“All children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) should be able to reach their full potential in school. They should also be supported to make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training” – Department for Education.

At St Thomas’ Leesfield, we recognise that not all children learn in the same way and sometimes children may need additional support along their learning journey. 

We are committed to providing high quality for all pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and those with disabilities (D). We have strong systems for the early identification of pupils’ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and always welcome and work in partnership with parents and carers.

Our experienced staff make sure all pupils have access to quality first teaching to meet the needs of every child. We want to support and work alongside you, as parents, so together we can support your child to be the ‘best they can in the sight of God’.

At St Thomas’, we do our best to meet the changing needs of all pupils, whether they are linked to learning, social, physical or emotional needs. All pupils have the opportunity to reach their full potential and to make progress. We provide a positive, stimulating and nurturing environment with caring staff who know the children well. We believe pupils thrive when all key people in their lives work as a team.

From time to time, some children require either short or long-term additional support to help meet their needs or improve their learning. The decision to provide this support is made by the school based on how the child is doing with their learning, behaviour and discussion with parents. Support will be planned by school staff and where appropriate by external professionals. Parents/carers will be kept informed about this support and we will meet termly to look at what is working well and what we need to do next. For a child to be classed as having special educational needs, they need to have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children the same age, or a disability, which prevents or hinders them from accessing the educational facilities provided.

We have a number of methods to help us identify if a child needs extra help.

We receive information from pupils’ previous schools/pre-school settings and/or from other services who have worked with your child, for example a speech and language therapist. The progress of all pupils is monitored regularly by class teachers and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), so that when a pupil is not making expected progress in a particular area of learning, the school can quickly identify the need for additional support. This will then be discussed with parents/carers.  If parents/carers have concerns about the progress of their child, they should make an appointment to speak to the class teacher/SENDCO to discuss their concerns. This information will be used to ensure that we meet any additional needs your child may have.

Once your child is in school, we will monitor their progress and development. If we have concerns, we may ask other professionals to give advice and support but parents/ carers are always involved in these decisions. We may ask a specialist teacher to come into school and do assessments on how a child learns, or the Educational Psychologist might offer advice on strategies for support. Each child is assessed individually according to the SEND Code of Practice and a personal, child-friendly target sheet will be developed dependent on need and reviewed termly with the child and parents.

Children who require support in terms of their acquisition of English are not considered SEND pupils but they may require additional support through Quality First Teaching and/or Interventions.

All children receive class teacher input via effective classroom teaching. Teachers plan and teach a differentiated curriculum which is matched to the individual needs of all our learners. This includes using a variety of teaching strategies so that all children are fully engaged in learning. The teacher will have the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class: we want them to do the best they can. All teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.

We teach in lots of different ways, as children do not all learn in the same way. This may involve things like using more practical learning, alternative forms of recording or providing different resources adapted for your child. All lessons are differentiated to meet the needs of your child.  Grouping of ability, mixed and independent work is used to support all pupils. We put in place specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCO or staff from outside agencies) to enable your child to access the learning task.

Additional support for learning that is available for pupils with SEND may include;

• Putting in place specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCO or staff from outside agencies) to enable your child to access the learning task.
• Support from the teaching assistant in small groups or individually
• School delivers a variety of individual and small group interventions. Examples of these might include additional phonics or numeracy support, writing booster groups or social groups. We vary these interventions depending on the need of individual children at any one time. Further details of these interventions can be obtained by speaking with the SENCO.
•  Children are provided with the resources they require which are tailored specifically to their needs. These may include specialist writing equipment, sloped writing tables, adapted keyboards, equipment for maths etc.

 A Target sheet will be implemented to set targets and monitor progress. This will be shared with parents/carers and reviewed twice a year to ensure that support remains appropriate. Progress is also discussed at 2 parents’ meetings (4Ps) When necessary, the school may seek support from outside services. This will be discussed with parents/carers and a referral made with their permission.  All children are assessed for their suitability to sit standardised tests. School adheres to guidance set out by the DfE.

Every pupil has the opportunity to participate in all aspects of school life, by careful planning and differentiation throughout the day. This includes lunch times when teaching assistants are available alongside middays to support their needs. All school trips are assessed for suitability by paying attention to any areas of relevant need for individuals within the year group. Care is taken to inform the providers of any specific needs of pupils and staff will let parents/guardians know what has been put in place.

We make sure activities outside the classroom and school trips are available to all. Risk assessments are carried out for each trip and suitable numbers of adults are made available to accompany the pupils, with 1:1 support if necessary.  Parents and carers are invited to accompany their child on a school trip if this ensures access.  Health and safety audits will be conducted as and when appropriate.

Children are involved every day in their own learning. They are involved in the assessment of their own learning and progress through self- assessments, fix it time and end of topic evaluations. The children are encouraged to talk about their learning in pairs and small groups. Children contribute to their Target sheet as part of the Person Centred Review Meeting process. Children’s targets are discussed with them and they take ownership of them.

We have very strong links with local nurseries and secondary schools and the SENCO team in Saddleworth has established a Transition Group where children can meet pupils from other school in Year 6 for a range of activities in preparation for transition to secondary school. When children have an identified SEND before they start school, we work with parents and the people who already know them and use the information already available to identify what their SEND provision will be in our school setting.  Additional visits can be arranged for children starting Reception class, or moving on to secondary.

Through attendance at local collaborative meetings, the SENCO keeps up to date with national and local updates in SEND policy and practice to enable them to support children and staff effectively. Staff are trained in key areas enabling them to support all children effectively. Examples of these include Team Teach, Numicon training and Partnership for Children training.  Staff receive regular training and support in response to children’s needs.  The governing body is responsible for ensuring that funding is used appropriately, and for monitoring teaching and accessibility.  There is a designated SEND Governor who liaises with the SENCO. They also report to the governing body.  If a child has a particular need, we ensure that relevant staff are trained in dealing with it by consulting with the relevant health professional or attending specific training if necessary.  School has a number of appropriately qualified first aiders who are on site each day and up to date with training requirements. All staff have received basic first aid training and are familiar with the procedure to follow in case of a medical emergency.

St Thomas’ have robust tracking systems in place for every child. We are constantly reviewing progress and looking at what is working well for a pupil and what requires improvement. We consider the pupil views carefully at each review, looking at how they learn well. This informs the planning of future targets and how we will work together to achieve them.