At Burton upon Stather Primary School we want to make sure every child gets the best support we can offer in order to help them to enjoy their learning, feel confident and happy amongst their friends and make the best possible progress. Every child has individual needs that will affect their learning. Sometimes children need special support to help them to achieve their own potential. They may need this support for a short time or longer period, but during this time they will be part of our Special Educational Needs (SEN) register.
We strive to support all children to enable them to achieve at school. In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey.
Quality teaching is vital; however for some children there are occasions when further additional support may be needed to help them achieve their targets.
This is where the SEN Team step in.
The SEN Team consists of:
Miss Claire Clarkson - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
Mrs Sarah Brown - Headteacher / SEN Support
This is where the SEN Team step in.
Our Local Offer
There are many SEN terms that are abbreviated which can lead to confusion (even for us!).
Below is a glossary of the most used SEN terms.
AAP |
Attendance Advisory Practitioner |
ADD |
Attention Deficit Disorder |
ADHD |
Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder |
ASD |
Autistic Spectrum Disorder |
BESD |
Behavioural Emotional & Social Difficulties |
CAF |
Common Assessment Framework |
CAMHS |
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service |
COP |
Code of Practice |
CP |
Child Protection |
DCD |
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder |
EAL |
English as an Additional Language |
EP |
Educational Psychologist |
FSM |
Free School Meals |
FLO |
Family Liaison Officer |
HI |
Hearing Impairment |
IEP |
Individual Education Plan |
ISR |
In School Review |
KS |
Key Stage |
LAC |
Looked After Child |
LEA |
Local Education Authority |
LM |
Learning Mentor |
MLD |
Moderate Learning Difficulty |
NC |
National Curriculum |
OT |
Occupational Therapist |
PSP |
Pastoral Support Programme |
SaLT |
Speech & Language Therapy |
SEN |
Special Educational Needs |
SEND |
Special Educational Needs & Disability |
SENCo |
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator |
SpLD |
Specific Learning Difficulty |
VI |
Visual Impairment |
Current SEN Updates
What is Pupil Premium?
The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years (known as ‘Ever 6 FSM’). Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, and children of service personnel.
Why has it been introduced?
The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most.
Who decides on how the money is spent?
In most cases the Pupil Premium is paid direct to schools, allocated to them for every pupil who receives free school meals. Schools decide how to use the funding, as they are best placed to assess what their pupils need.
How are schools accountable for the spending of Pupil Premium?
They are held accountable for the decisions they make through:
Children and Families Bill 2013
The Children and Families Bill takes forward the Coalition Government’s commitments to improve services for vulnerable children and support strong 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.
The Government is changing the system for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including those who are disabled, so that services consistently 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:
What is the 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 SEN and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.”
What will it do?
Below are Burton upon Stather Primary’s responses to these questions.
How does Burton upon Stather Primary know if children need extra help?
We know when pupils need help if:
What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
If you have any concerns then contact your child’s teacher or Miss Clarkson/Mrs Brown the SENCo or Headteacher.
How will I know how Burton upon Stather Primary support my child?
These interventions are recorded on the school’s provision map (this is a record of the interventions, timings and impact of the intervention). If you have any queries regarding interventions please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCo.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
How will I know how my child is doing?
How will you help me to support my child’s learning?
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties.
These include:
Pupils with medical needs
If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled by Mrs Sarah Brown or Miss Claire Clarkson in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff involved with the pupil. We have dedicated staff who have received basic First Aid Training at Work. These staff are introduced to all pupils when they first start our school. Where necessary, and in agreement with parents/carers, medicines are administered in school but only where a signed medication agreement in line with the school’s Medication Policy is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise. The agencies used by the school include:
An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He/she would normally only work directly with pupils who needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them.
This involvement is generally planned during meetings with professional and parents. These are meetings held three times a year between school staff and where appropriate, other professionals. The aim of the meeting is to gain an understanding of and try to resolve a pupil’s difficulties.
In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed.
He/she will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward.
What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?
Both Mrs Brown (our Headteacher) and Miss Clarkson (SENCO) have gained the ‘National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-Ordination’ which is a Masters level qualification. All staff have received some form of training related to SEND. These include sessions on:
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
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 an extra member of staff may be asked to accompany a child during the activity.
How accessible is the school environment?
As a school we are happy to discuss individual requirements at any time.
Facilities we have at present include:
How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Burton upon Stather Primary or transferring to a new school?
The staff at Burton upon Stather Primary School understand what a stressful time moving schools can be, therefore many strategies are in place to enable the pupil’s transition to be as smooth as possible.
These include:
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive?
How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child’s education?
All parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s education. This may be through:
Who can I contact for further information?
If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or are unhappy about anything regarding your child’s schooling please do not hesitate to contact any member of staff or make an appointment to meet with Mrs Brown, our Headteacher.
I hope these have answered any queries you may have but do not hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions.
Mrs Sarah Brown
Headteacher
If you wish to contact our SENDco directly, please complete the form below