Quest Primary’s SEND Information Report

All Croydon Schools are committed to and adopt a similar approach to meeting the needs of all pupils including those with special educational needs and disability.  There is a shared expectation that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, will benefit from inclusive teaching, which will enable them to make the best possible progress in school, ensure they can actively participate in the wider aspects of school life and support readiness for the next phase of education and /or preparation for adulthood.

At Quest Primary School, we aim to be a truly inclusive school. We provide education for all abilities; develop the potential of every pupil, in a learning environment where fairness, understanding, success and discipline are pursued, within an atmosphere which promotes racial and social equality.

The Special Needs Co-ordinator is:

• Jan West.  Contact – jwest@questprimary.org.uk

Other staff for pupils with SEND are:

• Lorna Sumsion
• Kevin Mace
• Gemma Irwin
• Helen Stevenson
• Rose Mussett
• Leigh Chipping
• Emma Troy

At Quest Primary School, we are able to offer mainstream education, with high levels of knowledge and expertise in special educational needs, as well as an Enhanced Learning Provisions (ELP) for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).

Quest Primary School will use its best endeavours to ensure the necessary provision is made for any pupil with SEND. In doing so, the school will fulfil the statutory duties and best practice guidelines set out in the Department for Education Code of Practice for SEND.

The Enhanced Learning Provision (ELP), is a 14 place unit for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties. The ELP is made up of two classrooms where children are taught in flexible groups according to their needs. There is also an enclosed outside play area.

Our ELP Team include two fully qualified Teachers and experienced learning coaches who have training and experience of working with children with SEND. We have an attached Speech and Language Therapist who work closely with the staff to continuously set and review targets, model new targets and support staff to deliver those interventions to the Children.

Throughout the year, the SENDCO runs regular open days to enable parents/carers to visit the ELP, ask questions and find out more about our provision. Please call the office on 0208 6574722 if you would like to visit.

Pupils in the ELPs are placed at Quest Primary through the SEND placement panels, usually held in the Spring term, and have an Education, Health and Care Plan or Inclusion funding.

For further information re the ELP, please CLICK HERE.

Class Teacher

The class teacher is responsible for:

• Adapting and refining the curriculum to respond to strengths and needs of all pupils;

• Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivery of any additional support required to support progress within everyday teaching.

If it has been agreed that a pupil child requires additional SEN support the class teacher will also contribute and oversee delivery of personalised SEND Support Plans.

If you have concerns about your child, you should speak to your child’s class teacher first. Depending on the outcome of these discussions, you may have follow up meetings with the school’s SENDCO.

Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) – Jan West

• Coordinating provision for children with SEN and developing the school’s SEN policy

• Ensuring that parents are:
  • Involved in discussions to identify key strengths and areas of difficulty
  • Involved in planning provision to overcome barriers to learning
  • Regularly included in reviewing how well their child is doing
  • Consulted about planning successful movement (transition) to a new class or school

• Liaising with a range of agencies outside of school who can offer advice and support to help pupils overcome any difficulties

• Providing specialist advice and facilitating training to ensure that all staff are skilled and confident about meeting a range of SEN.

Head of School – Jo Stawman

The Head of school is responsible for the day to day management of all aspects of the school, including the provision made for pupils with SEND.

SEND Governor – Jennifer Robins

Supporting school to evaluate and develop quality and impact of provision for pupils with SEN across the school.

How does Quest Primary School know if children need extra help?

Meetings are held each term to look at the progress of all pupils.

We know when pupils need help if:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child
• Limited progress is being made
• There is a change in the pupil’s behaviour or progress
• Liaison with primary/previous school
• Liaison with external agencies i.e. paediatrician or speech and Language

The class teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns.

If you continue to have concerns, then contact the SENDCO.

Where there are concerns that a pupil is not making progress in key areas of learning, further assessments will take place and, as required there will be discussions with key staff to plan for additional support to be in place and the outcomes expected from this intervention.   You will be invited to contribute to these discussions. Consideration of other circumstances will be taken into account to decide if difficulties are due to special needs or other factors.

We know how important it is to include the views of each pupil in seeking to review what is going well and how they can be supported. If appropriate your child will be invited to take part in reviews. If this is not appropriate, we will use other ways to share their successes and plan for future support.

Difficulties in relation to social and emotional wellbeing may also trigger a need for additional support.

Targets and actions to help your child overcome any difficulties will be carefully recorded by the school in a personal SEND Support Plan. This will take into account your child’s strengths as well as areas of difficulty. It will identify ways in which you can contribute to support good progress.

Parents/Carers will be invited to review the SEND Support Plans at least 3 times a year. New targets will be agreed, along with the identification of the responsibilities of the parent, the pupil and the school.

In some cases, it may be necessary to increase or change the nature and level of support to help your child to make progress. This may involve seeking help and advice from a range of specialist agencies such as the Educational Psychologist Services or Speech and Language Service.  A referral for support from an outside agency will only be made with your consent.

When appropriate, the SENDCO may also suggest seeking further support and funding from the Locality SEND Support initiative. This will provide earlier and better targeted help and support to SEND youngsters. (For further information please see: Locality SEND Support (LSS) – Quest Primary This will enable our special needs staff to work closely with our partner schools to quickly get the necessary support and help for students who are beginning to demonstrate that they have additional needs which can’t be met through our own school SEND resources.

If, despite increased level and nature of support, it is evident that the severity and complexity of your child’s needs require provision beyond that can be offered by our own resources a request for an Education Health Care Plan may be requested.

The SENDCO will explain this process to you and show you how to find out more information about this. They will also share details of parent support organisations who can offer further support as required.

For some pupils additional arrangements and adjustments can be made to enable them to fully access statutory tests. This might include additional time, rest breaks or use of a scribe.

The SENDCO or Head of school will talk to you if she feels that your child would benefit from these additional arrangements.

Our teachers are able to adapt teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning takes into account individual pupils needs and requirements. Differentiation is approached in a range of ways to support access and ensure that all pupils can experience success and challenge in their learning.

The Locality SEND Support Offer for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability in Croydon is given to all staff and is available electronically providing inclusive strategies to use in the classroom

Grouping arrangements are organised flexibility with opportunities for both ability and mixed setting to maximise learning opportunities for all.

Additional adults funded by locality Send Support are used flexibly to help groups and individual pupils, with a long term goal of encouraging and developing independent learning skills.

If required more specific interventions are available to support groups and individuals to develop key areas of their learning and development. Details of the additional support offered to your child will be included in their SEN Support Plan.

The nature and range of interventions offered is reviewed regularly to ensure that it matches the needs of pupils at the school, including pupils who require support to develop their social interaction and resilience.

We have an accessibility plan in place to ensure that pupils with SEN and Disability can take part in all aspects of school life.

The school’s accessibility plan is updated annually and can be viewed on the school website.

The plan also outlines actions the school intends to take to further develop access and inclusion for pupils with disabilities.

Depending on specific needs of your child a more personalised access plan or individual health care plan will be drawn up in consultation with you. This will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

We undertake additional planning and risk assessments to ensure that pupils with SEND can take part in the wide range of extracurricular activities the school offers, including school outings and residential trips.

We monitor attendance at morning and after school clubs to make sure that pupils with SEND are able to access these enrichment activities.

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements.

Facilities we have at present include:

• Ramps into school to make the building accessible to all.
• 2 toilets adapted for disabled users.
• Wide doors in all parts of the building.
• Stair lift.
• Curriculum adaptation.

Provision for pupils with SEND is included in our regular monitoring of quality of teaching across the school. This helps to identify priorities for our ongoing programme of CPD to support whole school inclusive practice and to support new and less experienced staff.

All qualified teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs.

Recent training includes but is not limited to:

• Social Development and behaviour, for children aged 3-11years
• Trauma-informed practice
• Helping children who have experienced trauma
• Managing sexualised behaviour in primary schools
• Neglect Training
• Peer on Peer abuse
• ELSA
• Online safety for children
• Children and bereavement
• Safeguarding Children
• Prevent training
• Early Years and Primary education for Learners aged 4-11yearSafer Handling Training
• Downs syndrome training
• Dyslexia
• Read, Write Inc Phonics Training
• Post Graduate National Award for SEN Co-ordination
• Positive Behaviour Support strategies
• Partners in Communication-ASD Workshop
• Listening and attention skills intervention training (Speech and Language assistant)
• Level 1 Makaton Training
• PECS training
• Mental Health First Aid
• Autism Awareness
• Zones of Regulation

The school also seeks advice and guidance from local special schools, SEND locality Forum and other relevant agencies to help school staff meet the needs of each child.

Our SENDCO keeps abreast of current local and national initiatives and policy to support pupils with SEND and shares this information with all staff.

We encourage and provide additional time for our staff to share their expertise and discuss new strategies to support all student especially those with additional needs. We also send our staff to other schools and the Local Authority to help with tasks such as moderation. We work closely with our Collegiate Trust schools to achieve the best outcomes for all our pupils.

We have staff with specialised expertise and qualifications including:

• A Pupil and Family support Worker who is a trained counsellor
• Level 3 Supporting Children with specific Language Impairments in Mainstream
• Modules 1-4 Makaton for Professionals Foundation Workshop
• Level 1 Makaton Training
• PECS Training
• ELSA
• Positive Handling
• Downs Syndrome training
• Understanding Dyscalculia (British Dyslexia Association
• How Dyslexia and other SPLDs impact upon Numeracy skill (2016) (Whole Staff)
• Read Write Inc Phonics Training for all staff
• AET Schools Making Sense of Autism-Basic Autism Awareness Training
• Whole school safeguarding-annual
• Assessing Pupils working below National Curriculum standards
• PSDS Virtual Training-reading for meaning for pupils with Downs Syndrome

• You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parent Consultation Sessions.
• Your child’s class teacher will be available at the end of each day if you wish to raise a concern.
• Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENDCO by visiting the school office.

• The class teacher may suggest ways of how you can support your child.
• The SENDCO 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 Psychologist have been involved, suggestions and programmes of study are normally provided that can be used at home.

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

• Members of staff, such as the class teachers, Pupil & Family Support Worker (P&FSW) and SENDCO who are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns.  Where appropriate, mediation sessions are carried out.
• Clubs which are available for those who find the start of the day or lunchtimes a challenge.
• Zones of regulation
• PSHE

• If a pupil has a medical need, then a detailed Health Care Plan is compiled with support from the Health Service in consultation with parents/carers.  These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil.
• Staff receive EpiPen training when required.
• Training for specific medical needs such as Diabetes, Epilepsy, Sickle Cell
• Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school but only where a signed Medicine consent form is in place to ensure the safety of both child and staff member.
• A number of staff have basic first aid training, including specialism in first aid at work or paediatric first aid.

Activities and school trips are available to all.

• Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate.
• However, if it is deemed that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required a parent or carer may be asked to accompany their child during the activity.

The school works with a number of external agencies to seek advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met. These include:

Children and young people with SEND can become particularly anxious about starting school or moving on to a new class or school. The school will seek to reduce any anxieties and ensure consistency of support by:

The SENDCO and or EYFS staff will contact the pre-school setting to seek information about the nature and level of needs for pupils identified with SEND and the provision that has already been offered to overcome these barriers. If the pupil has more significant needs and/or has support from other agencies this may include more formal transition meetings where needs and the nature of provision are fully documented, and more detailed arrangements may be required.

EYFS staff will also make home visits.

We will contact the School SENDCO and share information about special arrangements and support that has been made to help your child achieve their learning goals

We will sure that all records are passed on as soon as possible.

An information sharing meeting will take place with the receiving teacher.

If appropriate there will be opportunities for your child to visit the new class and meet the teacher and other key staff.

Our SENDCO will make contact with the Year 7 leader or SENDCO once a school has been named to start planning for transition.

Multi-agency meetings maybe arranged to create a more detailed transition plan. Successful arrangements and interventions currently used to support your child can be shared with the receiving school and additional visits to the new setting may be planned to help you child become familiar with the new setting and to reduce any anxieties.

Your involvement in this process will be critical to supporting a successful move.

On an individual level, the school values the views of both parents and children in both identifying key strengths and areas of need as well as planning and reviewing provision.

We will ensure that parents and pupils (as appropriate) are included in regular review meetings to discuss progress and plan provision. Where this is not possible or where more regular updates are required we will agree with you the best way to share information.

We will use one page profile and other media to ensure that the views of all pupils are captured so that their achievements can be celebrated and needs fully understood.

For Year 5 and 6 pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans, the SENDCO will encourage parents to visit a range of secondary schools, attending open days and finding out about how each school organises SEND report.

At whole school level, the school are also keen to support parents with pupils with SEND and take their views on how we can continue to develop a positive experience for SEND pupils at our school.

Activities have included:

o           Coffee morning for parents with Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist (ELP only)

o           Availability of SENDCO at parent consultation evenings to discuss any issues.

o           Parental and pupil surveys to take views on current SEND practice and recommendations for further development.

In the first instance you should speak to your child’s class teacher. Opportunities are made to speak to the class teacher every day after school or contact the school office to make an appointment

Depending on the nature of the concern the SENDCO and other senior leaders may attend this meeting or subsequent meeting.

If you are still unhappy and feel matters are unresolved and we feel that we are fulfilling our duties in respect to your child, we will recommend you seek further advice from the local SENDIAS (SEN Information and Advice) and Mediation Services   This service is not linked to the school.

The school can also make arrangements for parents to discuss concerns with other key professionals such as the educational psychologist.

If your concerns are still unresolved we will advise you to make a formal complaint and direct you to the School Complaints Procedures on the website.

If your concern is directly related to decisions around an EHC plan assessment of needs or provision this will be managed directly by the Croydon SEN team. Parents will be contacted directly by the service to receive information about the mediation services and other action you may consider.