SEN Coordinator: Ms Lisa Owen (Working day - Thursday)
Senior SEN Learning Support Assistant: Mrs Lucy Lowrie-Herz
Basic information about the school’s special education provision
Here at Longden School we consider all of our children as unique individuals each with their own gifts and contributions to make to life at school. However we recognise that some children may need additional support in order to fulfil that potential. To this end we have developed over the years a thriving and successful learning support department, trained and resourced to help with a range of special needs, eg
The objectives of the governing body in making provision for pupils with special educational needs are:
The governing body’s SEN policy will contribute towards meeting these objectives by ensuring that adequate resources are assigned to meeting the needs of pupils with SEN and that those resources and their impact are monitored to ensure their effective use. Specific funding for individual children with complex needs is secured through the Local Authority's assessment procedure. Provision for all pupils on the learning support register is provided within the school's main budget.
The school’s SEN coordinator is Ms Lisa Owen who works closely with the senior SEN support assistant, Ms Lucy Lowri-Herz, both of whom can be contacted via the school office. Class teachers are responsible for the identification of pupils with SEN, using evidence from assessment, classroom teaching and discussion with parents or carers. Ms Owen coordinates resources for those pupils and liaises with outside agencies such as the School Behavioural Support Service or Educational Psychology Service. Ms Lowri-Herz is responsible for the day-to-day management of support programmes and for maintaining regular assessment data for pupils with SEN.
Admission arrangements for pupils with SEN are no different to any other pupils except in the case of pupils with Statements of SEN or EHCPs. Details of these arrangements can be found in the school’s admission policy. For pupils with specific access needs the school’s disability access plan will ensure that where practicable, the needs of all pupils are met.
Information about the school’s policies for the identification, assessment and provision for all pupils with special educational needs
Using evidence from their own observations, information from previous educational settings, statutory assessments and the views of parents and carers, class teachers are able to identify those pupils whose progress is giving cause for concern. A record of concern is established and this is the basis for monitoring by the class teacher and SEN coordinator. At this stage pupils are often assigned some additional time for focused support and parents are encouraged to help with this. The effect of this and any support given through SEN provision is reviewed termly by the class teachers and learning support staff. Where further progress remains limited the pupil will be entered on the school’s learning support register and a personal learning plan is written. Typically, the objectives for these plans are intended to ensure that pupils with SEN continue to access a balanced and broad curriculum (including the National Curriculum).
At the earlier stages of learning support, resources are allocated to the pupil from within the school’s overall budget. However should the pupil’s progress continue to give cause for concern, for example if there is limited response to support at this stage, the SEN coordinator will then arrange for advice and further support from outside agencies such as the Educational Support Service. The school also makes regular use of an independent Learning Support Advisory Teacher who will work with individual pupils in assessing their needs and ensuring the school’s arrangements are providing the necessary support.
The majority of this support is delivered within the school using a mixture of small group or individual sessions with special support assistants or deploying special support assistants to work alongside pupils in their class setting. Our aim is to ensure all children participate equally in the work and the play of the school. However we are convinced of the lasting value of tackling underlying problems rather than simply assisting children in class in order to ‘achieve’ the same work as their peers. To this end, much of our support is delivered under the guidance of outside experts, in one-to-one or small group sessions where focus can be given to developing the important underpinning skills necessary for later work in the classroom. For children with complex needs this has in the past resulted in very individualised adapted programmes of study. The support team have developed a collective expertise on adapting the learning environment for children with specific, complex developmental problems and have worked particularly successfully with children with emotional, social and communication problems.
The progress of pupils on the learning support register is reviewed termly by the classteacher, SEN coordinator and the senior special support assistant. The Learning Support Advisory Teacher provides further monitoring of progress and the Local Authority undertake a regular monitoring exercise of the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for SEN. The Head Teacher ensures that the governing body are informed of the outcomes of any monitoring. The governor responsible for SEN also is available to meet with parents and carers to discuss with them the school’s arrangements including, if necessary, instances where parents feel the support is not adequate or effective.
Information about the school’s staffing policies and partnership with bodies beyond the school
In-service training and updates for special support staff is delivered via the LA. In addition to this, the SEN coordinator is a member of the Local Authority’s SEN network which holds termly update workshops. Staff supporting pupils with complex needs are also provided with appropriate training from centres of expertise such as Woodlands Outreach Service or the Educational Psychology Service. Good use is made of outside agencies in assessing and reviewing the needs of children with complex needs and it is common for staff from these centres to be working within school with individual pupils and their support staff. Wherever possible, the opinion and guidance of an outside expert is sought in the designing of individual learning programmes. Each year the governors approve a budget for SEN that provides for the commissioning of specialist work either directly with children or through training school-based staff.
Parents have an important role to play in meeting the needs of pupils with SEN. Information from home is very significant in identifying additional needs and in monitoring the pupil’s response to any support given. In addition to the regular programme of parents meetings, parents of pupils with SEN are invited to join in with significant reviews and assessments. Parents are kept informed from the initial assessment stage and wherever possible parental involvement is encouraged during further assessment and investigations, particularly where outside agencies are concerned. There are opportunities for parents of children who are working with outside agencies to meet with experts and contribute to care and education plans. The headteacher, SEN coordinator and class teachers are always available to discuss the school’s arrangements for SEN.
The record of learning needs, support and progress plays a vital role in maintaining support for pupils with SEN as they move through the school. As pupils enter Y6 and choices regarding secondary education are made, the SEN coordinators from each secondary school meet with this school’s SEN coordinator and the Y6 class teacher to discuss the pupils’ progress and to identify continuing needs particularly with regard to the transition to Key Stage 3. For pupils with highly complex needs, a review of their needs will be undertaken in Y5 to which outside agencies and an officer from the Local Authority’s SEN team are invited. The aim of this meeting is to identify, in advance, the action and support required in order for those pupils to make a successful transition to the next stage of their learning.
In addition to the outside agencies mentioned above, the school works in a coordinated system with the schools health service, education welfare officers and social services in ensuring that children with complex needs and their families, receive support in order that the full range of their needs is met.
The SEN governor, headteacher, SEN coordinator and classteachers are happy to discuss the above arrangements with parents and carers. Please contact the school office for further information or to make an appointment.
Are you a parent carer of a child or young person who is on SEN support or has an EHCP? Shropshire’s SEND Local Offer has lots of information, support and resources for parents/carers of children with SEND including education, EHCPs, health and wellbeing, early help, family support, financial support, transport, things to do and lots more. Take a look at the local offer website on the following link: www.shropshire.gov.uk/the-send-local-offer