Costock CofE Primary School

Costock Primary is a mainstream school that aims to be as inclusive as possible. We strive to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their needs, make the best possible progress in school. This includes children with a variety of physical needs including wheelchair and oxygen, children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and those with specific conditions. There are a wide range of special educational needs for which children may need extra support. Sometimes these needs are only short term, others may continue through a child’s school life and some children may have a specific diagnosis.

Staff at Costock seek to identify the needs of pupils with SEN as early as possible. This is done most effectively by gathering information from parents, education, health and care services and early years settings where applicable.

Where SEN is identified prior to a child starting school we will work very closely with all the parties involved to ensure that the needs of the child are understood and a clear transition plan is in place. We monitor the progress of all pupils in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEN. Continuous monitoring of those pupils with SEN by their teachers will help to ensure that they are able to reach their potential.

Any concerns that a parent has about a child should be shared with their class teacher. Concerns will be then be logged for future reference. The school will monitor the child as appropriate and gather any relevant information. Any concerns will be discussed with parents informally or during parent’s evening, although the child will not automatically placed on the SEN register at this point. If appropriate the

(Special Educational Needs Coordinator) SENCO will be consulted for support and advice.

Reviews of a child’s progress will be undertaken regularly. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions and is monitored through the regular and rigorous evaluation of performance data. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and their parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENCO, will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil’s progress and development, making any necessary amendments going forward in consultation with parents and the pupil.

Provision maps are kept for all children with SEND, these provide a record of both in class support and any interventions a child is accessing. These are reviewed and updated each term to ensure the most appropriate support is being provided.

School knows how all children are doing through termly evaluation of performance data, evaluation of intervention, evaluation of behaviour logs and through dialogue with pupils, parents and other involved adults.

Ways in which you are able to support your child will be communicated informally by the class teacher or through parent’s evenings and review meetings.  

In our school we support children with a wide range of needs. We are committed to whole school inclusion and will seek support and training from specialist SEN services where appropriate.

We believe in the importance of good quality classroom teaching. We supplement this with carefully planned small groups and 1-1 interventions that may take place outside of the classroom.

We recognise that some of our children need a more nurturing approach and our provision reflects this.

The school curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.

All pupils with SEND will have access to Element 1 and 2 of a school's budget, which equates to £6,000. Some pupils with SEND may access additional funding. This additional funding might be from a budget which is devolved to and moderated by the Family of Schools. (The Family of Schools comprises of a secondary school and its feeder primary schools).

For those with the most complex needs, additional funding (HLN or high level needs) is retained by the local authority. This is accessed by the Family of Schools. The Family SENCO will refer individual applications to a multi-agency panel, which is administered by the Local Authority. The panel will determine whether the level and complexity of need meets the threshold for this funding.

It is the responsibility of the Head Teacher, SENCo and governors to agree how the allocation of resources is used.

At Costock we will make any reasonable adjustments we can to ensure that all children are included in activities. This is done through careful planning and through communicating with all involved parties. It may involve providing specialist equipment e.g. an adapted bus, taking additional adults or adapting activities.

We strongly believe that there is more to a child’s time at school than their academic progress and therefore we aim to ensure their overall well-being. This is done through sensitively managing their needs and may include 1-1 support, time with a trained counsellor, the setting up of a ‘circle of friends’ or if necessary a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for specialist support.

The school SENCO is Jane Mellor who can be contacted on 01509 842326 or via office@costock.notts.sch.uk

We aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with SEN. The SENCO attends Family SEN meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEN focused external training opportunities for all staff. We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEN issues and we have funding available to support this professional development.

The SENCO ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of provision management.

We ensure the appropriate staff are trained for any specific medical or emotional needs of a specific child, as well as more generic training including dyslexia support and Makaton signing. We have a staff member trained as an ELSA (Emotional Support Literacy Assistant).

As a school we will work with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school, these currently include:

• The Rushcliffe Primary Behaviour Partnership (specialist behaviour support)
• Health services - School Nurse
• General Practitioners
• Pediatricians and the Speech & Language Therapy service
• Ventilation Team
• PDSS (Physical Disability Specialist Service)
• OT (Occupational Therapy)

We also work with Social Care, Educational Psychologists and trained Counsellors for children. Parental consent is required for specialist support.

Through planning and dialogue with all involved parties we take advice on any specific pieces of equipment required for a child. Such equipment might be bought by school or loaned from the appropriate source e.g. Physical Disability Support Service.

Costock is a fully wheelchair accessible building. We have a number a hygiene suite and a physio room. Facilities and equipment would be adapted to meet the child’s needs through consultation with the parents/carers, school child and Local Authority.

Costock has an open door policy for all parents’ and believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure:

1. early and accurate identification and assessment of SEN leading to appropriate intervention and provision
2. continuing social and academic progress of children with SEN
3. personal and academic targets are set and met effectively

For children on the SEND register the SENCO will organise termly review meetings to which the parents will be invited and asked to contribute. Where appropriate these will be multi-agency. These allow parents the opportunity to meet with the child’s class teacher, review progress and be involved in the target setting process.

The SENCO may also signpost parents of pupils with SEN to the local authority Ask Us service where specific advice, guidance and support may be requested. If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision.

At Costock we create an environment where pupils can contribute to their own learning. This means encouraging relationships with adults in school where pupils feel safe to voice their opinions of their own needs, and carefully monitoring the progress of all pupils at regular intervals. Pupils regularly attend review meetings, if appropriate and are involved in setting and reviewing targets. Pupils are also interviewed by the SENCO in order to ascertain their views about their learning experience. Pupil participation is encouraged throughout school. For example access to wider opportunities for participation in school life e.g. membership of the School Council, school performances, residential trips, sports teams etc.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak with the SENCO, who will try to resolve any difficulties and also be able to advise on the school’s formal procedures for complaint. The head teacher will aim to resolve any complaints as soon as possible.

With the support of the Governors Costock invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEN.

The SENCO is the designated person responsible for liaising with the following:

• Education Psychology Service
• Behaviour Support Service
• Social Care
• Speech and Language Service
• Specialist Outreach Services

The SENCO has a duty to report to the governors on a regular basis. The school’s SEN Governor (Charlotte Harris) may be contacted at any time in relation to SEN matters. Contact should be made through school.

Costock works closely with a wide range of organisations and services and is able to refer children to relevant agencies that provide additional support. Further information is available through Nottinghamshire SEND Local Offer.

Where appropriate, children with identified needs will be supported with school transitions through liaisons with parents, support agencies and key staff from both settings. Where a child has identified needs prior to joining Costock every effort is made to ascertain the exact nature of their needs and the support necessary to enable them to thrive in school. On occasions this may mean employing additional staff or engaging in additional training.

 At points of transition within school and between Y6 and Y7 all information gathered on a child, and in particular successful strategies, are shared with the new setting.

Our curriculum for pupils with SEND is adapted to include real life situations on an individual basis. This may include regular trips to local shops or farms to support real life learning and encourage independence.

Further information can be obtained by visiting the school website or by contacting HT/ SENCO Jane Mellor