Summary of Provision at St Francis for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
‘Fair isn't everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need in order to be successful.'
Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson novels.
Please not our currrent SENDCo is on maternity leave from July 2023. Miss Burgess will be taking over the role from September 2023 . She is more than happy to talk to parents who have any questions or concerns and can be contacted in the same way - senco@fra.bcwcat.co.uk or by ringing the office for an appointment.
INTENT
What we want for our SEND learners.
At St. Francis, we recognise that all pupils are entitled to a quality of provision that will enable them to achieve their potential. In keeping with our faith, we believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all our pupils, including those with a special educational need or disability.
IMPLEMENTATION
How we plan to deliver this for our SEND learners.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 (CoP) suggests that there is a continuum of SEND and that, where necessary, increasingly specialist expertise should be brought to bear on a child or young person’s difficulties. We therefore work together with the local authority who provide formal procedures, i.e. statutory assessment, and specialist services, which are targeted at those children and young people with the most significant and complex needs. We are guided in our approach by the Bradford Matrix of Need which provides an overview of how children should be supported through a graduated response, as outlined in the CoP.
We are fully compliant with The Children & Families Act (C&FA) 2014, the Equality Act, 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice (CoP), 2015, all of which provide detailed information about the statutory responsibilities schools have in relation to children and young people with SEND.
Our offer at each CoP Stage for each area of SEN is described in the Bradford Matrix of Need document below. We have also included a 'Frequently Asked Questions' section below, which we hope will answer some of your questions. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to phone the office and make an appointment to speak to Mrs Crowther, who is our school's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator.
Please read our school's SEND Policy and Information Report here.
What is the Bradford Local Offer?
The Local Offer is a new way of giving children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers information about what activities and support is available in the area where you live.
The Local Offer has two key purposes:
• To provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it, and
• To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children and those with SEN and their parents, and disabled young people and those with SEN, and service providers in its
development and review
Details of the Bradford Local Authority’s own Local Offer can be found at local offer.
As well as the Local Offer website offering details of services, we have an alternative format to the website the “Local Offer concertina pocket sized overview booklet" of services as requested by users. These are available in school or directly from Bradford Families Information Service by calling 01274 437503.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the 2014 Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, the definition is as follows:
A child and young person has SEND if they have learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or has a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.
Your first point of contact should always be your child's class teacher. From discussion with them, you may need to make an appointment with Mrs Crowther, who is the school's SENDCo.
Your child's class teacher will let you know if they have any concerns and will arrange a meeting with you and sometimes the SENDCo will attend.
Extra support is allocated on a case by case basis following an assessment of a child's needs. When difficulties are identified, appropriate intervention and levels of provision are put in place.
All children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, which is well differentiated in order to meet the needs of all of our learners.
All children are given access to a variety of high quality enrichment days, including educational visits, which extend the curriculum and provide memorable experiences for all.
All children are invited to take part in a variety of clubs, both during the school day and after school. Places for these clubs are allocated fairly, regardless of SEND status.
Teachers and Senior Leaders hold regular pupil progress meetings to carefully track the progress of all of our learners. This ensures any difficulties are identified early and suitable provisions can be put in place.
Teaching staff follow a comprehensive programme of reviews over the course of the academic year including 2x parental consultation evenings for all children, informal termly reviews for children on our SEND register and a statutory annual review for children with an EHCP.
When surveyed, 94.5% of SEND pupils said that they enjoyed school almost all/some of the time. 100% of SEND pupils could name at least one person they could ask if they found something at school tricky and 94.5% of SEND pupils felt supported in school. 94.5% of SEND pupils felt happy in class most/some of the time and 100% of SEND pupils felt this way outside of class, for example in the dinner hall or at break times and lunchtimes. 100% of SEND pupils felt safe at school.
The SEND Code of Practice 2014 (updated January 2015) sets out four broad areas of special educational need that include a range of difficulties and conditions:
1. Communication and Interaction (C&I)
2. Cognition and Learning (C&L)
3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMHD)
4. Physical and/or Sensory Needs (P&SN)
Students will be identified by their primary area of need. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take.
In practice, individual children or young people often have needs that cut across all these areas and their needs may change over time. This will be reflected in your child's IEP.
As per the ‘Matrix of Need’ which is issued by the local authority, special educational needs are categorized as followed, with suggested Curriculum Access, Teaching and Learning Strategies for each code of practice stage. Following
Below age related expectations (Mild difficulties within their area of SEN need)
SEND Support (Moderate difficulties within their area of SEN need)
EHCP (Severe difficulties within their area of SEN need)
EHCP+ (Severe difficulties within their area of need that means they require access to specialist provision)
1. Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as High Quality Teaching. All children in school should be getting this as a part of excellent classroom practice when needed.
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 based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
- 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.
- Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCo or external professionals) 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 gap in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
2. Children identified as working Below Age Related Expectations (Mild Difficulties within their area of SEN need)
In addition to High Quality Teaching, needs-specific practice which is additional to and different from that which is normally available:
- Differentiation as part of high quality teaching in most subject areas.
- An IEP (Individual Education Plan) will be put in place to assess the young person’s needs, identify outcomes, implement support and monitor and evaluate progress. This is written and reviewed each term by your child's class teacher and is shared with parents by the SENDCo.
- The teacher takes responsibility for devising, delivering and evaluating a personalised programme that accelerates learning.
3. Children identified as 'SEN Support' (Moderate difficulties within their area of SEN need)
Needs-specific practice as described above, plus:
- The curriculum is modified and places high emphasis on developing skills within your child's area of need, incorporating specialist advice.
- Approaches used should be based on best possible evidence and have required impact on progress.
- Bespoke Intervention – time bound and quantifiable.
- An IEP is put in place to assess the young person’s needs, identify outcomes, implement support and monitor and evaluate progress. Planned reviews take place termly including the parent/carer, child / young person and where possible other involved professionals take place. This is written and reviewed each term by your child's class teacher and is shared with parents by the SENDCo..
- In addition to High quality teaching (see above), additional adult support individually or within a group.
4) Children identified as 'EHCP' level (Severe difficulties within their area of SEN need)
Needs-specific practice as described above, plus:
- The curriculum should be individualised with high emphasis on developing skills in their area of SEN need, adaptations, and incorporating specialist advice.
- An Individual Education Pan (IEP) is put in place to identify short term targets from the EHCP, implement recommended provision and monitor and evaluate progress. This is written and reviewed each term by your child's class teacher and is shared with parents by the SENDCo.
- Termly planned sharing of information including the parent and child / young person will take place as well as a statutory annual review.
- Bespoke Intervention – time bound and quantifiable.
- Under the direction of the teacher, additional adults support the child / young person as described in section F of the EHCP, to address the identified outcomes.
- Additional adults support the child / young person individually or within a small group, under the direction of the teacher.
The SENDCo supports the class teacher in planning and accessing the appropriate resources for children with SEND as required.
The SENDCo regularly attends specific SEND training and is working towards the Post Graduate Certificate in SEND Co-ordination.
The school has a training plan for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues as they arise.
Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies including the Local Authority that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.
Your child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her class teacher. His/her progress is reviewed every term against the appropriate objectives in Reading, Writing and Maths in the first instance.
Your child will be assessed as working towards the expected level for their year group (WTS), working at the expected level for their year group (ARE) or working at greater depth (GD).
For those children with SEND who are not working on the curriculum for their year group, they are assessed against the objectives for another year group and this is categorised as Emerging, Developing or Secure within that year group's objectives e.g. Year 1 Developing.
If your child has SEND, you will find their current levels of attainment on their IEP.
If your child is in Reception, they will be assessed against the Foundation Stage Profile.
At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of year 2 and year 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). This is something the government requires all schools to do and are the results that are published nationally. Similarly, children in Y1 will complete the ‘Phonic Screening Check’.
Children with identified SEND will have an Individualised Support Plan which will be reviewed with your involvement three times a year. You will be able to see on here where progress has been made.
The progress of children with an Education Health and Care Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s provision.
The SENDCo will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.
We access the specialised support from:
- CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
- Educational Psychologist
- Low Incidence Team and Sensory Service
- SCIL Team (Social, Communication, Interaction and Learning)
- School Nurse
- Speech and Language therapy service
- Occupational Therapy Service
- The school is happy to work with any agency that enhances provision and support for a SEND child.
The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used.
The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you with
the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
IEPs will be reviewed termly and we will aim to have your involvement with this.
Homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s individual needs.
Parents will be encouraged to work with staff to contribute to how your child’s SEN provision will be planned and delivered. You will also be invited to help review the provision.
The SENDCo may also signpost you to other organisations that may be able to provide specialist support e.g. Bradford SENDIASS (Independent Advisory Support Service).
We ensure that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
All extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.
Our school site is fully accessible. We have a ramp on entry to the main office and a lift facility for access to the classrooms upstairs.
14) How will we support your child when they are leaving this school? OR moving on to another class?
We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.
If your child is moving child 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.
- In Year 6, the SENDCo or Year 6 teacher will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCo/Year 7 Head of Year/House
- Your child will have focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead if required.
- If your child would be helped by a book/photo diary to support them understand moving on then it will be made with/for them.
- Where possible, your child will visit their new school at least on one occasion and where needed, St. Francis’ support staff may accompany your child on this visit.
- 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/support team at the start of the new academic year.
- All IEPs will be shared with the new teacher.
- If your child would be helped by a book/photo diary to support them understand moving on then it will be made with/for them.
