Crescent Primary and Nursery School

Crescent Primary is a Mainstream Primary School with our ethos “Happiness, Success and  Learning for Life” 

During our last OFSTED inspection (February 2024) the report states that 'In all lessons, pupils work hard and enjoy learning. No time is wasted. Staff often check how securely pupils can remember what they have learned. They adapt lessons skilfully to meet the needs of all pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are very ambitious for these pupils. They provide excellent support when it is needed while helping pupils with SEND develop resilience and independence'

As an inclusive school, we recognise that some children and young people need something additional to or different from what is provided for the majority of children; this is special educational provision.

Around 20% of our school population are currently identified on the SEND register, as having a special educational need.

Whilst many factors contribute to the range of difficulties experienced by some children, we believe that much can be done to overcome them by parents, teachers and pupils working together.

Special Educational Needs and Inclusion is always a priority at Crescent Primary School. All staff and the Governing Body are highly committed to inclusion and the principles outlined in our SEND policy; working hard to ensure that provision is made for those who need it and that all children are given the opportunities to be the best they can be.

Within school, importance is given to identifying the needs of pupils with SEND as early as possible. This is most effectively done by gathering information from parents, education, health and care services, or other settings prior to the child’s entry into the school.

We closely monitor the progress of all pupils in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEN. Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators will be monitored and added to our ‘SEN Aware  Register’. 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 have a better understanding of the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.

The SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class. If a pupil is then identified as having SEN they will be closely monitored by staff and the school SENCO, in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.  Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. 

If any parent/carer has a concern about their child they should initially discuss this with the class teacher. All parental concerns will be listened to, and looked at together with the school’s information about the child and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing. The class teacher and SENCO will liaise to discuss potential barriers to learning and, where required, ensure appropriate intervention is put in place.

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this and the pupil will be added to the school’s SEN register.  The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEN is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEN provision the school regularly evaluates its provision and its effectiveness through a range of different monitoring activities. This includes:  

• data analysis
• discussions at parents’ meetings
• review meetings with the child and any other professionals working with the child
• discussions with the SENCO, teachers and support staff
• pupil interviews
• monitoring of progress of all children identified with SEND
• SEND learning walks
• Teacher and SENCO pupil progress meetings

Recognition and value will also be given to all forms of achievement including personal development and wellbeing.

Pupil progress is monitored three times yearly within school. 

Where children are identified within the SEN Support category, termly review meetings will be held. Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates, but will usually take place on a termly basis.  The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and 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.  

During these review meetings and at our parent’s evenings, parents will be provided with clear information about the impact of support to enable them to be involved in planning the next steps, including information on how they can support their child’s learning and development at home.

Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having a special educational need, they will be closely monitored by staff in order to identify any possible difficulties. The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide suitable learning opportunities that are matched to the child’s ability and help support their needs.

The class teacher may ask the SENCO for support and advice to ensure the child receives the best possible learning opportunities.

Every effort will be made to educate pupils with SEN alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom setting. Where this is not possible, the SENCO will consult with the child’s parents for other flexible arrangements to be made.

We aim to make appropriate provision to overcome all barriers to learning and ensure pupils with SEN have full access to the National Curriculum. This will be co-ordinated by the SENCO and class teacher, and will be carefully monitored and regularly reviewed in order to ensure that individual targets are being met and all pupils’ needs are catered for.

The class teacher remains responsible for working with your child on a day-to-day basis. They will plan and work closely with teaching assistants to provide a suitable package of support. This support may be provided in class by the teacher, TA or LSA or may involve the child being provided with an additional intervention.  Interventions may be delivered in small groups or on a 1:1 basis. The interventions that we currently deliver are tailored to meet the needs of individuals and develop skills in maths, reading, writing, social skills, speech, language and communication, ELSA/Zones of Regulation, which helps children with their social and emotional development and also Fun Fit, which supports children who have coordination difficulties.

Each class teacher maps the provision that they make for all pupils who receive additional support on a termly basis. Where a pupil’s needs are significant, and require a number of different interventions or specialist support, termly targets are agreed. The targets are put in place and will be closely monitored by the Class Teacher/SENCO, and adjusted where necessary to meet the needs of individuals and groups of pupils.

Many of our SEN children are receiving interventions for emotional and mental well-being including Lego therapy, tree of life, meet and greet, ELSA, Zones of Regulation, music therapy, drawing and talking, anxiety, emotional coaching and bereavement support.

Decisions about the type and amount of support a pupil may receive are made based on the individual needs of each child. Decisions are usually made by the class teacher in conjunction with the SENCO and parents.

A small number of pupils with SEND may require access to additional funding to help support them effectively within the classroom. This additional funding is accessed through a budget which is devolved to, and moderated by the Family of Schools (Our Family of Schools comprises of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy and its five feeder primary schools) and is allocated on an annual basis.  For those pupils with the most complex needs the SENCO will refer individual applications to a multi-agency panel (called the HLN panel) which is administered by the Local Authority. The panel meet termly, and determine whether the complexity of need meets the threshold for this level of funding. 

The decision to apply for additional funding is made by the school SENCO in collaboration with the family SENCO and the Head Teacher.

All children are encouraged to take part in out of class learning and appropriate support will be put in place to allow all pupils to access after school clubs, lunch time activities and school visits, wherever possible.  

The school works hard to ensure that pupils with disabilities participate fully in school life. Pupils with disabilities, where possible, attend all school trips and residential visits, ensuring that risk assessments take into account additional resources and adjustments that need to be made. Staff liaise closely with parents during the planning stages, to ensure the appropriate provision and support is in place for the visit, and hopefully provide peace of mind for parents.

Additional support is provided at break and lunch times, for those pupils who find the unstructured parts of the day difficult, through the use of ‘Zones of Regulations’, teaching assistants and additional midday supervisory staff.

As part of the curriculum, children have weekly lessons about Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) in line with the statutory guidance 2020.

Alongside this, the children have a weekly 'Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds' session, where they learn all about looking after their own mental health.  Furthermore, they learn about emotions and how to self-regulate themselves.  It gives them the opportunity to share how they are feeling at certain points of the lesson, therefore allowing the chance for adults to signpost children to the relevant support available.

We have twomembers of staff, who are ELSA (emotional literacy support assistant) trained.  When staff identify children that need further support with their mental health, they can do a referral to the ELSA lead, who will assess, plan and provide a programme of support.  This will be reviewed and parents will be informed every step of the way.

Where staff are aware that a child or young person may be experiencing friendship difficulties, a buddy system will be set up, or a ‘Circle of Friends’, where appropriate is iinitiated.

If a parent has any concerns regarding their child’s overall well-being, these should be discussed with the child’s class teacher in the first instance.

If necessary, and with your consent, we may refer your child to the educational psychology service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) or the Sherwood Area Partnership (SAP) for a specific piece of work

Please also refer to our mental health policy.

The person currently responsible for overseeing and co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with SEN is the Inclusion Leader (also known as the SENCO) is Mrs Zoe Cheetham. Her role is to oversee the school’s policy for inclusion, and is responsible for ensuring that it is implemented effectively throughout the school.

Mrs Zoe Cheetham can be contacted by telephone (01623 468558) or by email zcheetham@crescent.notts.sch.uk  or by visiting the school office.

The school Governors are responsible for the overall effectiveness of provision for special educational needs within the school and our Governor responsible for special educational needs is Carly Baines

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. Whole staff training is carried out on a regular basis to increase staff’s knowledge and understanding of a wide range of topics related to special educational needs and disabilities. Training is made available for whole staff or targeted at specific groups, such as; governors, midday staff, TA’s etc. This is accessed through the Local Authority, family of schools or through in-house training.

Recent training that staff have had related to SEND includes:

Intimate and personal care training, Safe handling, Makaton level 3, B Squared assessment, developing a good mental health, Supervision for ELSA, interoception, Clicker 7, ELSA training, B squared new system V5, Zones of regulations.

Training planned for 2022-2023 school year include

Initimate and personal care training, safe handling, Makaton, ELSA supervision, CRB training (safe handling) Interoception, Attention Autism, Zones of Regulations, Mental Health and well-being assessment, EHCP hub training.

In addition to this, the SENCO attends relevant SEND courses, Family SEND meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant SEND focused external training opportunities for all staff.

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services in order to fully support our SEN pupils and aid school inclusion.

We believe that sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key in providing effective and successful SEN provision within our school.  

The school seeks advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils. Requests for involvement can be made to Schools and Families Specialist Services and the Educational Psychology Service on a termly basis. Referrals to the Early Help Unit, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, Family Service, CAMHS, Healthy Family Team, Sure start, Small Steps, WHAM (What about Me), Newark Bereavement Centre, Women’s Aid (Safe hands) and SAP (Sherwood Area Partnership) are made as and when it is necessary.

For a full list of services that are available for school to access enabling us to support SEN pupils the best way possible, please see our full SEN policy which is available on our school website.

At Crescent Primary School, we endeavour to comply with accessibility requirements regarding the physical environment and access to the curriculum.

Our current access arrangements and areas identified for improvement are outlined in our Accessibility Plan (available on the SEN page of our school website). We recognise that additional modifications may need to be made at any time, to ensure all pupils are able to fully access the school site and the curriculum we offer.

The school currently has a range of facilities for pupils with SEN in place. These include:

• Wheelchair access to the whole site
• Hearing loop fitted in the Crescent Centre
• Full time teaching assistant support allocated to most classes in school
• Disabled toilet in all buildings, with changing and shower facilities in one of the disabled toilets
• Use of Dyslexia friendly resources throughout school
• Use of signs and symbols (Makaton) for those pupils with communication difficulties
• Use of ipads (including dedicated SEN ipads and children with AFN funding
• 1 Sensory room, kitted out with a range of sensory resources
• Information from the school office (for parents) available in a range of formats, including large print, translated and copied on coloured paper (dyslexia friendly)
• Lexia Training using laptops (reading)
• Visually impaired adjustments to equipment

If a situation arises where specialist equipment was needed, then advice would be sought from specialist services, such as the Physical Disability Support Service.

At Crescent Primary, we work closely with parents to gain a better understanding of their child and involve them in all stages of their child’s education. If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs or a special educational need, the parents and the pupil will always be consulted with regards to future provision. Support will also be offered in terms of understanding SEN procedures and practices, providing regular reports on their child’s progress, and providing information on the provisions for pupils within the school as a whole, and the effectiveness of the SEN policy and the school’s SEN work.

Parents are invited to attend meetings with staff and external agencies (if involved) regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child. A child on the SEN register will be set personal targets and these will be reviewed at termly review meetings.  In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs.

At Crescent Primary, we work hard to create a school environment where pupils feel safe to voice their opinions of their own needs.  We believe that pupil participation is a right. This will be reflected in decision-making but also encouraged through wider opportunities for participation in school life. 

Children with special educational needs, wherever possible, will be involved in their target setting and reviewing process and attend their termly review meetings where appropriate. Their views about the provision will always be taken into account.

The SENCO carries out pupil interviews annually, and works with SEN pupils on a regular basis (both in and out of the classroom), in order to monitor the appropriateness of provision and to gain their views and opinions about the issues that matter to them.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, they are advised to speak initially to the relevant class teacher, and then the Head Teacher if they feel the issue has not been resolved.  If the issue is regarding a child’s special educational needs and the provision made by the school, then they should make an appointment to speak to the school SENCO (Mrs Louise Smith), who will hopefully be able to suggest ways forward and make steps to resolve the issue.

If parents feel the matter is still unresolved and would like to submit a formal complaint then a full copy of the complaints procedure can be obtained from the school office upon request.

At Crescent Primary School, we work with and in support of outside agencies when the pupils’ needs cannot be met by the school alone.

 We have a number of services who work alongside staff, pupils and parents at our school to provide support and advice, enabling us to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child and their family. This includes Schools and Family Specialist Service, Educational Psychologist, Sherwood Area Partnership (emotional and mental health), Sure Start, Targeted Support, CAMHS, Speech and Language Therapy, School Nurse and Social Services. Additional services/professionals can be contacted to support, as the need arises.

Additional services and organisations are recommended to parents, carers and young people as and when a need arises. Services which may be recommended include support groups, charitable organisations, clubs for children and the Parent Partnership Service.

Parents will be signposted to Nottinghamshire Local Offer page on the website, access to this can be supported by school if parents have difficulties accessing a computer, smart phone or tablet.

 www.nottinghamshire.sendlocaloffer.org.uk

The SEND Local Offer is a resource which is designed to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. It describes the services and provision that are available both to those families in Nottinghamshire that have an Education, Health and Care Plan and those who do not have a plan, but still experience some form of special educational need.

When a child with additional needs joins the school, every effort is made to ensure that they have a smooth transition and that training resources are in place to meet their individual needs.

 The Office Manager, Mrs Kimberley Blake, is responsible for admissions and transition and the SENCO will liaise with the child’s previous school or setting to ensure that all of the relevant information has been shared.  

 We encourage visits from children and their families before starting our school.

For those children who have support in place from professionals, related to their area of need, we like to hold an informal meeting between ourselves, parents, the professionals, and the child (where appropriate) before they start school, or within the first few weeks of them joining us. This helps us get to know each other, share information and ensure appropriate provision and support are in place, to achieve the best outcomes for the child and their family.  

The SENCO will co-ordinate and oversee transition into different educational settings and ensure that the provision is appropriate to children’s individual needs. The SENCO will ensure liaison between staff members and SEN teams within school to ensure that the provision is individualised where needed.

 As pupils move to a new class, plans are put into place to support both the pupil and new staff to enable them to successfully transfer alongside their peers. This may include the organisation of additional visits, sharing of information, creating photo books, meeting new staff and facilitating any appropriate staff training.

 The school closely liaises with our local secondary schools to enable an effective transition to take place.  Parents are actively involved and kept fully informed throughout this transition process. The SENCO is able to accompany parents on visits to potential secondary schools upon request.

We encourage children to be as independent as possible, in preparation for adulthood. The teaching of life-skills is embedded in our everyday practice, particularly in the early years. We understand that for pupils with significant special educational needs, learning life skills is equally as important as acquiring new skills in reading, writing and maths.

Further information can be found on the SEND information page on our school website: www.crescentprimaryschool.com  or by contacting the SENCO (Mrs Cheetham) via the school office or on 01623 468558 or by email on zcheetham@crescent.notts.sch.uk