SEND

How we support children/young people with Special Educational Needs or disabilities?

Eastfield Primary School SEND Provision

What is the school’s Vision?

…inspiring courteous, considerate individuals, who make the most of the opportunities that come their way.

When you first visit Eastfield Primary School you will instantly notice happy children, full of energy and enthusiasm. Our multi-cultural, inclusive school oozes respect and tolerance. Learning is fun in our school. We take pride in being an INCLUSIVE learning organisation that is INNOVATIVE, CREATIVE, REFLECTIVE and SAFE.

What type of school are you?

Eastfield is a maintained primary school for children aged 5-11.  Children start school in the year they are 5 in our Reception.

We have a morning and afternoon nursery for children aged 3-4 years of age

There are two classes in each year group from Reception to Year Six.

We have an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for children with complex needs. Admission to the Additionally Resourced Provision is through the Local Authorities Special Educational Needs Panel.

What is your current OFSTED rating?

Our latest Ofsted inspection in May 2022 found that, ‘Eastfield Primary continues to be a Good School’.

How does Eastfield ensure that children/young people who need extra help are identified early? What should a parent do if they think their child may have special educational needs?

During the summer term, before children start at the school, we invite all the parents/carers into the school to meet their child’s class teacher. The class teacher will also have a home visit and this allows the teachers to see the child within their own setting. We also liaise closely with playgroups, nurseries and per schools. We ask parents to let us know if their child has a disability or they feel their child has any special educational needs so we can discuss this and make sure the right support is in place for their child.

If a child has special educational needs it is very important that they get the help that they need as soon as possible. In order to make sure that any special needs not known about before starting the school are picked up early, all pupils are assessed during the first few weeks at the school.

We encourage the children themselves to contribute by talking to their teachers in the first term.

Our regular assessment and monitoring procedures continue throughout the children’s time at our school to enable us to look out for any special needs or disabilities that may develop later.

Concerns can be highlighted through tracking of attainment and progress and observations of social interactions. They are also raised during conversations with parents/carers, Class Teachers, Learning Support Assistants or the Inclusion Leader. If a Class Teacher has concerns about a child, the teacher will meet with the parent/carer in the first instance. Following this conversation, and with parents/carers consent, an initial concern form will be completed and given to the Inclusion Leader, who will observe and further assess the needs of the child.

These areas of need include: Cognition and Learning; Communication and Interaction; Social and Emotional Needs Physical and/or Sensory needs.

The child will be monitored in class by the class teacher and lead professional. Classroom strategies will be implemented and reasonable adjustments made to the classroom environment. Observations and additional assessments may also take place.

If the child does not make progress in the areas of concern, the Inclusion Leader will meet with parents/carers and class teacher to draw up a Learning Support Plan (LSP) with clear targets and strategies for the child.

After 2 cycles of the Graduated Approach (assess, plan, do, review) via the LSP process, if further understanding of the child’s needs is required, parents/carers will be consulted and a child may be referred to the external professionals such as the Educational Psychologist, the Behavioural Support Service or the Speech and Language Service via the Enfield Multi Agency/ Local Offer Referral system.

We ensure parents/carers are informed at all stages by having regular meetings, telephoning home and having informal conversations before and after school, where necessary.

Learning Support Plans are reviewed with parents/carers and class teachers on a termly basis. Parents/carers can raise concerns at any time by making an appointment with the class teacher or contacting a member of the Inclusion Team.

We work hard to maintain good home-school links and parents are always welcome to speak to us if they have any concerns at all about their children.

Our identification of SEN flowchart can be found here: Flow chart

What does the school do to help children with Special educational needs?

Eastfield Primary School has:

• Interventions are provided and are closely monitored to determine suitability and impact.
• Learning Support Plans are reviewed and amended/changed termly. It is the responsibility of the Class Teacher to maintain these and ensure they are up to date.
• Maintains and updates regularly the SEND register.

Wave 1 Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching

• Class teachers have high expectations for every child in their class
• Teaching and learning builds on what children already know, can do and can understand.
• Different learning styles are catered for by including a variety of activities in lessons. This will involve opportunities for practical activities.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the Inclusion Team or external agencies) are incorporated to support teaching and learning.
• The class teacher will carefully and regularly check progress and will adapt lessons to support every learner.
• Learning Support Assistants will be directed by the class teacher and used to support individual children and groups where necessary.

Wave 2 Booster/Intervention Groups

• Learning Support Assistants run groups across the school for children who have specific gaps in their learning or specific areas of need – academic or social.
• Groups include Daily Supported Reading, music therapy, maths interventions and pre-learning
• All staff running interventions have been trained to do so.

Wave 3 Specialist Intervention Groups

The children who have Education Health and Care plans with additional funding for support will receive specialist 1:1 support form Learning Support Assistants to ensure they can access learning and make progress against their individual starting points. Some Children with an EHCP attend our ARP. (Additional Resourced Provision).

Wave 4 Intervention from external providers

Eastfield is supported by many external agencies, including Occupational Therapy, NHS Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, Parent Support, Behaviour Support Service and Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Cheviots and SENDIASS. Referrals to external providers may be appropriate if a child has been identified as needing more specialist input instead of or in addition to High Quality Teaching and/or Intervention Groups. The specialist professional will work with the child and possibly the family in order to understand the needs and to make recommendations, which may include:

• Making changes to the way a child is supported in class e.g. individual support or changing some aspects of teaching and learning to support the child more effectively
• Support to set targets which will draw on specific expertise
• Group work or individual work with a professional from an outside agency

The school may suggest that a child needs some individual support in school. They will tell parents/carers how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

• This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through High Quality Teaching and intervention groups and identified in Educational Health Care Plans. To receive external agency support, a child must be referred by a member of the Inclusion Team via Enfield Multi-Agency Local Offer Referral system All referrals are agreed and signed by a parent/carer. Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting to discuss the needs of the child and possible ways forward. It is very helpful if parents give information which will help to present the needs of the child as a complete picture.

Specified Individual Support

This is provided through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means a child will have been identified by the Inclusion Team as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching which cannot be provided from the budget available to the school. Usually, the child will also need specialist support in school from an external agency. This could include Educational Psychology, NHS Speech and Language Therapy or Behaviour Support Service – depending on their primary need: Cognition and Learning Needs; Communication and Interaction Needs; Social and Emotional Mental Health Needs; Physical and/or Sensory needs

The Inclusion Leader monitors the attainment and progress of all children on the SEN/D register and those who may have the potential to be included.

How do teachers match the curriculum to an individual child/young person’s needs?

Children with special educational needs are taught alongside their peers but lessons are designed so that all the children in the class learn and make progress. We do this by planning lessons that are differentiated.

For example:

• Differentiation by task, which involves setting different tasks for pupils of different abilities
• Differentiation by support, which means giving more help to certain pupils within the group
• Differentiation by outcome, which involves setting open-ended tasks and allowing pupil response at different levels.

Every class teacher is involved in planning, monitoring and providing support for all pupils within their class including children with special educational needs. This is the basis of Quality First Teaching and this is the standard all teachers are required to meet as part of the Teacher’s Standards.

How do we decide what resources we can give to a child/young person with special educational needs?

Part of the school’s budget is for supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. This spending is used as cost-effectively as possible and make sure we can give help to all the children who need it. The Assistant Head Teacher for Inclusion makes decisions with the Head Teacher about which support programme is best for a child in consultation with a child’s class teacher and parents/carers. Parents are invited to contribute to planning through a meeting or if they are not able to come into the school, in whatever way is best for them e.g. by telephone or e-mail.

In exceptional circumstances where we feel that we are not able to meet a child’s needs from within our own funds we will apply to the local authority for additional support for a child. This will be through an application for a needs assessment that may lead to an Education Health and Care Plan. Parents can do this too. (See link to Local Offer.) We are happy to discuss all of this in more detail with parents.

How we check that a child/young person is making progress and how we keep parents informed?

A child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her Class Teacher.

• His/her progress is reviewed formally every term, (half term in Years Two and Six) in Reading, Writing, Maths and during termly Pupil Progress Meeting between the Class Teacher and Senior Management Team. This attainment is identified as Below, At or Above Age Related Expectations – in line with the new National Curriculum. Progress in other areas, such as attendance, engagement in learning and behaviour are also monitored.
• Progress for children with SEND is also assessed through impassive assessments, achieving against their own targets through termly analysis of LSP targets.
• At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of Year 2 and Year 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). This is something the government requires all schools to do and the results from these tests are published nationally.
• The progress of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education, including parents/carers. Depending on the needs of the child, they may also be present for some of the annual review meeting. If a child is not able to attend, their views are gathered in advance and shared with the group.
• If a child is not making expected progress the school will discuss with parents/carers, including any concerns they may have. Further interventions or referrals to outside professionals may be appropriate to support the child’s learning and development.
• A range of ways may be used to keep parents/carers informed, which may include:

– Home School Communication Book

– Telephone calls and texts

– Letters/certificates sent home

– Reports

What support does the school offer for children and young people’s overall health and wellbeing?

All sensitive information is confidential and only shared with relevant professionals.

Medical:

• If a child has any medical needs the Welfare Officer will invite the parent/carer and School Nurse into school to create a care plan.
• The plans will be updated regularly and parents/carers are able to contact the school Welfare Officer at any time.
• A child’s social and pastoral care is very important and sharing of your concerns with their Class Teacher/ Learning Support Assistant will help us all to work together.
• All medicines are carefully monitored and recorded.
• If there are any concerns the School Welfare Officer will ring parents/carers and discuss any issues. If needed the School Nurse will be contacted.
• Dietary needs are discussed and any allergies shared with relevant staff.

Pastoral/Social:

Strategies in school include:

• Place 2 Be
• Lunchtime activities and clubs
• Circle time in every class
• Calm Room provision at lunch
• Weekly music therapy sessions
• Inclusive trips
• Risk assessments

How does the school support looked after Children (LAC) and SEND?

All LAC children will have an allocated Social Worker who will liaise with the Designated Teacher with regards to the LAC child/children.

LAC children will also be under the umbrella of the “Virtual School” who will be involved in their care and educational success.

The LAC children will have a Personal Education Plan (PEP), which will be drawn up with the adults involved and the LAC children. The PEP will be reviewed and updated termly.

LAC children will have access to the necessary agencies that they may need such as the school EP, CAMHS, BSS etc.

The Designated Teacher for LAC is the HT Ben Statham  and AHT for Inclusion Mrs Carly Cousins.

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

Specialist services and staff at Eastfield:

• Developing the use of the principles of Elklan and extending their practice across the school.
• LILAC strategies taught throughout the whole school.
• Music Therapy
• Speech and Language Support
• LASS Groups

External services available for children and families at Eastfield:

• Educational Psychologist
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Parent Counselling Support
• Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Outreach: Joseph Clarke – (Visual Impairment), Hearing Impairment Service,
• Outreach West Lea School
• Occupational Therapy
• Physio Therapy
• Police Community Support
• Behaviour Support Service
• Family Support Service
• School Nurse
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• The Advisory Service for Autism
• Educational Welfare Service
• The Advisory Service for Autism
• Social Services
• MASH team – Multi agency safeguarding hub through an Enfield Early Help | Form

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities had?

SENCo has NASENCO accreditation pending

The Inclusion Leader and team attend regular training re SEND developments.

Every year we have 5 Staff Training Days (Insets). On some of these days and/or in Staff Meetings there will be a focus on special educational needs.

We make sure that every teacher:

• Understands the different special educational needs
• Knows how to plan and teach their lessons in a way that is appropriate for children with special educational needs
• Knows how to support the emotional needs of children with special educational needs
• Understands how important it is to work closely with parents and carers
• Understands the need for the pupil voice

In the academic year 2020 – 2021 members of staff have attended the following training sessions:

• Attendance at SEND Panel
• SENDCo Inclusion Network Meetings
• ARP Network meetings
• Play Leaders SEN Update
• SEN update for Teachers and LA’s
• Designated LAC Training
• Termly SEN Conferences
• Approach Training
• Colourful Semantics Training
• Autism – Enfield advisory Service

The school buy back in to the Local Authority SEND Inclusion programme. This allows access for all staff to attend SEND/Inclusion Training.

How we include children/young people in activities and school trips?

Any trips or outings we plan always include children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. We use part of our school budget to make sure that any support needed can be provided in order for children to access trips. We always consult with parents/carers before arrangements are finalised.

There are extra-curricular activities for pupils including those with SEND and a list of these is available at the school office

Safety is a priority at all times. Risk assessments are completed prior to all trips and submitted to the Head Teacher.

How accessible is the school / college environment?

The classrooms at Eastfield are fully accessible for children with mobility issues. We can move our classes if we need to in order to accommodate a child who joins the school.

There is a disabled toilet available and a medical room with a changing area and wet room.

In school we have a range of equipment designed to support the development of children’s coordination and motor skills in class but if any child needs additional equipment we will get this through specialist services for example occupational therapy.

How do we prepare for children/young people joining our school and leaving our school?

Children joining our school from the nursery visit their new classroom in the main school several times before the start of the new school year. Reception class teachers introduce the children to the school once they start to make sure they are confident in their new surrounding and we have staggered intakes where SEND need is a priority.

We have close working relationships with other pre-school providers and services in the local area and we also encourage them to visit to help prepare children who will be joining Eastfield.

All parents/carers of children joining the school are invited to meet their child’s class teacher during the summer term before their children start at the school. We also ask parents to let us know if their child has a disability or if they feel their child has any special educational needs so that we can make sure the right support is in place for the child. We undertake home visits for all children who are new to Eastfield.

We help older children prepare for secondary school through a class project in Year 6 ‘Preparing for Secondary School’. This helps the children understand how a typical day works in secondary school, what their timetable might look like, how to find out who to go to for help if they need it. Children on the SEND Register have an additional transition programme to support them with preparation for Secondary School. Children with Complex Needs will undergo a transition programme with the SALT (Speech and Language Therapist).

How are parents involved in school/college life?

At Eastfield we believe in working in partnership with parents/carers and we hope that our parents will share and support us in that belief.

We are always ready to speak to parents about any concerns they have about their child. The Inclusion Manager has an ‘Open-Door Policy’ and members of SLT (Senior Leadership Team) are also available by appointment. There are also parent representatives on the Governing Body of the school.

Parents are invited in for all multi-agency meetings about their child. Translators are provided as necessary and when available.

Who can a parent contact for further information?

We encourage parents to talk to Class Teachers regularly to ensure communication is open. This ensures parents/carers are fully aware of the school support in place.

• A member of the Inclusion Team will be available to meet with parents to discuss a child’s progress or any concerns parents/carers may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be shared with parents/carers by the professional involved, or, where this is not possible, in a report. A member of the Inclusion Team will also arrange to meet with parents/carers to discuss any new assessments and ideas suggested by outside agencies.
• Homework will be differentiated to meet the needs of all children.

In addition:

If a child is undergoing statutory assessment, parents/carers will be supported by the Children’s Services SEND Team, who will ensure that parents/carers fully understand the process. The first point of contact to discuss any concerns is with the Inclusion Team/SENDCO.

What are the arrangements for parents of children with SEND, who wish to make a complaint regarding provision available at the school?

If you feel that your concern has not been dealt with appropriately, you may request a copy of our complaints procedure from the office.

For further information please follow the link for Enfield’s Local Offer for SEND

Our offer to children with special educational needs and disabilities was prepared in January 2022 It will be reviewed in February 2023.

Send Information – Printable version