ASC/ASD

Autistic Spectrum Condition/ Autistic Spectrum Disorder

BESD

Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties

CAMHS

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

EAL

English as an Additional Language

EP

Educational Psychologist

EHCP

Education and Health Care Plan

PPP

Personal Provision Plan

HI

Hearing Impairment

ISW

Inclusion Support Worker – organises and monitors provision for children with additional needs, which includes SEN, English as additional language and child protection.

LM

Learning Mentor- supports children with social/emotional/behavioural needs.

QFT

Quality First Teaching – an excellent standard of teaching, enabling all pupils to make progress.

SALT

Speech and Language Therapy/Therapist

SEN

Special Educational Needs

SEN Code of Practice

The legal document, which sets out the requirements for educating children with special educational needs.

SENCO

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator- organises and monitors provision for children with special educational needs.

SIS

Sensory Impairment Services

SPLD

Specific Learning Difficulty

VI

Visual Impairment

 Current SEN Updates-

v  Children and Families Act 2014

The Children and Families Bill underpins wider reforms to ensure 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.

A child or young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

Part of the SEN reform programme Local Authorities must publish their Local Offer, providing a comprehensive, transparent and accessible picture of the range of services available.  Local partners, including schools are required to co-operate with the Local Authority in the development and review of their Local Offer.

All Knowsley maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

v  Pupil Premium

Please see pupil premium policy under pupil premium section of the website.

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

We know when pupils need help if:

1. concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child
2. if limited progress is being made
3. if there is a change in the pupil’s behaviour or progress.
4. Concerns are raised during Headteacher’s and class teacher’s pupil Progress meetings.
5. Teaching assistants and support staff have raised concerns about a child.

 How can I let the school know that I am concerned about any area of my child’s development?

The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns.

 If you have concerns then please make an appointment to contact Mrs Lyons, who is the school SENCO.

How will teaching be matched to my child’s needs?

1. Each pupil’s education programme will be planned by the class teacher. It 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, Maths & English skills etc. then the pupil will be placed in a small focus group. This will be run by the teacher or teaching assistant. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need but will generally be for a term. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning.
2. These interventions will be recorded on the class provision map (this is a record of the interventions, timings, cost and impact of the intervention). If you have any queries related to the interventions please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCO.
3. Pupil Progress Meetings are held each term. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Senior Leadership Team to discuss the progress of the pupils in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned.
4. Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support from an outside agency such as the Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Paediatrician etc. A referral will be made by Mrs Lyons or Mrs Barry, with your consent 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.
5. Some pupils will also be withdrawn from main class lessons to take part in a highly catered individual/small group programmes which can be delivered by a teaching assistant or the School’s learning support teacher Mrs Lackey.
6. The Governors of Eastcroft Park Primary School are responsible for entrusting a named person, Mrs Amanda Barry to monitor Safeguarding and Child protection procedures.  She is also responsible for the monitoring and correct administration of the Disclosure and Barring service procedures and the school’s Single Central record.  In a support and challenge role the Governors ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff in an equitable way.  They monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the DfE.
7. 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.
8. Teaching Assistants (TAs) may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.
9. If a child has been identified as having a special need, they will be given a Personal Provision Plan (PPP). Targets will be set according to their area of need. These will be monitored by the class teacher weekly and by the SENCO three times per year. PPP's will be discussed with parents at Parents’ Evenings and a copy given to them.
10. If 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 be informed of my child’s progress?

1. You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents’ Review days.
2. Your child’s class teacher will be available at the end of each day if you wish to raise a concern. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENCO by visiting the school office.

What support do you have for me as a parent to support my child?

1. The class teacher may suggest ways of how you can support your child. Mrs Lyons, Mrs Lackey or Mrs Barry may meet with you to discuss how to support your child with strategies to use if there are difficulties with a child’s behaviour/emotional needs.
2. If outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist have been involved suggestions and programmes of study are normally provided that can be used at home.
3. A school representative will always attend multi agency meetings with parents and we will always provide support to parents around their child’s additional needs.

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

1. The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties. The school learning mentor plays a key role in supporting pupils with difficulties. Members of staff such as the class teacher, school learning mentor and SENCO are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns.
2. School also has a quiet place which is used for individual, small group and whole class intervention relating to pupils spiritual and mental well being. This may be through the delivery of targeted group sessions e.g. relaxation.
3. Pupils with medical needs -If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled with support from the school nurse in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff who is involved with the pupil. Mrs Woods and Mrs Barry also keep a regularly updated medical needs register to identify any pupils who have medical requirements.
4. Staff receive EpiPen training delivered by the school nurse to cater for pupils with severe allergies.
5. Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medicine consent form is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member. 
6. A large number of staff have basic first aid training.
7. We have a large number of staff who have received training in effective use of defibrillator.

What specialist service and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting to support my child?

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise.        

The agencies used by the school include:

• Learning Support Teacher (Mrs D Lackey)
• Autism Advisory Teachers (ASC Teacher)
• Child Protection Advisors
• Educational Psychologist
• SALT- Speech and Language Therapist
• CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• SAS (School Attendance Services)
• Stronger Families
• Family First
• SIS (Sensory Impaired Service) to support pupils with hearing/visual Impairment
• Inclusion Support Worker
• Social Services
• Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapist
• Alder Hey Hospital (Paediatricians)
• School Nurse
• Continence Team
• EAL specialist teacher
• SEND IASS
• Virtual School
• School nurse

1. School buys into an Educational Psychologist service. 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 for during the SEN planning and Review meetings (P and R meetings).These are meetings held three times a year between school staff and where appropriate, other professionals. The aim of a P and R meeting is to gain an understanding of and try to resolve a pupil’s difficulties. In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. He/she will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupils.
2. All staff have been trained in a variety of support some of which include-

• Speech and language (A chance to Talk)
• Talk Boost
• Multisensory teaching/activities
• Active Literacy Kit
• Differentiated Literacy and Maths activities/intervention

How accessible is your school and how will my child be included?

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements.  Facilities we have at present include:

• ramps into school to make the building accessible to all.
• toilets adapted for disabled users.
• wide doors in some parts of the building.

Inclusion is at the heart of school life. All pupils, despite their gender, age, ability or additional needs are included in every lesson and school event. For more information please see the schools accessibility policy/plan.

How will the school prepare my child for transitions on to the next stage of educational and life?

Many strategies are in place to enable the pupil’s transition to be as smooth as possible. These include:

• discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving. 
• all pupils attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teachers . Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need more time in their new year group.
• Mrs Lyons is always willing to meet parents/carers prior to their child joining the school. 
• secondary school staff visit pupils prior to them joining their new school. Mrs Lyons always liaises closely with the SENCOs from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
• where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged with Mrs Lyons, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.

How are parents/carers/families involved in the school?

1. 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 Mrs Lyons, or other professionals
• parents are encouraged to comment on their child’s PPP with possible suggestions that could be incorporated.
• parents/carers of pupils with EHC plans are invited to attend and take an active part in their child’s review.

 Who can I contact for further information?

If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or something regarding your child’s schooling please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with  the SENCO, class teacher and/ or headteacher.

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