At St Michael’s we will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:
• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• Widens the attainment gap

This may include progress and observations in areas other than attainment. For example social or emotional needs etc. Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN.

When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed.

The class teachers will discuss any children who are not making the desired progress with the SENCo and next steps will be discussed.
These may include completing a SEN referral form to help begin to identify any areas of difficulty. The areas our school currently provides additional and/or different provision for include:

• Communication and Interaction (For example, autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, speech and language difficulties.)
• Cognition and Learning (For example, dyslexia, dyspraxia)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties, (For example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs (For example, visual impairments, hearing impairments, processing difficulties, epilepsy)
• Moderate and multiple learning difficulties

When a concern about a child has been raised we will have an early discussion with the parents, and the pupil where appropriate, to decide whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
• We take into account the parents’ concerns
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are

Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s record and given to their parents. We will formally notify parents when it is decided that a pupil will receive SEN support and that their child will be recorded on the SEN register.

If you are concerned about your child’s progress then please come and talk to us. You should first talk to your child’s teacher about your concerns who may wish to arrange a meeting with you to discuss this further. If your concerns continue a meeting can be arranged with your child’s class teacher and the SENCo. This can be arranged by contacting the office or the SENCo.

Office email: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk
SENCo email: senco@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

Please click on the link below to find the SEND Policy and other relevant documents which include our; Safeguarding Policy, Early Years Policy, Equality and Diversity, Anti-bullying Policy, PSHE Policy, Medical Conditions, First Aid Policy, School Admission Statement, and our Behaviour Policy.

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class including those with SEND (with or without an EHC plan). High quality teaching (Universal- Wave 1) that is differentiated and personalised is our first step in responding to pupils who have SEN. This includes things like delivering high quality teaching, effective questioning, accessible classroom layout, having high expectations etc.

The next step is a more targeted approach with additional interventions (Targeted - Wave 2). The interventions delivered at St Michael’s include:
• Speech and Language therapy
• Exercises provided by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist
• Additional phonics support
• Beat Dyslexia interventions
• SPRINT program
• Additional Mathematics or English support groups
• Nurture or support through The Hope Project
• Precision Teaching
• Fine and gross motor skills (Motorskills United)
• Handwriting programs such as ‘Write from the Start’
• The Nuffield Early Language Intervention
• Friendship Club
• Relax Kids

Finally in some case some more specialist approaches are needed that provide additional and highly personalised interventions (Specialist - Wave 3). These may include programs delivered by external agencies these might include:
• SENIS: SEN and Inclusion services
• Behaviour Support Service
• Autism Inclusion Team
• Hearing Inclusion Team
• Visual Inclusion Team
• Educational Psychologists
• Educational Welfare Officers
• Social Services
• Speech and Language Therapy
• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapists
• CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• Educational Welfare Officers
• Alternative provision

If other agencies are required to work with your child, permission must be gained from parents or carers. Before the agency works with your child a discussion between either the class teacher, SENCo or SLT will allow you to know why they are required and how they may help. Any feedback from external agencies will be shared with parents or carers either in a meeting or in writing.

If identification has been made a School Support Plan will be created to form part of an Access, Plan, Do, Review cycle. Where we access the areas of difficulties and then form a plan of how we will help the child. We will put interventions into place and then review how the child has progressed after the intervention has been delivered.

As an essential part of the Access, Plan, Do and Review process is your involvement as a parent or carer. Your child’s teacher will generate targets and identify any necessary intervention that will benefit your child. After the plan has been generated you will be sent a copy to review. If you are happy with it you should sign and return the plan. If you have concerns or are unhappy with it you can arrange a meeting with the class teacher or SENCo. Once a cycle has been completed your child’s class teacher will arrange a face to face meeting with you to review your child’s progress. This allows you the chance to ask questions about your child’s SEN needs, progress or discuss any other concerns. This will happen 3 times a year. This process also allows a chance for your child to have their say on how well they are doing.

As a school we make the following adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:
• Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, teaching style, content of the lesson, etc.
• Adapting our resources and staffing
• Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, fidget toys etc.
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud and the use of
additional table resources to support independent learning.

Initially the curriculum and learning environment will match your child’s needs through the teacher delivering quality first teaching (a style of teaching that focuses on high quality and inclusive teaching for every child in a classroom that highlights the need for a personalised learning experience and encourages greater inclusion of pupils with SEND needs).

For your child this would mean:
• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• That different ways of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more
practical learning.
• Pupils with a disability will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” in order to increase their access to the taught curriculum.
• That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCo) are in place to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their
understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
• That work and teaching is differentiated in order to allow your child to access the learning. For example, giving longer processing times to answer
questions, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud and the use of additional table resources to support independent learning.

Some children require a more targeted approach and they may have specific group work. These may be run in the classroom or in a group room and may be led by the class teacher or a teaching assistant (TA). Intervention groups are monitored and a record of your child’s involvement will be tracked with data showing their progress. SEN support will be recorded on a School Support Plan (SSP) that will identify a clear set of outcomes which will include both academic and developmental targets. Progress of these targets will be reviewed termly with you as parents alongside your child and the class teacher.

More specialist support from outside agencies is sometimes needed. This means a pupil has been identified by the SENCo or Class Teacher as needing some extra specialist support from a professional outside the school. If this happens you may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional, e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and you to understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them more effectively in school. The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support. These will be then used in class by the child’s teacher.

There is also a need for specific individual support in class. This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) (previously known as a Statement of Special Educational Needs). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

If your child needs specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from the Local Authority/entrust (e.g. Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Service) or outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Service.

The school (or you) can request that the Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child. After the request has been made to the ‘Panel of Professionals’ (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment.

If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support. After the reports have all been sent in, the Panel of Professionals will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible. The EHC Plan will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used, and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long- and short-term goals for your child. The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programs or run small groups including your child.

The school receives funding to respond to the needs of pupils with SEND from a number of sources and is managed by the Head teacher. A proportion of the funds allocated per pupil to the school to provide for their education is called, ‘The Notional SEN budget’. In addition, for those pupils with the most complex needs, the school may apply for Additional Educational Needs funding. If allocated this funding may be used to provide the equipment and facilities to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities through:

• In-class support from teaching assistants
• Small group support from teaching assistants e.g. nurture groups, literacy and numeracy support
• Specialist support from teachers e.g. 1:1 tuition
• Bought in support from external agencies e.g. access arrangement assessment, speech and language support.
• Parent workshops
• Provision of specialist resources e.g. assessment software
• CPD relating to SEND for staff

For pupils with SEN but without an Education Health and Care plan, the decision regarding the support required will be taken at joint meetings with the SENCo, class teacher and parents or carers. For pupils with a Health or Care plan, this decision will be reached when the plan is being produced or during an annual review. This may or may not include 1:1 support.

For children with SEN in Nursery funding can be obtained from the Early Years Forum.

The decision about how much support your child receives is determined by the level of their need. This may done through assessments and discussions with the class teacher, parents, the SENCo, relevant outside agencies, or the head teacher to work out what would be the most suitable support. The process will take into account the safety needs of your child, the academic need and any other relevant areas of concern. If your child has been put on to the SEN Register they will usually have a School Support Plan where there is opportunity for further discussion about your child’s support. For some children extra funding is required to support them and so Additional Educational Needs Funding will be sort. No parental permission is needed for this but we are happy to share that we have done this with parents or carers. If your child has been given an EHCP this will be attached with funding to deliver the appropriate support stated in the plan, this is determined by the Local Authority.

The equipment required for your child will be determined by their need. The school can supply some equipment and facilities such as:

• Wobble cushions
• Slopped writing board
• Pencils that are darker
• Thicker pencils
• Pencil grips
• Enlarging paper
• Accessibility toilets
• Sensory toys
• Talking tins
• Medical room
• Specialised scissors
• Ear defenders
• Sand timers
• Coloured overlays
• Threading toys
• Chew toys
• Fidget toys
• Wooden letters and numbers
• Coloured paper/ exercise books

These can be numerous and wide ranging and do not need any particular assessment or service. However some more specific resources need to be acquired through specialist services such as:

• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapy
• Hearing Inclusion Team
• Visual Inclusion Team
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Autism Inclusion Team
• Educational Psychologists
• SENIS: SEN and Inclusion services
• Behaviour Support Service

In order to get any involvement from these services, a referral usually needs to be made. This is usually completed together with your child’s class teacher, the SENCo and parents or carers. In some cases to get resources from these services your child will usually have a diagnosis or will have had an assessment which has highlighted the need for a certain resource. These resources may include; laptops, walking frame, specialised chairs, physiotherapy equipment, hearing equipment etc.

Every term the parents of children with SEND will meet with their class teacher to discuss and review their targets. Contributions towards the new targets can be made at this point. Following the meeting a new set of targets will be created and sent out to parents. At this point the Our School Support Plans are assessing and reviewing pupils' progress towards outcomes

The school follows the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review. The class teacher will work with the SENCO to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour
• Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant
• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• The views and experience of parents
• The pupil’s own views
• Advice from external support services, if relevant

This assessment will then allow us to plan the next steps for the child. The assessment will be repeated to review the impact of the support being implemented.

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. Children receiving SEN support will be given a School Support Plan (SSP), these will be reviewed at the end of each term and new targets will then be set. This is completed after meetings are held with the parents or carers of the child. During the meeting parents or carers will be able to see their child’s progress, see what support they are receiving and have a change to express their wishes or opinions. Following your child’s review, we encourage parents or carers to contact the class teacher or SENCo if they have any further questions or suggestions.

Initially you can seek support from your child’s teacher with what you should be doing. We recommend that you read daily with your child, practise their spellings, practise their times tables or number bonds. The school offers and recommends a range of online learning tools. These include:

• TT Rock Stars
• Numbots
• 1-Minute Maths
• Education City
• Oxford Reading Owl
• Discovery Education
• Collins Bing Cat Books

We also offer a range of parent workshops.

If assessments are carried out with outside agencies the report will always be shared with the parents. These reports usually will have recommendations, ways to help and resources included.

At St. Michael’s we endeavour to listen to the views of our children all the time. As part of our graduated approach the children are involved in reviewing their targets termly. Their class teacher will have a discussion with them, providing them with a chance to say how they are doing, what is working well and what they would like to happen etc.

If your child has an Educational Health Care Plan every year as part of their annual review is a number of questions are asked of them these include:

• What do you feel has been working well?
• What do you feel is not working well and would like to be different?
• Things that are important to me
• Things that are working well at home and school
• Other information I think is important to know about me
• Important things to know about my past
• Things that I enjoy doing
• How to communicate with me
• My hope, dreams and aspirations for the future
• Things I would like to change at home and school

At St. Michael’s we continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children. This is done in a number of ways. The academic progress of children is monitored through summative assessments every term. The progress of children with SEND is monitored by the class teacher, the key stage lead, the SENCO and the head teacher using both summative assessments and the day to day informal assessments that are made during lessons. This information regarding progress is then used to evaluate the effectiveness of the support that is given. We will also gather information from the child, parents, carers as well as professionals from other agencies. It is important that the provisions we provide is effective, therefore we regularly review their impact.

Our evaluation methods include:

• Regular data analysis to monitor progress
• Learning walks
• Book scrutiny
• The SENCo reviewing School Support Plans or Behaviour Plans to ensure progress is being made
• Review meetings are held with the SENCo and class teachers
• Regular informal discussions with all staff.
• Reviewing Provision Mapping
• The SENCo monitoring impact
• The Head Teacher monitoring impact
• The SEN Governor monitoring impact
• Reviewing performance management targets.
• Undertaking an SEND Whole School Review
• Holding annual reviews.
• Reviewing the impact of interventions against their baseline.
• Using pupil questionnaires

There are many ways St Michael’s ensures the safety of its pupils. At the start and end of each day there is a member of the Senior Leadership Team on the gates of the school. Where the children enter the school there is a member of teaching staff on the door to ensure the children enter school happily and safely. They are also able to pass on messages if needed but we also advise that you contact the office as well if the message is important. If your child has been designated with a 1:1 teaching assistant they can offer a brief hand over at the end of the day as well as being there for you at the beginning of the day.

During play times we have teachers and teaching assistants on duty to ensure the safety of your child. Similarly during dinner times we have lunch time supervisors who have responsibility for the children. However, if your child has been granted a 1:1 teaching assistant support and it covers them during these times they will also be out with your child to ensure their safety.

The school will keep your child safe outside the classroom, for example, during P.E. lessons, moving between buildings or school trips by having a qualified member of staff with the class or group that has had the necessary safety checks. If your child has particular requirements caused by their SEND which means their safety is at risk from being outside the school we will endeavour to have a teaching assistant supervising them.

St Michael’s has a general risk assessment for the school and its grounds. For trips, special visitor or activities a risk assessment is also completed. Some children require an individual risk assessment due to their health, behaviour or SEND needs. If you child has a risk assessment in school, an additional individual risk assessment is required. Finally, where appropriate a pep assessment will also be required (personal evacuation plan). These documents are working ones and will be adapted when required.

The development of our children’s social and emotional well-being is an intrinsic part of school life at St Michael’s. We believe if children can learn to be calm under pressure at a young age, then they stand in good stead for adult life. By learning techniques to recognise their strengths and manage their emotional journey through life we can enable our children to be positive about themselves, emotionally resilient and build skills and tools for life.

At St Michael’s we have a package of support to enable our children to: develop self- confidence, increase emotional literacy, build emotional resilience, provide tools to cope with stress and anxiety; recognise, name and deal with feelings in a positive way and encourage children to feel positive about themselves.

The Hope Project
“Hope” is a school based emotional support project which helps children and their families. The project offers early intervention for emotional need and promotes a whole school approach for emotional health & wellbeing. A child or young person may need someone to talk to about emotional, behavioural or social difficulties. Hope aims to provide this support and the space for listening and talking to a child/young person.

The problems that HOPE can help with include:

• Any aspect of family life that may be affecting your child’s emotional wellbeing
• School refusal
• Bullying
• Behaviour
• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Low self-esteem
• Illness
• Bereavement

Who helps to provide the service?
At St. Michael’s there is a team who can support your child. It includes the Head Teacher, the Wellbeing Lead, the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and the Emotional Wellbeing/SEN TA. There will be other services that link with Hope such as Educational Psychology, School Nurse, Local Support Team (LST) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and more who may be able to offer advice and support.

Support offered includes:
Lunchtime drop in self-referral
Children have the opportunity to drop into The Hub one lunchtime in the week with any worries or issues that they want to talk about. The children will be supported and enabled to talk through solutions or find techniques to help them. If required, further support will be offered on a 1:1 basis.

Afternoon Sessions
Afternoon sessions take place in The Hub. Children may attend sessions in small groups or 1:1 sessions for specific reasons, for example (complimenting those listed under the Hope project):

• School refusal
• Bullying
• Behaviour
• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Low self-esteem
• Illness
• Bereavement
• Friendship difficulties – keeping/making friends
• Difficulty recognising and dealing with emotions
• Quiet, shy, withdrawn
• Find it hard to listen to others or join in
• Disruptive towards others
• Find it hard to accept losing a game
• Find it hard to share and take turns
• Find it a bit difficult to settle into class
• Poor relationships with adults in school
• Family illness or break-up

The group and 1:1 sessions will help to boost confidence and self-esteem and provide children with the extra help sometimes needed to improve social skills, emotional resilience, self-esteem and independence to help them through life inside and outside school.

Talk and Chill Lunchtime club
Our lovely lunchtime group allows children to eat lunch together and talk about any issues they are having. We then have a chance to chill out and relax session with our Relax Kids Coach. The sessions teach children relaxation techniques and tools to help them cope with stress and anxiety whilst building their confidence and self-esteem. Learning relaxation from a young age helps children manage their stress, stay in control of their emotions, and focussed. The lunchtime chill session includes stretching, breathing techniques, massage, positive affirmations and visualisation to help the children relax. The club runs on a half term basis with a maximum of 10 children.

Friendship Club
Mrs Childs (Teaching Assistant) runs a friendship club once a week. To help develop friendships between children.

Buddy Benches
We use multi- coloured buddy benches to help the children who may be feeling lonely and sad to be identified by their peers or a member of the teaching or support staff.

Sibling Support
Sibling support is offered during periods of transitions or to help support your child’s wellbeing.

PSHE curriculum
The PSHE curriculum at St Michael’s is designed to support the wellbeing of all child so that they can grow into confident, happy individuals with a love of learning. Where their curiosity, independence and self-belief are encouraged and valued by all. Please click on the link for the PSHE policy https://stmichaelsstone.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PSHE-Policy-St-Michaels-2021.pdf

Bullying
At St Michael’s everyone is expected to act with courtesy, respect and consideration to other people at all times. We do not accept or tolerate bullying in any of its forms, so all incidents will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately at the earliest opportunity. All children are specifically taught that if they are a victim of bullying, or are aware of someone else being bullied, they should speak to someone they trust that can make sure that the bullying is dealt with appropriately.
Please find the link to the St Michael’s Bullying Policy - https://stmichaelsstone.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Anti-bullying-policy.pdf


We provide many opportunities to discuss and learn about bullying. Some of which include:

•Referring to our Behaviour Policy https://stmichaelsstone.org.uk/behaviour-policy-st-michaels-2021/
• Signing a behaviour contract
• Promoting positive images of difference and diversity
• Attendance at Friendship Club/ Nurture provision for victims or bullies
• Using appropriate resources from organisations and the internet (e.g. www.thinkuknow.co.uk)
• Taking part in Anti-Bullying Weeks activities as organised by the AntiBullying Alliance
• Reading stories about bullying or having them read to a class or assembly
• Having discussions about bullying and why it maters
• Using our PSHE curriculum to learn about this throughout the curriculum
• Messages are reinforced throughout the year as part of the PSHE curriculum
• Use of support groups (in school)
• Focus on bullying in assemblies
• Promoting a “TELL, TELL, TELL” ethos
• Teaching the children the importance of not being a bystander in situations that may be bullying Measures to prevent Bullying are:
• To include issues related to bullying in the curriculum and assemblies with themes such as friendship, kindness, trust and love.
• To encourage those pupils who might feel intimidated to be assertive and know where to go for help or to whom to report to.
• To teach children how to resolve conflict constructively and creatively
• To give praise and recognition to those who are kind, helpful and caring.
Online bullying
• Promoting a culture where children are willing to report incidents of bullying.
• Using the curriculum to raise children’s awareness of bullying and to provide opportunities to discuss issues related to bullying and by standing.
• Using circle time, as appropriate, in order to raise self-esteem and mutual respect and develop a forum where friendship problems can be discussed.
• The use of friendship groups and nurture as appropriate to support the victim and/or the perpetrator.
• Teaching the children that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a member of staff.
• Identifying the underlying reasons for the bullying and supporting both the victim and the perpetrator, who may both need social, emotional or behavioural support All cases of bullying are taken seriously and senior members of staff will investigate the matter fully. If evidence of bullying is found, senior leaders and class teachers will work together to support all the children involved.

We are continuing to develop our well-being support to enable the inclusion of our children and their families. For further information on our well-being service please contact:
Angela Whitney (Deputy Head & Wellbeing Lead) a.whitney@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk
Denise Fritz (Emotional Wellbeing/SEN Learning Support Assistant) d.fritz@st-michaels-stone.staff.sch.uk

The prime responsibility for a child’s healthcare lies with the parent who is responsible for the child’s medical care and medication and should supply the school with information. The school has regard for the DFE ‘Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions’, April 2014.

At St Michael’s we believe that:
• Children with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education.
• Arrangements must be in place in school to support children with medical conditions, including the appropriate use of risk assessments and the development, implementation and review of healthcare plans with the support of the school nursing service.
• School, parents, the child and healthcare professionals will work closely together to ensure that the needs of students with medical conditions are met
• Our focus is on the child as an individual and how their medical needs are met to ensure full inclusion, access and enjoyment of school life.

Training and Staff Awareness
• All teaching staff have undertaken basic first aid training.
• Staff in the Early Years have also undertaken paediatric first aid training.
• Relevant staff will be made aware of each child’s medical condition and needs.
• Key staff will be regularly trained in supporting individual pupils with specific medical condition such as diabetes, epilepsy and severe allergies.
• We will complete risk assessments for off-site activities taking into account individual needs.
• Additional staff in the school are paediatric first aid trained.

Individual Healthcare Plans
Where the child has a long term and complex medical condition(s), they should have an individual healthcare plan (IHC) providing clear guidance on what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school nurse, parent or carer, school and healthcare professionals should collaborate to develop the plan. It is vital that the IHC reflects up to date medical knowledge about the child (input from healthcare professionals) and agreement should be reached as to who is responsible for leading on writing it. These should be reviewed annually. Not all pupils with medical conditions need an IHC. For pupils with EHC plans, the IHC should be linked to or become part of the EHC plan. A copy of a Healthcare Plan should be obtained from the office.

Administration of personal Care
We are a fully inclusive school and as a school we adapt to make sure that the needs of all our children are met, including those with personal care needs. This might include toileting or dietary needs etc. Please inform the school of any personal care needs. They should be record on your child’s Individual Health Care Plan.

Medicines
• should only be administered at school when it would be detrimental to a child’s health or school attendance not to do so.
• Pupils should never be given medicine containing aspirin unless prescribed by a doctor.
• Medication, e.g. for pain relief, should never be administered without first checking maximum dosages and when the previous dose was taken.
• Parents should be informed

Administration of Medicine
The school will make sure that:
• The medicine is stored safely in school.
• Medicines are sent home termly for parents to check they are in date.
• Update the Medical File with the most recent copy of Medical Care Plans.
• Liaise with School Nurse, Parents and teaching staff to ensure Care Plans are in place for all pupils needing one.
• Ensure that School Nurse is informed of new children to the school needing Care Plans
• Ensure that Teaching Staff are informed of allergies, medical needs of pupils in their class.
• Ensure that photographs of children with allergies, plus brief description of allergy is displayed in suitable areas around the school e.g. staff room, kitchen
• Ensure administration of medicine is recorded appropriately.
• Inform lunchtime staff of children with food allergies.

Parents should:
• provide the school with up to date information both contact details and medical information
• ensure all medicines are in date and supplied to school as appropriate
• attend clinic appointments
• be involved in the development and review of Individual Health Care Plans
• Should carry out action they have agreed to implement as part of the Individual Health Care Plans
• Should keep school informed immediately of any change of emergency contact details, procedures for managing medicines

Medical Emergencies
Where a child has an Individual Healthcare Plan, this should clearly define what constitutes an emergency and explain what to do, including ensuring that all relevant staff are aware of emergency symptoms and procedures. If a child needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff should stay with the child until the parent arrives. For children with severe medical needs, where the Medical Care Plan states emergency procedures, up to date information must be kept readily available for emergency services. As part of our general risk management processes, we insure that there are arrangements in place for dealing with emergencies for all school activities wherever they take place, including on school trips.

For further information on First Aid please see our First Aid Policy https://stmichaelsstone.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/First-Aid-policy.pdf

Supporting child with medical appointments and procedures
It is essential that children are allowed to attend all medical appointments and procedures. If time is required for appointments or procedures a copy of the medical letter must be given to the office so they can record it correctly on our system. In order to support these pupils the school will offer ‘home learning’. This involves the class teacher putting together the work that will be missed. The parents or carers of the child should be asked how they would like to receive this e.g whether they prefer daily work sent via email or a paper pack. This is essential so that these pupils do not miss out on their education.

For more information click on the link to find Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions:
https://stmichaelsstone.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Supporting-Pupils-with-Medical-Conditions.pdf

At St Michael’s we seeks to create an environment in the school which encourages and reinforces good behaviour. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that society expects good behaviour as an important outcome of the educational process. Our behaviour policy is designed to enhance the development of positive relationships between pupils, adults working in schools, parents and other members of the wider school community. Please click on link to see the Behaviour Policy

We recognise that some pupils may need more support than others to develop their emotional and social behaviour skills, and staff are encouraged to act on concerns as early as possible.

With these pupils, strategies will be adjusted to reflect their individual needs and may lead to support through the HOPE Project, SEND system (See SEND policy) and/or outside agencies which may include Behaviour Support (SENSIS) or an Educational Psychologist etc.

Procedures for Dealing with Major Breaches of Discipline at St Michael’s include:
•
A verbal warning by the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher as to future conduct
• Restorative conversations
• A letter and / or phone call to parents informing them of the problem
• A meeting with parents, and a warning given about the next stage unless there is an improvement in the child’s behaviour
• An Individual Behaviour Plan to be formulated in consultation with parents, class teacher and child (This should be reviewed regularly or as needed)
• If the problem is severe or recurring then exclusion procedures are implemented in consultation with the Governing Body
• A case conference involving parents and support agencies
• Fixed term exclusion
• Permanent exclusion after consultation with the Governing Body and the LA
• Parents have the right of appeal to the Governing Body against any decision to exclude NB A very serious problem may result in the normal
procedure being abandoned and a child being taken home straight away.

At St. Michael’s we set high expectations for all pupils and place a high importance of identifying pupils whose attainment is not improving in response to interventions. Looked After Children with SEND will be clearly identified by all members of staff working with them in school including members of the senior leadership team. We understand that sometimes the interventions that are used do not always work as well for those children who are looked after or have been. The school will adapt and endeavour to make our best efforts to find an alternative intervention that would be effective. Like other pupils with SEND they will be given a School Support Plan with specific learning targets this will form part of the graduated approach and be reviewed regularly. Depending on the need of the child the following may be available:

• Providing extra 1:1 or small-group support
• Provision of nurture or friendship groups
• Paying for school visits including residential visits
• Purchasing of appropriate resources
• Purchasing of computer packages to aid a child’s learning

Additionally the school participates in regular Personal Educational Plan (PEP) meetings which include PEP targets. From this extra funding maybe available to buy extra resources to help support the child in and out of school.

Virtual School
The role of the Virtual School is to work with schools, social care partners and carers to help improve the outcomes of looked after children. All local authorities in England are required to have a Virtual School Head who monitors looked after children as if they were in one school. There responsibilities are but not limited too:

• Identifying the eligible looked after children and informing the local authority
• Offering advice and guidance to schools
• Responsibility for managing and distributing the Pupil Premium Plus for looked after children.
• Relying on schools providing them with progress data on a regular basis to ensure looked after children are on target to achieve to their full
potential.
• Promote high expectations and set aspirational targets.
• Supporting Staffordshire Schools to become 'attachment aware and trauma informed' to ensure that looked after and previously looked after
children can feel secure and supported to thrive in their education.
• Making sure methods for allocating and spending ensure that looked after children benefit without delay.
• Working with each looked after child’s educational setting to put together a personal education plan, agree how pupil premium funding will be
spent to the meet the need identified in this plan, and ensure the funding is spent in this way.
• Demonstrating how pupil premium funding is raising the achievement of looked after children Virtual school heads are in charge of promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority they work for.

For further information about virtual schools visit - https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Virtual-school/About.aspx

The Class Teacher
Responsible for:
• Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be targeted work
or additional support) and letting the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Coordinator (SENCo) know as necessary.
• Writing SMART targets with clear outcomes for School Support Plans (SSPs) and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term
and planning for the next term.
• Delivering personalised teaching and learning for your child as identified on the school’s provision map.
• Directing teaching assistants within the classroom as appropriate to support the needs of the children within it.
• Communicating with parents and ensuring they are up to date on the progress or difficulties your child is facing.
• Ensuring that the school’s SEN Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEN.
• Supporting your child’s learning through specific interventions and provisions.

If you wish to speak with your child’s class teacher please email the office to organise a meeting at: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

The SENCo – Mrs Williams-Fenton
Responsible for:
• Developing and reviewing the school’s SEN Policy and information Report.
• Coordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
• Monitoring that class teachers are ensuring that you are :
• Involved in supporting your child’s learning.
• Kept informed about the support your child is getting on.
• Involved in reviewing how they are doing.
• Liaising with all the other people who may be coming in to school to help support your child’s learning, e.g. Speech and Language Therapy,
Educational Psychology.
• Updating the school’s SEN register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records
of your child’s progress and needs are kept.
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school, so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best
progress possible.
• Meeting termly with the Governor with responsibility for SEN to update them on whole school progress and impact of interventions.
• Advise on the graduated approach to providing SEN support
• Liaise with potential next providers of education to ensure pupils and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
• Work with the headteacher and governing board to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to
reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• Ensure the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date
• For children with EHCP - annual reviews

If you wish to get in contact with any queries email the SENCo at: senco@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

The Head Teacher: Mrs. J. Wass
Responsible for:
• The Head teacher will give responsibility to the SENCo and class teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
• The Head teacher must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND.

If you wish to speak with Mrs Wass please email the office to organise a meeting at: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

All paperwork regarding your child is stored securely in school. Each class has a SEN folder where relevant information is kept and share with teaching staff working with your child. The SENCo will have regular discussions between your child’s teacher and teaching assistants.

At St Michael’s we have a SENCo who has undertaken and achieved the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination. We have a team of 10 teaching assistants who are trained to deliver SEN provision and intervention. The school also has a mental health first aider.

Other relevant information
• Staff have received bereavement support training
• where needed have been trained in supporting children when carrying out their exercises provided by the Occupational therapist or
physiotherapist
• We use specialist trained staff for delivering Nurture (Mrs Fritz) and The Hope Project (Miss Whitney, Deputy Head)
• Designated teaching assistants will support pupils on a 1:1 basis when this is identified in an EHC plan or as required in lesson time.
• Teaching assistants will support pupils in small groups when directed by the class teacher or when completed structured intervention groups.
• Specific members of staff who administer medicine have completed training and are signed off by the school nurse as competent.

To provide the best support to a child the School and its governing body recognise that support from other professional agencies is required to achieve the best outcomes. These professionals may attend meetings, carry out assessments or deliver interventions with children. We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEN:

• Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENIS)
• SENIS: SEN and Inclusion services
• Behaviour Support Service
• Autism Inclusion Team
• Hearing Inclusion Team
• Visual Inclusion Team
• Educational Psychologists
• Educational Welfare Officers
• Social Services
• Speech and Language Therapy
• School Nurse
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapists
• Inclusion officer
• CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• Local Support Team (LST)

If you are worried or have concerns initially we would advise you to speak to your child’s class teacher. You can do this through contacting the office:

Telephone: 01785 334930
Email: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

The SENCo is Mrs R. Williams-Fenton

Email: senco@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

At St Michael’s the school governors support and challenge the headteacher to get the very best in education for the children and families in their school community. Our governing board has a strong focus on three key issues:

• Making sure the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

The SEN Governor is Mrs Margaret Moss.
The SEN governor has the following responsibility:
• Help to raise awareness of SEN issues at governing board meetings.
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEN and disability provision within the school and update the governing board on this.
• Work with the headteacher and SENCO to determine the strategic development of the SEN policy and provision in the school.
• That school policies are current, up to date and reviewed regularly.
• Making sure that the necessary support is given for any child with SEND who attends the school.

The Looked After Children Governor is Alan Rees.
The governor for looked after children has the following responsibility:
• Have a good understanding of the Looked After Children policy and its application across the school.
• Will meet regularly with the Designated Teacher for Looked After Children.
• Will ensure that they regularly visit the school and gain a good understanding of the policy being put into practice.
• Have a clear understanding of how the policy is ensuring that the CLA have the same opportunities as all other pupils
• Ensure that the Designated Teacher has received appropriate training and that all staff have regular CPD supporting their understanding of CLA.
• Regularly reviews the outcomes for the LAC e.g. How well are they doing in comparison with other pupils?
• Ensures that the governing body receives a report on LAC annually.
• Ensures that the additional monies through Pupil Premium Plus and top up funding provided for the CLA improves the outcomes and
opportunities for that young person.

At St. Michael’s there are regular opportunities for your child’s voice to be heard. When School Support Plans are reviewed your child’s opinion will be sort. This gives your child a change to say how they are getting on with their learning or whether they would like any other support. If your child has an Educaitonal Health Care Plan their views will be asked for prior to annual review. These include:

• What do you feel has been working well?
• What do you feel is not working well and would like to be different?
• Things that are important to me
• Things that are working well at home and school
• Other information I think is important to know about me
• Important things to know about my past
• Things that I enjoy doing
• How to communicate with me
• My hope, dreams and aspirations for the future
• Things I would like to change at home and school

During the school year a SEND Pupil Voice will be undertaken to allow the views of SEND children to be heard and shared to allow for effective change to happen. Also at St Michael’s we have a Student Council and UNICEF Ambassadors that gives all students an opportunity to have their voice heard and feel empowered by it too.

There are many opportunities for parents to become involved at St Michael’s they include:
• Volunteering for school trips
• Volunteering to hear pupils read
• Helping with after school clubs or activities
• Becoming a governor

If parents ask, we would always try and help or find an agency, service or organisation that could support families. The SENCo or member of the Senior Leadership Team can help guide and support families to find the relevant agencies. These may include:

• Family Support Team
• Early Help Team Staffordshire
• YMCA - Stafford Family Support Service
• Family Support Service by SCTSP
• SENDIAS

Where appropriate school staff will also support parents with the completion of forms.

At St. Michael’s all children are encouraged to attend all visits in school time. Where needed, meetings can be held with the child’s class teacher and SENCo to discuss any adaptations that may be required to support them during a visit. All pupils are encouraged to go on our residential trip to Laches Wood and additional meetings will be held prior to this visit.

All of our extra-curricular activities are available to all our pupils, including our before-and after-school clubs. All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day, school plays, forest school, special themed weeks and reasonable adjustments are made as required. No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability.

The school buildings are fully wheelchair accessible. It has 3 accessibility toilets. We also have a medical room available as a safe place to meet children’s medical needs, it includes an adjustable bed. One of our accessibility toilets is large and can be used to change. We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs. There is an area for pick-up and drop offs. We have one wide disabled parking space which is the closest space to school, next to the community room.

The school and its building are laid over one level. It has easy access door and ramps. There are three accessible toilets and a medical room which is available as a safe place to meet children’s medical needs. We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their need. During prayers and singing the children are encouraged to sign using Makaton.

St Michael's will use Makaton signs or another recommended method to communicate with children who may be non-verbal. The whole school is encouraged to use Makaton during prayers and singing.

If English is not the first language of a child, St. Michael's aims to immerse the child in a language rich environment. We will insure that instructions are simple and clear so that children with EAL are included in all lessons and activities. The school will not assume a child has SEN just because they are classed as EAL. If further support is required the school with seek the involvement of MEAS (Minority Ethnic Achievement Service). The service aims to help schools by:
• Supporting the inclusion of minority ethnic pupils
• Promoting diversity
• Preventing discriminatory incidents
• Supporting new arrivals with English as an additional language (EAL) to make progress
• Monitoring the attainment of new arrivals with EAL
• Implementing best practice for newly arrived EAL learners

The school will also establish if the child's parents can speak English. If not, translation services may be sort if it is felt appropriate.

You should contact the admissions officer Mrs Moore.

Telephone: 01785 334930
email: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

You can find the link below to the Admissions Statement.

We offer Open Days and personal 1:1 meetings or tours of the school. Initially contact the admissions officer Mrs Moore to arrange a visit to the school.

Telephone: 01785 334930
Email: office@st-michaels-stone.staffs.sch.uk

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

On entry:
• A planned programme of visits are provided in the summer term for pupils starting in September.
• Parent/carers are invited to a meeting at the school and are provided with a range of information to support them in enabling their child to settle into
the school routine.
• The SENCo meets with all new parents of pupils who are known to have SEND to allow concerns to be raised and solutions to any perceived
challenges to be located prior to entry.
• If pupils are transferring from another school, the previous school records will be requested immediately and a meeting will be set up with parents to
identify and reduce any concerns.

If your child is moving to another school:
• We will contact the school SENCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where
possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENCo from the new school.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

When moving classes in school:
• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance.
• Planning meetings will take place with the new teacher.
• School Support Plans and previous provisions will be shared with the new teacher.
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

Transition to Middle School (Y4)
• The transition programme in place for pupils in Y4 provides a number of opportunities for pupils and parents to meet staff from the new school.
These opportunities are further enhanced for pupils with SEND for example planning extra visits to the school to allow your children to explore it
to help reduce their anxiety or creating their own individualised transition plan.
• In Year 3 for children with an Educational Health Care Plan The annual review in begins the process where parents are supported to make
decisions regarding middle school choice. Parents will be encouraged to consider options for the next phase of education and the school will
involve outside agencies, as appropriate, to ensure information is comprehensive but accessible.
• For children with an EHCP their annual review will take place by the 15th February at the latest. This allows enough time to ensure their EHCP is
updated ready for September.
• Parents will be encouraged to consider options for the next phase of education and the school will involve outside agencies, as appropriate, to
ensure information is comprehensive but accessible.
• Accompanied visits to other providers may be arranged as appropriate.

Other
• For pupils transferring to local schools, the SENCo of both schools will meet to discuss the needs of pupils with SEN in order to ensure a smooth
transition.
• The records of pupils who leave the school mid phase will be transferred within five working days of the child enrolling at another school.
• Further information regarding SEND on the Staffordshire Local Offer - https://www.staffordshireconnects.info/kb5/staffordshire/directory/home.page
• Best Practise in Transition - https://www.staffordshireconnects.info/kb5/staffordshire/directory/advice.page?id=t8Uq8K0lmE4
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Choosing-somewhere-to-learn/Choosing-a-school.aspx

Staffordshire Local Offer
Staffordshire’s SEND Local Offer can be found at
www.staffordshireconnects.info

SENDIASS Staffordshire Family Partnership
https://www.staffs-iass.org/home.aspx

Phone: 01785 356 921
Email:sfps@staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire Parent Carer Forum
Staffordshire Parent Carer Forum (StaffsPCF) is an independent organisation run by volunteers who are all parents or carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). We know how difficult it can be to navigate “the system” to ensure the best provision and outcomes for our children and we are working hard to improve this.

E-mail: info@staffspcf.co.uk
Website: https://staffspcf.co.uk/

Kids SENDIASS
https://www.kids.org.uk/sendiass

Updated 28.03.2023
Review date 28.03.2024 or when required

Click the link for the Complaints and Compliments Policy.