The SENCO, Inclusion Manager and Lead CP Officer Is

The Inclusion Team

The SENCO, Inclusion Manager and Lead CP Officer is

MissRebecca Mackenzie

The Deputy CP Officer is Mrs. Orlene Badu

The Pastoral Manager is Mr. Michael Costa

The Governor with responsibility for SEN is Mr. Paul Clarkson

Our Mission Statement

At St Matthias Church ofEngland Primary School we strive to support all children to enable them to achieve at school.

In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey.

Quality first teaching is vital; however for some children there are occasions when further additional support may be needed to help them achieve their targets.

Roles & Responsibilities of the special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).

The SENCO is responsible for the operation of the Special Educational Needs Policy and co-ordination of specific provision made to support children with SEN.

The SENCO liaises with staff to monitor pupils’ progress, provide advice and support and plan further interventions where progress is slower than expected. The SENCOhas contact with a wide range of external agencies that are able to give specialised advice.

If you have any concerns regarding SEN matters do not hesitate to contact us.

There are many SEN terms that are abbreviated which can lead to confusion (even for us!). Below is a glossary of the most used SEN terms.

APP / Attendance Advisory Practitioner
ADD / Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD / Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD / Autistic Spectrum Disorder
BESD / Behavioural Emotional & Social Difficulties
CAF / Common Assessment Framework
CAMHS / Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
COP / Code of Practice
CP / Child Protection
DCD / Developmental Co-ordination Disorder
EAL / English as an Additional Language
EHCP / Education, Health & Care Plan
EP / Educational Psychologist
FSM / Free School Meals
GPM / Group Provision Map
HI / Hearing Impairment
IEP / Individual Education Plan
ISR / In School Review
KS / Key Stage
LAC / Looked After Child
LEA / Local Education Authority
MLD / Moderate Learning Difficulty
NC / National Curriculum
OT / Occupational Therapist
PSP / Pastoral Support Programme
SaLT / Speech & Language Therapy
SEN / Special Educational Needs
SEND / Special Educational Needs & Disability
SENCO / Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
SLD / Specific Learning Difficulty
VI / Visual Impairment

Current SEN Updates

Children and Families Act 2014

The Children and Families Actis part of reforms to ensure that all children and young people can succeed, regardless of their background. It will reform systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and special educational needs. Special educational needs (SEN) and disability services have been extended from birth to 25, giving children, young people and parents/carers greater control, choice and voice in decisions and ensuring an individual’s needs are properly met. Some of the changes are:

The replacement of‘statements of SEN’ with a new birth- to-25 Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), extending rights and protection to young people in further education and training and offering families personal budgets so that they have more control over the support they need;

Improving co-operation between services that support children and families and requiring local authorities and health authorities to work together;

Requiring local authorities to involve children, young people and parents in reviewing and developing provision for those with special educational needs and to publish a ‘local offer’ of support.

What is the Local Offer?

• The Local Offer was first introduced as a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children with SEN and their families. This information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.

What will it do?

• Hackney Learning Trust’s Local Offer provides parents/carers with information about how to access services in the local area and what they can expect from services. It will let parents, carers and young people know how schools and colleges will support them and what they can expect from local educational settings. During the last year, the Local Offer Steering Group has developed questions for schools, and trialled them with a small number of settings.

• There are some questions, devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, which reflect their concerns and interests. These will be answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child’s needs.

Below are St Matthias’s responses (in line with the Primary Advantage Federation) to those questions.

1. How does St Matthias School know if children need extra help?

We know when pupils need help if:

• concerns are raised by parents / carers, teachers or the child;
• limited progress is being made;
• the child experiences difficulties socially or with communication;
• there is a change in the child’sbehaviour.

1. What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

• The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to your concerns.If you have further concerns or require additional information, please contact the SENCO.

1. How will I know how the school supports my child?

• The class teacher plansyour child’s educational provision. It is differentiated to suit your child’s needs. This may include additional support from the teacher or teaching assistant in class. The class teacher will tell you about the additional support that your child receives during parents’ evenings or if requested to do so in the interim.
• If your child has needs related to more specific areas of their education (such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy & literacy skills, speech and language, etc.)they will be included in a small focus group. This is run by a teacher or teaching assistant. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need but will usually be for a term. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ensure the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning. Targets for your child’s progress are set by the teacher, adult running the intervention and the child and these will be shared with you and constantly reviewed.
• The school Accessibility Plan details ways that children are supported in school.
• Interventions and targets are recorded on the class provision map (this is a record of the interventions, timings, cost and impact of the intervention). If you have any queries related to the interventions please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCO.
• Pupil progress and Provision Map review meetings are held each term. In these meetings the class teacher,Senior Leadership Team and SENCO meet to discuss the progress of pupils in their class. This discussion is designed to highlight any difficulties pupils are experiencing in order for further support to be planned.
• Occasionally a childmay need expert support from an outside agency such as Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or a peadiatrician or other service. A referral will be made, with your consent, and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and will be shared with you.
• The governors of St Matthiasare responsible for entrusting a named person, Miss Rebecca Mackenzie, to monitor safeguarding and child protection procedures. Our Finance and Administration Manager, Mrs.Esther Campbell, alongside the Leadership Team, is also responsible for the monitoring and correct administration of the Disclosure and Barring service procedures and the school’s Single Central record. The governors ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff fairly. They monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the DfE.

1. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

• Children’s work is differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum. If your child has special educational needs, this is done with awareness of their particular needs;
• Teaching Assistants (TAs) may be allocated to work with your child in a number of ways to target specific needs. Please be aware that TAs are also used to encourage your child’s independence and may sometimes supervise in a more discreet way;
• If your child has been identified as having a special need, they will be given targets that are constantly reviewed through class / group / individual provision maps. Targets are set according to their area of need. These are monitored by the class teacher weekly and by the SENCO each half term or more frequently if necessary. Targets will be discussed with you at parents’ evenings and a copy given to you;
• If appropriate, specialist equipment may be loaned to your child to use at school;
• If appropriate, a specialist teacher may work with your child.

1. How will I know how my child is doing?

• You will review your child’s targets with the teacher at parents’ evening;
• Your child’s class teacher will be available at the end of each day if you wish to discuss their progress briefly or raise a concern. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENCO by visiting the school office;
• You will receive a copy of your child’s reviewed targets.

1. How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

• The class teacher may suggest ways you can support your child;
• You can come along to our SEN Coffee Mornings or Parents’ Group to find out how to support your child or to request a topic for discussion;
• The SENCO may meet with you to discuss how to support your child with strategies to use if there are difficulties with a child’s behaviour /emotional needs;
• If outside agencies or the educational psychologists have been involved, suggestions and programs of study are normally provided that can be used at home. External services also usually involve parents / carers in meetings to discuss their findings.

1. What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

The school offers pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional difficulties. These include:

• All members of staff are readily available for pupils who would like to discuss issues and concerns;
• Sometimes children are given ‘monitor’ jobs if they find playtimes difficult;
• Children who have difficulties making friends or interacting are supported during playtimes and effective play is modelled and assisted;
• The playground includes zones so that children can choose to have quiet playtimes;
• Sometimes small group social interventions are run by a professional who the school feels will enable your child to feel comfortable;
• Where appropriate, Circle of Friends and Social Story interventions are run to support children with difficulties forming friendships or understanding social situations.

Pupils with medical needs

• If your child has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled with support from the school nurse in consultation with you. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil;
• Staff receive regular Epi-Pen training delivered by the school nurse;
• Where necessary, in agreement with parents/carers, medicines are administered in school. In order for this to happen, a signed medicine consent form must be in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member. Staff with first aid training are always available during lessons and break times.

8. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their morespecialised expertise. The agencies used by the school include:

• Educational Psychology Service;
• CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service);
• First Steps;
• Claudia Jones Organisation;
• Parents as Partners;
• Hackney Ark;
• AAP (Attendance Advisory Practitioner previously known as Educational Welfare Officers);
• Inclusion Team;
• Social Services;
• Re-Engagement Unit;
• Speech & Language Therapy;
• Specialist Teachers;
• Occupational Therapy;
• School Nurse;
• School Doctor.

An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He/she would normally only work directly with pupils whose needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them. This involvement is generally planned at Multi-Agency Planning Meetings.These are meetings held three times a year between school staff and, where appropriate, other professionals in order to gain an understanding of a pupil’s difficulties and strategies that can be used to help them with these. In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs, the psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. He/she will offer advice to the school and parents /carers regarding how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward.

1. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?

Different members of staff have received raining related to SEND, including sessions on:

• Working Memory difficulties;
• Speech and Language Groups, including attention and listening and difficulties with expressive / receptive language and vocabulary;
• Handwriting support;
• Effective deployment of TAs;
• Effective questioning techniques;
• Phonics;
• Using equipment to support children in mathematics.

MissMackenzie is currently undergoing the training for the ‘National Award for Special Educational Needs Co- ordination’.

1. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

Activities and school trips are available to all.

• Risk assessments are carried out and procedures put in place to enable all children to participate;
• If it is deemed that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required or that a child may feel more able to participate fully with a parent or carer present, they may be asked to accompany their child.

1. How accessible is the school environment?

We are happy to discuss individual access requirements and the school has an Accessibility Plan. Please ask the SENCo or school office if you would like a copy. Facilities we have at present include:

• Ramps into school buildings to make the building accessible for wheelchair users;
• Disabled toiletsin both main school buildings;
• Most classrooms and buildings have wide doors;
• Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss specific requirements or to arrange a visit;
• Transport can be organized to and from the school by Hackney Learning Trust. Phone: 0208 558 4283 Fax: 0208 532 8532 email:

1. How will the school prepare and support my child when joining St Matthias Primary School or transferring to a new school?

Many strategies are in place to enable pupil transitions to be as smooth as possible. These include:

• Discussions between schools prior to transition.
• All pupils attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teacher.
• When moving to a new class, children are identified who need additional support to prepare them for meeting their new teacher and TA in order to make the experience more meaningful.
• Additional visits are arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school.
• Secondary school staff will visit your child prior to secondary transition.
• The year 6 teacher and SENCO liaise with SENCOs from secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
• When a pupil has more specialised needs a separate meeting may be arranged with the secondary school SENCO, parents/carers, class teacher,(where appropriate) the pupil and the SENCO.

1. How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

• The SEN budget is allocated each financial year;
• The budget is used to provide additional support or resources dependent on an individual’s needs;
• Additional provision is allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings, provision map meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year;
• Interventions or equipment are provided in order to support the child. Resources may include deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances.

1. How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive?

• These decisions are made in consultation with the class teacher, SENCO and Senior Leadership Team;
• Decisions are based upon termly tracking of pupil progress and as a result of assessments by outside agencies;
• If further concerns are identified at any point due to lack of progress or well-being then other interventions will be arranged.

1. How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child’s education?

You are encouraged to contribute to your child’s education. This might be through:

• Discussions with the class teacher;
• Discussions with professionals from outside agencies / the SENCO / Senior Leadership Team;
• Co-production of a ‘One Page Profile’ for your child, detailing their personality, strengths, interests and most successful support strategies;
• Parents’ evenings;
• Curriculum evenings;
• Open mornings;
• SEN coffee mornings / parents’ group.

1. Who can I contact for further information?

• If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs please contact the school office on 0207 254 1148 to arrange a meeting with the class teacher or the SENCO.

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