Brinsley Primary and Nursery School

At Brinsley Primary School, we are very proud of our school, pupils, families, the wider community and their achievements. Our school enables all children to achieve their full potential regardless of race, gender, religion, culture, social class or disability. We believe our school is special and the relationships we develop with our children, their families and the wider community enable us to create a school atmosphere which is welcoming, inspiring, secure and where everyone’s opinion is valued. We aim to provide every child with access to a broad and balanced education.

This includes the National Curriculum in line with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

• To ensure the identification of all pupils requiring SEN provision as early as possible in their school career
• To ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum
• To provide a differentiated curriculum appropriate to the individual’s needs and ability
• To ensure that SEN pupils take as full a part as possible in all school activities
• To ensure that parents of SEN pupils are kept fully informed of their child’s progress and attainment
• To ensure that SEN pupils are involved, where practicable, in decisions affecting their future SEN provision

A child or you person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they: a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age nationally; or b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them. Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

In order to make consistent continuous progress in relation to SEN provision the school encourages feedback from staff, parents and pupils throughout the year. Pupil progress will be monitored on a termly basis in line with the SEN Code of Practice. There is an annual formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the school SEN provision and policy. The evaluation is carried out by the SENCo who is the headteacher and the SEN governor and information is gathered from different sources such as child and parent surveys and parents evenings forms. The outcomes of these evaluations will be collated and published by the governing body of a maintained school (or the proprietors of Academy schools) on an annual basis in accordance with section 69 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The Local Authority profile of SEN in our school is compared to schools locally and nationally and the outcomes of these are also used to influence decision making. Evidence collected will help inform school development and improvement planning.

The SENCO will hold details of all SEND Support records such as group provision maps, behaviour support plans, specific targets for individual children, year on year progress charts for children with SEND and letters from external agencies e.g. medical/ speech and language.

These details are also kept with the class teacher in the child’s class folder. All staff can access:

• The Brinsley Primary School SEN Policy;
• A copy of the full SEN Register and SEN tracking document for this cohort;
• Guidance on identification in the Code of Practice (SEN Support and pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans);
• Information on individual pupils’ special educational needs, including action plans, targets set and copies of their targets set/outcome monitoring/ review information.
• Practical advice, teaching strategies, and information about types of special educational needs and disabilities
• Information available through Nottinghamshire’s SEND Local Offer This information is made accessible to all staff in a clear summary version in order to aid the effective co-ordination of the school’s SEN provision. In this way, every staff member will have complete and up-to-date information about all pupils with special needs and their requirements which will enable them to provide for the individual needs of all pupils. Parent’s will have access to their child’s individual support records and an overview of the school’ provision via the Local Offer and the annual SEN Information Report.

A graduated approach: Quality First Teaching

a) Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and grade boundaries will be monitored.

b) Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEN they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.

c) 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.

d) The SENCO will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.

e) Through (b) and (d) it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward.

f) If a pupil has recently been removed from the SEN list they may also fall into this category as continued monitoring will be necessary.

g) Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school.

h) The child is formally recorded by the school as being monitored due to concern by parent or teacher but this does not place the child on the school’s SEN register. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference.

i) Pupil progress meetings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by the child. The frequency of these meetings is dependent on the individual child’s needs and progress being made. SEN Support where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this and the decision will be added to the pupil’s school record. 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.

The support provided consists of a four – part process:

• Assess
• Plan
• Do
• Review

This is an ongoing cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes. Assess This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s needs using the class teacher’s assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of parents. The pupil’s views and where relevant, advice from external support services will also be considered. Any parental concerns will be noted and compared with the school’s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing. This analysis will require regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to need, that barriers to learning are clearly identified and being overcome and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required. Where external support staff are already involved their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents. Plan Planning will involve consultation between the teacher, SENCO and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental involvement may be sought, where appropriate, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. All those working with the pupil, including support staff will be informed of their individual needs, the support that is being provided, any particular teaching strategies/approaches that are being employed and the outcomes that are being sought. Do The class teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class teacher. They will work closely with teaching assistants to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and links with classroom teaching. Support with further assessment of the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the SENCO. Review Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates. 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 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. Parents will be provided with clear information about the impact of support to enable them to be involved in planning the next steps. Referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan If a child has lifelong or significant difficulties they may undergo a Statutory Assessment Process 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 a EHCP will generally be taken at a progress review.

The application for an Education, Health and Care Plan will combine information from a variety of sources including:

• Parents
• Teachers
• SENCO
• Social Care
• Health professionals

Information will be gathered relating to the current provision provided, action points that have been taken, and the preliminary outcomes of targets set. A decision will be made by a group of people from education, health and social care about whether or the child is eligible for an EHC Plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision not to initiate a statutory assessment leading to an EHC Plan.

Pupils with SEN will be given access to the curriculum through the specialist SEN provision provided by the school as is necessary, as far as possible, in line with the wishes of their parents and the needs of the individual. 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. The appropriateness of the school curriculum for children with SEN is reviewed regularly following discussions regarding progress and attainment. The whole school SEN Provision Map is reviewed at least annually and amended as needs are identified. Group and individual interventions are reviewed regularly for effectiveness and adapted, changed or alternative interventions provided as required.

Consideration is given to:-

• Keeping staff fully informed of the special educational needs of any pupils in their charge including sharing progress reports, medical reports and teacher feedback
• Providing regular training and learning opportunities for staff in all departments on the subject of SEN and SEN teaching. School staff should be up to date with teaching methods which will aid the progress of all pupils including those with SEN
• Making use of all class facilities and space
• Using in-class provisions and support effectively to ensure that the curriculum is differentiated where necessary.
• Making sure that individual or group tuition is available where it is felt that pupils would benefit from this provision.
• Any decision to provide group teaching outside the classroom may involve the SENCO in providing a rationale and focus on flexible teaching. Parents will be made aware of any circumstances in which changes have been made.
• Setting appropriate individual targets that motivate pupils to do their best, and celebrating achievements at all levels.

Brinsley Primary School 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:

• Nottinghamshire Education Psychology Service
• Behaviour Support Service
• Social Services
• Speech and Language Service
• Specialist Outreach Services The family SENCo may be invited to liaison meetings throughout the year to discuss SEN provision and progress and keep staff up to date with legislation.

In cases where a child is under observation or a cause for concern, focused meetings will be arranged with the appropriate agency. Parents will normally be invited to and informed about any meetings held concerning their child unless there are over-riding safeguarding issues.

The SENCo oversees the school’s policy for inclusion and is responsible for ensuring that it is implemented effectively throughout the school. The school curriculum is regularly reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. This includes learning outside the classroom. The school will seek advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils, from external support services through the termly ‘Springboard meetings’, Early Help Unit and the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.

School works closely with all children to ensure their overall well-being. In specific cases we will liaise closely with Health, CAMHS and the PMHT, NCC PSED team and independent organisations to ensure the well-being of children.

Mrs Emma Langon 01773 783898

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 relevant SEN courses, 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 offer opportunities for training through the family twilight sessions and during staff meetings with external providers.

Staff have attended the following training sessions as individuals, groups or whole school events :

• Positive Play
• B Squared
• ASD specialised course
• SENCO Network
• Precision Teaching 
• ELSA
• SALT development and training 
• Drawing and Talking
• Trauma and Attachment 

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. Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEN provision within our school. This is a two-way process and all parties including parents/ carers will be kept fully involved. Any one of the support services may raise concerns about a pupil. This will then be brought to the attention of the class teacher, who will share the information with the SENCo and following discussions , will then inform the child’s parents.

The following services and others will be involved as and when is necessary:

• SALT (Speech and Language Therapist)
• EPS (Educational Psychology Service)
• SFSS- (Schools and Family Specialist Support Services) including cognition and learning, autism team and communication and interaction team
• EYFSS (Early Years Family Specialist Support Services)
• PDSS-( Physical Disability Specialist Service), including visual impairment teams
• CAMHS- (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
• Emotional Health and Well-Being
• Health, including dieticians and specialist nurses
• Bereavement services
• Child Protection
• Social Care
• PSED Support Services (Personal, Social, Emotional Development Team)
• Family Support Workers
• Children’s Centres

Brinsley Primary school complies with all relevant accessibility requirements

Brinsley Primary School believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure a) early and accurate identification and assessment of SEN leading to the correct intervention and provision b) continuing social and academic progress of children with SEN c) personal and academic targets are set and met effectively Our school had an open door policy for parents/carers to make contact if they have a particular concern about their child and / or the provision being made for their child. In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs. 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. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies 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. The school’s SEN governor, may be contacted where requested in relation to SEN matters.

At Brinsley, pupils feel safe to voice their opinions of their own needs. This means a formal termly review between pupils and their teacher/ teaching assistant/SENCo and regular informal meetings about their progress/ learning and successes and concerns. This will be made easier by carefully monitoring the progress of all pupils. Pupil participation is a right. This will be reflected in decision-making but also encouraged through wider opportunities for participation in school life.

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the SEN provision, care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the SENCO, who will be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint.

The SEN Governor works closely alongside the Mrs Langon (SenCo) to ensure that families are supported and signposted to relevant organisations.

Brinsley Primary School 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:

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

The family SENCo may be invited to liaison meetings throughout the year to discuss SEN provision and progress and keep staff up to date with legislation. In cases where a child is under observation or a cause for concern, focused meetings will be arranged with the appropriate agency. Parents will normally be invited to and informed about any meetings held concerning their child unless there are over-riding safeguarding issues.

Smooth transition between key stages and between schools is important for all children. For children with SEN and/or a disability, this process will generally include additional advance planning in order to provide reassurance for parents/carers and children and to ensure that the needs of the child are understood so that appropriate provision is put in place.

For pupils joining this school, the following identification and planning processes will take place:

• The SENCO will liaise with the SENCO/member of staff from the previous school
• All pupils with SEN and/or a disability will be identified through discussion with staff at the previous setting or through discussion with EYFSS during the year prior to transition
• Parents will be involved at all stages and will be encouraged to contact the school directly and arrange an early meeting
• Where it is helpful, a member of staff from our school may attend a review meeting at the previous setting
• If the pupil is receiving additional support the SENCO will liaise with the setting and seek recommendations regarding the type of provision the pupil will require at the next key stage
• Additional visits will be arranged for pupils with SEND if required prior to admission

The admission arrangements for all pupils are in accordance with national legislation, including the Equality Act 2010. This includes children with any level of SEN; those with Education, Health and Care Plans and those without. Brinsley Primary School aims to meet the needs of any pupil whose parent/ carer wishes to register at this school, as long as a place is available and the admissions criteria is fulfilled. No pupil will be refused admission solely on the grounds he/ she has SEND except where he/she is the subject of an EHC plan and the Local Authority has indicated that the provision required is incompatible with that available at the school. Smooth transition between key stages and between schools is important for all children. For children with SEN and/or a disability, this process will generally include additional advance planning in order to provide reassurance for parents/carers and children and to ensure that the needs of the child are understood so that appropriate provision is put in place.

For pupils joining this school, the following identification and planning processes will take place:

• The SENCO will liaise with the SENCO/member of staff from the previous school
• All pupils with SEN and/or a disability will be identified through discussion with staff at the previous setting or through discussion with EYFSS during the year prior to transition
• Parents will be involved at all stages and will be encouraged to contact the school directly and arrange an early meeting
• Where it is helpful, a member of staff from our school may attend a review meeting at the previous setting
• If the pupil is receiving additional support the SENCO will liaise with the setting and seek recommendations regarding the type of provision the pupil will require at the next key stage
• Additional visits will be arranged for pupils with SEND if required prior to admission

For pupils moving from our school:

• The SENCO will liaise with the SENCO/member of staff from the receiving school
• The SENCO at the receiving school will be invited to the final review meeting where appropriate and always for pupils with an EHCP
• The SENCO and year 2 and year 6 class teachers will identify pupils who would benefit from additional visits and these will be arranged with the staff of the receiving school.

The school works closely with other schools within the Selston High Family of Schools. This enables the schools to build a bank of joint resources and to share advice, training and development activities and expertise.

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