1.0 Ethos Statement
Within the Mission Statement of the school, it makes it absolutely clear that the whole ethos of the school and all aspects of the school will reflect the practice and traditions of our Catholic faith. Such teachings direct us to believe that we are all “Children of God” and that we live by following the example of Jesus giving to us in the Gospels. We aspire to live out these Gospel Values but putting the Beatitudes into practice in all that we do.
Our school motto – ‘Loving Jesus, loving learning, loving life’; along with the Beatitudes underpin all that we do here at English Martyrs’.
The principles of striving for excellence in all that we attempt to do and taking the opportunities offered for reconciliation should be uppermost in our minds when dealing with issues particularly when this involves conflict or misunderstandings between members of the school family.
Be-attitudes
At English Martyrs’ Catholic School we follow what Jesus taught us in the Gospels., where the Be-attitudes underpin every element of our school.
As a Catholic School we have the Catholic mission at our very core.
Everyone in school is expected to actively follow and live out our mission statement:
“Loving Jesus, Loving Learning, Loving Life.”
We achieve our Mission Statement by following the Beatitudes as the foundation blocks of all we do. The Beatitudes give us the ATTITUDES that we want to BE.
We have Be-attitudes for Behaviour and Conduct (Our Core Values), Beatitudes for Learning and Beatitudes for Teaching.
2.0 Rationale
At English Martyrs’ Catholic Primary School every child is equal, valued and unique. We aim to provide an environment where all pupils feel safe and can flourish. We will respond to individuals in ways which take into account their varied life experiences and particular needs.
We are committed to providing an education that enables all pupils to make progress so that they achieve their best, become confident individuals living fulfilling lives and make a successful transition into adulthood.
Objectives
- To ensure equality of provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disability
- To take into account legislation related to SEN and Disabilities , including part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, The SEN Code of Practice 2014, The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, The Special Educational Needs ( Personal Budgets and Direct Payments) Regulations, Section 49, The Order setting out transitional arrangements, Section 137, Equality Act 2010, The Mental Capacity Act 2005, Working together to safeguard children Together to Safeguard Children 2013, Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions 2014
- To provide full access for all pupils to a broad and balanced curriculum
- To ensure that the needs of pupils with SEN are identified, assessed, planned for and regularly reviewed to improve outcomes
- To enable pupils with SEN to achieve their potential
- To ensure parents / carers are fully engaged in decision making
- To take into account the views, wishes and feelings of pupils
- To provide advice and support for all staff working with pupils with SEN
- To provide detailed information about the arrangements for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEN
- Provide effective liaison with outside services, parents and the local secondary schools to ensure continuity of SEN provision.
3.0 Definition of SEN
The Code of Practice defines SEN as;
‘A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they;
- Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or
- Have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools
A child under compulsory school age has a special educational need if they fall within the definition of either above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them. (Clause 20, children and families bill)
Areas of need
Four umbrella areas of need have been identified.
- Cognition and learning
- Communication and Interaction
- Sensory and physical
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Children often have needs which fall in more than one category.
4.0 Roles and Responsibilities
The revised code identifies the roles and responsibilities for the governors, headteacher, SENCo and teaching and support staff.
The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) has responsibility for:
- overseeing the day-to-day operation of the policy
- coordinating provision for pupils with SEN
- liaising with the Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN
- advising on the graduated approach to providing SEN support
- advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
- liaising with parents of pupils with SEN
- liaising with early years providers, other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
- being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
- liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
- working with the head teacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
- ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date
SENCo
Mr Young is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school's SEN policy. The SENCo co-ordinates additional support for pupils with SEN and will liaise with parents, carers, teachers and other professionals who are involved with them.
FSW
Ms Atkinson provides advice and support to families around school and home issues. She is also involved in the Early Help process.
All Staff
At English Martyrs’ we believe that all children, including those with SEND, should be taught in a positive and supportive environment without exception. All staff are therefore involved in building an ongoing, holistic understanding of pupils and their needs. All children have access to high quality teaching which is complemented by carefully selected small-group and one-to-one intervention.
- The governor responsible for SEN is Mr A Warkman.
- The designated teacher for Child Protection is Miss. M. Elliott.
- The designated member of staff responsible for managing Pupil Premium is Mr A Kennedy.
- The designated member of staff for Looked After Children is Miss. M. Elliott.
- The governor responsible for Looked After Children is Mr J Lawson.
5.0 Specialised Provision
Access to Facilities and Provision:
Please refer to school’s accessibility plans which outlines how we:
- Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability
- Improve and maintain access to the physical environment
- Improve the delivery of written information to pupils
We have a designated Medical Room where a first aid trained member of staff is on duty every playtime and lunch time. Disabled access and toilet facilities are available.
Allocation of Resources
The head teacher and SENCO are responsible for the operational management of the budget for SEN provision. The school will use a range of additional funding including the notional SEN budget and, where applicable, pupil premium to provide high quality appropriate support for pupils with SEN.
Access to the Curriculum
The broad and balanced curriculum is differentiated to enable all children to access the learning. Teachers have high expectations for all pupils. In planning and teaching teachers provide suitable learning objectives, meet the pupils’ diverse learning needs and remove the barriers to learning. For the majority of the week pupils with SEN are taught with their peers in mainstream classes. Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils. However, in order to maximize learning, some pupils are withdrawn, individually and in small groups, to take part in targeted, time limited interventions planned to meet particular needs.
Pupils with SEN are actively encouraged and supported to join in and benefit from additional activities and clubs as well as any wider community activities.
6.0 Identification, Assessment, Planning and Review Arrangements
English Martyrs’ Catholic Primary School follows the graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review as outlined in the Code of Practice (2014). This approach is embedded in whole school practice for all pupils and every teacher is responsible for ‘adapting teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils’. (Teachers’ Standards 2012)
School assessment data, teacher judgments and, where appropriate, assessments from outside agencies are used to identify pupils who require additional and different provision.
The following are not SEN but may impact on progress and attainment:
- Disability
- Attendance and punctuality
- Health and welfare
- English as an additional language (EAL)
- Receipt of pupil premium
- Being a looked – after child
- Being a child of service personnel
SEN support – four-part cycle
The identification of SEN is built into the overall approach to monitoring the progress and development of all pupils in school. Termly pupil progress meetings support the early identification of pupils who may have SEN. Where concerns are identified an initial concerns checklist is completed and discussed with the SENCO.
Assess
The class or subject teacher, working with the SENCO, will carry out a clear analysis of a pupil’s needs. This assessment will be reviewed regularly. Where appropriate, professionals will help to inform the assessment. Parents will be asked to contribute to the assessment.
Plan
Parents will be invited to a meeting where they will be formally told about any adjustments, interventions, support and a review date will be agreed with staff, parents and pupil. This will be recorded on the school information system.
Do
The class teacher will remain responsible for working with the pupil on a daily basis and retain responsibility for their progress and outcomes. The class teacher will plan and assess the impact of support and interventions with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved. The SENCO will support the above.
Review
The effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress will be reviewed on the agreed date. Reviews will be held with parents at least three times per year. The class teacher, working with the SENCO, will revise the support in light of the pupil’s progress. If a pupil does not make expected progress over a sustained period of time school will consider involving specialists. School liaises with the following services - Educational Psychology Service, School Health, School Improvement Service (SIS) SEN support, SALT, SEN Teaching and Support Service (SENTASS) and, when appropriate, Social Services and Looked After Children Team.
Additional Top Up Funding
Where a pupil’s needs exceed the nationally prescribed threshold (currently £6,000) additional funding will be applied for from the local authority.
Education, Health and Care Plans
Where, despite having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the SEN of a pupil, the pupil has not made expected progress then school or parents will consider requesting an Education, Health and Care assessment. School will provide the local authority with evidence of the action taken as part of SEN support.
Transition Arrangements
Transition is carefully planned. In order to ensure successful transition to secondary, the pupils and parents/carers will be fully involved in the planning for the transfer to the new setting. Key information about SEN provision will be shared with the next school /setting through the review process.
Partnership with Parents/Carers:
English Martyrs’ has a positive attitude to the involvement of parents/carers and values their very important role in their child’s education. Parents/carers are always informed when their child is placed on the SEN list and the graduated response, outlined in the Code of Practice, is explained to them. They are fully involved in the review process. Interpreters are arranged for parents who require translation during meetings. Written information is in accessible formats and sufficient notice is given for meetings to enable parents/carers time to prepare.
The Family Support Worker is proactive in supporting parents in a variety of ways, including home visits, liaising with agencies, organising activities and facilitating and delivering training. The Early Help Plan (formerly CAF) is used to coordinate support for children and their families who have a range of needs.
Pupil Participation:
The views of all pupils are valued. Pupils with SEN are supported to be involved in decision making and to be able to express any concerns. All pupils are aware of their individual targets and a pupil review sheet is used to gather their views on their progress. The pupil review sheet is completed with the SENTA on a termly basis, if deemed appropriate for the individual child.
7.0 Monitoring and Evaluating the Success of Provision:
A variety of methods are used to monitor and evaluate the provision and achievements for the pupils with SEN:
- Analysis of assessment data, with high expectations for the progress expected between key stages for all pupils.
- Assessment records that illustrate progress over time – e.g. reading ages, standardized assessments.
- Pre and post assessments for those pupils who are withdrawn for targeted interventions
- Success rates in respect of individual targets.
- Monitoring by the governor with responsibility for SEN. Termly reports shared with the Curriculum Committee.
- The views of parents/carers and pupils are gathered at the review meetings.
- Regular meetings between SENCO, Staff and Headteacher.
- Class Provision Mapping – used as a basis for monitoring the impact of interventions.
8.0 Staff Development:
The SENCO ensures all staff are informed of local and national developments in relation to SEN and Inclusion.
Training needs are identified and, where appropriate, outside agencies are used to deliver the training. Early Career Teachers are offered support and in school training by the SENCO.
9.0 Medical Conditions:
School will follow the recommendations of the Children and Families Act 2014 with regard to arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. Where a pupil also has SEN, their provision will be planned and delivered in a coordinated way with their healthcare plan.
10.0 Admission Arrangements:
The school has adopted the criteria set out in the Diocese admission policy. The school welcomes pupils with known special educational needs and disability, as well as identifying and providing for those not previously identified as having SEN.
11.0 The Complaints Procedure:
Initially an attempt will be made to resolve a complaint about SEN provision at school level, within one week of the complaint having first been made. The procedure is firstly that the class teacher attempts to resolve matters, then if required the SENCO and /or head teacher becomes involved.
If the complaint is unresolved, then the person making the complaint is advised of their rights under Section 23 of the Education reform Act to make a complaint. The Governing Body will consider the complaint, after which, if necessary the LA will become involved. School will inform parents/carers of the local authority’s commissioned independent disagreement resolution service. Details can also be found in the Local Offer on LA website.
12.0 Reviewing the Policy
This policy will be available to view on the school’s website at www.emcps.co.uk and will be included on induction for any new staff members.
The policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Local Governing Committee. If there are reasonable changes to the structure and major personalities of the school the review may be conducted at an earlier period than the agreed annual date.