Date Accepted by the Governors: Summer 2021

Review Date: Summer 2024

Vision statement

The staff and governors of Ash Grange Nursery and Primary School (Ash Grange) are wholly committed to pursuing a policy of inclusive education that welcomes and supports pupils of all abilities.  This means that:

• We enable every child to access all the learning opportunities available;
• We make sure that children are given the support and resources from those available to achieve their potential;
• We work closely with parents/carers so that they are involved in any decisions made about their child’s education and well-being

Our aims

1. We will make a life changing difference to each child and the community.
2. We will celebrate the personal achievements of all children.
3. We will champion all aspects of each child’s development.
4. We will provide an outstanding teaching and learning experience.
5. We will be an indoor/outdoor learning school.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

The school has an established culture that promotes and enhances the positive mental health of the whole school community, recognising that healthy relationships underpin positive mental health and have a significant impact on learning, health and wellbeing. We champion the expectation that ‘mental health is the individual’s responsibility supported by the whole school community.’

Definition of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

At Ash Grange we use the definition for SEN and for disability from the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This states:

SEN: A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.  A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.  Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.

Disability: Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.

In this document we refer to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities as ‘children with SEN’.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Provision for children with SEN is a whole school responsibility. In addition to the governing body, the Head teacher and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo), all other members of staff have important day-to-day responsibilities.  All teachers are teachers of children with SEN.

The SENDco has day-to-day responsibility for the implementation of the SEND policy and how individual pupils and groups of pupils with special educational needs are supported, including those who have Education and Health Care plans.  In order for this to happen, the SENDCo coordinates with all the teaching staff regarding the support which is necessary to meet the needs of children with SEN and disabilities.

Our SENDCo is Mrs Rumsby who can be contacted via the school office on 01252 328589 or by email at  SENDco@ash-grange.surrey.sch.uk.

The role of the governors with regard to SEN is to:

• ensure provision is made for children with SEN, in line with the Code of Practice;
• ensure that children with SEN join in with the activities of the school as far as is reasonably practical.

The designated SEN Governor is Vicky Hallewell.

The role of class teachers with regard to SEN is to:

• read and update children’s records and information regarding their SEN;
• differentiate teaching and learning experiences to meet the needs of all children;
• liaise with parents of children with SEN formally at least once a term and informally whenever necessary;
• set appropriate targets for children with SEN at lease termly and discuss or adjust these with parents/carers and children;
• support individuals in reaching their targets and personal goals and celebrate their achievements;
• identify through observation and assessment any other children requiring additional support;
• inform the SENDco of any changes to need or circumstances;
• inform the SENDco of their concerns or concerns expressed by parents or carers.

The role of learning assistants with regard to SEN is to support individuals or groups of children with their learning.  They do this under the guidance and direction of the class teacher and/or SENDco.

The Head teacher, Mrs Marie Curtis, is the school’s Lead Designated Child Protection Officer. The Designated Deputy  Child Protection Officer is Mrs Ali Rumsby.

Pupil Premium and Looked After Children funding is managed by Mrs Curtis.

The person responsible for managing the school’s responsibility for meeting the medical needs of pupils is Mrs Curtis.

INTRODUCTION

Creation

The policy reflects the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 years (July 2014).

Availability

You can get a copy of this policy in a number of ways:

• From the school’s website under All about us -> Key information -> Special Educational Needs->SEN Policy
• In the policy folder kept in the reception area at the front of the school
• As a hard copy on request at the school office. Please let us know if you need this to be made available to you in a different format eg enlarged font. One copy per family is available free of charge, multiple copies need to be paid for.

Context

This policy complies with the statutory requirements laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (July 2014) and has been written with reference to the following related guidance and documents:

• Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE February 2013
• Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014)
• Statutory Guidance on Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions April 2014
• The National Curriculum in England Key Stage 1 and 2 framework document September 2013
• Child Protection Policy
• Accessibility Plan
• Teachers Standards 2012

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Aims

At Ash Grange all children, regardless of their individual needs, are provided with inclusive teaching.  This will enable them to make the best possible progress in school and feel that they are a valued member of the wider school community.

Objectives

• To provide a curriculum which is stimulating, varied and accessible to every child.
• For all staff to be aware of the appropriate resources, strategies and adaptations to support the varying needs of the children in their class.
• To involve parents and children in understanding the targets that are set for them and how they are to be achieved.

IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS

The four broad areas of need identified in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25)  are:

• Communication and Interaction:
  • Children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others.
• Cognition and learning:
  • Support for learning difficulties may be needed when children learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation.

• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
  • Children may have a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which show themselves in many ways, including becoming withdrawn or isolated, or displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour.

• Sensory and/or physical needs
  • Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which makes it difficult for them to use the educational facilities generally provided.

A GRADUATED APPROACH TO SEN SUPPORT

• At Ash Grange we track the progress of all our learners and regularly discuss any concerns as well as celebrating achievements. The school is committed to early identification of learning difficulties and intervention to overcome them.
• Before entry into school, information is gathered from pre-school settings through liaison and sharing of records and also from parents/carers through home visits and the ‘All About Me’ booklet.
• Assessments of all children are made on entry and half-termly/termly throughout the school year to measure the children’s progress against age related expectations.
• Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. They report to parents formally through reports and termly parent teacher meetings but meetings with parents/carers are also made at other times as the need arises.
• If a child has difficulty in accessing the curriculum available for all the children, is not meeting the expected level for his/her age or has stopped making progress, the class teacher and the SENDco will consider whether the child has a special educational need.  However, children may have delays or gaps in their learning for a number of different reasons and should not automatically be thought of as having special educational needs.
• We follow a cycle of Assess-Plan-Do-Review for all children.  If we find a child has a gap in their knowledge or understanding, additional support may be put in place to help them catch up with their peers, without the need to place the child on the Special Educational Needs Register.
• We identify any additional support by considering the needs of the whole child, not just his or her special educational needs. 
• At this stage the class teacher and/or the SENDco will meet with the parents/carers of the child, may undertake some specialised assessment and may bring in the help and advice of specialist support staff.  Agencies which regularly support children at our school include the Educational Psychology Service, the Learning and Language Support Team, the Behaviour Support Team, the Speech and Language Therapy Service and the Traveller Education Service.
• When identifying children with SEN, careful consideration is given as to whether or not the child has any safeguarding needs and procedures are followed as laid out in the Child Protection Policy.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS PROVISION

SEN Support

SEN support can take many forms. At Ash Grange this may include:

• Working with your child in a small group;
• Making or changing materials, equipment or the environment;
• Observing your child in class or at break and keeping a record of strengths/arising issues;
• Helping your child take part in the class activities or to work and play with other children;
• Making sure that your child has understood things by encouraging them to ask questions and to try something they find difficult;
• A special learning programme;
• Extra help from a teacher or a learning support assistant;
• Supporting your child with physical or personal care difficulties, such as eating, getting around school safely, toileting or dressing.

Managing the needs of pupils on the SEN Register

• When a child is on the Special Educational Needs Register they and their parents will be asked to complete a One Page Profile.  The class teacher will write an Individual Provision Plan for the child. This outlines what we hope the child will achieve and the support we have put in place.  The Individual Provision Plan is discussed with the child and his/her parents/carers and a date set for its review.
• Individual Provision Plans are discussed with parents/carers at specially arranged meetings in the first half term of a new academic year and then at the termly parent-teacher meetings. However, it may be necessary to review a Plan more frequently in which case additional meetings will be arranged.  Parents/carers can request a meeting at any time.
• If the targets set are not achieved to the expected level, it may be necessary to increase the amount of provision in place and to complete a full SEND Support Arrangements Plan.
• The SENDco reviews the impact on progress of made by interventions and support every term.

• The intervention programmes currently in use in the school are detailed on the school’s website under Key Information -> Special Educational Needs -> Wave 2 Provision

SEND Support Arrangements and Education and Health Care Plans

If a child receiving SEN support is still making inadequate progress given their age, starting point and particular circumstances, we may need to consider whether an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) is needed.  A SEND Support Arrangements Plan will be completed, which will help us to record the child’s progress. This can then form the basis for a request for an EHCP.

The SEN Register

The SEN Register is maintained by the SENDco and reviewed termly. The provision made for the children on the SEN register is determined by their level of need and the support which will be most appropriate to help them to make progress. If the intervention work is not helping them enough then it will be reviewed as part of the Assess-Plan-Do-Review process.

If children make enough progress to achieve at the same level as the other children in their age group then they will be removed from the SEN Register.

Supporting parents/carers and children

The support provided for parents/carers and children is described in our SEN Information Report and Surrey’s Local Offer which includes other agencies who provide a service. The school SEN Information report is on the school’s website under Key Information ->Special Educational Needs -> SEN information report.  I couldn’t see this on the new site Surrey’s Local Offer can be found at www.sendlo.co.uk or via a link on our website under Key Information ->Special Educational Needs -> Surrey’s Local Offer.

For our admission arrangements, please see the school’s parents’ handbook.

Supporting children at school with medical conditions

Ash Grange Nursery and Primary School recognises that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. If medication needs to be administered regularly or there are other personal care requirements, these should be recorded in a Care Plan.

Monitoring and evaluation of SEN

• This policy is subject to an annual cycle of monitoring, evaluation and review.
• The SENDco, SLT and Governing Body evaluate the effectiveness of the policy against the principles and objectives set out within the policy and according to the principles of the 2014 Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
• A termly breakdown of percentages of children on the SEN register and the impact of interventions they receive is provided by the SENDco.
• The SENDco meets with the SEN Governor once a term and prepares a termly report for the Governors’ Meeting.

Training and Development

• The SENDco has regular meetings with all teachers and learning assistants to discuss concerns, strategies and targets.
• There are regular staff meetings where SEN issues are discussed.
• The SENDco and/or outside agencies deliver a regular programme of INSET to teachers and learning assistants.
• The SENDco keeps staff informed about relevant training courses that are available.

COMMENTS, COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

If parents/carers wish to make a comment, raise a question or voice a complaint about the way in which their child’s needs are being met by the school, they should speak in the first instance to the child’s Key Person (Nursery) or class teacher.  If the matter is not resolved, please arrange a mutually convenient appointment with the SENDco or the Head teacher. The school telephone number is 01252 328589. As a Surrey County Council School we follow their ‘Responding to Concerns and Complaints’ policy which can be found at: www.surreycc.gov.uk. A link to this is on our website:  www. ash-grange.surrey.sch.uk.

Parents/carers of children with special educational needs can also get help and support Surrey Send Information, Advice and Support Service – see their website. They provide impartial and independent information, advice and support to parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) at all stages of their child's school life.