A Summary of the school SEN Policy presented in an easier to read format.

Ranskill Primary School Special Educational Needs Information Sheet

The following is a summary of the school SEN policy presented in an easier to read format.

School ethos and approach

At Ranskill Primary school we have adopted a whole-school, quality-first teaching approach to Special Educational Needs policy and practice. We always consider whether our own teaching methods are meeting the needs of pupils before considering if the pupil has a special educational need. Every effort is made to ensure that identified Special Educational Needs children have full access to the National Curriculum and are fully included in the school community and all its activities.

Early identification of pupils with Special Educational Needs is a priority. All teachers, alongside parents and other staff are responsible for identifying pupils with Special Educational Needs and, in collaboration with the Special Educational Needs coordinator, will ensure that those pupils requiring different or additional support are identified at an early stage.

Where teachers decide that a pupil’s learning is not meeting expectations, the Special Educational Needs coordinator is the first to be consulted. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator and class teacher will review the approaches adopted and obtain the views of the pupil and parents using a pupil voice interview. This will usually result in changes to teaching approaches at home and school without a formal identification of Special Educational Needs   .

The success of these changes will be monitored by the teacher, pupil, parents and Special Educational Needs Coordinator. If the changes do not lead to improvements in learning further discussions will be held between all parties. Where these discussions lead to sustained personalised levels of support the pupil will be identified as in need of Special Educational Needs support. The school, in discussion with parents, will seek advice, as appropriate, around individual pupils, from external support services through the termly ‘Springboard meetings’, Early Help Unit and the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.

Where concerns remain despite sustained intervention, the school may consider requesting an Education and Health Care Plan. Parents will be fully consulted at each stage.

Including all pupils

Our class teachers will ensure that pupils with Special Educational Needs will be given access to the curriculum through the specialist provision provided by the school, as far as possible, in line with the wishes of the pupil and parents.

Every effort will be made to educate pupils with Special Educational Needs alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom setting. Where this is not possible, then the Class teacher and Special Educational Needs Coordinator will consult with the child’s parents for other flexible arrangements to be made.

The school curriculum is reviewed regularly by the senior leadership team to ensure that it promotes the inclusion of all pupils. This includes learning outside the classroom. The Inclusion lead teacher oversees the school’s policy for inclusion and is responsible for ensuring that it is implemented effectively throughout the school.

In discussion with pupils and parents the school works to promote the understanding of inclusion with all pupils in the school.

Staff Training

At Ranskill Primary School we aim to keep all school staff up to date with relevant training and developments in teaching practice in relation to the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs in their care.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator attends relevant Special Educational Needs  courses, Family Special Educational Needs meetings and facilitates/signposts relevant Special Educational Needs  focused external training opportunities for all staff.

We recognise the need to train all our staff on Special Educational Needs  issues appropriate to their current class needs. The inclusion lead along with the senior leadership team, ensures that training opportunities are matched to school development priorities, the needs of pupils  and those identified through the use of provision management.

School Specialisms

The school is not identified by County as offering specialist provision for pupils with more complex needs however the school endeavours to adapt to accomodate all children.  The SENCO is Jane Heald and he can be contacted on 01777 818468 or via janeheald@ranskill.notts.sch.uk

Evaluation of our specialist teaching

The Class teacher summarises the progress of Special Educational Needs pupils at the termly pupil progress meetings.

The SENCo monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of additional interventions and provisions and advises on their future use.

There is an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the school Special Educational Needs provision and policy. The evaluation is carried out by the SENCo and Special Educational Needs lead governor. Information is gathered from a range of sources and is collated and published by the governing body. 

Links to other schools

Networking

Ranskill Primary School is a member of the Elizabethan Family of schools. This enables the schools to build a bank of joint resources and to share advice, training and development activities and expertise.

Transition from key stage 2 to key stage 3.

The school has close ties to our designated feeder school, the Elizabethan Academy, through our family springboard meetings. All pupils with identified special needs are offered additional transition day opportunities and the Ranskill SENCo liaises with parents, pupils and staff from the Elizabethan to ensure all information is exchanged.

In the last three years some Ranskill School pupils have also chosen to attend six other secondary schools. In these cases, where a pupil has a special educational need, the Ranskill SENCo has discussed this directly with parents and the secondary school SENCo to ensure a smooth transition, the nature of the individual provision varies from school to school and in accordance with pupils individual circumstances.

Complaints

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 Head Teacher or the Special Educational Needs coordinator, who will be able to advise on formal procedures for complaint.