Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information 2019-20

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) is Kerry Bishop

Fosse Mead Primary Adacemy is a place where everyone is valued and cared for as an individual, and where children are at the centre of all we do.

At Fosse Mead Primary, we will help your child achieve the best they can. We understand that many children need help or additional support at one point or another during their time at school. Some children will need support throughout their time at Fosse, others will only need support for a short time. The information on the pages linked below is to inform you of the types of support available for your child in school. It will help you understand who can help and how this support can be accessed.

As a school we comply with the Local Authority Expectations of Schools. This outlines the key ways in which pupils should be supported in school. For more information see the ‘Local Offer’ link on our website.

What does all the jargon mean?

Please see below the different words and abbreviations that we use in school:

  • SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disability
  • SEN – Special Educational Needs
  • SENCo – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, the person in school responsible for managing SEND
  • Outside Agencies – Any professional from an agency or service who provides advice to the school and family. For example, Educational Psychologist (EP), Speech and Language Team (SALT), Learning Communication and Interaction Team (LCI), Early Years Support Team (EYST)
  • Transitions – A change or transfer from one school or class to another
  • Provision – Any extra help, support or equipment that a child receives
  • Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) – An EHCP is a document provided by the Local Authority which outlines a child’s special educational needs and the support that they need.
  • Individual health care plan – This is a document which describes any significant medical conditions that a child may have which requires special medication or adjustments. The plan outlines the child’s needs and what needs to be put in place to support them. It is then shared with all those staff supporting the child.

How will school know if children need extra help?

The SEND Code of Practice 2014 outlines four broad categories of SEND:

  1. Communication and Interaction
  2. Cognition and Learning
  3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
  4. Sensory and/or Physical Need
  • Some children may be working below age expected levels in Literacy and Numeracy which would indicate extra support may be needed. Some children may have specific learning difficulties e.g. dyslexia. Children may also have low scores on standardized tests e.g. reading/spelling age. It is important to remember that slow progress and low attainment does not necessarily mean that a child has special educational needs. However, it may be an indicator of a range of learning difficulties or disabilities. Equally it should not be assumed that attainment in line with age expected steps means that there is no learning difficulty or disability
  • Information passed from a child’s previous school may indicate that a child has a difficulty and support will need to be continued.
  • Reports received from e.g. doctors, educational psychologists, special needs teaching service, speech and language therapists may recommend specific support.
  • We always take into account information given by parents
  • We listen to concerns expressed by the child.
  • Teachers will fill in an Early Monitoring Form for any child they are worried about which will be discussed with parents and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Appropriate next steps for the child will be planned for and parents are actively encouraged to be involved in the decision making process.

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

  • Raise concerns as soon as they arise with your child’s class teacher. You may also ask to speak with the SENCO or a member of the Senior Management Team.
  • Early identification is often key to securing support for children and families.
  • Don’t worry! Many children need extra support at some time.

What will the school do if they think my child has special educational needs?

  • The school will contact you at the earliest opportunity to discuss any concerns.
  • Once it has been agreed that a child has additional needs, they will be placed on the Special Educational Needs Register under the category of SEN Support.
  • School will begin to assess your child; this may be formal or informal assessments at this stage.
  • They may receive extra support or intervention if this is felt appropriate.
  • Your child will receive 3 reviews each year whilst they are on the SEN register.
  • If they continue to make slow progress or have ongoing problems then the school may ask for advice from outside agencies.
  • A small number of children may go on to have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) – these are for the most complex children that have significant and ongoing needs. If a child has an EHC plan then they will also have an additional annual review and the plan can stay with them up to the age of 25 if it is deemed necessary.

What does the school do to support SEND?

  • Class Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class; they will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
  • Support staff can adapt the teachers planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
  • Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
  • Planning and teaching will be adapted on a regular basis if needed to meet your child’s learning needs.

How does the school know how well my child is doing?

The school will review a wide range of evidence to judge how well your child is progressing, including: formal and informal assessments, reports from other professionals, and the views of you and your child.

Children receiving interventions will have their progress tracked throughout the time they are receiving the support.

For children on the SEND register, there will be three reviews over the year. They will be held each term: two will take place during Parents Evening in the Autumn and Spring Term and the third will be a separate appointment arranged in the Summer Term by your child’s class teacher.  Your child’s progress will be discussed (including any extra support or interventions they may have received). However, at any point during the year, please feel free to ask your child’s class teacher how your child is doing.

All children will receive an end of year report that will inform you of your child’s progress throughout the year.

How can I be involved in supporting my child?

You can support your child in the following ways: by attending parents’ evenings; helping them to complete their homework to a good standard and on time; ensuring your child gets to school on time with all the appropriate equipment; talking to the class teacher if you have any concerns about your child; providing lots of opportunities to speak and have conversations with your child; listen to you child read on a regular basis; and practice a range of number skills, including learning the appropriate times tables. Teachers are more than happy to share any ideas they have with you so you can top up the learning at home.

Who will the school contact?

The school can contact the following agencies to ask for support and advice to help children with SEND.

  • Educational psychologist
  • Speech and Language Therapy Service
  • The Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team
  • Learning, Cognition and Interaction Team – Special Needs Teaching Service
  • Visual Impairment Team
  • Hearing Impairment Team
  • School Nurse Service
  • ADHD Solutions
  • CAMHs – Children and Adolescence Mental Health Service
  • Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist
  • Health Visitor

The SEND Coordinator’s role

SEND Coordinator: Emma Tuffey

The role of the SEND Coordinator is to:

  • support the identification of children with special educational needs and coordinate their provision
  • ensure that records for SEND pupils are kept up to date
  • oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy

  • Autism Awareness
  • Dyslexia
  • First Aid
  • Team Teach

Social and emotional and mental health:

  • Fun Time
  • Interactive play
  • Nurture group
  • Attachment Difficulties

Reading/Literacy:

  • KTC Phonics
  • RML literacy
  • BRWP
  • Lexia

Speaking and Language:

  • Let’s Talk
  • I Can – Talk Programme

The Well-being of Children

At Fosse we have a Mentor, Miss Mel Lockton, who works in school Monday to Thursday.

She is able to support children with any emotional, social, behavioural or mental health issues.

Part of this role is to lead the Nurture Group Provision.

We also have a Family Support Worker, Mrs Edwina Osbourne, who is in school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to support children and their families.

Please contact your child’s class teacher, the SENCO, or the Head-teacher if you feel your family or your child would benefit from their support.

Safeguarding/Child Protection

Fosse Primary takes the safeguarding of children’s welfare extremely seriously. We have 3 Designated Senior Persons or DSPs and these are:

Richard Stone –  Headteacher

Emma Tuffey – Deputy headteacher

Mel Lockton – Mentor

Safeguarding matters including concerns can be discussed with any of the above.

Schools have an important part to play in safeguarding all children.

Safeguarding within the school includes a range of issues including health and safety, risk assessments, managing medicines, behaviour management, e­safety and lots more.

The school follows full guidance on safe recruitment and selection of new staff and ensures that all staff and regular visitors to school have a full Criminal Records Bureau check before coming into school, this information is held securely in accordance with data protection procedures.

Fosse Primary School follows all Local Authority and Leicester Safeguarding Children’s Board guidelines for Child Protection. Where it appears that a child may be at risk of significant harm, there are highly skilled, qualified and competent staff working to protect our children. A ‘Cause for concern’ may be as a result of any of the following: physical abuse, domestic violence, neglect, emotional abuse or sexual abuse.

There may be times when sensitive and challenging conversations have to take place to clarify some concerns; these will be treated with the highest regard to confidentiality. We work closely with other agencies to ensure all children are safe. It is therefore very important that parents/carers keep the school informed of any changes at home e.g. incidents of domestic violence, accident/s at home which may have left marks which might worry us. The school may contact parents/carers if children arrive at school with unexplained marks on their body. The school will let parents/carers know if there is any accident at school .

Additional Information

We are able to administer medicines that have been prescribed to a child. Please see the office if this is the case.

Care Plans are written to meet the health care needs of those children requiring them.

We are proud to retain the Healthy Schools award and we promote a healthy lifestyle.

Breakfast club and after school clubs are also available.

Accessibility

  • Our school is on two levels and on two sites.
  • All stairs are highlighted.
  • We have one toilet which is accessible for a wheelchair user.
  • Ground floor classrooms and the main entrance have ramps to the external doors.

Support with moving classes, years or to another school

Transition to the next year group

Teachers and the SENCO meet to ensure information and knowledge of your child is passed on at the end of each year and reports and records are shared with the new class teacher. Children are also given the opportunity to spend time in their new classes at the end of the school year.

Transfer to the next stage of education

All secondary schools have transition days where your child will be offered the opportunity to spend time at their new school. Fosse liaises closely with all our transfer secondary schools to ensure they are aware of any individual needs and we pass on all records to the new school. If your child transfers to a new school mid-year we ensure all records are passed on.

Additional Information

There are a number of organisations who may be able to offer advice and support: