School SEND Information
Report & LOCAL OFFER (SENCo Mrs C Clapton)
Our approach to supporting children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)
At Cirencester Primary School we welcome children from all backgrounds and abilities. We strive to meet the needs of each individual in order to provide a positive and nurturing educational experience. Our school has a wide range of resources and a dedicated team of staff to ensure all children achieve their full potential.
How does school know/identify that children have special educational needs (SEN)?
If a child has identified needs when they join Cirencester Primary School, staff will work closely with parents to ensure a positive transition process. Our school will liaise with previous educational settings to ensure that the child’s needs will be met within our school.
The progress of all children is consistently assessed and tracked on a termly basis 3 times a year by class teachers, and monitored by the SENCo and Head Teacher. Class teachers will raise concerns they may have about a child, and this will be discussed with the SENCo and parents. From there, further assessments will be carried out so that we can begin to give the child appropriate additional support.
What are the first steps our school will take if special educational needs are identified?
As mentioned, the class teacher will meet with the SENDCo and other staff who work with the child concerned. We will arrange to meet with the parents if this has not already been done. When special needs are identified, we will look to put in place an appropriate support plan detailing the intended outcomes and strategies to achieved them, both within and outside the classroom as deemed necessary.
If appropriate, we will involve external agencies to work with the child and/or offer specialist advice to the teaching staff concerned.
What should parents/carers do if they think their child has SEN? How can they raise their concerns?
At Cirencester Primary School, we have an open door policy and we encourage parents and carers to raise any issues immediately. Please speak with your child’s teacher and we can plan the next course of action from there.
How will our school include parents and students in planning support?
We want parents and the child concerned to be fully involved in the planning of their support. We will always work with the children, to enable them to discuss and review their targets regularly as required. Pupil voice is an important part of meeting a child’s needs. We will also meet with parents on a regular, long termly basis, to discuss My Plans and between 6 – 8 weeks to review a My Plan+ at a time that is convenient to all.
How will our school teach and support children with SEN?
All children and young people with SEND are valued, respected and equal members of the school. As such, provision for pupils with SEND is a matter for the school as a whole. All teachers are teachers of pupils with SEND. The Governing Body, Headteacher, SENCo and all other members of staff have important responsibilities to ensure access to the curriculum is fully inclusive. All pupils have the entitlement to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. All pupils with SEND are taught for all/most of the week with their peers in mainstream classes by class teachers and study the curriculum at the appropriate level for their ability. Pupils may sometimes be taught by a teaching assistant or teacher on an individual or small group basis.
With advice from and the support of the SENCo, teachers will match the learning to the needs and abilities of their pupils. They use a range of strategies to develop the pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Where appropriate, materials are modified or support is provided to enable pupils with SEND to access the learning or the assessment process. The school will endeavour to ensure that all staff are trained in areas of SEND to meet the needs of children in the way that best suits them.
Access to the Wider Curriculum
In addition to the statutory curriculum, the school provides a wide range of additional activities, such as opportunities to learn in after school clubs outside the school day. All pupils with SEND are actively encouraged and supported (some may be invited by club leaders) to join in and benefit from these activities. The participation of pupils with SEND in these activities is monitored carefully.
What are all Gloucestershire Schools expected to provide from their allocated SEND budget?
See link to county council website:
http://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/gloucs/glosfamilies/family.page?familychannel=2
How will the progress be monitored?
The class teacher will plan and oversee appropriate provision for your child and this will be monitored by our SENCo. The individualized support plan will be regularly reviewed at the end of each short term to meet the changing needs of each individual child. This individual education support plan (a My Plan) will be shared with parents on a termly basis. Support may be planned within the classroom and provided by the class teacher or teaching assistant. Sometimes small groups or individual interventions will be put in place; these groups will usually be led by a teaching assistant and take place during the time when peers are usually engaged in similar areas of the curriculum. The SENCo will ensure that the information about a child’s SEN or EHC (Education Health Care) plan is shared and understood by teachers and all relevant staff who come into contact with that child.
The Headteacher carries out regular tracking of all pupils’ progress. Formal and informal assessment is ongoing in the classroom. Any interventions are carefully monitored via our intervention logs each long term to ensure that SEN provision is formally reviewed by the Class teacher, and that provision and pupil progress is monitored. Your child’s individual education plan (My Plan) will be reviewed by the class teacher at the end of each short term (6 times a year). If your child has an individual education plan that is a My Plan+, these are reviewed around every 6 – 8 weeks. Parents consultation evenings are held three times a year, and parents are invited to meet additionally with the class teacher and/or SENDCo, should they require further opportunity to discuss the support for their child. For children with an EHC Plan (Education Health and Care Plan), formal reviews are held annually with the child, parents, school and all appropriate agencies are invited to attend.
Who oversees the SEND provision at Cirencester Primary School and what is the role of the SEN Governors?
The Headteacher is responsible for the overall management of the school’s SEND provision. The SENCo and Head work in close consultation with the SEND Governor in the development and monitoring of the SEND policy. The governors work in cooperation with the SENCo and Head to determine and implement the policy, establish the approach to the school’s provision for children with SEND and to report to parents. The SEND governor monitors the school’s work on behalf of the children with SEND.
Staff Expertise
At Cirencester Primary School, we strive to ensure that staff training reflects the needs of the children in our care and plan opportunities to meet these needs regularly.
- SENDCo holds the National Award for SEND Coordination
- All Teaching Assistants hold relevant qualifications, and a system of continuous professional development is in place to ensure that their training needs are fully met
What support/intervention programmes does Cirencester Primary School run for children with SEND?
Activities used to support children with Autistic Spectrum Difficulties:
- Visual timetables
- Task cards to break down instructions into clear sequenced steps to develop independence
- Small social group work, including social stories and social skills
- Nurture
- We have support from the Advisory Teaching Communication and Interaction Team. They work with children, parents and staff to offer individual advice to meet the needs of each child
Provision for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties
At Cirencester Primary School, in response to Pupil Voice, we try to keep SEND children within class as much as possible. Classroom TA support is provided where necessary. Additional intervention support which may take place outside of the classroom includes:
Provision for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs
- Speech and language materials recommended by the SALT service. The school will work with a child’s speech therapist to use the materials and strategies they provide us to support individuals.
- Word banks and other vocabulary support and differentiated scaffolding. Word finding activities and prompt mats. Work will be scaffolded and differentiated to ensure access to learning.
Provision for children requiring Emotional and Behaviour Support
We work closely with all staff and parents to ensure a consistent approach to any behavioural issues. We put in place behavioural support methods dependent on the child’s needs. We are also able to call in support from the local authority behavioural support team and other behavioural specialists such as the Educational Psychology Team. We have a Nurture Support Worker (NSW) in school to support children with emotional difficulties and again can involve appropriate external agencies where necessary.
There are clear transition arrangements between all classes, involving regular class swaps in the summer term, to ensure children are well supported when moving from one class to another.
Which other services do we use to provide for and support our pupils / students?
We ask for the expert advice from specific health services, the Advisory Teaching service, the Educational Psychology Service and other specialists. This advice will be carefully discussed and explained with the parents/carers so that they fully understand the nature of the support and feel that it is appropriate for their child. For further information about the services we use, please read our SEND Local Offer.
How do we arrange and support a transfer to another school/educational establishment?
We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. If a child is moving to another school we will contact the school SENCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that needs to be put in place. We will make sure that all records about the child are passed on as soon as possible. When moving classes in school, information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. All additional support plans and EHC plans will be shared with the new teacher and teaching assistants and are available to all teachers at all times.
What special arrangements are made during formal assessments?
The class teacher ensures that barriers to assessment are reduced and that any formal assessment results are a true reflection of that child’s ability. In the case of KS2 SATs, as a school we can apply for various arrangements to be put in place to ensure that every child has a fair chance of accessing the tests.
What is the Graduated Pathway and how does it work?
Please see below for our current SEND Local Offer
Where can you find our SEN Policy?
Please see below for our current SEND policy
Who can you contact for more help?
Please get in touch with your child’s teacher as soon as you feel there is an issue. The SENCo and Headteacher will also be very happy to discuss any concerns you may have and offer advice about your child. Our school SENCo is Mrs Casey Clapton
Email: caseyblack@cirencester-pri.gloucs.sch.uk
Phone the school office: 01285 658550