It is very important that SEND is identified at an early stage. We gather information to support early identification in a variety of ways:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child. 

• Limited / lower than expected progress is being made. 

• There is a change in pupil’s behaviour or progress. 

• Your child is working one year below age related expectations. 

• Concerns are raised and shared by a previous setting.

• Assessments indicates your child meets criteria for support from an outside agency.

Pupil progress meetings are held with Senior Management each term and the progress of all children is discussed. A child may be raised at this meeting or at any other time throughout the year to the SENCo. A graduated approach is in place which follows the asses, plan, do, review approach on a needs led basis.

Any concerns or worries should initially be shared with the class teacher. The class teacher will share information about how your child is doing academically, socially and emotionally in school. 

If you need further support you should make an appointment to see the SENCo, Mrs Harper, who is responsible for co-ordinating the support for children with special needs throughout the school. Emotional and social concerns can also be addressed to Mrs Vaal.

We use a graduated approach that follows the assess, plan, do, review cycle.

How We Know Your Child Needs Extra Help

It is very important that SEND is identified at an early stage. Information is gathered in a variety of ways:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child.

• Limited progress is being made. 

• There is a change in the pupil’s behaviour or progress. 

• Your child is working one year below age related expectations. 

• Concerns are raised and shared by a previous setting. 

• Assessment indicates your child meets the criteria for support from an outside agency. 

• The progress of all children is discussed each term in Pupil Progress Meetings with Senior Leadership Team.

We ensure that all children have access to high quality teaching. The class teacher adapts learning to suit the child’s individual needs.

Differentiation and Scaffolding Adaptations may include: 

• Learning being scaffolded. 

• Learning being broken up (chunked) into smaller sections. 

• Support through additional teaching aids or resources (e.g., pencil grips, number lines, spelling mats). 

• Using flexible groupings in class to provide targeted support on a specific area of need. 

• Using scaffolding such as writing frames and explicit instruction for guided practice. 

• Some children may have different objectives that focus on learning individual to their needs. 

• If your child is not working at the level of the National Curriculum (in KS1 or KS2), B squared can be used to set and show their small step targets. 

Interventions and Additional Support 

We complement high-quality teaching with carefully selected small group and 1:1 interventions: 

• SoundsWrite Interventions, booster or catch up classes. 

• Communication programmes such as Time to Talk. 

• The teacher will discuss any extra provision with parents and suggest ways to support their child at home. 

• Targeted Support: This could include sensory timetables or small group support for gaps in phonic knowledge.

Your child’s progress will be continually monitored by their class teacher.

Formal Reviews and Progress Tracking

• Progress is formally reviewed with Senior Leadership Team every term through pupil progress meetings. 

• The SENCo or Senior Leadership Team checks that your child is making good progress in 1:1 or group interventions. 

• Parents Evening are help twice a year. Your child’s attainment and progress will be discussed with you at Parents’ Evenings and the teacher will suggest ways for you to support your child at home. 

• Your child will receive a school report at the end of each academic year. 

• If little or no progress is made, the school will consider further intervention.

Statutory and Specialist Reviews 

• Children over five with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have an Annual Review every 11 months. 

• Children under five in Early Years on an EHCP will have reviews every six months. 

• A Review, Development and Planning (RDP) meeting is undertaken at the start of the Autumn and Spring terms with the Headteacher, SENCo, and Targeted Educational Support Service or Educational Psychologist to discuss and plan for needs. 

• Pupil Views: Children are asked to share their views on their progress using conversations, questionnaires, and ‘Talking Mats’. 

• Governor Oversight: The SENCo reports to the Governors each year and provides termly updates to the SEND Governor, who monitors progress, provision, and expenditure.

Internal Expertise and Training

• TAs have different specialisms, including training in SoundsWrite, ADHD and Autism. 

• Whole school training has been delivered on early reading and writing, Emotional Regulation and Zones of Regulation. 

• Identified staff have received training in De-escalation and ‘Team Teach’, Mental Health and CAMHS led training on attachment. 

• The SENCo attends regular cluster meetings. 

• Individual teachers and TAs attend training run by outside agencies relevant to the needs of the children in their class.

External Specialist Services Accessed 

The school accesses advice and support from various external services: 

• School-Funded: Educational Psychology Service 

• Local Authority: Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs, Outreach and Inreach services and Targeted Educational Support Service. 

• Health Service: School Nurse, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, CAMHS and Speech and Language Therapy. 

• Specialist services work with staff in school; for example, Occupational Therapy works with individual TAs to support the development of motor skills.

• Whole school teaching staff training has been delivered on early reading and writing as part of our SoundsWrite Training. 

• De-escalation training and sensory sensitivities training for some teachers and TAs 

• Targeted Educational Support Service provide support for teachers focused on the learning or behaviour needs of individuals and meeting the collective needs of multiple individuals in their class. 

• Mental Health training for identified staff 

• Outreach support for identified staff 

• De-escalation and ‘Team Teach’ training has been delivered to identified staff 

• CAMHS led training for identified staff 

• The SENCo attends regular cluster and SEND meetings which provide the most recent information on different aspects of SEND. 

• Individual teachers and TAs attend training run by outside agencies which are relevant to the needs of the children in their class. 

• The speech and language service work in school with staff to ensure a member of staff is trained in the appropriate sounds and programmes that individuals are working on. 

• Occupational Therapy work with individual teaching assistants to support the development of motor skills for specific individuals. 

As further support and training needs are identified, school can access training through a variety of providers including the local authority Services for Schools training.

Aspull Church Primary School is committed to ensuring all staff have the knowledge and skills to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

 Training and professional development have included:

• Reading, Writing and Phonics: SoundsWrite phonics training

• De-escalation and Sensory Sensitivities: Training for identified teachers and teaching assistants to support pupils with emotional and sensory needs.

• Behaviour and Learning Consultations: Targeted Educational Support Service consultations with teachers to address individual and class-wide learning or behaviour needs.

• Mental Health: Training for identified staff to promote emotional wellbeing and early intervention.

• Outreach Support: Outreach and training for identified staff.

• Team Teach (Positive Handling): De-escalation and behaviour management training for identified staff.

• SENCo Network Links: The SENCo attends regular cluster and SEND meetings to stay up to date with the latest guidance and best practice.

• Specialist Agency Training: Individual teachers and teaching assistants attend external training relevant to the specific needs of children in their classes.

• Speech and Language Support: The Speech and Language Therapy Service works with staff to train them in delivering speech and language programmes and sound work for identified pupils.

• Occupational Therapy Support: Occupational Therapists work directly with teaching assistants to develop motor skills programmes for individual children.

As further support and training needs are identified, school can access training through a variety of providers including the local authority Services for Schools training.

The Local Governing Board operates a system of equal preferences under which they consider all preferences equally and the Local Authority notifies parents of the result. In the event that there are more applicants than places, after admitting all children with an Education Health and Care Plan naming the school, the Local Governing Board will allocate places using the criteria. The second priority on the admissions criteria is children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school. Professional supporting evidence from e.g. a doctor, psychologist, social worker is essential if admission is to be made under the criterion for special medical or social circumstances, and such evidence must set out the particular reasons why the school in question is the most suitable school and the difficulties which would be caused if the child had to attend another school. 

• All children have full access to the curriculum including school trips and may be assisted in this by teaching assistants. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. However, if it is decided that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required, a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity.

• Adaptations to the school building and grounds have been made to ensure accessibility. 

• Parents of children with specific medical needs are consulted as to how their child’s individual needs can be best met and may be invited to accompany their child on school trips or for parts of trips where there is an identified need. 

• Feedback from parents following activities and trips is used to inform future planning. 

• Risk assessments are carried out for all off site visits. These take into account additional risks posed by different SEND needs. 

• Outreach support is engaged to ensure staff knowledge enables full differentiation for inclusion. 

• We ensure clubs are inclusive by offering suitable activities for different age ranges. 

• Some of our clubs are age-specific to ensure full enjoyment but, whilst we cannot guarantee an offer of 1:1 support, we ensure that all clubs are inclusive by: 

• Making reasonable adjustments so that a child with any SEND including disability can attend 

• Providing equipment that enables pupils to take part 

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access needs.

Facilities we have at present include:

• All buildings are accessible to children with physical disability via ramps.

• We ensure that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.

• Disabled showering, changing and toilet facilities are available.

• All furniture is of the correct size for the children.

• There are two accessible parking space

• All areas of the school have also been risk assessed.

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

Joining or Leaving the School

• Joining: There are opportunities at INSPIRE sessions for Reception to talk with staff. Records from previous schools are received securely once a child starts.

• Leaving: We will contact the new school SENCo and all records (including reports and IEPs) will be passed on securely.

Moving Between Classes (Internal)

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher, and a planning meeting will take place.

• Children will have the opportunity to meet their new teacher.

• Where appropriate, transition booklets are co-produced with the child.

Transferring to High School (Year 6)

• The Year 6 teacher will liaise with the pastoral care team from the chosen High School.

• If your child has an EHCP, the SENCo can invite the High School SENCo to the transitional review in the Autumn term.

• If there is no EHCP, the SENCo will contact the High School SENCo to discuss needs once a High School has been named.

• Children frequently access additional transition activities organised by the High Schools.

The school budget includes money for supporting children with SEND (based on those children who were on-roll at the previous autumn census). 

• The Headteacher decides on the budget for SEND in consultation with the school governors, on the basis of needs in the school. 

• The Headteacher and SENCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in school including: the children getting extra support already, the children who need extra support, the children who have been identified as not making expected progress and any other children who have been identified by parents or other professionals. They then decide what training or resources are needed. All resources, training and support are reviewed regularly and the impact is measured. If more than £6000 of support is required, an Education Health Care Plan can be applied for by the school. In the Early Years, this funding is known as Early Years Additional Resources (EYAR). Parents wishing to make their own referral should contact their Local Authority and details can be found on the Wigan Local Offer link. 

• These decisions are made in consultation with the class teacher, Senior Leadership Team and any other professionals involved. Decisions are based upon termly tracking of pupil progress or as a result of assessments by outside agencies. Any support provided is reviewed regularly and its impact is measured and evaluated. A review, development and planning meeting is undertaken at the start of the Autumn and Spring terms with the Headteacher, SENCo and Targeted Educational Support Service or Educational Psychologist to discuss and plan for the needs of the child in the term ahead.

• During their school life, if further concerns are identified, due to a lack of expected progress or concerns about well-being, then other interventions may be arranged.

• In some cases it may be necessary, with parental approval, to seek advice from other professionals. External services may observe or assess a child in school so that they can advise teachers on new targets and strategies to support the child. Their specialist advice is usually in the form of a report, including targets and appropriate strategies, and is shared with parents.

• All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education.

• The class teacher is available at the end of each day or by appointment if you wish to discuss anything with them.

• Mrs. Vaal is able to discuss emotional or well-being concerns by making an appointment at the school office.

• The SENCo is available to discuss any concerns by making an appointment at the school office.

• Regular Parents’ Evenings are held to enable you to discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher.

• Information from outside agencies will be discussed with you or reports will be sent directly.

If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or are unhappy about something regarding your child’s schooling please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with either:

• Mr H Smout– Headteacher

• Mrs E Harper – SENCo

• Mrs A Clarke – Key Stage 2 Lead