This policy is a draft and is awaiting approval by the Academy Council.

Aims

Our SEND policy and information report aims to:

• Set out how Minerva Primary school will support and make provision for children with Special Educational Needs (SEND)
• Explain the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in providing for learners with SEND

What do we mean by ‘SEND’?

A child or a young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him/her namely provision which is additional to or different from what is ordinarily available in a differentiated curriculum.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

1. Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or b) Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post -16 institutions.
2. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

(Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014) Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

The four broad areas of need

Under the SEND Code of Practice 2015 pupils identified as having special educational needs (SEN), will be considered within one or more of the following categories:

Cognition and Learning

Children with learning needs may learn at a slower pace than other children and have difficulty developing literacy and or numeracy skills or understanding new concepts. Learning needs may be in addition to, or as a result of other special educational needs. Children with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) will have difficulties related to one or more of the following; dyslexia (reading and spelling), dyscalculia (Maths), dyspraxia (co-ordination) and dysgraphia (writing). Learning difficulties range over a wide range of needs. These include; moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Children with PMLD are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties, as well as physical disability or sensory impairment.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

Children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties, which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn and isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children may have needs such as; Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or Attachment Disorder.

Communication and Interaction Needs

Children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them, or because they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile of every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language and social communication at different times of their lives. Children with Autism, including Asperger’s Syndrome, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Some children require special educational provision because they have a disability that prevents or hinders them, from making use of educational facilities universally provided. These difficulties can be age related and can fluctuate over time. Many children with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multisensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Children with MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Some children with a Physical Difficulty (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

Equitable provision for all

At Minerva, we believe that every child is valued equally, and every teacher is a teacher of SEND. We believe in equitable educational experiences for all, and we believe that all children are unique individuals and at Minerva Primary school they are equipped to make progress so that they achieve their best and become confident individuals who know the positive contribution they have to make to the world. We believe in early and effective identification of needs, the elimination of barriers to learning and precise and personalised provision to meets those needs without stigma or compromise.

A supportive environment

• The school has a graduated response to children’s needs. On- going discussion takes place with the SENCo, senior leaders and class teachers to decide on the most appropriate support for a child.
• We will at first put in additional reading/writing/maths support, speech and language or behaviour for learning support, depending on the needs of the child.
• If your child is still not making enough progress, we may refer your child to another agency (such as Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapists, School Nurse or paediatrician).
• If we are still concerned about progress, we may apply for additional money to help finance the extra support needed through Top Up funds and costed plans.
• We may apply for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for children with more complex needs. Sometimes we may consider that a child’s needs are best met on a part time timetable for a limited period. (Education, Health and Care plans (somerset.gov.uk) This link will take you to Somerset Council’s website which describes the EHC application process)
• We may feel that an Alternative Learning Provision will provide the best support for a child for a limited period. This would be applied for in agreement with parents/carers. Children would remain on-roll at Minerva Primary school.
• Occasionally, school staff, professionals and parents/carers may agree that their child’s needs are best met more permanently in a specialist school. Support will be given to parents/carers to work through this process with school and the Local Education Authority. Somerset’s SEND Local Offer

The Local Offer

Somerset’s Local Offer is information on the services available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs between 0 – 25 and how to access them.

Meeting the needs of children with SEND at Minerva Primary School

IEPs

An Individual Education plan (IEP) will be developed for all children on the SEN register.

Children contribute to their IEPs about what helps them to learn, what they need to do well, what they are good at and what they find difficult.

SMART Targets will be written for all children with an IEP. These will be reviewed termly and discussed with parents then re-set.

Name:	Term:	Start date:
Strengths and need:	Target:
Provision & Strategies:

Roles and responsibilities

The role of the SENDCo

Mrs Rachelle Billington is the SENDCo at Minerva Primary school. She is responsible for assessing, monitoring and co-ordinating the provision for all the children with special educational needs in the school and ensuring the children with Special educational needs are making good progress.

In addition to this, Mrs Billington is responsible for developing the school’s overall vision and approach to SEND and supporting all teachers in their teaching and learning of SEND.

Class teachers are the first person to speak to if you have any questions or concerns regarding children’s progress.

The role of the SEND Governor

The SEND Governor will:

• Help to raise awareness of SEND issues at Governing Body meetings
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEND and disability provision within the school and update the Local Schools Committee on this.
• Work with the Principal and SENDCo to determine the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school.

The role of the class teacher

Each class teacher, instructor or key worker is responsible for:

• The progress and development of every child in their class.
• Working closely with any support staff or specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching.
• Working with the Leadership Team to review each child’s progress and development and decide on any changes to their provision.
• Ensuring they follow this SEND policy.
• Ensuring that interventions as detailed in the EHCP are delivered.

Identifying children with special educational needs at Minerva Primary School

• Progress significantly slower than peers starting from the same baseline.
• Failure to match or improve upon the learner’s previous rate of progress.
• Failure to close the attainment gap between the learner and their peers.
• Supporting Early Intervention

The child’s voice

Every child is involved in reviewing their IEP, and their voice is included on it. We try to maintain a constant dialogue with our children to ensure we hear what they say about their learning – what is working for them, what is not, how we can make things better for them to make it as easy as possible to help them reach their full potential and overcome their individual barriers to learning. We try to be responsive to what children tell us about how we can improve their learning environment and adapt to meet their needs, within the constraints of the school building and budget!

Consulting and involving parents

We will maintain close, positive and early contact with all parents. We know how helpful it is to have good home school communication and teachers will always be happy to speak to you. Please make an appointment though the school office. regular parent meetings.

Parents will be:

• Encouraged to discuss any worries with the school.
• Parents can contact teachers via Class Dojo, as well as keeping up to date with class stories
• Invited to discuss the progress or concerns regarding their child.
• Kept informed of any additional provision which is being implemented.
• Invited to contribute to or attend any reviews or meetings about their child.

Assessing and reviewing children’s progress

Minerva Primary School follows the four-part process, Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

All our actions are taken in a Graduated Response, this means that this structured approach of APDR is used to ensure that all children receive the right level of support at the right time to meet their needs.

Adaptations to the Curriculum and Learning Environment

• Inclusive Quality First teaching will enable all children to access the curriculum.
• Class teachers are responsible for the overall learning of each child in their class, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• They will plan additional and/or different learning that is adapted and scaffolded to ensure every child at every level makes progress.

Smooth Transitions – starting school and leaving school

School entry planning for Early Years

If your child’s needs have been identified before starting school, we may hold a School Entry Meeting with you, and everyone involved in your child’s care to ensure that the school is ready to meet their needs when they start in Reception. This plan will include any agencies involved during Nursery, and will be reviewed in the first term once the children have settled in.

• We work closely with our link nursery schools and with secondary schools in the local area.
• We have an induction procedure to help new pupils settle into school
• SENCos and teachers from both settings talk together, and meetings are arranged to share information. This will include parents/carers and pupils.
• Extra visits are organised to prepare the child for the new setting. Sometimes these happen weekly before a child is due to move to secondary school.
• Staff will also prepare children by working with timetables, maps, photos and plans of the new school

Enhanced transitions for Year 6

• Staff will prepare children by working alongside their KS3 provision, meeting and sharing information and handing over all individual provision maps and documentations.
• Additional visits will be arranged to the children’s Year 7 placement as will invitations be issued to staff from those settings to visit the child in their current setting here at Minerva.

Legislation and Guidance

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, which set out schools’ responsibilities for education, health, and care (EHC) plans, SEND coordinators (SENDDCOs) and the SEND information report
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2010
• SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25 (30 April 2020)
• Statutory Guidance on Supporting learners at school with medical conditions DfE April 2014
• The National Curriculum in England Key Stage 1-4 framework document: September 2014
• Teachers Standards 2021

This policy and SEND Information Report was created by the Senior Leadership Team through consultation with stakeholders and specialists from outside agencies including Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and other outside agencies, who work with the school. It was shared and discussed with the school Academy Council.

Reference to other relevant policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with:

• Accessibility Plan
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Statement
• Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy