Special Educational Needs

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES

SENCO: Miss Knight

At Ambergate Primary School we aim to meet the needs of every child as an individual, academically, socially, spiritually and emotionally. We do this in a variety of ways as class teachers; as partners with outside agencies; and with yourself as parents. We value the abilities and achievements of all our pupils and are committed to providing the best possible learning environment for them to succeed in. We aim to be a fully inclusive school, providing equal opportunities for all pupils, whilst meeting their individual needs.

Policy:

• Summer term: the existing teacher has a handover with the next teacher. The 'review sheet' is completed for each child on the SEN register. This lists the interventions and strategies that will be needed in September. The SENCO uses the information from the reviews to plan which interventions will run in September and for which children. This is shared with staff and the SEN Teaching Assistants who will be delivering the programmes.
• Autumn term: the SENCO monitors the effectiveness of the interventions through direct observation of sessions, data analysis and face to face reviews with each teacher/TA. The provision is then evaluated and planned for the Spring term.
• Spring term: the SENCO monitors the effectiveness of the interventions through direct observation of sessions, data analysis and face to face reviews with each teacher/TA. The provision is then evaluated and planned for the Summer term.

Personalised plans:

• IEPs (individual Educational Plans): some children have these. They list the targets the child is aiming to achieve and how these will be achieved. A copy is kept in the class for staff to focus on a copy sent home to parents. These are evaluated termly and new ones written.
• My Learning Programme: Some children have this document (they are children with complex needs who will be in receipt of additional, external funding (GRIP or EHCP). It lists the key objectives the child is working towards by the end of the Key Stage they are in. For each objective, steps/actions are identified towards achieving it, along with costs involved.
• SSSEN support teacher: (Derbyshire's 'Support Service for Special Educational Needs') This is a specialist teacher who works with a child on a personalised programme each week. There is a referral and application process involved to secure their services (usually part of a GRIP/EHC application).

External support is also purchased from the:

• Behaviour Support Service: A teacher comes in and trains or supports staff to manage a child's behaviour; to work with parents and staff together; or to work on a one-to-one basis with child throughout the year.
• Educational Psychologist: Each autumn, the SENCO meets the educational psychologist and they discuss the SEND needs across school. their time is allocated at this meeting to carry out various activities, i.e. carry out an assessment on a pupil to support our applications for GRIP/EHCP or SSSEN support; to train staff (in Autism, Attachment disorder, Literacy learning difficulties etc) or provide advice/support to families.