Children attending Springfield School all have an Education, Health and Care Plan identifying a learning need(s), and often other associated difficulties. Some children may be placed at Springfield School on an Early Intervention placement pending an assessment for an EHC plan in the Early Years Foundation Stage. All admissions are controlled by the Local Authority
Children attending Springfield undergo continuous assessment during their school life. Their learning, social, emotion and mental health, physical and sensory, and communication and interaction needs are monitored continuously, and provision is adapted as their needs change and evolve.

Firstly, by liaising with the class teacher and class team. If this does not resolve the matter, the Headteachers and/or Senior Leadership Team will be able to help.

All documents can be found on our website – www.springfield.staffs.sch.uk

Each class is led by a Teacher, and a comprehensive team of Teaching Assistants (TA), including a Higher Level TA. All children access the statutory National Curriculum, but this is adapted (differentiated) according to the learning needs of the children.
There is significant emphasis on the holistic needs of the child. All professionals work closely with other agency professionals, such as Speech and Language Therapists to ensure that the wider needs of our children and families are met.
Each child has a class teacher. This person is the main contact between school and family. The Headteachers and leadership team have an ‘open door’ policy to children and parents, and value the relationships we build with families. We believe that families should be involved with their child’s education and are expected to be involved in planning their child’s education through the Annual Review of EHCP at the very least, and encourage all parents to be involved through all other systems and processes in place, both formal and informal. Each child’s education offer is personalised and all interventions and strategies on offer are personalised to each child. We recognise that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and will modify interventions and teaching approaches to meet the needs of all pupils.
The school’s Local Academy Board (LAB) work very closely with the Leadership Team and middle leaders to ensure they understand the effectiveness of Springfield’s specialised provision, and work through committees to ensure that the strategic objectives and school aims are achieved.

The teaching approach of Springfield recognises each pupil’s holistic needs and learning styles and differentiates learning activities to meet these throughout the day. The School has ensured all staff are skilled in bringing all parts of the child’s development into an active learning environment. Problem-solving skills, study skills and physical skills are also major areas of priority for each child, and each child has objectives to develop these important skills which are integral to all lessons and activities in the school. These skills are essential in developing independence and independent learning skills; a part of our ethos and values.

Each class teacher is responsible for overseeing and planning the education for each pupil in their class, alongside support and guidance from senior leaders. This includes support for pupils who access statutory assessments.

Springfield School is funded through a pupil needs-led formula. The school is modelled and resourced to meet wide ranging physical, medical and learning needs of children aged 3 to 11.
Individual assessments of need are made so that wherever specialised and personalised resources are required (that are reasonable and practicable) then these are provided.
Some children qualify for additional funding through Government Premium scheme. These funds are allocated appropriately to ensure all vulnerable groups identified across our school population have their needs appropriately met.

Parents are involved at all times in agreeing the priority needs for their child. Springfield School is resourced and structured to provide for the widely different needs of our students, through careful group structuring and input from our specialist teams.
In more complex situations, detailed assessments are made to determine whether additional resources are required to meet your child’s needs.
This is balanced against our ethos of encouraging and developing personal independence, self-advocacy and mobility as relevant to individual needs.

A range of specialist equipment and facilities are available to support the education of all pupils at the school, including a sensory room and swimming pool. All resources are allocated on a needs led basis and are informed through the provision for each child detailed in their EHCP.

The relationship between family and school is an important part of our ethos. Parents share a continuous dialogue with the class teacher through regular home/school communication. We encourage an on-going and active dialogue with parents, so that we can be responsive to your child’s needs as they change. Communication with families takes into account the preference and needs of parents/carers and will be adapted as necessary to ensure efficient and effective communication.
On a formal basis, parents are invited to meet with class teachers in order to review progress and reflect upon the physical, social and learning needs of their child. This can take the form of a personal meeting over coffee, or a more formal consultation when evaluating progress made against the child’s EHC plan. This includes information from relevant external professionals.
Parents work with class teachers and the leadership team to agree the priority needs for learning and to agree priorities for physical and personal development.
We track pupil progress in detail in a number of key areas. This includes progress against the National Curriculum, social emotional development, and in Early Years – against the EYFS profile. Targets are agreed with children and parents in a range of key areas, and reviewed regularly. Progress is compared to progress made in previous years, and where appropriate, against national trends.
Parents can also meet with a member of the leadership team so that you can be sure that we are meeting your child’s needs appropriately. We are always happy to listen to your concerns so that we can work with the appropriate teams to ensure that our provision is focused on the needs of your child. Progress in education and learning is important to us as a school, but we place equal importance to the quality of personal care, and to the physical and emotional needs of your child.

Through our effective communication we will ensure that home learning is appropriate and where parents and carers require support with this, class teachers and the school team will provide this. In addition, where home learning requires IT equipment, we will support families in ensuring they have the necessary provision.

Our Assessment policy details how children will receive feedback on their learning and be informed of next steps – this is always done in a way that is appropriate to the individual need of the pupil. In addition to this, where appropriate, pupils will be involved in their annual review of their EHC plan.

The school completes a rigorous self-evaluation annually which assesses and evaluates the effectiveness of the provision. Information from all stakeholders contributes to this, for example, parent surveys, pupil surveys and school parliament activities, staff survey, internal and external monitoring, formal and informal meetings and discussions. The school provides feedback following surveys.

The majority of pupils travel to school on dedicated school transport – the school is rigorous in ensuring that all drivers and PAs on school transport have appropriate identification to show that suitable checks have been made by the Local Authority and will challenge as appropriate. If there is ever any doubt, the school will not allow the child to travel. For those who do not use school transport, staff members ensure that they know the adult collecting each child and again will challenge if they are unsure.

Class staff, supported by dedicated lunch time staff, support pupils during breaks and lunchtime to ensure continuity in support and provision. All of the outside areas at Springfield are secure and have appropriate surfaces and equipment suitable for the needs of the children. Children are supervised at all times and risk assessments are carried out for all activities.

At Springfield, we place great emphasis on the care and holistic wellbeing of our children. It is important to us that children feel safe, and that their personal care and emotional wellbeing take priority. We work closely with our team of a qualified nurse, physiotherapists and other agencies to ensure that our pupils’ wider physical, medical and emotional needs are properly supported.

We take particular care to nurture the trust and relationships between staff and children, so that they feel able to freely express their concerns and worries. This enables our staff to respond quickly to their needs, and to deal quickly with any issues that may develop.

We have a strong 'student voice' that gives many opportunities for students to contribute to school improvement. The School Parliament meet regularly and feed back to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) any issues that require consideration or action.

We have a zero tolerance of bullying, and are proud of our ethos that encourages cooperation and mutual care and support between children, this is also embedded within our curriculum. We work closely with parents and children where behaviour may require support. We adopt models that promote positive behaviours. We work closely with other agencies and professionals where appropriate, such as Education Psychology, Learning Disability Teams and CAMHS.. All policies can be found on our website and are available from the school office on request.

All students, where appropriate, are involved in agreeing their personal goals and targets, and are able to give their views at the annual review of their EHCP. We encourage an ‘open door’ policy so that students are able to speak to any staff to share personal concerns.

We believe that we promote good behaviour by creating a happy caring positive school environment where everyone feels valued, respected, secure and free from all forms of anti-social behaviour. We encourage pupils to achieve in a learning environment where self-discipline is promoted and good behaviour is the norm. We believe pupils will achieve their full potential in a happy, stimulating school environment.

The School’s Safeguarding policy ensures that any and all disclosures or concerns are considered and acted upon in an appropriate manner. The School’s Safeguarding policy is available to view on the school website or by request.

The school has an Intimate Care Policy in place which recognises that some pupils need assistance with their personal care needs within the school. Intimate care includes such activities as feeding, oral care, washing, changing clothes, toileting, first aid and medical assistance, comforting and support, and supervising intimate self-care that may be required to meet the personal needs of a child. We endeavour to develop independence in every child but on those occasions when children need assistance they must feel safe, have personal privacy, feel valued, be treated with dignity and respect, and be involved and consulted about their own intimate care. All staff receive training in Safeguarding, First Aid, and moving and handling, as appropriate.

Children who require medication in school and those with more complex needs will have Individual Health Care Plans drawn up in partnership with the whole school team and other healthcare professionals. These are shared with the class team and agreed by parents/carers so that all adults working with the child understand the care plan and how to meet the pupil’s needs. The school has a named school nurse who supports in this area. Where pupils have medical appointments, we ask parents/carers to consider the least impact on attendance at school, but where this is not possible, medical appointments are authorised absences.

In the case of a medical emergency, Individual Care Plans are followed as appropriate and/or emergency services are called. Listed emergency contacts are contacted by the school and we maintain communication and devise a plan of action with emergency contacts. It is important that all pupils have at least two emergency contacts.

The school holds PROACT-SCIPr-UK174; trained status – this is a positive behaviour support programme that all staff are trained in. Its principles are in increasing life opportunities and increasing quality of life for pupils whose behaviour may challenge. The school has two trained instructors and also utilises the expertise of Educational Psychologists to look at teaching proactive strategies for pupils.

The school’s behaviour policy and physical intervention policies can be found on the school website or are available from the school office on request.

The school has a named Designated Teacher (DT) for Looked After Pupils who supports the educational achievement of these pupils. The DT works with the social worker and Virtual School to ensure this process is effective. The Designated Teacher is Helen Summers, Deputy Headteacher.

The class staff consist of a class teacher and a number of teaching assistants who can be contacted via the school office.

All information about a child is shared with the class team to ensure that all needs are met.

Members of staff receive regular training in mandatory areas such as safeguarding, lifting and handling, behaviour management, health and safety, and first aid. Where required, staff also access training for specific areas appropriate to the children’s needs.
We continuously review and adapt our teaching and learning strategies, and monitor the quality of teaching to ensure we strive for continuous improvement

Springfield School works closely with our medical, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy colleagues and other agencies to ensure that we provide the appropriate support for each child. This ensures that each child can access a relevant and challenging education curriculum while making sure that their wider holistic needs are also being met.
School Teams:
• Qualified and experienced teachers in every area of the school. Teachers are also Middle Leaders, and have responsibility for the management of resources in their class, and curriculum subject leadership.
• There is a qualified and experienced Higher Level Teaching Assistant who works across the school.
• Qualified and experienced teaching assistants assist children with learning, personal and social support and physical programmes as appropriate.
• Physiotherapy team ensuring that all children receive appropriate physical programmes in partnership with class teams as required.
• Input from Speech and Language Therapy teams. Our teams work with Speech and Language Therapists to support the delivery of adapted and augmented communication methods, development of speech and language skills - (dysphasia), and assessment of ‘eating and swallowing’ skills - (dysphagia).
• Occupational Therapist supporting with childrens’ sensory needs.

In the first instance contact should be made with the class teacher to discuss your child, however, the Headteachers are also available to discuss any concerns you may have. The Designated Safeguarding Lead, Sarah Rubanski, is also available to discuss any safeguarding concerns.

The Headteachers are the SENCos of the school and can be contacted via the school office.

The Local Academy Board act as critical friends to the Senior Leadership Team and Headteachers. All LAB members have a responsibility for SEND

The provision at Springfield is entirely based around the children and their needs, this means that it is ever evolving. Children are closely observed and listened to with regard to their views, aspirations and provision within the school.
The school parliament gives all pupils a voice and allows all pupils to make their views known in a range of communicative ways. At each Annual Review of EHCP, pupil views are documents – this may be through adult observation or through direct communication with the pupil. In addition there is an annual pupil survey which allows pupils to show their views in a range of ways.

There are many ways in which parents can help and support the school, and to become engaged in school life. Parents’ Evenings, the child’s Annual Review meeting, sporting events, Christmas concerts, social events and fairs are held regularly throughout the year. All parents are invited to attend.
The school has an active Parents, Teachers and Friends Association which arranges regular meetings and events throughout the year. This association has charity status.
We have an ‘open-door’ policy and welcome parents to meet and discuss their child’s needs with staff or the leadership team members.
Our School’s Local Academy Board also has a committed representation of Parent LAB members, playing a vital role in ensuring Springfield School’s strategic role is focused on the needs of children with complex needs and their families.
If you would like to help or have a special area of expertise that you would like to offer us, we would be glad to hear from you.

The school has a dedicated Family Support Team who will support families with signposting to other agencies, supporting with meetings, supporting with paperwork, direct work with children and their families, etc.
Families can contact the Family Hub directly via the school office to discuss the support they may need. Equally the team may contact families to offer support.

Springfield has a strong belief that education in the community and environment forms an essential aspect of learning, and of being able to use and apply their formal learning in real contexts. We actively encourage our staff teams to take class groups off-site – into towns and their local community – to engage and communicate with people in shops, services and businesses.
Our older students have the opportunity to attend a residential visit to an Outdoor Education Centre.
A range of lunchtime clubs are on offer when mixing allows.

Springfield School is a fully accessible environment. It is fully wheelchair accessible, and has fully accessible classrooms, therapy areas and personal care facilities.
The curriculum is adapted to ensure that all students can access appropriate learning, including statutory assessments.
We work closely with the Visual Impairment and Hearing Impairment specialists to make sure that any child with a hearing or visual impairment can access the appropriate support and resources. This may include communication support, and adapted teaching and learning resources such as large print, audio and tactile equipment. We use translation services when required, to support parents for whom English may not be their first language.
Any specialist equipment required in school for a child will be assessed and agreed with other professional agencies and parents as necessary, and purchased by the school where the equipment is generic, or purchased by the Health Authority where the equipment is prescribed and unique to the child. Equipment can include specialised seating, access to standing, walking and lying, sensory equipment or specialised work stations or desks.

Springfield School is a fully accessible environment. It is fully wheelchair accessible, and has fully accessible classrooms, therapy areas and personal care facilities.
The curriculum is adapted to ensure that all students can access appropriate learning, including statutory assessments.
We work closely with the Visual Impairment and Hearing Impairment specialists to make sure that any child with a hearing or visual impairment can access the appropriate support and resources. This may include communication support, and adapted teaching and learning resources such as large print, audio and tactile equipment. We use translation services when required, to support parents for whom English may not be their first language.
Any specialist equipment required in school for a child will be assessed and agreed with other professional agencies and parents as necessary, and purchased by the school where the equipment is generic, or purchased by the Health Authority where the equipment is prescribed and unique to the child. Equipment can include specialised seating, access to standing, walking and lying, sensory equipment or specialised work stations or desks.

The school will commission interpreters where needed to support families whose first language is not English. The school will also utilise advice from the EAL team as necessary.

The school uses a range of alternative communication forms to support the Total Communication Approach. This includes PECS, Makaton, symbols to name a few. The school has a dedicated Communication Team to ensure that all pupils and families are enabled to communicate in whichever form this may take.

The Admissions information can be found on our website – www.springfield.staffs.sch.uk

All admissions are conducted via the local authority; parents/carers should contact the SEND key worker.

Please contact the school office to arrange a visit with one of the Headteachers. This will be a personalised discussion about the needs of your child and the school and will involve a tour of the school, ideally during the school day.

Starting a new school at any age or moving on to another setting can be a very challenging time for parents and children. This process of transition is very important to us at Springfield School, as we work hard with parents to make this as worry-free as possible. We encourage all new children and parents to visit us, where we give a tour of our facilities and give an opportunity for parents to meet the other children and staff around the school. The needs of any new child are discussed in detail to ensure that they are appropriately met from the first day. Children are assessed during their first half term, where any adjustments to provision may be discussed and agreed with parents.
As long as we have places available, children can join Springfield at any age where our provision is deemed to be the most appropriate for meeting their physical and learning needs.
Transition out of Springfield and onwards to the next provision can be equally worrying, and again, we have a comprehensive transition plan for students moving on to new schools. We work closely with other agencies and providers, and parents and students, to ensure that families are properly informed and supported through this process.
Our aim is to equip our students with the confidence and skills to become advocates of their own futures and valued members of our society. To this end we identify pupil needs with respect to what we call ‘Learning Skills’, identify key targets and track progress in these areas each term.

In addition to the Family Support Team, Class Team, Headteacher and SEND Key Worker, SENDIASS are Staffordshire’s independent support and advice service. Further information can be found at https://www.staffs-iass.org/home.aspx

Last updated – July 2023
Reviewed and Updated annually

We consult with parents/carers with decisions and the provision on offer, however, if parents/carers are unhappy we would hope they would feel comfortable to discuss this and give us the opportunity to resolve the concern informally. However, the school does have a complaints procedure which is available on the school website – www.springfield.staffs.sch.uk