Ms Docherty is the SENDCo, and as such, is responsible for the operation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) policy and co-ordination of specific provisions that are used to support children with SEND.  An essential part of the role is to liaise with staff to monitor progress and identify where further inventions and support is necessary.  There is regular contact with a range of agencies including the The School Psychology Service and Bright Minds, who provide specialist advice and support to school.  If you have any concerns regarding SEND matters, please contact Ms Docherty (01902 558977 or a.docherty@htcps.org)

The Local Offer

The Wolverhampton SEND Local Offer provides information in one place for children with SEND needs and their parents/carers.  The Children and Families Act 2014 requires each Local Authority to produce and publish a Local Offer which sets out in one place information about provision available across education, health and social care for children and young people in the area who have special educational needs or are disabled. Further information about the requirements of the Local Offer can be found in Chapter 4 of the  SEND Code of Practice – January 2015.

The local offer provides information on what services children and their families can expect from a range of local agencies including:

• Special educational provision;
• Health provision;
• Social care provision;
• Other educational provision;
• Training provision;
• Travel arrangements for children to schools, colleagues and early years education;
• Preparing for adulthood, including house, employment and leisure opportunities.

 Further information is available at: 

https://win.wolverhampton.gov.uk/kb5/wolverhampton/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0 

What will be included in this document?

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) that are provided for;
• Identifying children with SEND and assessing their needs;
• Consulting and involving parents and children;
• Assessing and reviewing pupils’ progress towards outcomes;
• Supporting pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood;
• Our approach to teaching children with SEND;
• Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment;
• Additional support for learning
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEN;
• Evaluating the effectiveness of SEND provision and securing equipment and facilities;
• Enabling pupils with SEND to engage in activities available to those in the school who do not have SEND;
• Support for improving emotional and social development;
• Arrangements for handling complaints.

Special Educational Needs that are provided for:

At Holy Trinity we provided additional and/or different provision for a range of needs, including:

• Communication and interaction, for example, autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, speech and language difficulties;
• Cognition and learning, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia;
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
• Sensory and/or physical needs, for example, visual impairments, hearing impairments, processing difficulties, epilepsy;
• Moderate/severe/profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Identifying pupils with SEND and assessing their needs

At Holy Trinity we ensure that we provide an inclusive education for all by providing a broad and balanced curriculum.  SEND provision is central to the work of every class and every subject within a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessment using the graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review.  Teachers, Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs), Teaching Assistants (TAs) and Learning Mentors (LMs) take account of these requirements and make provision, where necessary, to support individuals or groups of children and thus enable them to participate effectively in curriculum and assessment activities. Such children may need additional or different help from that given to other children of the same age.

With regards to transition, we have a feeder Nursery within our setting where transition occurs during the summer term before starting Reception in September.  Where the children attend a different setting, staff liaise with those settings to ensure a seamless transition.  In most cases, the SENDCo receives documented information regarding individuals who have been identified with additional needs and will work with the class teacher to implement the appropriate provisions.  Holy Trinity works closely with local feeder schools to ensure smooth transition and awareness of needs.  Where appropriate, the SENCo from both schools will make contact and in some instances set up observations.  Individual documentation is sent to the new school, which documents individual support that the child has received.

At Holy Trinity, we assess each child’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and key stages, where appropriate.  Class teachers make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline;
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress;
• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers;
• Widens the attainment gap.

This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs.  Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEND.

At Holy Trinity children are identified as requiring additional support through SEND provision in a number of ways:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child;
• Looking at individual progress and attainment, where little or no progress has been made with regards to individual levels;
• When quality first teaching and group intervention have not assisted in progress being made;
• There is a change in the child’s behaviour.

When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed.

Consulting and involving pupils and parents

We will hold discussions with parents, and the children where appropriate, when identifying whether special educational needs provision is required.  If staff have concerns, they will invite parents into school for an initial meeting with the class teacher and SENDCo or they may raise concerns during parents’ evening, if appropriate.

If parents have concerns regarding the progress of their child and the provision provided for them, then the class teacher of the child is the initial point of contact for raising these concerns.  Parents can leave a message with one of the members of staff on duty in the morning, see the class teachers after school, or an appointment can be made through the school office.  In addition, parents can contact the SENDCo (Mrs Docherty) or the Head Teacher (Mrs Hinton), appointments can be made through the school office.

Discussions held will ensure:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty;
• We take into account the parents’ concerns;
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child;
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are;
• Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s record and given to their parents.

We formally notify parents when it is decided that a pupil will receive SEND support, parental consent is required and a form signed agreeing to identification as in receipt of Special Educational Needs support.

Parents and children are always part of the target setting and review progress.  They are invited to termly meetings to discuss their child’s IAP, including discussions around targets, provision provided and next steps.  Parental consent is gained to show review and targets have been shared and parents agree to the support continuing.

Targets are discussed with children during interventions, their opinions are sought to see if they agree the targets are suitable and for the children to make suggestions for what they feel they need to work on.  The child’s involvement in the process is valued and staff will take on board suggestions from the children.

Assessing and reviewing pupils’ progress towards outcomes

Every child’s learning is planned for by the class teacher, it will be differentiated and/or scaffolded appropriately to match the child’s individual needs.  This may include additional support by the teacher and/or teaching assistants within class.  If a child requires additional, targeted support, in a small group to ensure progress is maintained or accelerated they may receive support through a GAS (Goal Attainment Scaling) intervention.  These are either led by the classes HLTA/TA or a member of staff responsible for intervention.

We follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review.  The class teacher will work with the SENDCo to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on.

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour
• Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant
• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• The views and experience of parents
• The pupil’s own views
• Advice from external support services, if relevant
• The assessment will be reviewed regularly.

 All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. We regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress.

GAS interventions are monitored every two to three weeks, assessing the impact on the child’s progress and attainment.  Each time the child works with the TA on their intervention the TA identifies whether they have notachieved the target set yet (score 0), whether they have got the target set (score 1) or whether they have gone beyond and therefore are hot (score 2).  If a child has consistently received Got or Hot scores after two to three weeks, then their target will be changed.  After three weeks, if the child has consistently scored Not for their target, the target will either be adapted or changed.  The class teachers use information from these interventions to inform planning and next steps required for individuals.  This is consistently and continuously shared with the children.

If a child requires additional, individual targeted support then they receive support through an Individual Action Plan (IAP).  The targets are set with the SENDCo, class teachers, parents/carers and the children.  These plans enable the teachers to plan and provide individual support to ensure that progress can be made.

Pupil progress meetings are held on a half-termly basis, where class teachers meet with members of the LMT (Leadership and Management Team) to discuss the progress of all individuals within their class.  This provides opportunities for concerns to be raised and support to be provided.  The SENDCo monitors the data and work of all children, to assess whether individuals require additional support.

Occasionally, there may be a need for additional outside agency support, where a child has not made sufficient progress despite continued, targeted intervention.  A referral is made, with parental consent, and forwarded to the most appropriate agency.  After a series of assessments, a programme of support is provided which the school implements and shared with parents/carers.

A pivotal part of the ethos of Holy Trinity is to work in partnership with parents/carers and ensure that a two-way dialogue is in place in order to support the children’s learning.  There are many opportunities for informal discussions between parents/carers and staff.  We operate an open door policy and staff are either available in the morning before school or the evening after school.  Formal discussions are also available; parents/carers can make appointments through the school office to see class teachers, the SENDCo/Deputy Head and the Head Teacher.  Every term a Parents’ evening is held, where there are opportunities to discuss progress, support and any other concerns.

As part of the quality first teaching (wave 1), all staff ensure they are continually assessing the attainment of the children through teacher assessment.  To inform this they use samples of the children’s work, annotated planning with notes on how the children have contributed throughout the lesson and test data.  Class teachers inform the SENDCo about a child experiencing difficultly and should additional support be required, this is undertaken after consultation with the family, learner and relevant staff.

All interventions are monitored for impact and outcomes are agreed at the start, the duration and frequency are also monitored.  The class teacher, teaching assistant and SENCO are all involved in the monitoring process. We do not wait until the end of an intervention to assess whether progress has been made.  Notes are made following each session; these are monitored by the class teacher.  If it is felt that the intervention is not having a positive impact then it is either stopped or changed.  If it is felt that the intervention has been successful then either the intervention is withdrawn or new targets and outcomes are agreed.

Supporting pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood

At Holy Trinity we share information with the school, college, or other setting the pupil is moving to. We agree with parents and pupils which information will be shared as part of this.

For some children, transition between year groups and phases within the school can prove to be challenging.  For these children, we plan and provide a tailored transition package with the Parents, Child, SENDCo, class teachers, Pastoral Care Manager and other agencies that may be involved.  Additional support is provided through a range of means, which can include photographs of the classrooms and staff, as well as additional opportunities to meet with staff, and small group or 1:1 support on the skills required for successful transition.

We work closely with our feeder Secondary School, regular opportunities are provided for the children to visit the school to gain a ‘feel’ for what that school is like.  We also hold regular meetings with any Secondary School a child is moving to.  During those meetings, we share the SEND provision provided for each child, any reports or relevant information we hold, strategies that have worked well and background information about each individual child.

If a child is moving during a phase, for example to specialist provision, an individual transition package is provided.  The SENDCo works with the Parents, Child, Class Teacher, Pastoral Care Manager, any other relevant agencies involved and the new school to plan transition that is personalised to that individual child.  This will include staff from the new setting visiting in school and visits to the new setting with school staff.

Our approach to teaching pupils with SEN

High quality teaching is our first step in responding to pupils who have SEND and this is monitored regularly by the leadership team.  All staff receive regular and relevant training to support their teaching, and also realise the importance of providing a stimulating environment in which children’s learning is at the centre.  Therefore, differentiation and/or scaffolding is embedded in our curriculum and practice; all lessons are planned to challenge the children but also cater for the individual needs in each class.

Pupil progress meeting, staff meetings and phase meetings to monitor and reflect on the next steps.  This enables all staff to be able to provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, which caters for the needs of each individual child.

Where a child has been identified with special needs then they will have the opportunity to receive additional support in class and out of class.  This is often provided by a Teaching Assistant and can be either one-to-one or small group work.  An IAP will be written by the class teacher, with targets set according to the child’s area/s of need.  These will be monitored by the SENDCo.  Officially IAP’s are written three times a year however they are checked and updated on a regular basis, when the children have met their targets or when they required further support, with targets changing every two to three weeks.  The day-to-day management of the IAP targets will be recorded and monitored using GAS forms.  These are completed by Teaching Teams and will be updated every 2-3 weeks, these can be shared with parents if requested.  All targets and support will be shared with parents at an IAP meeting and/or Parents’ Evenings.

The tables below detail the support provided at Holy Trinity under the four key areas of SEN and by the waves of provision.  The four key areas of SEN are:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Physical and Sensory

 The three waves of provision are:

• Wave 1 – inclusive high quality teaching for all
• Wave 2 – additional programmes and/or planned support that are designed to accelerate learning, often in small groups
• Wave 3 – additional highly individualised and personalised interventions, often 1:1 support

Support Provided at Holy Trinity

* Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction:

• Begin a lesson with a short review of previous learning
• Present new material in small steps with practice after each step
• Ask a large number of questions and check responses of all pupils
• Provide models
• Guide student practice
• Check for student understanding
• Obtain a high success rate
• Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks
• Require and monitor independent practice
• Engage pupils in weekly and monthly review

Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment

Holy Trinity provide an accessible school environment for all children; we will discuss individual access requirements where necessary.  The school site is all on one level, with wide doors and open plan classrooms.  In addition, we have a toilet adapted for disabled users.  Where necessary, we adapt the curriculum and learning environment to ensure accessibility for all.

We operate an inclusive school environment, where all children are included in all aspects of the curriculum.  Our SEND policy and Equal Opportunities and Inclusion policies promote involvement of all children across the curriculum, including activities outside the classroom.  Children with SEND are fully integrated into all aspects of school life.  All relevant policies are reviewed in light of equal opportunities, human rights and disability discrimination.

We make the following adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:

• Differentiating/scaffolding our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson, etc.;
• Adapting our resources and staffing;
• Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, etc.;
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud, etc;

Additional support for learning and Expertise and training of staff

Additional support for learning for pupils through the use of Teaching Assistants and/or Learning Mentors will be provided when the need for this is identified, through the processed outlined above.  Members of staff within the school have different specialisms, which are used to support the children.  There are staff within each Key Stage that have received Speech and Language Training known as ELKLAN.  This enables them to support children with the development of their speech and language, as well as identify children for further support and intervention.

The SENCDo is accredited with the National Award for Special Educational Need Co-ordination.  

All staff have undertaken SUMO training, where these skills are used with the children to develop emotional well-being.  We invest time and money in training all our staff to improve whole class teaching and develop enhances skills in the delivery of interventions.  Training has also been provided through The School Psychology service focusing on Managing Challenging Behaviour and Bereavement and Loss.  Bright Minds (Specialist Teacher Service) have provided training on Dyslexia strategies and spelling interventions.

We have a team of teaching assistants, including number of higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs) who are trained to deliver SEN provision.

All class based TA’s provided SEN support for children in their class.

We have teaching assistants who are trained to deliver interventions such as:

• Cool Kids and Cool Characters
• Numicon Intervention Programme
• Conquering Literacy Programme
• ELKLAN
• Thrive group and individual sessions

Teaching assistants will support pupils on a 1:1 basis during Wave 3 interventions and strategies discussed in the table above.  Support will be provided for pupils in small groups during Wave 2 interventions and strategies shown in the table above.

At times it may be necessary to consult with external agencies to receive specialist support and advice.  Where they exist, the agencies used by the school include:

• Educational Psychologist (Dr Gary Lavan – The School Psychology Service)
• Specialist Teacher (Pasannamati Neal – Bright Minds)
• Education Welfare Officer (Carly Evans)
• School Nurse (Julie Thomas)
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Wolverhampton Information, Advise and Support Service
• CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• The Gem Centre
• Practitioners at the local hospitals

At Holy Trinity, we work closely with all other professional bodies including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children’s special educational needs and supporting their families.  We work proactively with these agencies to ensure that the child is at the centre of all we do.

Evaluating the effectiveness of SEN provision and securing equipment and facilities

The SEND budget is allocated each financial year and the Head Teacher, Governors and Bursar oversee this.  Budgets are closely monitored and aligned to the School Improvement Plan (SIP).  The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependent on an individual’s need.  Provisions may also be allocated after pupil progress meetings or following and an EHC Plan.  We seek to ensure value for money; the SENCDo and bursar cost out and evaluate interventions to inform effectiveness of future provision for children.  Resources may include the deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances.

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEN by:

• Reviewing pupils’ individual progress towards their goals each term;
• Reviewing the impact of interventions after a maximum of three weeks;
• Holding termly review meetings with parents and children;
• Using pupil questionnaires;
• Monitoring by the SENDCo;
• Using provision maps to measure progress;
• Holding annual reviews for pupils with EHC plans.

Enabling pupils with SEND to engage in activities available to those in the school who do not have SEND

At Holy Trinity we ensure there are no barriers to pupils with SEND enjoying the same activities as other pupils in our school.  All opportunities are offered for all children, with adaptations made where required.  This includes:

• All of our extra-curricular activities and school visits are available to all our pupils, including our before-and after-school clubs.
• All pupils are encouraged to go on our school visits.
• All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/special workshops, etc.
• No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability.

Support is provided for pupils with disabilities to ensure they can fully access the curriculum and life at Holy Trinity.  We work closely with the parents and families of these young people, as well as other professionals involved, to create an individualised care plan.  As a Catholic school, equality is at the route of all we do, we are all equal in the eyes of God and therefore should be treated as such.

Support for improving emotional and social development

At Holy Trinity we value the importance of emotional and social development, we know that children are not ready to learn if they are emotionally not in the place to learn.  We value the well-being of our children and have appointed a Pastoral Care Manager (Mrs Griffiths) to work solely in this role.  She is a Thrive Practitioner and works across the school to provide support for whole class, small groups and individuals as well as staff. Where individual or small group support is being provided, you will be informed and consent will be required

We strive to offer a wide variety of pastoral support for children who are encountering emotional difficulties.  Members of staff such as the class teacher and SENDCo are readily available for children who wish to discuss issues and concerns.  Also, as part of the curriculum and through school policies, the children are educated and supported about healthy lifestyles.

If a child has a medical need then a detailed Care 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 and asthma training delivered by the school nurse.  Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers, medicines are administered in school but only where a signed medical consent form is in place.  Many members of staff have first aid and the administration of medicines training.

We provide opportunities for the pupils with SEND to share their views and to adapt the ways that they can communicate worries or concerns to us, through means such as talk and draw. Pupils with SEND are treated the same as all of our pupils and as such they are encouraged to be part of the school council and take part in extra-curricular activities such as clubs.

We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying, all concerns raised are taken seriously and we work with all our school body to create a nurturing and friendly environment.

Complaints about SEND provision

In the first instance, parents/carers are encouraged to discuss any concerns with their child’s class teacher.  Further information and support can be provided from the SENDCo and the Head Teacher.  The school works, wherever possible, in partnership with parents to ensure a collaborative approach to meeting the children’s needs.  All complaints are taken seriously and are heard through the school’s complaints policy and procedures.

The Governors of Holy Trinity are available to provide additional support and information about SEND provision at Holy Trinity.  Mrs Ann Ramsbottom is the SEND Link Governor, and she works with the SENDCo to ensure that SEND provision is a pivotal part of school life.  Father Craig Fullard is the Chair of Governors and he can be contacted if further information is required about Holy Trinity.

The parents of pupils with disabilities have the right to make disability discrimination claims to the first-tier SEND tribunal if they believe that our school has discriminated against their children. They can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:

• Exclusions
• Provision of education and associated services
• Making reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services

 Wolverhampton Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) is a statutory, confidential service for parents/carers of children with special educational needs.  They provide access to impartial information, advice and support about all aspects of SEND.  More information can be found at their website: https://wolvesiass.org/

Acronyms:

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

CPD – Continuing Professional Development

CPS – Catholic Primary School

EHA – Early Help Assessment

EHC Plan – Education, Health and Care plan

ELKLAN – Speech and Language Therapy Programme

EP – Educational Psychologist

GAS – Goal Attainment Scaling (personalized interventions)

HLTA – Higher Level Teaching Assistant

IAP – Individual Action Plan

IASS – Information, Advise and Support Service

LM – Learning Mentor

LMT – Leadership and Management Team

OT – Occupational Therapy

PCT – Prove it, Challenge it, Teach it marking

SEND – Special Educational Need and Disability

SENDCo – Special Educational Needs Coordinator

SIP – School Improvement Plan

ST – Specialist Teacher

SUMO – Stop Understand Move On

TA – Teaching Assistant

1:1 – One adult to one child