Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer
There is a wealth of information and local support group contacts available to parents through the Norfolk SEND Local Offer which can be found at https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer
The Norfolk Directory also forms part of the Norfolk SEND Local Offer and can be searched for information about specific services in your area.
The Youth Sport Trust have developed a new resource that brings together over 90 free activities for children and young people with SEND. Lots of activities have all been designed to ensure young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities can access inspiring, accessible and meaningful PE and school sport during their home learning. Please click on the link below.
YST-SEND-Flyer-Physical-Activity-PE-at-home
Special Educational Needs Information Report 2023-2024
At Thurton CE Primary School our core value is Togetherness grounded in a clear theology firmly rooted in a Christian narrative from the New Testament of the Bible. ‘…so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.’ Romans 12:5 and ‘…members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.’ Corinthians 1:12. We aim to provide everyone in school with opportunities to grow and develop academically, physically, intellectually and emotionally according to their own individual needs. We embrace the fact that every child is different and therefore the needs of every child are different. We are proud to be a fully inclusive school.
The staff at our school are dedicated to encouraging all children, regardless of their Special Educational Need and/or Disability (SEND), to make the best possible progress while they are in our care. Our vision:
To serve our community and provide a welcoming atmosphere where the spirit of togetherness flows throughout. Where all members have the same care for one another, share a love of learning and instil a ‘can do’ culture. We desire that all our children fulfil their potential and enter their next phase of education as confident, knowledgeable and well-rounded individuals.
OFSTED 2015 – ‘Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good or outstanding progress because the school meets their needs completely, as do pupils who speak English as an additional language. Parents of pupils with complex needs spoke highly of the progress their children make.’
How does the school know if children need extra support?
When children have identified SEND before they start at Thurton CE Primary, we will liaise with the people who already know them and use information already available to identify what the child’s needs are and how best to support them – this could be the nursery school that a child has attended prior to joining reception or a primary school that they are transferring from.
If you tell us that you think your child has SEND, we will discuss this with you and agree on how to proceed. We will then share what we discover with you, what the next steps will be at school and how you can best help your child at home.
The identification of SEND may also arise as a result of classroom observations made by teaching staff or teaching assistants or from the tracking of children’s progress. If our staff think that your child has a SEN this may be because they are not making the same progress as other children; this may be evident through their work, behaviour or social skills. We will observe them, assess their understanding of what we are doing in school and use a variety of strategies to find out what could be causing the difficulty. Where relevant, we will refer to outside agencies to support us in identifying and supporting the child’s needs.
How will school support my child?
The class teacher is responsible for all of the children in their class. They will plan the daily provision for all children, including those with SEND and those who are Looked After, and will be supported and advised by the school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) where necessary. The class teacher will discuss with you any support they think is required that is additional and different to what we would offer to children as part of our usual practice. If you and the teacher identify a need for a specific in-school assessment or involvement from any outside specialist services, then the SENDCo will talk to you about this and seek your permission to proceed. The SENDCo then becomes the lead person for working with outside services and keeping you, and everybody in the team around your child, informed of key events and information.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
High quality classroom teaching, with adjusted plans and resources for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to children who may have special needs or is Looked After. All our staff are trained to make lessons accessible or more challenging, and children can be provided with additional resources or support so that every child is able to learn at their own pace – this is known as differentiation and will enable your child to access a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.
If your child is not making the expected progress and has specific gaps in their understanding then, he/she may work within a smaller group of children or one to one with a teacher or teaching assistant; this may happen within the classroom or in another room or area. The type and amount of support your child will receive will depend on their individual need.
What specific training do staff have?
Training and support for staff is often based around the needs of our children within school. Staff receive more individualised training if they are supporting a pupil with a specific need. Medical training to support children with medical care plans is organised when necessary.
Training of staff working with pupils with SEN includes:
- ‘Building bricks for communication’ to engage small groups in developing speaking, listening and social skills.
- ‘Clicker’ – a word processing package to support writing and spelling.
- Norfolk Steps – training in behaviour management and de-escalation strategies.
- First aid training and Paediatric first aid.
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder training.
- Working Memory – strategies within the classroom.
- Supporting children with ADHD and Social and Emotional issues, including self-harm and suicide.
- Three members of teaching staff are Designated Safeguarding Leaders.
- Sensory Needs training and the use of Sensory circuits
- Support for Early Developmental Trauma training.
- Dyslexia support within the classroom.
How will the school keep me informed of how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
Learning Conferences (parents’ evenings) take place following each half term and you will receive your child’s updated school report at the end of each term. Parents are given information about whether their child is achieving at a rate that is similar to their peers and how they are progressing towards their targets.
Children who have been identified with a Special Educational Need will also have a ‘Pupil Passport’. This will detail the child’s strengths and barriers to learning. It will include strategies that are advisable to support learning within the classroom. Most importantly, it will detail the specific support that the child is receiving which is additional to and different from that which is generally available to those in the class. This could be small group support or one to one support. The SEN Code of Practice requires schools to follow a ASSESS, PLAN, DO, REVIEW cycle of support. Once a need has been identified, a plan of action will be drawn up and shared with parents (it will be detailed within the Pupil Passport). After an agreed period of time, progress will be reviewed and assessed and the next cycle of support will be agreed. These ‘Pupil Passports’ will be shared, discussed and agreed with you at the Learning Conference.
Parents can arrange a more private meeting with the class teacher or with the SENDCo if there is anything of a more serious or of a private nature to be discussed. In some instances, a home-school communication book may be used.
Outside services involved with some children, such as speech and language therapists or the Educational Psychologist will provide reports and information about attainment and expected progress following a visit. If your child has an EHCP there will be a review meeting held annually (or sooner if necessary) which you will be invited to attend.
For looked after children there will be a termly meeting to which you will be invited by the child’s social worker, to discuss and agree Personal Education Plans with the social worker, classteacher and other keyworkers. There will be yearly meeting with an Independent Reviewing Officer to monitor progress for children who are Looked After. These are co-ordinated by the child’s social worker and are usually held at school. The child or young person will also be invited to attend these meetings.
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
We are an inclusive school. All staff believe that a child’s high sense of value and self-worth is crucial to their emotional well-being and academic progress. We have a caring, understanding team who look after all our children.
Trained first aiders and paediatric first aiders are available in school. If your child requires medication to be administered in school then you are asked to provide details of this and complete appropriate documentation.
The school has an allocated member of staff who is responsible for managing the support given to pupils with medical needs or a health care plan.
The school has a system of rewards and sanctions for behaviour management for all children (please refer to the whole school Behaviour Policy for more information about this). Additional behaviour management plans, risk assessments or handling plans may be used where needed, to support individual children who are experiencing particular difficulties.
Christian values are an integral part of the ethos at Thurton Church of England Primary School and we encourage and teach all members of the school community to adhere to these. This is achieved through collective worship, behaviour expectations, visits from the community including the Reverend and local church group. We encourage respect towards all. Recent values have included responsibility, respect, friendship, forgiveness and tolerance.
OFSTED 2015- ‘Pupils are polite, well mannered and respectful and were extremely keen to talk to inspectors about their work and school life generally. They are exceedingly confident young people but at the same time they demonstrate humility and celebrate their own and each other’s achievements with equal pride’
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
Depending on the needs of our children we are able to access support from outside agencies, such as the Inclusion Team, Alpha Inclusion support, Autism support, Speech and Language support, School Nursing team, Early Years advisors, CAMHS. As a school we employ social, emotional and mental health support through Calm Life – a ‘Well-Being’ coach who provides tailored individual pastoral support addressing a range of bespoke needs. Our PSA also offers pastoral support through ‘Drawing and Talking.’ She is also available to offer support and advice to parents and can be contacted via the school office.
For our Looked After Children, we work closely with the Virtual School and alongside Children’s Services.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?
Risk assessments are carried out for school visits including residential trips and reasonable adjustments will be made where required. When necessary, the risk assessment for an individual child would include a meeting with parents as well as taking account of any medical advice. The destination of these trips will be considered when assessing the needs of all children.
On some occasions an individual member of staff may be assigned to support a small group or an individual child if the risk assessment indicates that this is necessary.
After school clubs are available to all pupils. Should any child need support to access these activities, school will endeavour to make the necessary arrangements.
How will we support children with their transition into our school and when they leave us?
Children entering Thurton CE Primary School at Reception age will have a home visit in the summer term prior to them starting in the September. This helps school staff get to know the child in a familiar environment where the children are more relaxed. Information will be gathered regarding any SEND and any necessary support to be considered. Additional visits to school are encouraged for those children who may find the transition difficult between home and school.
Meetings will be arranged for those children with SEN who are already known to our feeder preschools and nurseries. This ensures that we are fully informed of their needs and can plan support accordingly. When children leave Thurton CE Primary to transition to high schools, meetings are arranged between the SENDCo’s of each school to exchange information. There is often enhanced transition support provided for children who would benefit from this, such as additional visits to the relevant high school and visits from the receiving SENDCo to see children in their current setting. Where a child is Looked After or has an Education Health Care Plan the SENDCo from the receiving school will be invited to attend review meetings.
How accessible is the school both indoors and outdoors?
All areas of the school are accessible by wheel chair, and we have disabled toilet facilities.
Where can I find further SEN information and support?
SENDCo – Mrs Scorey – contactable via the school office
SEND Governor – Mr Len Swiffen
Designated Teacher for Looked After and Previously Looked After children – Miss Chittock
There is a wealth of information and local support group contacts available to parents through the Norfolk Local Offer which can be found at https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer
Additionally there is information available from the Norfolk SEND partnership at
https://www.norfolksendpartnershipiass.org.uk
This report is due to be reviewed by September 2023
Page updated 27/9/2022