Springfield Primary School

Initial concerns about any special educational needs usually come from parents or from staff working with the child.  Staff are experienced in identifying children with a range of special educational needs.  Occasionally, children will join us with their needs already identified.  For example, they may already be accessing speech and language therapists.

You should first discuss this with your child’s teacher who will, if necessary, seek the advice of the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo).

Your child’s class teacher will have responsibility for this, through consultation with the SENCo.

You will have opportunities during parent consultations to discuss this.  Further meetings may be arranged on request. You will be given an opportunity during these meetings to input into the planning process for your child.

Our aim is to facilitate the development of children’s life skills. We encourage all children to take an active role in their own learning and provide them with a range of learning opportunities involving challenge at their own level.

All staff are well trained to deliver a curriculum that is accessible. Planning will reflect your child’s next steps and progress will be assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure that teaching is impacting on progress.

The school uses a range of strategies to support children with special or additional needs.  Each child is observed and assessed to ensure that the provision is appropriate and effective.  For example, a child with ASD may work better with a designated quiet area within the classroom, a hearing impaired child might benefit from sitting near to the teacher.  Each child’s individual strengths and areas of difficulty will be assessed and appropriate strategies put in place. Additional resources may be used with particular children, or they might take part in specific interventions. 

We will always endeavour, within the constraints of our budget, to meet children’s special and additional needs.

This depends very much on the needs of the child.  We provide a range of concrete and tactile learning resources for children across the school. Examples include adapted learning resources e.g. high interest books for children with a lower reading age, resources to aid motor skills and support physical development e.g. pencil grips, adapted scissors.

Children with special or additional needs can sometimes qualify for special access arrangements for taking their SATs.  These arrangements could include providing readers for maths tests, providing scribes for writing tasks or additional time.  If school staff feel that your child will benefit from special arrangements such as these they will be assessed to determine whether they meet the criteria set out in Government guidance.

All children’s progress at Springfield is monitored half termly by the class teacher.  All children are set targets and, should they not be making expected progress, they will be highlighted for review and provision will be modified accordingly.  For children with support and achievement plans, these will be shared during parents consultations and you will have an opportunity to input into this process at these meetings.

You will have updates of your child’s progress during parents consultations.  Teaching staff may contact you if they are concerned about your child’s progress. Should you have any concerns you should always contact your child’s class teacher.

As outlined above, class teachers and the SENCo will always endeavour to be available for any meetings scheduled outside of regular parents meetings. Your child’s class teacher should be your first point of contact.

Newsletters are sent out weekly and any general information is included there. Key stage one children have a reading record book and key stage two children have a homework diary, both of which can be used to communicate between home and school.  In exceptional circumstances, parents may receive regular updates either by link book or by email.  This would only happen if parents and staff agree there is a need.  Staff are generally contactable on an ad hoc basis should parents have any specific concerns they wish to discuss.

Homework and spellings will be sent home weekly. Reading books will be sent home daily. You should speak with your class teacher if you are unsure about how to help them and they will be happy to advise.

We often run information sessions for parents.  Past sessions have included information on teaching of maths, techniques for reading with your child and learning through play.

Children are regularly encouraged to reflect on their learning and progress. Children with Education, Health and Care Plans share their views prior to annual review meetings and have the opportunity to attend part of the meeting.  

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The SENCo and the Leadership Team regularly analyse data to ensure that children identified as having SEN are making good progress regardless of their starting point.  If this is not the case, measures are taken to help teachers plan alternative provision.

All children have regular opportunities for self-evaluation. They are given opportunities to respond to teacher’s comments and to think about ways to improve their work.

We have an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) team at Springfield who work with the SENCo to provide support to children to mitigate social and emotional barriers to learning.  The team comprises two qualified ELSAs.  Any work carried out by the ELSA team must gain parental approval prior to starting.  Targets for this work are set with parents/ staff and reviewed at the end of an agreed period. We also have a support worker from the Emotional Health Academy in school for two afternoons a week, who offers emotional support to children on a one to one basis.

We treat all children as individuals and always endeavour to understand the root causes of any behaviour that is a barrier to learning.  All behaviour is communication and we use positive behaviour management techniques to help individuals to express themselves is a way that is safe and allows themselves and others to learn.  This is sometimes challenging and has to be balanced with the needs of other children attending our school.

Several staff members have received paediatric first aid training. We follow guidance in individual care plans. Staff are trained annual to administer epi-pens and staff have received specific training for epilepsy and diabetes when required.

We have procedures for administering prescribed medicines.  Any controlled medication eg. emergency epilepsy will be kept and administered according to a health care plan put in place by a medical professional.

These needs must be assessed on an individual basis and we follow our intimate care policy.  We have had children at our school who have had difficulties in this area and we have put measures in place to support them.

We have access to a range of specialist teachers and can access them accordingly depending on a child’s diagnosis and any access criteria being met. We buy into the West Berkshire Emotional Health Academy.

Talk to your class teacher who will consult with the SENCo or, arrange to speak with the SENCo yourself.

The school SENCo is able to refer to Speech and language therapy and physiotherapy services.  Occupational therapy should be accessed via your GP.  Once referred, these services can be accessed in school or at specialist clinics. 

Speak to your child’s teacher in the first instance who will consult with the SENCo.  We can refer to these services but will usually want to arrange a meeting to discuss these first.  Ideally we will make any referral together.

This will be on an individual needs basis.

Training is offered in house from the school SENCo when a need is identified.  Occasionally staff will attend training run by the Local Authority on specific needs, or at times training might be provided by other professionals. Specific staff members have been trained for Epipens and diabetes.

Again, training is offered in house from the school SENCo when a need is identified.  Occasionally staff will attend training run by the Local Authority on specific needs. Specific staff members have been trained for Epipens and diabetes.

Our SENCo has achieved the National Accreditation Award for SENCo.

Teaching assistants have achieved NVQ L3 qualifications which include some elements of SEN.

Our ELSAs have attended specialist training in their roles.  One of our ELSAs has also successfully completed a specialist course in supporting families.

Teaching staff complete a preliminary visit to all sites to ensure access is possible.  Risk assessments are carried out as routine in line with the School's accessibility policy.

Parents may be invited to support their child if its considered beneficial for the child.  If appropriate, parents will be consulted prior to any organised trip to ensure that any necessary arrangements are made.

The school has an accessibility policy, drawn up in line with the Equalities Act, which is viewable on our website.

All classrooms have large smartboards with speaker systems.

We have two disabled toilets.

Our Accessibility Policy is drawn up in line with the Equalities Act. We assess each child’s needs and try to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made to facilitate access.

We will always try to ensure that communication with parents can happen regardless of their own personal situations.

Where necessary we may ask other family members to attend meetings to help to translate.  If this is not possible we will try to find the appropriate translation support.

If your child joins in our Foundation Unit, home visits and transition sessions at school are routine.  If your child joins in another year group, every effort will be made to ensure a smooth transition.

We offer transition activities with next year’s teachers as routine.  However, if your child is identified as being particularly vulnerable to change they will be given support by our ELSA team who have access to a range of resources to prepare children for any change.

Transition activities are planned as routine and we have good links with the local secondary school.  As well as routine transition activities, if your child is identified as being particularly vulnerable, additional support will be arranged.  This could include extra visits and/ or sessions on what to expect at secondary school.  Again, our ELSA team work closely with secondary settings to ensure that children are well prepared for the next stage in their education. 

Any relevant information is passed on to secondary schools.  Any relevant paperwork will be forwarded but transition meetings will also take place where any vulnerable children are highlighted and discussed in more detail.

Any useful assessment data and reports as well as any details of additional needs. Information on effective teaching strategies and any friendship issues/ support networks is also useful.

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Your child’s class teacher.

Our ELSA has completed a course in supporting families and runs a parenting course along with another staff member. Also, we do have access to other services that may be of use, depending on your individual circumstances.

We try to keep up to date what’s available in the local area and, where we have this information, we’re more than happy to signpost it.

We send out parental questionnaires to collect parent views but welcome feedback any time.  We also have parent representatives on the Governing Body.  A formal complaints policy and procedure can be viewed via the School website.