Special Educational Needs

• Every Local Authority is required to publish information about services available in their area for children and young people from birth to 25 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); and also services outside of the area which children and young people from their area will use. This is known as the ‘Local Offer’.
• The Local Offer puts all the information about education, health and care services, leisure and support groups in one place. West Sussex’s Local Offer can be accessed by on their website.

• The West Sussex Local Offer provides parents/carers with information about how to access services in their area, and what they can expect from those services. With regard to Education, it lets parents/ carers and young people know how schools will support them, and what they can expect across the local settings. The Local Offer Steering Group developed questions for schools and trialled them with a small number of settings.  
• These questions, devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, reflected their concerns and interests. These were answered by schools to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child’s needs.

Below are Glebe’s Primary School’s responses to these questions. These responses have involved parents, the Headteacher and Governors working together to give the information below.

Parents/carers will find it useful to read this information in conjunction with the school policies listed below. This will provide a fuller picture of the procedures in place across the school to meet the individual needs of children:

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy.
• Teaching and Learning Policy.
• Assessment Policy.
• Summary of Glebe’s Whole School Approach to The Early Identification of Needs and Assessment of SEND.
• Supporting Children at School with Medical Needs Policy.
• Accessibility Plan.
• Child Protection Policy.
• Single Equality Policy.
• Behaviour and Anti Bullying Policy.

Who are the best people to talk to in Glebe school about my child’s difficulties with learning/Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)?

Special Educational Needs/and disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) 

The SENDCO is Miss Clare Jackson who can be contacted through the school office.

Responsible for:

• Co-ordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) and developing the school’s SEND Policy to make sure all children get a consistent, high-quality response to meeting their needs in school.
• Ensuring that you are:
  • o Involved in supporting your child’s learning.
  • o Kept informed about the support your child is getting.
  • o Involved in reviewing how they are doing.
• Liaising with all the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child’s learning

e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychologist etc...

• Updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that there are records of your child’s progress and needs.
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.

Class Teacher / Subject Leader

Responsible for:

• Monitoring the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (e.g. targeted work, additional support) and letting the SENDCO know as necessary.
• Writing Personal Progress Plans (PPPs) and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
• Ensuring that all staff working with your child in school are helped to deliver the planned work/programme for your child, so they can achieve the best possible progress. This may involve the use of additional adults, outside specialist help and specially planned work and resources.
• Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

Headteacher

Responsible for:

• The day-to-day management of all aspects of the school; this includes the support for children with SEND.
• Giving responsibility to the SENDCO and class teachers but still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
• Making sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND

SEN Governor

Responsible for:

• Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND.

We know when children need help if: 

• A child’s need has already been identified before they attend Glebe. The school has an anticipatory duty to think ahead and plan to make adjustments to prevent any disadvantages that might arise at any stage of the admissions process.
• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child.
• Limited progress is being made.
• There is a change in the child’s behaviour or progress.
• Pre-school settings such as a nursery identify concerns.

What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?  

• The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns.
• Or contact Miss Jackson who is the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO).
• The school’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy clearly defines a special need or disability and the school’s approach to ensure that children with disabilities will not be treated less favourably than other children. Regular reviews of provision take place to ensure the correct support/adjustments are in place to support a child with SEN or a disability.  For some children this will involve the external agencies who give advice to the school to support the child.

What are the arrangements for the admission of my child if they are disabled?

• Glebe Primary school uses its best endeavours to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any individual who has a special educational need and /or disability.
• We believe that all children should be equally valued in school. We will work to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe. Children with disabilities will not be treated less favourably than other children.  We regularly review our provision and for some children this is done formally with the involvement of external agencies to support the child and school staff.
• Glebe Primary School is committed to inclusion. We aim to maintain and extend the school’s culture, policies and practices of inclusion for all children.
• We aim to engender a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to children taking into account their needs and experiences.

How will Glebe support children joining or leaving the school?

 Many strategies are in place to enable a child’s transition to be as smooth as possible.              

• Discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the child joining/leaving.
• All children attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teacher.
• Reception teachers meet each child and their parent/carer joining Glebe in reception at the to gain a fuller picture of each child in their own home setting.
• Additional visits are also arranged for children who need extra time adapting to a new school.
• The SENDCO is always willing to meet parents/carers prior to their child joining the school.
• Staff from local secondary schools visit children prior to them joining their new school. Glebe liaises with its feeder secondary schools planning a transition programme which is implemented during the summer term where the children have opportunities to visit their new school and participate in activities. Children transferring to schools further away will also have arranged opportunities to visit their new school.
• The SENDCO, alongside Year 6 teachers, liaise with the SENDCO from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
• Where a child may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged with the SENDCO, the secondary school SENDCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the child.
• When a child transfers to another school, their records are sent to their new school.

• We use a whole school approach to identifying children who have needs which builds up a full picture of a child’s needs.  Staff are familiar with this approach and it will involve parents/carers and your child. Further details can be found in the school’s ‘Summary of Glebe’s Whole School Approach To The Early Identification Of Needs And Assessment Of SEND’.  
• Support will take the form of a four-part cycle (Assess – Plan – Do – Review) through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of your child’s needs and what supports your child in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the Graduated Approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the needs of different pupils. Throughout this process the child is able to express their views alongside their parent/carer views to ensure everyone’s involvement in meeting the needs of the child.
• Each child’s education programme will be planned by the class teacher and SENDCO. It will be adapted accordingly to suit the child’s individual needs. This may include additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in class.
• If a child has needs related to a more specific area of their education, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy and literacy skills etc. then the child may be placed in a small focus group. This will be run by the teacher or teaching assistant. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need but will generally be for half a term. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning.
• These interventions will be recorded on the child’s Personal Progress Plan (these are records of the interventions, timings, and impact of the intervention). If you have any queries related to the interventions, please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENDCO.
• At parent/carer consultation evenings held termly, the class teacher will give details about the support/ interventions your child is receiving giving further details about the type of support they are receiving, when it will start and end, and the staff member delivering the intervention.
• Pupil Progress Meetings are held regularly. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Leadership Team to discuss the progress of the children in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned.
• Occasionally a child may need more expert support from an outside agency such as the Speech and Language therapist, Educational Psychologist etc. A referral will be made, with your consent and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers. The school has an Accessibility Plan ensuring that the school’s facilities are accessible for all such as the automatic doors at the front entrance and two accessible toilet facilities.  The school’s Accessibility Plan shows how the school is improving the accessibility of the physical environment, access to the curriculum and access to information for disabled children.
• The Governors of Glebe Primary School are responsible for entrusting a named persons for safeguarding. Mrs Crutchfield, the assistant head teachers, and Mrs Groves monitor Safeguarding and Child protection procedures. They are also responsible for the monitoring and correct administration of the Disclosure and Barring service procedures and the school’s Single Central record. In a support and challenge role the Governors ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff in an equitable way. They monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the DfE.

  What is an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP)?

  An EHCP is a plan for your child which has been agreed by a Local Education Authority (LEA) identifying that a child has a particular high level of SEND need.  The plan will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LEA and how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long and short-term goals for your child.  Additional funding from the LEA is also provided to meet the needs of the child.

  How can I get an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for my child if I feel they have a high leve of SEN need?

  Your child will need to be on the school’s SEN register and have had a high level of support and interventions over a period of time. The impact of this support will need to be clearly recorded to show that despite a high level of support your child has made little progress and the gap between your child and their peers is widening. The SENDCO or a parent/carer is able to request an Education, Health and Care Plan Needs Assessment. This is submitted to the LEA special needs team (SENAT) where a panel of experts from the education, health and social services consider the evidence and this happens within a 6-week period. At this point the panel will decide to investigate your child’s needs further through a 20-week assessment process or decide that the school is offering enough support to meet your child’s needs. The latter decision will give you written information as how you can intiate a mediation or tribunal process if you are not happy with their decision and if that it your preference.

  If your child’s needs are investigated further this will involve an educational psychologist assessing your child along with the involvement of health care  professionals if it is appropriate and requesting parent/carer and your child’s views in further detail. A final decision is made within the 20-week period by the LEA.  If an EHCP is not agreed, then parent/carers are given information as how they can appeal this decision through mediation or tribunal.  Parent/carers can contact the West Sussex SEND information, Advice and Support Service for support. 

• High quality teaching, adapted for individual children, is the first step in responding to children who have needs. Every teacher is responsible for ‘modifying’ their teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all children in their class as outlined in the National Curriculum Inclusion statement. Teachers will be supported by the SENDCO when adapted teaching methods are required for particular children with SEND to allow them to fulfil their potential.  Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the children in their class, even where children access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.  
• High quality teaching will involve teachers making adjustments/adaptations for children in their whole class teaching and may also involve the use of alternative or additional resources. The school has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children.
• Teaching Assistants (TAs) may be allocated to work with the child in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.
• If a child has been identified as having a special need they are placed on the school’s Special

• Educational Needs register as having SEN Support. Targets will be set according to their area of need. These will be monitored by the class teacher frequently and by the SENCO. If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, concentration toys, pen/pencils grips or easy to use scissors.  

• SEN needs are divided into 4 broad areas of need:
  • - Communication and Interaction.
  • - Cognition and Learning.
  • - Social, Emotional and Mental Health.
  • - Sensory and/or Physical Needs.

• The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit your child into a category. We identify the needs of children by considering the needs of the whole child which will include not just the SEND of the child.
• Provision is made at Glebe to meet all 4 broad areas of SEN above. The school seeks further support and guidance from services offered by West Sussex Education Authority and the Local Offer and from outside agancies who have greater knowledge and expertise.

• You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents’ Consultation Evenings and any intervention your child may have participated in.
• Your child’s class teacher will be available at the end of each day if you wish to raise a concern.

• Appointments can be made to speak to the class teacher or SENCO by contacting the school office. 

• Class teachers will contact parents/carers if there is a concern.
  • The class teacher may suggest ways of how you can support your child.
  • Miss Jackson may meet with you to discuss how to support your child with strategies to use or if there are difficulties with a child’s behaviour/emotional needs.
  • If outside agencies or the Learning and Behaviour Advisory teacher Team (LBAT) have been involved suggestions, strategies and ideas will also be shared with you. Children who are in looked after by the local education authority will have Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings termly and reviews through the year.

    How will you help me to support my child’s learning?  

The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for children who are encountering emotional difficulties. These include: 

• Members of staff, such as the class teacher, the school’s learning mentor and SENCO are readily available for children who wish to discuss issues and concerns. Where appropriate, mediation sessions are carried out.
• Break and Lunchtime club are available for those who find break time lunch times a challenge.
• Individual or small group programmes of support from the school’s pastoral team.
• Lessons to support the teaching of PSHE, SMSC and Citzenship and develop children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSXC) learning, including their understanding of fundamental British Values.
• Breakfast club.

 Children with medical needs  

• If a child has a medical need, then a detailed Healthcare Plan is compiled with support from the school nurse in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the child.
• Staff receive EpiPen training delivered by the school nurse on a rolling programme to ensure training is kept up to date.
• Where necessary and in agreement with parents’/carers, medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medicine consent form is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member.
• Members of staff have basic first aid training in the school and a qualified first aider is on duty on each playground at break times.

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies who deliver more specialised expertise.

The agencies used by the school include: 

Education:

• Educational Psychologist.
• Education Welfare Officer.
• The Learning and Behaviour Advisory teacher Team (LBAT) – Behaviour, social communication or learning support is offered by this team.
• Speech and Language Therapy Service.
• Sensory support for hearing impairment/visual impairment.
• Traveller Education Support Team.
• Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAT).
• The Virtual School for children looked after.
• Outreach support from Heron’s Dale Primary School.

Health:

• Community Mental Health Liaison Service (CMHLS)
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
• Occupational Therapy.
• Physiotherapist.
• School Nurse.
• Counselling.
• West Sussex Single Point of Access (SPoA)
• Worthing Child Development Clinic.

Social:

• Social Services.
• Young Carers.
• Children and Young People’s Planning Forum (CYPPF).
• Integrated Support Team.
• Family Resource Team.
• Enabling families.
• Winston’s Wish (bereavement support).
• CCHF All About Kids.

Parental support:

• Solutions for Family Support.
• THINK Family.
• Family Link Worker.
• Enabling Families.
• Integrated Prevention & Earliest Help Service (IPEH).
• West Sussex Local Offer.
• The West Sussex SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS).

If advice is needed from an Educational Psychologist (EP), this service can be accessed by Miss Jackson through a booked telephone call. Parents/carers are required to give consent at this stage for this conversation to take place and parents/carers will also have been informed. The EP will offer advice to the school and on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward. This advice is then shared with the parent/carer to decide a plan forward for the school to be implement and evaluate after an appropriate length of time.  Further advice can again be requested by the school through an EP telephone consultation.

The school have TAs who work weekly with the children in the school who receive specialist speech and language support, to implement their individual programme. Class TAs, under the guidance of the NHS speech and lngauge therapist, will implement the advised weekly sessions as part of a pupil’s programme to allow their programme of support to occur more frequently.

The school has a dedicated pastoral team which composes of a qualified Learning Mentor and Thrive Practitioner. Mrs Groves, the pastoral leader, coordinates the emotional, mental and social support for pupils in the school and supports families with Early Help Plans (EHP). This support is highly personalised. Mrs Groves also helps coordinates the lunchtime club (Lunch Bunch club) for pupils who need extra support for different reasons. She also coordinates the pastoral team which uses the Thrive approach to support pupils. A Thrive profile is completed before a child is supported by a member of the pastoral team. The pastoral team consists of Mrs Groves and two TAs, Mrs Gravestock and Mrs Ford. Mrs Gravestock is a qauliafied Thrive Pratictitioner.

When requesting outside agency involvement or specialist advice, the SENCO will be required to make a referral to the specific service. All schools in Area B (which Glebe is part of) make referrals to the same services. When these services have their panel meetings, which tend to happen twice a month, all school referrals are considered and prioritised by the service. After this meeting the school is then informed if their request has been successful or signposted to an alternative service/direction.

Different members of staff have received training related to SEND.              

These have included sessions on: 

• How to support pupils with speech and language difficulties
• How to support pupils with a hearing impairment
• How to support pupils with a visual impairment
• How to promote positive behaviour
• How to support pupils on the autistic spectrum
• How to support particular pupils with specific medical conditions
• How to support pupils with physical and co-ordination needs – the Jump Ahead Programme
• Attachment training
• Managing Anxiety
• Safeguarding
• Promoting Positive Behaviour
• Whole school Thrive training
• Parent Partnership training related to conversations to engage, support and form a partnership with parents to support their child’s learning
• Read Write Inc one to one support
• Team Teach training and behaviour guidance
• Practical Solutions for Teachers and TAs by the British Dyslexia Association
• TAs who support children 1:1 are given additional training and guidance by the SENCO

Activities and school trips are available to all.  

• Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate.
• However, if it is deemed that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity.

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirement. Facilities we have at present include:

• Ramps into school to make the building accessible to all.
• Two toilets adapted for disabled users.
• Wide doors in some parts of the building.

Many strategies are in place to enable the child’s transition to be as smooth as possible.               

• Discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving.
• All children attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teacher.
• Reception teachers meet each child and their parent/carer joining Glebe in reception at the beginning of the school year to gain a fuller picture of each child in their own home setting.
• Additional visits are also arranged for children who need extra time adapting to their new school.
• The SENCO is always willing to meet parents/carers prior to their child joining the school.
• Staff from local secondary schools visit children prior to them joining their new school. Glebe liaises with its feeder secondary schools planning a transition programme which is implemented during the summer term where the pupils have opportunities to visit their new school and participate in activities. Children transferring to schools further away will also have arranged opportunities to visit their new school.
• The SENCO, alongside the Yr 6 teachers, liaise with the SENCOs from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEND children.
• Where a child may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged with SENCO, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the child.
• When a child transfers to another school, their records are sent to their new school.

• The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual’s needs and to support children with an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP).
• Additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year.
• Resources may include deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances or year group’s need.

• These decisions are made in consultation with parents/carers, your child, their class teacher, the Leadership Team, and SENCO. Decisions are based upon termly tracking of children’s progress and from assessments by outside agencies.
• During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the child’s lack of progress or wellbeing then other interventions will be arranged.
• If a particular request is made by a child or parent/carer this will be considered by the school.
• There is additional funding from the Government and West Sussex County Council to support individual children on specific programmes. This includes pupil premium money, funding for children in care, and additional funds for pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan.

All parents/carers are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education. This may be through: 

• Discussions with the class teacher.
• During parents’ evenings.
• During discussions with the headteacher, Mrs Groves, the pastoral team, the SENCO or other professionals.
• Parents/carers are encouraged to comment on their child’s reviewed Personal Progress Plan (PPP) with possible suggestions that could be incorporated.
• Home learning records.

If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or something regarding your child’s schooling, please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the headteacher or Miss Jackson.  

It is in everyone’s interest for complaints to be resolved quickly. The complaint should be directed to the head teacher or SENCO. The points raised will be discussed and addressed. If there is no resolution then the complaint must be put in writing to the Chair of Governors, Mr James Dempster. The Governing Body will deal with the matter through their agreed complaint resolution procedures. In the unlikely event that the matter is still not resolved, then the complaint can be taken to the Local Authority.  

We hope these questions have answered any queries you may have but do not hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions.

Reading the school policies listed at the beginning of this document will also help you understand the support and procedures the school has in place to support all children with individual needs.