In the first instance, talk to your child's class teacher

They are responsible for monitoring progress and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need. This additional support might be making adaptions to teaching and learning, accessing specialist equipment, short-term or longer term targeted interventions. Where a specific need is identified, they will set and review individual targets at least once per term in collaboration with you. They will ensure that the SEND policy is followed in their classroom and liaise with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) where necessary. 

You may also contact our SENCO

They are responsible for co-ordinating the support for children with SEND, as well as developing and reviewing the SEND policy. They will also ensure that you are involved in supporting your child's learning, kept informed about their progress and consulted during reviews. Where external specialist advice is considered necessary, they will also liaise with the appropriate service to secure this support. The SENCO also maintains the school's SEND register, a record that ensures that the needs of pupils in this school are known, and keeps records of your child's support and progress. 

Other key staff include:

Our Headteacher, Mr Neil Reilly, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the school, including support for children with SEND, and ensuring that your child's needs are met. They will also make sure the Local Governing Committee is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND provision. 

Our SEND Governor, who is responsible for making sure that the necessary support is given for any child with SEND who attends the school and is a critical friend to the SENCO. 

Quality First Teaching

For your child this would mean

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand
• That teaching is adapted, so that your child is supported to access and be fully involved in learning in class - this might include making reasonable adjustments and using specific strategies/equipment to support their individual needs 

Targeted intervention

This might be:

• Short-term (to help your child to keep-up and/or catch-up)
• Long-term (where more bespoke intervention is required)
• Be run in the classroom or in a group room
• Be run by a teacher or teaching assistant (TA)
• Recommended and/or delivered by external specialists or agencies

You should expect that targeted interventions are carefully tailored to meet your child's needs and that their impact is monitored to see how effective they are in achieving the goal of the intervention. 

High needs support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong. This is usually provided when your child has been identified by a range of professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching because they have specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and targeted intervention. 

For your child this would mean: 

• The school (or you) can request that the LA carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs and apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). 

• The request must include information from school and parents about your child's learning, their identified needs, evidence of the support they are currently receiving and their progress. The request is considered by a panel who will consider the evidence against their assessment thresholds, and then decide whether a statutory assessment is relevant and necessary. 

• At this stage, if the panel declines the request, school will be asked to continue with the current level of support available from its budget. If the request is agreed, the LA will ask parents and professionals to provide further evidence to support the assessment. An Educational Psychologist from the LA will complete an assessment of your child's needs and hold a meeting with you. An EHCP Planning meeting will be arranged involving school, a representative from the LA, parents and any other professionals who are involved to create a draft EHCP using all available evidence. 

• Following the planning meeting, the LA will decide whether to issue the EHCP or not. 

• The EHCP will outline long-term outcomes and the provision required to meet your child's needs. It will also identify the amount of additional high needs funding that the school will receive to ensure that this support can be delivered, on top of the school's usual budget. 

• It is the school's legal responsibilty to ensure that the provision outlined in the EHCP is delivered. The outcomes and provision detailed in the EHCP are reviewed at least annually in consultation with parents and any professionals involved. 

• The statutory assessment process is a legal process. Parents have the right to appeal (either through mediation or tribunal) at any stage of the process. The LA Special Educational Needs Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS) provide impartial advice and information to parents and can be contacted here: Peterborough Information Network | SEND Information Advice and Support Service - SENDIASS (Local Offer)

We believe that early intervention and collaboration with parents is key in ensuring that children receive the best support in school. If we have concerns about your child's learning and/or development, we will discuss these with you at the earliest opportunity to: 

• Share details of our concerns 
• Listen to any concerns you may have
• Plan any additional support and monitoring your child may need
• Discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child

• The school budget, includes money for supporting children with SEND
• The Headteacher decides on the deployment of resources for children with SEND, in consultation with the SENCO and school governors based on the needs of children in the school 
• The Headteacher and SENCO  discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including
  • the children getting extra support already,
  • the children needing extra support,
  • the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected.

From this information, they decide what resources/training and support is needed

• Teaching Assistants mainly working with either individual children or small groups
• An Emotional LIteracy Support Assistant (ELSA) offering pastoral support for children with a range of social and emotional needs 
• Independently commissioned Educational Psychologist (Futures in Mind)

Local Authority Provision delivered in school

Additional support and advice can be gained from the following services. This may be on a short- or long-term basis, depending on the needs of the child: 

• Specialist Teaching Services for ADHD and Autism 

• SEND Specialist Hubs (commissioned by the LA and based at educational settings across the city, providing specialist placements, training, resources, peer to peer support in their focus area) 

• Early Support Pathway and access to Early Years Specialist Inclusion Team (Reception year only) 

• Sensory and Physical Support Service (for children with visual, hearing and physical needs)  

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS) - an independent service, commissioned by the LA

Health Provision delivered in school

Additional support and advice can be gained from the following services. This may be on a short- or long-term basis, depending on the needs of the child: 

• Speech and Language Therapy input (NHS) 

• Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service (EHWS) 

• Healthy Child Programme (School Nursing service)

• Occupational Therapy service

• Physiotherapy service

• Peterborough Integrated Children’s Health Service (Community Paediatrics) – providing assessment and management for children with physical disabilities, developmental disorders and complex needs 

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) 

The SENCo’s job is to support the class teacher in planning for children with SEN.

• The school provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEN. This includes whole school training on SEN issues, such as speech and language difficulties, adaptive teaching, the use of visuals and specific intervention strategies
• Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class, e.g. from Autism specialist teaching service, Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service and Educational Psychologist
• The SENCO attends regular SEND network meetings and meets regularly with the other OWN Trust SENCOs where updates and training are disseminated

Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.

• Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, can adapt planning to support the needs of your child where necessary
• Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups
• Planning and teaching will be adapted, on a daily basis if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs

• Your child’s progress will be monitored by his/her class teacher on an ongoing basis to support their learning 

• His/her progress will be reviewed formally by the child’s class teacher at least every term

• Statutory assessments are made at the end of the Reception year and Year 6, as dictated by the government. In Year 1, children complete the Phonics Screening Check and in Year 4, there is a formalised test of children’s multiplication knowledge. Results are published nationally. 

• Children receiving SEN Support in school will have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) completed by the class teacher. This contains information about your child's targets, the provision being made and outlines their strengths and needs. 

• You will be invited in to meet with the class teacher (and SENCO if needed); progress against these targets will be reviewed regularly in collaboration with you and targets for the next cycle will be agreed

• The progress of children with a EHC Plan will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review and all adults involved with the child’s education will be consulted

• The SENCO will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work/intervention and in any group that they take part in by reviewing learning plans and phase provision maps

• Monitoring activities such as book looks and learning walks/drop ins will be carried out, by members of the Senior Leadership Team, to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high. 

• The class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school, so that similar strategies can be used. 

• The SENCO/Inclusion Leader is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have. 

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

• Targets set on individual learning plans will be discussed and shared with you every term and your child's views gained 

• The school is fully compliant with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010
• The school is on a single-level with easy access and ramps
• There are two disabled toilets and a shower area
• We ensure where-ever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs
• After-school provision is accessible to all children, including those with SEN
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEN

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEN, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

If your child is joining us from another school:

• The SENCo will visit pre-schools with the Early Years Foundation Stage Leader, when appropriate. Additional taster sessions and an adapted transition timetable can be arranged for individual children.
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them.
• Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.
• We will discuss relevant information with your child's previous teacher/SENCO or key worker to ensure a smooth transition

If your child is moving to another school:

• We will contact the school SENCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with SENCo at the new school.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them

When moving classes in school:

• Relevant information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and, before the end of the year, a transition meeting will take place with the new teacher where your child’s needs and next steps will be shared with the new teacher to ensure continuity in their provision. 

• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them.  

In Year 6:

• The SENCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCo of the child’s secondary school. In some cases, a transition review meeting (which you will be invited to) will take place with the secondary SENCo
• Your child will participate in focused learning relating to aspects of transition, to support their understanding of the changes ahead
• Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions, and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school
• If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them

We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiety, low self-esteem and becoming withdrawn. 

All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult we offer:

• Where appropriate, a support group to improve self-confidence, support with loss or develop social skills
• 'LIsten to Me' boxes in every classroom
• Teaching Assistants specifically trained to support your child’s emotional needs (ELSA)
• Where needed lunchtime and playtime support through planned activities and groups – normally overseen by Midday Supervisors
• Access to a range of specialist support services who offer 1:1 support or advice

If your child still needs extra support, and through discussion with you, the SENCO will access further support through the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service (EHWS) and/or YOUnited mental health support hub. You may also be signposted to other relevant local services and/or your GP. 

NVPS Summer SEND Newsletter 2024 Issue 1

December - What's on Combined Flyers

Family Hub Peterborough

October - What's on

Arguing better course poster

CKH What's on

Debt and relationships course poster

Getting it right for children course poster

Me You Baby Too course poster

Coffee and Chat - Family voice 2024 upcoming dates

Getting it right for children course June 2024

Combined Flyers - Community events/courses July 24

Cross Keys events July 2024

Peterborough SEND update July 2024

Caring for someone with an eating disorder workshop flyer