Whitley Lodge First School SEND Information Report This report aims to help you understand how we support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities at Whitley Lodge First School. Parents may also find it useful to consult North Tyneside’s “Local Offer” for further information on services within the local area. The LA Local Offer The Children and Families Bill became enacted in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’. The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.

North Tyneside SEND Local Offer Whitley Lodge is a fully inclusive school which ensures that all pupils achieve their potential personally, socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. Following an assessment in June 2016 we not only retain our “Inclusion Quality Mark” but are now also classed as a “Centre of Excellence” for inclusion. We consult with pupils and their families by: 

Meeting with parents/carers when a child is first admitted to school regarding any existing needs or concerns.

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Liaising with previous placements and other agencies such as Speech and Language, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy or medical consultants.

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Regular meetings in school between teachers and families.

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Review meetings with families, school staff and other professionals involved in meeting the needs of a child, eg speech therapists etc.

Supporting Pupils with Special Educational Needs / Disabilities and their Families The school works in partnership with families to help them support their children’s learning outside of school.

We will let families know about any concerns about a pupil’s learning by: Holding regular parent – teacher consultation meetings. Providing an “open door” policy whereby parents can contact school at any time if they have concerns. Meetings can then be arranged with appropriate school staff, including the Headteacher, Mrs Fiona Lutman, and/or the School SENCo, Mrs Mandy Elkin. Additional needs are identified and support put in place as part of a “Graduated Approach” to SEND support. The “Graduated Approach” is a four-part cycle of action: ASSESS, PLAN, DO and REVIEW, where each stage is continuously revisited, refined and revised. At the centre of this cycle is the child, parents or carers and class teacher, with the SENCo to advise and support. ASSESS: Class teacher and SENCo establish a clear analysis of the child’s needs using teacher assessments, and the views of the child and family. At this point referrals may be made to external services such as Speech Therapy or the Educational Psychologist as appropriate. Such referrals are made by the SENCo in collaboration with parents. The views of any external professionals will then be considered alongside all other assessments. Pupils will be identified and assessed by means of observations, consultation with parents, screens and diagnostic assessments. The other people / agencies and teams providing services to children with a special educational need / disability in school include: Speech and Language Therapists Occupational Therapists Physiotherapists Language and Communication Team Dyslexia Referral Team Sensory Support Service CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) Public Health Nurses PLAN: High quality, differentiated classroom teaching forms the basis of every child’s education at Whitley Lodge. The first stage of planning is always to consider how a child’s needs can be met every day, in his or her

classroom, and what sort of adaptations and additional resources might be required to facilitate this. In addition, consideration is given to the targeted provision, such as small group or individual support, that may best support a child, and the specific intervention programmes that would be most effectively used during this time. At all times the focus is on expected outcomes for the child from the intervention, not that the intervention is simply put in place. If this kind of targeted provision is deemed appropriate, it will be recorded in the form of an IEP (Individual Education Plan), or, where the needs of the child are more complex and varied, a Support Plan, both to be written and discussed with parents and the child. Children with an IEP or Support Plan are included on the school’s SEN register. DO: (ie Action to be taken): The class teacher, with support from the SENCo, will oversee the implementation of the additional provision, with appropriately trained and experienced Teaching Assistants often being responsible for delivering specific intervention programmes and supporting the child in class . REVIEW: The TAs and class teacher will work together to monitor the effectiveness of any intervention, and specifically whether outcomes for the child are being improved in the classroom, rather than just during small group or individual work. The SENCo maintains an overview of the monitoring of all children with SEND. The impact of interventions is monitored continuously on an informal basis, and more formally on a termly basis. IEPs and Support Plans are consequently updated, and adjustments to levels of support or changes to specific interventions made as necessary, and only after consultation with the child and their family. The aim of the “Graduated Approach” is to create a continuous cycle of progress and improvement, where the outcomes for the child remain a focus throughout. If, during the review stage, family, school staff and the child agree that individual, targeted intervention is no longer required, the child will be removed from the SEN register after a further term of monitoring. After the involvement of external services it may be agreed that a request to the Local Authority for Statutory Assessment is appropriate. Such assessment is only undertaken when a child has a high level of complex needs that cannot easily be met within a mainstream placement, even with significant additional support and resources. (Please refer to North Tyneside’s website for further information on this Statutory Assessment process.)

PUPIL INVOLVEMENT Pupils are involved in the target setting and development of their Individual Educational Plan (IEP) /Support Plan as appropriate. Pupils will have the strategies/resources set out in their IEP explained to them. Pupils are involved in self-monitoring and are encouraged to take part in their own assessment and self-monitoring process. Pupils with SEN are involved in their Annual Reviews in a manner appropriate to their maturity. Pupils are invited to attend at least part of the meeting if this is felt to be appropriate. All pupils will be given the opportunity to outline their own strengths and weaknesses and set targets etc. prior to review. Transition arrangements We will work in partnership with other education providers to ensure that pupils make a successful transition to the next stages of their learning, through careful and coordinated planning of the transition. We provide the following support to pupils when they are leaving the school: Support staff are placed where they are needed throughout the school to ensure pupil progress, independence and value for money. Support is always given in excess of the hours stipulated on an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. This may take the form of one to one intervention, small group work, or liaison with parents or other professionals working with the pupil. Staff Training All staff have completed, and will continue to receive, ongoing training in special educational needs and disabilities. Recent training has focused on meeting the needs of children with ADHD, ASD, and Dyslexia; and on accelerating progress in Maths. Our fully trained Special Educational Needs Coordinator attends additional training each academic year, and provides advice and guidance to staff. Looked After Children with SEN The SENCo is also the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children. As part of this role she monitors the progress and overall well-being children in the care of the Local Authority who attend Whitley Lodge. When a child also has some additional education needs, these are addressed as part of the PEP (Personal Education Plan) for that child. External agencies may be contacted or additional resources put in place if necessary, after consultation with the LA personnel responsible for the child, as well as carers and the child themselves. The designate teacher must ensure that all appropriate staff are

aware of the challenges facing the child, and that measures are put in place to ensure that child is not disadvantaged either because of their “Looked After” status, or their additional needs. Further Information Behaviour and anti-bullying policies are regularly reviewed with a focus on how they affect pupils’ with special educational needs or disabilities. Other useful documents such as our Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Policy are also available on the school website. The school’s self-evaluation process will look at teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. All school-related activities are evaluated in terms of their benefit to the learning and inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. If you would like further information about what we offer here at Whitley Lodge First School, then please contact the Special Educational Needs Coordinator, Mandy Elkin, on: 0191 2008781 School entitlement offer to pupils with special educational needs or disabilities Support Available Within School

Communication and Interaction Needs:

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Autistic Spectrum Disorders Speech, Language and Communication Needs Social communication difficulties

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Visual timetables

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Areas of low distraction

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Support / supervision at unstructured times of the day.

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Social skills programme / support including strategies to enhance self-esteem.

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Small group work to improve skills.

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ICT is used to support learning where appropriate.

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Strategies / programmes to support speech and language development.

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Strategies to reduce anxiety / promote emotional wellbeing.

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Where appropriate we will use support and advice from other partners to meet the needs of pupils.

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Planning, assessment and review.

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Work with pupils, parents, carers and staff to develop and review plans based on the need of the pupil.

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Teaching resources are routinely evaluated to ensure they are accessible to all pupils.

Cognition and Learning Needs:

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Differentiated curriculum and resources

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Whitley Lodge has a 5 place Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD). This contributes to the North Tyneside’s Local Offer.

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Moderate Learning Difficulties

Please see the leaflet on our website for more information. 

Strategies to promote/develop literacy and numeracy.

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Provision to support access to the curriculum and to develop independent learning.

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Small group targeted intervention programmes are delivered to pupils to improve skills in a variety of areas, i.e. reading skills groups etc.

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ICT is used to reduce barriers to learning where possible.

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Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to ensure any barriers to success are fully identified and responded to.

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Planning, assessment and review.

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Access to teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is monitored through the schools self-evaluation process.

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Teaching resources are routinely evaluated to ensure they are accessible to all pupils.

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Work with pupils, parents, carers and staff to develop and review plans based on the need of the pupil.

Social, Mental and Emotional health

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Differentiated curriculum and resources

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The school ethos values all pupils.

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Behaviour management systems encourage pupils to make positive decisions about behavioural

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choices.

Behavioural needs Social need Mental health needs Emotional Health and Wellbeing

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The schools behaviour policy identifies where reasonable changes can be made to minimise the need for exclusions.

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Risk assessments are used and action is taken to increase the safety and inclusion of all pupils in all activities.

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The school provides effective pastoral care for all pupils.

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Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to support pupils, where appropriate.

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Small group programmes are used to improve social skills and help them deal more effectively with stressful situations.

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Outdoor learning is used to offer a different approach to the curriculum.

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Information and support is available within school for behavioural, emotional and social needs.

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PHSE is delivered to all pupils weekly. Children are encouraged to recognise strengths and talents in every one of their peers, including those with SEND.

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Pupils with additional needs are encouraged to attend after school clubs and extra-curricular activities offered during the school day. Where appropriate, additional adult support is provided to enable every child to access an activity of their choosing.

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The school policies on bullying and inclusion clarify strategies and procedures in place to ensure all children, including those with SEND, are able to enjoy school and feel supported by school staff and their peers.

Sensory and Physical Needs:

e.g.   

Hearing/Visual Impairment Multi-sensory impairment Physical and Medical Needs

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Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to support pupils, where appropriate.

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ICT is used to increase access to the curriculum.

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Support to access the curriculum and to develop independent learning.

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Advice and guidance is sought and acted upon to meet the needs of pupils who have significant medical needs.

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Access to Medical Interventions.

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Access to programmes to support Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy.

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Support with personal care if and when needed.

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Staff receive training to ensure they understand the impact of a sensory need upon teaching and learning.

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Staff understand and apply the medicine administration policy.

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The Special Educational Needs Coordinator completes any necessary training in order to offer advice and guidance to staff about the needs of pupils.

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All entrances to the school have ramps fitted to allow wheelchair access.

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The school has an accessible toilet and facilities.

If you have any concerns about your child’s special educational needs or disability, their progress or the support you receive, we would ask that you to come into school and discuss matters further with your child’s class teacher and / or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

Although school complaints procedures are in place and can be accessed through our website we would always hope to resolve any issues or concerns informally by working in partnership with parents. Note SENDIASS, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service can provide information and support to parents of children with additional needs. Contact details: Nicola Gregg/Angie Barr tel: 0191 643 8317/8313 email: [email protected]

Updated : Review date:

March 2017 March 2018