SEN & Disabilities

Class teacher

Special Educational Needs Coordinator  (SENCO)

Mr Ellington

Principal 

Mr Ellington

SEN Governor:

Dr Alison John

He / she is responsible for:

Adapting and refining the curriculum to respond to strengths and needs of all pupils. Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivery of any additional support.

Contributing to devising personalised learning plans to prioritise and focus on the next steps required for your child to improve learning.

Applying the school’s SEN policy.

If you have concerns about your child you should speak to your child’s class teacher first. You may then be directed to the SENCO.

He is responsible for

• Coordinating provision for children with SEN and developing the school’s SEN policy
• Ensuring that parents are:
  • Involved in supporting their child’s learning and access
  • Kept informed about the range and level of support offered to their child
  • Included in reviewing how their child is doing
  • Consulted about planning successful movement (transition) to a new class or school
  • Liaising with a range of agencies outside of school who can offer advice and support to help pupils overcome any difficulties
  • Providing specialist advice and facilitating training to ensure that all staff are skilled and confident about meeting a range of needs.

He is responsible for:

• The day to day management of all aspects of the school, including the provision made for pupils with SEN

She is responsible for:

• Supporting school to evaluate and develop quality and impact of provision for pupils with SEN across the school

Ongoing monitoring takes place by class teachers, to identify pupils who are not making progress or who have behavioural and emotional needs which may be affecting their ability to engage in learning activities.

After discussions with key staff and parents, additional support will be put into place to provide enhanced resources and targeted small group and / or individual support to help overcome any difficulties.  The views of the pupil or young person about their support will be given consideration at this stage.

This additional support is documented in a class provision map or Pupil Support Agreement or behaviour support plan. In consultation with the SENCO and parents, short term targets are agreed which prioritise key areas of learning or behaviour to address and by which progress can be measured. Where external agencies are involved, their advice and recommendations are included in these support programmes. Actions agreed take into account each pupil’s strengths as well as their difficulties.

In some cases teaching assistant support may be allocated. This support is deployed to ensure your child can engage in lessons and wider school activities, to facilitate independent learning.

Formal review meetings are held as required.  Parents, relevant external agencies and when appropriate, pupils are invited to this review and their contribution is valued. The impact of support is considered along with the progress towards targets set. Support arrangements will be updated and revised accordingly. If not involved already, this might include referral to external agencies. The outcomes of these meetings will be formally recorded.

If your child is continuing to have significant difficulties, further external expertise may be requested. Additional funding is available for children who meet the criteria. This can be accessed using the Local Authority process and the guidance in the Banded Funding Criteria. Where this is agreed, a Pupil Resource Agreement will be drawn up and implemented with the school’s Educational Psychologist and other professionals where appropriate.  Further details about this process will be explained in the LA Local Offer.

Tests and Examinations: Access Arrangements

For some pupils additional arrangements and adjustments can be made to enable them to fully access a range of tests. This might include additional time, rest breaks or the use of a scribe or word processor. The SENCO will inform you about eligibility and applications for these arrangements. Only tests and assessors authorised by the school can be accepted for access arrangements for public examinations.

Teachers are expected to adapt teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning takes into account individual pupil’s needs and requirements. Differentiation is approached in a range of ways to support access and ensure that all pupils can experience success and challenge in their learning.

Grouping arrangements are organised flexibly with opportunities for both ability and mixed setting to maximise learning opportunities for all.

Additional adults are used flexibly to help groups and individual pupils with a long term goal of developing independent learning skills. Monitoring takes place to avoid pupils becoming over reliant and dependent on this adult support.

Access to  learning support staff

• In class support focus group in Literacy/Numeracy-as identified via Pupil Progress Review Meetings
• Small group support in reading/writing/numeracy-as identified via Pupil Progress Review Meetings
• Individual support for currently statemented pupils or those requiring access to higher level funding (EHCP/PRA’s)

 Strategies to support/develop literacy (Including pupils with SPLD and moderate learning difficulties)

• Writing frames
• Key vocabulary lists
• Visual cues and stimulus
• Speaking and listening activities used across the curriculum
• Build on and consolidate understanding of basic concepts
• Short achievable tasks using a small steps approach
• 1:1 Reading
• Phonics Interventions
• Writing intervention
• Coloured reading overlays
• Reading rulers
• Sound buttons
• Parental work shops

Provision to facilitate/support access to the curriculum

• Multi-sensory approaches
• Talk frames
• Variety of recording methods
• Develop Memory skills-visualising, oral rehearsal and chunking
• Use of short simple instructions and chunking information
• Use of ICT

Pastoral Support

The school refers children and families who are experiencing emotional stress to Bromley Well-Being.

Mentoring activities

• Peer mentoring programme
• Drawing and talking programme for identified children
• Emotional literacy Support

Strategies to support / modify behaviour (including for pupils with ASD)

• Individual behaviour programmes in place as required
• Whole school approach- Simple rewards and sanctions visually supported
• Year 6 mentoring programme
• Peer mentoring
• Home-School contact book (as required)
• Use of visual timers and prompts
• Short release breaks (as applicable and feasible)
• Keep instructions simple and positive
• Use of positive language; ‘Catch them being good’
• Role model expected behaviour
• Use of wondering aloud-‘ I can see you are… I am wondering if….’
• Social stories/Comic strip conversations (as required)
• Behaviour rules and expectations taught and consistently acknowledged and rewarded
• Gain pupils attention before speaking

For those children who require further intervention referral to Bromley wellbeing and Bromley Children’s project

Planning, assessment, evaluation and next steps

• Pupil Progress Review Meetings held half termly between teachers, Inclusion Manager and Principal to review progress and determine key priority groups for intervention in the next half term
• Termly academic reports
• Provision maps
• Support plans for children who have additional needs but don’t have specific targets set from other agencies.

Access to strategies/programmes to support occupational /physiotherapy needs

• Referrals to physiotherapy/occupational therapy as required, with suggested strategies built into class provision maps and utilised
• Risk/safety assessments carried out and if required reasonable adaptations made to the school environment.
• Funky fingers activities

 The school works with a number of external agencies to seek assessment, advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met. These include:

• Educational Psychologist
• School Nursing team
• Community Paediatrician
• Educational Welfare Officer
• Social and  Communication difficulties outreach Team
• Behavioural support Bromley Well Being & Bromley Children Project
• Sensory Support Team
• Speech and Language
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Social Care

Liaison/Communication with Professionals/Parents, attendance at meetings and preparation of reports

• Parents are invited into school for multi-agency or multi-professional meetings as required
• SENCO available to meet with parents as required
• Half termly progress reports are sent home for all pupils
• Pupils on AEN (Additional Educational Needs) register have a copy of their class provision map sent home regularly (at least termly) detailing the support they are getting, the strategies used to support them and associated targets
• Referral to outside agencies as required
• Sensory support, educational psychology, speech and language therapy, social communication team attend school regularly to work with specific pupils.

Inclusion Support Service

Educational Psychology Service

Social Communication Team

SEN Team

Sensory Support Service

Educational Psychologists work with children who are failing to make expected progress and provide advice and strategies to staff to enable child to make better progress.

• Involvement in a multi professional planning meeting in the Autumn Term to discuss which pupils are a priority for assessment that academic year
• Referrals and advice given
• Report written by E.P

• Referral to ‘Social Eyes’ outreach: Observation of pupils and follow up meeting with parents and teaching staff to discuss strategies and support

• The SEN Team advise school staff about appropriate teaching and learning strategies/assessments for individual children.

The sensory support service works with children who have hearing or visual impairment.

• Referral to Sensory support: Observation and testing of identified pupils, recommendations and advice given.

School Nurse

The School Nurse does general health checks on all children- height, weight, hearing, vision tests. They also work with children and their families, who have additional medical needs.  They provide advice to schools about specific medical needs and provide support to write any necessary healthcare plans.

Paediatric Services

The School may refer a child to a Paediatrician when there is concern over a child’s overall development or if a child’s learning needs are felt to be due to a possible underlying medical condition.

Social Care

Through the use of a Common Assessment Framework discussion and form, families can be offered early help and targeted support both at home.

Educational Professionals responsible  for children who are looked after:

Principal:

Max Ellington 

They oversee and monitor provision for children who are in the care of the Local Authority.

Voluntary agencies

• Bromley Parent Voice

Tel:  0208 315 4749 Mon/Tues and

0208 776 3170 Wed-Fri 

• Burgess Autistic Trust

Tel: 020 8464 2897

e-mail:

Independent Supporters:

The Government has funded an Independent Support program to provide additional support to parents and young people in relation to the new Education and Health Care (EHC) Plan. In Bromley, this service is delivered through a Consortium made up of Bromley Mencap, Burgess Autistic Trust, Bromley Parent Voice and Experts by Experience. 

Please contact Funke Adeloye on 02084660790 or email at is@bromleymencap.org or visit http://www.bromleyparentvoice.org.uk for further information

Burgess Autistic Trust is a specialist independent charity who support families with children, young people and adults with a diagnosis of ASD up to the age of 18.

Children and young people with SEN can become particularly anxious about “moving on” so we seek to support successful transition by:

When moving to another school:

We will contact the School SENCO and share information about special arrangements and support that has been made to help your child achieve their learning goals.

We will ensure that all records are passed on as soon as possible.

When moving classes / forms in school:

Transition meeting for pupils starting in Reception the term before they start, organised by the Pre Schools with all relevant professionals and parents involved with the child invited.

Visit to new class and a taster sessions with their new teacher.

For identified pupils requiring additional support a social story may be made, with pictures of their new environment to reinforce what will stay the same and what will be different.

An information sharing meeting will take place between the teachers

Year 6-7 transition

The SENCO and/or class teacher will attend the primary/Secondary Transition day meeting to discuss specific need of your child and the nature and level of support which has had the most impact.

In some cases additional multi-agency meetings may be arranged to create a more detailed “transition” plan which may include more visits to the new school and/or additional visits from the new school.

More information about transition can be found by following the link below:

https://www.bromley.gov.uk/special-educational-needs/transition-education

An on going programme of training is in place to ensure that teachers and support staff have appropriate skills and knowledge in areas that will improve their teaching and support of children with SEN. Recent training has covered :

MAPA training (positive behaviour support) – January 2018

Harris Conference for all staff – October 2019 and annually

De-escalation training – January 2020 and 2021

Attachment training – January 2020 and 2021

Ongoing CPD sessions  - Quality first teaching, widget programmes, TEACHH approach, visual cues.

Our SENCO actively engages with local opportunities to share best practice and keep abreast of current local and national initiatives and policy to support pupils with SEN.

The school also seeks advice and guidance from local special schools to review, evaluate and develop provision for pupils who have the most complex needs.

We also have staff with specialised expertise and qualifications in school including:

Training for Pupils with Autism

Social skills training

Specialist dyslexic teaching

National award SEN qualification

Speech and Language Expertise

Emotional Literacy Support

Talking and Drawing