SEND

You can find a link to our SEND policy here: SEND Policy

Special Educational Needs and Disability
SEND Information Report
This SEN information report is in compliance with Section 69 of the Children & Families Act, 2014; Regulation 51, Schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations, 2014; Section 6 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25

About our school
Junction Farm Primary School is a mainstream primary school, part of The Vision Academy Learning Trust, who promote an inclusive ethos, in which diversity of need and ability is acknowledged and nurtured.
At Junction Farm, we have high expectations of all our children while recognising that every child is unique. We strive to support all children in enabling them to achieve the very best in their learning journey with us. For some children, there are occasions when further additional support may be needed to help them to make the appropriate progress within school. Working within the Code of Practice guidance we will assess, identify and plan an individualised support plan which aims to meet the needs of each child.

Enhanced Mainstream School
Junction Farm is an enhanced mainstream school (EMS) which has a base to support children with Communication and Interaction needs. We currently have classrooms for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Children within our mainstream school do not have access to the EMS or its services, as places are provided by the local authority.

The purpose of the EMS is to ensure that children who are unable to access the mainstream classroom receive support from the enhanced provision to make progress that is at least in line with national expectations for children of their age.

Children within our EMS have access to:

• • • • Support from appropriately qualified and/or experienced specialist staff
      • Specialist assessments to understand their needs, identify potential barriers to making progress and inform next steps in support
      • Support from occupational therapy, weekly
      • Access to quiet learning environments in purpose build classrooms: KS1 room and KS2 room
      • Access to a higher level of adult support
      • Access to sensory rooms with a range of sensory equipment
      • Staff that receive appropriate training to meet the needs of the children within their care
      • Where appropriate, access to mainstream classroom learning
      • Targeted interventions to promote and develop social, communication and language skills
      • Enhanced transitions within school and when moving on

In order to access the EMS, children must meet the following criteria:

• • • • Have an Education, Health and Care Plan
      • Have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
      • Be working at their National Curriculum level eg Year 1 child, working on the Year 1 curriculum
      • Communication and Interaction is the child’s primary need
      • Have a banding of 4 in Communication and Interaction and no more than a 3 in the other areas of need
      • Be assessed by the EHCP panel and awarded a place by the authority
      • For more information around the EMS provision, please follow the link below or contact the local authority.
        Stockton’s Enhanced Mainstream Schools

Who to contact
If you have concerns around your child’s progress or feel that they may have additional educational needs, please speak to your child’s class teacher as a first step. The class teacher will then pass on any queries to the SENCo and a further meeting can be arranged to discuss your concerns in depth. Alternatively, you can contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the SENCo if you would like to discuss your child’s special educational needs.

School SENCO: Miss Sarah Bligh
Tel: 01642 781586

Governor with SEN responsibility: Kate Barkley

How do we identify and give extra help to children and young people with SEN?

There are four broad categories of need, these are:

• • • • Communication and Interaction
      • Cognition and Learning
      • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
      • Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties

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

Early identification of need is key in being able to the correct provide support for children. Once a need has been identified, communication will take place between the parent, class teacher and SENCo to discuss next steps and an action plan in moving forward.

What does staff training look like?
Every member of staff at Junction Farm is safeguarding trained with compulsory annual training. In order to maintain and develop the quality of teaching and learning at Junction Farm, all staff are encouraged to undertake training and development. Junction Farm has an annual training budget to address the training needs of all staff. There are mandatory areas with which staff need to be compliant including Safeguarding etc. All new staff undertake induction on taking up a post to explain the systems and structures in the school. Staff also sign to state that have read, understand and will follow the school handbook. This is updated annually.

Regular reviews with staff allow for identification of further training, whether it be sought by the school or by the individual themselves. This allows for tailored CPD opportunities for all staff to match career expectations as well as develop knowledge and expertise in supporting each child they work with. Training logs are maintained on all staff. Many of our training sessions are delivered in-house by our own experts or delivered by outside professionals who are invited in following a need identified within school.
The SENCo is a qualified teacher who has also completed the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination. The academy trust hold regular trust SENCo briefings which all the SENCo’s in our trust attend. These are half-termly where possible and allow for a collaborative approach to SEN in our individual schools as well as a sharing opportunity of good practice.

The SENCo also attends the local authorities SENCo briefings, where possible, which provides updates on policy, legislation and good practice.

How do we work with and support parents and children/young people?
A support plan will be written and agreed by the class teacher, parents and pupil. The plan will outline the child’s needs and will consist of SMART targets for the child. These are reviewed termly and monitored by the SENCO.
Each pupil’s educational provision will be planned by the class teacher. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil’s individual needs.

Depending on the need, support can vary but may look like one of the following:
• Additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in the classroom (small group work)
• Recommended, specific equipment to support learning, such as writing aids, seat wedges, handwriting slopes, coloured overlays/paper, fidget toys etc
• Referrals to outside agencies, with parental consent
• Keyworker assigned to the child to provide emotional or pastoral care
• Targeted intervention if the need is related to more specific areas of learning, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy and literacy skills etc.

The length of time an intervention will run can vary according to need, but will be reviewed to find out if it has been effective and inform next steps. Miss Bligh, the SENCo, receives regular updates from class teachers about the progress of pupils.

In addition to in house support, we work closely with the following outside agencies:

As a school we also use Symphony Psychology to provide assessments with an Educational Psychologist.
In addition, we work with private companies in supporting individual children. If you would like more information on this, please speak on the SENCo.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Each teacher will be skilled in providing ‘Quality First Teaching’. This means that teachers will assess, plan and teach all children at the level which allows them to make progress with their learning.

For your child this would mean:

• • • • That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class
      • Work is differentiated to meet the pupils ability
      • That all teaching is built on what children have previous learnt
      • Varied teaching pedagogies are implemented to allow for fully immersive learning opportunities
      • Small group work supported by a teacher or a teaching assistant (TA)
      • A provision map will be created detailing the support children receive in particular lessons/parts of the day
      • Recommendations from outside agencies and the SENCo are in place to support individual children
      • Your child’s teacher will carefully monitor your child’s progress
      • We have a varied programme of after-school clubs and residential trips for all pupils to access. Support will be given discussed for children who require additional support.

For children with learning needs that are severe, complex and lifelong more intensive support may be required. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of support from a range of professionals and will detail the provision that is required.
For further information in how we meet the needs of children in the four areas of need, please see the school offer (See link below).

How do we know if SEN provision is effective?
For every child identified as having SEN, including those on SEN support, progress will be closely monitored by their class teacher. The SENCo also oversees and analyses the data from assessments to monitor academic progress. The termly support plan meetings between parents, children and class teachers will monitor the child’s progress and inform target setting and reviews.

Regular book scruitinise and lesson observations will be carried out by the SENCo, other members of the Senior Management Team and subject co-ordinators to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high in all lessons. Children who are targeted for interventions will have their progress assessed at the beginning of a programme, which is then compared to their end assessment data. Their identified progress will then be assessed to identify next steps.

For children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) their progress will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education in attendance or providing up to date information reports.

How are children and young people with SEN helped to access activities outside of the classroom?
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 member of staff will be assigned to the child. This will be discussed with parents. Residential trips, which are available to Year 3 to Year 6, are accessed by all. Meetings will be held prior to the trips to ensure the child is fully supported and their needs are met away from school and home. In some cases, 1:1 support may be required which will be provided.

Joining the school and moving on
We recognize 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:

• • • • Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate
      • The SENCo and/or class teacher will liaise with the previous school in preparation for transfer
      • All relevant documents will be obtained to give school and staff a full overview of the child and their needs
      • The SENCo will meet with parents to discuss needs, create a pupil profile and identify an action plan for next steps

If your child is moving to another school:

• • • • We will contact the school SENCo and ensure they are aware of any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENCo and/or school representative from the new school
      • We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on

When moving classes in school:

• • • • Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and in most cases a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. Support plans and pupil profiles will be shared with the new teacher.
      • For children who require an enhanced transition, when we know the new staffing structure, we can build in visits to the new class teacher before the break for summer.
      • The SENCo will ensure the new class teacher has read/given a copy of all relevant paperwork, including EHCPs.
      • Children have a transition day before the end of the school year where they meet their new teacher, where possible with new staff starting school, as well as meeting their class. We aim to transition children in the new classroom they will be in to give them advance notice of where their new class will be within school.

In Year 6:

• • • • The SENCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCo or representative of the child’s secondary school. In most cases, a transition review meeting to which you will be invited will take place with the SENCo from the new school.
      • 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.
      • We are included in the Stockton Transition Guarantee.

Who to contact to make a complaint about your child’s SEN provision
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s SEN provision, please contact the school office to arrange meeting with the SENCo.
To make a formal complaint, please see the link to our academy’s Complaints and Concerns Policy.

The Local Offer

You can find more information about the authority’s Local Offer for children and young people with SEND and their families by clicking the image below.

You can find a link to our SEND policy here: SEND Policy