Long Lane Primary School - Strive To Succeed

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

(a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or

(b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age

 (SEND Code of Practice 2014)

Children with SEN may be initially identified in a range of ways:

• Class teacher observations or assessments
• Parental concerns, observations or findings
• Whole school monitoring carried out by middle and senior leadership
• The school assessment cycle of core subjects
• West Berkshire assessment pack for Literacy or Maths.

Approaching your child’s class teacher for a discussion would be the first course of action.  You may subsequently also contact the school’s Special Educational Needs co-ordinator (SENco) although the class teacher is likely to pass on your concerns. This could be a quick chat at the end of the day, or you could request a meeting to be arranged at a mutually convenient time via the school office. You may also wish to approach your GP or Healthcare professional if you feel that would be more appropriate.

The class teacher will oversee the plan of education. Support is planned and reviewed by the class teacher, in collaboration with parents and, where possible, the pupil themselves. When a special educational need is identified, your class teacher will take suitable action to support this need by providing high quality teaching, adapted to meet the needs of your child. If appropriate, the teacher may put an evidence-based intervention in place. Interventions have a set of criteria to meet to decide if they are suitable. Reviews of the progress made and adaptations to the support provided will take place as required, these reviews will be shared with you. The class teacher will be supported by the SENCo throughout this process.

The class teacher will meet with you at least three times a year to discuss the ways in which your child is being supported. There may be additional informal written or verbal communication as required. You are encouraged to offer your views, suggest ideas or ask questions.  The class teacher will write a Support and Achievement Plan, which will indicate the ways in which your child is being supported, which will be shared with you. 

Part of your child’s Support and Achievement Plan may include strategies to improve their independence such as providing reminders or resources in daily class teaching. When teaching assistants are supporting children with SEN they encourage children to use independent strategies.

Your child’s teacher will use their knowledge of your child coupled with their assessments to support your child in accessing the curriculum.

This could be by:

• Using teaching techniques (such as simplifying the language, pre-teaching, providing thinking time, over learning etc)
• Providing helpful resources (such as supportive cues, checklists or reminders,  or providing alternative methods of recording)
• Organising the classroom (minimising clutter and 'busy' wall displays, displaying a visual timetable, planning seating arrangements, changing the background colour of screens etc.)
• Setting work at an appropriate level - considering small steps of learning, adapting tasks to make them manageable

The school will draw on a range of strategies to support individual need. Often teaching strategies are suggested by an external professional as part of their reports. If this is the case, these strategies will be outlined on the Support and Achievement Plan and implemented in the classroom.

Examples of strategies used are:

• Using visual aids to reinforce learning
• Planning movement and sensory breaks to support regulation
• Considering where the child is positioned in the classroom to enable them to better access the information they need.
• Personal timetables to support a bespoke provision
• Planned transitions to support moving on to a new class
• Creating memory aids to help children to recall lesson content
• Providing resources to help with motor skills such as Theraputty, pencil grips, writing slopes and wobble cushions

For every class we provide a teaching assistant for an amount of time to assist the teacher in providing support for children with SEN. We also employ Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA) and two trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA). We currently have a one-to-one Learning Support Assistant and are investing in a training programme of specific interventions for our support staff.

Additional resources may be provided following specialist advice such as resources to address sensory processing difficulties. Children will be given access to specialist resources based on the individual needs of the children for example, sloping surfaces, pencil grips, ACE dictionaries, coloured overlays etc. The school has equipped three spaces within the school building which may be used as breakout rooms for children with SEMH needs, who need some time away from the class group. 

Access arrangements are made in line with criteria set out by the DfE. Decisions will be made by the class teacher, SENDCo and leadership team based on the individual needs of the children.

The class teacher undertakes regular assessment of children’s progress. This is based on a combination of observations of children, questioning, monitoring independent work, tests and feedback. If your child is undertaking an intervention, they will be assessed before and after the intervention period, which will indicate the amount of progress that has been made. In addition, some children may complete the SENCO assessment pack in literacy or numeracy at 3 points in the year and carry out standardised assessments on a termly basis. Again this will show the amount of progress that has been made and indicate the next steps for development. Your class teacher will explain the progress your child is making at each of the two parent consultation meetings per year and in their end of year report. The success of the Support and Achievement Plan and the next steps to be taken will be discussed with you and your input welcomed.

At the review meeting of your child’s Support and Achievement Plan your child’s teacher will have prepared a draft set of new targets ready for the next plan. At the meeting, these targets will be refined and confirmed with your input. If your child has an EHC plan, they will also be invited to take part in an annual review.

Your child’s Support and Achievement Plan will be discussed with you once per term in a meeting. This may take place in an extended parental consultation meeting, or take place after school at another time. The class teacher may approach you at other points in the year to discuss progress through an informal conversation after school or you may approach the teacher yourself or via the school office.

Parents are also encouraged to visit their child’s class and look through exercise books at our “Welcome Time” events. This is another opportunity for you to see the progress that is being made. 

Normal school to home contact includes a range of newsletters from the Head teacher, Key Stage Team or class, reading diaries, ParentMail,the school website or emails, we also have a twitter feed that is updated regularly with things going on at school.  When appropriate, an individual home to school contact book or arrangement could be put in place. For example in cases of raising self-esteem or monitoring behaviour, a chart, note home or contact book may be used.  These strategies will be used if it directly links to the needs of the child and is offered by the class teacher.

We would expect you to support your child’s learning by hearing your child read every day or reading to your child, supporting them in the completion of any home learning set by checking that they understand what they need to do and providing a quiet place for them to do their homework. Support with practising any aspects of learning identified by the class teacher such as spellings or maths facts. Part of the Support and Achievement Plan includes practical, family friendly ideas to support learning at home. External specialists such as Speech Therapy Professionals, Paediatricians or Educational Psychologists will also include advice for how parents can support children’s learning at home in their reports.

We try to offer a range of opportunities for parents to engage with their child’s learning. These may include special information evenings, parent workshops during the day and every year we hold a curriculum evening in July to inform parents about what each year group will be learning the following year, as well as meeting their new teachers. We may email parents with local events that are taking place, if it is relevant.

Your child will be encouraged to share their views each term when their Support and Achievement Plan is reviewed. The class teacher will ask them about what they enjoy, what they feel they are successful at, what they find difficult and what they need support with.

Not applicable.

• SENDCo observations to monitor high quality class teaching
• SENDCo and class teacher observations of children on the SEN register to monitor effectiveness of their SAP
• Collecting and analysing data of the SEN cohort against peers and nationally
• Collecting and analysing data about the progress made in each intervention
• Parents take part in reviewing SAP and the next steps. They can offer their opinions about its effectiveness
• Assess, plan, do, review cycle monitored by the class teacher
• SENDCo monitoring of SAPs
• SENDCo meeting with SEN governor
• Whole class assessment and monitoring cycle – optional SATs, teacher assessment,
• Pupil progress meetings are held termly and data is checked half-termly
• Data is checked for  3-yearly patterns and trends in both achievement and progress

We aim to create an environment which is supportive of well being throughout the school community. Strategies to support positive mental health and well being will be taught during assemblies and PSHE lessons. Children with SEN may need additional support and this is based on the individual needs of the child. If it is deemed appropriate we can support children with group or individual emotional literacy support (ELSA) which can address a range of needs such as making friends, feeling different, dealing with anger, coping with change and other emotional support.

In addition, the class teacher will monitor the emotional well being of SEN children and use a range of strategies in daily teaching to promote self-esteem, resilience and independence.

Please also refer to our Anti-bullying policy.

The school follows a Therapeutic approach to behaviour management, enabling teachers and support staff to take a supportive role in managing behaviour. Support will include staff helping children by using co-regulation strategies, and exploring educational consequences to support social and emotional development. Please refer to our Behaviour policy.

Medical support will be dependent on the exact needs of the child at the time. Advice will be taken from professionals who are supporting the child’s needs. First Aid is available to all children and we have staff trained in administering an Epipen. 

Special arrangements are made for Anaphylaxis and Diabetes medicines, which will be administered only by designated and trained persons; the list is held by the school office. Other medicines may be administered by any responsible member of staff. 

If a child needs to take regular medicines or to receive treatment during the school day, parents must complete a Medical Form. Staff will then follow the instructions given on the form. All medicines administered or treatments carried out will be recorded on Evolve by the responsible member of staff.  Parents are sent a text message to inform them of the date, time, amount and name of medicine administered.  Where possible, another member of staff should be present to witness the administration of medicines. 

Commercially available medicines such as pain killers (e.g. Calpol) will only be administered after consultation with parents. When such action is deemed appropriate the school office will contact the parent to discuss the situation and gain permission to administer the specific remedy and the agreed dosage.    

Prescribed medication will not be accepted in school without complete written and signed instructions from the parent. Each item of medication must be delivered to the Head Teacher or Authorised Person, in normal circumstances by the parent, in a secure and labelled container as originally dispensed. Each item of medication must be clearly labelled with the following information: 

• Pupil’s Name 
• Name of medication 
• Dosage 

• Frequency of administration 

The school will not accept items of medication in unlabelled containers. Medication will be kept in a secure place, out of the reach of pupils. Unless otherwise indicated all medication will be administered in the school first-aid room and will be kept in a locked medicine cabinet. 

 If children refuse to take medicines, staff will not force them to do so, and will inform the parents of the refusal, as a matter of urgency, on the same day. If a refusal to take medicines results in an emergency, the school’s emergency procedures will be followed. 

 It is the responsibility of parents to notify the school in writing if the pupil’s need for medication has ceased.  

It is the parents’ responsibility to renew the medication when supplies are running low and to ensure that the medication supplied is within its expiry date. 

The school will not make changes to prescription dosages on parental instructions. 

School staff will not dispose of medicines.  A responsible staff member will check all medication held in school at regular intervals (just before each half-term or school holiday) and will advise parents of medicines which are or will shortly be, out of date.  Out of date medicines will be labelled to alert staff members.  Once replacement medication is  supplied, date expired medicines or those no longer required for treatment will be returned immediately to the parent for transfer to a community pharmacist for safe disposal. 

For each pupil with long-term or complex medication needs, the Head Teacher, will ensure that a Medication Plan and Protocol is drawn up, in conjunction with the appropriate health professionals. Where it is appropriate to do so, pupils will be encouraged to administer their own medication, if necessary under staff supervision. Parents will be asked to confirm in writing if they wish their child to carry their medication with them in school. 

The school will make every effort to continue the administration of medication to a pupil whilst on trips away from the school premises, even if additional arrangements might be required. However, there may be occasions when it may not be possible to include a pupil on a school trip if appropriate supervision cannot be guaranteed. 

Asthma Parents must complete a Medical Form after which inhalers are kept in the child’s classroom. Children are made aware of the location of their named reliever inhaler in the classroom so they can readily have access to it should the need arise.  

Please also refer to the following document: 

Guidance on the use of emergency salbutamol inhalers in schools March 2015 

Currently the school does NOT have spare inhalers. 

 Antibiotics will only be administered after your child has been at home for the first 24 hours. Please be advised that medicine that has been prescribed for use two times a day should be given at home unless the family practitioner has prescribed particular times for it to be administered. 

Piriton/ Chlorphenamine Syrup will only be administered after we receive a letter from your family practitioner (GP), hospital, clinic or nurse once medication has been prescribed the school will administer following instructions. You will need to return to your GP and fill in a new medication sheet. 

Medicinal Paracetamol, Oral Suspensions Paediatric Paracetamol suspensions will only be given for the illness for which was originally prescribed. This will be confirmed by the issue date on the packaging medicine bottle. Whilst we are aware that Paediatric Paracetamol Oral Suspensions have a long shelf life the school will not administer this medication if it is over two weeks of the prescribed date of your child’s sickness and you would need to consult your GP. 

Cough Medicine We are only able to give cough medicines that have been prescribed by your GP and again the school will not give medication if it is over two weeks of the prescribed date of your child’s sickness 

Epi Pens/ Auto-injectors can only be administered by a trained member of staff. The school will store Epi-Pens/ Auto-injectors in the first-aid room and all staff will be made aware of children who are in possession of one.  Currently the school does NOT have spare auto-injectors. 

The school reserves the right to decide what sort of medicines, if any, it will administer. 

Help is provided based on individual needs with advice being taken from parents and other professionals involved with the child. two members of staff will be present when dealing with toileting incidents. We will look to organise specialist training if necessary.

Each of the services we have access to, have a set of criteria outlined by them for referrals. We can access support from the Special Needs Support Service, Children and Young Peoples Integrated Therapies (speech therapy, occupational therapy, dieticians and physiotherapy) , School Nursing Service, Teacher for Hearing Impaired or Visually impaired, Autism Spectrum Advisory Teacher, Specialist Inclusion Support Service, Children and Adolescents Mental Heath Service (CAMHS), Educational Psychologists, Cognition and Learning Team and Therapeutic Thinking Support Team. Waiting times for assessment will vary.

You may wish to discuss this with your child’s teacher in the first instance; they will be able to give you an indication of whether these services may be suitable or suggest an alternative course of action. Your child’s teacher can get further advice from the SENDCo as to whether your child might meet the criteria for the service. Your family doctor (GP) can also be an entry point to gain access to some of these services.

The Children and Young People Integrated Therapies Service (CYPIT) provide these services. Each of the services we have access to have a set of criteria set by them, not the school, for referrals. Referrals can be made by school or through your GP.

Occupational Therapy

All children in the West of Berkshire who have a statement can be referred to the BHFT Occupational Therapy service via the SPE.  They do not need a GP referral.  We will also usually see children who are going through the statutory process or are very likely to have OT recommendations as part of their statutory plan. We will ask the GP and Paediatrician for information before they are offered an appointment. If in doubt contact the SPE for advice before you make the referral.

Children who DO NOT have a statement should be referred to the Occupational Therapy service that is part  of the Royal Berkshire Hospital service and based at The Dingley Child Development Centre in Reading. They currently require a GP/medical referral.  This is not a BHFT service.

Physiotherapy

Children in the West Berkshire LA area, with neurodevelopmental difficulties (for example cerebral palsy) can be referred to physiotherapy via the Single Point of Access. A GP referral is not required, but we will ask the GP and /or paediatrician for any relevant medical information prior to an appointment being offered. This ensures that any medical issues that may be having an effect on the child’s development can be investigated prior to Physiotherapy involvement .We do not accept referrals for children with musculoskeletal issues/joint pain/fractures/following acute injury. Again-if in doubt, please contact the SPE before making a referral.

All referrals, to any of the services, require parental consent.

The  CYPIT Toolkit information is open to everyone. 

Speech and Language Therapy

Children who are of pre-school age (birth to end of nursery) are able to access the Speech and Language Therapy Service by either calling the Berkshire Healthcare Health Hub on 0844 406 0979 or by attending a local drop in clinic.

Drop in clinics for pre-school children

Drop in clinics will be advertised widely and run frequently at local Children’s Centres. They will provide an opportunity for family and carers to discuss their hopes and concerns for their child and for a brief assessment of the child’s speech, language and communication skills by a speech and language therapist. If it is agreed that speech and language intervention is needed then they will be offered the appropriate support. This will vary according to the child and families’ individual needs and may include parent workshops, group and/or one-to-one intervention, nursery visits and sessions to demonstrate strategies to carers. 

School age children

Children who are of school age (reception class or above) will be able to access speech and language therapy within their school.  They will no longer need to attend appointments at community clinics.

Each school will have a named speech and language therapist, who will be able to provide a flexible, integrated and holistic service to the school.  The therapist will take in to account the learning environments of the children and provide targeted advice and strategies to teaching staff to support the development of speech, language and communication within the school.

The speech and language therapist will work alongside school staff to use a range of approaches within the school, which may involve discussion with school and family, assessment, training and demonstration, advice, direct therapy and/or joint target setting. 

The Children and Young People Integrated Therapies Service (CYPIT) provide these services. Each of the services we have access to have a set of criteria set by them for referrals. Referrals can be made by school - speak to your child's class teacher, the SENDCo or Family Support Worker, or through your GP.

The school has direct contact with West Berkshire Social Services through telephone and email contact. The school regularly contacts the duty officer and attends meetings with social workers. West Berkshire's Children and Family Services may be accessed here:https://www.westberks.gov.uk/cfs 01635 503090

Teachers are trained in providing differentiated approaches and learning arrangements as part of high quality, personalised teaching. Whole school training which takes place in staff meetings or INSET days can include additional training on supporting a range of SEN in the classroom. This training is based on the monitoring and analysis of data to address current needs. The school receive expert support from the Special Needs Support Team on a regular basis. If appropriate, some teachers will receive specialised training from professionals such as the Autism Spectrum Advisory Teacher or Cognition and Learning Team if this meets the need of a child in their class.  

We have teaching assistants that are trained to deliver specific interventions, training in these interventions is regularly reviewed and updated. Some teaching assistants receive specialised training from professionals such as the Autism Spectrum Advisory Teacher, Specialist Inclusion Support Service or Cognition and Learning Team to implement individual programmes.

We have members of the teaching staff that are specifically trained in delivering the Numicon: Close the Gaps Intervention and Wave 3 FFT (SPRINT) intervention. The Head teacher holds the NASENCo qualification.

We have members of the support staff that are specifically trained in delivering all of the interventions listed. In addition, we have a Family Support Worker who is a trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant.

The school undertakes risk assessments and uses this to plan appropriately for school visits. Advice will be sought from parents, pupils and outside agencies as appropriate. 

The school involves parents in discussions prior to the visit, especially for residential visits, to share information on strategies that work at home, food preferences, daily routines etc. A more detailed risk assessment is then be carried out to ensure accessibility eg. providing additional support or reducing the timetable.

The school has modified our building to improve access, including widening doorways, fitting automatic doors into the reception area,  height of door handles, levelling flooring and automatic lighting (in some parts of the school). Ramps are in place at our main entrance and reception classroom.

The school will continue to take account of the needs of pupils and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning and undertaking future improvements and refurbishments of the site and premises, such as improved access, lighting, acoustic treatments and colour schemes, and more accessible facilities and fittings.

The recently refurbished environment meets the current DDA regulations.  No specific adaptations were carried out to the auditory or visual environment.

The school has two accessible toilets for disabled adults and children. These are located in the main building and the reception classroom.

Outside access to the school field and top playground is via a tarmac slope and all steps around the school site have painted edges. Our steps up to the playground have a handrail.

Internal access is all on one level and the floor throughout the school is level.

The school will seek to establish preferred forms of communication needs on an individual basis and uses a range of communication tools. These include sending emails, texts, social media (twitter), face to face meetings, telephone calls, sending paper copies with children and the school website. Alternative text formats are available when required or requested.

School will seek to establish preferred forms of communication needs on an individual basis and will make itself aware of local services, including those provided through the LA, for providing information in alternative formats when required or requested.

We normally carry out several activities to support transition. These include the class teacher visiting the previous setting and talking with staff there, children spending a morning in their new classroom with their new teacher, a new parents’ meeting that includes the children, and a transition ebooklet with photographs of the classroom staff and learning environments and information about class routines. A home visit will be arranged for the start of the term when your child starts school.

If a child would personally benefit from additional preparation for attending school we can put into place a transition plan.School would liaise with the child's family and the current setting in order to establish the best way to support the child's needs. This might take the form of extra visits or personalised photographs including the child in the environment or with classroom staff. This will be tailored to the personal requirements of the child.

All children take part in sessions with their new teacher before the new school year begins, towards the end of the summer term. Children in the Infant classes (reception, Year 1 and Year 2) will have additional transition sessions such as story swaps and free flow playtimes during the second part of the the summer term.

Depending on the needs of the child, if they would personally benefit from additional preparation for making transition into another class or key stage, we can put into place a transition plan. This might take the form of regular visits to the new classroom or teacher in the weeks preceding the transition. Photographs of important information such as which adults are going to be supporting them in class or where to put your bag etc. can be arranged. The plan will be tailored to the personal requirements of the child.

In addition to the transition visits from Year 7 staff and days in the new school, we use PSHE lessons to talk about and prepare for change. In addition, ELSA sessions may be required in a small group or on an individual basis to help children prepare. This will be based on whether this is appropriate for the child and their views will be taken into account. Where appropriate, any specialist services involved with the child will be consulted about their preparation for transition.

When children are moving onto Year 7, the Year 7 leader and Secondary school SENDCo will liaise with Class Teachers and the Long Lane SENDCo. We will discuss the needs of the child and plan the appropriate steps to ensure a smooth transition. In some cases the Year 6 teacher, Year 7 representative and parents will have a transition meeting together during the last term of Year 6 to ensure all parties are involved and a transition plan is created.

We will provide all appropriate and relevant records and information.

Not applicable.

The first point of contact if you wish to discuss something about your child is your child’s Class Teacher.

The school Family Support Worker is also available to liaise directly with parents - email familysupport@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk 

Or you may contact the school office - email office@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk or telephone 0118 942 7187

The school Family Support Worker is available to liaise directly with parents - email familysupport@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk 

Please visit our website to find a list of local support available for many aspects of parenting.

If you are unable to find the support you need, please contact our Family Support Worker -email familysupport@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk 

We understand the importance of building an effective team between home and school, to best support a child's learning. Therefore, we are always grateful for your feedback, whether positive or negative. When support has worked well it is great to be able to share positive feedback with staff. This can improve provision and outcomes for other children as well as your own child.Please email any comments to office@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk

Parental feedback is also sought using questionnaires and “Parent View”.

Should there be a need for a formal complaint, please refer to the complaints policy on the school website or contact the school office at office@longlane.w-berks.sch.uk