Treales Church Of England Primary School.
Policy For Supporting Pupils With Special Educational Needs
Objectives of the SEN Policy
The school is committed to a policy of inclusion that aims to:
Meet the requirements of pupils with special educational needs so that they have an opportunity to
reach their potential.
Help pupils with special educational needs to grow in confidence so that they can become
increasingly independent Learners.
Offer all pupils with special educational needs full access to a broad, balanced and relevant
curriculum including the Foundation Stage curriculum and the National Curriculum.
Take account of the views of the child when making provision.
Take account of the wishes of the parent/carer and encourage them to take a full part in supporting
their child’s education.
Definitions
For the purpose of the special educational needs policy the school has adopted the guidance in the
special educational needs code of practice (2001) which sets out the following definitions:
Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for provision to
be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:
a) Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
b) Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a
kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of Lancashire LA
Children are not regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of
language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.
Arrangements for coordinating special educational needs provision
The Headteacher, Mrs PM Hewitt, is responsible for the management of educational provision for
pupils with special educational needs and, as the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO),
she is responsible for coordinating the day to day provision for pupils with special educational needs.
The role of SENCO involves:
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Overseeing the day to day operation of the special educational needs policy
Coordinating the provision for children with special educational needs particularly through School
Action and School Action Plus
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Managing the work of learning support assistants
Overseeing the records of all children with special educational needs
Coordinating the process of liaising with parents of children with special educational needs
Contributing to the in-service training of all staff
Liaising with external agencies including the Local Authority’s (LA) support and Educational
Psychology services, the Local Health Authority, Social Services and Voluntary bodies.
Coordinating the process of identifying children who may have special educational needs
Managing resources including the deployment of staff who support children with special
educational needs
Monitoring the progress of children with special educational needs
Admission arrangements
The school has a detailed admission policy (see school brochure). In following this admission policy
the governors are committed to ensuring that all children, including those with special educational
needs, will be treated fairly. Children will not be discriminated against as a consequence of their
special educational needs.
Facilities
The school is accessible to wheelchairs and there is a disabled toilet and shower on site. The facilities
for children with special educational needs are reviewed annually and the governors work to
anticipate future needs, where possible. For example, if it is known that a child with a particular
disability is to be admitted to the school the governors will take all reasonable steps to ensure that
appropriate facilities are provided.
Resource Allocation
Resources are allocated to support children with special educational needs as part of the budget
setting process. This process takes account of the needs of the children and the resources available
to the school.
Currently in 2007/8 the school provides a range of resources to help children with special educational
needs to make progress in Literacy and numeracy. There is also 15 hours learning assistant time
provided each week and 1 hour teacher support for a statemented child, purchased from the
Lancashire Education Inclusion Service. Time is also provided for the SENCO to meet with parents,
external agencies, children and staff. The resources to support children with statements of special
educational need are delegated to the school and are used to meet the conditions set out in the
statement.
Identification of children’s needs
The school recognises the importance of early identification of need if provision for children with
special educational needs is to be effective. The needs of children with special educational needs will
be identified by:
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The monitoring of children’s performance by the class teacher as part of the ongoing observation
and assessment
A review of the results of baseline assessment when children join the school in the reception class
A review of progress against the objectives in the National Literacy strategy and National
Numeracy Strategy
A review of progress against the National Curriculum level descriptions
The use of standardised screening or assessment tools where appropriate
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The use of specific expertise in carrying out assessment where appropriate for pupils on School
Action Plus
Arrangements for supporting children with special educational needs
STEP 1
Following the identification of children’s needs, support will be given to help them overcome the
barriers to learning. This support will initially focus on:
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Setting suitable learning targets
Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
Overcoming potential barriers to learning
STEP 2
When a class teacher or the SENCO, in consultation with parents, feels that despite the support
provided above a child is not making adequate progress the provision of a School Action programme
will be considered. The process of considering further support will involve:
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A detailed review of the child’s progress
Further assessment of the child’s strengths and weaknesses by the SENCO
Consultation with the child’s parents
Discussion with the child, where appropriate
If further support is required through School Action this will involve:
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Planning a programme of further support additional to and different from the support available
to all children
The creation of an Individual Education Plan
A termly review meeting with parents to consider the child’s progress (the child should be involved
wherever possible)
STEP 3
If the child is failing to make adequate progress despite having an individualised programme and/ or
concentrated support as part of the School Action initiative the provision of a School Action Plus
programme will be considered. The process of considering further support will involve:
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A detailed review of the child’s progress
Specialist advice on the further assessment of the child’s needs and possible support
programmes/materials
Consultation with the child’s parents
Discussion with the child, where appropriate
If further support is required through School Action Plus this will involve:
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The creation of a new Individual Education Plan
Planning a programme of further support with specialist advice
A termly review meeting with parents to consider the child’s progress (the child should be involved
wherever possible)
Applying for ESAP funding
STEP 4
If the child continues to give significant cause for concern the school may request a statutory
assessment from Lancashire LA. This process will be carried out in close consultation with the child’s
parents and will follow the detailed guidance in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice
(2001). A copy of this document is available to parents, staff and governors in the school office.
Access to the curriculum
The school is committed to a policy of ensuring that children with special educational needs have
access to a broad and balanced curriculum and the full range of activities available to all children. The
following strategies are in place to achieve this objective:
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All teachers plan to give children with special educational needs access to a broads curriculum
through the use of:
Differentiated planning
Different resources/materials
Different types of questions
Different types of response
Support is provided to help all pupils with special educational needs to access the broad
curriculum
Support provided for children with special educational needs is timetabled to ensure that the
children do not miss particular areas of the curriculum whilst receiving support
Opportunities are provided for children with special educational needs to participate in all school
activities, wherever possible. Such activities include extra curricular activities, school
concerts/productions, visits to places of interest and outdoor pursuits centres.
Transition to/from other schools
The school works closely with parents/carers to ensure that children with special educational needs
are catered for when they start school. Where appropriate, there is also liaison with the Early Years
setting where the child has received pre-school education and support.
As pupils move on to other schools, and in particular, to secondary education a meeting is held with
the receiving high school to inform them of the child’s needs. Detailed records, including IEP’s, are
passed on to the receiving school so that appropriate provision can be made. Where children have a
statement of special educational need every attempt will be made to ensure that the review in the
summer term of year 5 will identify future provision so that parents can take this into account when
selecting a secondary school for their child.
Working with parents
The school is fully committed to working closely with parents/carers of all children with special
educational needs. The school will:
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Inform parents when a child is first identified with special educational needs
Consult with parents regarding the school-based support for their child
Explain the purpose of any intervention or programme of action
Inform parents about the parent partnership service available to give them advice
Encourage parents to participate in their child’s educational career at the school
Inform parents about support services in the voluntary sector where appropriate
Support and advise parents during the statutory assessment process
Training
A programme of training will be implemented for 2007/8 which focuses upon the following areas:
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Further training for Headteacher (SENCO) on Enhanced School Action Plus Scheme (ESAP
funding)
Training for staff on strategies fo dealing with challenging behaviour
Training for Learning Support Assistants on providing support for children with special educational
needs, including the use of ICT and supporting children with Asperger’s Syndrome
Training for the Headteacher, SENCO, teaching staff and learning Support Assistants in strategies
to support children with Dyspraxia
Local cluster meetings for updates
External Support
The school makes use of the assistance of a number of support services in working with children with
special educational needs. These services include:
 The Lancashire Education Inclusion Service
 The Lancashire Educational Psychology Service
 The Local Health Authority
There are also links with:
 The Lancashire Education Welfare Service
 Lancashire Social services
Monitoring and Evaluation of Special Educational Needs’ Provision
The governing body monitors the quality of provision for children with special educational needs by:
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Receiving reports on the progress of children with special educational needs from the
Headteacher (SENCO)
Receiving reports on the impact of provision on children’s broad achievements and experiences
Receiving reports from the Special Educational Needs’ Governor on the quality of provision
Receiving reports on parental responses to the provision for special educational needs
Receiving a report from the Local Authority on special educational needs provision every 3 years
as part of the LA’s statutory monitoring duty
Complaints
Where a parent makes a complaint concerning the provision for children with special educational
needs it is hoped that it can be resolved by the Headteacher working with the parents and external
agencies, including parent partnership. If this course of action fails to resolve the complaint, the
Governing Body of the school will follow the complaints procedure which has been adopted. A copy of
the procedure is available from the school office.
Policy to be reviewed: Autumn 2013.