SEND

At John Ball we recognise the value of being a truly inclusive school where all members of the school community feel valued as individuals, and children learn, mix and become friends with others of differing abilities, and from a range of different family backgrounds and circumstances.The four areas of SEND need identified in the code of practice 2014, these are:

Cognition and Learning
Communication and Interaction
Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
Sensory and/or physical needs

Our school includes children whose needs may fall into any of these categories.

Who is the school SENDCo?

Mrs Catherine McNerney, the Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion is the SENDCo. She can be contacted on cmcnerney@johnball.lewisham.sch.uk or by the school office on 0208 852 1601

How do we identify pupils with SEND and assess their needs?

If you have concerns about your child’s progress you should first speak to your child’s class teacher. Class teachers use a wide variety of ways to identify children who may need additional support.

Teachers are continuously monitoring and assessing children’s learning and development through whole school assessment procedures. Based on this wide range of information a child may be identified as needing additional support.

When a child is identified as needing additional support, the inclusion team will become involved and may recommend some adjustments, or interventions to support your child with their learning and/or wellbeing. They may carry out specific assessments or suggest referral to external professionals.

How do we involve parents and carers and pupils in their education?

We work in partnership with parents and carers to meet the needs of every child. We have an open door policy and we will always make ourselves available to discuss your child’s needs. We listen to what parents and carers tell us about their children and we use that information to make sure everyone who works with a child understands their needs. We liaise with parents and carers to ensure that review meetings are arranged at reasonable times.

In what ways do we assess and review progress?

Through day-to-day teaching and learning, teachers continually assess children’s needs and adapt their teaching appropriately. All children are formally assessed through statutory testing at regular points in their school journey.

For particular children more in depth assessments may be required. Some of these can be carried out by our inclusion team who have had specific training to do so. Sometimes we ask external agencies to carry these out. This is particularly the case when applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). EHCPs are formally reviewed annually at a meeting including parents or carers, and key staff.

How do we support children to move between different phases of education?

Transitions (e.g. starting primary or secondary school) are carefully managed both within and across settings. Time is taken to ensure that the transitions can be made successfully. A programme of meetings and visits is organised, and these will involve the child and parents or carers, as well as professionals. The programme will vary according to the particular needs of the child but they will usually involve a visit from the new setting’s staff, as well as a visit to the new setting by the child. Transition books may be made for children, providing photographs and visual prompts to support this process. Information is always transferred securely, electronically via Egress.

What is our approach to teaching children with SEND?

Staff know the profile of their class and learning activities are planned to match children’s individual needs. The environment is stimulating, inclusive and well resourced. Wall and interactive displays provide prompts and reminders to encourage children to learn, achieve and thrive independently. Each class has a teacher and may have a learning associate supporting learning at times throughout the week. If a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, they will have a provision map detailing any additional support that they receive.

Classes are resourced for children with additional needs, specialised equipment such as writing slopes and visual prompts may be provided. All staff have access to training, advice and resources to enable them to contribute to developing and delivering fully inclusive practice.

How do we adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of your child?

In most cases a child’s needs will be addressed through high quality teaching. We respond to children’s individual needs and adapt our teaching styles, environments, resources and groupings to meet these needs. This enables us to personalise learning opportunities.

How are staff at John Ball supported to help children with SEND?

The Assistant Head for Inclusion, the senior leadership team and the inclusion team support staff in planning for children with SEND. Staff training happens regularly on a formal basis or as targeted training, offered in relation to specific needs and aspects of SEND. Training may be from an external provider, tailored and delivered in-house, or delivered from link specialist outside agencies, such as Educational Psychology or Drumbeat ASD outreach. Our training needs are regularly audited.

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our SEND provision?

We use the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle for all teaching and learning. Reviewing provision is part of our everyday practice and takes place not only in our termly child progress meetings, but also in response to every lesson. We are continuously assessing and responding to what the children tell us, and adapting our provision based on this.

How are children with SEND enabled to engage in activities?

In supporting children with SEND, we adhere to the guidance detailed in the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice 2014. Whenever possible we provide additional support so that children can be as fully involved as possible. We will risk-assess and where possible make the adaptations needed in order to meet individual needs. Where appropriate, additional funding may be used to support families with the cost of trips and residentials. The accessibility of venues and the ability for all children to take part in trips is carefully considered during the planning stages.

What provision is available to support social and emotional development?

Emotional wellbeing is supported by making sure that children who find change difficult are well prepared for any changes or transitions. To promote positive friendships, we run intervention groups with a focus on social communication and interaction. We employ a professional play therapist to provide some children with regular play therapy. Our Pastoral Care Manager also supports children and their families, and provides children with a space to talk. During breaks and lunchtimes support is also available through the playtime associate team. On occasions, additional support may be provided.

Who are the other professionals who may be involved with my child at school?

After assessment and discussion with parents and carers, and the school team, a range of services may be available, these include:

Education Psychology
Drumbeat ASD outreach service
Speech and Language therapy services
Specific Learning Difficulties Team (SpLD)
Visual Impairment Team
Targeted Family support
Outreach Inclusion Service
New Woodlands outreach service (for children Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties)
School Nurse
Children Social Care
Virtual School

How do I raise a concern?

We value open communication, staff and school leaders are readily available to discuss areas of concern. It is our aim that most concerns can be resolved through talking together and working towards a position of mutual understanding. However, we have a formal policy for dealing with more serious concerns and complaints, if issues cannot be resolved through discussion. A copy of the school’s complaints procedure can be found on the school website under policies.

John Ball Primary School