Christ the King Catholic Primary School
SEND Information Report
Christ the King Catholic Primary School is an inclusive school, with a VI (Visual Impairment) Resource Base, where teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and the well-being of each and every child matters. Our Catholic school, the Church and the Community, inspired by the teaching of Jesus Christ, feel a special responsibility to those children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We offer a range of provision to support children with SEND in order to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. In reference to the ladder of engagement, stakeholders and strategic groups are consulted when developments are made in SEN.
This information report gives an overview of the provision your child will receive at Christ the King. If you have any questions about the content of this report please contact the school SENDCo (Mrs Deen) who will be happy to answer any of your questions. The Link Governor for SEND is Cath Madden.
Q1 What is a SEND Information Report?
Legislative changes in the Children and Families Act (2014) require schools to publish information about how they support children with Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND) in their school. The aim is to ensure that, where possible, all pupils will have their needs met in a mainstream school with access to the right resources, professional experts and high quality teaching. However for some children and young people a mainstream setting will not be the right place so that they can get the best provision to meet their needs. Children, young people and their families are more involved in decisions about the support they receive. Education, Health and Care Plans are developed to support children who have significant additional needs and these plans will very often involve other agencies outside the school. All pupils are entitled to an equality of opportunity and to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, appropriate to their individual needs, talents and personal qualities, as stated in the 2010 Equality Act.
The 4 broad areas of SEND remain as follows:
Communication & Interaction Difficulties
Cognition & Learning
Social, Emotional & Mental Health Difficulties
Sensory &/or Physical Difficulties
Further, more detailed information on what our school provides is detailed in our SEND policy. Click the link https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/christthekingbirmingham/UploadedDocument/f3e5f63930ce4d0bb5588d91f4598362/send-policy-2017-18.pdf
Q2 What is SEND?
The Code of Practice defines SEND as:
“A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
or
If a learner is identified as having SEND, we will provide support that is ‘additional to or different from’ the normal differentiated curriculum, intended to overcome the barrier to their learning. This will form part of our graduated response.
The Equality Act 210 definition of disability is:
“A person has a disability for the purposes of this Act if (s)he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to day activities.”
Q3 What is the Local Offer?
As a result of the Children & Families Act, Local Authorities are required to publish and regularly review the information and services they provide for children and young people who have Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND). The services provided by the Local Authority are accessible to children and young people aged 0-25. Each Local Authority refers to this as the Local Offer. It is hoped that Parents and Carers will be able to access support, advice and information o services for their children by accessing the Local Offer site. This is accessible at: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50034/birminghams_local_offer_send
Q4 How do we provide for those with Visual Impairment in the Resource Base?
We at Christ the King Catholic Primary School have a VI resource base, which was established in 1990. VI pupils, who have an EHC plan, work inclusively alongside their peers with some discrete teaching sessions in the Resource Base lead by the Qualified Teacher of Visual Impairment (QTVI) and teaching assistants (TAs). We have an experienced team of TAs who are specialised in teaching pupils with VI, co-ordinated by a qualified QTVI and the SENDCo. Resources including CCTVs, ipads, braillers, magnifying glasses, modified and enlarged texts, tactile and braille resources etc are used to ensure that access to education requirements are met. Children have access to further support from mobility to help move around safely, which can be understandably difficult if you have a visual impairment and to develop independent living skills. VI children historically have achieved well at our school and are happy. They are involved in all aspects of the curriculum, trips and OOHL clubs. Opportunities are provided for activities with other VI resources bases and special schools so that they can identify with their VI peer group.
Q5 What should you do if you think your child has SEND?
At our school, we pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents and carers. In the first instance, please talk to your child’s class teacher to raise concerns. Mrs Deen (our SENDCo) is available if you wish to arrange an appointment either through the school office or by speaking to the class teacher. The school phone number is 0121 464 9800.
Q6 How will the school support children with SEND?
We follow the graduated response as outlined in the Code of Practice (2015). This follows an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. Children with SEND have an individual pupil profile with targets set to meet their educational needs. Those with lots of involvement of outside agencies require a support plan (created by the SENDCo) and those with the most complex needs have an EHC plan (assigned by SENAR).
All our teachers adapt their teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils in their class alongside rigorous and accurate assessment procedures. If they have concerns over a child’s progress they will talk to the parents regarding the need to provide specific high quality teaching to target the barrier to learning. This may be done within a small group inside the classroom or in a quieter room outside. Sometimes the class teaching assistant may provide this support under the guidance of the class teacher.
If progress is still a concern the class teacher will discuss with you their decision to involve the school’s SENDCo. The SENDCo oversees all support and progress of any child requiring support across school. Additional support may be provided by the class teacher through the use of targeted intervention. Termly meetings will be arranged to discuss and review progress towards the identified barrier to learning. Sometimes additional meetings will also be arranged if needed. The school will need to ask your permission to involve external agencies so that a more specialist provision may be provided including specialist interventions, dependent on children’s individual needs. Under the Equality Act, schools are required to make sure that all reasonable adjustments are made to ensure equality of access to our services for pupils with SEND. See Accessibility plan. Click the link https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/christthekingbirmingham/UploadedDocument/972cb9088cfa4fd88411e1f5ac736329/accessibility-plan-2016-20.doc.pdf
Q7 What outside agencies help provide additional support for those with SEND?
The school works closely with external agencies to support staff training and to work with pupils in class/in withdrawal groups. These agencies currently include:
Educational Psychology Service (Ed Ps)
Pupil and School Support (PSS)
Communication and Autism Team (CAT)
School Nursing Service (School Nurses)
NHS Traded Services Speech and Language Therapists (SALT)
NHS Core Speech and Language Therapists (SALT)
Sensory Support (Hearing Impairment and Visual Impairment)
Teacher of the Deaf (Hearing Impairment)
Physical Difficulties (PDSS)
Forward Thinking Birmingham (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
SENDIASS (Parent Partnership)
We will always ask for your permission when we think an outside agency would support your child’s needs. We will ensure that you receive feedback about your child from the professional who has been working with them or from us.
Q8 What is the EHC process?
The school (or parents themselves) can request that the Local Authority SENAR Team carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. 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 evidence of at least three ‘plan, do, review’ cycles), they will then decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the evidence provided), seem 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. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support and we will continue to work with you to help your child make progress.
Once the reports have all been sent to SENAR, 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 and Care Plan (EHCP). They will either ask the school to continue with the current level of support in school and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible or you may be able to look at an alternative provision if a place is available.
The EHC Plan will outline the long and short term goals for your child. The school will plan what this looks like in consultation with SENAR, the agencies that have been supporting your child and the parent. EHC plans are reviewed annually.
Q9 What training does the staff in school have in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs?
In our school, we believe that all staff should be involved in supporting pupils with special educational needs and so we make sure that staff have training to help them do this.
Our staff have all had training for Epipen, Allergies, Asthma, Epilepsy, Diabetes and First Aid. The staff who require more in-depth training have received Paediatric First Aid and Diabetes (insulin pump use). Outside agencies provide advice and training to staff when required in order to effectively meet the needs of the children in their care.
Whole school training this year has been provided by the SENDCo on our graduated response, high quality teaching and targeted and specialist interventions. The SENDCo is appropriately trained for her role and has the National SENDCo award.
Q10 How are pupils with Special Educational Needs involved in their own education?
For children and young people with Special Educational Needs we use a variety of strategies to support the engagement of them in their learning through:
Children or young people's views are sought in the creation of pupil profiles and as part of the termly review process.
Children’s engagement with work on their targets from the continuum.
Self-assessment at the beginning and end of learning.
Having a range of equipment available for the children or young people to choose to use.
Ensuring the children work with a range of different partners.
Ensuring the children have a designated adult to go to if they need help.
Medical alert cards.
Visual timetables.
Now and next boards.
Prompt cards to promote independence.
Personalised work stations.
Learning breaks.
Q11 How accessible is Christ the King Catholic Primary school?
We have made every effort to ensure that we are fully compliant with legal requirements. Our school building is quite old but has newer extensions in some parts. It has two different floor levels. The two floors are linked by a staircase. The ground floor is wheelchair friendly with a disabled toilet and ramps to the front of the school and on to the playground. On the occasion when children or adults, who are using a wheelchair need to access the school, provision has been made to use the ground floor in line with the Equality Act’s ‘reasonable adjustments’. See Accessibility plan. Click the link https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/christthekingbirmingham/UploadedDocument/972cb9088cfa4fd88411e1f5ac736329/accessibility-plan-2016-20.doc.pdf
Q12 How do parents of a child with Special Educational Needs make a complaint?
If you have a complaint about the school, please contact the Head teacher, Mrs Breslin and we will do everything we can to resolve any issues arising. Our school and governing body take complaints seriously and will act upon these on an individual basis. We follow the school’s Complaints Procedure policy. Click the link https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/christthekingbirmingham/UploadedDocument/7f9a0ee8426748ecb674f7b5407c1b9c/complaints-policy-2014.pdf