Cockington Primary School

SEN Information

What special education provision is available at our setting?

At Cockington our job is to ensure that your child achieves the very best they can, no matter what barrier there may be with their learning. Approximately one in five children will have special educational needs at some time during their school career – this may mean having a learning difficulty and/or physical difficulty that makes it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age.

We have a team of staff who may be involved in supporting your child at Cockington. These include: 

• Your child’s teacher – your first port of contact for any concerns. They are available to you at the end of the day and often through booked appointments. They manage the day to day provision and education for your child. 
• Teaching Assistants – who support all pupils in the class. We have several additional TAs who help support groups with their learning and/or maybe allocated to individual children with specific special educational needs. 
• Our Pastoral Team – this is made up of Charlotte Taylor, Dani Goodwin, Jennie Kerry, Sam Hill and Zoe Davies who between them work with children who may be experiencing a particular period of trauma or social or emotional difficulty. See below for more information. Zoe and Jennie are also our designated safeguarding deputies and Zoe also helps with attendance.
• SENDCo – Victoria Squires – who has completed the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination coordinates the provision of SEN in school and liaises with external agencies.
• The Academy Challenge Team as part of the Governance works with and monitors the role of the SENCo in school. 
• Deputy Head with responsibility for pastoral care and SEN overview – John-Paul Sharman. 
• Acting Headteacher Sarah Ryder – who has the day to day management of all aspects of the school, including special educational needs provision.

In addition, we have a range of facilities and support which are detailed below.

Children within school will get support that is specific to their individual needs. This may be all provided by the class teacher or may involve other staff in the school, staff who visit from Torbay’s central services or staff who visit from outside agencies such as the speech and language therapy service.

What criteria must be satisfied before children and young people can access this provision/service?

Cockington Primary School is an inclusive provider and will consider placements for any child aged 4 to 11 whose parents/carers wish them to join the school, regardless of their special educational needs, providing there is a space in that particular year group. The school follows the guidelines as set out in the Equalities Act 2010 and the SEN code of practice. If a child already has an Education and Health Care Plan (EHC), a meeting will be called during the application process for the parents and carers to discuss their child’s needs and what specifically could be offered.

We aim to include every child in all that the Trust has to offer. Therefore, where possible we will assess and adapt activities to meet the specific needs of a child with SEND alongside their peers. All teachers expect to see a broad range of ability within each class and recognise that slow progress is not always an indicator of SEND. Before identifying a specific SEND we would consult with parents/carers and consider factors relating to gaps in education (perhaps due to changing schools, traveller lifestyles or refugee children seeking asylum, impact of Covid). We will also explore difficulties that could be experienced by a child in care, a young carer, a child at risk of exclusion, a cross-gender transition, a child with English as an additional language (EAL), a child with a physical disability or medical need or families seriously disadvantaged by poverty or social isolation. Whatever difficulty a child is having, the Trust will endeavour to initiate a strategy, intervention, enrichment or appropriate form of support to meet that need. Where children are mainly functional within a class environment and making progress, they would not be considered to have a SEND, but would continue to access the support they needed wherever possible. If individual needs are identified as having a significant impact on a child’s ability to function or access learning then they could be recognised as having a SEND and further advice from external agencies would besought in partnership with the parents.

How do we identify the particular special educational needs of a child or young person?

As a school we follow the guidance set out in the SEND code of Practice 2015 and it's  Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

Class teachers will assess all children to identify their strengths, needs and any extra help they require. If they feel that they may need additional or different support than most children their age, in terms of academic or emotional support, then with consultation with the SENDCo, pastoral team and their team leaders’ interventions will be put in place. If after a period of time, usually a term, there has been no progress in their need, confidence or level of understanding they may be placed on the category of ‘additional SEN support’. This  will be shared with the parents of the individual through a setting up of an ISP (Individual Support Plan) or a RCP (Relationship Care Plan). For those children where the needs are more, an assessment will be set up with the Educational Psychology Service and or our Outreach team.

For children new to the school and/or in the reception cohort there will be liaison with the nursery providers and previous schools. On entry to school at foundation stage a meeting is held with the parents to discuss their children and their specific needs with the class teacher.

Other ways in which concerns can be raised about the needs of a child maybe through liaison with external agencies, discussions with parents or a health diagnosis through a paediatrician. Often changes in behaviour can signal that something is amiss.

If your child’s needs are complex or severe, we may suggest that we ask the Local Authority for a Request for Statutory Assessment (RSA), which may lead to an EHC plan if there is sufficient evidence in place. This document will describe your child’s SEN and the additional help required. This is a legal document. Parents are involved through all steps of this process.

How do we consult with parents and/or children and young people about their needs?

The school recognises that parents have a crucial role to play in their children’s education.

For children new to the school and/or in the reception cohort there will be a meeting held with the parents to discuss their children and their specific needs with the class teacher. New children that join within the year are invited round and their parents are asked to complete a form asking for any relevant information.

Of course, as a school, we welcome daily dialogue between parents, teaching assistants and parents on how a child’s day has been. Home school diaries can also be set up if necessary. If a child has been involved in an incident that day we may contact parents/guardians to share this info.

Where a parent has raised a concern for their child, we will always endeavour to fully investigate or explore this in order to resolve the issue for their child.

Children throughout the school are regularly made aware of their academic targets. Where appropriate children are invited into annual review meetings and involved in setting the targets on their ISPs (Individual Support Plan). Parents will also be made aware of these.

The school council has a proportional mix of children from the school whose views are frequently sort.

Children are encouraged to express their views and worries with trusted members of staff. There are ‘I wish my teacher knew’ boxes positioned around the school where children can drop in a note sharing their worry, either by name or anonymously. These are then picked up by members  of the year group/class and dealt with appropriately.

For difficulties arising outside of the school day families could be directed to Torbay services that they can access for themselves such as: Torbay FIS Directory

The following websites may be useful in supporting families with online safety.

• http://parentinfo.org (CEOP)
• http://www.net-aware.org.uk (supported by NSPCC)

What is our approach to teaching children and young people with special educational needs?

All staff believe that children having high self-esteem and feeling safe is crucial to their well-being. We have a caring, understanding team looking after our children and promoting resilience, cooperation and perseverance. All children are given recognition, praise and understanding.

At Cockington we are very inclusive and believe that all children should be within the class as much as possible to grow and learn with their peers. Through quality first teaching the curriculum is differentiated and personalised to meet the needs of and abilities within the class.

ISP’s (Individual Support Plans) and RCP’s (Relationship Care Plans) are used to identify specific activities and learning or development objects that will be fitted into daily practice.

Support staff are expected to be familiar with the medium and short term targets for children with SEN. They are expected to use teacher’s planning and adapt it to suit the needs of the child. This might involve breaking work down into smaller chunks, initiating brain breaks, providing visual resources or supporting children in their organisational skills.

As a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) we promote independence in children and would only provide a 1:1 support assistant in exceptional circumstances and this would be kept under constant review as our aim would be to build the child’s independence and resilience so they do not become overreliant on constant adult intervention.

How can we adapt our curriculum for children and young people with special educational needs?

All pupils in the school receive quality first teaching, from teachers with the highest possible expectations so that every child is challenged to the highest level. This means that a range of teaching and learning styles are used and that appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs. Work will be adapted/differentiated to an appropriate level for all children and/or systems for support and scaffolding given e.g. key words, practical apparatus. All teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.

Most of our classes are supported by teaching assistants, directed by the class teacher to work where the additional support is needed. All adults within the room will be aware of the child’s needs and where advice from agencies has been sought this is followed through.

As a school, we are also improving our use of ICT in the classrooms including iPads, online learning platforms and use these to help all children be included within the lessons and supported with home learning.

How will we ensure we get the services, provision and equipment that children and young people need?

In Torbay there are many different external experts that can be called on to help, including the Early Years Advisory Teacher. They can also help the school access specialist equipment that might not be in the school originally.

There may be times when we might not have the resources and facilities to meet the specific needs of a child but every possible effort will be made to try and do so. The Torbay SEN team and school nurse team are valuable at signposting where necessary.

Under the Equalities Act (2010) a condition which is long term (defined as a year or more) is considered to be a disability. This would include children with a hearing or visual impairment or long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, cancer. Sometimes, in the instance of a child having a medical condition, the Health Service will create health care plans and the MAT will coordinate recommended provision to best meet the needs of the child. These children may be held at SEND Support or have an EHC plan depending on how significant the need is and how able the child is in managing that need.

How is this provision funded?

The schools budget includes designated money for supporting children with special educational needs. The head teacher in conjunction with the school governors and school business manager decides on the budget on the basis of the needs of the children in the school. The majority of the funding provides our team of teaching assistants. The budget is allocated on a needs basis; those children with the most complex needs are given the most support.

Children with an EHC plan are allocated an additional amount of funding to meet the provision needed over and above their peers. Some funding may come from the Pupil Premium – a set of funds allocated to schools to work with children registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

Schools also receive funding for children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months, or have previously been in care and children of service personnel. Schools are made accountable for how this money is spent. All resources and support are reviewed regularly and changes made as needed.

What additional learning support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how do they access it?

The amount of support your child receives will be based on their age, ability and barriers to learning.

Most additional learning support is planned and resourced by the class teacher. This may include:-

• Specific group work this may be run in or outside the classroom, most often, but not exclusively by a teaching assistant. This will be planned by the teacher and will focus on an area where there is a gap in understanding or development that the group has in common e.g. handwriting, fine motor skills, phonics, maths and literacy boosters. 
• Dedicated specialist speech and language provision is available for individual pupils. Assessments are made by the Speech and Language Therapist and a trained assistant carries out the programmes.
• Dedicated specialist ‘English as a Foreign’ language support is provided for children who are having difficulty with English.
• Individual support - this will be directed by the class teacher to focus on an area where there is a barrier to learning. This may be regular or just as a booster for a couple of weeks. In some cases children with severe or complex additional needs may have individual support to access all areas of the curriculum. Where interventions provided by the school do not have the desired outcome then specialist advice is sought.
• At the moment we also run a KS1 hub for a small group of children who did not meet their early learning goals and need a bit of extra focus and attention on key skills in a smaller more nurturing environment.

How do we support and improve the emotional and social development of children and young people with special educational needs?

Firstly all staff involved with a child who may have emotional and social development needs are made aware of these. Within each year group the Jigsaw PSHE programme is followed. This brings together personal, social, health and economic education, emotional literacy and spiritual development on a weekly basis.

Teachers will use creative strategies and challenging questions to engage pupils in their learning and relate it to their own experiences. This can be achieved through maximising both planned and spontaneous opportunities to: 

• Talk about personal experiences and feelings. 
• Express and clarify their own ideas and beliefs. 
• Speak about difficult events, e.g. bullying, death etc. 
• Share thoughts, belongings, equipment and feelings with other people, listening to others. 
• Explore relationships with friends/family/others. 
• Show empathy. 
• Develop self-esteem and a respect for others, accepting and embracing difference. 
• Develop a sense of belonging. 
• Develop the skills and attitudes that enable pupils to develop socially, morally, spiritually and culturally –e.g. empathy, respect, creativity, sensitivity and critical awareness. 
• Being able to agree and disagree. 
• Providing opportunities to work together and alone.

For those children who have experienced trauma or have gaps in their emotional development we have a pastoral team who offers an increasing range of programme of therapeutic intervention, which can include ‘Draw and Talk’, Nurture groups and check ins.

There are some opportunities for the pastoral team to also work with the whole family. Members of staff are readily available for pupils to discuss issues and concerns. Where appropriate mediation sessions are carried out.

Some children also need support at lunchtime. We run two lunchtime clubs for children who need different provision at lunchtime and/or find the playground a difficult place to be. For some children an allocated worker provides a structured lunchtime best suited to a child’s needs.

Those children known to find the school day challenging to manage, have a relationship care  plan - this informs all staff working with these individuals of the triggers for emotional reactions and the best way to resolve these. As a school we have a positive approach to behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils.

Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis and support given where needed. (See separate behaviour and attendance policies Coast Academies Trust - Policies). For some individual children an individual positive reward system will be set up with opportunities for reward time.

Working in partnership with parents is vital and parent contributions are welcomed and valued.

For pupils with more complex emotional and social needs or where the provision has not yet impacted effectively advice may be sought from the Educational Psychology Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) and Chestnut Behavioural Outreach (if they meet the threshold).

How do we support children and young people with special educational needs moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood?

We are aware that changing schools can be a difficult time for a child with special educational needs and try to ensure that all transition is as smooth as possible. All new children are encouraged to visit the school prior to starting and ‘buddies’ are allocated when inclass.

The EYFS teachers visit the nursery settings of each new cohort in the summer term so the children can see a familiar face. The majority of our children transfer from the adjacent Acorns pre-school, with which we have a fantastic relationship and set up a transition process. The SENDCO attends the pre-school ILDP meetings in the run up to transition.

The SENDCo of the preferred secondary school is invited to all year 6 annual reviews and a transition package agreed once confirmation of the place has happened. Additional visits between both schools are agreed. The SENDCo will attend the transition days to discuss the needs of your child with the secondary school.

When moving schools within primary all relevant information will be passed on to the new class teacher and phone contact made. In some instances a period of transition has been agreed with children having additional visits building up to a full days visit.

What other support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how can they access it?

We have regular opportunities to consult with support and health agencies through a multi-agency approach; which sometimes includes completing a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub to access support for the family as well as the child. The needs of the child will be discussed by those involved and advice given to support the child and their family.

A range of support staff and midday meal supervisors have been trained in First Aid. Staff have also been trained in Epipen use.

Other professionals that might be involved;-

• School Nurse – works alongside us to advise and assess any medical needs. If a health careplan (HCP) is required this would be done alongside the nurse and parents and reviewed annually. The School Nurse also supports us with hearing tests and can refer to the paediatric team.
• Speech and Language Therapist – works regular in school and alongside parents to help those children with speech and articulation problems. A referral can be made through the class teacher/SENDCo.
• Educational Psychologist – gives advice and completes assessments on children with special educational needs. A referral can be made after discussion with the class teacher and then SENDCo; normally this is only with pupils who needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to previous intervention.
• Outreach Support –from specialist schools such as Coombe Pafford and Mayfield School who can offer advice. Behaviour support is also available.
• Specialist Hearing and Visual Support - to offer advice and keep up to date assessments of children with sight and hearing difficulties. Accessed through the NHS.
• Your GP – for any concerns that may be linked to a medical condition, your GP is the best person to offer advice and next steps. Please be aware that as an education setting we cannot diagnose a condition.
• CAHMS – Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services
• Occupational Therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Visits from advisory teachers for hearing and sight.
• At times we can have access to community projects such as life coaches from the local church.

All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you, with the person involved directly or if this is not possible within a report.

Online safety is also a recurrent theme throughout the academic year with lessons engrained into the curriculum.

What extra-curricular activities are available for children and young people with special educational needs?

All children can attend extra-curricular activities and, where needed, additional support will be provided. This includes school trips, where a risk assessment will be carried out to ensure the health and safety is not compromised. It may be appropriate for a parent/guardian to be invited on the trip to aid supervision. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in the activity alternative arrangements will be sort with the parents’ consent.

A comprehensive list can be found on the website Cockington Primary School - Home.

How do we assess and review progress towards agreed outcomes, and how are parents, children and young people involved in this process?

Children with EHC plans and a high level of additional needs will have an ISP written by the class teacher. This will set out the provision agreed and measurable targets. These will be shared with parents, the child and adults working with the child. If your child has not met the targets the reasons for this will be discussed, which may involve the target being adapted into smaller steps.

All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you, with the person involved directly or if this is not possible within a report. Children may move off the SEN register or indeed have their EHC plan removed if they have made sufficient progress.

Children with EHC plans will also have annual reviews arranged with all professionals involved. All annual reviews are monitored by a member of the local authorities SEN team.

How do we assess the effectiveness of our special needs provision and how are parents, children and young people involved in this assessment?

The quality of practice is continuously reviewed. Specific interventions have an initial and post assessment to monitor the improvements seen.

Success of literacy and numeracy work will be assessed through an increased rate of progress and through informal and formal discussions and assessments. Other ways of monitoring may include increased attendance and decreased behavioural incidents.

If a child is accessing any specific programmes the successes of this will be shared at annual or ISP reviews as well as parents evening.

We will also monitor and review our SEND Policy and Provision by: 

• Ensuring accountability by placing ultimate responsibility for SEND and the implementation of this policy with the CEO. 
• Ensuring that the Designated Academy Challenge Team member for SEND and the SENDCO have regular meetings, in order to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the school’s response to SEND and promoting welfare, in line with this policy. As necessary, action plans will be formulated to address areas for development. This will happen as required or in any case, as a minimum, once every term. 
• Identifying and responding to new/revised guidance issued by government bodies and the Local SEND TEAM, leading to review of this policy on an annual basis

How do we ensure that teaching staff and other staff have the expertise needed to support children and young people with special educational needs?

To ensure our staff have the skills and knowledge to support children with Special educational needs we access in house and external training provided by Torbay Local Authority (LA) and elsewhere as often as possible. The Trust also places high value on the use of Joint Practice Development (JPD) to enhance teacher pedagogy that develops their ability to deliver high quality lessons. This ultimately improves outcomes for all children including those with SEND. All new staff receive induction that includes safeguarding and SEN information.

Professionals including the ADHD nurse and specialist speech and language outreach workers have been invited in to offer training to all staff. Many of our staff have received positive handling training.  Staff are also trained to deal with any medical needs that may arise by the school nurse.

All staff are encouraged to observe the speech and language therapist and other professionals working with children within their class to ensure a thorough understanding of the children’s needs.

The SENDCo attends the majority of local network meetings to keep abreast of local initiatives and updates the staff and has also completed the National Award for SENCo’s qualification at Plymouth University. Several teachers and learning support assistants have attended ASD training and we have an Autism champion within the MAT who we seek advice from. Members of staff have attended Lego therapy training and workshops on Dyspraxia and Dyslexia.

All staff attend a Trauma informed school training day, this is to ensure all staff have an understanding of trauma and the impact on a child and their development.

‘Trauma-Informed Practice is a strengths-based approach, which seeks to understand and respond to the impact of trauma on people’s lives. The approach emphasises physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone and aims to empower individuals to re-establish control of their lives.’

Trauma Informed Practice | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK

How do we keep parents informed where children and young people have special educational provision but do not have an Education Health and Care Plan?

At Cockington, the progress and attainment of all pupils is reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team. In addition, the SENDCo monitors the progress of all children with special educational needs, at which time provision may be adjusted to meet identified needs.

The school also has a meeting for writing , reading and mathematics on a monthly basis to ensure all children are making good progress.  Teachers are held accountable for those children who are not. 

Normally parents are informed about their child’s general progress and targets through the twice yearly parents’ evenings and annual report.

At the end of each key stage (year 2 and 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). The results are published nationally. In addition in Year 1 children sit a phonics screening test, the results of which are shared with parents.

Once a child is identified as having SEND the parents are invited in for a review meeting and a target and provision map is set up and refined with input from home as well as from school. In this meeting various members of the pastoral team as well as the class teacher and parent(s) talk through what the needs are and set smart, achievable targets designed to improve the outcomes and measure progress. As part of this process the parents sign the provision map to state that they understand that their child will be added to the SEND register and they are happy for us to share information with other external agencies who we might call in to support the child. This is then reviewed termly with the parents. If a child demonstrates sustained progress over time, including during times of transition, within their identified areas of need and no longer need specialised individual support and planning, we would look to take them of the SEND register. This would be celebrated and shared with the child and their parents and may involve a light touch monitoring to ensure progress is maintained. Where, despite taking relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the SEND of the child and they have not made expected progress, the school or parents may recommend initiating a request for an EHCP assessment.

How can parents, children and young people make a complaint about our provision?

If as a parent you have a concern or complaint you should arrange a meeting with the class teacher in the first instance. If you feel the issue has not been resolved the next step would be to phone the school to arrange a meeting with either the head of Team or SENCo. In the event of a dispute the school Governors, Local Authority (LA) and head teacher will work closely with parents to resolve the matter.

Parents are also encouraged to seek advice from SENDIASS Torbay:  www.sendiasstorbay.org.uk

How can parents, children and young people get more information about the setting?

If you would like to know what provision is in place for your child or you have any concerns that your child has some additional needs please speak to the class teacher who can put a plan in place. If you are not happy that your concerns are being managed you should speak to the Team Leader for that age phase or SENDCo, contactable through the school office.

If you are a new parent please ring the main school office on 01803 214100 or email admin@cockingtonprimary.org.uk to make an appointment with the SENDCo or appropriate member of the leadership team.

How the school involves other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEN and supporting their families?

Parents seeking extra help at home for their children in terms of behavioural support can be referred by the school to social care and local authority support systems through the Early Help system.  This may lead to access to parenting classes, the Family Intervention Team or the Intensive Family Support Service (see www.torbay.gov.uk/torbaysearlyhelpoffer.pdf)
 
For children with a confirmed medical diagnosis a referral can be made to the Learning Disability Team who can tailor support around the more specific needs of a child.
 
School will also support parents who are referred to the Early Bird or Cygnet programmes by the NHS when a diagnosis of autism is confirmed.
 
If a young person with SEN has support from any of the above bodies communication will be sent between school and them. Invites will be sent to them for Annual Reviews.

What arrangements are in place for supporting children who are looked after by the local authority and have SEN?

The SENDCo also acts as the Designated Teacher (DT) for Cared For Children. Torbay protocols are followed – with the child having termly Pupil Education Plans where both academic and social and emotional targets are set and reviewed.

Cared For Children are entitled to Pupil Premium Plus funding. This has been used so far to purchase books to help work on targets, handwriting resources and support towards extra-curricular activities.

Where possible the DT attends the Torbay LAC network meetings to keep up to date with any developments.