St Chad’s Special Educational Needs Offer
Mrs Farrelly is in school from
Monday to Thursday and you can
contact her on: 01214646554
dWelcome to St Chad’s Special Educational
Needs Zone. My name is Mrs Farrelly and I
am the Special Educational Needs
Coordinator (SENCo). I work with children,
teachers, parents and agencies to ensure
that our pupil’s needs are met.
Please click on the tabs below to find out
what St Chad’s can offer you if you think your
child has Special Educational Needs.
Open and honest
communication
Appropriate and
effective teaching and
learning
A Partnership
Approach
Open and Honest Communication
St Chad’s has a member of staff called the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCo) who
will explain everything to you and will make sure you understand what is
happening
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If you have concerns about your child’s progress, please speak to their class
teacher who may seek support from the SENCo.
If you wish to speak to the SENCo, please come to her office which is located in
the entrance of the school opposite the school office.
If she is not available, please see Mrs Partridge or Mrs Adhanom who will find
out when she may be available.
Make an appointment or ask if she can telephone you
You can also email her on: s.farrelly@st-chads.bham.sch.uk
We operate an open door policy and you are welcome to come into the school
We hold regular termly meetings with parents during the day so you can find
out how your child is doing in school
Open and Honest Communication
How will we make all the information we need to share with you clear and easy to
understand?
You can read our SEN policy. The policy explains how we identify and assess children
who we think may have special educational needs. This policy is regularly reviewed.
Please see Mrs Farrelly who will provide you with a copy of this document.
If English is not your first language, we will do our best to provide an interpreter to
help you communicate with the school and external agencies.
Mrs Adhanom in the school office speaks Tigrigna
Open and Honest Communication
If we think your child needs extra support, we will always speak to about this
St Chad’s works with a lot of external agencies to help identify specific needs.
These are:
• Pupil and School Support
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Communication and Autism Team
• Educational Psychology
• School Nurse
If your child requires support from these services, we will always consult you and request
written permission.
Our school educational psychologist is Dr Deborah Benjamin
Our pupil and school support teacher is Scott Johnson
Our Communication and Autism Team teacher is Jane Brown
Our Speech and Language Therapist is Becky Borhara
Open and Honest
Communication
The
The SENCo, Mrs Farrelly will make sure that all necessary school staff are aware of
your child’s needs and worries
If your child has been identified with extra educational needs, an Individual Target
Plan (ITP) or Student Passport, depending on the support required, will be written
together by the class teacher, SENCo, your child and you.
If your child has medical needs, a plan will be written and shared with you.
Open and Honest Communication
How will my child’s progress be reviewed and when will I be invited into school to discuss this? Will my
child be able to give their views?
We use Access to Education’s Language and Literacy Continuum and Maths Tool Kit to assess children
who are working below or significantly below the national benchmarks. Teachers and classroom
assistants do this together in the autumn term and provide the SENCo with evidence of a child’s
academic ability.
The language and literacy continuum allows us to track steps of progress. However small, this progress is
regularly reviewed. If your child makes significant progress we will decide together if an Individual Target
Plan (ITP) is necessary. Sometimes external agencies are involved in making assessments and offering
advice on how children can achieve their targets. You will always be consulted and this information will
be shared with you.
If your child has an ITP and your child moves to another school, including secondary schools, Mrs Farrelly
will ensure this information is shared with the new SENCo. Extra visits to the secondary school may be
arranged and sometimes the new SENCo will come to review meetings held at St Chad’s. We have good
relationships with many of our local nursery schools and transition meetings are held to discuss children
who will be joining us who may have specific learning needs.
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Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
How are staff trained to support the needs of my child?
Ongoing regular and appropriate Special Educational Needs training is given to all staff. This may take the
form of a staff meeting, discussions with the SENCo, development days or training from outside agencies.
The SENCo, Mrs Farrelly works closely with Mrs Williams, our Higher Learning Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
and Mrs Homer(intervention Teacher) to monitor interventions and ensure the correct provision is being
made.
Some of our staff have specific training in certain interventions. Examples of the training and
interventions we have used successfully this year are and are planning to use are:
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Toe by Toe
Digismart
Precision Teaching
Friends for Life
Project Code X
Paired Reading
Beanstalk Reading Volunteers
Phonics Counts
First Class Number
Power of 2+1
National Autism Standards Level 1
Children are selected for these interventions based on their specific learning needs
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
Quotes from Children
Phonics sessions are
fun with Mrs
Williams. I enjoy the
games we play and it
has helped me to use
my phonics when I
am reading
I have enjoyed
sharing books with
other children
during Paired
Reading
Reading with
Sandra (Beanstalk
volunteer) is lots of
fun!
Friends for Life is
great. I have learnt
about different
emotions and I
have made friends
in other years
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
How do teaching and support staff accurately assess the level children are working at to
differentiate the curriculum?
We use a range of criteria and evidence to help us identify the level children are working at. This
might include:
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Checking the words children can read and spell independently
Moderating writing together
Making observations, particularly regarding speaking and listening and maths
Use of tests, where appropriate
This helps teachers to plan work for all children to make progress. The work and support will be
different for different groups of children.
Lesson observations, learning walks and book scrutinies are completed on a regular basis by the
SENCo and Senior Leadership Team to ensure progress is being made.
Interventions are monitored regularly by the SENCo to ensure that they are meeting your child’s
needs.
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
What types of learning resources are available in all learning areas to support
learning for children operating at different levels?
Every classroom is well resourced for the learning years of that year group. If
additional resources are required to support children in accessing the curriculum,
then we do our best to provide them.
What resources does the school offer if my child has significant social and/or
communication needs?
Our Individual Target Plans (ITPs) or Student Passports identify the types of need a
child may have for example autism, social and emotional well being, cognition and
learning. We use visual timetables in classrooms where pupils require them.
Mrs Azadeh is our Senior Learning Mentor. She works with pupils and families to
support their emotional, health and well-being
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
What support is available if my child needs support with managing behaviour or
dealing with social situations?
We may seek the advice of our educational psychologist, Dr Deborah Benjamin or
Jane Brown from the CAT team if we feel this is necessary, but we will always
consult you first.
Dr Deborah Benjamin has trained a number of staff in a cognitive behaviour
programme called Friends for Life. We use this programme to build resilience in
children who may find social situations challenging.
We have a behaviour policy which outlines a set of sanctions and rewards to
encourage children to make the right choices. This is consistent across the school.
Parents are welcome to view this policy. If you require a copy, please see Mrs
Farrelly
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
How will St. Chad’s ensure that parents and children with additional needs are fully
included in all school activities?
Our school mission statement is: To develop in our school a Christ centred catholic community
in which the faith is nurtured where there is respect for oneself and others and where each
child is given every opportunity to achieve , his or her potential through a broad and balanced
curriculum
This statement underpins our ethos of inclusion at St Chad’s school.
Due to the inclusive nature of our school, all children are included and given the appropriate
support to take part in all school trips, extra curricular clubs and social events. This provision
may include additional support in preparation for or one to one supervision whilst on school
trips.
Parents are consulted regarding specific needs including those children with medical needs
so that all children have a safe and enjoyable experience. All children participate in class
assemblies and any other performances
Appropriate and effective teaching and learning
How will St. Chad’s provide good teaching for my child and extra support when needed?
St Chad’s uses a range of strategies to monitor the progress of children and to ensure that good teaching
is in place for all pupils. We do this through:
• Tracking your child’s progress using our school tracking system, INCERTs and the Language and
Literacy continuum. We have termly pupil progress meetings where the Senior Leadership Team
discuss pupil’s progress with class teachers
• Weekly book scrutinies for all classes and constructive feedback to teachers
• Classroom observations and learning walks, including monitoring the learning environment
We use peer coaching methods to support our children. One particularly effective approach is pupil
curriculum coaches which has been used effectively in science and we are planning to use this approach
to support SEN pupils in literacy. We also have sports and play leaders who support children during
lunchtimes
Under the Equality Act 2010, children with SEN should have increased access to the curriculum. St Chad’s
has an accessibility plan which is reviewed annually so that all children can participate in the school
curriculum. It also ensures that the physical environment is suitable and that we are improving the
delivery of information, so that it is accessible to everyone.
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A Partnership Approach
How will St. Chad’s work with me to identify my child’s needs?
The governing body has a duty to ensure that the school adheres to the new Code of Practice
under the Children and Families Act 2014. Our head teacher Mr Tehan and Mrs Farrelly (our
SENCo) report half termly to governors on progress in SEN.
The governing body appoints a governor who is specifically responsible for special
educational needs to ensure the school and the SENCo carry out their duties. This governor is
Ms Carole Johnson. Her role is to have an oversight of SEN provision and to ensure our SEN
children are being provided for effectively so they reach their potential.
The governing body also has a responsibility to ensure that appropriate safeguarding
procedures are in place for all pupils including those who are SEND.
A Partnership Approach
How will the SENCO ask for my permission to involve other professionals to work with my
child?
The governing body, through the SENCo ensures that other appropriate agencies are involved
in meeting the needs of all pupils with Special Educational Needs.
Ms Carole Johnson, the SEN governor, meets regularly with the SENCo. The SENCo reports
half termly to the governing body regarding the number of pupils and their additional needs.
The governing body reviews both policy and the information published on the website to
ensure it is up-to-date, parent and pupil friendly, and in line with the government policy and
the Code of Practice.
If we feel external agencies need to work with your child we will always consult with you and
seek your permission. The content of the meeting is confidential and is only shared with
parents and the SENCo. Please speak to Mrs Farrelly if you require any further information.
A Partnership Approach
How will I be involved in all decisions and have my views listened to?
You can expect to be involved in the educational development of your child through assemblies, mass,
inspire workshops, parents meetings, family learning, sports days and reviewing of individual healthcare
plans. When the SEN policy is reviewed, Mrs Farrelly will consult parents for their input.
Our school has an open door policy and this means you are always welcome to make an appointment to
speak to your child’s class teacher or SENCo
Plan
Parents, school and
pupil produce plan
Do
Assess
Parents or class teacher
identifies needs
Review
Child, parents and school review
progress to see if targets are met.
Specialist help is sought if necessary
School implements the plan with
support of parents, external
agencies, child and SENCo
A Partnership Approach
Flowchart of
graduated response
Initial Concern
Parent/teacher
Discuss with SENCo
Consider differentiation options
Additional SEN Support
Additional/different intervention
Review
Enhanced SEN Support
Additional/ different provision
External agencies involved
Review
Statutory assessment involving
Educational Psychologist
A Partnership Approach
How will my child be involved in decisions about their learning?
The children in our school are the most important people. Therefore, they have lots of opportunities to
share their thoughts on their learning.
Reviewing their learning
All children are actively encouraged to give their views on and be involved in their learning at St Chad’s.
Pupils with SEN are involved in the ITP/Student Passport Review process and they have a voice in
developing their targets. We use one page profiling to identify how we may support vulnerable children.
We use person centered tools during annual statement reviews to identify what it is important for and
important to our children so that we make the optimum progress.
School Council
The main aim of the School Council is to help to make our school a better place for the children and to
give them an opportunity to have their opinions and ideas heard. All pupils are actively encouraged to be
involved at various levels. The class representatives tell the children in their classes what has been
discussed at each meeting and the children can ask the representatives to take forward their ideas to the
next meeting.
EAL School Buddies In our school we have pupils who have been trained as EAL buddies who support
our EAL children to help their learning experiences at St Chad’s
A Partnership Approach
How will I be given support in contacting organisations who can give me advice and
support?
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Please speak to Mrs Farrelly if you need any other contact details.
homepage
Local Authority Support Services
Team for children
Communication
Pupil and Support
SENAR
with physical
and Autism Team
Services
difficulties PDSS
Health Service
School Nurse
Service
Speech and
Language Therapy
Educational
Psychology
Sensory and
Support Service
Social Services and Voluntary Organisations
Social Services
0121 303 1888
Child and Mental
Health Services
0121 303 1888
Parent Partnership
0121 303 5004
The Arch Project –
Dr Barnardos
0121 359 5333