SEN Information Report

Theddlethorpe Academy Parents' Information SEND Report 2020/2021

Introduction

All Lincolnshire (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and are supported by the LA to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school.

All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.

The four broad 'areas of need' are Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.

What is the Local Offer?

The LA Local Offer

• The Children and Families Bill has been enacted in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the 'Local Offer'.
• The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
• The Local Offer can be found on the Lincolnshire Council website https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/special-educational-needs-disabilities-send/local-offer

The School SEND Information Report

This utilises the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.

Your Child has Special Educational Needs and/or Disability. What can we at Theddlethorpe Academy offer you?

At Theddlethorpe Academy, we embrace the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational needs of every child is different; this is certainly the case for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability.

Please see the following questions and answers below which relates to how Theddlethorpe Academy supports all children with SEND.

1. Question: Who are the best people to talk to in this Academy about my child's difficulties with learning/Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)?

The class teacher

Responsible for

• Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be targeted work or additional support) and letting the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) know as necessary.
• Writing Pupil Progress targets/Individual Education Plans (IEPs), based on the teacher and academic assessment, and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
• Personalised teaching and learning for your child delivered by Quality First Teaching within the classroom. Whole School Provision mapping is carried out which is a document that is used to capture targeted and specialist interventions that will be 'additional to' and 'different from' the usual differentiated curriculum.
• An Individual Education Plan which contains a 1-page profile, listing the SMART Targets (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound) and provision required to meet those individual needs.
• An EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) may be necessary, where the academy has done everything it can to identify, assess and meet the needs of the child and they are still not making the expected progress. The EHCP’s are issued by the Local Authority where deemed necessary
• Ensuring that the school's SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

The SENDCO: Mrs Cook

Responsible for

• Developing and reviewing the school's SEND policy., alongside the MAT.
• Co-ordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
• Ensuring that you are:
• i) involved in supporting your child's learning
• ii) kept informed about the support your child is getting
• iii) involved in reviewing how they are doing.
• Liaising with all the other people who may be coming in to school to help support your child's learning, e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Specialist Teaching Team, Educational Psychology.
• Updating the school's SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records of your child's progress and needs are kept.
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school, so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best progress possible.
• In circumstances where a child requires an EHCP the SENDCO will be responsible for submitting the request.

The Principal: Mrs Cook

Responsible for

• The day-to-day management of all aspects of the school; this includes the support for children with SEND.
• The Principal will give responsibility to the SENDCO and class teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child's needs are met.
• The Principal must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND. SEND is reported to the Governors on a regular basis and is a standing item on the agenda.
• The Governor with specific responsibility with SEND meets with the SENDCO on a regular basis.

The SEND Governor: Mrs Jane Aukett

Responsible for

• Making sure that the necessary support is given for any child with SEND who attends the school.

In the event of a complaint

• First point of contact if appropriate will be your child’s class teacher or the SENDCO followed by the Principal. The school contact telephone number is 01507 338215
• The academy complaints policy in full can be found on the Theddlethorpe Academy Website.

2. Question: What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our Academy?

a) Class teacher input, via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching).

For your child this means:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class. All of our teachers teach children with SEND. All of our staff including our support staff, recognise the importance of identifying SEND early and making effective provision quickly. The identification and assessment of SEND is an integral part to the academy's approach in monitoring the progress of all pupils.
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand. All pupils, including those with SEND, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers plan lessons carefully and think about the wide range of different needs in their class and use the information to set targets which are deliberately ambitious to encourage pupils to aim high.
• That 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. Teachers plan their lessons with the SEND of pupils in mind, which means that pupils with SEND and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum along with their peers.
• That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the class teacher or the SENDCO) are in place to support your child to learn. The type of SEND support provided is based on reliable evidence of what works.
• The teacher carefully checks on your child's progress and decides whether they have a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

Specific group work

Intervention which may be

• Run in the classroom or a group room.
• Run by a teacher or a teaching assistant (TA).
• Wave 1 (Quality First Teaching): This is quality inclusive teaching which considers the learning needs of all the children in the classroom. This includes providing differentiated work and creating an inclusive learning environment.
• Wave 2 (Targeted): This is specific, additional and time-limited interventions provided for some children who need help to accelerate their progress to enable them to work at or above age-related expectations. Wave 2 interventions are often targeted to a group of pupils with similar needs. The class teacher will implement strategies from the ‘Pathway for children with SEND.’ Teachers will follow the certain steps before we consider placing a child on the SEND register.
• Wave 3 (Specialist): This is targeted provision for a minority of children where it is necessary to provide highly tailored intervention to accelerate progress or enable children to achieve their potential. This may include specialist interventions.
• Wave 2 and 3, the teacher will implement strategies from the ‘Pathway for children with SEND.’ Teachers will follow the certain steps before we consider placing a child on the SEND register.

b) Specialist groups run by outside agencies, e.g. Speech and Language therapy SEND Code of Practice 2014: School Support (SS)

This means a pupil has been identified by the SENDCO /class teacher as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services, such as the Specialist Teaching Team or ETHV (for students with a hearing or visual need), CAMHS (Children and Adolescence Mental Health Services) SALT (Speech and Language Therapy) as well as the occupational therapist / physiotherapist where needs have been identified.
• Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service, MA counselling and the Behaviour Outreach Team.

What could happen:

• You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional, e.g. a Specialist Teaching Team, Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and you to understand your child's particular needs better and be able to support them more effectively in school.
• The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.

c) Specified Individual support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong.

This is usually provided via an EHCP. This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching.

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups. Your child may also need specialist support within school from outside agencies. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services, such as the Specialist Teaching Team or ETHV (for students with a hearing or visual need), CAMHS (Children and Adolescence Mental Health Services) SALT (Speech and Language Therapy) as well as the occupational therapist / physiotherapist where needs have been identified.
• Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service (EPS), MA counselling and the Behaviour Outreach Team.

For your child this would mean

• The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child's needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.
• After the request has been made to the 'Panel of Professionals' (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), they will decide whether they think your child's needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child's needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support.
• After the reports have all been sent in, the Panel of Professionals will decide if your child's needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an EHCP. If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.
• The EHCP will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the Local Authority and how the support should be used, and what strategies/resources must be put in place. It will also have long- and short-term outcomes for your child.
• An additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.

3. Question: How can I let the Academy know that I am concerned about my child's progress?

If you have concerns about your child's progress, you should speak to your child's class teacher initially.

• If you continue to be concerned that your child is not making progress, you should speak to the Special Education Needs/Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO).

4. Question: How will the Academy let me know if they have concerns about my child's learning?

If your child is identified as not making progress, the Academy will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to

• Listen to any concerns you may have.
• Plan any additional support your child may need.
• Discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child and request consent as required.

5. Question: How is extra support allocated to children, and how do they progress in their learning?

• The school budget includes money for supporting children with SEND.
• The deployment of resources in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is based on the needs in the Academy.
• The Principal and the SENDCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:
• The children getting extra support already
• The children needing extra support
• Children’s and parent views are sought and considered at every opportunity
• The children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected.
• In 2020/21 the Academy will produce a provision map which will identify the needs of SEND pupils. This will identify all support given within the Academy, this will be reviewed regularly and changes made as required, so that the needs of pupils are met, and resources are deployed as effectively as possible

6. Question: Who are the people providing services to children with SEND in this Academy?

School provision

• Children who are identified with significant learning needs in English and maths are taught within the classroom, supported by the teacher and support staff
• Teaching Assistants mainly working with either individual children or small groups.
• Teaching Assistants offer support for children with emotional and social development

<Local Authority / External Provision

• Autism Outreach Service
• Educational Psychology Service
• ETHV for children with visual or hearing needs
• SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
• STT (Specialist Teaching Team)
• Additional Speech and Language Therapy input to provide a higher level of service to the school
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• CAMHs
• Counselling service (children’s counsellor)

7. Question: How are the teacher's in the Academy helped to work with pupils with SEND, and what training do the teachers have?

The SENDCO's job is to support the class teacher in planning for pupils with SEND.

• The Academy aims to provide training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of pupils, including those with SEND. This may include whole school / individual training on relevant SEND issues
• Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.

8. Question: How will teaching be adapted for my child with SEND?

Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of pupils in their class and will ensure that your child's needs are met.

• Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, deliver planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
• Specific resources and strategies are used to support your child individually and in groups.
• Planning and teaching is adapted, on a daily basis if needed, to meet your child's learning needs.

9. Question: How will we measure the progress of your child in school?

• Your child's progress will be continually monitored by his/her class teacher.
• His/her progress will be reviewed formally with the Principal/SENDCO every term in reading, writing and mathematics.
• If your child is in FS2 or above, a more sensitive assessment tool can be used, which shows their attainment in more detail – breaking learning down into smaller steps.
• 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 the results are published nationally.
• Where necessary, children will have an IEP or based on targets set by outside agencies specific to their needs. Targets are set using these IEPs and designed to accelerate learning and close the gap. Progress against these targets will be reviewed regularly, evidence for judgements assessed and a future plan made.
• The progress of children with an EHC Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child's education.
• 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.
• Regular learning walk’s, lesson observations and in-depth scrutiny of children’s books will be carried out by the SENDCO and other members of the Leadership Team. This will ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.

10. Question: What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with SEND?

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 that 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.
• Any involvement from outside agencies / professionals will require an initial consultation often resulting in reports and feedback meetings with yourselves and relevant staff.
• Personal progress targets /IEPs will be reviewed with your involvement every term.
• Homework will be differentiated as appropriate to your child's individual requirements.
• A home-school book may be used to support communication with you when this has been agreed as being useful for you and your child.

11. Question: How will we support your child's emotional and social development?

All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) curriculum to support this development.

We recognise that some children have extra Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiety, and have trouble interacting and communicating.

If children show any of these signs the following services can be accessed

• Teaching Assistant led interventions.
• Lunchtime and playtime support through planned activities and groups.
• Involvement of CAMHS
• For children with an EHCP with a primary need of Social Emotional and Mental Health a trained professional is available (STT)
• Access to a children’s counsellor
• Educational Psychologist

12. Question: How is Theddlethorpe Academy accessible to children with SEND?

• The school is fully compliant with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
• Risk assessments carried out as required to ensure all children to access to all areas of the school.
• The school has easy access and double doors and ramps.
• There is one disabled toilet and changing facilities.
• We ensure where ever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
• All classrooms are accessible on the ground floor.
• Blinds are fitted to windows.
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.
• Disabled parking bay

13. If your child is joining us from another school?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

If your child is joining us from another school:

• The SENDCO will be involved in discussions about pre-school children with the Foundation Stage Leader when appropriate.
• If your child would be helped by a transition book to support them in understand moving on, and then one will be made for them.
• Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.

If your child is moving to another school:

When moving classes in school:

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and in most cases a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. IEP's will be shared with the new teacher.
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport, transition visits to support them in understand moving on, then these arrangements will be made for them.

In Year 6:

• The SENDCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCO of the child's secondary school. A transition review meeting will take place with the SENDCO from the new school.
• Your child will participate in focused learning relating to 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.
• If your child would be helped by a transition book to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

14. Question: How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

• All extra-curricular activities in or outside the classroom are inclusive and non-discriminatory.
• Reasonable adjustments are considered when planning to ensure that all children can participate.
• In depth risk assessments are carried out prior to activities outside the classroom and for off site visits.
• With regard to medical conditions parents /school nursing team or relevant outside agencies may be consulted when completing risk assessments.
• In house medical information is available to all staff to ensure the wellbeing of children.
• Children requiring additional support during break and lunchtimes as well as the beginning and end of the school day will be supervised by appropriate Academy staff.
• Trained First Aiders accompany all school trips.

15. Question: What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

• Where a child has medical needs Health Care plans provided by medical professionals are adhered to.
• Parents are to complete detailed medical and consent form to allow trained academy staff to administer medication/care as required.
• Medicines / medical equipment are stored as per statutory regulations.
• Specialist training has been provided to relevant staff as required for specific needs.
• Staff trained in First Aid across the academy.

Support for your child's emotional and social development

All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) curriculum to support this development.

We recognise that some children have extra Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiety, and have trouble interacting and communicating.

If children show any of these signs the following services can be accessed

• Teaching Assistant led interventions.
• Lunchtime and playtime support through planned activities and groups.
• Involvement of CAMHS
• For children with an EHCP with a primary need of Social Emotional and Mental Health a trained professional is available (STT)
• Access to a children’s counsellor.
• Educational Psychologist

Overall, we want the best education for all our children.