Wyton on the Hill Primary School’s Special Education Needs Information Report
All Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and /or 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 Disabilities and/or Special Educational Needs (DSEN) being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.
The broad areas of DSEN need are:
Communication and Interaction.
Cognition and Learning.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties.
Sensory and/or Physical.
What is the Local Offer?
The LA Local Offer
The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 0-25. The LA refer to this as 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.
Link to LA Local offer http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/localoffer
What is the Special Education Needs Information Report?
The Special Education Needs Information Report
Schools utilise 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 provide. Schools refer to this as ‘The Special Education Needs Information Report.
At Wyton on the Hill, all children are treated as individuals in all aspects of their learning during their time with us.
Commonly Asked Questions
Please read these commonly asked questions below for more information about the Special Education Needs Information Report.
Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning/ Special Educational Needs or Disability (DSEN)?
The Class teacher is responsible for checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need. They will let the Special Education Needs / Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) know as necessary.
If your child’s needs have been confirmed as DSEN the SENDCo will invite you to a meeting with the team that work with your child in school to write a (PIP) Pupil Individual Plan for your child, which will be reviewed with you at least once each term.
Ms Phillips is our Head teacher and our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo). She works closely with teachers and specialists to coordinate provision and support for children across the school. Ms Phillips meets with teachers and teaching assistants within their class teams every term to review and ensure the provision for children with additional needs. They, in turn, meet with the parents of children with SEND regularly through the year. The school has established good liaison with Cambridgeshire Access to Learning Team and other external education and health professionals. These services are published and reviewed by the Local Authority through the Local Offer.
Ms Phillips ensures that the Governing body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND and the SEND link governor is Mr Andrew Hardman.
What are the different types of support available for children with SEND in our school?
Quality First Teaching
The Class teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class. Teachers assess children individually so that their teaching is focused on closing the gaps in learning, with children having their own individualised targets.
Our children’s progress in the core curriculum is tracked throughout the year and we identify children early for intervention programmes or extension work if necessary. Progress is shared with children and parents in termly meetings, or more frequently if necessary. Specific intervention programmes or extension work (supported by the SEND Co) may run inside or outside the classroom, and could be run by your child’s teacher or teaching assistant (TA)
We have an excellent team of teaching assistants who are very experienced and highly trained. They also meet regularly in school to share their wide ranging expertise. They work with teachers to ensure that individual learning needs are met. We are committed to small group support in each class. All classes have at least one teaching assistant (TA) to support children in small groups across the week.
Specialist Support
Some children with SEND may be identified by the SENDCo / Class Teacher as needing some Specialist Support from a professional agency outside the school. This may be from the Local Authority SEND Specialist Services which provides support from Specialist Teachers and Educational Psychologists. You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them better 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.
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 Education, Health and Care Plan (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 will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:
Local Authority
Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language therapy (SALT) Service, the Occupational therapist or CAMH Service
For your child this would mean the school, or you (the parent / carer) 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.
Parent Partnership link on the LA website
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 Education Health Care Plan (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 EHC Plan will outline the provision that your child needs and the funding that will enable this provision to be put in place by the school. It will also have long and short term goals for your child. Depending on the provision specified on an EHC Plan, additional adults may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.
How can I let the school know I am concerned about my child’s progress in school?
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 ask to meet with the school’s SENDCo, Ms Phillips.
How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning in school?
If your child is identified as not making progress, the school will set up a meeting to discuss this with you in more detail. We will listen to any concerns you have, while planning together additional support your child may need. We will also discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning.
How is extra support allocated to children and how do they progress in their learning?
The school budget, received from Cambridgeshire LA, includes some funding for supporting children with SEND. The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors, on the basis of needs in the school. Schools identify the needs of their pupils on a school provision map which for SEND pupils identifies all resources/training and support. This then generates an ADPR (Assess Plan Do Review) plan.
Who are the other people providing services to children with SEND in this school?
School provision
Teaching Assistants
After School and Breakfast Clubs
School clubs
Local Authority Provision delivered in school
Autism Outreach Service
Educational Psychology Service
Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
Parent Partnership Service
Behaviour Intervention Team
Language and Learning Team
Health Provision delivered in school
Speech and Language Therapy
School Nurse
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
CAMHS
How are the teachers in school helped to work with SEND children and what training do they have?
The SENDCo’s job is to support the class teacher in planning for children with SEND.
The school SENDCo provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Speech and language difficulties.
Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class. 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.
How will the teaching be adapted for my child with SEND?
Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class and will ensure that your child’s needs are met. This includes adapting the timetable to allow for movement breaks and shorter sessions if required.
The learning environment will be adapted accordingly allowing children access to quiet, learning spaces and the outdoor area. Class teachers will take into account the lighting, glare from windows and external noise where necessary. All classrooms have visual timetables and visual clues to support all children.
Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, will adapt planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in small groups.
Planning and teaching will be adapted, on a daily basis if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs. This will reflect the strategies and information developed in your child’s ADPR (Assess Plan Do Review) plan.
How will we measure the progress of your child in school?
We will measure the progress of your child using the same assessments used for all children in order to gain a full picture of their strengths and areas for development. Depending on your child’s needs we may use other assessment tools to measure their progress.
Children who are on an ADPR (Assess Plan Do Review) plan will have their targets and provision reviewed at least termly with class staff, the SENDCo, parents and children where appropriate.
What support do we have for you as a parent of a child with a 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 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 directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
We work closely with parents and children, meeting initially to create an ADPR (Assess Plan Do Review) plan.
How is Wyton on the Hill Primary School accessible to children with SEND?
At Wyton on the Hill we are committed to the requirements of the SEN and Disability Act (2001), ensuring that disabled children are not treated ‘less favourably’ and have made reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children are not at a substantial disadvantage. Our new build has been designed to enable access for disabled children and supports our aim to take a proactive approach to promoting disability equality and eliminating discrimination.
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. We work closely with schools receiving our children, whatever their needs. We arrange for additional information sharing meetings which include parents, and transition activities for children with these schools if the child has identified Special Educational Needs and/or a disability.
If your child is moving to another school:
We will contact the school SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Also 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 in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. ADPRs will be shared with the new teacher.
In Year 6, the SENDCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCo of their secondary school. Your child will do focused learning about 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.
What Emotional and Social Development support do we have for a child with a SEND?
We recognise that pupils with SEND may well have Emotional and Social Development needs that will require support in school.
The Emotional Health and Well being of all our pupils is very important to us. We have a robust Child Protection Policy in place; we follow National & LA Guidelines. We have a robust Behaviour and Discipline Policy. The headteacher, SLT, teachers and all staff continually monitor the Emotional Health and Well being of all our pupils. We are an Anti bullying school.
We hope that you have found this information useful, and if you wish to discuss anything further please feel free to make an appointment with Ms Phillips, SENDCo.
This report was last reviewed September 2024