All Ebor Academy Trust schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the local authority (LA) to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.
The LA Local Offer
- The Children and Families Bill was enacted in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.
- The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
The School SEN Information Report
This utilises the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEN pupils as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.
Our Environment
- At Tadcaster Primary Academy we are committed to providing our pupils with a broad, balanced and enriched curriculum which is accessible to all and promotes inclusion. All our pupils are included in all aspects of school life and are equally valued in school. We create environments that are safe and calm so that our pupils feel comfortable to be in school and to enable them to flourish. Our staff work closely as a team to provide consistency of approach and strategies that we have in place for our pupils.
Because all children learn in different ways, we have tailored our classroom environments so that they can meet a range of needs. All of our classrooms provide:
- Visual supports
- A distraction free learning zone
- Access to multi-sensory and hands-on learning
- Use of IT and alternative methods of recording where needed
- Use of de-escalation strategies
- A preventative rather than reactive approach
- Positive praise – and lots of it!
Identification and Intervention
- Every teacher here at Tadcaster Primary Academy is working towards the achievement of every child through excellent quality first teaching. We call this our Universal offer. If any child is struggling in class for any reason, strategies and or intervention will be put in place at a Targeted level to support with this after discussions with parents/carers. Advice would be sought from the SENDCo and progress would be tracked to see if these strategies were proving to be successful.
- If a child is still struggling in school and needs additional support, it may be that they need more Specialist level intervention and resources putting in place. Again, parents would be very much involved in this discussion and would work with the school to plan this. At this stage, your child would be receiving ‘SEN Support’ and our SENDCo would be closely involved to support staff, your child and the family. The majority of children at this level with have some Assistant Teacher Support. Each child’s support package will look different depending on their level of need. As we are keen to promote independence and develop young people’s life skills for the future, where a child has AT support, we discourage the concept of 1:1 ‘velcroed’ support. Through careful planning, we will ensure that each child’s needs are met through a balanced approach of 1:1, group work and monitored independent time.
SEN Support: Defining SEN and SEN Provision
The new SEN Code of Practice (2014) defines children as having special educational needs (SEN):
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 or disability if he or she:
- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or 16
- 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 .
Our SENDCo will oversee the provisions and interventions we have in place for all our pupils at Tadcaster Primary Academy. Along with the senior leadership team, they monitor the effectiveness of provision through observations and data analysis and provision will be adjusted as required to ensure pupils are fulfilling their full potential. Children will always be supported to engage in activities available to pupils who do not have SEN.
Because we understand that Early Identification is key, our SENDCo works closely with staff to help identify children with any additional needs and advise on intervention as this early stage.
We work closely with individuals and other agencies to help us identify the right support for each child, including:
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Emotional, social and mental difficulties Barwick Parade Specific learning difficulties Barlby High Communication and interaction Thorpe Willoughby Severe Learning difficulties Springwater - The Enhanced Mainstream schools which provide both in reach and outreach support.
- Speech and language,
- CAMHS
Pupils with SEN at Tadcaster Primary Academy may have a document in place that is jointly written by parents, the child and professionals. Depending on the level of need, this may be called ‘My Support Plan’ or an ‘Education Health Care Plan.’ An EHCP is a statutory document that is written alongside the SEN Panel at the Local Authority.
Family and Pupil Engagement
Communication is key
We pride ourselves on strong links with parents/carers and the child. We will always keep you in the loop when planning provision and intervention for your child. We have introduced comprehensive documentation for all our pupils receiving SEN Support that is written and reviewed jointly with parents and pupils. We know that by working together, we have a much greater chance of getting it right for your child. There are dedicated sections within your child’s plan for parents/carers and pupils to complete. We welcome yours and your child’s input into their plan, not just at their review meeting, but on a more regular basis as things arise.
Work Force
As part of Ebor Academy Trust, we are committed to providing high quality training and support to all our staff. We have an experienced SENDCo who has dedicated time to work with our schools and our workforce. Our staff access in house specialist training as a well as a wide range of external courses from other professionals and agencies.
Examples of recent staff training would include:
- Sensory processing disorder training
- Differentiation in classrooms
- Creating an inclusive environment for ALL pupils and reducing anxiety
- Language friendly classrooms
- Supporting pupils on the dyslexia continuum
- Autism awareness training
Our leadership team carry out weekly learning walks in all of our classrooms which ensure that advice and support is given regularly to staff which means we are confident that our pupils are receiving the best possible support and teaching.
All staff in school are made aware of individual children’s specific needs and training/ support will be put in place as needed. This helps ease transitions from different teachers and into new year groups in September. Careful transition is also planned with Secondary Schools for those pupils in Year 6.
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All staff in school are made aware of individual children’s specific needs and training/ support will be put in place as needed. This helps ease transitions from different teachers and into new year groups in September. Careful transition is also planned with Secondary Schools for those pupils in Year 6.
The SEN team
SENDCO – Mrs Rachel Cummings
SEND Link Governor – Mr Derek DeVere
Get in touch
If you have any concerns about your child, please see the class teacher as the first point of contact. You can also contact the SENDCO – Mrs Rachel Cummings or the Headteacher – Ms Caroline Towler on 01937 833795