Special Education Needs (SEN)
SEN Information Report
September 2022
Dobcroft Infant School is an educationally inclusive school. We believe that all children, regardless of ability and behaviour, are of equal value. Children with SEND are not viewed as a separate entity; but are part of the whole school approach. Different children’s needs are recognised and met through varied and flexible provision throughout the curriculum.
1. The types of special educational needs that are provided for are;
ASD (Autistic Spectrum disorder), Down's Syndrome, Emotional and Behavioural and Mental Health Issues, Language Difficulties, Development Co-ordination Disorders, physical disabilities, ADHD, ADD, Attachment Disorder, Visual Impairment and Hearing Impairment.
Our SEND grid is broken down into 4 areas; Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction, Social emotion and mental Health and Sensory and Physical needs.
We are highly inclusive and want to support you and your child.
2. Policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs.
Identification is through class teacher observations and pupil progress meetings (which are held every half term). Parents also inform the school if they have concerns about their child, either via the class teacher or meeting with the SENCo. Where appropriate, referrals are made to outside agencies including, Learning Support, Early Years Inclusion, Educational Psychologist, Autism Team, ADHD nurse, MAST. Referrals to Ryegate (Medical) may be made by one of these agencies or by a parent via their own GP.
3. SENCo details;
Kat Holmes
Tel 0114 236 8099
Email senco@dobcroft-inf.sheffield.sch.uk
4. Consulting parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child's education.
Parents and carers are invited to a review meeting every term to discuss their child's education (Due to covid these may now be virtual meetings). A key emphasis at these meetings is the parents' voice. Outcomes and provision are then discussed at these meetings and progress is reviewed. We will work jointly with parent to set SMART targets for their child in the coming term. Minutes of these meetings are emailed home to parents/carers.
5. Consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education.
Pupils discuss their learning and aspirations with staff in school including the type of support that helps them to learn. These views of parents and staff are drawn into a 'pupil profile' document. The children pick how this document is presented, I have just completed a "train" pupil profile for a little boy who loves anything to do with trains and stations. These are discussed and reviewed at each termly review meeting.
6. Assessing and reviewing children and young people's progress towards outcomes.
Progress is reviewed with the Headteacher, Deputy Head, SENCO, Phase Leader and class teacher every half term during pupil progress meetings. Intervention impact is recorded by the teaching assistant and reported to the SENCO. This is then discussed during the review meetings with parents/carers. This helps to inform provision mappings in school. The provision map remains very fluid and teachers plan together to target support for children working towards the same outcomes within the year group.
Our interventions are not just accademic results driven for the whole child, such as Lego Therapy, baking club and gardening club. We are very lucky to have a Educational Mental Health Practioner who comes into school one day a week who also runs interventions for us to support mental health for young children.
7. Transition support.
There is a comprehensive package for pupils joining the FS2 class. Pupils are visited in their nurseries and at home by the class teacher and teaching assistant. They are also invited to attend three sessions at the school during the summer term before they start. More vulnerable children are invited for additional visits, sometimes outside school hours when the classrooms are less busy. The SENCO and a FS2 teacher also attend transition review meetings at nurseries and liaise with the nursery/pre-school SENCO about children's needs.
Pupils joining or leaving the infant school part way through have their information shared with the relevant SENCO.
During the final term pupils in Year 2 leaving for Junior School attend a day visit and also have a range of other activities with Junior/Infant staff and children. More vulnerable children have a personalised transition plan which includes more visits. Review meetings are held in the final term enabling parents and staff from both schools to share information and discuss future learning. The Senco also liaises with the Junior school Senco and passes on any relevant information.
8. The approach to teaching children and young people with SEN.
In line with the new code of practice September 2014 Dobcroft Infants provide high quality teaching in class. We also support SEN pupils in class through the use of teaching assistants and differentiated activities or resources and interventions to accelerate learning of targeted groups.
We also have a Butterfly Room in our old library space, where children attend for numerous reasons e.g. interventions, brain breaks and many more. This is a lovely inclusive space where children can work on their individual targets, meet with external professionals and have fun!
9. How adaptions are made to the curriculum and learning environment of children with SEN.
The curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of all our pupils. Class teachers use a 'peeling in and out' approach to ensure that pupils work are targeted at the appropriate level. We are also an Every Sheffield Child is Articulate & Literate (ESCAL) school and promote the use of talking strategies throughout all areas of the curriculum. Learning environments are stimulating and relevant to the current topic in each class. Quiet areas are also put in place for those pupils who need them. Communicate in print is used throughout the school which provides SEN pupils with clear familiar visuals. Shape coding is used to support children accessing literacy based subjects. We ensure that every classroom has a turn around box to support mental health , these boxes have fiddle toys to help children to get into their "just right brains" (this is in line with our healthy minds approach to learning) and help children to regulate their emotions.
Children and adults with a physical disability including those in a wheelchair, can access the school building via a wide path with a handrail leading to a wheelchair accessible door. There are entry and exit points allowing accessibility to all areas of school. The school has a toilet for the disabled and has recently had railings and warning paint on steps updated. We also have a newly installed wetroom. School ensures that children with disabilities are able to take part in all activities inside and outside by risk assessing and providing equipment, support, or making changes to the learning environment. Recent examples of this have been hiring of a special pushchair that can be used on a beach and building wheelchair access to school’s forest area.
Prior to admission any parents or children with a disability are invited to visit the school to look at the environment and the approach to learning. Any concerns can be discussed with staff and early planning for entry is done between staff and parents using a multi-agency approach.
10. The expertise and training of staff to support children with SEN, including how specialist expertise will be secured.
There is a rolling programme of whole staff training to develop inclusive practise and high quality teaching. Staff have recently trained on Cued Articulation and Speech and Language, Dyslexia, Shape coding and Autistic Spectrum Disorder. There continues to be in place a professional development program for all staff working closely with outside agencies to develop practice within school. Our school has also taken part in a large team teach training programme and looked at many ways to de-esculate situations and to further support children's mental health.
11. Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision made for children with SEN.
We evaluate the effectiveness of SEN provision with various stake holders. This happens in review meetings, half termly pupil progress meetings and by monitoring pre and post intervention work. Parents are often asked for feedback after targeted programmes have been delivered to group of children, external professionals are also invited to this meeting to comment on the progress.
The Senco and teaching assistants meet regularly to discuss and evaluate provision and share good practice. There is a linked SEN Governor who meets with SENCo termly to assess effectiveness of provisions.
12.How children and young people with SEN are enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the Academy who do not have SEN.
Pupils with SEN are included in all activities offered at school. Risk assessments ensure that the individual needs of some children are met for educational visits and outside learning. Their SEN requirements are shared with external staff if they attend after school clubs so strategies can be out in place to accommodate them. When necessary learning is adapted to meet the individual needs of the SEN pupils.
13. Support for improving emotional and social development.
Some of our teaching assistants are trained so that they can work on 1:1 basis with pupils who need emotional and social support. We also run social skills group and theraplay for pupils to develop their social and emotional skills. We offer a lunchtime club (currently not available due to children eating in their own classrooms due to covid restrictions) for those children who find playtime more difficult to cope with or who have physical needs. We work closely with MAST (Multi Agency Support Team) and an intervention worker from their team is able to provide parental advice, signposts services or referrals for more intensive support.
14. Handling Complaints
If you have any worries or problems, please do come and speak to the school in the first instance we want to work with you to put things right.
For further information please follow the school complaints policy, by writing to the Head Teacher.
15. Local Offer
https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/kb5/sheffield/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannelnew=0
Here is some information regarding different types of school placements:
Links to the school offer of other local authorities:
https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer/links-to-other-local-authority-local-offers/
Up to date information from the SEND department
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKSHEFFIELD/bulletins/25cb8cf
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKSHEFFIELD/bulletins/24f71b3
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