SEND

There are four broad areas of special educational need, these are: 

• Communication and Interaction

This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.

• Cognition and Learning

This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn.

• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

At St Joseph’s, we have experience of supporting children with a wide range of needs, including:

• General learning difficulties – those children whose learning progresses at a slower pace than others
• Speech and Language difficulties
• Autistic Spectrum
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Other Physical / Medical needs
• Mental Health issues

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils. The Curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence. Our philosophy places SEND children at the heart of personalised learning and our curriculum is tailored to meet individual pupils’ needs.

Our school ethos is that we are all unique and created in God’s image.  Every child is encouraged to challenge themselves and be the best they can be, and this is celebrated both daily within the classroom setting and weekly at our awards assembly. Our assemblies not only encompass sporting and academic achievement, but also those who have tried their best, and used St Joseph’s 3R’s (Resilience, Respectful and Reflective).

The mental health and well-being of all pupils is paramount at St Joseph’s and children are surrounded by a caring, nurturing atmosphere where all staff know all pupils and interact with them regularly. Children are constantly shown how their lives have a positive impact upon others.

• The school prides itself on being an Inclusive School setting. We promote inclusive practises ie Coloured backgrounds on whiteboards, Nurture space within school (Sunshine Room), Mindfulness activities as part of everyday classroom practise and lunchtime clubs.
• Our School works on delivering the curriculum through the Mastery approach to learning which assumes that all children are Masters of a subject. In this way, children are challenged to achieve highly. All classes have adult support for English, Maths and other subjects where possible. Learning is scaffolded for those children with SEND in order that they can access the curriculum wherever possible. Where this is not possible, an individual curriculum may need to be written for that pupil.
• Flexible learning – One of the features of our school is that on many occasions, lessons are delivered across a Key Stage rather than being class or Year group based eg Read Write Inc in EYFS and KS1 and Maths small group work in KS2. This ensures that children are accessing exactly what is appropriate to their needs rather than what their Year Group expectations are.
• All children are given the chance to excel at subjects other than the core areas of learning. We find that children with SEND often perform really well in areas such as, Art, DT and PSHE.
• All learning opportunities at St Joseph’s are designed to develop independence, regardless of a child’s age or ability, including those with SEND.

All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and pace that is appropriate to their abilities. Our 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 Joseph’s Primary School is 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
• Many Enrichment opportunities to stimulate and motivate learning
• Flexible groupings – including small group support work
• An innovative and supportive curriculum
• The appropriate use of rewards and sanctions
• A broad range of extra-curricular activities both at dinner time and after school (Art club, origami, football, taekwondo, board games, Lego, reading for pleasure, Mini- Vinnies and booster classes)
• Assessment procedures that emphasise pupils’ strengths and achievements
• Applications during national testing at Key Stage 2 to obtain access arrangements as appropriate

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

Early Identification of Need

A Special Educational need can be a number of different things. For example, a child may be having difficulty with English or Number work which can be helped by putting in extra support for a given period of time within the school and working in partnership with parents. It may also be due to a disability which makes it harder for the child to access the same educational experiences which the school provides for the majority of children. For some children, this may be a temporary difficulty and for others it may require long term special help.

Who decides if my child has a SEND?

Often a child may join our school with parents having a clear picture of their child’s needs. They may come to school with a diagnosis of SEND already in place. Sometimes however, it may be School Staff who may initially identify a concern. If this were to be the case, school staff would liaise with parents to discuss concerns and agree a way forward. This is always done with parents. For some concerns we may require to carry out a short intervention within school. Others may require the involvement of the Educational Psychology Service, other outside agencies or a GP. It is important to understand that the purpose of such agencies is not to seek a diagnosis, rather to seek advice to help the child learn as well as they possibly can. This can often be met by staff within school.  If a child’s needs are addressed and resolved then your child will be removed from our SEND register.

SEN Support

In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we work in partnership with:

• Parents, carers and pupils
• Consult with relevant external agencies such as the Cognition & Learning service, Educational Psychologists and the Speech & Language (Julia Charlesworth- Clear Talking)
• Work with the County Durham SEND team
• Use a range of assessment tools and materials
• Use observations
• Short Notes
• Mental Health professionals.
• Other

Assessment of Pupils with SEND

Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.

This means that we will:

• Assessa child’s special educational needs
• Planthe provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
• Doput the provision in place to meet those outcomes
• Reviewthe support and progress

In order to accurately identify need and ensure success for your child, we carefully assess using a range of assessments. When your child first starts school, their current attainment is assessed to give us a ‘baseline’ from where your child will progress. Throughout their school career, children are continually assessed as part of a daily process as well as formal assessment points at three key points during the year. If a child significantly underperforms, this may be an indicator of a SEN.  A staff member may have made observations which highlight the need for a more specialist intervention which can either be made in school or by referring a child to a specialist service. More detailed assessments may include:

Speech Therapy assessments – these may focus upon sound production, understanding or pronunciation.

Education Psychology Assessment – which may include memory, understanding, reasoning, logic and general skills assessments.

Cognition & Learning Assessments – these may include observations and assessments by specialist practitioners from the LA.

Social & Emotional Assessments – this may involve observations and assessments, working with the EWEL team, sessions at CAMHS or working with the Behaviour Intervention team.

Additional Assessments relevant to your child’s needs

Your child’s school achievements may be assessed against the end of year expectations for their school year group within the National Curriculum. However, they may be assessed against other measures for children not ready to access the National Curriculum. These are called ‘P-Scales’  which are aspirational targets set for children using 2010 Progression Guidance from the DFE. This ensures that all children will make good progress, including those who are not ready or able to access the National Curriculum.

Planning for Your Child’s Needs

There are two categories of SEND child at St Joseph’s – these are children in receipt of:

An individualised SEND Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes & provision to meet those needs.

These plans are produced by the Class Teacher with advice from the SENDCO if necessary. This is carried out in conjunction with a child’s parents/carers and the child themselves if appropriate. A support plan will detail three to four outcomes that it is hoped the child will meet over a period of time. They are very specific to the needs of the child and can cover a range of issues This is then worked on either in the classroom setting with extra support or small group intervention. On occasions, one to one support is required. At three key points in the year (some children may require more than this) the provision is reviewed and a child’s progress is assessed. With parents, the decision is made whether to move forward with new outcomes or for the child to move away from that extra support which is the ultimate goal for the majority of children.

An Educational Health Care Plan – A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. This would be deemed necessary if the school felt that they could not provide the support a child needed from existing school resources or specialisms or if the needs of the child were so great that it was becoming increasingly challenging to meet those needs within a mainstream setting. School and Parents input to the EHCP and review it annually but ultimately the Local Authority initiate and cease a plan.

The school currently has three EHCP’s.

For more detailed information see the [Local Offer]

The curriculum at St Joseph’s is thoughtfully planned as a whole staff initiative and reviewed every year. It addresses the needs of different styles of learner and incorporates activities that all children can access. There is a focus upon a broad and balanced curriculum including outdoor learning activities and a wide range of Educational visits and people coming into school to enhance learning. All these opportunities are risk assessed as appropriate and ways in which children with SEND can access these opportunities is a natural part of our planning process. Children are able to move around our space confidently and freely. Where necessary, the school will consult with outside agencies to ensure best provision for individual cases. The Staff at St Joseph’s are highly experienced practitioners who have dealt with many children and their individual needs over many years. They are well qualified to provide high quality learning experiences for all children and produce learning opportunities for all, adapting practise and differentiating tasks where needed. St Joseph’s school operate a policy of whole class Mastery teaching which assumes all children are masters of a subject. Expectations are high with the assumption that all children will do their best – the children know this and are proud of the fact that their school challenges them to do well. The belief that the staff have in children is translated into self-belief for the majority of our pupils. This includes our SEND pupils. Teachers will adapt and address individual needs and misconceptions as they progress through lessons, ensuring that children’s needs are catered to as soon as possible. Intervention is usually immediate and support is targeted at where the teacher knows it is needed.   Lesson observations and work scrutinies are regularly carried out by Senior Leaders and the Governing body to ensure good practise continues.

In some cases, there is a need for more targeted intervention and these interventions are reviewed on a regular basis. These interventions are often within the classroom setting as decided upon by the Class Teacher or at other times will take place outside the classroom. They may involve pupils from different classes who have very similar needs and are delivered by our specialist TA’s. These interventions change depending upon need but currently address;

Difficulty with Reading, Maths, Proprioception and Motor Skills. We currently have targeted Intervention for speech in our EYFS setting from an outside agency.  There is support for a range of Mental Health needs within school.

We enable all children to engage fully in all aspects of school life. To do this, we:

live by our school mission statement: I am unique and created in God’s image and likeness

Further details on the curriculum for each year group is shared on our website. Class pages provide further information on the topics to be covered during the school year and share pupils’ work. More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

• Fully embed inclusive practises as far as is possible into everyday school life.
• Careful planning and regular whole school reviews to fully consider our curriculum on a yearly basis to include as far as possible, the needs of all pupils within our school that Academic Year.
• Where a child needs access to further support or an individual curriculum, staff make provision for this.
• Ensure that all class visits and whole school visits are able to be accessed by all children – if they cannot be, we find an alternative or we do not go.
• Work with Parents/ Carers to ensure we are fully aware of a child’s very specific needs.
• Expect high levels of achievement from all pupils regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
• High levels of praise for achievement (not only academic).
• Are flexible with staffing, placing support where it is needed at the time rather than on a year-to year basis.

We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

• Robust evaluation of policy and practice – our policies are reviewed annually and practise is regularly reviewed through Staff, parent and child questionnaires, School Council, Support from the LA, attendance meetings and training.
• Planning and Book scrutinies looking at sequences of teaching which are appropriate for a child’s needs.
• SENDCO/SLT/Governor monitoring  – lesson observations, learning walks, SENCO/Governor meetings and book scrutinies.  – this is carried out at regular intervals throughout the school year through SENDCO/Governor meetings. Monitoring by Curriculum and Standards Committee.
• Performance management – all staff accountable for the progress of children in their class. Children expected to reach agreed levels through quality first teaching, interventions etc.

Impact of Intervention is measured in a range of ways including:

Behaviour at St Joseph’s is good and is something that staff and children pride themselves upon. The behaviour policy works upon the philosophy of Assertive Discipline which the school has followed very successfully. Good behaviour and hard work is expected and rewarded and where there are consequences they are clear and systematic. Where individual children require adaptations in approach, these are met after whole staff agreement. However, it is rarely needed because as an inclusive school we aim to make our approach to managing behaviour the same as everything else – done in consultation with the children and kept simple.

At St Joseph’s all staff know all children and any individual needs are commonly shared amongst staff.  At each weekly staff meeting, there is a break down of any ongoing safeguarding issues as well as a staff update on any child requiring extra support or provision. After each assessment point, data is analysed as a whole staff and interventions are planned there and then to address needs. In this way, staff have a clear picture of SEND pupils across our school.

For further information please view or download our Teaching & Learning policy, Behaviour policy and Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.

• Analysis of data
• Impact upon classroom performance
• Pupil questionnaires
• Has the child’s current outcome been met?

As a Catholic School, we place great importance on providing opportunities for everyone within the school community to deepen their understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Over the course of the school year pupils are encouraged to be reflective about their own and others’ beliefs, develop an understanding about themselves and others in the world, recognise the difference between right and wrong and the importance of tolerance and respect for everyone and to understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions, and appreciate the viewpoints of others.

During the school year there are also many opportunities for the children to take part in school worship through assemblies, Mass and other celebrations. Our Collective Worship is based upon ‘Nurturing Human Wholeness’ which encourages children to be confident about their own place in the world as well as their impact upon others.  British Values are also celebrated in assembly.   Our RE curriculum also addresses the need for kindness to others and respect for the earth and its people. Despite this nurturing environment, St Joseph’s recognises a growing need for emotional support for many of our pupils. We work closely with CAMHS and other appropriate outside agencies.  We have invested in training our own members of staff in order to provide interventions such as Listening Matters and employ a councillor from the Road Centre.

We have a Pupil Voice at St Joseph’s and school council meet on a regular basis to address all aspects of school life but in particular, the well- being of every pupil including those with SEND. Children are extremely respectful of each other and difference is seen as something special rather than something to taunt.  On the rare occasions there are incidents, the children know these are dealt with swiftly and justly by staff and they are not afraid to report such incidents. There are many avenues for reporting problems such as the worry monster, speaking to a member of staff in the ‘Sunshine Room’ and open and frank discussions within PSHE and other lessons. If needed, we use ‘Getting Along’ as an intervention to support our children. We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying.

Through School Council, Pupil questionnaires and discussions with all our pupils we know that children feel they are listened to and have their worries addressed. If staff feel there are children who are not able to do this they will seek opportunities for a more private discussion.

Pupils with SEN are encouraged to be part of the school council and are also encouraged to be part of our after school clubs to promote teamwork/building friendships etc. Wherever possible, children with SEN take part in the many sporting events we participate in.

We have a Designated Teacher for Looked after Children, Mrs Brown, who works closely with the SENDCO Mr Hunt to ensure all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEND.

We support children who are looked after and have SEND through a personalised education plan (PEP) with clear actions and costed provision. The targets are then reviewed on a termly basis with the child, carers and other professionals

How we support children/young people with SEN starting at our school 

We work closely with home to ensure we tailor a package to suit the individual child. We also work closely with feeder nurseries.

Pre – school aged children are welcome into school at events such as Sports Day, Harvest festival and Christmas.

How we support children/young people with SEN moving between classes in our school 

We have a variety of transition sessions for children with SEN and work closely with home to ensure we tailor a package to suit the individual child. As a smaller than average school every child will already have had interaction with all the staff in school, either through break time duties or assemblies – this will ease the transition process.  Each child is seen as an individual and with small cohorts we are able to cater for specific SEN needs around transition.  Towards the end of the year three transition afternoons and mornings are planned at various points throughout the day.  This helps with transition in September.

How we support children/young people with SEN leaving our school 

We complete the usual Transition passport for every child who is moving into secondary education but will also closely liaise with the transition staff / SENDCO and possibly the Head of Year. The SENDCO is also the Year 6 teacher and so is well-placed to pass on key information about individual pupils. St Joseph’s has excellent relationships with our main secondary schools and staff work very closely together.  We will share information with the school, college, or other setting the pupil is moving to. We will agree with parents and pupils which information will be shared as part of this.

St Joseph’s works very closely with our academy St John’s and children attend workshops, transition activities, collaborative projects etc from Year 5 onwards. The children are familiar with their surroundings and some of the staff and we make them aware even then, of children with SEN.

All pupils have a range of induction sessions/opportunities at their new school, depending on the school they have chosen to go to. There are some occasions when extra provision is needed and this is negotiated with the Secondary school. In the past this has taken the form of

• Working on developing a map of the classrooms the child will access
• Developing a resources checklist in order to aid moving from classroom to classroom
• Recommendations for children who will need to work in a nurture group because of SEN or vulnerability

Our SENDCO is Mr Hunt, Deputy Head Teacher BA (Hons)

Tel. 01325 300337

Staff Expertise

Teaching staff at St Joseph’s have extensive knowledge of SEND. The SENDCO has completed accredited SEND courses as well as extensive knowledge of a huge range of Special Educational Needs. Staff Training has recently been centred around a range of disorders that are becoming more prevalent e.g. attachment Disorder.  We also have Teaching Assistants who have been specifically trained in the following areas:

• Speech & Language
• Better Reading
• Listening Matters

In addition to the above, we also work in partnership with:

• Parents, carers and pupils
• Consult with relevant external agencies
• Work with the County Durham SEND team
• Use a range of assessment tools and materials
• Use observations

More details of the SENDCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

The external specialists may:

• Act in an advisory capacity
• Extend expertise of school staff
• Provide additional assessment
• Support a child directly
• Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
• Consult with all parties involved with the child

These include:

• Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service
• Speech and Language
• Occupational Therapy
• Educational Psychologist
• Behaviour Intervention
• ASD team
• Cognition and Learning team
• School nurse
• CAMHS
• Mental Health Nurses
• The Road Centre (Counselling service)
• Any others recommended by our colleagues or health professionals

How We Secure Specialist Expertise

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN. The expenditure is monitored through reporting to the Governing Body. Costings can also be found on support plans and costed provision maps.

This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:

• Strengthening the expertise and training of staff.
• In the last academic year, staff have received CPD on Attachment Order, Autism and Helping children write.
• We use specialist staff for a range of support and some Interventions
• We invest in creating specialists within our staff by placing a high priority on CPD and working with staff interest in key areas.
• We continue to deliver CPD, in school support, the use of external specialists, SEN resources and keep up to date information through SENDCO network meetings.

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND

Teachers/SENDCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes.  The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children (where appropriate) take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENDCO.  The children have regular meetings with staff to discuss their progress and support.

Pupils are consulted and their thoughts and feelings are added to the SEN paperwork. The actions and targets in a support plan should reflect this.

Children are also able to make their views known through pupil questionnaires, School and Class Council meetings.

Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support.  Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

• Termly parents/ carers evenings;
• Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENDCO;
• An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
• Through regular reviews of their child’s SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.

We will have an early discussion with the pupil and their parents when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
• We take into account the parents’ concerns
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are

Compliments are always warmly welcomed and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENDCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher.

These positive comments will be published on this area of our school website.  Working in conjunction with parents means that we rarely have concerns expressed by them. However, when we do, we ensure that parents are listened to and their concerns acted upon to ensure a speedy resolution.

We hope that complaints about our SEND provision would be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.  Further information can be found in the Complaints Policy in the School Policies section of your website or by visiting the Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service website.

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEND and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience.

We would also like your views about the content of our SEN Information Report. If you would like to comment please complete the online form in the Contact Us section of our website.