Our Lady’s Preparatory School, Nursery,
Day Nursery and Holiday Club
Special Educational Needs Policy and Accessibility Plan
Introduction
At Our Lady’s all children are treated as unique and the staff consistently monitor and assess
their progress.
All staff and practitioners are committed to providing and environment which maximises the
potential of every child through the tailoring of the environment and the activities within it to
meet individual needs.
The role of the Trustees
The Trustees will endeavour to provide resources to support children’s learning. It is the
responsibility of the Trustees to ensure that SEN provision is provided to enable the needs of
children with SEN to be fully met.
Statutory Requirements
We are committed to early intervention and support, in partnership with parents, and where
appropriate, external supporting agencies. Children with Special Education Needs are identified,
assessed and provided for as laid down by The SEN Code of Practice 2001. Appropriate action
(Early Intervention/Action/Action Plus) is matched to the individual child’s needs.
Aims
 To ensure that all children with SEN are offered full access to a broad, balanced and
relevant education, including an appropriate delivery of the Early Years Foundation
Stage and the National Curriculum.
 To ensure that each child reaches his/her full potential within a happy and stimulating
environment.
Objectives
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To identify special needs at the earliest opportunity and to adopt an appropriate
intervention programme.
To ensure all children receive equal access to the curriculum.
To ensure that parents are informed of their child’s progress and are fully involved at all
times.
To consider the wishes of the child and where appropriate allow them to contribute to
discussions.
To provide detail records of each child’s learning and monitor their progress.
To match different learning styles with flexible teaching.
To ensure that the resources provided are appropriate to the child’s particular needs.
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To ensure that the planning allows SEN children to experience success and a sense of
value within the setting.
To ensure that appropriate support is provided within the school and where necessary
from outside supporting agencies.
To ensure that children where is English is not the main language spoken at home are
identified, give full access to the curriculum and support is put in place when required.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
The responsibility of the SENCO consultant is to co-ordinate the provision of education for
children with SEN at Early Action, Early Years Action Plus, School Action and School Action Plus.
The SENCO consultant is responsible for liaising with the Head Teacher regarding the collation
of documentation for those children on Early Years Action/School Action Plus who are to be put
forward for a Statutory Assessment or who already have a Statement of Special Educational
Needs.
Other responsibilities include:
 To maintain an up to date register of children with SEN.
 To meet with each teacher/senior nursery staff termly in order to monitor progress of
children on the register in each class/area.
 To liaise with the parent of children with SEN.
 To liaise with external agencies.
 To liaise with and support class teachers/senior nursery nurse.
 To contribute and advise on in-service training of staff.
The Transfer of Children at the end of the school year
Teachers liaise and transfer all information across phases with supporting written
documentation – children’s reports and supporting samples of work. This documentation is for
all children from Early Years into Key Stage 1 and from Key Stage 1 into Key Stage 2.
All SEN documentation should be in an individual file together with updated ILPs (Individual
Learning Plans) to ensure that targets are met.
Liaison with other schools/nurseries
Should a child change setting prior to the end of the Year 6 all SEN documentation is collated
and sent on to the new setting. At the end of Year 6 all relevant documentation is forwarded to
the child’s new Secondary School. To ensure a smooth transition, the Year 6 Class Teacher
liaises with the Head of Special Needs at that school.
Procedures, Practices and Stages of Intervention
The experience and expertise of the Staff aids early identification of any child demonstrating a
significant delay in areas of learning. Initially SEN provision will be met within the school but
where considered necessary specialist expertise will be called upon to advise and support the
child, parents and staff.
1. Initial Identification of SEN arises from assessment using criteria linked to the National
Curriculum and teacher identification of delay in areas of learning, physical or sensory,
language, behavioural/emotional or social development. Areas of concern are
highlighted to parents and the child’s progress is monitored.
2. Early Years Action/School Action when a child is placed on the SEN register an
Individual Learning Plan is completed and shared with parents. Progress is monitored
closely and observations are documented within the ILP. The ILP is shared with parents,
SENCO and all staff working with the child. The SENCO is responsible for liaising with the
Class Teacher/Room leader/Key worker to review and update the ILP usually on a six
weekly basis. Parents should be informed when the ILP is amended and invited to
discuss their child’s progress. The Class Teacher/Key Worker is responsible for working
with the child on a daily basis, where differentiated work/activities are undertaken.
3. Early Action Plus/School Action Plus - the child moves to this when the SENCO and
Class Teacher/Key worker, in consultation with the parents, request help and advice
from external services. At this stage the SENCO and where appropriate the Head
Teacher will take a lead in: Any Further assessment of the child, planning future
interventions for the child in discussion with colleagues and monitoring and reviewing
action taken. The Class Teacher and SENCO will continue to work together to monitor
progress and ensure that an ILP is in place and reviewed regularly.
4. Multi Professional Assessment – If progress continues to cause concern then after
liaison with parents, a referral to the LEA for a statutory assessment may be considered.
At this stage there should be substantial evidence that a child’s needs are such that
he/she should be afforded the protection of a statement. All necessary forms will be
completed after liaison with the SENCO, Class Teacher, Key worker, Head Teacher and
parents to initiate a referral. Should the LEA decide that no Statement is necessary then
the parents have the right to appeal. Should a Multi Professional Assessment not result
in a Statement then the child will continue to receive within the setting full support with
clear and attainable targets monitored by a regularly reviewed ILP.
5. Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs – after a full Multi-Professional
Assessment, co-ordinated by the LEA , a statement is produced by the LEA and the
provision is reflected in the child’s ILP. Children with Statements are reviewed annually,
but these reviews can be undertaken earlier in certain circumstances. The views of the
child, where possible, should be included in the annual review. Any monies attached to
the child’s statement are to be used to support the child.
Parental Involvement
Our Lady’s actively encourages close consultation and partnership with parents. The Class
Teacher/Senior Nursery Nurse and SENCO will suggest ways and assist parents in helping to
support their child at home.
Removal from the SEN Register
If the staff decide, after consultation, to remove the child from the register, the parents are
then informed and all documentation is filed in the child’s records with copies of ILPs and
reports.
Curriculum Access for Children with SEN
The staff at Our Lady’s ensure that all children throughout the school and nursery enjoy a broad
and balanced curriculum and have the opportunity to work within both ability and mixed ability
groups. All members of staff are aware of a multi-sensory approach to learning which benefits
all children including those with SEN.
Working with other Agencies
The setting has links with local outside agencies that can be contacted for support and advice
concerning individual children with SEN.
3 Year Accessibility Plan
- (2012-2015)
Curriculum:
 Use of Specialist professionals e.g. Speech and Language Therapists, hosted in house –
extra cost to parents (On-going)
 Time given to designated SEN person to attend training courses in order to support
children with learning difficulties.(On-going)
 Provision of targeted information (with clear targets) prepared for all pupils but
particularly for children with learning difficulties e.g. I.L.P.’s
 ICT – provision to be updated and modernised- more readily available as an option for
pupils with learning difficulties – planned to be in place by September 2013
 Training of additional staff in First Aid to ensure support for pupils with medical
problems (On-going)
 Regular brief meetings with staff to assess progress of SEN pupils (Ongoing)
 Improving the provision of material in large print for pupils who need it (On-going)
 Improving the provision of material in electronic format for children who need it (Ongoing)
 Purchase and installation of Interactive White Boards in 2011 and 2012 – more to be
installed as school grows and new classrooms built (2014)
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Physical Environment:
After last inspection in 2010, extra wash basins were installed – as new classrooms are
built and school grows, more new toilets and washbasins needed and existing toilets
updated for all pupils.
Monitoring parking to see if additional Disabled Parking is required (On-going)
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Awareness by all teachers/senior nursery staff of the placing of children who are
Hearing/visually Impaired at the front of the class or very near to the person speaking
(On-going)
Buy in Makaton training as and when needed – preferably from same company which
delivered previous training in 2010 when the setting had a Downs Syndrome child.
Every effort will be made to make sure as far as is reasonably possible and given the
constraints of the building that children who are physically disabled will be able to
access the curriculum in a designated classroom.
Employment of Forest School leader in Sept 2012 – Forest School found to be excellent
medium of learning for all children but especially for Children with learning difficulties
and behaviourally challenged children (On-going)
Accessibility of Written Information
Continue to provide readers and scribes for children who require it in class, in Test
situations, including KS1/KS2 SATs. (On-going)
With the updating of ICT in September 2013 – develop provision so that pupils can
submit homework electronically (2014)
Good use of deployment of classroom helpers and nursery staff, in particular with SEN
children (On-going)
Improving the provision of material in large print for pupils who need it (On-going)
Staff training led by SENCO on the use of covered overlays, special pens for pupils with
learning difficulties (2013-2014)
Reviewed on 19.02.2013
Date for review: February 2015
Angela O’Reilly
Deputy Head
SENCO
Headmistress signature:________________________________