Concerns about a child can be raised by teachers, staff members, parents or carers or from information received from previous settings.

Assessment and attainment levels are used to identify if the child is making progress and to track their progress throughout the school year.

If a concern is raised over a child or a child is identified as having a Special Educational Need or Disability, assessments and observations of the child help to identify which is their area of need. The four areas of need are identified below:

1. Communication and interaction
2 Cognition and Learning
3 Social, mental and emotional health
4 Sensory or physical need

The school holds a meeting with the child's parents/carers. In this meeting concerns are discussed and the area of need is identified. The views of parents/carers and also of the child are listened to. Following the meeting the child is placed on the Special Educational Needs Register with the consent of the parent/carer and a plan for additional support is agreed and put in place.

Our school follows a graduated response. Our plans for additional support follow the four part cycle of: Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

1 Assess - this part of the plan identifies our assessments, it may include standardised scores from tests, evidence of tests such as reading comprehension or evidence from observations that identify an area of difficulty.
2 Plan - the plan shows exactly what the child will be working on and how school will help the child to achieve it.
3 Do - this outlines what staff in school will do to support the child's learning, it also identifies how many times a week the children will receive additional support.
4 Review - plans are reviewed termly, during this part of the cycle we review the progress the child has made during the term towards the targets set. The information then feeds into planning and implementing the next cycle.

If a parent or carer has a concern about their child they should firstly speak to their child's class teacher.

A parent/carer can also make an appointment to speak to the school SENCO (Mrs H. Moran) or to the headteacher (Mrs V. Bagshaw)

This can be done by speaking to them directly to make an appointment or by telephoning the school office. Appointments may be face to face or a telephone appointment can also be made if requested.

These can be found on the school's website.

At May Bank we recognise that children learn in different ways and as a result, we provide a rich learning environment and experiences that enable all children to learn effectively and reach their full potential. At May Bank Infants School we endeavour to make provision for all children with special educational needs. Extra support is provided through the special needs allocation within our school budget. Provision for children with special needs is made to the best of our ability with the resources available at any time. All classes across school currently have teaching assistants, who support children with a range of different needs.

Quality first provision is our aim for all children. When groups or individuals are identified as having additional needs the school plans additional support, this support can include:
Making reasonable adjustments in the classroom for the child eg sitting them nearer the front, enlarging text for them to read, classroom well lit, the use of desk prompts.
Teaching learning in small steps or pre teaching a new concept.
Re visiting prior learning
Teaching children in smaller groups.
Children receiving extra support during lessons.
Flexible grouping of children.
Children with needs related to a specific area of their learning such as reading or handwriting may be involved in specific interventions such as FFT or TWL.

Children who are still have additional needs following the support and adjustments are given individualized programmes and support and follow an ADPR cycle (assess, plan, do, review cycles). The targets on these cycles are measurable and progress made towards the targets are recorded and reviewed. Parent/carers are invited to attend these reviews, which take place termly and are also involved in the setting of any new targets.

It may also be necessary to seek advice and for referrals to be made to outside agencies. If this is the case parents/carers are consulted and permission is gained from them prior to the referral.
Following 2 ADPR cycles if the child's progress is still raising concern then advice from outside agencies such as Educational psychologists and the SEND team may be sought.

In a small number of cases where a child's needs may be very significant and complex and the special educational provision required to meet their needs cannot reasonably be provided for within the school, then a request will be made to the local authority to conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs. This may result in an Education, Health, Care, Plan (EHCP) which is a plan to set out the education, healthcare and social care needs of a person for whom extra support is needed in a school, beyond which the school can provide.

Parent consultations are held termly but we do operate an 'open door' policy and appointments to speak with class teachers, the school SENCO or headteacher can be made.

Teachers planning includes differentiated activities catered to the needs of the children.
Lessons are differentiated to remove barriers to learning and reasonable adjustments are made such as enlarging print or the use of coloured reading rulers.
Classroom environments reflect learning.
Classrooms have working walls providing reference for children during lessons.
The quality of teaching is monitored through learning walks and lesson observations which are carried out by senior management team.

The SEN budget is allocated every financial year. This budget is used to provide additional support or to purchase resources depending on the children's needs. The additional support may be delivered by teaching assistants. Sometimes if concerns are raised following assessments and ADPR cycles, additional funding may be required, the SENCO may seek advice from outside agencies and services. Parents/carers are consulted when applying for additional funding.

Any concerns a parent or carer has over their child can be discussed with school.
Class teachers may suggest ways of supporting the child's learning through meetings or at parent evening, which are held termly.
The school SENCO may also meet with you to discuss how to support your child.
If any outside agencies are involved such as Autism Outreach or Educational Psychologists, suggestions and recommendations are usually provided by these services to support a child's learning at school.

If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to a pupil to support them. These can include coloured overlays, writing slopes, pencils grips, adapted scissors and specialist cutlery.

Equipment such as pencil grips and coloured overlays are readily available in school. Other specialist equipment may be sought upon a recommendation from and external agency working with the child.

Assessments are ongoing throughout the school year. Staff move around the classroom and monitor children's learning during lessons and when they mark work and give feedback.
Assessments are tracked and reviewed termly and parents' evenings are also held termly to discuss progress.
Parent/Carer curriculum meetings are held during the school year where parents are made aware of the end of year expected level of development for their child's year.
The school uses Class Dojo which has a messaging facility. Parents/carers can contact their child's class teacher through this or also by making an appointment to speak to them or may prefer a telephone appointment.
When outside agencies are involved parents/carers will receive a full report of their child's assessments. This will outline what recommendations have been made and indicate what school can do to best support your child.

Parent workshops such as for phonics and for maths are held during the year. These workshops show parents and carers what their child has been learning and inform them on how they can support their child's learning at home.
Home learning/homework is provided for all year groups and this is linked to current learning in school.
Parents evening held termly can also be used to find out ways to support a child's learning.
Parents/carers can message a child's class teacher on Class Dojo or can make an appointment with their child's class teacher to discuss how they can support their child.

Our Asess, Plan, Do Review (APDR) cycles are reviewed once a term and include a section on the child's views. Children are invited to talk about what they think is going well and anything they feel they would like to get better at. Parents and carers are also asked to contribute their views during the review part of the cycle.
For children who have an EHCP the child's views are also included as well as the parents. A formal review meeting of an EHCP will be held annually or every 6 months if an interim review is called.

The SENCO monitors provision for children with SEND across school and also monitors APDR cycles.
Parents/carers and children are involved in the review part of the cycle and in the review of EHCPs.
A survey is sent out at the end of the year for parents/carers of children with SEND to help to evaluate the effectiveness of provision offered for children with SEND.

Staff and teaching assistants greet children at the start of each day.
Staff dismiss children at the end of the school day from classrooms and are available to speak to once all the children have safely been seen out of the classroom.
For children who have an EHCP and 1:1 support, the child's support worker is available to speak to and hand over any information.
At break times any child with an EHCP or a child with an identified need is closely monitored. At lunchtimes staff encourage the children to play together with a range of play equipment.
During PE lessons and when moving between buildings children are always supervised by staff. Children with an identified need or EHCP may be further supervised by a 1:1 or teaching assistant.
Risk assessments are thorough and happen regularly. Risk assessment for trips have to be approved by the Headteacher prior to the trip taking place.
On a school trip any child with an EHCP is supervised in a 1:1 ratio
Keeping Safe is a topic all classes teach during their PSHE lessons.

The school follows a PSHE scheme of work. PSHE lessons are taught on a weekly basis.
Classrooms have quiet areas and self-regulation areas.
Children are taught self-regulation strategies.
Our school also uses Mind Gig which a weekly programme to help children regulate their emotions.
Our bullying policy is available on the school website.
Our school takes part in anti-bullying week every year and assemblies and class discussions about bullying are also ongoing throughout the year.
Any concerns a parent/carer has over bullying are taken seriously and are dealt with thoroughly.
Children are encouraged to play together and on the main playground a friendship chair is available for any child who may be feeling left out and needs a friend.
Children from Reception to Year 2 all play together on the main playground at lunchtimes, with siblings often mixing together with their friends.
We can refer to counselling services if needed.

Medication can be administered by school if need be. Parents are asked to complete a form at our school office giving permission for us to administer medicine and information about dosage and times.
Parents are asked to provide the medicine in its original packaging with the description label attached.
School will not administer the first dose of a new medication.
Children can have time off for medical appointments, proof of appointment letters or notifications may be asked for.
Please see the school website for our policies on dignity and care and our policy on supporting children with medical needs.
In a medical emergency a member of staff would call 999, a first aid trained member of staff would stay with the child and parents would also be contacted immedicately.

Please see the behaviour and discipline policy on the school website.

We have a safeguarding team at May Bank Infants, which includes Mrs Bagshaw (safeguarding lead) and Mrs Moore (deputy safeguarding lead)
Our safeguarding team attend regular training.
Our safeguarding team put in place recommendations and strategies to ensure children remain safe and supported.
Any safeguarding concerns that are raised are dealt with by the safeguarding team immediately.
All staff have received safeguarding training.
All safeguarding cases are dealt with sensitively and staff in school are only informed of any details if absolutely necessary in order to protect the child/families.

The Headteacher (Mrs Bagshaw)
The SENCO (Mrs Moran)
Your child's class teacher

Class teachers and other staff members discuss children with SEND with the SENCO.
Assessment data is tracked termly
During the summer term planned transition time takes place and staff meetings are held to discuss transition arrangements and information about children with SEND

All staff have had training in Autism Awareness.
All staff will be having training in Makaton in May 2025.
Staff have had training for FFT (phonics programme)
We have links to specialist services such as speech and language, Autism Outreach, Educational Psychologists, behaviour support who provide support and advise on the best practice.

The agencies/services we access include:
Speech and Language
Autism Outreach
Counselling
Educational Psychologists
Hearing Impairment
Vision Impairment
EYSENIS
These services all offer excellent support and advice on best practice.

Referral forms are completed with the permission of parents/carers and are send to the appropriate agency. Agencies may then come into school to work with the child and offer support and advice to staff on best practice.

Your child's class teacher
The Headteacher (Mrs Bagshaw)
The school SENCO (Mrs Moran)

All of our staff can be contacted through class dojo, by telephoning the school to make an appointment or by speaking to them directly if they are available at the end of/before the school day.

SENCO - Mrs Moran
School office number: 01782 898005
Mrs Moran can also be contacted on Class Dojo

The school SEN governor is the governing body's champion for learners with SEND and inclusion needs. The SEN governor has oversight of the school's arrangement and provision for meeting the needs of children with SEND.
Our school SEN governor is informed of the impact of strategies implemented in school.
Our school governor is responsible for appointing a designated teacher for looked after children (our headteacher) and is updated annually on the progress of children with SEND and the progress of looked after children.

Children view's are listened to and taken into consideration during the review section of assess, plan, do, review.
Children's views are included when reviewing an EHCP.
Pupils are regularly listened to during lessons.

We welcome support from parents and carers in lots of ways such as accompanying us on trips and supporting school visits. We sometimes use parent volunteers in classrooms. Parents skills are utilised during certain topics such as people who help us, where parents with different occupations are invited to talk to the children about their role.
Parents volunteering to work in school (not for just a visit) first complete a DBS check and are given an induction.
Parents are informed of any Parent Governor vacancies and are encouraged to apply.

Appointments can be made to speak to a child's class teacher, the Headteacher or the school SENCO who can all provide help and support with completing forms and paperwork.

Trips are planned that are suitable for all children to access, regardless of their ability.
Risk assessments are carried out prior to trips and have to be approved .
The appropriate ratios are always adhered to and some children with SEND are supported 1:1 by a staff member on trips.
In class reasonable adjustments are made in order to ensure all lessons are fully inclusive for all pupils.
The school offers a range of after school clubs (sports, crafts, drumming, drama) All children are able to access these clubs, these are run by external agencies and for some there is a charge.
Parent/carer questionnaires allow for feedback about trips/clubs and other activities offered throughout the year

The school accessibility plan can be viewed on the school website, under the heading inclusion.

http://maybank.staffs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/May-Bank-Disability-Equality-Scheme-and-Access-Plan-2017-20.pdf

Adaptations are considered when making reasonable adjustments for pupils with SEND.
The school has a Disability Equality Scheme Access Plan that can be reviewed on the school website.

Staff will be receiving Makaton training in May 2025
For children whose first language is not English, staff try to learn key words in the child's home language to aid communication with both parents and the child.
Support and advice can be gained from the MEAS (minority Ethnic Achievement Service)

The school office can be contacted on 01782 898005. Mrs L. Bailey is our school office manager.
Our school admissions policy can be viewed on the school website, see link below.

Yes we offer open days for prospective parents and children to view the school.
Appointments to view and have a tour of the school can also be made by telephoning the school office on 01782 898005

In Early Years we offer stay and play sessions during the summer term where parents/carers can drop into the classroom and be involved in a play session with their child. We offer 4 of these sessions and ensure each child is allocated 2 of these 4 sessions. However we can be flexible on the number of sessions the child attends and if it is felt the child would benefit from attending them all this can be arranged.
The school Nursery staff and Early Years Leader make visits to the child's prior setting to share information.
The school has a 'move up day' annually in the summer term for pupils to experience their next class and meet their class teacher. For children with SEND additional sessions may be arranged.

When children at the end of Year 2 move onto the junior school, transition days are arranged and meeting between our teaching staff and theirs takes place to share information about the pupils.

We regularly take students for work experience placements from local high schools. We also have links with Satffordshire University and Newcastle College. We offer placements for trainee teachers and placements for students studying Early Years courses at college.

Staffordshire's SEND local offer can be found on www.staffordshireconnects.info
This offers a range of services and support for parents/carers, see link below

SENDIASS (Staffordshire Family Partnership) can also be accessed using the same link below

SEN report completed December 2024
Review date: December 2025

Parents/carers can contact the school headteacher (Mrs Bagshaw) or the school SENCO (Mrs Moran) to arrange a meeting.
The link to the school complaints policy can be found below