How We Support SEN
St Mary Magdalen R.C. Primary School prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need. All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.
To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:
- Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
- Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
- Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
- Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
- To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
- To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
- To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
- Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
- To promote self worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
- To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
- To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.
Types of SEND at the School
| Area of SEN for which provision is made at the school | Type of Support |
|---|---|
| Communication and Interaction e.g. Autistic Spectrum Disorders Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties | • Use of Short Note/ SEN Support Plan/EHCP involving pupils, parents and staff in the formulation, review and implementation of these documents. • Differentiated curriculum and resources including ICT • Visual timetables • Areas of low distraction within the classroom or around the school • Support/supervision at unstructured times of the day. • Social skills programme/support including strategies to enhance self-esteem eg Getting along groups • Small group targeted intervention programmes are delivered to pupils to improve skills in a variety of areas. • Strategies/programmes to support speech and language development. • Strategies to reduce anxiety/promote emotional wellbeing. • Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to ensure any barriers to success are fully identified and responded to. • Support staff are placed where needed throughout the school to ensure pupil progress and independence. • All staff have opportunities to receive ongoing training in relation to meeting the needs of all pupils within the classroom. • School staff liaise with a range of professionals from outside agencies and deliver programmes within school eg speech and language activities • Support is offered to families and they are signposted to services/organisations/professionals which may offer support/advice where appropriate. |
| Cognition and Learning e.g. Moderate learning difficulties Specific learning difficulties | • Use of Short Note/ SEN Support Plan/EHCP involving pupils, parents and staff in the formulation, review and implementation of these documents. • Differentiated curriculum and resources including ICT • Strategies to promote/develop literacy and numeracy. • Small group targeted intervention programmes are delivered to pupils to improve skills in a variety of areas eg reading skills groups, phonic groups, maths catch up groups, etc. • Individual targeted intervention programmes are delivered to pupils to improve basic skills. • Specific ICT programmes are used. • Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to ensure any barriers to success are fully identified and responded to. • Support staff are placed where needed throughout the school to ensure pupil progress and independence • All staff have opportunities to receive ongoing training in relation to meeting the needs of all pupils within the classroom • School staff liaise with a range of professionals from outside agencies • Support is offered to families and they are signposted to services/organisations/professionals which may offer support/advice where appropriate. |
| Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties. e.g. Behavioural difficulties Social skills difficulties Emotional health and wellbeing difficulties | • Use of Short Note/ SEN Support Plan/EHCP involving pupils, parents and staff in the formulation, review and implementation of these documents. • Visual timetables • Behaviour management systems in school are based upon encouraging pupils to make positive decisions about behavioural choices. • Risk assessments are used and action is taken to increase the safety and inclusion of all pupils in all activities. • The school provides effective pastoral care for all pupils. • Individual pupils can be referred to the Local Authority Emotional Resilience Team for support • Support staff are placed where needed throughout the school to ensure pupil progress and independence. • All staff have opportunities to receive ongoing training in relation to meeting the needs of all pupils within the classroom. • School staff liaise with a range of professionals from outside agencies • Support/supervision at unstructured times of the day. • Support and advice is sought from outside agencies to ensure any barriers to success are fully identified and responded to. • Small group targeted programmes are delivered to pupils to improve social skills and emotional resilience eg Getting along groups • Individual programmes are used with pupils eg Lego therapy, Relaxation • Access to information and support is available within school for Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties. • Support is offered to families and they are signposted to services/organisations which may offer support/advice where appropriate |
| \Sensory and Physical e.g. Hearing/visual impairment Multi-sensory impairment Physical and medical needs | • Advice and guidance from the Local Authorities Sensory Impaired Service is sought and acted upon to ensure barriers to success are reduced or removed. • Provision to support access to the curriculum and to develop independent learning. • Support staff are placed where needed throughout the school to ensure pupil progress and independence. • Support, guidance and advice is sought from outside agencies and acted upon to respond to pupils who have significant medical needs. • All staff have opportunities to receive ongoing training in relation to meeting the needs of all pupils within the classroom. • Access to Medical Interventions. • Access to strategies/programmes to support Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy. • Staff deliver individual pupil programmes provided by medical professionals eg exercise programmes provided by occupational therapists or physiotherapists • Support with personal care if needed. • Care plans are in place for pupils with individual medical needs eg diabetic pupils, pupils with allergies ,etc • Staff understand and apply the “Administration of Medicines Policy”. • The staff completes any necessary training in order to offer advice and guidance to staff about the needs of pupils. • The school works hard to ensure that parents/carers are able to work in partnership with them to support their children. • Support is offered to families and they are signposted to services/organisations which may offer support/advice where appropriate • The school has disabled toilets/facilities |
Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
At St Mary Magdalen’s R.C. Primary School we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development.
It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of additional opportunities that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning.
Please visit Our Curriculum section for further information on our teaching and learning.
How we identify and assess children with special educational needs
Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.
At St Mary Magdalen’s R.C. Primary School we follow a graduated support approach which is called “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”. This means that we will:
- Assess a child’s special educational needs
- Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
- Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
- Review the support and progress
As part of this approach, we will produce a SEN Support Plan that describes the provision that we will make to meet a child’s special educational needs and agreed outcomes. Parents and carers will be fully involved in this process.
A small percentage of children and young people with significant learning difficulties might need an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. Full details can be found on the Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service website. You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEN below:
Different approaches
Members of staff meet regularly with our Special Needs Co-ordinator to discuss which children are felt to be in need of support in school. These children may then be identified as having Special Educational Needs. Many children identified in this way will only have temporary need of support to show progress. We believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all SEND pupils.
All pupils follow the National Curriculum or EYFS curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. Our SEND philosophy places SEND children at the heart of personalised learning and our curriculum is tailored to meet individual pupils needs.
At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.
To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum,St. Mary Magdalen’s RC Primary School remain committed to:
- A range of teaching and learning styles.
- Differentiated learning materials
- Access to ICT and Technology.
- Additional in class support
- Additional out of class support
- Flexible groupings – including small group support work.
- An innovative and supportive curriculum.
- The appropriate use of rewards and sanctions. .
- Assessment procedures that emphasise pupils’ strengths and achievements.
- Applications during national testing at Key Stage 2 to obtain access arrangements as appropriate.
Staffing
Staff of St Mary Magdalen’s school are constantly updating their SEN knowledge and understanding with regards to individual needs.
Recent training:
- Update in SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) reform.
- Dyslexia
- Speech and Language with young children
- Use of Clicker 6
