Home Page

Sir John Sherbrooke Junior School

We are a 'Take Care' school

SEND Information Report

SENCo: Mrs Marlor

SEND Team: Miss Jackson & Mrs Ramsden (Miss Maddison support)

office11@sirjohnsherbrooke.notts.sch.uk

SEND Local Offer https://www.nottshelpyourself.org.uk/kb5/nottinghamshire/directory/localoffer.page?newdirectorychannel=9

2023 - 2024

1. What kinds of special educational needs does the school/setting make provision for?

Sir John Sherbrooke Junior School is a mainstream school which has a strong ethos of inclusion; it is not a specialist in any area of Special Educational Needs. We aim to provide every child with access to a broad and balanced education.

Our aims are:

To create a learning environment that meets the special educational needs of each child;
To ensure the identification of all pupils requiring SEND provision as early as possible in their school career and provide the appropriate support;
To identify the roles and responsibilities of staff and outside agencies in providing for children’s special educational needs;
To communicate effectively with parents and involve them fully in supporting their child’s education;
To ensure an environment that values children’s strengths, develops the child’s potential and ensures the provision of basic skills for adult life;
To ensure that SEND pupils are involved, where practicable, in decisions affecting their future SEND provision.

2. (For mainstream schools & maintained nurseries only) How does the school/setting know if pupils need extra help and what should I do if I think that my child may have special educational needs?

Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and grade boundaries will be monitored.
Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEND they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.
The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.
The SENCo will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.
Through points 2 and 4 it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward.
If a pupil has recently been removed from the SEND list they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary.
Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school.
The child is formally recorded by the school as being under observation due to concern by parent or teacher but this does not place the child on the school’s SEND list. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference.
Pupil Progress Meetings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by the child. If your child makes no progress or ‘inadequate’ progress over a considerable amount of time (a full term), they will be monitored closely. The frequency of these meetings is dependent on the individual child’s needs and progress being made.
If you feel that your child’s needs are not being met, contact the SENCo.

3.a) How does the school/setting evaluate the effectiveness of its provision for pupils with special educational needs?

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEND provision the school encourages feedback from staff, parents and pupils throughout the year. This takes place in half termly Pupil Progress Meetings, review meetings and parents’ evenings. Intervention programmes are monitored at least every 12 weeks, but usually every 6 weeks; the outcomes are used to inform next steps. Scholarpack may be used to monitor progress and to record interventions.

Pupil progress will be monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEND Code of Practice.

There is an annual formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the school SEND provision and policy. The evaluation is carried out by the SENCO, Head Teacher and SEND governor and information is gathered from different sources such as child and parent surveys/ teacher and staff surveys/parents evenings. This will be collated and published by the governing body of a maintained school (or the proprietors of Academy schools) on an annual basis in accordance with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

We continually review and report on the effectiveness of the policy.

This includes:

the numbers of children identified and their progress;
the levels of parental/carer involvement;
materials and equipment used;
resource allocation;
liaison with other educational establishments and agencies;
details of the staff’s continual professional development;
our priorities for the year.

Evidence collected will help inform school development and improvement planning.

3.b) How will both the school/setting and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will the school/setting help me to support their learning?

The school will inform parents on a termly basis of the progress their child is making. This will take the form of 2 parents’ evenings and 1 annual report.
If a pupil is receiving SEND support then they will have three reviews a year (2 extended parents' evening appointments with the class teacher and the option to have the SENCo present and 1 Summer review with the SENCo and class teacher) to discuss how the needs of the pupil are being met within school. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and their parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENCo will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil’s progress and development making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and the pupil.
Parents will be provided with clear information about the impact of support to enable them to be involved in planning the next steps.
Outside of these meetings, both parents and pupils are encouraged to discuss and concerns/progress with the class teacher or SENCO by contacting the school.

3.c) What is the school's approach to teaching pupils with special educational needs?

The class teacher remains responsible for working with pupils on a daily basis. Their primary aim is for all pupils to achieve the best they possibly can. To achieve this, work will be differentiated in several ways:

- Task; by providing different tasks to match ability and need as appropriate.

- Resources; by providing different resources to support pupils in their tasks as appropriate to their ability and needs.

- Outcome; through the expectation of the end result of the task.

- Support; through an adult working with an individual or group of children as appropriate to their ability and need. This could be support by the teacher or a teaching assistant.

Teaching may also be supported by focussed interventions which may be arranged to support pupils further with specific areas of need, e.g. phonics, writing, numeracy.

3.d) How will the curriculum and learning be matched to my child/young person's needs?

The school is expected to, and responsible for, making reasonable adjustments to support pupils with a range of special educational needs. This can involve adapting the physical environment through placement, resources or changes to the classroom and through adapting the taught curriculum. When planning for lessons, teachers consider any special educational needs within the class and make amendments or adaptations as required. These are included in the teacher’s planning. Differentiation for all pupils is detailed on the planning and this is also the same for differentiating for special educational needs.

3.e) How are decisions made about the type and amount of support my child/young person will receive?

Resources allocated to pupils with additional needs come from three different sources.

Place Funding: Resources directly placed into the school budget to support the majority of pupils who face moderate barriers to their learning. This funding is used for curriculum support and some small group teaching and support.

AFN: Additional Family Needs: Resources devolved to the Family of Schools by the LA. (The Family of Schools comprises of a secondary school and its feeder primary schools). These resources are intended to support individual pupils with more complex needs. Decisions on the allocations of these resources are made by the Family of Schools and are based on the level of individual pupils’ needs.

HLN: High Level Needs. Resources allocated to named pupils with exceptionally complex and enduring SEND by the LA, to meet the needs of individual pupils in a mainstream school. This is accessed through the Family of Schools. The Family SENCo will refer individual applications to a multi-agency panel, which is administered by the Local Authority, who will determine whether the level and complexity of need meets the threshold for this funding.

The resources are allocated by the SENCo and SLT to provide appropriate provision across the school to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and specific support for those with AFN and HLN funding. Outcomes from Pupil Progress Meetings are also used to inform provision.

Other funding sources which will also be allocated by the SENCo and SLT could be Pupil Premium and resources from Inclusive Technology Services.

3.f) How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

When planning for activities outside the classroom, teachers will give due thought to the needs of SEND pupils. Venues for school visits are carefully chosen to ensure that all pupils, including those with physical disabilities, can attend. A risk assessment will be undertaken and reasonable adjustments made in relation to transport arrangements, toileting facilities, medical/sensory needs and other access arrangements. Often, there will be a pre-visit made by teaching staff/SENCo to ensure arrangements will meet the needs of the young person and parent/carers will be consulted.

3.g) What support will there be for my child/young person's overall well-being?

Pastoral, Medical and Social Support: We provide support for pupils with a range of pastoral, medical and social needs. Our teaching assistants are familiar with a range of support programs for pastoral/social needs and medical support with the guidance of an appropriate professional. Children may be offered sessions with our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), Nicky Smith, or counselling sessions with our Emotional Well-being Teacher, Ruth Cumberland.

Medicines: The school is willing to administer medicines as detailed in the school Medicine Policy.

Personal Care: This is dealt with on an individual basis through the collaboration of the school, parents, the child and any Health Care Professionals involved with the child.

Behaviour, Exclusions and Attendance: The school has in place clear Behaviour and Attendance Policies in place. Pupils for whom these policies are not sufficient are dealt with on an individual basis according to the needs of the children concerned.

Children’s Safety: The school has a clear Health and Safety Policy which is reviewed on an annual basis by the Head Teacher and the Governors.

Specialist support for emotional and behavioural development of pupils is provided by Ruth Cumberland (emotional well-being teacher)

4. (For mainstream schools and maintained nurseries) Who is the school/setting's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) and what are their contact details.

The people co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with SEND are Sarah Blundy (SENco) Laura Smith (On Maternity leave SENCo), Brogan Bowler (On maternity leave Deputy SENCo), Catherine Jackson (medical needs) and Paula Ramsden (enrichment). Sally Maddison (headteacher).

All the above can be contacted on the school number: 0115 9652291

5. a) What training have staff supporting special educational needs had and what is planned?

We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with SEND.

The SENCo attends relevant SEND courses, Family SEND meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEND focused external training opportunities for all staff.

We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEND issues and we have funding available to support this professional development. The SENCo, with the senior leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision management.

All staff are trained in ‘Coping with Risky Behaviours (CRB)’ which was previously known as ‘Management of Actual or Potential Aggression (MAPA).’ Staff also receive an annual refresher on this training.

5.b) What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the setting/school?

Sir John Sherbrooke Junior invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEND. The SENCo is the designated person responsible for liaising with the following:

Education Psychology Service
Gedling Area Partnership (GAP)
Social Services - MASH
Speech and Language Therapy
Schools and Families Specialist Services (SFSS)
- - Communication and Interaction Team
  - Cognition and Learning Team
Physical Disability Support Service (PDSS)
Healthy Families Team (previously known as School Nurse services)
Local Health Authority including Paediatricians and GPs
Occupational Therapy
Teachers of the Visually Impaired
Teachers of the Deaf
Family Care
CAMHS
Tackling Emerging Threats to Children Team

Representatives from voluntary organisations and other external agencies are invited to liaison meetings when appropriate throughout the year to discuss SEND provision and progress and keep staff up to date with legislation.

In cases where a child is under observation or a cause for concern, focused meetings will be arranged with the appropriate agency. Parents will normally be invited to and informed about any meetings held concerning their child unless there are over-riding safeguarding issues.

6. How will equipment and facilities to support pupils with special educational needs secured? How accessible is the school/setting?

The school has some specialist SEND facilities in place. These are:

Wheelchair access
A disabled toilet and shower facilities
A designated disabled parking bay. This allows safe access to the school to taxis and parents/carers bringing pupils to school.
Children requiring specialist equipment due to impairment will be assessed in order to gain the support that they require by the appropriate agency.

7. What are the arrangements for consulting parents of pupils with special educational needs? How will be I involved in the education of my child/young person?

Sir John Sherbrooke believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure:

early and accurate identification and assessment of SEND leading to the correct intervention and provision
continuing social and academic progress of children with SEND
personal and academic targets are set and met effectively

In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs. The SENCo may also signpost parents of pupils with SEND to the local authority Parent Partnership service where specific advice, guidance and support may be required.

If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child. The school’s SEND governor may be contacted at any time in relation to SEND matters.

8. What are the arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education?

All children are able to contribute their views either through discussion with a member of staff or through the medium of the school council representatives. For SEND pupils, opinions and views are always sought at review points on a termly basis. This can be through verbal, written or drawn communication and can involve a range of resources to help pupils to communicate their feelings.

9. What do I do if I have a concern or complaint about the SEN provision made by the school/setting?

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the SEND Team, who will be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint.

10. How does the governing body involve other organisations and services (e.g. health, social care, local authority support services and voluntary organisations) in meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and supporting the families of such pupils?

The school regularly consults other professionals. Concerns are initially brought to the attention of the SEND Team and referrals will be made as appropriate.

11. How does the school/setting seek to signpost organisations, services etc who can provide additional support to parents/carers/young people?

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services in order to fully support our SEND pupils and aid school inclusion.

Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEND provision within our school. Any one of the support services may raise concerns about a pupil. This will then be brought to the attention of the SEND Team who will then inform the child’s parents.

Termly Springboard meetings are held where requests for involvement with pupils from the Educational Psychologist Service (EPS) and Schools and Family Specialist Services (SFSS) including the Communication and Interaction Team, the Cognition and Learning Team and the Sensory Impairment team can be made. Following referrals and discussion, if the request for support is successful, the appropriate specialist will come into school and work with staff and pupils to ensure that strategies are in place to meet the pupil’s needs.

The following services will be involved as and when is necessary:

Social Care - MASH
Healthy Families Team (previously School Nurse Service)
Community Paediatrician
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech and Language
Physical Disability Support Service – Fountaindale

Parents/carers are part of the discussion around referring for additional support from other agencies and are kept informed about the outcomes of that involvement.

12. How will the school/setting prepare my child/young person to: i) Join the school/setting?

The school is a member of Colonel Frank Seely Family of Schools; our SEND Team works closely with the family SENCo and the other SENCos in the family. This enables the schools to build a bank of joint resources and to share advice, training and development activities and expertise.

From Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2:

The Head Teacher liaises closely with the Head Teacher at Manor Park Infant school to pass on information about specific children with SEND. If the needs are complex then the Head Teacher/SEND Team will attend any review meetings.
If appropriate, extra familiarisation visits in addition to usual transition arrangements will be made for children with SEND.
Prior to transfer, Sherbrooke will receive the SEND register for that cohort, detail of outside agency involvement, any programmes of work, examples of successful methods/approaches and all confidential files including each child’s individual records. This information will be held by the SEND Team and shared with the class teacher.

ii) Transfer between phases of education (e.g. early years to primary, primary to secondary etc)?

From Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3:

Staff from Colonel Frank Seely, meet with the Head Teacher and SEND Team at Sherbrooke to discuss any pupils with SEND that will be transferring up to them. If the needs are complex then the Head Teacher/ SEND Team will attend any review meetings.
Transition events and extra visits are planned between the schools including a Year 6 transition parents evening.
Information and details of outside agency involvement are passed onto the appropriate Colonel Frank Seely.
Colonel Frank Seely may come in to carry out additional work with SEND pupils to support transition.