their background. The Bill will reform the systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and special educational needs.

The Government is transforming the system for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including those who are disabled, so that services consistently support the best outcomes for them. The Bill will extend the SEN system from birth to 25, giving children, young people and their parents/carers greater control and choice in decisions and ensuring needs are properly met.

It takes forward the reform programme set out in Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability: Progress and next steps by:

• replacing statements and learning difficulty assessments with a new birth- to-25 Education, Health and Care Plan, extending rights and protections to young people in further education and training and offering families personal budgets so that they have more control over the support they need;
• improving cooperation between all the services that support children and their families and particularly requiring local authorities and health authorities to work together;
• requiring local authorities to involve children, young people and parents in reviewing and developing provision for those with special educational needs and to publish a ‘local offer’ of support.

What is the Local Offer / SEN Information?

• The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children with SEN and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child .”

What will it do?

• The Medway framework will allow the Local Offer to provide parents/carers with information about how to access services in their area, and what they can expect from those services. With regard to Education, it will let parents/ carers and young people know how school and colleges will support them, and what they can expect across the local settings.
• Common Questions have been devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, which reflect their concerns and interests. These will be answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child’s needs.
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SEN NEW CODE OF PRACTICE JUNE 2014

A new Code of Practice was published in June 2014 which can be viewed via:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-25

How does Christ the King know if children need extra help?

We know when pupils need help if:

• concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, teaching assistants, or the pupil’s previous school
• there is lack of progress
• poor test results
• there is a change in the pupil’s behaviour
• a pupil asks for help

What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

• If you have concerns then contact your child’s teacher or the SENCo.

How will I know how Christ the King will support my child?

• Each pupil’s education programme will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil’s individual needs. This may include additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in class.
• If a pupil has needs related to more specific areas of their education, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy & literacy skills etc. then the pupil will be placed in a small focus group. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning.

These interventions will be recorded on the pupil’s provision map (this is a record of the interventions, timings, cost and impact of the intervention), a copy of which will be sent home each term. If you have any queries related to the interventions please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCo.

In addition to interventions, Christ the King offers focused teaching during Literacy and Numeracy outside of their usual classroom for children who are significantly below or above the other pupils in their class.

• Pupil Progress Meetings are held half termly. This is a meeting where the Senior Leadership Team meets with the Head teacher and the Deputy Head teacher to discuss the progress of the pupils. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned which will be discussed and implemented by the SENCo.
• Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support form an outside agency. Referral forms are then completed in conjunction with parents/carers and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers.

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

• When a pupil has been identified with special needs their work will be differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum more easily.
• Teaching Assistants may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.
• Appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, concentration cushions, pen/pencils grips or easy to use scissors.

How will I know how my child is doing?

• You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents Evenings.
• Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENCo by visiting the school office.
• SEN Plan reviews (Old IEP). Targets are usually set by the class teacher together with the SENCo. Parents/Carers and pupils are encouraged to contribute towards the SEN Plan.

How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

• The class teacher may suggest ways of supporting your child’s learning through messages, at parents’ evenings or if you are requested to attend a meeting.
• The SENCo may meet with you and if appropriate your child to discuss how to support your childs needs.
• If outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist have been involved suggestions and programmes of study are normally provided that can be used at home.

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

The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties.

These include:

• Members of staff such as the class teacher, teaching assistants, and the SENCo are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns. Where appropriate mediation sessions are carried out.
• Weekly Social, Emotional and Behaviour skills groups are in place within school.

Pupils with medical needs

• If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil.
• All staff receive basic First Aid training in addition to those that are already fully trained.
• Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medication agreement in line with the medication policy is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member.

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

An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He/she would normally only work directly with pupils who needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them.

This involvement is generally planned at the Multi Agency meetings. These meetings are held at least termly (usually half – termly) between outside agencies, the Head teacher and the SENCo.

In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the outside agency professionals will generally meet with staff an on occasions if appropriate the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed.

They will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or having?

All staff have received some training related to SEND.

These have included sessions on:

• How to support pupils on the autistic spectrum.
• How to support pupils with social and emotional needs.
• How to support pupils with a visual impairment.
• How to support pupils with a Hearing impairment.
• How to support pupils with Speech and Language difficulties.

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

Activities and school trips are available to all.

• Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate.
• However, if it is deemed that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity.

How accessible is the school environment?

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements.

Facilities we have at present include:

• Downstairs disabled toilet.
• Markings appropriately placed around school to meet the needs of Visually Impaired pupils

How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Christ the King or transferring to a new school?

Christ the King understands what a stressful time moving schools can be therefore many strategies are in place to enable the pupil’s transition to be as smooth as possible.

These include:

• Meetings between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving.
• The SENCo, where appropriate, attends school reviews.
• Additional visits are arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school.
• The SENCo is always willing to meet parents/carers prior to their child joining the school.
• Visits from Secondary school staff to meet and observe pupils prior to them joining their new school are arranged.
• The SENCo meets the SENCo from secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
• Where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting is arranged with The SENCo, the secondary school SENCo, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.

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

• The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual’s needs.
• The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher and at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year.
• If any concerns are raised on completion of assessments The SENCo will investigate further support or advice from outside agencies if required.
• Individual Pupil Premium payments are used to support that pupil’s learning.

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

• When the children join the school support is allocated on the information provided by the feeder school. Usually, in consultation with their Phase Leader and Teacher, the SENCo will allocate teaching assistants to individuals or small groups to support in class or in other focus groups tailored to the pupils’ needs.
• During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the pupil’s lack of progress or well-being then other interventions will be arranged.

How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child’s education?

All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education.

This may be through:

• Discussions with the class teacher.
• During parents evenings.
• During discussions with The SENCo or other professionals.
• Parents are encouraged to comment on their child’s SEN Plan with possible suggestions that could be incorporated.

Who can I contact for further information?

If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs please discuss with any member of staff.

If you are unhappy about something regarding your child please follow the school’s Complaints policy.

I hope these have answered any queries you may have but do not hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions.