Special Educational Needs
SEND Report and Local Offer
Introduction.
Welcome to our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) page. We hope you will enjoy reading about the variety of ways in which Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is able to support SEND pupils to reach their full potential.
Our school has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) who is responsible for the management of provision and/or support for identified pupils with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability). They will also coach and support teachers and other staff to enable them to provide appropriate assessment and focussed provision for children in their class with SEND.
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is: Ms Laura O'Dea who can be contacted by email on send@sacredheart-baguley.manchester.sch.uk
Our SEND governor is: Mrs Moira Casey
Sacred Heart Primary School is a one form entry school with approximately 250 children one role. There is a full time nursery. There are currently 32% EAL pupils and this number appears to be rising. The population of the school is settled, drawing from mainly the local area of a mix of private and council properties.
At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School we believe that every child should have access to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum. This should take account of their individual strengths and needs and should allow each child to fulfil their potential. We have high expectations and targets for all of our children. We are an inclusive school and believe that high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s emotional well-being and academic progress. We have a caring, understanding staff team at Sacred Heart who look after all of our children.
We want all our children to feel that they are a valued part of our school community. Through appropriate curricular provision, we respect the fact that children;
- have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations;
- require different strategies for learning;
- acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates;
- need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.
Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for others of the same age. This means provision that goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of the high quality, personalised teaching at Sacred Heart. It may take the form of additional support from within school or require involvement of specialist staff or support services.
All teachers are teachers of SEND pupils and as such provide quality first teaching which takes account of particular individual needs of pupils with SEND within the classroom.
The objectives of our SEND provision are:
- To identify children with SEND as early as possible.
- To consult with parents/carers to identify the strengths and needs of the child, and agree an education plan to build on the strengths and support needs.
- To meet every child’s needs by providing a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum.
- To identify and use support that is available in school.
- To refer the child to outside agencies where appropriate.
- To seek and consider the child’s own views wherever possible. E.g. through class council/pupil voice sessions.
All schools are required to publish details of its school offer, detailing support for pupils with special educational needs and/or a disability to compliment the Manchester LA Local Offer. Below are details of the current school offer at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and the Local Offer for Manchester.
Current SEND Updates
Children and Families Bill 2013
The Children and Families Bill takes forward to Coalition Government’s commitments to improve services for vulnerable children and support families. It underpins wider reforms to ensure that all children and young people can succeed, no matter what their background. The Bill will reform the systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
The Government is transforming the system for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), so that services constantly support the best outcomes for them. The Bill will extend the SEN system from birth to 25, giving children, young people and their parents/carers greater control and choice in decisions and ensuring needs are properly met.
It takes forward the reform programme set out in Support and Aspiration: A new approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability: Progress and next steps by:
- Replacing statements and learning difficulty assessments with a new birth-to-25 Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), extending rights and protections to young people in further education and training and offering families personal budgets so that they have more control over the support they need;
- Improving co-operation between all services that support children and their families and particularly requiring local authorities and health authorities to work together;
- Requiring local authorities to involve children, young people and parents in reviewing and developing provision for those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and to publish a “local offer” of support.
What is Local Offer?
The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children with Special Educational Disability Needs (SEND) and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.
What will it do?
The Manchester Local Offer will provide 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 will let parents/carers and young people know how school and colleges will support them, and what they can expect across the local settings. The Local Offer Steering Group has developed questions for schools, and trialled them with a small number of setting.
There are some questions, devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, which reflect their concerns and interests. These will be answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child’s needs.
Below are Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School’s responses to these questions.
What are the areas defined in the SEND Code of Practice?
Communication and interaction
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time ranging from speech sound difficulties to developmental language disorder (DLD). They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.
Children and young people with Autism (ASC) are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
Cognition and learning
Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.
Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
Sensory and/or physical needs
Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
How does the school know if children need extra help, and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
When children are transferring to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School from another school setting, we endeavour to contact a child’s previous school to ascertain any special needs they may require support with in school.
Pupil progress is monitored termly by our Class Teachers, Assessment Co-ordinator and the Senior Leadership Team. Class Teachers are confident in identifying concerns at the early stages so that additional support may be offered when required. Teacher concerns are taken directly to our SENDCO and discussed. A range of school-based strategies and interventions to support children are available, and often these are very effective in enabling most children to catch up and achieve in line with their peers.
If a pupil struggles to make progress over time, there may then be a need to discuss next steps in provision with parents/carers with further assessment to identify a child’s primary area of need. Following this, we may offer extra support within school, perhaps in the form of targeted intervention groups. All children monitored on the school’s SEND Register have a Learning Plan which gives details of any provision that is different from or additional to those provided as part of the school’s differentiated curriculum. Learning Plans are written and reviews twice a year and provision is reviewed to ensure maximum impact for our pupils. Parents receive copies of Learning Plans and shall also be invited to attend reviews.
If parents/carers have any concerns regarding the learning of their children, we operate an open-door policy at Sacred Heart. Class Teachers are available to discuss concerns, as is our SENDCO. If necessary appointments can be arranged at mutually convenient times across the week.
How will the school staff support my child?
This is dependent upon the level of support required by individual children.
Each pupil's education will be planned by the class teacher. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil's individual needs.
Support group timetables are set up at the start of every school year to match the needs of the children on roll. These groups are regularly reviewed throughout the school year, and may vary in line with the current SEND profiles and needs of our children.
Early assessment of English and maths by Class Teachers, the SENDCO and in some cases specialist teachers enables children to be placed in our targeted intervention groups, should they require this. These groups are usually of about 6 children.
At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School we provide a number of intervention groups as necessary including;
- English support to target key reading and writing skills;
- Maths support focusing upon acquiring key skills and basic mathematical concepts;
- Motor skills intervention groups;
- Speech and language interventions;
- 1:1 reading booster
- *Groups offered year-on-year depend on the current needs of pupils in the school.
Pupil progress meetings are held each term. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Head teacher to discuss the progress of the pupils in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any concerns about children who have been identified as having a special need.
Occasionally a child may need more expert support from an outside agency such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy etc. A referral will be made, with your consent and forwarded to the appropriate agency. After an assessment/series of assessments, a programme of support or advice is provided to the school. This is then shared with parents and pupils at age appropriate levels.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
The National Curriculum is differentiated for children within class as part of our quality first teaching, to provide appropriate curriculum access for all children at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
Access to the curriculum may be provided in a variety of ways- through a range of different tasks; additional resources/apparatus; extra time to complete; support from an adult; group work; talking partners etc. We constantly strive to work in an inclusive way throughout Sacred Heart.
How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
At Sacred Heart we take four types of action to put effective support in place for every child – Assess, Plan, Do, Review – this is the graduated approach called SEND Support. This ensures that the level and type of support required at any stage is carefully matched with each child’s individual needs.
As part of our Assess, Plan, Do, Review approach we review children's targets in a number of ways.
As part of this process children may move on and off this register determined by need and progress.
We have regularly scheduled parent‘s evening meetings to keep parents/carers informed about their child’s progress within school. Staff are usually available to speak with parents just before or after school. Should it be necessary, additional meetings can be arranged with Class Teachers and our SENDCO at mutually convenient times.
If a child is on our SEND Register, their parents/carers are invited to attend a twice yearly review to discuss their child’s progress and talk about what the school is providing. The meeting will be attended by the SENDCO, class teacher, parents/carers and their child. Parents/carers will be given a copy of their Learning Plan so you know which targets your child is working towards.
All support group feedback is monitored and evaluated by our SENDCO to ensure maximum impact for the children involved.
Our open-door policy is crucial in enabling parents to provide support at home. Your class teacher will be available to discuss any concerns you may have. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENDCO by visiting the school office or speaking with the class teacher at the end of the day.
Full written reports are sent home annually in the Summer Term.
What happens if SEND Support is not adequate to meet the needs of my child?
For the majority of children, SEND support will meet their needs and support them in making progress thus closing the attainment gap. For some, further advice or support may be required and an Education, Health and Care needs assessment may be required in order for the local authority to decide whether it is necessary for them to make provision in accordance with an EHC plan.
The purpose of an EHC plan is to make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care and, as they get older, prepare them for adulthood.
In considering whether an EHC needs assessment is necessary, the local authority will consider whether there is evidence that despite the school having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the special educational needs of the child, the child has not made expected progress
What support will there be for my child’s overall safety and well-being?
We offer support to encourage positive friendships in many ways including check-ins at various points in the day and our PSHE curriculum.
Positive relationships are developed between children and staff, so that children feel confident in knowing they can talk to someone if they need to. There is good laison between school and outside agencies (if required) to build up a team around the child and share important information.
We have lunch time organisers who support the children outside the classroom during lunchtime.
We provide extra adult support on school trips.
The school offers a variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties. These include:
- Children who find lunchtimes challenging are identified and all lunch time staff are made aware of them.
- Rainbows. Our school is a 'Rainbows' site. We have a team of trained staff members who can offer support to children who have experienced a loss or a bereavement.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
We liaise with many support services and advisors. If there were concerns over a child’s learning that we needed support in addressing within school, we would submit a referral to one of these agencies, who would then visit to advise us. Included are: Occupational Therapists; Educational Psychologists; Physiotherapists; Speech and Language Therapists; Physical and Sensory Support; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services; Targeted Mental Health in Schools; Support from Outreach Schools in Manchester such as RHOSEY and LOIS.
Please see Manchester City Council’s Local Offer (A link to the website can be found on this page) for details of services commissioned to support schools.
What training are the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having?
Our SENDCO has completed the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASEN) training at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Teaching Assistants are offered targeted training regarding the specific needs of the children they work alongside. Recent training includes; Autism Level One training, Loss and Bereavement Training, Speech and Language training amongst others.
All teaching and learning support staff have been provided with updated training regarding the SEND code of Practice.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
Advice from specialists is taken so that Sacred Heart can make reasonable curricular changes/adaptations for children with specific needs.
Before trips are carried out, risk assessments and accessibility arrangements are carefully considered.
For mobility impaired children, arrangements are made in advance, so that they can have as much access to the full experience as possible.
How accessible is the school environment?
Our school building offers ramped access throughout, which makes the full curriculum accessible to all learners.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school; transfer to a new setting / school / college or the next stage of education and life?
At Sacred Heart our links with other local schools are very good. When children prepare to join our school we aim to arrange for them to visit us first, so that the child can meet their new class teacher in advance. The class teacher and/or SENDCO may visit the child’s previous setting if adequate provision is needed to be put in place. If a child has a Statement of Special Need or EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan), this will be transferred in advance so that the SENCO and Class Teacher have the opportunity to put adequate provision in place before the child begins with us.
When leaving us at the end of Key Stage 2, the Year 6 Teacher and SENDCO will meet with the High Schools that pupils are moving to. Any SEND needs are discussed at this meeting, Learning Plans and other appropriate documents are transferred and it may be felt appropriate for some children, who may feel a little more uneasy than others during this time, to attend special transition sessions and groups.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
Many children with Special Educational Needs prefer to learn through visual and practical ways. Practical resources are stored centrally at Sacred Heart, so are available during every support session.
Some resources are specific to certain children and are accessed frequently, so are therefore available in classroom spaces too.
For children with Statements of Special Educational Needs or EHCP, the Teaching Assistants and teachers working with this child will have a bank of resources and activities to support that child’s area(s) of need.
For example children require adaptations such as writing slopes or equipment to help with their sensory issues such as fiddle toys and ear defenders.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
Every child is different; therefore support groups and interventions are offered to target their particular needs.
Upon entering our school assessments are carried out regularly and used to inform children’s strengths and next steps for learning.
Candidates for support groups are identified by Class Teachers and discussed with the SENDCO. Further assessment may be carried out by our Specialist Support Teachers.
In line with the SEND Code of Practice 2014, parents are always kept informed of the school’s decision to support their child. This is usually a step taken following substantial communication between home and school where there have been concerns over a child’s progress over time. This level of support is referred to as ‘School SEN Support’.
For some children in need of additional support, further specialist assessment may be required and referral to one or more of the agencies detailed above in Question 10. Children accessing this would still be referred to as requiring ‘School SEN Support’.
We will always keep parents/carers informed and will seek permission before assessing or referring.
For a small number of pupils, much more intensive support is required if a child has complex needs. They may have a Statement of SEN or EHCP which provides legal entitlement to specialist support from outside agencies and allocated time for 1:1 adult support and small group work. If a child does not already have a Statement or EHCP, but the school and parents/carers agree that the child meets criteria for statutory assessment, parents/carers will be invited to meet with the SENDCO and/or Head Teacher to discuss the prospect of making an application for an EHCP.
The SEND Code of Practice 0-25 promotes the use of the 'assess, plan, do, review cycle'. This cycle can be used to meet the needs of children/young people and improve practice at many levels ensuring that: ... SEN provision made by an educational setting evolves to meet the needs of all children/young people with SEN.
Who can I contact for further information?
Miss Laura O'Dea – SENDCO – send@sacredheart-baguley.manchester.sch.uk
Is there any additional provision you have developed during the year?
We continue to train our staff in line with the range of SEND we currently have within our school cohort; be it through sharing ideas/expertise; visits to other settings; training courses or visits from advisory teachers/professionals.
Reviewing provision
All additional support is monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that there is a positive impact on children's learning and development. Termly impact reports are shared with staff and governors.
How can I find out more?
The SEND Code of Practice published in January 2015 is available on the DFE website.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 (CoP) provides statutory guidance on duties, policies and procedures relating to Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 associated regulations, and applies to England. It was last revised in January 2015.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Manchester City Council also publishes information regarding provision for SEN across the city. This is called the Local Offer. All local authorities publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
This information can be found at
www.manchester.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer - enter SEND Local Offer Hub in the search field.
Or you can access a copy Manchester's Local Offer for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities here.
The SEND Local Offer is web-based but we recognise that not all families are able to access this information.
Families who need support to access the Local offer can:
Visit their local library, where staff will be able to show them
Ring the helpline number 0161 209 8356
Go to one of the SEND Local Offer drop-in sessions offered in partnership with Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Support.
This policy was written in conjunction with:
- section 69(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014
- regulation 51 and schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
Reviewed date: 4th October 2024