Before children start at either our school or nursery we gather information from parents about any needs that they have. We will then liaise with parents, nursery settings and relevant agencies during the summer term before the start in September. Information is gathered and shared with teaching staff and teaching assistants. Pupils may be identified as benefiting from a visit before transition days or a parent or member of staff from their nursery setting may attend transition sessions with them. Upon entry we collect data using base line assessment.

The pupils at St. Joseph’s Primary School are provided with a broad and balanced curriculum with high quality teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all students. High quality teaching is monitored and ensured through: classroom observations, work scrutiny of exercise books, moderation of assessments, teacher meetings with the SENCO and progress tracking.

All students are assessed for progress by class teachers each term. All students are set individual Reading, Writing and Maths targets based on national criteria and data from EYFS results and KS1 assessments. Targets are revisited termly and shared with parents in a termly, written report and at parent consultation evenings. Where a pupil is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions will be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at data points, in meetings with the Principal. Slow progress with not automatically mean that a pupil is recorded as having SEND.

We know learners need help if:

• Concerns are raised by the child, parents/carers, and teachers at St Joseph’s or the pupils Nursery Setting.
• Tracking of attainment outcomes indicate a lack of progress despite differentiation and interventions.
• The results from Standardised testing for reading and spelling – SWST, YARK – indicate the child is working below the expected level.
• The child receives a diagnosis from an outside agency.
• Observations of the child indicate that they have an additional need in one of the four areas:

1. Communication and interaction
2. Cognition and learning
3. Social, emotional and mental health
4. Sensory/physical

All pupils with a disability will be provided with ‘reasonable adjustments’ to facilitate their access to the curriculum.

Pupils may be placed on the SEND register under code M and their progress will be monitored. If it is necessary to provide support which is additional to and different from the core curriculum, the pupil will be placed on the SEND register under SEND support code K. Those pupils who have an Educational Health and Care Plan are automatically placed on the SEND register as code E.

The school SEND register is shared with all staff at the start of each academic school year and is updated throughout the year and at each census point. Pupils on SEND Support and all those with an EHCP will have a Pupil Passport. These are shared documents and are drawn up in consultation with the pupil and their parent/carer. Pupil Passports have clear information/strategies and targets for the pupil. Staff use the information on the Pupil Passport to inform their lesson planning, teaching and student learning activities. Progress is monitored and reviewed termly at a meeting with parents and the pupil. The document is held centrally on the school shared area and updated regularly.

When action is required to support increased rates of progress, this will follow a graduated response model: Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

Assess – The school will assess the pupil’s needs using teacher assessment, experience, previous attainment and data tracking against peer and national data.
Plan – Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting to plan support and intervention. The student will receive a pupil passport and all staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do – Teachers will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is needed outside of the whole class teaching.
Review – The parent will be invited to a review of the impact of the support and this will be evaluated at a termly meeting. The teacher will revise support in line with the outcomes of the meeting.

If progress rates are deemed to be inadequate, despite additional support and interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies with the permission of the parents/carers.

Such agencies may include:
Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychologist Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse
SEN Hub

For pupils who may have significant or more complex needs or who fail to make expected levels of progress despite SEND support, the school or parents may consider requesting an Educational Health Care plan (EHCP) that will be undertaken by the Local Authority.

If you wish to raise a concern with regards to your child please consider the guidance below:

• If the concern is subject-related, contact the class teacher.
• If the concern is related to social aspects of school, contact the class teacher.
• If the concern is regarding SEND, contact Mrs J Barratt (SENCo) whose contact details are:
01889 562702 or Email: joannabarratt@st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk

Should a meeting be arranged with the SENCo please consider the following prior to the meeting:

• Bring any medical paperwork which may be appropriate.
• Points which you may want to consider before meeting with the SENCo:
• Why you think your child has SEN/disability
• Whether you think your child learns at the same rate as other children their age
• What the school can do to help.
• What you can do to help.

All of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's policies can be found on our website including our SEND policy, Accessibility Plan, Assessment Policy and Admissions arrangements.

On the website there is an SEN section providing you with everything you need to know about SEND at St. Josephs.
Please use the links below.

St Joseph’s is an inclusive primary school where every child is valued and respected as a child of God. We work to support all our students to make progress in their learning, their emotional and social development, and their independence including those with SEND.

All teachers are teachers of special educational needs. The SEND Code of Practice is followed and all teachers receive training in the SEND Code of Practice. St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School recognises that it is the teachers’ responsibility to meet the needs of all children in their class through high quality teaching, classroom organisation, seating arrangements, carefully planned lessons, a range of teaching styles, teaching materials and differentiation.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School supports the recommendations made by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in their support and teaching of students with SEND. See link below:

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/send

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has a dedicated team of qualified teaching assistants including higher level teaching assistants and SENCo. We have our lay chaplain who is able to offer emotional support for students in school. The team provide support in the classroom, out of class 1:1 and in small groups. They have a received a range of training, have excellent subject knowledge and provide outstanding levels of support for academic learning and emotional support. EHC students have a TA who is based in their classroom and supports them during lessons.

Some pupils require targeted intervention. These are planned onto a provision map and interventions are delivered by Teaching Assistants. Interventions may include small group or individual work.

A wide range of interventions are provided for all areas of SEND and may involve bespoke packages or a programme developed and personalised specifically for a student or group of students. Current interventions include Fast Track Tutoring (Read Write Inc Phonics), Fresh Start Fast Track Tutoring (Read Write Inc Phonics for Y5-6); Better Reading, Number Sense, handwriting; Plus One and Power of Two (Maths), Turnabout (concentration and attention), Busy Bodies (fine motor skills) and Third Space Learning (online programme).
Social Skills/behaviour interventions may include for example: Social Group Intervention, Social Stories, The Kids Guide to being, Counselling and wellbeing support from qualified practitioners.

Additional support may be offered for homework, touch typing, handwriting, counselling, self-esteem, lunch time and break time support, meet and greet in the morning and time out.

We provide information for parents through: newsletters, information on the website, Facebook, information evenings; parents’ evenings; text message service and letters home.

Pupil progress is shared each half term with parents through reports on attainment and effort. Parents can view schemes of learning on the school website. Parents can arrange an appointment to discuss progress with the child’s class teacher or SENCO. There are two parent consultation evenings held each academic year.

We welcome parents to support us by encouraging your child to fully engage with their learning and any interventions offered by: helping them to be organised for their day (including wearing the right uniform, bringing required equipment and books;) ensuring full attendance and excellent punctuality; checking that they have completed their homework, attending parents’ evenings and review meetings. We will make our best endeavours to take your views, and those of your child, into account.

All students with an EHC plan will meet at least once a year with the SENCo to review progress and provision.
The SENCo reports termly to the SEND governor who monitors and reviews the work of the SEND department.
Where a student is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions may be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at termly meetings, in meetings with the Pastoral lead and with the SEND team.

When action is required to support increased rates of progress, this will follow a graduated a response model: Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
Assess: The academy will assess the pupil’s needs using teacher assessment, experience, previous attainment and data tracking against peer and national data.
Plan: Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting to plan support and intervention. The pupil will receive a pupil passport/profile and all teachers who work with the student will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do: Class teachers will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is needed outside the subject.
Review: The parent will be invited to a review of the impact of the support and this will be evaluated at a termly meeting. The class teacher will revise support in line with the outcome of the meeting.

SEND support will be recorded on the child’s ‘Pupil passport’ which will have clear expectations and targets for the student. Progress will be monitored and reviewed termly at a meeting with parents, the pupil, the class teacher and where necessary the SENCo.
Students with SEND are placed on the SEND register, with the consent of parents and this register is accessible to all staff in the academy.
If progress rates are deemed to be inadequate, despite additional support and interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies with the permission of the parents/carers.
Such agencies may include:

Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychologist Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse
School Counsellor
SEN Hub

For pupils who may have significant or more complex needs or who fail to make expected levels of progress despite SEND support, the academy or parents may consider requesting an Educational Health Care plan (EHCP) that will be undertaken by the Local Authority.

All teachers at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School have high expectations of all pupils. All pupils are provided with a broad, balanced curriculum with Quality First Teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all students. High quality teaching is monitored and ensured through: classroom observations; termly work sampling; work scrutiny of exercise books; internal and external moderation of assessments and examinations; teacher meetings with SENCo; termly SEND Passport review meetings; academy data and progress tracking.

Teaching staff and Teaching Assistants use a range of methods to support the learning needs of all students including: modelling; scaffolding; questioning; sentence starters; storyboarding; chunking information; use of writing frames; cloze procedures; guided reading; mind mapping; use of ICT eg laptops/Ipads.

Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of students.

Pupils with a disability will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” to facilitate their access to the curriculum. The school may provide specialised equipment to support pupils in the classroom, for example: coloured overlays, larger font size, laptops, reading rulers, pen grips and exercise books with coloured paper.

Pupils may be assessed for Access Arrangements for assessments in school and this information is shared with staff at each assessment point. Some pupils may require additional processing time or access to a reader or prompter.

Outside agencies are invited to work closely with our students with additional needs. We work with a range of agencies including for example: the Educational Psychology Service; Autism Outreach; the Hearing impairment team and communications support workers; the Visually impairment team; Occupation therapy and Physiotherapy services.

The Curriculum is continually monitored by the Leadership Team to ensure that it meets the needs of all students. The curriculum overview can be viewed on the school website. The curriculum is personalised to accommodate those students with more complex needs eg: 1:1 Physiotherapy; 1:1 tuition; small group support; counselling.

All pupils, including those with SEND, are assessed on a regular basis in accordance with the School’s Assessment Policy. Parents and pupils are provided with assessment timetables which are emailed in advance of the half term assessment point. We aim to develop the pupils’ knowledge and skills to enable them to build subject knowledge and apply what they know with increasing confidence and fluency.

Where a pupil is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions are put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at data points, in meetings with the Principal.

Some pupils may require a more personalised curriculum dependent on ability and need and a reduced curriculum may be required for a short period of time to allow a student to settle.
Some pupils who are currently unable to manage the school environment due to medical or mental health reasons may have access to alternate provision through online live lessons in the home. Medical evidence is required to access this provision.
The Accessibility Plan and Equality Policy are all available on the school website: https://www.st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk/policies

Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of students. The notional SEND budget is used to ensure that students on the SEND register or those who are being monitored receive the support that they need. The budget is used to fund the cost of Teaching Assistants, interventions and the purchase of resources.
• Students with an EHCP receive support as specified in their individual plans.

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School we aim to support the needs of all students in our care. Students do not require a specific diagnosis or label to receive support in the form of reasonable adjustments. The SENCo works with the students, their parents/guardians, teaching staff, support staff, caseworkers, pastoral team and external agents to develop support packages for individual students. Assessments, observations, book scrutiny, classwork and homework as well as more formal standardised assessment support this process. Regular reviews, discussions and meetings take place to keep parents informed of progress.

The notional SEND budget is used as well as additional top up funding allocated to students with EHCPs to purchase equipment and facilities such as reader pens, coloured reading rulers/overlays, mini whiteboards, laptops and software etc.

The class teacher works alongside the SENCo to carry out assessments of need. The following information may be used:
assessments, observations, book scrutiny, classwork and homework, standardised tests, comparative school data, advice/reports from external agencies, the views of the student, the views of parents.
We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of review: assess, plan, do, review.
Pupil Passports are reviewed termly, amended and signed by parents.
Regular meetings and discussions are held with parents. Information is share in phone calls, virtual meetings, face to face meetings and emails as required.

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we encourage our parents to be involved in the education of their child. We encourage parents to support our homework policy and to support organisation of books and equipment to help their child become an independent young person.

We welcome parents to support us by encouraging your child to fully engage with their learning and any interventions offered by: helping your child to be organised for their day (including wearing the right uniform, bringing required equipment and books;) ensuring full attendance and excellent punctuality; checking that they have completed their homework, listening to your child read, attending parents’ evenings and review meetings. We will make our best endeavours to take your views, and those of your child, into account.

Reading and talking about a text alongside your child has huge benefits and the
School’s literacy coordinator encourages wider reading in school and out of school with lists of suggested age-appropriate texts.
Teaching staff makes themselves available to offer more specific advice regarding the school curriculum and the welfare of your child.

Each child’s Pupil Passport is discussed with the parent and child and is reviewed termly with the pupil and parent, class teacher and/or SENDCo. Parents’ and student views may be sought at these meetings and recorded on written forms.

All students with a Statement of Educational Need or Education, Health Care plan will meet more formally at least once a year with the SENCO to review progress and provision.

All pupils, including those with SEND, are assessed on a regular basis in accordance with the School’s Assessment Policy and assessments take place every term for all students. Teachers monitor progress throughout the year. Pupil progress is shared each term with parents through reports on attainment. Each student’s progress is monitored in comparison to their peers and against national data.

On receipt of a report, parents may wish to discuss their child’s report further with their Class Teacher. There are two parent consultation evening held each academic year. Other meetings can be arranged on an individual basis with the SENCo and/or Class Teacher.

Students with SEND are screened annually to track progress each Autumn term using standardised assessments.

Pupil and parent voice are captured at regular intervals.

External agents involved with the young person may provide regular progress reports which are sent out to parents.

The school follows the graduated approach and the four part cycle: assess, plan, do, review.

Termly meetings are arranged to discuss progress and amend targets on the Pupil Learning Passports.

Termly meetings are arranged to discuss progress and amend provision against the outcomes for those students with an Educational Health Care Plan.

If required, some pupils may have a teaching assistant to meet and greet them each morning or to provide them with extra supervision at break times and dinner time. This is decided on a need by need basis.

Where appropriate, risk assessments are carried out to ensure the safety of the pupils in our care.

Staff, including teaching assistants accompany students on a range of school trips.

Pastoral support is delivered across the school following the graduated response with Class Teacher, SENDCo, SLT, Inclusion Officer and Safeguarding team to support the wellbeing of students at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.

Class teachers follow a curriculum of RSHE lessons.

SLT visit classes to discuss issues which arise.

The lay-chaplain visits school regularly and works with students.

The Mental Health Support Team offer support to staff in the form of training and workshops and individual referrals for pupils.

Intervention support takes place in Social Intervention Group, Fireworks intervention for managing anger and meet and greet during the morning.

The link to the anti-bullying policy can be found:
https://www.st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

Medical and care plans and the administration of medication are managed in compliance with the School policy. Mrs Barratt (SENDCo) manages the medical care plans. Mrs Anderson and Mrs Hodge in the school office hold student medication and informs staff of an individual’s care needs. The Medical policy is shared on the school website: https://www.st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

The St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Behaviour and Attendance policy can be found on the school website see link below:


Attendance across the School is monitored by the Principal, Mrs Sassi and the Education Welfare Worker, Mrs Barlow

Pupils who are looked after are supported by the Principal, Mrs Sassi. Those students who are looked after and who have SEND are also supported by Mrs Barratt, SENCo. Both staff work closely with students, their carers and the virtual school/relevant local authorities.

All students have a Class Teacher who registers their attendance each morning and who is responsible for the pastoral welfare of the students in their class. Each class also has a designated Teaching Assistant who works closely with the pupils in that class. Class teachers can be contacted for support.

All students with an EHCP will have a designated Teaching Assistant who supports them in class. The SENCo can be contacted for specific queries related to SEND.

All new staff receive dedicated SEND training at the start of each academic year. The SENCo provides training and liaises with external agents to provide training on a range of needs.

Students with EHCPs and who are on the SEND register have a raised profile and additional information is provided to staff at the start of the academic year and through emails and meetings with the SENDCo. Information is shared with staff following the annual review of a student who has an Educational Health Care Plan, and following review meetings of Pupil Passports.

The SEND register is placed on the SEND area of the staff shared platform for staff access.

Student Passports and Support Plans are placed on the Whole School area of the staff shared platform for staff access.

All students with medical needs are listed and this information is shared with staff on the staff shared platform.

The SENCo leads a team of teaching assistants who share information pertaining to students with SEND with staff.

Risk assessments are shared with teaching and support staff.

The SENCO, Mrs Barratt, has attained the National SENCo Award. She has nearly 20 years of teaching experience in primary. She has worked as the SENCo at St Joseph’s for 8 years.

There is an ongoing programme of In-Service training for all members of staff. Whole school training also takes place, where appropriate. The SENCo attends courses on SEND issues in order to keep up to date with local and national issues and to share good practice.

Teaching Assistants have received personalised training programmes including Modelled Reading, Dyslexia Training, Multi-sensory teaching approaches, Intervention specific training and Autism level 1.

Training in SEND Resources, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Autism and Dyslexia updates are regularly delivered to staff in school.

All staff are Level 1 trained in Autism Awareness.

There is on-going sharing of good practice through regular staff meetings and feedback/ advice provided by the leadership group, subject leaders and the SENCO following lesson observations.

All staff receive regular updates on Safeguarding and PREVENT training.

The school has membership to NASEN.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has access to Autism Outreach and the school team regularly meet each half-term with those students in school who have a full diagnosis.
We have close links with our Educational Psychologist who provides information for staff training on a range of issues.
The school nurse and medically trained professionals deliver training on issues such as asthma, epilepsy and physiotherapy programmes.
The school has regular access to advice from a range of service providers including the local district SEND and Inclusion hub.
The SEND department work with speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and other health professionals who are involved with students attending school and a wide range of external agencies which include:

Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychologist Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse
Mental Health Support Team

Please contact your child’s Class Teacher or Mrs Sassi the principal if you have any general queries.
Please contact your child’s Class Teacher for academic progress concerns.
Please contact the SENCo for concerns related to SEND:
Mrs J. Barratt SENCo – 01889 562702 – joannabarratt@st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk

Mrs J. Barratt SENCo – 01889 562702 – joannabarratt@st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk

The SEN governor is Mr Mark Alcock. The role of the governor is to:
Help raise awareness of SEND issues at LG meetings.
Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEND provision in the academy.
Work with the SENCo to develop SEND policy and provision in the academy.

There are two MAC SEND governor meetings held each year.
Termly meetings are held between the SEN governor and the school SENCo.

We recognise that all pupils have the right to be involved in making decisions and exercising choice in their education where that is possible. Pupils are encouraged to take part in Pupil Voice activities in school; to regularly evaluate their work and learning in lessons; attend review meetings and contribute to setting targets. Open dialogue between pupils and key adults, such as the Class Teacher is encouraged. There is a school council and pupil voice can be captured at learning passport review meetings, at extra-curricular activities and clubs.

We welcome parents to support us and parents are frequently asked to provide their views and feedback at Passport review meetings, annual review meetings and in parental surveys.

Class teachers meet regularly with families to offer support and signpost services. The SENCo work with families of students with SEND and other families to provide support and guidance. Referrals are made to external services eg CAMHS, Early Help, SEND and Inclusion hub, Autism Outreach when required.

All pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities and all clubs, activities and trips are available to all pupils. All pupils are encouraged to fully immerse themselves into the school life by participating in eg workshops, enrichment days, transition days, school productions, sports day, residential trips. Reasonable adjustments are made to facilitate any additional needs and no student is ever excluded from taking part in activities because of a special educational need or disability.

The school building is fully accessible by wheelchair and we have disabled toilet facilities.

In line with statutory guidance, the school has an Accessibility plan which is regularly reviewed to ensure that pupils are able to access the curriculum and the physical environment. All pupils, including those that have sensory or physical disabilities, have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. Some pupils, with an EHC plan, receive support from a Teaching Assistant to access the buildings and the full range of learning opportunities thereby facilitating integration into the life of the school. There have been modifications to the buildings in order to make the academy more accessible to those pupils with a physical disability. These improvements include ramps, handrails and disabled toilets.

Further educational equipment can also be obtained through the SEND department and the physical impaired service at Horton Lodge.

Translators may be used as required to support EAL families. There is an electronic language translator facility on the school website.

Please find the link to the Schools Admissions Policy:

The School open day is held in October. Families have the opportunity to tour the school, meet with the staff and with other students in school.
To arrange a visit to school contact: office@st-josephs-uttoxeter.staffs.sch.uk

All new Reception pupils come to the school for a transition day in July prior to starting the school in September. Pupils who attend our Nursery will have lots of joint experiences with Reception so transition is very fluid. The Reception teacher visits pupils in their Nursery setting and the SENCo will meet with Nursery settings if required.
Other transition visits can be arranged if required and a Key Worker from a Nursery setting can attend with the pupil if this is thought necessary.
Where practicable, the SENCO will attend the Annual Review of a Nursery pupil who has an EHCP to ensure a smooth transition is made.
Parents/carers are invited to a meeting at the school and are provided with a range of information to support transition between key stages.
Relevant information is disseminated to teaching staff before transfer to ensure a smooth transition.
At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are invited to an induction week at Painsley Catholic Academy, if this is where they are moving on to. Pupils with additional needs are invited for additional transition days from the Spring term in Year 6. If a pupil has an EHCP, we will invite the SENCo from the High School to attend the annual review while they are in Year 6.

You may wish to contact the SENCo if you feel that your child needs the support of a specialist service.
Some support services available to parents include:

The SENDIASS Staffordshire Family Partnership is for parents and carers of children and young people ( aged 0-25 ), with special educational needs and disabilities and children and young people ( up to 25 ) with SEND can be contacted on www.staffs-iass.org. They offer information, advice and support about education, health and social care issues to support Staffordshire’s SEND Local Offer.
The Staffordshire Local Offer and other useful websites can be found via the links below.

The St. Joseph’s SEND Information report is updated annually. The latest update was February 2022.

Dialogue between parents and the school is actively encouraged in order to resolve any problems at an early stage.

Initially, all complaints from parents or carers about their child’s provision is made to the SENCo, Vice Principal or Principal who follows this up with the relevant staff. However, if a parent or carer is not satisfied with the response given, the complaints procedure outlined on the school’s website may be followed.

The Academy Complaints Procedure can be found on the website link below.