Inclusion Team
K Parkinson & R Gittins – SENDCO’s
A Hamilton, J Hervey, M Green & D Lowery – Pastoral and SEND Support

What is SEND?
A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support, we shorten this to SEND.
The SEND Code of Practice 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014 gives guidance to health and social care, education and local authorities to make sure that children and young people with SEND are properly supported

There are 4 broad areas of Special Educational Needs, these are:

• Cognition and Learning.

Cognition and learning can cover a range of needs. Children are identified as having cognition and learning needs if they have difficulties with literacy and numeracy (which therefore impacts their ability to access learning across the curriculum), or if their levels of attainment are significantly below age-related expectations.

Some pupils with cognition and learning needs may have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) Some examples of specific learning difficulties are:

Dyscalculia: Pupils with dyscalculia have difficulty in acquiring maths-based skills. This can be especially clear if a pupil performs well in all other subjects. Children with dyscalculia can struggle with spotting patterns and making estimates.

Dysgraphia: Dysgraphia is a specific learning difficulty that can affect a child's ability to express themselves through writing. Dysgraphia affects fine motor skills. This means that it is often the case that children with dysgraphia can express themselves orally fluently but struggle when writing.

Dyslexia: Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that affects the way that someone processes information. This makes skills like spelling and reading difficult, and can affect organisational skills and memory.

Dyspraxia: Dyspraxia is also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). For children with dyspraxia fine and gross motor skills can be difficult to learn. This means that they can show signs of clumsiness and struggle with organisation skills. Pupils with dyspraxia may also have poor balance, coordination, and spatial awareness, and may try and avoid certain actions like running, skipping, and hopping.

Other children identified as having Cognition and Learning Needs may have more general learning difficulties or disabilities. These are known as global difficulties and include moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD): Children with MLD may have greater difficulty in basic literacy and numeracy. They may also have speech and language issues. Pupils with MLD are likely to need additional support outside of the National Curriculum. The effects of having an MLD can also lead to children having lower self-esteem, lower levels of concentration, and under-developed social skills, so it is important that adults watch out for the well-being of pupils as well as their academic achievements.

Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD): Children with severe learning difficulties are likely to need substantial support in all areas of the curriculum. Most children with SLD have other needs such as physical, sensory, communication, and interaction needs and social and emotional needs, as well as their cognition and learning needs.

Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD): Children with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties have more than one disability, the most significant of which is a profound learning disability. Having a profound learning disability and other disabilities significantly affects an individual's ability to communicate and be independent. Children with PMLD may have difficulties seeing, hearing, speaking, and moving. It is likely that they will have needs in all four areas.

• Communication and Interaction.

Communication and Interaction can encompass a lot of needs that a child may have, including Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC). Some communication and interaction issues that can present themselves in Autistic children include:

• Difficulties understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Understanding social behaviours and expectations, which can impact on a child's ability to interact with other children and adults around them.
• A reliance on structure and routine in their life.
As well as ASC, Communication and Interaction can also include Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).
Children and young people can experience a range of difficulties that are linked with speech and language.
Speech, Language and Communication Needs can present themselves in a variety of ways, including:
• The production of speech.
• Struggling with finding the right word, or not being able to join words together in a meaningful way.
• Problems communicating through speech, for example difficulties finding the correct language to express thoughts and ideas that they are having.
• Difficulties and delays in understanding or responding to verbal cues from others.
• Understanding and using language in specific social situations.

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health.

Children with Social, Emotional, and Mental Emotional Health can display signs of this in a variety of different ways, some may be withdrawn and prefer to be alone, whilst others may be hyperactive and find it difficult to when concentrating on tasks.

For some children, their emotional needs may impact their learning. For example, they may not be able to follow requests such as to sit still with arms folded or stay quiet during lessons. It is important that children with SEMH needs are able to learn in an environment that suits them, for example, they may need to take regular movement breaks, use fidget items, and be given opportunities to move around the classroom or school whilst learning.

Children with SEMH needs may have anxiety. This may be reduced by providing clear routines and explanations of what to expect each day. Children with anxiety may also benefit from being provided with a calm space to go to whenever they need it.

• Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties.

Some examples of sensory and physical needs include:

Hearing Impairments: In educational settings, pupils are typically considered to have a Hearing Impairment if they require hearing aids or adaptions to their learning environment in order to access the National Curriculum.

Visual Impairment: In general, a Visual Impairment is defined as an eyesight problem that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or surgery. In educational settings there a few different terms that may be used including partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind to describe the level of sight a student has and help determine the adaptations that they may benefit from.

Sensory Processing Difficulties: Children with sensory processing difficulties may be sensory avoiders, or sensory seekers. This can result in them avoiding certain experiences or becoming anxious or overwhelmed by sensory input. It can also cause children to seek out sensory input, for example by making repeated movements, chewing items or fiddling. Sensory processing issues are particularly common among Autistic pupils, and providing a learning environment that meets these needs will enable pupils to learn more easily and improve wellbeing.

With regard to these categories, the Code states that "Many children and young people have difficulties that fit clearly into one of these areas; some have needs that span two or more areas; for others the precise nature of their need may not be clear at the outset."

What is the schools vision for children with SEND?

How will the school decide if my child needs additional support?

The Graduated Approach

School implements a graduated approach to teaching and learning. This means that ALL children have the right to access first quality teaching of the curriculum. SOME children will extra support to ensure that access and a FEW children will need significant and personalised support.

Through half termly SEND CLINICS teaching staff meet with the Inclusion Team and discuss children’s progress, attainment and any concerns.

Additional assessment in school

SOME children may need short term extra support to help them access their year group curriculum.

A FEW children may need longer term extra support.

APDR’s

Those children needing extra support will be monitored on an APDR (Assess, Plan, Do and Review Cycle). This outlines what works well for the children, what they need extra support with, and how and when they receive that extra support. A cycle lasts half a term and will be reviewed. Most children make the expected progress. This does not been they have SEND and therefore will be monitored and not added onto the school’s SEND register.

Any child needing longer term support and/or exceeds the school’s first £6000 of additional input will be supported further by an application for additional funding to the Local Authority (LA) to meet their needs.

Involvement of other professionals

At any stage, other professionals may be involved to help assess, advise and plan for the extra support a child needs. This may include; Early Learning Childcare Team (ELCCT), Early Years Health Development Team (EYHDT), Targeted Educational Support Service (TESS), Educational Psychologist (EP), Speech and Language Therapist (SALT), Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist (OT), Sensory Support Team etc.

RECAP

ALL Children: Quality First Teaching (universal provision for all children in the class, with differentiation where necessary).

SOME Children: When a child is given additional intervention on top of Quality First Teaching and differentiation, provided for by the class teacher and Inclusion Team. Or, when a child is supported by professionals e.g Speech and Language Therapist (SALT), Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Counsellor, Sensory Support Team for children with a Visual or Hearing Impairment, Targeted Educational Support Service (TESS), Educational Psychologist (EP) etc.

FEW children: Where a child has…
-TISS (Targeted Individual Support Service Funding for Young Explorers and Nursery Ducklings Children)
-EYAR (Early Years Additional Resource Funding for Reception Children)
- EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan with Funding for KS1 and KS2 Children).

What should I do if I think my child needs additional support?
Your child’s class teacher if the first point of contact regarding any concerns you may have. Following on from this, the Inclusion Team may provide extra support through initial discussions.

How will my child be supported?

Your child will receive First Quality Teaching that’s includes differentiated activities, environment and resources etc. to enable them to access the curriculum for their year group and thrive.

Some children may need additional support to First Quality Teaching called ‘interventions’ that may involve for example; small group teaching, physical breaks, sensory room access, extra specific practise such as in reading, maths, phonics, handwriting, friendship group support, working memory exercises, etc.

A Few children in receipt of additional funding from the Local Authority (LA) in the form of TISS, EYAR, EHCP will have the above interventions and a more personalised timetable of support to meet their needs and help to access the curriculum. The level of funding is tiered ranging from HB02 – HB17. For example,

HB02 = 2 hours of additional support on top of the school providing the first 15hours of additional support. This means that in total your child will receive 17 hours of additional support within the schools 32.5 hour week.

The hours of additional support is usually used to fund additional staffing in your child’s class to help provide small group teaching where needed including personalised interventions that is beyond whole class teaching. It does not mean your child receives 1:1 adult support for all that time as funding does not cover the cost of this. All support has the aim to develop your child’s independence in that area of skill, knowledge or learning. Over support has the opposite effect on this aim.

In some instances, the curriculum will be broken down into small steps and assessed on a program called ‘B Squared’. This is specifically for those children who are working significantly below their age expectations, and ensures progress is planned for and made at the pace and stage for those children’s development.

How will my child be supported through transitions and change?

Throughout The Day

All children are supported to make sense of the day ahead, know what is happening and reduce anxiety through the display and use of visual timetables. Some children have further support through more personalised and smaller timetables ranging from what is happening now to what is happening next rather than the full day view. A Few Children have ‘soft landings’ which are personalised arrangements for coming into school and transitioning between stages of the day to support their needs with the aim to be fully independent after a short term.

To The Next Class

All class teachers exchange information at the end of the school year with the child’s next class teacher. Children are comprehensively discussed at SEND clinics to prepare and plan for their new APDRS’s for the first term in their new class. ‘Inspire’ sessions are held whereby children visits their new class on a number of occasions to ranging from half a day to a full day to get to know their new teachers and environment. Some children have additional informal visits to support them further.

To High School

The Inclusion Team and the Year 6 teachers will liaise with staff from the high Schools in the summer term to ensure a smooth transition. This will included visits and information sharing.

To Another School

All additional needs information is passed on when a child transfers between school settings. Children who struggle with transition are given additional support in preparation for their new setting such as transition booklets, additional visits to their new school on a 1: 1 or small group basis. A transition programme may need to be implemented for some children. A multi-agency meeting will be arranged if required.

From Another School

Our Early Years teachers / EYFS leader and Inclusion Team liaise with preschool settings before any children attend school for their pre-school visits. The school provides pre-school sessions called ‘INSPIRE’ during the summer term for new pupils coming into the Reception classes. Home visits are conducted. If your child is joining us at a later year group, and requires additional support, their new class teacher and the Inclusion Team will liaise with yourselves and their previous school for information sharing and visit planning.

How will I know about the progress my child is making?

Informal Check-ins

Class teachers are available daily at the classroom door. The Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and members of the Inclusion team are on the school playground at the beginning of the day if you wish to speak to them. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENDCO Kathryn Parkinson (Acting SENDCO) k.parkinson@marshgreen.wigan.sch.uk by visiting or contacting the school office.

Formal Check-ins

You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents Evenings in the Autumn and Spring Terms.

TISS Funded Children – The Young Explorers or Nursery Ducklings Staff will invite you discuss your child’s progress termly in line with their termly visit from the ELCCT

EYAR and EHCP Funded Children – Will be invited to the annual reviews, including a member of the Inclusion Team. Other professionals supporting the child are asked to write a report and invited to attend the review.

As parents, you will be informed fully of every stage of your child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. You are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school.