SHERBORNE PRIMARY SCHOOL !
Harbour Way Sherborne Dorset DT9 4AJ Telephone 01935 812619 Fax 01935 817943 e-mail office@sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk Website www.sherbornepri.dorset.sch.uk
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Headteacher: Mr I Bartle B Ed (Hons) NPQH
Sherborne Primary School Special Educational Needs and Disabilities - Our Local Offer December 2016 At Sherborne Primary School we believe that all children should have every opportunity to do their best. All children have access to a broad and exciting curriculum. We have a very good reputation for supporting children and families with a wide variety of learning needs. How do we know if children need extra help? Teachers monitor the children’s learning by observing them in class, marking their work, talking to them about their learning, assessing them through tests, watching them when they play, and tracking their progress regularly throughout the curriculum. If a teacher notices a child is struggling with an area of learning they will plan additional support for the child or adapt their teaching to suit an individual child. If a child is still needing extra help, the teacher will pass observations onto the school SENCo, at which point she will become involved in planning support or/and additional assessments for the child. Depending on the level of difficulties this may involve a SEN Support meeting with the SENCo, teacher and parents. This meeting gives everyone the opportunity to share their views and then a plan of support is put in place. What should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs or a disability? If you think your child may have a special educational need or a disability you can discuss this with either the child’s class teacher or the SENCo.
How will your staff support my child? This depends on your child’s learning need. Most needs will be addressed through high quality differentiated teaching and learning when in class, or extra support may be given by a teaching assistant that is working within your child’s class. However some of our teaching assistants have trained to take specific support roles within the school. For example we have a teaching assistant who has developed an expertise in helping children with speech and language difficulties. We also have three teaching assistants who are trained as Emotional Literacy Support Assistants. We also have three senior teaching
assistants who work with individuals and groups. On occasions it may be necessary for your child to work directly with a professional from a specialist field. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs? Our teachers are very skilled at planning lessons using a range of teaching and learning styles to suit all children. Objectives are taught through differentiated tasks and success criteria. The level of adult support given is varied to suit the needs of each child. How will both you and I know how my child is doing? The class teacher and SENCo will monitor your child’s learning closely. Each half term the SENCo meets with the year group teams and we will discuss all children with SEND. We will decide what is working well and what may need further support. Your child’s progress, as well as, their effort and disposition will be discussed. Then once per term you will be invited into school for a SEN Support meeting with the class teacher and SENCo. If your child is working alongside a range of professionals, these professionals will also be invited to these meetings. How will you help me to support my child’s learning? Ideas, strategies and resources will be shared with you to support your child. The SENCo is happy to model teaching approaches. If your child is seeing other professionals, parents will always be given copies of reports and this may lead to further opportunities for some specific training to support your skills with your child. What support will there be for my child’s personal overall wellbeing? As part of the SEN Support meetings we always ask the child how they are feeling about school and their learning. We monitor these responses very carefully. If we notice your child is losing confidence we may offer some form of social and emotional support. The school also has a strong PSHCE curriculum. Worry boxes, school council meetings, play time pals and an anti-bullying ethos all support the children to feel safe and secure within the school. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school? In school we have a wide range of support staff who have a wealth of experience and additional training. If a teaching assistant is working with a child on a one to one basis they will have had some training to understand the child’s needs. Other teaching assistants have developed a specialism in a particular area. For example we have a speech and language teaching assistant and three emotional literacy support assistants.
We run specialist intervention programmes to support writing and phonics. The teaching assistants who deliver these sessions will have had specialist training from SENSS advisory teachers. We also have very positive links with our designated Educational Psychologist, Behaviour Support Teacher, Specific Learning Difficulties Teacher, School Nurse, Hearing Impairment Advisory Teacher, YISP support worker, Speech and Language Therapist, Children and Mental Health Nurse Therapists and Early Interventions team. How will my child be included in activities outside the setting? The nature of the activity will depend greatly on the level of support or adaptations needed. However support will be planned, with staff and parents, to ensure the child is well prepared and the staff have fully assessed the risks of the activity. How accessible is the setting? The school building is a modern building and accessible to wheelchair users. The school is all on one level with doorways of a suitable width. We have two disabled toilets with a handle to allow wheelchair users to be supported. We have an Accessibility Plan which is regularly reviewed by the governors. The Premises Committtee are responsible for ensuring that all areas of the school are accessible to all members of the school community and make adaptations as necessary. How will the school prepare and support my child moving to the next stage of education? How will you increase their independence? During the SEN Support meetings time is devoted to planning and prioritising transitions. We also actively encourage children to express their views and feelings so this is central to the planning. When moving up a class, transition days are an important and exciting time to meet the new teacher. Meeting are also is place to share important information about children and their learning needs. When starting school in Foundation Stage the teacher will visit the preschool and the family is their home. Similarly in Year 6 teachers from the Gryphon and Sturminster High will visit the child and meet with the teachers to exchange information. Children will be given developmentally appropriate opportunities to develop their independence. How are the schools resources allocated and matched to the children’s special educational needs?
Every class has a teaching assistant to support the learning of all children. In addition to this the SEND budget is allocated each year on a needs led basis. If there is a need for extra support or specific resources for a child this will be managed by the SENCo as appropriate. The school has now got a sensory room that is available for individuals and pairs of children. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive? The SENCo, who has achieved the National SENCo Award Qualification, and the Head will use their professional knowledge and expertise to decide the type and regularity of support. For more complex learning needs professionals from health, education and social care will be involved in these decisions. Parents and carers will also be given opportunities to contribute their views and feelings. For a child with life-long and complex needs it may be necessary to liaise with Dorset County Council Special Educational Needs Department and start an Education Health Care Plan. This will then advise the school of the statutory provision that is required for the child. How will I be involved? We believe in working together with parents and carers to achieve the best possible outcome for all children. We hope that we offer a flexible range of opportunities to liaise with teachers, the SENCo and professionals, both informally through telephone calls and emails, to more formal opportunities through training workshops and meetings. We also like to demonstrate how you can help in a practical way. Your views and feelings are important to us and we always appreciate feedback on how we could involve you further.