Microsoft Word - SEN policy march 08.doc

SEN POLICY

SOUTH SHIELDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL

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Special Educational Needs (Draft)

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SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

RATIONALE

The Governors at South Shields Community School believe that all students are important and that all students in our care are entitled to have equal opportunities to access learning at our school. However, we recognise that students have different abilities and needs and that some students with special educational needs will require additional support to access learning opportunities.

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DEFINIT ION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS

“A child has special educational needs if he/she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for him/her “. “He/she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children his/her age”. “He/she has a disability which either prevents or hinders him/her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided in schools”. (1993 Code of Practice). We recognise at South Shields Community School that many students at some stage in their schooling may encounter difficulties, which require additional support of one type of another. While for the vast majority of students these difficulties are short term in nature, others may experience much longer term difficulties. The Code of Practice suggests that, at School Action or School Action Plus, examples of special needs could include some or all of the elements of the following list: students experiencing learning difficulties physical disability behavioural difficulties noticeable underachievement in any curriculum area limited development socially/emotionally

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THE SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

A child with SEN should have their needs identified, which will normally be met in mainstream schools or early education settings.

Those responsible for SEN provision should take into account the views and wishes of the child.

Professionals and parents should work in partnership.

Provision and progress should be monitored and reviewed regularly.

LEA’s should make assessments in accordance with prescribed time limits.

SEN NAMED PERSON

“The school’s SEN AEN Manager is the named person (Mrs K E Wakefield) responsible for contact between the various external agencies involved with a student who has special educational needs, as well as primary school SENCo liaison, and with parents/carers. The AEN Manager will also have responsibility for the day to day operation of the policy and the main aspects of SEN provision. There is a ‘named’ SEN Governor for the school. Teaching staff, auxiliary staff, governors and parents need to be aware of the ‘named person’ and they are informed via the school brochure, published annually. Also primary feeder school visits in Year 6 and staff liaison and parent evenings/reports/letters home help to keep everyone informed.

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

Circular 6/94 (Para 34/35) states that: “Whilst LEAs and schools can make any reasonable and objective admission arrangements in the event of over subscription, those arrangements cannot be used to refuse admission to a child or give the child a lower priority than other applicants simply because the school considers that it cannot cater for his or her special education needs”. Special facilities which increase or assist access to the school by students with SEN:

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In South Shields Community School many buildings are very easily accessed since many are on ground floor level and have double door entry. There are possibilities for further improvement of access at the planned new school but at the present time all students have been adequately catered for.

IDENTIF ICATION AND ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND REVIEW PROCEDURES:

This begins before students enter Year 7 during Transfer liaison procedures in the summer term prior to secondary transfer: They include:

Parental visits and interviews

Year 6 Parents Evening/Open Evening to look around the school and meet staff and students

Year 7 and subsequent Review Days – for all parents – by appointment

National Curriculum Assessment evidence

KS2 SAT’s results

Records/details of previous SEN arrangements including stage (school action or school action plus) and individual education plans

Reports from primary feeder schools and external support agencies

Staff visits including Head of Year 7, AEN Manager and Transition teacher visits to get to know students and plan provision

The AEN Manager will attend Annual Reviews prior to transfer from primary feeder schools and transition plans for individual students agreed.

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HOW DO STUDENTS GO ONTO THE SEN REGISTER?

1 Those already on statements from primary school will continue

with these.

2 Any child with a reading age of less than ten years will go on the register as ‘School Action’. Parents will be informed.

3 If a student shows signs of low achievement, a member of staff may liaise with the AEN Manager who will make an assessment of need.

Identification/Support Procedures Students with reported low reading ages (identified before admission) or those scoring low on the NFER Nelson 9-14 are re-tested using the lower 6-12 age group test. Further tests eg Neale Analysis may be used to identify specific problems in reading for a small group of SEN students. Once students have been identified, they may be withdrawn from lessons to attend an intensive literacy or numeracy programme. Students’ progress is reviewed termly and they either remain on the programmes for further input or are returned to mainstream classes and other students offered a place. Each student has an individual education plan (I.E.P.) The literacy programmes are delivered by a specialist SEN teacher. Literacy Progress Units are delivered by Educational Practitioners. The school has links with Margaret Sutton Special School for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Students who are hearing impaired are regularly monitored by the Hearing Impaired Unit who advise and report on the progress of individual students. At all times, parents are kept fully informed of provision in place and progress made.

Review Procedures Students placed on the SEN Register are reviewed as detailed in the following Code of Practice staged response. A variety of approaches should be employed to maximise the achievement of all pupils. These arrangements apply to all children and are not part of special educational provision.

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CODE OF PRACTICE STAGES

Triggers for School Action For students who, despite differentiated learning opportunities:

Make little or no progress

Have difficulty developing literacy and /or numeracy

Make little/no progress with communication/interaction

Make little/no progress with sensory/physical problems despite specialist equipment

Display persistent Emotional Behaviour Disorder (EBD) despite Behaviour Management strategies

Triggers for School Action Plus For students who, despite individualised programmes and/or concentrated support and a differentiated curriculum:

Continue to make little/no progress

Remain with substantially lower NC levels than expected

Continue to display Emotional Behaviour Disorder (EBD) despite Behaviour Management Programmes

Continue to display on-going physical/sensory needs

Continue to encounter on-going communication issues

May require intervention or assessment by an outside agency such as the Educational Psychology Service, Speech Therapy, Hearing Impaired Service, etc.

STATEMENTED STUDENTS

Statutory assessment is requested by the child’s school or other agency or parent. Written records of I.E.Ps and reviews at stages School Action and School Action Plus and involvement of professional agencies evident. AEN Manager/Head Teacher complete a detailed account of student’s past history in school and educational advice.

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If statutory assessment is to go ahead the following written information is collated;

i) educational/emotional/behavioural assessment ii) views of parent and of the child iii) the child’s health iv) social services or educational welfare involvement v) schools intervention under the stages School Action vi) regular reviews and their outcomes vii) involvement of other professionals and reports

The L.E.A. contact parents to explain their proposal. The period between this and the issuing of a final statement must not exceed 26 weeks. Making the Assessment – no more than 10 weeks. The Proposed Statement – a copy is sent to the parents with an explanation of arrangements for choice of school and right of appeal to tribunal.

Statements The final Statement must contain the child’s:

Special Education Needs

Special Educational Provision

Placement

Non-educational needs

Non-educational provision

Other arrangements

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THE ANNUAL REVIEW

The LEA is required to complete a review of a statement within 12 months of making the statement or the previous statement. In school this involves the AEN Manager holding the Annual Review during term time. All staff in contact with the student must complete a written Annual Review Sheet. After consultation and discussion the AEN Manager will co-ordinate individual subject teachers reports, form teachers and Head of College/Head of Year 7 reports and compile a written report to be presented to all parties involved in the Review. External agencies, LEA representatives, parents and the student are invited to attend the Annual Review Meeting at least eight weeks in advance of the meeting. All are also invited to submit written reports or queries. Students are interviewed on an individual basis by the AEN Manager where possible for their views. The Year 9 review and any subsequent reviews should include a Transition Plan which will draw together the information needed for the young person’s adult life. Connextions Service will be invited to attend these meetings and will have an input into the Transition Plan. The AEN Manager completes an Annual Review Report following the meeting, listing all personnel who attended and the main findings/conclusions of the meeting. This is circulated to all interested parties, including parents and the Town Hall.

THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE CURRICULUM

All students, including SEN students, are given their full entitlement to a balanced and broad based curriculum, including the National Curriculum. Early identification of students with a reading age of below 10 years is conducted via screening tests during the first term of Year 7 (or sooner). These students are then prioritised to be taught on a withdrawal basis in small groups to improve basic literacy. Students are withdrawn from lessons for intensive teaching with SEN specialist staff. The main focus is raising literacy levels. Each student is given an individual education plan, diagnostic testing and assessment.

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All departments should provide a range of differentiated materials and resources to students of differing abilities. Special arrangements and extra help/staffing for public examinations is often essential for students with Special Needs, and this is applied for annually. I.E.Ps for students at School Action and School Action Plus give details of differentiation for SEN students and advice to individual subject staff to help improve access to the curriculum.

Code Friendly Lessons

Supportive Environment safe

stress free

high expectations

Big Picture establish purpose

review strategies

prediction tasks

Target Setting learning objectives

assessment criteria

chunk down

Accessing the Content KAV opportunities

‘7 intelligences’

Multi-sensory

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INTEGRATION OF SEN STUDENTS WITHIN SCHOOL

SEN students are fully integrated within school. Withdrawal of small groups for Basic Literacy/Skills teaching is seen as short term for the majority of students. South Shields Community School is committed to full inclusion of all students in mainstream classes. Learning Coaches offer support within mainstream lessons where possible. All students are encouraged to join in social activities, clubs and teams and all students are included in school visits, work experience, and field trips. The Criteria for Evaluating the Success of the School’s SEN Policy Indicators of success for individual SEN students include:

Individual Education Plans – are targets met, evaluation of progress. Are the IEPs SMART. Do parents and students know the targets and are they consulted in setting new targets. Withdrawn teaching groups individual programmes. Testing for example of reading age at start of programme and at termly intervals. Testing of writing, spelling if following Literacy Progress Units at end of module. Teacher assessment, test results and end of term/module marks.

Indicators of success of the SEN policy itself is reflected in the degree of confidence felt by staff in respect of managing students with SEN. This can be measured by staff and student response to questionnaire’s and surveys and informal feedback regarding support offered. Also feedback from outside agencies, parents and the students themselves. An annual report to parents will highlight targets met and the success of the SEN policy. Improvements in exam results A-G could also indicate success. Feedback from Educational Practitioners, Learning Coaches, HLTAs and Head of Colleges will help develop and improve the policy. Arrangements for considering complaints about SEN provision within the school Hopefully any difficulties regarding SEN provision in school can be resolved amicably and informally during discussion with the Head Teacher and AEN Manager. The first point of contact will be the AEN

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Manager or the students Head of College. If the matter needs to be taken further it may then pass to the Head Teacher and finally the Governing Body. If the matter is unresolved at this level, then the LEA complaints procedure will need to be followed. Parents will be advised to contact the Education Section at the Town Hall to gain advice on the correct procedure to follow. There is a parent liaison officer employed at the Town Hall for advice. Parents have a right of appeal against LEA decisions by making an appeal to an SEN Tribunal. Information regarding appeals is available from the Town Hall. Information about the School’s Staffing Policies and Partnership with bodies beyond the school The School’s arrangements for SEN in-service training:- During recent years the school has recognised the need for SEN in-service training for all staff. Refer to INSET policy and records to give detailed account of SEN training. The AEN Manager offers INSET during term time to departmental members (teaching staff and support staff) during departmental meetings and designated INSET evenings. In addition is actively involved with NQT induction training and support staff training during network meetings held termly at Chuter Ede Education Centre.

Support Services

The following services are regularly contacted for SEN advice and assessment, particularly at School Action Plus stage of the Code of Practice but also possibly at any time concern is evident.

Educational Psychologist Chuter Ede Education Centre

Alternative Education Services Perth Green

‘Outreach’ Learning and Support Services Chuter Ede Education Centre

Margaret Sutton

Behavioural Support Services Chuter Ede Education Centre

Elizabeth Diamond Centre

LEA Officers Education Department,

Town Hall

Careers Advisers Central Library

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Connexions via the school

Palmer Community Hospital Medical Services

Speech Therapy Stanhope Parade Clinic

Social Services Department of Social Services, Town Hall

Parent Partnership Officer Town Hall

Social Inclusion Service Town Hall

Hearing Impaired Service Chuter Ede Education Centre

Speech and Language Unit South Tyneside Hospital

EAFL Service Chuter Ede Education Centre

Partnership with Parents South Shields Community School seeks to secure effective partnership with parents and students with SEN in the following way:-

i) All Year 7 parents are invited during the Autumn Term to meet with

the AEN Manager to discuss provision and targets.

ii) All parents of students involved in the groups withdrawn for small group literacy teaching will be informed of SEN intervention and programme. They will be asked for support both in school and at home to complete homework and practise basic skills, and invited to meet the AEN Manager to discuss home/school partnership.

iii) Parents evenings, open evenings, reports on individual students and review meetings.

iv) Publication of school brochure and annual Governors Report.

v) Summer Literacy School links with parents.

vi) Informal involvement during school activities, trips, visits, PTA events and social activities.

vii) Informal discussions with subject staff, AEN Manager, Head of College, regarding progress of individual students.

viii) Invitation to attend Annual Reviews of students with statements.

ix) Informed by letter of IEP and targets set.

Advice and help will be offered to all parents of SEN children by the school’s AEN Manager. She can be contacted at school and an appointment made for informal discussions.

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The Parent Partnership Officer is available to help parents with SEN children who are going through the ‘Statementing’ process. He/she can provide additional support and information. He/she can be contacted at the Town Hall. Links with other Mainstream Schools and Special Schools, including arrangements when students change or leave school Transfer is an important time for all students but particularly for students with SEN. Details of IEPs reviews, records, Annual Review reports and action taken so far must be transferred and assist in continuity of approach across and between schools. All records kept by the AEN Manager and Head of College/Head of Year 7 should be sent to the new school via the administration clerk in the school office. Similarly liaison procedures with feeder primary schools or the transferring students previous school are dealt with by the Head of Year 7 and information passed on to all staff. Records and details of children with SEN are passed on the AEN Manager. The AEN Manager will attend all Year 6 Annual Reviews held in the summer term where at all possible.

Governors Responsibilities

The Governing Body must:

Do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any student who has special educational needs

Secure that, where the Head Teacher or appropriate Governors has been informed by the LEA, that the student has special educational needs, those needs are made known to all that are likely to teach him or her.

Secure that teachers in school are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for, those students who have special educational needs.

Draw up and report annually to parents on their policy for students with special educational needs.

Ensure that all students have equal access to the activities of the school, so far as it is reasonably practical and compatible with the student receiving the necessary educational provision, the efficient education of other students in the school and the efficient use of resources.

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EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN PUBLIC CARE

South Shields Community School follows the guidance for this group of students issued by the DFES in Education of Children and Young People in Public Care (May 2000). The guidance tackles the underachievement of children in care. All students are provided with a Personal Education Plan within 20 days of entering care, or joining a new school. Social Services formulate this plan and forward a copy to school. The designated teacher at South Shields Community School is the Deputy Head Teacher responsible for Child Protection issue

Draft Policy to Staff 7TH March 08

Draft Policy to Governors Full Governors: 4th March 08

Agreed By Governors

Review Date

Microsoft Word - SEN policy march 08.doc

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