Sturton Le-Steeple C of E (Aided) Primary School

At Sturton School we believe that all pupils can learn and make progress. At the heart of teaching is the school vision statement; ‘creating a foundation for life and learning with opportunities for all’. Our pupils should be allowed to fulfil their potential and we must provide opportunities for them to do this. We believe all children have a right to a broad and balanced curriculum which is relevant to them, differentiated for them and which demonstrates progression and coherence. Diversity is valued as a rich resource, which supports the learning of all children. In our school, inclusion means that a relevant and challenging curriculum is offered to all children, which is appropriate to their individual abilities, talents and personal qualities.

This SEN Information Report has been produced for the Local Offer and aims to provide further information about the support that we can offer to pupils with SEN.

At Sturton School we aim to include and provide equal opportunities for all children, including those with Special Educational Needs.

Pupils have special educational needs (SEN) if they have an additional need that requires provision to be put in place for them. Pupils have a difficulty with learning if they:

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
• have a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kinds provided for children of the same age in other schools within the Local Education Authority
• is under compulsory school age and falls within the definitions above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them
• pupils must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because of language or the form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

If you are concerned, or know, that your child has special educational needs then please speak to your child’s class teacher or the SENCO. The practitioners responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEND are, Mr. Mark Elliott (Head Teacher) and Miss Devon Newboult (SENCO). The practitioner responsible for co-ordinating the day-to-day provision of education for pupils with SEND is, Miss Devon Newboult.

Sturton Le Steeple C of E Primary School is committed to the early identification of pupils’ needs. We follow a graduated approach of quality first teaching, regularly monitored SEND support then a referral for an EHC plan if necessary.

Regular feedback meetings with the school SENCO, staff, parents and the child ensure that constant reflection and evaluation takes place to ensure the provision made for each child is effective. Questionnaires will collect pupil and parent views, with individual parent and child feedback sought at review meetings.

Pupil progress meetings are had throughout the year, these take place between the head teacher and class teachers. Within these meetings provision for SEN is planned, monitored, reviewed and evaluated. Information from pupil progress reviews will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of provision.

As a school we evaluate our SEN Policy, Information Report and Local Offer annually.

Sturton School regularly monitors the progress of all pupils and formally records this termly. Staff will then look at the progress being made and consider any further support that may be appropriate. This progress is shared with subject leaders, the school SENCO and the head teacher.

Meetings take place at least twice a year and parents will be encouraged to actively take part in these. At these meetings progress will be discussed, future actions decided, new targets set and ideas for how you can support your child at home will be discussed.

Pupil progress meetings area regularly had (see above).

At Sturton-le-Steeple Primary School, we aim to provide high quality teaching to all children. Staff have high expectation of children and help children to reach their goal. We believe that we need to remove the barriers to learning. We aspire to create an environment that meets the needs of each and every child, including children with special educational needs.

If a child is receiving SEN support or additional support, this is shared with parents regularly during parents’ evening appointments. This gives staff the opportunity to share with parents the support the child will receive, the progress being made and any other additional information. These meetings allow sufficient time to explore the parents’ views and to plan effectively.

The views of the child will be central to the planning. This could be through involving the child in all or part of the meeting, or gathering their views as part of the preparation for the meeting.

If a child continues to make little or no progress, despite the support that is in place, the school will consider asking outside agencies for assistance. Parents would give permission for the school to request help through one of the termly Springboard meetings. At the meetings, help may be offered by a specialist and again this will continue to be reviewed regularly.

If a child has lifelong or significant difficulties, they may undergo a Statutory Assessment which is usually requested by the school, but can be requested by a parent. This will occur where the complexity of need or a lack of clarity around the needs of the child are such that a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning provision and identifying resources, is required. The decision to make a referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan will be taken at a progress review and will combine information from all who support the pupil. More information about this process can be found in the Nottinghamshire Local Offer Website (www.nottshelpyourself.org.uk).

Pupils with SEND will be given access to the curriculum through the specialist SEND provision provided by the school, as required and as far as possible, in line with the wishes of their parents and the needs of the individual. We offer Quality First Teaching and a range of interventions and programs to support pupils and make use of our Teaching Assistants and assist accessing the curriculum.

All staff have a responsibility for ensuring that the inclusion of all pupils is promoted by regularly reviewing the school curriculum. We have several areas around school, including the learning room, library and outdoor courtyard area that allows a quiet working environment for groups or individuals.
We have a range of assistive resources such as sloped writing desks, iPads and other IT equipment to support pupils.

To support learning we have a variety of intervention programs and resources in school to develop reading, writing and maths at a variety of levels. We have access to specific external support, as necessary, including:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Schools and Families Specialist Services (SFSS)
• Education Psychology Services (EPS)
• Sensory Service (for students with hearing or visual need)
• Health representatives (e.g. physiotherapist)
• Outside agencies such as Bassetlaw Primary Behaviour Partnership (BPBP), Healthy Families Team, etc.

The school also has access to a variety of diagnostic tools in school and programs to address identified needs.

The decisions regarding what support is required are made in conjunction with the class teacher, SENCO and parents. We have a wide range of intervention programs, which we use as appropriate. The effectiveness of these is reviewed at pupil progress review meetings.

For details on the allocation of funding for support, please see our school SEND Policy.

We are a fully inclusive school where all children are factored into school excursions and any additional outdoor learning activities. When advisable these additional activities will be adapted to meet a pupil's needs and this will be agreed in consultation with parents.

At Sturton le Steeple C of E Primary we believe that pupil well-being is of the upmost importance. Our staff team are experienced in working with children who may need additional support and nurturing. At Sturton we provide all pupils with emotional support, and we can offer additional, specific support on a small group/one to one basis where appropriate.

We are able to access the services of our SENCO to support all of our pupils that may need specific intervention to support their well-being and personal development. School works closely with outside agencies, including Educational Psychologists and CAMHS workers. At Sturton our Mental Health First Aider is Mrs. Gemma Gibson, she works in partnership with the SENCO if support is needed.

The practitioner responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEND is: Miss Devon Newboult (current National Award for SEND)

Tel: 01427 880342

e-mail: office@sturton.notts.sch.uk

We aim to keep all school staff up to date with the relevant developments in teaching practice to support the needs of pupils with SEND. Other training for teachers and teaching assistants will be organised as and when required. If a particular pupils needs require specific staff training then this will be organised accordingly.

We recognise the need to train all our staff on SEND issues and we have funding available to support this professional development. The SENCO, with the leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities and those identified through the use of pupil progress feedback meetings.

Training Includes:

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder - Behavioural and Sensory needs
• Precision Teaching
• Supporting Dyslexic Learners
• Attachment and Trauma
• Pupil Resilience
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service training on Childhood Anxiety

As a school we continue to build strong working relationships and links with external support services, as well as sharing expertise within school, in order to fully support our SEN pupils and aid school inclusion.  These include

• SENCO
• Access to Family and District SENCO
• Mental Health First Aider
• Teachers responsible for teaching SEND groups/individuals
• Teaching Assistants working with either individual children or small groups
• Local Authority Provision delivered in school
• Schools and Families Specialist Services
• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
• SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
• Health Provision delivered in school
• Healthy Families Team (previously School Nursing service)
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• CAMHs
• Bassetlaw Primary Behaviour Partnership

Please see the school 'Access Policy' - www.sturton.notts.sch.uk

Adaptations include:

• Wheelchair friendly access to most areas of the school
• Hand rails in stepped areas
• Parking spaces clearly marked for any pupils and/or parents with additional needs
• Assistive technology for pupils
• Small teaching spaces that ar available for 1:1 teaching and review meetings
• Use of 'Signs and Symbols' for pupils with communication needs

The decision regarding what support is appropriate are made in conjunction with the class teacher, SENCO and parents. We have a wide range of intervention programs, which we use as appropriate. The effectiveness of these is reviewed at pupil progress review meetings.

For details on the allocation of funding for support, please see the school's SEND Policy.

We operate an open door policy with all parents. We believe that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure:

• Early and accurate identification and assessment of SEND leading to the correct intervention and provision
• Continued social and academic progress of children with SEND
• Personal and academic targets are set and met effectively

We value the opinions of parents and seek to gather these through regular feedback. 

Parents are kept up to date with their child’s progress through progress reports, open evenings, and review meetings where appropriate. In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs. The SENCo may also signpost parents of pupils with SEN to the local authority Parent Partnership service where specific advice, guidance and support may be required.

Pupil voice is very important at Sturton Le Steeple C of E Primary School and all staff value the opinions of pupils. Target setting for all children is done in conjunction with the pupils who are encouraged to give their suggestions and ideas. Where possible, pupils with SEND are encouraged to give their thoughts regarding their education in a variety of ways, including discussions and questionnaires with staff scribing their input.

Please see Sturton Le Steeple C of E Primary School’s Complaints Policy for full details.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made for them to speak to the SEND Coordinator, who will be able to advise further on the procedures for concerns or complaints.

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services in order to fully support our SEND pupils and aid school inclusion. Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEND provision within our school. We seek advice from all relevant parties when planning education for pupils with SEND and in some circumstances may invite external support to multi-agency meetings.

Please see section 5b, for a detailed list of support services/ agencies.

The contact details of support services for the parents of pupils with special educational needs, including those for arrangements are made in accordance with clause 32.

Contact details of external agencies are available on the parent noticeboard and are provided by the SENCO at parent/pupil review.

Publications are provided to parents of children that are issued from the Local Authority.

Any further information on contact details can be obtained from: Miss Newboult - 01427 880342: office@sturton.notts.sch.uk

To support learning we have a variety of intervention programs and resources in school to develop reading, writing and maths at a variety of levels. We have access to specific external support, as necessary

All children who wish to join our school are invited to attend taster sessions and transition days leading up to their enrolment. These sessions are flexible in both day and time to meet parental requests.

When joining our foundation unit all children will be offered a staggered transition from home to school or from another setting (playgroup/nursery/childminder). These sessions support our youngest children in familiarising themselves with the staff, the building and their new peer group. Staff are also available to make home visits on request (this is advisable where you may wish to inform the class teacher of any additional needs or requirements for your child).

We have strong links with all of our local primary and feeder secondary schools where we operate clear and structured transitions.

Where appropriate for children with SEND we include additional transition days and provide support in the form of a TA or carer. We also have organised transition periods within our school to prepare pupils for their next class.

At Sturton Le Steeple C of E Primary School we strive to develop independence within our young learners. We work with additional providers to enhance this further through schemes of work linked to healthy eating, personal hygiene and safety. Specialist support can be arranged to provide any learning outside of what is already established in order to meet any specific special educational need.

Please see our school website which holds additional information about school, including our SEND Policy; www.sturton.notts.sch.uk.

The SEND Local Offer also has further information, which is useful for parents and carers.

Most importantly though come and see us, you will be made most welcome.