Gee Cross Holy Trinity Church of England (VC) Primary and Nursery School

Our school aims to enable every child to play a full, satisfying and useful part in the changing society in which we live. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive school with a Christian ethos, and encourage all pupils to take an active role in the opportunities provided by school. We believe that having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s emotional well-being and academic progress and have a caring, understanding staff team who look after all of our children. All staff in school support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. However, key members of the team are:

Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) - Miss A Hughes 

Early Years Manager – Mrs S Thornton

SEND Governor – Mr D Cathie

Designated Teacher (responsible for Looked After Children) – Miss A Hughes

Child Protection – Mrs S Lane, Miss  A Hughes

The Equality Act 2010 states that a person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. A physical or mental impairment includes: * Medical conditions, including epilepsy, diabetes, more severe forms of asthma and eczema * Specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia * Autism * Speech, language and communication impairments If the impairment has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities it may amount to a disability. A young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: (a) Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or (b) Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in a mainstream school. Levels of support for pupils with Special Educational Needs In accordance with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2014), if a child has special educational needs, they are identified as needing extra help through SEN Support and this is recorded in our SEN Register. If a child has complex difficulties, school and families may decide it appropriate to request an Education, Health and Care Plan (these replace the old Statements of SEN).

We use a number of methods to help us identify if a child needs extra help. Early information sources include: * Information from your child’s pre-school or previous school. * Home visits by nursery / reception class teachers if appropriate. * Class teacher visits to pre-school settings to observe your child and speak to their key worker. * Information from other services who have worked with your child, for example hospital professionals and therapists. This information will be used to ensure that we meet any additional needs your child may have. Once your child is in school we will continuously monitor and assess their progress and development as they move through each year group. This is the same process for all children: we observe their responses in class, ask them questions, mark their work and set specific tasks to test children’s understanding of key concepts. If we have concerns about children’s progress, we will discuss these with you and plan any additional steps which we feel may be needed to support your child. It may also be appropriate to ask other professionals to give advice and support – but only with your consent. What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs? Talk to your child’s class-teacher or our SENDco. Your concerns will always be taken seriously, as your views are very important to us. We can then explain what is already being done to address any of your concerns and plan future actions to support your child.

Talk to your child’s class-teacher or our SENDco. Your concerns will always be taken seriously, as your views are very important to us. We can then explain what is already being done to address any of your concerns and plan future actions to support your child. How will school staff support my child?

• We are a 1-form entry primary school, with class sizes of 30 pupils. Each class is taught by a qualified teacher.
• It is the responsibility of the class teacher to plan and provide high quality differentiated work for all of the pupils in their class – this includes all pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).
• The class teacher will teach, guide, support, extend, monitor and assess children in a range of pupil groupings which may include whole class, ability groups, mixed-ability groups or individuals. in addition, there is a team of teaching assistants within the school to provide pastoral and learning support.
• All our pupils are encouraged to develop the appropriate skills to be both independent learners and to be able to work co-operatively with learning partners or groups; this includes pupils with SEND. We believe that all our pupils should have confidence and a positive attitude towards their learning.
• Teachers are continuously assessing children’s progress, and may well decide that certain children would benefit from intensive ‘booster’ or ‘catch-up’ programmes. This does not necessarily mean that your child has Special Educational Needs.
• Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities will work alongside their peers for the majority of the time; however, their work will be differentiated according to their needs. For some of these children, additional support may need to be provided by our Teaching Assistants and/or by visiting specialists (such as the Speech and Language Team); and this work may need to take place in a quiet place on a 1-1 or small group basis.
• For some activities in school, notably the teaching of phonics across EYFS /KS1, on occasion, we do mix groups of pupils who may be in different classes, but of a similar ability level.
• Some of our teaching assistants have additional responsibilities such as Forest Schools Leader, pastoral, mental health and well-being, which may mean they are not in their ‘allocated’ class all of the time; but are working with other groups of pupils in the school for specific focussed tasks.

• Lessons are pitched appropriately so that all children can learn and make progress. Teachers take account of the needs of the individual child and plan different tasks and materials accordingly. For children with Special Educational Needs, this progress may be in the form of small steps.
• Tracking and assessment enables each class teacher to analyse the progress of the child. If a child has Special Educational Needs, we use a system of ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ to assess each child’s needs, plan a programme of learning, put that plan into action in school, review the progress made and assess the next steps which will be needed.
• Those children who are identified as needing SEN Support, will have their own Individual Education Plan (IEP) or they will have clear targets on the class provision map which identifies desired learning outcomes and targets to work towards. IEPs and provision maps are discussed with parents each term.
• If a class teacher or parent feels that a child may have Special Educational Needs, the school’s Special Educational Needs leader (SENDCO) will become involved. The SENDCO will meet with your child’s class teacher and yourself in order to plan appropriate provision for your child.
• Where a need is identified, appropriate external agencies may be engaged to provide additional support. These may include Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Educational Psychology, Advisory Teacher support (AT), School nurse, Occupational Therapy (OT), Communication, Language and Autistic Spectrum support (CLASS) and Pupil Support Service (PSS). You will always be consulted if we feel that such external agencies are needed.
• During tests and SATs SEN children are able to have access to a smaller / more familiar room and supported by a known adult making the necessary adjustments required in accordance with the guidelines.

• Tracking and assessment enables each class teacher to analyse the progress of all children in their class. Each term, targets are identified for all children to help them make progress with reading, writing and mathematics. These are sometimes individual and sometimes group targets. Your child’s class teacher will be able to let you know what these are.
• If a child has Special Educational Needs, we use a system of ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ to assess each child’s needs, plan a programme of learning, put that plan into action in class, review the progress made and assess the next steps which will be needed.
• At parent consultation meetings and through the mid-year and annual school reports, you will be informed of your child’s progress.
• If your child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or provision map, you will be invited to discuss its contents with your child’s class teacher each term. You will have the opportunity to ask about the support which school is providing or what you can do to help support your child’s learning. If appropriate, children may also be involved in part or all of the meeting. The SENDCO will normally be present at the first meeting before a child is put onto the SEND Register, and may be present at other meetings thereafter.
• If outside agencies are requested to advise or support us with a child’s learning, you will always be consulted and informed – sometimes through a written report, but sometimes by meeting with the SENDCO or agency involved.
• All pupils with Education and Health Care Plans have a formal annual review in addition to regular termly reviews between parent and teachers. Agencies who have been closely involved in supporting children with Statements are invited to contribute to reviews either in person or writing.
• Any parent may request a meeting with their child’s class teacher, the SENDCO or other members of the management team if they wish to discuss their child’s needs and support.

• Our school has an agreed Safeguarding Policy which can be found on the school website. The governors and Headteacher are responsible for monitoring Safeguarding and Child Protection Procedures.
• The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their class.
• The Health and Safety and safeguarding governors and staff in conjunction with the SENDCO and class teacher will carry out any necessary risk assessments for individual pupils as and when they are required. This will be shared with all staff who may need to be aware of a pupil’s individual needs and how these requirements can be addressed.
• School works closely with outside agencies such as Health and Social Services and the Pupil Support Service (PSS) to address any concerns.
• We have a positive approach to managing children’s behaviour in school, rewarding good behaviour and those who set good examples to others. Our school website provides details of our Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policies and copies can be requested from the school office.
• The attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis and lateness and absence are carefully monitored.
• All teaching assistants and mid-day staff have first aid training, some are qualified to Paediatric First Aid level and others have Emergency First Aid at Work level. If children in school are ill or have accidents, they are seen by these members of staff in the first instance. If the illness / injury is more serious, we phone parents/carers, to ask them to make decisions on further actions. In an emergency, we would contact the appropriate service.
• We have a medical register in school which identifies those children with known medical conditions such as asthma or allergies.
• For specific children, a Care Plan may be in place; and staff may undertake specific training eg how to use an epipen. All appropriate staff, and sometimes all school staff, will be made fully aware of the needs of these children.
• If children need medication such as antibiotics which are required four times a day, parents may contact school to request that these are administered by our first aiders and provide written consent. Forms are available from the school office.
• The school nursing service is available for school staff or parents to consult for advice on a range of medical issues.
• As an inclusive school, we strive to ensure that medical issues do not prevent our children from being involved in the full range of activities and opportunities available to them. Children with severe nut and egg allergies, for example, have still been involved in our Year 5 residential trip; and children with asthma regularly run on our cross-country team.
• We deliver a carefully planned and age-appropriate programme of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in school, to help all children develop good relationships and a positive and caring attitude towards themselves, others and the world around them. From time to time, we may also provide additional ‘circle time’, relaxation and social skills activities either to whole classes or smaller groups of children who we feel may benefit from additional support with social or emotional skills.
• If children are having difficulties in making and keeping friends, class teachers and our Pastoral and Learning Support leader provide opportunities for children to discuss friendships and strategies to make friends, either in small groups, as individuals or in class circle time. We may ask peers to support them through ‘buddy’ systems, or we may provide focussed social skills work for these children in small groups with our pastoral and Learning Support leader. We endeavour to be proactive and to include parents in discussions about how to support their children in these kinds of situations.

There are a range of resources in school, including IT resources, which can be used to support pupils with SEND and develop specific skills eg handwriting programmes, keyboard skills, reading and comprehension support materials and schemes, numicon and other maths resources. Staff have been provided with a range of training sessions intended to help identify and support those children in school who may have specific difficulties such as dyslexia or ASD (Autistic Spectrum Difficulties). Our teaching assistants have attended training including the use of circle time, guided reading, and the use of Numicon to support maths work. Mid-day assistants have attended training on behaviour management strategies to help promote happy lunchtimes. We may access support from other services, for example;

• Educational Psychology Service
• Pupil Support services
• Speech and Language Therapy
• School nurse
• Communication Language and Autistic Spectrum Support Service (CLASS)
• Tameside Families Together
• Occupational Therapy
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

• The special educational needs (SEND) funding budget is managed by the Head Teacher.
• Resources are requested and ordered as necessary to support each pupil’s learning.
• Regular meetings are held to monitor impact of extra support.
• The governing body is kept informed of funding decisions and is responsible for ensuring that funding is used appropriately.

• Each child is assessed individually according to the SEN Code of Practice and Local Authority (LA) guidance, and personalised or group learning support programmes will be developed dependent on need.
• Additional assessments from outside services, such as educational psychologists, language and learning support, speech and language will inform the types of support and/or resources needed.
• Regular review meetings with appropriate staff are carried out to discuss your child’s progress and any additional needs that require support.
• Pupil progress meetings are held with the Head Teacher and class teacher to track progress and decide upon further support.

• The school site is partially wheelchair accessible. We are situated on a hillside, which means that playgrounds and classrooms are at different levels.
• We have a small lift allowing internal access from one level of the building to the other.
• We have two disabled toilets that are large enough to accommodate changing and suitable for wheelchair users.
• We have an accessibility plan and Equality Scheme.
• The governing body is responsible for ensuring that funding is used appropriately, and for monitoring teaching and accessibility. There is a designated SEND governor who works with the SENDCO.

• We offer a wide range of after school and lunchtime clubs (please see the termly clubs lists for details). These include a range of sports clubs (often dependent on the season or competitions in Tameside) others which will depend on staff / children skills and interests. A timetable for this provision is sent out to families via Parentmail each half term. These clubs are usually available to any child who wishes to take part, but can occasionally be restricted in number of places available. Most clubs are run by members of school staff, though we also have visiting coaches. During some lunchtimes, children from KS2 also run clubs for younger children, closely supervised by Midday Assistants. Occasionally, some clubs are run by invitation only, if we feel that a particular activity (eg massage) may be especially helpful to specific groups of children.
• A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure the health and safety of all the children.
• If children are having difficulties in making and keeping friends, class teachers and our Pastoral Learning Support leader provide opportunities for children to discuss friendships and strategies to make friends, either in small groups, as individuals or in class circle time. We may ask peers to support them through ‘buddy’ systems, or we may provide focussed social skills work for these children in small groups with our Pastoral Learning Support leader. We endeavour to be proactive and to include parents in discussions about how to support their children in these kinds of situations.

• We make sure that activities outside the classroom and school trips are available to all.
• Risk assessments are carried out for each trip and a suitable number of adults are made available to accompany the pupils, with 1:1 support if necessary.
• Parents/carers are invited to accompany their child on a school trip if this ensures access.
• After school clubs are available to all pupils. Vulnerable pupils are given priority and adjustments will be made to support their participation.
• Health and safety audits will be conducted as and when appropriate.

• In order for all children to be happy and make good progress in school, it is important that they are introduced to and familiar with their new educational setting. We therefore encourage all new children to visit school prior to starting – to become familiar with their new environment and so that their individual needs may be discussed.
• To ensure continuity, appropriate information, including assessments and any individual support plans, is transferred between schools, including nurseries and high schools.
• All pupils entering our Nursery or Reception classes are offered at least two visits to school during the July before they start school in September. In this way, children can begin to make friends with their peers and will become familiar with their new school; and staff can observe, interact and begin to gather valuable information. Parents are invited to an introductory Welcome Evening.
• All pupils in Year 6 are offered 1-2 transition days when they have the opportunity to visit their nominated High School – the number of days depends on the High School.
• Many High Schools also offer additional sessions for children who may be particularly worried about transition to High School and for ‘vulnerable’ groups of pupils, including those with Special Educational needs. Such sessions are negotiated with individual schools, and may involve children’s families or our support staff in accompanying children. These sessions are usually within much smaller groups or may be for individual children, dependent on their level of need.
• Some of our local High Schools also offer children the opportunity to attend summer schools during the summer holiday before children enter Year 7. Children who might benefit from such additional support will be discussed between staff at transition discussions.
• During the summer term of Year 6, our Year 6 teacher and the SENCO meet with Year 7 tutors and High School SENCOs to ensure that all necessary information and records are passed on to the appropriate school before children begin their new schools – this is to ensure that form groupings, pastoral and SEND support can all be planned for in advance, enabling all pupils to have as smooth a start to High School as possible.
• If appropriate, staff from High Schools will be invited to any Year 6 review meetings – for Looked After Children, or those with Educational Health Care Plans, for example.
• During IEP review meetings in Year 5, staff will discuss with parents of pupils with SEND the need to begin thinking about the best High School for their child. This is also a key focus for children in  Year 5 with an EHCP (Statement) and Looked After Children (LAC) Review meetings.
• We prepare our chiildren for the future, thinking about aspirations and their hopes as they move into high school and beyond. We also welcome back former pupils to visit and tell us about their achievements.

• If parents need help with completing forms and paperwork, our school office staff are always available to help. For information concerning Special Educational Needs, Miss Hughes (SENdCO) would be able to support.
• Information, advice and guidance about children’s education is available from class teachers in the first instance, or parents may speak to the head teacher, deputy head teacher, SENDCO or Pastoral Learning Support leader if they have more specific concerns.
• In particular circumstances, we can arrange meetings with other agencies who would be helpful to parents eg the school nursing service, educational psychologists, etc. We have also helped parents to access parenting classes, or more intensive home support programmes. For most of these additional services, the SENDCO would be the key worker in enabling access.

Tameside provides a range of services to support families and the following websites are very useful:
http://www.tameside-sid.org.uk/ 
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/sen/parentpartnership
The services which Tameside can provide in order to support children with Special Educational Needs are published on their website at http://www.tameside.gov.uk/localoffer. If any pupils need Travel Plans, these must be organised by parents, however, the local authority will help to provide the appropriate information.

• In the summer term prior to entering Reception, parents are provided with a welcome information pack which includes the school prospectus and a home/school contract. This contract makes clear the responsibilities we expect of school, parents and pupils in meeting the school’s code of conduct - which is in place to ensure that all our pupils are happy, safe and making good progress in school.
• Every year children and parents are involved in an annual school evaluation. Children are given the opportunity to say what they like about school, and what could be improved to help them even more. Questionnaires are sent home to parents.
• We have a very active PTFA which meets regularly after Friday assemblies in order to organise a wide range of activities and events which support school.
• Parents are welcomed into school every Friday to share in our weekly Achievement Assembly.
• Our Governors meet in termly working groups as well as full Governing Body meetings. We have a named SEND Governor who liaises with the SEND coordinator in order to present a termly update on any SEND work which has taken place in school that term. Parent Governors are elected as and when vacancies become available.

• Our first point of contact is our school office, where our bursar and secretary strive to ensure that parents and visitors are directed to the appropriate member of staff for their query, or messages are passed on. This will often be the class teacher, but could be a subject coordinator or member of the management team. In order to deal with some queries satisfactorily, it may be necessary to make an appointment.
• We are a small one form entry primary school and have traditionally had a very positive and welcoming ethos in terms of parental involvement. We want to ensure that parents do have access to their child’s class teacher in terms of the day-to-day communication which will ensure that all children are happy and making good progress in school, without disrupting the smooth running of the class.
• Every child has their own Home-School Planner which also allows written communication between home and school should this be needed.
• We endeavour to keep our school website as up-to-date as possible so that parents can access school letters, policies and information. Each Year group has its own section for specific information, photographs of activities and any important reminders.
• We provide two formal parent consultation meetings each year and an opportunity to discuss children’s annual reports should parents request it. We also hold two to three ‘open school’ afternoons, when children can bring their parents/carers into their classroom to look at their work together, with the opportunity of an informal talk with teachers.
• Class teachers produce a detailed Annual Report for Parents at the end of each school year, and a much briefer indication of progress in our February mid-year reports.
• Parents of children with particular needs, including Special Educational Needs, are given the opportunity to review their child’s individual targets on at least a termly basis, and in addition when any external or support staff are visiting school to assess, monitor and review their child’s progress.