SEND Policy

Definitions of special educational needs (SEN) taken from section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014:

A child or you person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

More details about the reforms and the SEN Code of Practice can be found on the Department for Education’s website:

www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/sen

One significant change arising from the reforms is that Statements of Special Educational Needs, for those children with the most complex needs, have now been replaced with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. These plans are being supported by an Education, Health and Care Plan Pathway. You can view an animation describing this new pathway on Doncaster’s SEND Local Offer website: www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/local-offer-send

This information is also available by putting the above web address into the browser of a smart phone or tablet.

The SEND Local Offer is a resource that is designed to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. It describes the services and provision that are available both to those families in Doncaster that have an Education, Health and Care Plan and those who do not have a plan, but still experience some form of special educational need. The SEND Local Offer includes information about public services across education, health and social care, as well as those provided by the private, voluntary and community sectors.

Mission statement:

At Pheasant Bank Academy, we believe that all children should have the opportunity to develop to the maximum of their potential. Where children experience difficulties in their learning arising from: intellectual, emotional, social or physical problems, children will be supported to overcome these challenges. Our SEN policy reinforces the need for teaching that is fully inclusive. In implementing this policy, we believe pupils will be helped to overcome these difficulties.

Aims and objective:

To identify pupils requiring SEN provision as early as possible in their school career
To monitor, track and review the progress and provision of pupils identified as SEN
To ensure that parents of SEN pupils are kept fully informed of their child’s progress and attainment
To ensure that SEN pupils are involved, where practicable, in decisions affecting their present or future provision
To ensure appropriate provision is made available to maximize the opportunities for vulnerable pupils e.g. Looked After, Pupil Premium have free school dinners, Persistent Absentees
To enable SEN pupils to take as fully part as possible in all school enrichment activities

Responsibility and Arrangements for the coordination of SEN provision:

The person responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEN and co- ordinating the day-to-day provision is the school SENCO (Nikki Scott). The Principal (Ryan Schofield) oversees the school’s policy for inclusion and is responsible for ensuring that it is implemented effectively throughout the school.

The school will seek advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils, from external support services through the termly planning meetings, Early Help Hub and the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.

Admission arrangements:

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

Working in partnerships with parents:

Pheasant Bank Academy believes that a close working relationship with parents is vital in order to ensure early and accurate identification and assessment of SEN leading to the correct intervention and provision. In addition, successful parent partnership has been proven to lead to improved social and academic outcomes.

Parents are kept up to date with their child’s progress through, parent’s evenings, provision reviews and class reports at the end of each term. In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual pupil’s needs. The SENCO may also signpost parents of pupils with SEN to the local authority SENDIAS service where specific advice, guidance and support may be required.

If an assessment or referral indicates that a pupil has additional learning needs, the parents and the pupil will always be consulted concerning future provision. Parents are invited to attend meetings with external agencies regarding their child, and are kept up to date and consulted on any points of action drawn up in regards to the provision for their child.

Identification of pupils needs:

Pupils have special education needs if they have a learning need that calls for special education provision to be made. Pupils have a learning difficulty if they:

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

Pupils must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because of language or the form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.

A graduated approach: Quality First Teaching:

Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators and grade boundaries will be monitored.
1. Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEN, staff will closely monitor them in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.
1. The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.
1. The SENCO will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.

Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school.

SEN Support:

Where it is determined that a pupil does have SEN, parents will be formally advised of this. The aim of formally identifying a pupil with SEN is to help school ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four – part process: Assess, Plan, Do and Review.

Assess:

This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s needs using the teacher’s 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 parents. The pupil’s views and where relevant, advice from external support services will be considered. Any parental concerns will be noted and compared with the school’s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing.

This analysis will require regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to need, that barriers to learning are clearly identified and being overcome and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required.

Where external support staff are already involved, their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents.

Plan:

Planning will involve consultation between the teacher and SENCO 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 involvement may be sought, where appropriate, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home.

Do:

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 teaching assistants and /or relevant specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and links with classroom teaching. Support with further assessment of the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the SENCO where appropriate.

Review:

Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It will also take account of the views of the pupil and their parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENCO will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil’s progress and development making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and the pupil.

Referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan:

If a child has lifelong or significant difficulties they may undergo a Statutory Assessment Process, which is usually, requested by the school but can be requested by a parent. This will occur where the complexity of need or a lack of clarity around the needs of the child are such that a multi-agency approach to assessing that need, to planning provision and identifying resources, is required. The decision to make a referral for a statement will be taken at a progress review.

The application for an Education, Health and Care Plans will combine information from a variety of sources including: parents, teachers, SENCO, Social Care, Health professionals. Information will be gathered relating to the current provision provided, action points that have been taken, and the preliminary outcomes of targets set. A group of people from education, health and social care will make a decision about whether or the child is eligible for an EHC Plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision not to initiate a statutory assessment leading to an EHC Plan.

Further information about EHC Plans can found via the SEND Local Offer: www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/local-offer-send

Education, Health and Care Plans [EHC Plan]

Following Statutory Assessment, Doncaster Local Authority will provide an EHC Plan, if it is decided that 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 the content of the EHC Plan. They may also appeal against the school named in the Plan if it differs from their preferred choice.
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 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 levels of support.

Links to support services:

The school continues to build strong working relationships and links with external support services in order to fully support our SEN pupils and aid school inclusion. Sharing knowledge and information with our support services is key to the effective and successful SEN provision within our school. Any one of the support services may raise concerns about a pupil. This will then be brought to the attention of the SENCO who will then inform the child’s parents.

Transition:

All relevant information regarding SEND is discussed with the SENCO of the new school and all documentation is sent via registered post to the designated person so that a history is kept on that child.

Complaints procedure:

If a parent or carer has any concerns or complaints regarding the care or welfare of their child, an appointment can be made by them to speak to the SENCO, who will be able to advice on formal procedures for complaint in line with School’s complaints policy, which can be found on the statutory information page on the school website.