How does school know if pupils need extra help?

At the heart of every class is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessing which takes account of the wide range of abilities and interests of children. The majority of children will learn and make progress within these arrangements. Those children whose overall attainments or attainment in specific subjects or other areas of development, fall significantly outside the expected range, may have additional needs (SEND).

There is an emphasis placed on the experience and expertise of the class teacher and SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) in identifying children with additional needs through their observations. A range of assessment tools are used to help school identify children who may have may have these additional needs. Schools also receive information from parents, pre-school settings and other professional agencies which help us identify children who may need additional support at school. Information from parents also provide school with a vital in-sight into the child’s strengths and difficulties.

What should I do if I think my child has additional needs (SEND)?

A parent with any concerns about their child’s learning or social, emotional development should not hesitate to arrange a meeting with the class teacher. If possible the SENDCO will attend this initial meeting. If not, the class teacher will pass the concerns on to the SENDCO who will contact the parents to discuss the concerns further. An appropriate plan will then be discussed.

What kind of SEND does the school cater for?

Sacred Heart School caters for a wide range of SEND. This includes;

• children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and numeracy difficulties (known as dyscalculia), motor skills difficulties (sometimes known as dyspraxia or DCD-developmental co-ordination disorder)
• those with more general learning difficulties
• children with speech and language difficulties
• those with social and communication needs (this may include children on the Autism Spectrum)
• children with social, emotional or mental health needs (this may include children with attention difficulties)
• children with sensory and/or physical needs (this has included mild visual impairment and moderate hearing impairment)

ADMISSIONS

• The admission of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan is dealt with by a completely separate procedure.  Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school must be admitted.
• The school’s Admissions Policy also states that pupils  with a specific educational, medical or emotional need, who do not come under any of the categories from 1-6 in the policy, would be admitted under Category 7,  provided that appropriate written evidence from a suitably qualified professional eg Doctor, Social Worker is submitted with the application indicating why Sacred Heart School is the most appropriate setting.

How will I know that the school will support my child?

School follows the requirements in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014) to use our best endeavors to make sure that a child with SEND gets the support they need. We have a designated teacher (SENDCO) who is responsible for co-ordinating the SEND provision. This is Mrs Jessop. The SENDCO and class teacher will communicate with parents to ensure they are fully involved in discussions about support for their child.

How will the curriculum be matched to meet my child’s needs?

SEND support in our school is matched carefully to the needs of each child. High quality teaching in the classroom means that activities and tasks can be adjusted by the class teacher to ensure they are matched to the child’s needs. This is known as differentiation. We also use a wide range of interventions and programmes devised to support children’s learning. These are taught in a range of settings; in small groups or one-to-one, in the classroom or sometimes in learning areas outside the classroom. These are delivered by well-trained teaching assistants who are guided, supported and monitored by the class teacher and SENDCO.

How will I know how my child is doing?

There are two parents evenings each year where parents can discuss their child’s progress with their class teacher. In addition to these meetings, there are review meetings each year for parents of children with SEND.
These are longer meetings with parents, SENDCO, class teacher and teaching assistant to discuss their child’s progress in more detail. The child’s views are also sought for these meetings. Parents should not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENDCO to arrange a time to discuss their child’s progress at any other time.

How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Parents are invited to attend review meetings and parents evenings where they can gain information as to how they can best support their child’s learning. The SENDCO is able to signpost parents to other sources of information and support e.g. the Local Offer, Sheffield Parent Carer Forum, voluntary agencies. The SENDCO has information for parents on a range of different SEND.

What support will there be to support my child’s overall well-being?

At Sacred Heart School we recognise that children learn best when they feel happy and secure. With this in mind, all staff work hard to raise children’s self-esteem. We are particularly aware that children with SEND may be more vulnerable to low self-esteem and staff use a range of strategies to try and balance against this e.g. giving roles of responsibility, reward systems, verbal praise and encouragement, highlighting their strengths and talents including those outside of the school curriculum. We also have interventions which offer a more direct, targeted response if a child’s low self-esteem is persistent and impacting on the child’s learning e.g. Positive Play Programme and nurture groups. Rainbows is a school based programme which offers support for children who have experienced any kind of loss. Sacred Heart offers a wide range of after school extra-curricular activities which are open to all children and aim to develop their skills in a wide range of areas.

What specialist services are accessed by the school?

School can access expertise and advice from other professionals; Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapists, Autism Service, and voluntary agencies. If a child is receiving care from an NHS service such as Ryegate Children’s Centre or CAMHS the SENDCO will liaise with other professionals involved to provide the best support for the child.

If you require the contact details of any additional support services, please contact Mrs Jessop, the school’s SENDCO, who will be able to help.

What training have staff supporting pupils with SEN had or are receiving?

All class teachers have received training in a range of SEND including dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, emotional social and mental health needs. Teaching assistants are trained to deliver a wide range of interventions. Training is provided by Local Authority courses, external professional agencies, voluntary agencies and also through in-school training. Members of our teaching assistant team have additional training and skills in specific areas including; Speech and Language interventions, motor skills, dyslexia, Numeracy, social skills and emotional and social development. A regular audit of staff knowledge and confidence in different areas of SEND is useful for planning future training needs. The SENDCO is a qualified teacher who specializes in the learning of children with SEND.

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom?

School will do it’s up-most to enable all children to access activities outside the classroom. This may mean providing additional adult support for a child whilst on a trip or activity.

How accessible is the school environment?

There are two buildings on the school site. There is easy access to the main building which has disabled toilet facilities. The school hall is easily accessible and also has disabled toilet facilities. There is a lift in place in the main building. The Accessibility Plan details how school will adhere to the Equality Act 2010.

Accessibility Plan 2018

How will the school support my child in starting school and moving on?

FS2 staff and the SENDCO will communicate with pre-school settings and parents prior to the child starting school to ensure any useful, relevant information is shared prior to starting school. If any SEND have already been identified, the pre-school setting will often invite the school SENDCO and FS2 class teacher to attend a Review in the Summer term prior to them starting school. Home visits are made by the Reception staff, and children build up their time in school to ensure that they settle well in those first few weeks.

We have a Transition Programme for the children in Year 6 as they move to Secondary School. The SENDCO provides detailed information to the Secondary School SENDCO and parents are invited to meet the Secondary SENDCO in our school in the Summer term of Year 6. This enables them to learn more about the support available at the new school and ask any questions they have about the transition. Extra visits are planned for children in addition to the usual Induction Day. This enables them to become more familiar with the new school and meet staff who may be supporting them. They can take photographs of the school to build up familiarity. The children also participate in the whole class transition programme for all the Year 6 children which aims to prepare children for the move and help alleviate worries and anxieties they may have.

How are decisions made about how much support my child will receive?

Decisions about the level of support a child should receive are made on the basis of need. Information is gathered about the needs of children with SEND throughout the school and the SENDCO draws up a Provision Map which allows school to allocate the available resources and support appropriately. The SENDCO works closely with the head teacher to make the most efficient use of the available funding for SEND in the school.

Who can parents contact for further information?

Please feel free to contact the SENDCO, Mrs. Jessop, for further details about how Sacred Heart School works hard to meet the needs of children with SEND in our school community.
The school SEND Governor is Winnie Lutakome. Please contact school to leave a message for her.

The school telephone number is: 0114 234 4362

Alternatively, parents and carers may find further, useful information and support through Sheffield City Council Local offer for SEND. Please use the link below to access this site and information.

Sheffield SEND Local Offer

Should parents/carers wish to lodge a complaint about any aspect of SEND provision, then they should follow the school’s Complaints Procedures, which can be found in the Complaints Policy below.

    Complaints Policy and Procedures – September 2018