Hawkes Farm SEN Policy

1. A Broad & Balanced Curriculum For All

The school believes that all children have an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and aims to give children on its SEN Register the appropriate level of support, having regard for the progressive strategies as outlined in both the full Code of Practice and in the local authority's own SENIMS policy.

2. The School's Special Needs Team

The team responsible for the day-to-day operation of this policy consists of:

  • Mr. J. WIlson - Responsible Person
  • Mr. M. Thorn - SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator)
  • Mrs. A. Blyth - Support Teacher
  • Mrs. M. Sweatman - Support Teacher

3. Co-ordination of Roles

The co-ordination of provision for pupils with SEN is undertaken as follows:
The Headteacher will, in consultation with the SENCO, support teachers and other colleagues, decide the overall allocation of resources. He will also assist the SENCO in communication with outside agencies.
The SENCO will ensure that the school policy is operated within the framework of the Code of Practice; plan and co-ordinate arrangements for identifying children with special needs; liaise with outside agencies; act as a focal point for the school's communication with parents of children with special needs; regularly update the SEN register and associated records; arrange termly reviews for all children on the Register, including those with Statements.
Classteachers will consult with parents as soon as concern arises and alert the SENCO; where concern is confirmed, ensure that the child is entered on the Register and send home the appropriate Parent's Leaflet; open a written record of registration, citing the special attention to be given to the child; inform the SENCO of progress at first review; use parent consultations to inform provision; enter discussions with support teachers and/or SENCO before requesting move to Stage 2.
The support teachers will assist with the planning and implementation of individual (IEP's) and group programmes of help with identified children; record the progress, against targets, of children at Stage 2 of the register and above; keep other records as appropriate; carry out, as requested, detailed assessments or observations; assist in termly reviews; as directed by the Headteacher or SENCO, report in writing or discussion to parents; meet termly with parents of children with IEPs; invite groups of parents to school at least twice a year to give advice on home support.
As from Spetember 1998, support teachers will work directly alongside classteachers during the literacy hour.
Classroom assistants will, as directed, assist classteachers in carrying out the provision as outlined in special attention or IEPs.

4. Admission Policy

The school has an open admission policy. We will admit any children whose needs we can support with the resources available

5. Special Unit

There is no special unit at the school.

6. Special Facilities

The school has no special facilities to aid access to the building. Four of its classrooms are on the first floor; the other ten are at ground level.

7. Special Needs Budget

We seek to ensure that the part of the school's budget allocation identified as being provided for SEN is spent on direct provision for children on the register. The review process is used to ensure flexible and adaptable allocation of the in-school support. Referrals are made to outside agencies where appropriate.

8. Registration & Review

We review children on the SEN register termly. Parents contribute their views in one-to-one consultations with support teachers, through formal and informal conversations with classteachers, and occasionally in written responses to requests for comment.
Children's needs are initially identified by the classteacher and/or parents, and concern is informed by reference to National Curriculum attainments, standardised test scores, and county thresholds. A child's needs might be additionally assessed by the support teachers and, on moving from Stage 2 to Stage 3, by either Learning Support Service or Educational Psychologist.
Our screening procedures begin with an Entry Profile completed soon after a child's admission to the reception class. School-based assessment and diagnostic procedures include use, at Key Stage 1, of MIST (Middle Infant Screening Test) and, at Key Stage 2, of MIRA (Macmillan Individual Reading Analysis).
The process for termly reviews is as follows:

  • Support Teachers and classteachers review progress agaisnt targets with children
  • Support Teachers discuss progress against IEPs with classteachers (GEST funding used to release classteachers), draw up revised IEP and/or recommend movement between Stages
  • Support Teachers have 1 - 1 consultations with parents and discuss proposed new IEP
  • Support Teachers meet with SENCO to advise on children's position on the register
  • SENCO revises register and sends notes to parents informing them of their child's forthcoming level of support
  • Classteachers and Support Teachers make children aware of their new targets
  • Parents sent a copy of the new IEP

9. Access to the National Curriculum

Through appropriate differentiation all children are offered full access to the National Curriculum.

10. Classteachers' Responsibilities

Classteachers retain overall responsibility for a child's educational programme at whatever SEN stage and should ensure that any special provision does not affect full involvement in the life of the class.

11. The Special Needs Register

The register is updated following every review, and the percentages at each stage calculated. The determination to use the full allocation of our resources on direct support for children has meant that we have not been able to use movement on the Register as a success indicator. As from September 1998 we propose applying the county's thresholds at Stage 2 more rigidly, but in the past the proportion of children at Stage 2 has remained broadly consistent, in line with the extra teaching resources available.

12. Parental Concerns

Where parents are clearly unhappy about the level of SEN support provided by the school, they will be referred, in the first instance, to the SENCO.

13. Inservice Education

Full advantage is taken of inservice opportunities offered by, amongst others, the LEA, and SEN is from time to time included in the school's programme for Day Closures.

14. Support Services

The school has access to bothe the Learning Support Service and Tutorial Support Service, and these services respond to referrals in individual cases. An area Educational Psychologist is able to assess pupils and advise on provision where appopriate. The School Nurse, Doctor, and Speech Therapist are also available for advice and input. All of these services are full-stretched and referrals necessarily have to be dealt with in order of priority on an area basis.

15. KS2 - KS3 Transfer

On completion of Keys Stage 2, full SEN documentation is transferred to secondary school. DIscussions are held with representatives of the receiver school to ensure that individual needs receive continuing and developmental provision.

16. Health and Welfare Services

Referrrals to the school health services are made via the School Nurse where it is considered the child's health might be affecting educational progress. Referrals to social services and educational welfare services are only made where particular circumstances warrant.

17. Future Developments

This is a developing policy. Areas for development in 1999/2000 include:

  • adapting teaching support for children at Stage 2 to the dynamics of the Literacy Hour
  • applying the county's thresholds at termly reviews
  • building on procedures to involve children in the formulation of their IEPs
  • maximising the potential of the Internet and the school ICT network for information and record-keeping