Our Lady’s Preparatory School, Day-Nursery and Holiday Club
Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy
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 SEND 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 SEND 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

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.

To ensure that the planning allows SEND 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 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 is to co-ordinate the provision of education for children with
SEND at Early Action, Early Years Action Plus, School Action and School Action Plus. The SENCO
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 Nursery Manager regularly regarding any children who should be or is on
the SEN Register

To meet with each teacher/senior nursery staff every 6 – 8 weeks in order to monitor
progress of children on the register in each class/area.

To liaise with the parent of children with SEN.

To give the parents of SEN children the opportunity to meet with the SENCO on Parents’
Evenings.

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 SEND 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 or
SENCO 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 SEND 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 SEND 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 and physical, mentalor
medical impairment. 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 SEND 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 SEND 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 SEND
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. Staff are aware that allowances are made for children
with special educational needs, including disabilities.
There are no children with ‘Statements’ at present in the school.
EAL
Provision for EAL is well supported within the setting e.g. visual timetables, pictures/photos
alongside verbal and written words, direct help from Wokingham with strategies to be put in
place, meetings and informal chats with parents on how to help children at home, sending
home photos of child’s work so they can explain to parents what they have done.
Working with other Agencies
The setting has links with local outside agencies that can be contacted for support and advice
concerning individual children with SEND. The SENCO attends regular courses and cluster
meetings provided by Wokingham Borough Council
Policy reviewed: 02.05.14
To be Reviewed: May 2015
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Equal Opportunities and SENDA Policies.
Our Lady’s Preparatory School, Nursery, Day-Nursery and
Holiday Club
SENDA Policy - 3 Year Accessibility Plan - (2012-2015)
In order that all children in our Nursery and School can access
the curriculum, buildings etc, the following actions have been
taken.
Curriculum:

Use of Specialist professionals e.g. Speech and Language Therapists, Teachers
specialised in Dyslexia. 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 updated and modernised- in place since 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 and GTA 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 e.g.
Word Shark 5, Nessy programmes (On-going)

Purchase and installation of Interactive White Boards in 2011 and 2012 – more to be
installed as school grows and new classrooms built (2014)
Physical Environment:

After last inspection in 2011, 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.

When new building project is complete in September/October 2014, a new unisex
Disabled Toilet will be provided on the ground floor.

Disabled parking bay available in car park – when building work started this had to be
taken away but will be reinstated once the builders no longer need finish the access
area to the right of the building.

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.

Advice taken from teachers/specialists of hearing impaired on the checking of the
environment and changes implemented where this is reasonably possible.

Specialist teachers of the hearing impaired to liaise with the SENCO when they visit the
setting and any new suggestions to be entered as targets in children’s new ILP’s

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), use of different textured material for writing on to help
with memorising spellings – advice taken from Dyslexia teacher from Helen Arkell
Centre.
Reviewed on 02.05.14
Angela O’Reilly
Deputy Head
SENCO
Date for review: May 2015
Headmistress signature:________________________________
This Policy/Plan should be read in conjunction with SEND and Equal Opportunities policies.