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Brookside SEND Information Report September 2023
What kinds of SEND are provided for at Brookside Primary School?
Brookside Primary School is a mainstream primary school that provides an education for all pupils who want to share in our school community. We aim to fulfil our vision ‘To be happy and successful in everything we do!’ for all pupils; including those with special needs in communication and interaction, including ASD; cognition and learning; those with social, emotional and mental health needs and sensory or physical difficulties (including visual and auditory needs).
How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think that my child may have special educational needs?
The Code of Practice 2015 defines SEND as follows:
“A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special education provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:
a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
b) has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.”
Children’s progress is monitored closely through assessment and data analysis. Where a child’s progress is significantly below age related expectations, despite high quality teaching targeted at specific areas of difficulty, provision of SEN support may need to be made.
If you have concerns about your child’s progress or wellbeing, please contact the class teacher in the first instance.
How will the school monitor effectiveness of SEND provision?
The effectiveness of the school’s provision for pupils with SEN/D is evaluated through the schools on-going monitoring cycle by the Senior Leadership Team and Governors.
This includes:
- Termly pupil progress meetings and analysis of this data
- Numeracy and Literacy Monitoring
- Curriculum Monitoring
- Book Scrutiny
- Lesson Observations
- Talking with children and parents
- Evaluation of individual targets
How will the school staff support my child?
All class teachers have a responsibility to deliver high quality teaching and provide a high quality learning environment. Lessons are differentiated to accommodate the needs of all learners. Children who need extra support are identified on the teachers’ planning.
The teacher completes a personalised profile for each child who is identified as having a special educational need, detailing the support provided, any interventions that the child is accessing and the desired learning outcomes for the child.
The school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) works closely with the class teacher to ensure that the necessary support is given to any child with SEN.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Teachers adapt the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all pupils.
A child who is identified as having SEN receives support that is “additional to” or “different from” the high quality differentiated first teaching that is available to all pupils.
The type of support provided depends on the barriers to the child’s learning and is recorded on the child’s learning plan.
The child’s progress is reviewed termly and any changes to the support plan are made.
Examples of interventions, equipment , resources that may be used to support children with SEN
- Class work is differentiated in small groups and individually based on Quality First Teaching
- Teaching Assistants work with the class teacher to support children with SEN individually and in small groups and to facilitate the class teacher working with children with SEN
- ELSA provides social and emotional support
- Differentiated RWI
- IDL
- Write from the Start
- Handwriting Intervention
- MemoryBuilding
- Time to Talk
- Speech and language intervention
- Personalised literacy and maths interventions
- Visual timetables
- Sit ‘n Move cushions
- Writing slopes
- Stabilo pens and pencils.
- Reading Mats
- Funky Fingers
- Sensory Circuits
- Touchscreen Radio aid
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
The school budget, received from Cheshire West and Chester LA, includes an amount for supporting children with SEN.
Where a child’s needs cannot be met by high quality first teaching, the teacher will discuss possible strategies to address this with the parents and SENCO. If there is continuing difficulty, a child may be placed on the school’s SEN register as needing SEN support.
A personalised learning plan will be put in place in consultation with the child and parents. This will be reviewed and targets set termly. Where a child’s needs cannot be met from the school’s designated funding, an application may be made for top-up funding or a request may be made to the LA for an Education, Health and Care Plan for the child.
How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
Children’s progress is monitored closely and an effective assessment and tracking system is in place. Where staff have concerns about a child’s progress, parents will be contacted and invited to meet with the class teacher; the class teacher will advise parents on how best to support their child at home.
There are two parent consultation meetings with class teachers each year.
Parents of children with SEN are invited to reviews with their child’s teacher.
Annual reports are provided to parents at the end of the summer term.
If your child has an EHC plan, there will be an annual review with parents.
All classes have a page on the school website, where information about the children’s learning experiences is shared with parents.
What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
All staff have a duty of care to all children and have regular training in keeping children safe.
Each class has curriculum time dedicated to personal, social, health and citizenship (British Values) education including topics of personal health and wellbeing, antibullying and e-safety.
It is recognised that children with SEND may be more susceptible to being bullied. The school does not tolerate any form of bullying. Children are monitored and encouraged to talk to an adult if they have any problems. All children are always listened to and their concerns addressed.
The school has a policy for the safe administration of medicines and providing personal care. The school has trained first aiders.
The school has an Emotional Literacy and Support Assistant who supports children individually and in small groups. The pastoral manager supports children and families. The Pastoral Manager and ELSA liaise with external agencies. The Pastoral Manager supports attendance.
The school benefits from a behaviour policy with clear rewards and sanctions.
The school promotes “Pupil Voice” and has a school council where the children can express their views and speak on behalf of their peers.
The school participates in the Operation Encompass Scheme, where the school is informed by the police if there has been any incident of domestic violence. School can then provide suitable support for any children affected.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
Sometimes we need advice from other agencies: these agencies can observe children; advise on strategies to be implemented; provide support with an individual’s programme of work.
Specialist external services we use when we think extra help is needed:
- SEN Advisory Officer
- Community Paediatrician
- School Health Advisor
- Educational Psychologist
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Autism Team
- CAMHS
- MHST
- Teacher of the Sensory Impaired
- Family Support Worker
- Social Worker
- EYST
- Continence Team
- KOALA North West
- MHST
- Young Carers
What training have the staff supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities had or are having?
Staff have access to a variety of different training courses in order to support children with SEND.
- Post Graduate Cert in SpLD (Dyslexia)
- National Award for SEN Coordination
- Language and Communication
- Wishes and Feelings
- Makaton
- ADHD
- Autism
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Safer Handling
- Supporting children to manage their behaviour
- Supporting children with asthma; epilepsy; diabetes
- ELKLAN
- Advanced ELKLAN
- Supporting mental health
- Supporting children who self-harm
- Safer Recruitment
- Promoting the Education of Children in Care in the Early Years
- Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding children and young people
- TAF training
- IDL
- Numicon Training
- Using hearing aid transmitter
- ELSA
- Youth Mental Health
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
Risk assessments and careful planning are used to ensure that all children are included in all activities in and out of school. Support assistants are used to enable this. Parents are welcome to discuss any concerns with staff.
How accessible is the school environment?
The school has full wheel-chair access; the school has a disabled toilet and a changing station; the school has a disabled parking space.
There is a handrail in the Nursery toilet.
There is a stability frame in the KS2 toilet.
Where special resources our needed to support children with SEN, they are provided from the school budget or from external funding.
The school has a quiet area known as the “Quiet Room”.
Extra-curricular activities are accessible to children with SEN.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school or transfer to a new setting /school for the next stage of education and life?
Foundation Stage staff meet with parents prior to pupils starting school. Concerns about particular needs will be brought to the attention of the SENCO and, where necessary, an Action for Inclusion meeting will be held with parents and other involved professionals to ensure the appropriate support is put in place for the child.
Where children move school during their primary school career, every effort is made to ensure there is effective communication with the new school.
Transition activities take place in the summer term for Year 6 children transferring to high school. There are enhanced transition arrangements for children with SEN.
A transition programme is in place for every class during the summer term. Enhanced transition arrangements for children with SEN are put in place depending on need.
How do we involve children with SEND in shaping their education and future?
All children at SEN Support and with Education Health Care Plans are able to express their views about their learning and have the opportunity to discuss their dreams and aspirations.
Where appropriate, children are invited to attend their annual reviews or SEND review meetings. The SENCo will usually meet with the child before and after the meeting to ensure that they are aware of the purpose of the meeting, who will be there, and also to give them the opportunity to disclose how they feel about their progress and share their aspirations which will be central to outcomes set for the child. The child’s views are recorded prior to the meeting.
Children with complex needs or in the Early Years and KS1, may provide their views about their learning through drawings, and may have ‘their voice’ represented through parents and support staff at school.
How are parents involved in the school? How can I be involved?
Parents/carers are equal partners in their child’s education. The school has an “open door” policy and parents can easily contact staff where there are concerns.
Parents are represented on the Governing Body.
Parents are encouraged to help their child with reading and homework.
The school has a Superstars assembly each Friday and parents of children receiving awards are invited.
Parent evenings and parent information events provide further opportunities for communication.
The school publishes newsletters regularly on the school website.
The school also has a closed group Facebook account which parents can access.
Where the first language of parents/carers is not English, every effort is made to ensure that communication is maintained, accessing Local Authority services if required.
Who can a parent contact for further information?
A parent’s first point of contact if they wish to discuss something about their child should be the child’s class teacher. If a parent has any concerns about their child’s education or wellbeing, they should contact the class teacher.
If a parent/carer is considering whether their child should join the school, they should contact the Head Teacher through the school office.
The School SENCO is the Inclusion Manager, Mrs. Van Gordon, who can be contacted through the school office.
The school complaints procedure can be found on the school website or a hard copy can be requested from the school office.
