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"Loved, Inspired, Shining"

Special Educational Needs & Disability Information

St Alphege CE Infant School and Sunbeams Nursery are proud to be inclusive. Our policy is in line with the Code of Practice and Children and Families Act in 2014 and can be found on our website. The policy is reviewed annually by both staff and governors. The school Governors are aware of and respond to the relevant Disability Discrimination and Equality Acts and have a plan for Single Equality Scheme (within the School Development Plan) which is monitored by a group, which includes the Inclusion Leader; named Governor for Inclusion and other interested Governors and Parents.

Our school is a relatively new build with good access facilities. All ground floor classes have direct access to playground and entrances and covered areas for outside learning. There is a lift for access to the Year 2 classrooms upstairs. The school has toilet facilities with disabled access on both floors and shower provision on the lower floor. 

The school works closely with external professionals such as specialist teachers or an educational psychologist to ensure the best possible outcomes for our SEND pupils.

The school believes that its most valued resource is its staff and employ high quality teaching assistants to support early intervention and quality first teaching in the classroom. The school values CPD and all teaching assistants are proficient in offering a range of interventions. One of our teaching assistants is trained in supporting children with speech, language and communication needs and we also employ a qualified BSL signer and a Well-being and Learning Mentor.

The school has a very thorough and effective systems for transition which support all pupils either joining our school or moving onto the next phase of heir education.  We will work closely with you as a family to ensure your child has the best possible start to their education and continues to do so as they move through the school.

This is what Ofsted said about inclusion at our school.

"Leaders make effective use of the pupil premium and special educational needs funding to remove barriers to learning for vulnerable pupils and enable them to make rapid progress from their starting points."

"Pupils with SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points because teaching meets their needs well. In addition, teaching assistants skilfully tailor the work to the needs of individuals or groups of pupils so that they are able to learn the same topics as their peers."

"Teaching assistants work closely with teachers, and provide effective support to pupils who need to catch up and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. These pupils take part in the full curriculum and make good progress because of the well-targeted interventions and timely support that they receive."

Frequently Asked Questions

What are our aims? 

What are our aims?

  • To make sure that the arrangements made for pupils with special educational needs are in line with the requirements of the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years’ (2015)
  • To use our best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEND gets the support they need – this means doing everything we can to meet the needs of children with SEND.
  • To ensure that children with SEND fully engage in the activities of the school alongside pupils who do not have SEND.
  • Ensure the identification of all pupils requiring SEND provision as early as possible.
  • Provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils.
  • Ensure that we involve and listen to our parents’ views and keep them fully informed about their children’s progress and attainment.

We recognise that many pupils will have special needs at some time during their school life. In implementing this policy, we aim to remove barriers to learning, allowing children to achieve their full potential and be included as fully as possible in all areas of school life.

How is Special Educational Needs defined?

How is Special Educational Needs defined?

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 him or her. 

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:

  1. Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
  2. Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. SEN Code of Practice (2014)

Definition of disability

Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is’…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’ SEN Code of Practice (2014)

 

Types of SEND

The four areas of need as laid out in the Code of Practice are:

Communication and Interaction (includes Autism)

Cognition and Learning

Social Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

What types of SEND provision does St Alphege CEI offer?

At St Alphege CE Infants School and Sunbeams Nursery we will make provision for every kind of frequently occurring special educational need without an Education, Health and Care Plan, for instance autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language needs, social communication disorder, learning difficulties and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  The school has a wealth of experience when dealing with many different kinds of special educational need and will always give its best endeavours to meet the needs of all pupils. If any pupils presents with needs which do not occur as frequently within school, or which the school is less familiar with, we can access training and advice so that these kinds of needs can be met. 

The school also currently meets the needs of pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan with the following kinds of special educational need: Severe and Profound Speech and Language disorder, Severe Bilateral Hearing Loss/Profound Deafness, Severe and complex Learning Difficulties, Severe Medical Needs with associated learning difficulties. 

How do we identify when a pupil has special needs?

At St Alphege CE Infants and Sunbeams Nursery School we believe that early identification of children’s needs is paramount in order that appropriate provision is allocated to ensure that all pupils reach their full potential. We therefore monitor the progress of all pupils, in all aspects of the curriculum, six times a year to review their academic progress.

We work collaboratively with parents in the identification process in order to gather information and best ways to support the child. Ways in which we identify when a pupil has special educational needs:

Information sharing and discussions with parents

Teacher/teaching assistant observations and monitoring.

Ongoing teacher assessment which indicate a lack of progress or attainment.

Changes in pupils wellbeing or behaviour.

Screening and Assessment tools - these may include: The speech and language link screeners for all children entering YR including a re-screen for any pupil identified with areas of difficulty, YR statutory baseline screening, Y1 statutory phonics screening, individual universal assessments used to track reading age and phonics ability throughout the school, Statutory SATs testing takes place towards the end of Y2.

Liaison with external professionals

The Inclusion Leader and the Class teacher will gather information about the pupil and decide on action that needs to be taken, in partnership with parents and where appropriate, with the child. Our school makes every effort to overcome barriers to learning to ensure all children make progress across the curriculum.

How are children's needs supported?

All children in our school receive ‘Quality First Teaching’ and we aim to ensure that all teachers have knowledge and understanding of inclusive practise. Where progress is not sufficient, even if a special educational need has not been identified, we put interventions in place to enable the pupil to catch up. The Inclusion Leader and Class teachers will pay particular attention to those children with SEND and other groups, vulnerable to experiencing barriers to participation and achievement. Children identified as EAL or ‘working at greater depth’ will also be considered during the provision mapping process. A provision map is an ‘at a glance’ way of showing the range of provision the school makes for children with additional needs, through additional staffing, small group intervention or in class support.

What should I do if I think my child has special needs?

If you have concerns about how your child is progressing, please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance. All teachers in school are teachers of pupils with special needs and disabilities. We also have a skilled team of Teaching Assistants and a Well-being and Learning Mentor. If appropriate, the class teacher will raise concern with the Inclusion Leader Becky Strike.

Monitoring children's wellbeing

All children’s wellbeing is monitored by class teachers on a daily basis. Staff ensure that additional time is made for those who require it, this is responsive to the individual needs of the children within the class.

If a child’s wellbeing becomes a concern to staff the SENCO and the Wellbeing and Learning Mentor would become involved. We have a number of strategies which could be used to monitor and support individuals who are encountering social, emotional or mental health difficulties. Our Wellbeing and Learning Mentor is available to support children who are having difficulties within school

What is SEND support?

Once a pupil is identified as having special educational needs, they are placed on ‘SEND support’. This is characterised by a sustained level of class based intervention, that are different from or additional to the normal differentiated curriculum. Where appropriate and with parental consent, the involvement of external agencies will be engaged.

SEND Policy and Information Report

Click here to see our SEND Policy.

Parent Views

"I just want to say how grateful we are to be so fortunate as to have this wonderful school on our doorstep. Our son is thriving at St Alphege, despite his complex needs. Every member of staff is fantastic and the leadership from the Head and SENCo has been brilliant. Thank you."

"I would like to say how truly grateful I am for everything you’ve done over the years for my son.  As a school you believed in him, you supported him and you fought for him as if he was your family.
He has always been so accepted and even though I’m terrified of what the future holds, and the thought of him in a new school scares me, I know my son has had the very best start in life .
He has come so far, it’s hard to believe he was the little boy who was frustrated and struggled to speak and to be understood.
As a school you have celebrated his differences, embraced how he sees the world and adapted his learning journey for him.
Not only have you supported him but me also,helping me fight his corner with diagnoses and doctors, being an ear when I needed a chat, a smile and kind words and celebrating his achievements .
For him the world can be a very hard confusing place but as a school you guided him through all the obstacles he had to overcome or work through.  I’m truly grateful, and will always be, for all you’ve done.
Mrs Spinks, you fought for him from the moment he began your school and without your backing I do not know how he’d come so far without your strength and belief in him.
Mrs Strike, always a kind listening ear and trying to make his school life as smooth as possible and supporting him and myself through every hurdle."

 "I can honestly not put into words how happy we are that we sent our daughter here. I feel she is looked at as an individual, as all children with ASD are so different. Whenever there has been a problem it is dealt with straight away. I do not believe she, or us as her parents, would have been happier anywhere else."

Pupil Voice

Children will have regular opportunities to share their thoughts in small groups and during class discussions within class time and general activities. Regular meetings are held where within small groups children of all stages and abilities are able to discuss new ideas and reflect on what they are enjoying at school and what can be made better.

Useful Links

Below are some useful links to other websites offering support and advice about SEN needs.

Dyslexia Support

Autism

Speech & Language Services Kent

Parent Supports - Information, Advice & Support

SNAAP - Special Needs Advisory and Activities Project

Kent Local Offer

Mainstream Core Standards Guide

 

 

 

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