Send Information

• Speak to your child’s class teacher. Class teachers are always happy to speak to you about any aspect of school life.
• You may wish to make an appointment to speak to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo.)

Pupils with Special Educational Needs are defined in the SEN Code of Practice (2014) as pupils who are making less than expected progress. This can be characterised by progress which:

• is significantly lower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline.
• fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress.
• fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers.
• widens the attainment gap.

Medical needs

Children with medical needs do not necessarily have Special Educational Needs however it is important that staff in school are aware of these needs and can support your child appropriately.

• • If your child has specific medical needs please contact either your child’s class teacher or the SENDCo to discuss their needs.
  • If appropriate a ‘Health Care Plan’ will be written to inform all staff of the specifics of the condition and what should be done to support the needs of the child.
  • If your child requires on-going medication, please contact the school office and complete a medicine administration form. All medicines will be stored in a locked storage box within the medical cupboard in the office, unless it is controlled medication that is required to be with your child such as inhalers and Epipens, when they will be stored in an accessible bag which is kept in the child’s classroom, and carried with the teacher for lunchtimes and PE.

• Listen to you.
• Together we will decide what to do next to support your child.
• Information may be passed on to Mrs Carpino (SENDCo).
• A meeting may be arranged between you, the class teacher and Mrs Carpino.
• A diagnosis does not necessarily automatically mean that a child is in need of SEND support and placed on the SEND register. We will never make assumptions about children based on a diagnosis. SEND provision is based on individual needs and learning styles.

• Class teachers will talk to you if your child is beginning to experience difficulties in any aspect of their learning or development.
• On-going assessments carried out by class teachers track and monitor the progress of all pupils throughout the school.
• The school may request a referral to outside professionals for further assessments and advice in order to support your child’s needs. If this is appropriate this will be discussed with you. Outside professionals cannot be involved without parental consent (See Question 4).

• We recommend that your child’s vision and hearing are checked to discount these aspects as possible underlying causes of learning issues. Opticians are able to check a child’s vision; there is no cost for this. Please talk to your child’s class teacher if you need support with this. Hearing checks can be requested though your GP, if you would like a supporting letter from the SENDco to take with you, please call the school office.
• We use a cycle of assess plan, do and review (see below).

Assess

If your child is experiencing differences in school in any aspect of their learning or development additional assessments may be used. These assist in the identification of your child’s needs in order to plan targeted programmes for them. They are also used as a benchmark for measuring the impact of interventions or support so that we know what is working for your child.

Trained TAs or the SENDCo will usually carry these assessments out.

Possible assessments may include:

• Observations in class / on playground
• Early Years First Call Checklist
• First Call Checklist
• Speech Language and Communication Progression Tools (Communication Trust)
• Phonological Awareness Assessment
• Small Steps Tracker Assessment (Reading and Writing)
• Sandwell Early Numeracy Test
• Rapid Reading Assessment
• First Move Checklist
• Gross Motor Development Assessment (Madeleine Portwood Developmental Dyspraxia Assessment)
• Fine Motor Assessment
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
• Sensory Profiles
• The Social Play Record
• Turner Memory Assessment
• PIVATS- an assessment tool used to measure small steps of progress in reading, writing, maths and personal and social development

In some cases specialist advice and assessments may be sought from professionals outside of school. These agencies will usually assess and / or work with pupils in school. The outside agencies available to support pupils in Bishop King CE Primary School include:

• Specialist Teaching Team
• Educational Psychology Service
• Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Behaviour Outreach Support Service
• Sensory Education Support Team
• Physiotherapy Service
• Occupational Therapy Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
• The Working Together Team (Social Communication and Interaction Differences)
• Counselling Services
• Community Paediatrician
• School Nursing Team
• Therapeutic play therapist

Plan and Do

Class teachers, together with TAs, plan support to meet the needs of your child and will be happy to discuss this with you.

Support within the classroom may include:

• Visual timetables
• Pencil grips and or different writing tools (pencils/ pens)
• Individual work stations
• Short ‘chunking’ of instructions, using a child’s name to cue them to listen e.t.c.
• Use of a laptop/ talking tin to record ideas
• Concrete materials e.g. counters, magnetic letters
• Visual support for planning and carrying out tasks
• Sand timers
• Seating position in the classroom
• Individual whiteboards with prompts for learning tasks
• Writing slopes
• Ear defenders
• Fiddle toys/ Fiddle cushions
• Chewellery
• Social stories
• Working in a smaller group with additional adult support
• A cool down space/ cool down box
• Positive books
• Emotional scaling charts
• Social Stories

 Support outside the classroom (targeted interventions) may include

• Fine Motor Control groups
• Gross Motor Control groups
• Physiotherapy programmes (devised by the Physiotherapy service)
• Pre-Teaching vocabulary
• Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) programmes (devised by the SALT service) 1:1
• WellComm Speech and language programme
• Number Box 1:1 / 1:1 Number support
• Precision Teaching for reading and/ or spelling (1:1)
• Additional Phonics Groups or 1:1
• Rapid Reading groups
• Lucid Memory Booster
• Memory Games
• Friends For Life Group
• Fun Friends Group
• Nurture Groups
• 1:1 support targeted at emotional needs
• Lunch Time Lounge (This may be within the classrooms due to COVID)
• Social skills group
• Sensory Circuits

Review

• Specific assessments alongside on-going assessments will track your child’s progress.
• Your child will review their targets with their class teacher or a Teaching Assistant (TA) at least 3 times per year.
• You will be given the opportunity to review your child’s targets and discuss their progress at least 3 x per year. This will be either within parent consultation appointments with your child’s class teacher or in an Individual Support Plan Review meeting with your child’s class teacher or the SENDCo.

SEND Support

• If your child continues to experience difficulties in school in any aspect of their learning and development your child’s name may be placed on the SEND register acknowledging that they are in need of SEND Support.
• Specific targets and appropriate support will continue to enable us to meet your child’s needs.
• The targets will be recorded as part of your child’s Individual Support Plan.
• The plan will be shared with you, your child and all adults working with your child. These targets will be reviewed regularly at a review meeting with your child’s class teacher and/or the SENDCo.
• A small percentage of children with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. An EHC assessment would be carried out where the current levels of support and intervention are not leading to improved progress for the child and where further support might be needed to ensure the needs of an individual child are fully met.

• Your child will be supported through quality first teaching in the classroom led by their class teacher.  Adaptations to teaching may be made where appropriate (see question 4).
• Teaching Assistants (TAs) or teachers may support your child within a small group inside the classroom (see question 4.)
• TAs or teachers may deliver targeted interventions to support the specific needs of your child (see question 4 and ‘Our Staff’ page on this website)
• Mrs Roberts(Pastoral Lead) may support your child’s needs.
• The SENDCo (Mrs Carpino) may become involved to offer advice and support if your child’s needs cannot be met solely through this approach or continue to be a cause for concern.
• If your child has needs that require specialist support we may refer to external agencies (see question 4). The support of external agencies can include specialist assessments and reports, devising programmes to delivered by school staff, specialist taught sessions including group work and/ or individual support.
• External agencies may also provide staff and parents with advice or training to support the needs of your child.

We have a team of staff in school with a variety of training in and experience of supporting children with SEND needs.

Qualifications held by staff in school include:

• Post Graduate in Special Educational Needs
• ELKLAN Level 3; Speech and Language Support for 5-11s
• ELKLAN Level 3; Speech and Language Support for 0-5
• Good Autism Practice (National Autistic Society) Tier 1 and Tier 2
• Team Teach; Training in de-escalation techniques and positive handling.
• Makaton
• Cache Level 2 in Children’s Mental Health

Our teaching assistants have received training in assessing for, planning and delivering and monitoring progress in intervention and support programmes (see question 4).

Staff receive training in school relating to the support of pupils with SEND and appropriate specialist training as necessary from Outside Agencies, including training for specific medical needs.

The school has access to a number of Outside Agencies, some provided by the County Council and some bought-in services who may be involved in supporting your child.

• Educational Psychologist (EP)
• Specialist Teaching Team (STT)
• Speech and Language Therapy Service (SALT)
• The Working Together Team (WTT)
• Behaviour Outreach Support Service (BOSS)
• Physiotherapy Service
• Occupational Health Service
• School Nursing Team
• Sensory Education Support Team
• St Francis Outreach Service
• Community Paediatrician
• Specialist Nurse Trainers

Other professionals, such as those dedicated to supporting particular medical needs, can also be involved as appropriate.

For more information about the agencies we work with in school and how they will support your child please speak to Mrs Carpino (SENDCo).

Further information on support available in Lincolnshire can be found in the SEND Local Offer on the link below:

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/homepage/131/send-local-offer

• Teachers, Teaching Assistants and Midday Supervisors build up strong relationships with children to support the emotional needs of all our children throughout the day.
• All full time staff have had trauma informed training, as well as specific training to support children following COVID.
• PSHE happens in every classroom to promote speaking, listening, empathy, working together, turn taking and following social rules.
• Staff may support your child in a variety of ways, these include:

Social Groups

Family Groups

‘Checking in’  and ‘Checking out’ with individual pupils at key points in the day

1:1 bespoke programmes of support

Nurture Groups

Writing Social Stories with individual children

Therapeutic play

The school are also working with the NHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) and the school’s Mental Health Leads are Mrs Carpino and Mrs Stubbs.

• Discussions are held with all children at the start and the end of targeted interventions (See Question 4) to ensure children understand their targets.
• Your child will be involved in writing and reviewing their Pupil Profile (see Question 4) if appropriate.
• Your child will be involved in reviewing their progress towards their own targets before a review meeting takes place and / or at the end of a targeted programme of intervention. They will also be supported to consider what they might need to do next.
• If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan they might be invited to join the annual review meeting for part of their Annual Review Meeting to share their thoughts on school and their progress.

• The curriculum will be adapted and their needs supported through the use of appropriate strategies and / or targeted intervention programmes, (See Question 4).
• Please refer to the curriculum section of this website and / or speak to your child’s class teacher.

If at any time you become concerned about the progress your child is making please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher who will be happy to discuss this with you at an appropriate time. An appointment will need to be arranged with the class teacher to do this.

• Parent Consultation meetings with your child’ class teacher take place 2 times per year and parents are invited to attend.
• A written report is completed in school and sent home in Term 6. There is an opportunity to discuss this report further if requested by parents.
• SEND Support review meetings with your child’s class teacher and SENDCo if appropriate.
• If further meetings or discussions are appropriate please contact Mrs Carpino (SENDCo) via the school office.

• Assessments are on going throughout the year to measure and track the progress of for all children.
• Progress of all children is tracked using the Early Years Foundation Stage Ages and Stages of Development and the National Curriculum.
• If your child is working below the expectations for their chronological age their progress may be tracked using PIVATS. Please talk to your child’s class teacher about this. 
• Standardised assessments such as those completed by an Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher may be appropriate for your child. These will be shared with school staff and parents.
• If Outside Agencies are supporting your child they may carry out their own specific assessments. They will share their findings with school staff and parents.
• If your child has SEND, their progress is measured against their individual targets regularly and discussed at SEND Support review meetings.

For further information about the Assess, Plan, Do Review cycle please see Question 4 and the SEND Policy on this website.

We frequently use educational visits and residential trips to enhance the learning in the classroom and make it ‘come to life’. We will always include your child on a visit, ensuring any specific needs they have are taken into account with our risk assessment. Dependent on the needs of your child, you may be asked to support them on an educational visit.

If at any time you are concerned about your child’s inclusion in extracurricular activities or school trips please in the first instance see the class teacher and then, if appropriate, a discussion with the school SENDCo will be arranged.

At Bishop King CE Primary School we support access to the school environment in the following ways:

• A hygiene suite with toilet and physiotherapy bed
• Disabled toilet facilities
• Access to ICT equipment to support learning where appropriate.
• The school is on one level with wheelchair access to the building.
• The Sensory Education Support Team are available to provide advice on the needs of individual pupils with hearing and/ or visual needs.

If your child’s needs change at any point please contact Mrs Carpino (SENDco) to discuss these and any support arrangements to ensure accessibility that may be required.

Starting at school is an important time and we use a number of strategies to ensure a smooth transition. One or more of the following strategies may be sued to support your child:

• Visits to nurseries and other pre-school settings by class teacher and / or SENDCo before your child starts school.
• Meetings between the SENDCo and nursery/ pre-school staff.
• Meetings between parents and staff at school.
• Opportunities for your child to visit the school and their new classroom.
• Transition Books and Visual support created to provide support for you at home with your child.
• Involvement of Outside Agencies who currently support your child.

The school recognises that this is an important time for children and the transfer of information and reducing of pupil anxieties are of top priority to staff. One or more of the following strategies may be used to support your child:

• SENDCo at Bishop King CE Primary School will meet with SENDCo of secondary schools to discuss individual pupils during terms 5 and 6.
• A Transition Review meeting will take place with the SENDCo in Term 5 or 6 for all pupils in Year 6 with SEN, which parents will be invited too, to discuss transition and targets for this. Staff from the new secondary school may be invited to attend this meeting.
• Additional visits arranged to secondary school
• Transition resource packs may be used.
• The pastoral team provide support for children with self-organisation and travel to their new school.
• Individual pupil’s SEND files are taken to their new secondary school at the end of term 6.
• If your child has an EHCP the SENDCo of their new secondary school will be invited to their transition annual review meeting in either Year 5 or Year 6.
• A transition book may be created with photographs and other visual support.
• Year 6 staff make more use of timetables and diaries during the last half term to prepare children for new ways of working.
• The Pastoral Team can be available to children for discussions about transitions and any anxieties that occur.
• Outside agency professionals support transition through attendance at reviews or via reports.

For more information about transition or if you have concerns about transition for your child please speak to your child’s class teacher and / or the SENDCo.

• You will have regular opportunities to come into school and see class teachers and the SENDCo as appropriate, see Question 11.
• If your child is receiving support through targeted intervention programmes you will receive a letter explaining this and given the opportunity to discuss this with your child’s class teacher.
• If your child has an Individual Support Plan the plan contains suggestions of how you can support your child at home.
• We would like you to share information with us about your child’s needs and any support they are receiving from outside agencies. Please talk to your child’s class teacher or SENDCo about this.
• The school website has a SEND home learning section, which includes lots of resources around the four main areas of SEND to help you to support your child at home with their specific area of need.

If you would like to find out more about how to support your child at home please talk to your child’s class teacher.

Appointments can be made to meet with the SENDCo through the school office.

Some useful websites and support groups:

• www.lincolnshire.gov.uk – provides information on the local offer, local schools and information for parents including links to support groups. Find links here for 4all – a magazine with up to date information on SEND and activities for children, young people and families. Also find links here for short breaks for children and young people with SEND
• https://lincolnshire.fsd.org.uk/kb5/lincs/fsd/service.page?id=FDv65Lc6jxs  - Liaise is the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Advice and Support Service for Lincolnshire. They provide information and advice relating to SEN and disabilities to parents, children and young people (0 – 25) which is free, confidential and impartial.
• www.parentpartnership.org.uk – Parent partnership offer free confidential advice, information and support to parents and carers about special educational needs
• www.ipsea.org.uk IPSEA stands for Independent Parental Special Education Advice

Key members of staff (and order of contact):

• Class teacher
• SENDCo – Mrs N Carpino

The first action is to speak to your child’s class teacher and they will work with you to resolve any issues.

You can also speak to our school SENDCo (Mrs Carpino) by telephoning the school office and she will be able to work with you and your child’s class teacher to put the best support in place.

If you are still concerned, please refer to the complaints policy on our school website.