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SEN

Support for Parents - providing impartial information, advice and support to parents and carers of children with SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Information for Parents - FAQs

 

SEN Coordinator - Jane Rawson 

Contact details - office.3828@dr-radcliffes.oxon.sch.uk 

 

Q - What is ‘Special Educational Needs’?

A - A child or young person has a special educational need if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child or young person is considered to have a learning difficulty or disability if they:

  • Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or

  • 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

(Code of Practice 2014)

 

Q - Who is in charge of SEND in your school?

A - Teachers are responsible for the progress that all children make in their class. All members of staff contribute to identifying SEND and supporting those with SEND. The SENCo, Mrs Jane Rawson, has the responsibility of the day to day management of SEND. The SENCo assists class teachers and parents in developing inclusive practice, designing further adaptations and accessing specialist resources if they are needed.  The school also has a Link Governor, Mrs Claire Thomlinson, who has responsibility for SEND.

 

Q - How do I know if my child has SEND, how is it identified?

A - Identifying SEND needs early is crucial and parents know their children best so we have regular meetings with parents and rely on the information they provide us in helping us to identify if a child or young person has SEND. In our school we believe that inclusive teaching is the first step in responding to any possible special educational need and we carry out checks on teaching to make sure that practice is inclusive. The SENCo, as part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), meets with the Head Teacher and each class teacher on a termly basis to review learning progress data for all children in the class (Class Review). During these reviews the possibility of a child having SEND is discussed and further checks are carried out, for example, detailed lesson observations by the SENCo and a review of interventions the child has been part of so far. We will also consider whether a further, more specialist, assessment for SEND is needed for example from another service provider, e.g. from an Educational Psychologist or a Specialist Advisory Teacher.

 

Q - What happens if my child is not making the same progress as other children?

A - If a child is falling behind, or not responding to inclusive teaching, we will bring together all the information we have about the child’s needs and difficulties and share this with parents. The school uses Oxfordshire County Council’s SEND Indicators Tool as way of identifying if there is a Special Educational Need and what levels of support should be offered. OCC's Ordinarily Available SEND Provision toolkit helps us to make sure we are offering the provision expected from all schools in Oxfordshire. There are four broad areas of SEND:

  • Communication and Interaction needs

  • Cognition and Learning needs

  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs

  • Sensory and/or Physical needs

Following further consultation with parents, and if a child meets the descriptors in the guidance, and after all the checks on teaching and learning have been carried out, then the child will be placed on the schools SEN register. This is shared with the Local Authority.

 

The guidance from OCC can be found here:

https://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/special-educational-needs/policy-guidance-and-resources/key-documents-and-links

 

Q - My child has SEND; what provision do you offer?

A - For pupils with SEND the school offers a ‘graduated’ approach; from a little support to a lot. Once a child is placed on the register then appropriate plans are put in place to support them.  All children are unique, regardless of the category of SEND they have, so it is important that we respond to their individual need.  Some children will respond well to seemingly minor adaptations to our inclusive teaching offer, others will need more specialist support and input. We work closely with outside agencies to help us to design the most appropriate package of support for children on our register. Adaptations can include;

  • Use of individual, pair or small group teaching

  • Individualised or small group interventions for specific skills and learning needs

  • Visual aids and multisensory resources to support understanding and participation

  • Adaptations to the physical environment to help with accessing learning

Please see the SEN Information Report for Parents for additional information.

 

Q - What specific resources does your school offer?

A - A range of support is available, here are some examples:

 

Cognition and Learning

  • RWInc - Phonics, reading and writing program

  • Rapid Read - comprehension support for pupils with low reading ages

  • Magic Belt reading series - for comprehension, phonics and fluency

  • Write from the Start - individual fine motor

  • Targeted Maths and English interventions

  • Pre-Teaching Vocabulary - individual vocabulary, speaking and listening focus

  • Over-learning

  • Nessy for reading and spelling

  • 1:1 reading

  • Numicon - class small group and individual work

  • Plus 1 and Power of 2

  • Colourful Semantics

 

Social, Emotional and Mental health

  • Play therapist - working on individual and group basis
  • ELSA
  • Outdoor Learning - whole class and group sessions
  • Zones of Regulation for younger pupils to help them learn about emotions
  • Celebration books

 

Communication and Interaction

  • Visual Support - timetables and ‘now and next’ cards to help structure the day
  • Social Stories and Comic Strip conversations
  • Photo books - to help plan for change and transition times
  • Pre-Teach - to reduce anxiety in new situations or teach vocabulary to aid participation
  • Social Stories - individually written personalised stories to help social understanding and eliminate unwanted behaviour
  • Outdoor Learning - whole class and group sessions
  • Movements Breaks and Safe Spaces

 

Sensory and Physical Including Access Around the Site

  • Alternatives to written formats - ICT and Scribe
  • Keyworkers - individual support for pupils with complex medical needs, appropriate training is given based on need
  • Wrist weights and lap weights; chairs that are adapted; writing slopes; pencil grips
  • Quiet, safe spaces
  • Advice from Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists
  • Activities to help develop fine and gross motor skills (threading or manipulating objects)
  • Pupils who use wheelchairs can move around the school without experiencing barriers to access such as those caused by doorways, steps and stairs; disabled access ramps are available for children and staff to move safely around the school. Toilet facilities have adequate room to accommodate a hoist and changing beds if needed. Showers are available and accessible.

 

Q - What specialist support do you offer?

A - A SENCo who has gained the National Award for SENCo.  A team of teachers and teaching assistants, many have specific areas of expertise and with further qualifications.  A number of staff with direct specialist experience of SEND. The school also has access to external specialist support services:

  • Educational Psychology Service

  • Kez Black - Play Therapist

  • Speech and Language therapists

  • Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS); Physical Disability Team, Visual, Hearing Impairment Team, Communication and Interaction Team

  • School Health Nurse

  • CAMHS consultation and referral

  • the Mental Health Support Team (MHST)

  • Early Intervention Hub

  • Strong links with ‘The Warriner SENCo Network’ and Swalcliffe Park School (residential school for boys with Autistic Spectrum Conditions)

Further services can be accessed through Oxfordshire County Council’s Local Offer, accessible to parents via the website.

 

Q - How do you make sure your provision is as good as it can be?

A - We monitor our provision through reviews with parents, data analysis, work scrutiny and lesson observations. We often buy in consultants and outside agencies to help us do this. We monitor pupil progress through Class Reviews and review the success of interventions and provision maps.  The school is committed to providing high quality professional development for staff and this is the best way of making sure our teachers can offer inclusive practice. We access a lot of our training through the external support services and through The Warriner Partnership Training Programme.

 

Q - How can I support my child?

A - There are lots of ways you can help. The best way to help is to talk to the teachers and ask questions if you have them. Don’t be afraid to share information that might be useful to the school, for example, share any worries your child may have. If you need to, ask your child’s teacher for their advice and support, they can arm you with lots of ideas and tips. It helps if your child comes to school ready to face the day, and if you have concerns be quick to bring them to the schools attention, that way they can be dealt with more swiftly.

 

Q - Who can support me with my child’s SEND?

A - Having a child with SEND can be worrying and exhausting.  The school recognises this and we want to help parents by working closely together.  We have a coffee morning which allows parents to openly discuss their worries with the SENCo, Play Therapist and other parents who can support.  We also have access to other specialists.  There are also lots of local and national support groups listed  under ‘Useful Contacts’ (below) who have parent groups and networks and lots of useful tips. The SENCo is always happy to talk to you to help you identify which direction to go in to access more help.

 

Q - Who do I talk to if I am worried about my child or the provision offered?

A - A parents first point of contact is always the class teacher, most concerns are easily addressed this way. If you would prefer, you can talk to the SENCo or the Head Teacher. The school encourages parents to share their concerns quickly. If you need more support in meetings at school we can put you in touch with SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Independent Advice and Support Services) who will be happy to help.

 

Q - What happens when my child moves year group or leaves your school?

A - We offer extra transition visits to help children cope with changes like moving class or school. Children spend time in new classes before the end of the year and we can provide photo books to help them get to know new staff or new rooms. We have strong links with The Warriner school and The Marlborough School and have well established transfer arrangements for secondary. Where parents choose a different secondary school we can still arrange additional visits for pupils.

 

Q - What is an ‘Education, Health and Care Plan’?

A - Statements of Special Educational Needs were replaced by Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with the most complex needs in September 2014. The creation and delivery of these Plans is led by the Local Authority and delegated to schools which develop and review these with parents on an annual basis.  This review meeting is in addition to the three meetings each year where SEN provision and a child's outcomes are reviewed.

 

Useful Contacts

Oxfordshire County Council Website details the Local Offer and signposts lots of useful support for parents-

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/special-educational-needs-and-disability-local-offer

 

The Parent Partnership now known as SENDIASS. You can email them at sendiass@oxfordshire.gov.uk or take a look the website:  https://www.sendiass-oxfordshire.org.uk/

 

There are lots of national and local groups if your child has a diagnosis or a difficulty:

  • Using PACE language with your child - https://ddpnetwork.org/about-ddp/meant-pace/

  • Autism- www.autism.org.uk

  • Autism Oxford - https://autismoxford.com/

  • Parents Talking Asperger- www.parents-talking-aspergers.co.uk

  • Sensory Processing and Autism help - https://sensory-processing.middletownautism.com/

  • Downs Syndrome - www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

  • The Dyslexia Association -  www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

  • Made by Dyslexia - https://www.madebydyslexia.org/

  • Oxfordshire Dyslexia Association - https://www.oxdys.org.uk/

  • Dyslexia - https://livewell.oxfordshire.gov.uk/Services/995/Oxfordshire-Dyslexia

  • Dyslexia Action- www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk

  • Occupational Therapy - https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/cit/occupational-therapy/

  • Social and Emotional Learning - https://www.socialthinking.com/

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