At Victoria children are identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEND) through a variety of ways, including the following
• Liaison with previous school, pre-schools and nurseries.
• Liaison with external agencies e.g. Health Visitors, GP, EP, SALT, AOT, EMHST
• Health diagnosis through peadiatrician or GP
• Child performing below age expected levels
• Concerns raised by parents
• Concerns raised by teachers or other staff within school e.g. behaviour or self-esteem is affecting their performance
After identification our next steps would be:
• Set individual targets for your child alongside the SENCO
• Classroom planning will be differentiated and high quality first teaching will be delivered for every learning opportunity
• 1:1 or small group sessions may be planned to support the individual needs of your child, the SENCO/ Assistant SENCO will work with classroom staff to advise on the best interventions for their needs
• External agencies may be contacted and referrals put in to access specialist support.
• Progress will be monitored and assessed through the APDR cycle
• Your child’s needs will be shared and discussed with the Senior Leadership Team appropriately in order to ensure the correct provision is in place.
• Targets will be shared and reviewed alongside parents and progress tracked on a regular basis and in a timely manner.

East Staffs Family Support Services may be able to support some of the families further needs if identified.

• Talk to us – firstly contact your child’s class teacher, the SENCO (Mrs. Windle), assistant SENCO (Mrs. Stubbs) or the Head teacher (Mr. Smith), or the Home School Team (Mrs. Mehmood or Mrs. Shah)
• We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents. We are open and honest with our parents and hope that they are able to do the same with us.

We follow the Assess, Plan, Do, Review model (APDR) as part of the Graduated Response.
Within this process, we will assess your child needs, either through observations, formal testing or through working with other professionals and agencies. We will then set SMART targets to support your child in achieving their next steps, this may include targeted support, differentiated teaching, support from external professionals, 1:1 support etc. These targets will be reviewed at relevant points and new targets and provision set as required. At all stages of this process, parents will be included and involved as appropriate and your child will be made aware of what is happening, at their level.

The school’s SEND policy can be found on the school website www.victoria.staffs.sch.uk, alternatively please phone or email the school and we will be able to email you a copy or print one off for you.

The SENCO oversees all of the support and monitors the progress of all children requiring additional support across the school, alongside the Headteacher and other members of the Senior Leadership Team. The SENCO will then work collaboratively with the class teacher to oversee, plan and work with each child with SEND in their class to ensure that progress is made. A Teaching Assistant may be available to work with your child on an individual basis or as part of a small group provision. In addition to this, we have a Head Start group every morning, where groups of children are invited in before lessons start to work with their teacher to address specific areas of learning.
All parents are encouraged to be actively involved and engaged with planning the support their child may need. This will be done with class teachers during parent consultations meetings, a discussion with the SENCO or other professionals working collaboratively to support your child. Where possible, parental views and suggestions will always be used to develop your child's plan and the provision available. At all times, your child will be involved in this process where appropriate.
Teaching assistants are deployed across the school to deliver daily interventions to those who need to access them. In addition to this, our assistant SENCO is trained to deliver an extensive range of interventions across the whole school.
We strive for all classrooms to be inclusive to all children and that all of our pupils access high quality first teaching within the whole class environment. Planning is differentiated to meet the needs of all children and reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that all learning intentions are accessible to all. We will act upon the advice of supporting professionals and agencies to ensure all learning is tailored to the individuals needs.

Class teachers will ensure all pupils with SEND are given equal opportunities to take part in all learning opportunities through high quality first teaching. Our aim is to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, while emphasising the need to develop English and Maths as well as the basic key skills. When a pupil is identified with SEND, their work will always be differentiated to ensure they can access the same objectives as their peers. Teachers plan based on prior achievement and attainment in order to ensure each lesson matches to the ability of all children within that cohort.
Pupils may have access to additional support to increase progress and support inclusion. This may include additional resources, ICT equipment and/or additional help from a member of staff. Teaching assistants may be allocated to work 1:1 or within a small group to target specific needs- this would be in addition to high quality first teaching and not in place of.
Access arrangements will be made at key points to ensure that all pupils are able to complete formal assessments and that they are supported accordingly.
Curriculum plans are available within the school website and on each class page.
Our School Prospectus contains information about our curriculum and also our Key Facts document which is available to view on our website.
You can also find information on the Family Information Service on the school website.

We have a team of teaching assistants who are funded from the SEND budget and are able to deliver intervention programmes to meet the needs of individuals and small groups.
Should we consider your child to need additional support to that we have available, we would apply for additional funding following the graduated response and an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. Using the evidence collated through intervention provision and observation, we would look at it's impact and progress made. This would inform our decision to apply for and secure additional funding. Should funding be secured and the implementation of further support prove positive, we would then consult with parents and consider the need to apply for an EHCP to ensure your child is supported throughout their learning journey.

We follow the graduated approach cycle to assess each child's needs, plan provision, deliver needed support and review the provision in place and its impact at regular intervals.
The decision made around each child's teaching and learning needs and the support in place is made initially between the SENCO and class teacher, through directing classroom staff. If the further support is needed, parents will be consulted to share and discuss concerns and to decide on the next steps. If it is decided that further support is needed, collaboratively an AEN application may be made in order to access additional support. Additional specialists may be asked to assess the child and school would then act upon their advice. Following this, once evidence of need is collated across three cycles, school, parents, the child and specialist professionals would then make and EHCP application and the Local Authority will then make the final decision on how much support the child will be allocated.

Reasonable adjustments will be made, where possible, to ensure that all children can access high quality teaching within the whole class environment at all times. As a school we use the notional budget to access equipment as needed, should additional resources required beyond these expectations, additional finding will be applied for as needed following the school, seeking advice and guidance from specialist services.
For children who have AEN funding or and EHCP in place, the requirements of their plan will be met as stated to ensure that each child can make good progress at all times and the child's needs are met at all times.

Both sites at Victoria Community School are accessible to all, ensuring all children can access an inclusive education. There are designated disabled toilets on both sites, all entrances are accessible to disabled people and wheelchair friendly. At our Orchard Site (Year 4-6) there are designated disabled parking bays. Emergency lighting is fitted across both sites to ensure the site can be safely evacuated by all. Playground equipment is accessible and regularly maintained. Both sites have a sensory room, to support children with sensory regulation needs, these spaces are also used to deliver SEMH interventions to support emotional needs.
Premises and facilities are reviewed regularly and adaptations can be made should the needs arise.
We will always complete an Individual Risk Assessment or PEEPS for those who may require support around school.

Your child will be discreetly assessed and monitored on a daily basis with more formal assessments occurring each term. These assessment may be through discussions with your child, discussions with staff, parents and external agencies and also standardised testing. Daily work will be assessed in order to inform planning and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children.

Progress will be formally reviewed at the end of each term, this will be done collaboratively between SENCO, class teacher, child and parents. Progress will then be discussed with parents, in relation to age expected attainment as well as the progress they have made from their starting points. We will always discuss what progress we expect and will always we aspirational for all of our children.
Each term, parents will be invited to attend parents evening with the class teacher, the SENCO will also be available to review any additional SEN concerns. The SENCO will also make themselves available at any other point across the year, should parents require additional opportunities to discuss needs.
Each child will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which will detail their individual targets and how we as a school intend to support them. Whole class teaching is differentiated for each level of need to ensure that all children are accessing a broad and balanced curriculum alongside their peers. At times, there may be a need to pre-teach key vocabulary, concepts and elements of learning in order to ensure lessons and learning opportunities are accessible to all.
Communication books can be set up for regular updates to be shared with parents and families. As a school we use G Suite and Class Dojo to communicate and celebrate achievements. We also text parents and email relevant information. Class teachers and teaching assistants are available at the end of most days should you have any concerns; this can be face to face, via a phone call or email.
We always aim to be accessible to all parents and employ strategies for good communication. We are happy to meet to discuss individual needs and how they can be met.
As a school, as additional learning needs are identified, we aim to access specialist services at the earliest possible point. We would refer, alongside parents to the most relevant specialist. These include: Speech and Language Therapists, Peadiatrician, School Nurses, Educational Psychologists, Behaviour Support, CYP Autism Services, Autism Outreach, Mental Health in Schools Team, CAMHS

Your child's IEP and targets will be shared with you termly and ideas given to help them at home.
Our Home School Support Team also run regular classes and workshops around how to help your child with the fundamentals of learning.
Parents are invited in throughout the year to attend open session within the classroom where you can work alongside your child and find out about how we teach at Victoria Community School.
For specific needs, we may be able to offer one to one sessions for parents or direct you to specialist services in order to gain more support on how best to support your child.

Your child will get feedback about their learning on a daily basis, in line with their current learning objectives. This may be written or verbal feedback depending on the session or ability and age of the child. We will also provide feedback via Class Dojo or G Suite, especially for homework tasks.
Each term, children will review their IEP alongside a familiar member of staff and their comments will be acknowledge and used to inform future targets. Where children have an EHCP, their view will be collated in preparation for their annual review and the child (where appropriate) will be involved in the review process the a child centered approach.
The process of gathering information will be adapted to suit individual needs, age and ability.

We continually asses our practice to ensure all children as accessing high quality teaching.
Senior leaders will monitor teaching and learning opportunities as part of the whole school monitoring throughout the year.
Additionally the SENCO will carry out 'drop in' visits to observe what is going on in classes, work will be monitored and discussions around progress and data will take place.
The impact of individual interventions will be monitored to ensure they are purposeful and relate to the child's needs. These interventions will link directly to the child's IEP targets, which will be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely (SMART)
Parents views will be taken into account at regular review meetings and where children have and EHCP, as an annual review takes place parents views will be pivotal to ensure the child is accessing the correct provision. Where work has been completed at home, towards meeting targets, parents views will be invaluable in evidencing any progress.
We will annually share a survey with all parents to gain parents views around SEN support in school. This will be done via an online survey shared via email.
Pupil voice surveys are also carried out wher SEN children are included to gain an insight into the curriculum and its accessibility to all.

At both of our school sites, we provide a breakfast club for any child that needs to access it, this applies to children from Nursery to Year 6. These clubs are run by familiar staff who provide a nurturing and supportive environment for the children at Victoria Community School.
Classroom staff and Senior Leaders are available at the start and end of each day to welcome children and parents and to discuss any concerns or provide support for those children who made more time and encouragement to settle. If relevant, parents can bring the children into the classroom and hand them over to their class teacher should there be a specific need to do so. The school gates and grounds have staff present at all times whilst the gates are open and we ensure that only parents and known adults enter the premises. When children are collected at the end of each day, we will only hand them over to their parent, if another adult needs to collect a child we ask parents to call the office and provide the name of the person collecting and also a password. We will always ensure the child feels safe and the adult collecting them is a familiar person.
During breaktime, classroom staff supervise the children at all times and support them in accessing the activities. We have designated lunchtime staff to support over the lunchtime period, they provide a range of inclusive activities alongside a Sports Coach at each site.
During PE lessons there will always be a familiar member of staff delivering or supporting each lesson to ensure the children feel safe and are their needs are understood and supported. Equally, familiar staff will always support on school trips and when children move between sites.
Risk assessments are carried out prior to all trips, visits and visitors coming into the school and the specific needs of the children engaging in these activities are considered. We also have classroom risk assessments which are reviewed annually or as needs change. Where a child may have a need for an individual risk assessment e.g. a child with PICA or choking risk, we would consult with parents and specialists as relevant to ensure all risks are minimalised and managed effectively so that we can keep all children safe at all times.

As Victoria Community School, we strive to ensure we provide a nurturing and inclusive environment where all children feel safe and valued. As with all SEND provision, high quality support begins in the classroom where the teaching staff endeavor to provide a safe environment and develop positive and trusting relationships with all children enabling them to feel confident and secure in sharing their thoughts, feelings and worries. We ensure time is provided for children to be heard. Regularly PSHE/SRE lessons provide a platform for discussion and teach the children to be respectful of individual beliefs.
By embedding Our School Code across all year groups 'Be safe and happy, be respectful and learn more' we strive to provide a space free from bullying and embed our values. We use a restorative approach to discuss and explore behaviour concerns in order for children to realise why some of their actions may not be acceptable. Details of our Bullying Policy can be found within our school website, or a copy can be emailed to you or printed off if needed.
Recent feedback obtained from a Safeguarding review by our Governors, reports how safe our pupils feel in school and that they can talk to trusted adults in school about any issues or concerns they have.

We have a medical needs and medicine policy which outlines in detail how medical needs are managed.
Every child with a medical need will have an Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP)which will be written alongside parents and health professionals. Some medical protocols and procedures are carried out within the medical rooms based at both sites, where the administration of medication can be done discreetly in line with their care plan. For children with asthma, inhalers are kept in the classroom and staff will support or supervise a child to administer the correct dose as needed. IHCPs and Asthma Care Plans are reviewed annually with parents and/or medical professionals and where necessary staff competencies are checked by medical professionals inline with any IHCP in place. IHCPs are shared with all staff involved in supporting the child and relevant training is given where needed to ensure the correct care can be provided at all times. All teaching assistants complete asthma and anaphylaxis training annually with the school nurse team.
For children who require assistance with personal care, an individual plan would be put in place and any additional needs would be met discreetly, whilst supporting every child to become independent in these areas.
If there was to be a medical emergency in school, two staff members would support the child and deliver any first aid or medical care as needed. Emergency services would be contacted and details shared and another staff member would phone parents to inform them of the situation and provide current information.
When children have specific dietary needs, the kitchen staff are trained to support and will ensure that dietary requirements are met in line with their care pan. Health professionals liaise with catering staff and ensure the menu is inclusive of all needs.

At Victoria School, we have a restorative approach to behaviour and will always discuss the choices made by pupils and explore the reasons behind these. Our aim is to address and support children with challenging behaviours before they impact on attendance, attainment and access to school.

As a Local Authority (LA) School we are able to access special behaviour support from the ENTRUST Behaviour Support Team, who will carry out observations and assessments with the class teacher/ TA and support in putting an Individual Behaviour Plan in place to ensure each child is supported effectively.

For children in care (LAC) we work closely with the Virtual Schools Team to ensure that their needs are supported at all times. The Designated Teacher (DT) for LAC will produce a Personal Education Plan (PEP) on the ePep website, alongside class teachers which is shared during a termly review meeting with parents/carers, social workers, the child and the allocated teacher from the virtual schools team. Where needed, additional funding can be accessed to support specific needs of the individual.

On a daily basis your child will be supported by their class teacher and the teaching assistant within their class.
Your child may also be supported by a specialist SEN teaching assistant, the SENCO or another Senior Leader depending on their needs. All year groups also have designated lunchtime staff to support them at lunch as well as a Sports Coach who visits the school daily.
If a child as 1:1 provision, they will have a consistent Teaching Assistant to support them at key points in line with their EHCP. This may also be to support them as part of a small group.

External specialists also visit the school on a regular basis and may work with your child, we would always inform you if this was the case and seek consent for this to take place.

Class teachers will regularly meet with the SENCO to discuss children's needs. The SENCO will ensure that all reports and recommendations from specialists are shared with the class teacher and that actions and targets are put into place to ensure every child's needs are addressed. The class teacher is then responsible for sharing this information with other staff members within the classroom and will ensure that all staff know how to best support each child. Information is only ever shared with those that need to know.

As a school, the SENCO and Assistant SENCO attend regular updates in order to keep up to date with strategies to improve outcomes for children with SEND and will share all relevant information with staff and provide whole school training and refresher skills. All staff know how to provide reasonable adjustments and how to monitor and track progress and provision for children.
Staff will attend courses which are relevant to the needs of their children e.g. sensory integration, Speech and Language training, Hearing Impairment awareness, Autism Awareness, PDA awareness.
The Special Support Service provide Communication Support Workers for any child who may need one and has the provision identified on their EHCP, we also have support from the Behaviour Support Team who provide advice to support the progress of individual pupils.
Teaching assistants receive annual medical care training to support children with asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes and other children with medical needs.
The Mental Health in Schools Team deliver annual training around emotional wellbeing and supporting children with anxieties and developing ways of managing their worries.
One member of staff is trained in deliver an emotional wellbeing programme, called HOPE.
The SENCO has completed the NASENCO award in line with expectations.

As a school, we have access to the following service who provide support for our pupils with SEND:
Speech and language therapist; community peadiatrician; hearing impaired service; visual impairment service; autism outreach team; educational psychologist; East Staffs Family Support/ Malachi; SEN Specialist Nurses; Early Years SENCO and Forum; Occupational Health and Therapists; School Nurse Team; Health Visitors; Diabetic Nurse Team; Teacher of the Deaf, Behaviour Support Team; Alternative Provision Setting; BACT, Mental Health in Schools Team- plus others that may be needed on an individual basis depending on the needs of the child.
Some of the above listed services will see your child at school to assess and deliver any needed therapies.

The SENCO will refer to any agency as needed and the support and guidance they provide will be used to develop an IEP for the child which will then provide evidence as part of the assess, plan, do review cycle which would be used for an EHCP application.
The SEN Governor meets with the SENCO and Assistant SENCO to moderate the systems in place and ensure that the practice in place meets the needs of the children and the school as well as the legal requirements for SEND. The SENCO reports to the Governors regularly in relations to develops and trends in SEND.

We always advise that you speak to the class teacher first as they will be the person who knows your child the best. You can speak to them at the end of the day to make an appointment or phone the main school office to arrange a meeting.
The class teacher will update the SENCO or may invite the SENCO or another member of the Senior Leadership Team to the meeting to ensure your concerns can be dealt with by the correct person.

Mrs R Windle in the SEND Co-Ordinator and can be contacted by phoning the main school office on 01283 247432 or emailing her directly at r.windle@victoria.staffs.sch.uk

We have a designated SEND Governor who regularly liaises with the SENCO and will complete SEN audits and reviews alongside the SENCO and Senior Leadership Team to ensure that the best practise is happening at all times. They will then report back their findings to the Full Governing Board and discuss any actions that may need completing as well as sharing the good practise they observe.

We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views of all aspects of school life, this is usually carried out through the school council and through pupil voice meetings with subject leaders, where we always ask children with SEN are included in these surveys. We are aspirational for all of our pupils and ensure that their hopes for their future are noted on relevant plans.

Additionally, each child with an IEP or an EHCP will be asked their views regularly in relation to the teaching, learning and support in place to them. They will also be part of an annual review where relevant.

When a vacancy arises, parents are invited to apply to be a governor. Some parents may wish to offer to come into school to read with children, attend school trips and support on visits. At times parents may come into school to support in a specific curriculum area by talking about their career and the job they do.

The SENCO will support families in completing any necessary paperwork and provide any additional evidence to support these applications. We also have a family support team who will be able to assist with completing paperwork too.

Please phone the main school office on 01283 247 432 should you wish to make an appointment with someone.

We aim for all of the extra curricular clubs and activities to be accessible to all, in line with our Accessibility Policy.
After school clubs include sports clubs and homework clubs. Where an external provider is used to facilitate these clubs we will always ensure that they are inclusive of all needs.
Where year groups attend trips or local visits, the needs of all individuals are considered and arrangements will be made to ensure that all children access all elements of the planned visits, including residentials. A rigorous risk assessment will be carried out and individual needs are considered as part of this process. Where necessary, additional staff may be needed to support.
Where a child has specific needs e.g. medical, mobility etc. we will consult with parents to complete a risk assessment, look at the plan for the visit and put an individualised plan in place if needed.

We provide a breakfast club each day which is available for any child who wishes to access it.

Both of our school sites are accessible to wheelchair users and there are disabled toilets and changing facilities available.
Our Orchard Site has designated disabled parking spaces, but due to the location of our Victoria Road site we are not able to provide any designated parking as there is not a car park on site.

Main entrances are accessible via a sloped or level floor, there are not steps into the buildings.
Door ways are wide enough to accommodate wheel chair users.
Classroom furniture is adaptable to meet the needs of individual children e.g. achondroplasia
We always aim to work with specialists and professionals to ensure that all individual needs are met and encourage parents to come and talk to us should they feel their child has a specific sensory need that may need us to make adjustments.

We have some bilingual staff who will be able to communicate with some of our families whose first language is not English (Urdu, Punjabi, Polish). We also use Google Translate to text parents or to translate conversations. For families who use BSL, we are able to access support through our Communication Support Workers (CSW) who would provide signed support.
In more official situations e.g. annual reviews we may access support from a translation service to ensure families are ale to communicate their wishes effectively and fully understand how we are supporting their child in school.

We run ESOL classes in school for any parent wishing to learn English.

Information about our entry criteria can be found within our Admissions Policy.
Admissions enquiries are welcome and any family interested in enrolling at our school, can call the main office to make an appointment to come and view the school. Our admissions and attendance officer will be able to complete our admissions forms with you or signpost you to the correct website to complete an admission form.

Please call the main office to arrange a visit at a mutually agreeable time.
During the visit we will show you around the relevant site; nursery, Victoria Road or Orchard site.
You will be shown around relevant classrooms and introduced to staff. A member of the senior leadership team will be available to answer any question you have about our school.
Nursery offer a weekly Stay and Play session where parents can come in for 1 hour to play and learn alongside their child.

We offer open days for our Nursery throughout the year.
We hold an Open Evening for our reception classes in the Autumn Term prior to school applications needing to be made.

Any child joins us in Year 3 or at another time, can come in for a taster session before their start date. This gives them chance to meet their teacher, new friends and find their way around the school.
Nursery and Reception work together prior to children starting school in September and carefully plan a supportive and effective transition.
For our Year 6 Pupils we work with each Secondary School and ensure that children are able to attend their induction days. We as a school share all information needed and facilitate child centered reviews between the child and their new school.

SENDIASS are an independent service for parents to obtain support around meeting their children's needs.
Staffordshire Connects also has a wealth of information and services available to families and schools in order to support each child.

April 2022
It will next be reviewed in April 2023

Please speak to a member of staff if you are not happy with a decision that has been made in school, our aim is to work together to resolve any issues and ensure that each child receives the best possible support.
We regularly share parent surveys and hold ' Cuppa and Cake' parent forums for you to share your views on the school and offer suggestions on how we can move our school on and progress.


Should you not be happy about a decision made please refer to our complaints policy on our school website or please talk to Mrs. Devine in the School Office or Mr. Smith, the Headteacher.