Teachers use Assessment for Learning (AFL) within lessons to monitor children’s progress, and they undertake summative assessments at the end of each term. Children who are making slower progress can be identified this way. If teachers have specific concerns about a child, they contact the SENDCO for support and a concern form will be completed. The child will be monitored for 8-12 weeks and interventions will be put in place to address areas of need through a cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) and recorded on the child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).

We know when a child needs help if:
• concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, or the child’s previous school
• there is lack of progress
• end of term assessments show the child’s standardised scores have not improved
• there is a change in the child’s behaviour
• a child asks for help

After one cycle of APDR, staff involved with the child’s learning will either decide the child no longer needs any extra support or add the child to our SEND register. We will seek consent from parents to do this and continue with the cycles of APDR. The SENDCo may ask parents to consent to referral to an outside agency if we feel that we need to access support beyond what we are able to offer in school.

If you have concerns, then please firstly discuss these with your child’s teacher. This then may result in a referral to the school SENDCo whose name is Ms Bryan and who may be contacted through the school office on: 01827 213995 or email g.bryan@st-leonards-wigginton.staffs.sch.uk
All parents will be listened to and their views and their aspirations for their child will be central to the assessment and provision that is provided by the school.

All relevant information regarding the school's SEND Policy and other related documents can be found on our school website.

Each child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be written by the class teacher with support from the SENDCO if necessary. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the child’s individual needs and individual targets will be set. The provision we put in place will vary depending upon the needs of the child. This may include additional general support by the teacher or learning support in class or use of particular resources (e.g. a writing slope.) Parents will be invited to meet with the class teacher to discuss and agree the targets and also to review the targets at the end of a APDR cycle.
If a child has needs related to more specific areas of their education or social skills, such as spelling, handwriting, reading, maths; then the child may be placed in a small intervention group. Intervention takes place outside of core teaching time and these children are identified half termly. This will usually be delivered by one of our highly trained Teaching Assistants or the class teacher. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning. If you have any queries related to the interventions, please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENDCO.
The class teacher will meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to discuss the progress of the children in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned.
Occasionally, a child may need more expert support from an outside agency such as the Paediatrician, Speech Therapist, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), Autism Outreach Team etc. Referral forms are then completed in conjunction with parents/carers and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers.

Teachers plan and use a range of differentiation strategies within their lessons from children’s levels, differentiating work to closely match children’s ability and learning needs. Teachers plan for different learning styles within their lessons. When a child has been identified with special needs their work will be further differentiated by the class teacher to remove barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum more easily. The school uses Dyslexia friendly strategies and teachers confidently make adjustments to their lessons such as using coloured paper and overlays for reading, using talking tins for writing lessons and practical apparatus such as bead strings for maths support. These strategies are embedded within the teacher’s daily practice. Teachers also differentiate the pitch of their lessons for children with SEND. All staff are trained in emotion coaching and trauma.
A Teaching Assistant may be allocated to work with the child in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.
If appropriate, specialist equipment may be given to the child e.g. reading rulers, writing slopes, concentration cushions, pen/pencil grips or easy to use scissors.

The SEND budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources, dependent on an individual’s needs.
The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at child progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year. Further support or resources may be allocated to your child following assessments by school staff or outside agencies (e.g. Educational Psychologist). Funding may be used to buy in specialist support. Individual Pupil Premium payments are used to support that child’s learning.

The decision about the type of support your child will receive will be made by the Senior Leadership team, the SENDCo and the parents collaboratively and closely monitored. This may take the form of additional individual or small group support in class or in other intervention groups tailored to your child’s needs. During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the child’s lack of progress or well-being, then other interventions will be arranged. Parents/carers will be notified if their child is receiving 1-1 or small group support outside of the classroom.

We ensure that the needs of all children are met to the best of the school’s ability with the funds available. We will often allocate Teaching Assistants to deliver programmes designed to meet groups of children’s needs. The special educational needs (SEND) budget is managed by the Headteacher and allocated on a needs basis. Resources are requested and ordered as necessary to support each pupil’s learning. Regular meetings are held to monitor impact of extra support. The governing body is kept informed of funding decisions.

You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents Evenings and at review meetings. Class Teachers will set termly and end-of-year targets which will be shared with you. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or the SENDCO, by visiting the school office. We have an open door policy and parents are welcome to come discuss issues at any time. If teachers and staff agree that it is necessary, a home-school book can be implemented. Individual Education Plans are reviewed each term. Targets will be set by the class teacher, parents and pupil.

The class teacher may suggest additional ways of supporting your child’s learning at parents’ evenings, review meetings or by arranging a meeting with you. This may be in the form of games to play with your child, or activities to support a new topic, or differentiated homework. The SENDCo may meet with you to discuss how to support your child. This would normally follow on from when a child has been assessed or discussed at the termly review meeting. The SENDCO may meet with you to discuss strategies to use your child is struggling to emotionally regulate and manage their behaviour.
Outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist may suggest advice or programmes of study that can be used at home. Children may also be referred to the SEND and Inclusion Hub for further support.

The pupils are encouraged to share their feelings about the support they receive and what helps them to learn better through ‘pupil voice’ activities and with an adult that works closely with them, they create an ‘All About Me’ document. The pupils are a part of the review process for each cycle of APDR and are invited to discuss their aspirations and goals with the SENDCo.

We maintain an overview of the programmes and interventions used with different groups of pupils to provide a basis for monitoring their effectiveness and impact. This impact is measured on a termly basis. We use information systems to monitor the progress and development of all pupils. This helps us to develop the use of interventions that are effective and to remove those that are less so.

The beginning and end of each school day a member of staff is present on the playground and near the main entrances to ensure handover from parents.
The school has a comprehensive and robust set of risk assessments which cover all equipment, activities and individual children where appropriate.

The school offers a variety of pastoral support for children who are encountering emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. We are a recognised trauma-informed school
These include
- nurture provision by a trained ELSA (Emotion Literacy Support Assistant)
- forest school
- home/school link support
- behaviour and attendance are monitored and support is offered where needed
- family support worker
- support for children who experienced trauma

Pupils who have medical needs will be provided with a Health Care Plan, which has been put together by the school nurse, in partnership with parents and where appropriate, with pupils. All staff are made aware of the medical difficulties of pupils, including asthma. Most staff have received Asthma Awareness and inhaler training.
Three members of staff have received First Aid at Work training, and the majority of staff are trained in Paediatric First Aid which includes epi-pen training. We have a policy for the administration of medications and providing intimate care which can be found at https://www.st-leonards-wigginton.staffs.sch.uk/key-documents/.

We have the highest expectations for behaviour and attendance at St Leonard’s and these are based on the excellent relationships we have with our pupils and families. We have a nurturing ethos which forms the basis of our restorative approach. We take a restorative approach to behaviour and this feeds into our Behaviour Policy and our Anti-bullying Policy https://www.st-leonards-wigginton.staffs.sch.uk/key-documents/. We encourage children to take responsibility for their actions, to understand the consequences and to put things right. We also start each day as a new day so that children know they can move on.

Our Headteacher is the designated person for LAC and works closely with the school SENDCo to co-ordinate provision for pupils who are both LAC and have SEND.

The class teacher is the first point of contact to discuss any concerns. Other key staff that are available are the SENDCo, Assistant SENDCo and the Headteacher.

SEND information about children is shared and understood by all staff in a variety of different ways, including:
- regular staff meetings
- support staff meetings
- training schedules
- key staff discussions

The school has an action plan, including identified training needs for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEND. This may include whole school training on SEND issues or to support identified groups of learners in school, such as ASD, dyslexia etc. Whole staff training to disseminate knowledge, strategies and experience, to ensure consistency of the school’s approach for children with SEND. Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class e.g. from the ASD Outreach service etc. Training takes place on a regular basis. As a staff we have regular training and updates of SEND conditions, medication use and resources / interventions available for our pupils in order to ensure all staff are able to manage pupils accordingly. Ms Bryan is currently completing the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO)

At times, it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise.
The agencies used by the school include:
- SENSS - Special Educational Needs Support Service
- Autism Outreach Team
- Educational Psychologist
- Behaviour Support Service
- CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
- Flash Ley Centre (Physical & Sensory Service) to support children with hearing/visual Impairment
- Families First
- EWO (Educational Welfare Officers)
- Speech & Language
- Occupational Therapy
- Paediatrician
- School Nurse
- Social Services
- Children’s and Young Person’s Autism Service
- Malachi
- Touchbase

An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He/she would normally only work directly with children whose needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them. In order to help understand the child’s educational needs better, the psychologist will generally meet with the parents/carers and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. He/she will offer advice to the school and parents/carers on how to best support the child in order to take their learning forward.

If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or are unhappy about something regarding your child’s schooling please contact the following:
Your child’s class teacher
SENDCo
The Headteacher

Ms Gemma Bryan
01827 213995
g.bryan@st-leonards-wigginton.staffs.sch.uk

Our Governing Board fulfils its statutory duty towards pupils with SEND or disabilities in accordance with the guidance set out in the SEN Code of Practice. In particular, the Governing Board ensures:
• arrangements are in place in school to support pupils with medical conditions
• a SEND information report is published annually
• there is a qualified teacher designated as SENDCO for the school.

The SEND link governor is Emma Hollis. The governor meets with the SENDCo and provides support but also holds them accountable.

• Pupil voice
• Individual interviews related to IEP targets with the class teacher

All parent governor vacancies are advertised on the school website and school newsletter.

The SENCO will work with families to complete paperwork and collect evidence. Termly meetings are held with parents to give them the opportunity to ask for specific help. The assistant SENCO will complete an EHCNA if a family requires additional support.
In addition to this, informal support is available at school on a daily basis for our families.

All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful. Risk assessments are carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health & safety will not be compromised. A suitable number of adults are made available to accompany the pupils, with 1:1 support if necessary. We try to encourage our children to be independent but at times it may be necessary for their parent or carer to join us on the trip to support their child. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided. After school clubs are available to all pupils and adjustments will be made to support their participation. Health and safety audits will be conducted as and when appropriate.

We are committed to providing a fully accessible environment that values and includes all children, staff, parents and visitors. Work was undertaken in 2019 to ensure the whole school building is fully accessible. We ensure that the equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs. After-school provision is accessible to all children including those with SEND. Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND. We have a disabled toilet and a disabled parking place. As a school, we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Please refer to our Accessibility Plan on the website.

The site is fully accessible. Children with sensory needs are supported through the use of additional resources such as fiddle toys and headphones.

The school makes use of a variety of communication methods including email, newsletters, Class dojo and the school website
In the event of alternative languages being needed, the school would work hard to ensure that this was available.

If you are interested in your child joining our setting please contact the school office on 01827 213995

Parents are welcome to contact the school office on 01827 213995 to arrange to come into school to look around and speak to the Headteacher.

St. Leonard’s Primary School understands what a stressful time moving schools can be, therefore strategies are in place to enable the child’s transition to be as smooth as possible.

These include:
On entry:
• Parent/carers are invited to a meeting at the school so that they know what to expect and are encouraged to share any concerns with the school.
• Our Foundation Stage teacher visits all children in their pre-school setting or at home wherever possible. Where concerns are raised, the SENDCo may visit the setting and a meeting with parents to discuss any issues may be arranged. In some circumstances, individual arrangements may be made for starting school such as starting part time if necessary.

If your child is moving to another school:
• We will contact the school SENDCO and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.

When moving classes in school:
• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher IN ADVANCE and a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. All PLPs will be shared with the new teacher.
• A visit to their new class in July.
• If your child would be helped by a book to support them understand moving on then it will be made for them.

In Year 6:
• The SENDCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCO of their secondary school, and the specialist session for students with an ASD, as appropriate.
• Your child will do focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead.
• Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.

Our induction for children arriving mid-year includes:
• Currently we give all children a tour of the school with their parent/carer.
• Introduce children to their new teacher and show them where they will put their coats etc.
• Agree the start date. In certain circumstances, such as the child not having attended school before, special starting arrangements may be agreed.
• Contact the previous school for the child’s records. Where there are concerns the SENDCO will be contacted by phone.
• Buddy them up with a child in the class

There are a number of services that can provide advice for families of children with SEND.

This SEN Information Report is intended to give you clear, accurate and accessible information. This report will be reviewed annually to reflect the changing needs of the children who join and are developing in our school and is therefore subject to change. Part of this review process will involve contributions from parents. If you would like to comment on the content of the report or make suggestions to improve the information, please email the SENDCo.
This version was updated in February 2023.

Parents can give feedback via email, in person or by telephone at any point. There are also opportunities to do this through the regular parent meetings that are held throughout the year. The school complaints policy is available on our website.