SEND POLICY

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy

Our school is:

a safe, supportive stimulating learning environment;

a team of respectful, tolerant ,open minded citizens;

a community where everyone aspires to be the very best they can be;

a community of resilient lifelong learners;

a centre of excellence where all achieve success.

PURPOSE

We recognise that many pupils will have special needs at some time during their school life. In implementing this policy, we believe pupils will be helped to overcome their difficulties.

Review Date

Annually

Reviewed By

Dr. Troy Page

Summary of changes

· Updated to be in line with the information report and what we are now doing in school.

· Updated SENDCO and Head teacher

· Added information about complaints procedure.

CONTENTS

Cambridge Online Education values the abilities and achievements of all its pupils, and is committed to providing each pupil with the best possible environment for learning.

We want all children to reach their potential!

We believe our school is:

A safe, supportivestimulating learning environment
A teamof respectful, tolerant ,open minded citizens
A community where everyone aspiresto be the very best they can be
A community of resilientlifelong learners
A centre of excellence where all achieve success

THE SEND AIMS OF THE SCHOOL

To ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.
To provide a differentiated curriculum appropriate to the individual’s needs and ability.
To ensure the identification of all pupils requiring SEND provision as early as possible in their school career.
To ensure that SEND pupils take as full a part as possible in all school activities.
To ensure that parents of SEND pupils are kept fully informed of their child’s progress and attainment.
To create an environment where pupils can contribute to their own learning, where they feel safe and listened to.
To ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

We recognise that many pupils will have special needs at some time during their school life. In implementing this policy, we believe pupils will be helped to overcome their difficulties.

The policy was developed by the SENDCOo in collaboration with the Senior Management Team and in consultation with all staff and Governors.

Whilst many factors contribute to the range of difficulties experienced by some children, we believe that much can be done to overcome them by parents, teachers and pupils working together.

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Definitions of special education needs taken from section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

A child has special educational needs if he or she has learning difficulties that call for special educational provision to be made.

A child has learning difficulties if he or she:

Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age.
Has a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age in other schools within the Local Authority.

Special education provision means:

Educational provision which is additional to, or different from, the educational provision made generally for children of the same age in maintained schools (other than special schools) in the area.

Children must not be regarded as having learning difficulties solely because their language, or form of the home language, is different from that in which they are taught.

Cambridge Online Education will have due regard for the Special Needs Code of Practice 2014 when carrying out our duties towards all pupils with special educational needs, and ensure that parents are notified when SEND provision is being made for their child.

At our school we provide support for children with a range of special educational needs. Special educational needs could mean that a child has difficulties in:

Communication and Interaction- In expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
Cognition and Learning- In acquiring basic skills in school
Social and Emotional Mental Health- Making friends or relating to adults or behaving properly in school

Sensory and/or Physical - Such as hearing or visual impairment, which might affect them in school or medical or health condition which may slow down a child’s progress and/or involves treatment that affects his or her education.

Children make progress at different rates and have different ways they learn best. Teachers take account of this when they plan teaching and learning activities. Children making slower progress or having particular difficulties in one area may be given extra help/support or different lessons to help them succeed.

ADMISSIONS

The admission arrangements for ALL pupils are in accordance with national legislation, including the Equality Act 2010. This includes children with any level of SEND; those with Education, Health and Care Plans and those without.

In common with other maintained schools, the Local Authority (Derby City Council) administers admissions into the school.

INCLUSION

This policy builds on our School Inclusion Policy, which recognises the entitlement of all pupils to a balanced, broadly based curriculum. Our SEND policy reinforces the need for teaching that is fully inclusive. The Governing Body will ensure that appropriate provision will be made for all pupils with SEND.

ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES

The Governing Body ensures that resources are allocated to support appropriate provision for all pupils, within budget constraints.

IDENTIFICATION

At Cambridge Online Education we have adopted a whole- school approach to SEND policy and practice. All staff are committed to the principles and aims of this policy. Pupils identified as having SEND are, as far as is practicable, fully integrated into mainstream classes. Every effort is made to ensure that they have full access to the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and are integrated into all aspects of the school.

All teachers are responsible for identifying pupils with SEND and, in collaboration with the SENDCO, will ensure that those pupils requiring different or additional support are identified at an early stage. Assessment is the process by which pupils with SEND can be identified. Whether or not a pupil is making progress is seen as a significant factor in considering the need for SEND provision.

Early Identification

Early identification of pupils with SEND is a priority. The school will use appropriate screening and assessment tools, and ascertain pupil progress through:

Evidence obtained by teacher observations/ assessments.
Foundation Stage profile scores and their progress against the criteria contained in the ‘Ages and Stages’ documentation
Their performance in National Curriculum subjects judged against assessment requirements.
Pupil progress in relation to the National Curriculum objectives in English and Maths

Assessments

Assessments made will be through:

Reports and observations from teachers and teaching assistants
Records from feeder schools, baseline assessments etc.
Information from parents
EYFS assessments
EYFS profiles
National curriculum results
Target setting
Pupil tracking

CODE OF PRACTICE GRADUATED RESPONSE

The school adopts the levels of intervention as described in the SEND Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice advocates a graduated response to meeting pupils’ needs.

SEND MONITOR

Any pupils who are falling outside of the range of expected academic progress will be monitored and assessments will be made as described above to determine if further intervention is required.
The class teacher will take steps to further differentiate the learning to better support the pupil and this may require an adjustment in the style of teaching adopted with that pupil.
The SENDCO should be informed and consulted to provide support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil.
Parents/LA will be fully informed so they can share information and knowledge with the school to help better understand the needs of the child.
The child is recorded as being monitored; this does not mean they will automatically be placed on the SEND register.

SEND SUPPORT

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEND, parents will be formally advised of this and the decision to add the pupil to the SEND register is made. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEND is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove any barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four part process.

Assess
Plan
Do
Review

This is an on-going cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables identification of those interventions which are most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good levels of progress and outcomes.

Looked after chilren who are identified with SEND will follow the procedure as above (Assess, plan, Do, Review), social care and foster carers will be invited to the meeting.

Assess

This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s need using the class teachers’ assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of the parents. Advice from external support services and staff will be sort if appropriate and with the agreement of the parents.

Plan

Planning will involve consultation between the teacher, SENDCO, LA and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and/ or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental/LA involvement may be sought, where appropriate, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. This plan will be recorded in the form of a Target Planning and Reviewing document which will be shared with staff, parents and the pupil.

The class teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a day to day basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or one to one teaching away from the main class teacher. They will work closely with the SENDCO to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and ensure links with classroom teaching. The SENDCO will support with further assessment of the pupils strengths and weaknesses.

Review

Reviews of a child’s progress will be made regularly. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account the views of the pupil and their parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENDCO, will revise the support outcomes and based upon the pupils progress and development make any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and pupils.

REFERRAL FOR AN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLAN

If a child has lifelong or significant difficulties they may undergo an Education, Health, Care Needs Assessment which may be requested by the school, parent, health or social care. This will occur where the complexity of need or lack of clarity around the need of the child are such that a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning the provision and identifying resources is required.

The decision to make a referral for an Education, Health and Care plan will be taken at a progress review.

The application for an Education, Health and Care Plan will combine information from a variety of sources including:

Parents
Teachers
SENDCO
Social Care
Health Professionals

Information will be gathered relating to the current provision provided, action that has been taken, and the preliminary outcomes of targets set. A decision will be made by a group of people co-ordinated by the local authority (LA) (including professionals from education, health and social care) about whether or not the child is eligible for an EHC Plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision made by the Education, Health, Care panel.

Further information about EHC Plans can be found via local authority websites.

Education, Health and Care Plans

a) Following statutory assessment, an EHC Plan may be provided by the Local Authority, if it is decided the child’s needs are not being met by the support that is ordinarily available. The school and the child’s parents will be involved developing and producing the plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision not to issue an ECH Plan.
b) Parents have the right to appeal against the content of the EHC Plan. They may also appeal against the school named in the plan if it differs from their preferred choice.
c) Once the EHC Plan has been completed and agreed, it will be kept as part of the pupil’s formal record and reviewed at least annually by staff, parents, professionals external to the school, representatives from the Local Authority and the pupil. The annual review enables provision for the pupil to be evaluated and, where appropriate, for changes to be put in place, for example, reducing or increasing the levels of support.

SEND provision

On entry to the school each child’s attainment will be assessed. This will help to inform the school of a child’s aptitudes, abilities, and attainments. The records provided help the school to design appropriate differentiated learning programmes. For pupils identified with SEND the SENDCO/Class teacher will use the records to:

Provide starting points for an appropriate curriculum
Identify the need for support within the class
Assess learning difficulties
Ensure on-going observations/assessments provide regular feedback on achievements/ experiences, for planning next steps in learning
Involve parents in a joint home-school learning approach

MONITORING PUPIL PROGRESS

Progress is the crucial factor in determining the need for additional support. Adequate progress is that which:

Narrows the attainment gap between pupil and peers
Prevents the attainment gap widening
Is equivalent to that of peers starting from the same baseline but less than the majority of peers
Equals or improves upon the pupil’s previous rate of progress
Ensures full curricular access
Shows an improvement in self-help and social or personal skills
Shows improvements in the pupil’s behaviour

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

For those pupils whose first language is not English, teachers will closely follow their progress across the curriculum to ascertain whether any problems arise from uncertain command of English or from special educational needs. It will be necessary to assess their proficiency in English before planning any additional support that might be required.

STAFFING

The SEND team of the school is:

Head Teacher: Dr. Troy Page

Acting SENDCO: Miss. Jemma Graham

Contact number: 01438 488829

Email address: miss.graham@chsonline.org.uk

Administrator. Mrs. Karen Lewty

Learning Mentor: Mrs. Sarah Boland

THE ROLE OF THE SENDCO

The SENDCO plays a crucial role in the school’s SEN provision. This involves working with the head teacher to determine the strategic development of the policy. Other responsibilities include:

Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the policy
Co-ordinating the provision for pupils with SEND
Liaising with and giving advice to fellow teachers
Managing Learning Support
Overseeing pupils’ records
Liaising with the parents
Liaising with external agencies, LA support services, Health and Social Services and voluntary bodies.

For effective co-ordination staff must be aware of:

The roles of the participants
The procedures to be followed
The responsibility all teachers have in making provision for SEND pupils
The commitment required by staff to keep the SENDCO well informed about pupils’ progress
Mechanisms that exist to allow teachers access to information about SEND pupils

Additionally, parents must be given clear guidance to the means by which they can contribute to co-ordination, and how they can provide additional information when and if required.

THE ROLE OF THE CLASS TEACHER

The Code of Practice clearly acknowledges the importance allocated to the teacher, whose responsibilities include:

Being aware of the school’s procedures for the identification and assessment of, and subsequent provision for, SEND pupils
Collaborating with the SENDCO to decide the action required to assist the pupil to progress
Working with the SENDCO to collect all available information on the pupil
In collaboration with the SENDCO, develop suitable targets for SEND pupils. The extent of the

SENDCO’s involvement is at the discretion of the school.

Working with SEND pupils on a daily basis to deliver their individual programmes
Developing constructive relationships with parents
Being involved in the development of the school’s SEND policy

THE ROLE OF THE HEADTEACHER

The head teacher’s responsibilities include:

The day-to-day management of all aspects of the school including the SEND provision
Keeping staff well informed about SEND within the school
Working closely with the SENDCO/SEND team
Informing parents of the fact that SEND provision has been made for their child
Ensuring that the school has clear and flexible strategies for working with parents, and that these strategies encourage involvement in their child’s education

SEND TRAINING

All staff are encouraged to attend courses that help them to acquire the skills needed to work with SEND pupils. The School’s INSET needs will be included in the annual School Improvement Plan.

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

Cambridge Online Education firmly believes in developing a strong partnership with parents and that this will enable children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential. The school recognises that parents have a unique overview of the child’s needs, and that this gives them a key role in the partnership.

The school aims to work in partnership with parents and carers.

We do so by:

Keeping parents and carers informed and giving support during assessment and any related decision-making process about SEND provision.
Working effectively with all other agencies supporting children and their parents.
Giving parents and carers opportunities to play an active and valued role in their child’s education.
Making parents and carers feel welcome.
Ensuring all parents and carers have appropriate communication aids and access arrangements.
Providing all information in an accessible way.
Encouraging parents and carers to inform school of any difficulties they perceive their child may be having or other needs the child may have which need addressing.
Instilling confidence that the school will listen and act appropriately.
Focusing on the child’s strengths as well as areas of additional need.
Allowing parents and carers opportunities to discuss ways in which they and the school can help their child.
Agreeing targets for the child.

EVALUATING THE SUCCESS OF OUR SEND POLICY

The head teacher will meet at least annually with the SENDCO will report annually on the success of the policy against the specific objectives which are given under ‘The SEND Aims of the School’ at the beginning of this policy. The school adopts the Revise, Revisit, Refine and Refresh approach to ensure that the school is successfully meeting the needs of SEND pupils and parents as well as suitable training and supporting staff.

Pupil progress will provide evidence for the success of the SEND policy and this will be analysed carefully through:

Consideration of each pupil’s success in meeting targets when reviewed.
School tracking systems.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Our school has a complaints policy. If you have a complaint, this should first be discussed with the class teacher who will listen to the issues and address them where appropriate. If you feel your complaint has not been resolved, please make an appointment with the school SENDCO – miss.graham@chsonline.org.uk

If you still want to complain please contact the Head Teacher page.t@chsonline.org.uk

The SEND Code of Practice outlines additional measures which the Local Authority must have in place to prevent and resolve disagreements. These will be explained to parents if required.

LINKS WITH EXTERNAL AGENCIES/ ORGANISATIONS

The school recognises the important contribution that external support services make in assisting to identify, assess, and provide for SEN pupils. Local Offer webpages at your local authority websites are a good source of support and information about services locally that can be very helpful to families it will signpost you to other useful agencies and services.

When it is considered necessary, colleagues from the following support services will be involved with SEND pupils:

Educational psychologists
Medical officers
Speech and Language therapists
Physiotherapists
Occupational therapists
Hearing impairment services
Visual impairment services
Physical impairment services
School Nurse

In addition, links are in place with the following organisations:

The Local Authority
Education Welfare Officer
Social Services
SENDCOs in other schools/training organisations

SEND POLICY REVIEW

The school considers the SEND Policy document to be important and, in conjunction with stake holders, undertakes a thorough review of both policy and practice as identified in the School Improvement Plan.

This policy is reviewed annually.