At Pelton Community Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:

Communication and Interaction

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SCLN)
• Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Cognition and Learning

• Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
• Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs

• Mental Health Difficulties
• Social and Emotional Needs

Sensory and/or Physical needs

• Gross and Fine Motor Needs
• Sensory Processing Needs
• Hearing Impairments
• Visual Impairments
• Physical Disability
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

Our approach to teaching children & young people with SEN

Pelton Community Primary School, we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development.

It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of additional opportunities that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning.

Our SEND philosophy places SEND children at the heart of personalised learning and our curriculum is tailored to meet individual pupils needs. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented. To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum, Pelton Community Primary School, is committed to:

• A range of teaching and learning styles
• Differentiated learning materials
• Access to ICT and Technology
• Additional in class support
• Additional out of class support
• Up to date staff training on Special Educational Needs & Disabilities developments
• Many Enrichment and Enjoyment opportunities to stimulate and motivate learning
• Flexible groupings – including small group support work
• A creative topic-based curriculum
• The Restorative Approach to behaviour management
• A Nurture group facility
• Mentoring and counselling
• A broad range of inclusive extra-curricular activities
• Assessment procedures that emphasise pupils’ strengths and achievements
• Applications during national testing at Key Stage 2 to obtain access arrangements as appropriate.

How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for childen and young people  with SEN

We adapt the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN: Pelton Community Primary School, prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need.  All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.
To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

• Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
• Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
• Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
• Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
• To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
• To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
• To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
• Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
• To promote self worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
• To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
• To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.

We understand that children learn and develop in different ways. Teachers and teaching assistants recognise this and use different teaching styles, resources and plan different levels of work in the classroom to cater for the various ways children learn. However, many children, at some time in their school life, need extra help and support in a variety of different ways.

Because of this we offer the following support for SEND children:

We talk to parents/carers if they think their child has a special educational need and let them know what special help the school is giving. Mrs Telfer (Pelton) & Mrs Russell (Beamish) are appointed as the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCO).

We have a Special Educational Needs Policy – a copy is available for parents on request and is included on this website.

Each child’s teacher finds ways to support pupils individual needs by:

• Changing the way activities are planned and delivered
• Matching activities to the ability / need of each child (differentiation)
• Adapting learning materials such as equipment and activities to suit each child’s needs
• Offer small group and/or individual support to promote skills identified in the child’s Individual support plan.

With the permission of parents we may seek additional advice from outside specialists such as health professionals, specialist teachers or educational psychologists who would:

• Carry out further assessment of the child’s needs
• Provide advice to schools on how to best support the child
• Suggest resources that would help the child make progress

Our staff work in partnership with parents and the SENCO to find ways to support each child with their needs, including giving parents ideas on how to help their child at home.

Our school staff will set targets for SEND children which will be shared with parents, either during Parents’ Evening or a Review Meeting.

If your child has Special Educational Needs the SENCO will:

• Ensure the right support is put in place for each child
• Advise other staff on how to help each child and ensure they have an up to date Individual support plan detailing how their needs will be met in school.
• Arrange training for staff so they understand each child’s needs
• Work closely with parents on a regular basis to talk with them about their child’s needs and listen to any ideas or concerns they might have
• Work with other professionals (if necessary) who may be able to help individual children, e.g. speech and language therapist /medical professional/educational psychologist.

Any child with SEND will have an Individual support plan / Provision Map which details what the school, the class teacher and the SENCO plan to do to help the child learn and progress. All teachers are aware that children learn in different ways. Some need to work at a slower pace to ensure they fully understand one thing before they move onto something new.

An Individual Support Plan will be written especially for any child with SEND. It includes:

• Short term targets for the child which are linked to their needs
• Details of any extra support the child will get
• Who will give the child help
• How often the child will get help
• How and when the school will monitor the child’s progress ( every half term)

If a child’s needs are very complex and/or severe we may ask the Local Authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care Assessment:

• This is a very detailed assessment of each child’s needs. Parents or carers, the school and a range of professionals will all be asked to provide written reports.
• At the end of the assessment phase the Local Authority will consider these reports to help decide whether or not to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan for the child.
• Parents/carers also have the right to ask the Local Authority to carry out this assessment although it is usually best if you can do this with the support of the school.
• Education, Health and Care Assessment is only appropriate for a small number of children. Your school SENCO or the Durham IASS (Parent Partnership Service) will be able to advise you about this.

More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

How to identify, assess and review children with special educational needs

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

Early Identification of Need

In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:

• Work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils
• Consult with relevant external agencies
• Use assessment tools & materials
• Use observations
• Use Short Notes
• Other

SEN Support

Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

At Beamish Primary School, we follow a graduated support approach which is called “Assess, Plan,Do, Review”.

This means that we will:

• Assess a child’s special educational needs
• Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
• Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
• Review the support and progress

As part of this approach, we will produce a SEN Support Plan that describes the provision that we will make to meet a child’s special educational needs and agreed outcomes.  Parents and carers will be fully involved in this process.

A small percentage of children and young people with significant learning difficulties might need an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. The purpose of an EHCP is to make special educational provision to meet special educational needs of the child or young person, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education (SEND Code of Practice p.142). It is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs.

You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEN below:

A special educational need can be a number of different things. For example, a child may be having problems with reading, number work or behaviour, which can be helped by putting extra support in at school and by working in partnership with parents and other agencies if necessary.

It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for a child to use the same educational facilities that the school provides for the majority of children. For some children this may be a temporary difficulty, while others may have a long term need for additional help.

For more detailed information see the Local Offer

Details of Identification and Assessment of Pupils with SEN

The progress of all children is monitored closely through a range of assessment procedures and internal tracking. Detailed assessments and target tracking ensure that all learners achieve and make progress at Pelton Community Primary School. Pupil assessment are carried out each half term and those children needing extra support and/or are underachieving are identified. Individualised interventions and support plans are put into place to accelerate progress.

Children with Special Educational Needs are often assessed used PIVATs. PIVATs break down levels into small steps and are used as a tool to support academic and social assessment. Progress of the child is closely monitored by the SENCO and class teacher in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the support and interventions being delivered. This information is shared with the parents and the child, where appropriate. Teachers, children and parents meet termly to discuss the child’s progress and targets are set for the forthcoming term.

For further information please view or download our Teaching & Learning Policy and Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.

How children with SEN engage in all activities

We do our best to ensure that all children can access all things as best as we can. We do not see SEND as a barrier to accessing the full curriculum and ensure that children with SEND are fully included in all activities in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.

At Pelton Community Primary School, we consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the pastoral, medical and social needs of SEND children are met.

At Pelton Community Primary School, we believe every person should be treated equally and with respect. As long as this school is the best place to meet the needs of an individual child, he/she will be admitted and every care taken to ensure appropriate access to the full curriculum. As far as possible the physical needs of every child and adult will be catered for.

There are members of staff across the federation who are first aid trained and members of staff who are trained in administering prescribed medication to children. All medication is stored in a locked cupboard away from children.

Children with additional medical needs may have a care plan written in conjunction with the school nurse. The school endeavours to cater for all medical needs as practically possible and will request any additional training that is required.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

How we evaluate the effictiveness of SEN Provision

We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

• Robust evaluation of policy and practice
• Book scrutinies
• Lesson observations
• SENCO/SLT/Governor monitoring
• Learning walks
• Performance management
• Other

Support for Emotional & Social Development

At  Pelton Community Primary School, we are an inclusive school. We consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the Emotional and Social Development needs of SEN children are met. Staff believe that high self-esteem is crucial and aim to support and promote the emotional wellbeing of all children. On a daily basis the class teacher is responsible for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact should further advice or support is required.

At Pelton Community Primary School, we maintain close links with External Partnerships; In order to access the best professional advice, we also link with Local Authority and Private Providers of additional services, such as Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) School Nursing Service, Social Services and Medical Professionals. We often hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate.

Looked After Children with SEND

Mrs Henry is the SENCO and the Designated Teacher for Looked after Children. She ensures that all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.

When a child becomes looked after his/her social worker must ensure that the child’s needs and the services to meet these are documented in the Care Plan. The Care Plan – of which the PEP is an integral part – is made before the child becomes looked after or in the case of an emergency placement within 10 working days. The PEP is a record of what needs to happen for looked after children to enable them to fulfill their potential and reflects any existing education plans, such as an EHCP, SEN Support Plan or Provision Mapping. The PEP should reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning which secures good basic skills, stretches aspirations and builds life chances. The PEP is the joint responsibility of the local authority and the school.

Our Designated Teacher for Looked After Children is Mrs Telfer and can be contacted on 0191 3700260.