Special Educational Needs

SEN Information Report for parents 2023-24

What is `The Local Offer’?

The local offer is where Wiltshire Council publishes information on all services and support for young people with SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities). As part of the Children and Families Bill 2014, all schools are required to make available information regarding services and support available to families with children who have a special educational need and/or a disability. More information on Wiltshire’s Local Offer can be found the Wiltshire Council Website or follow this link: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/local-offer

What is SEND?

We use the definition in the 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (June 2014):

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

- have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
- have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

What is Bellefield like?

Bellefield CofE Primary and Nursery School is a larger than average sized primary school with around 320 children on roll in eleven classes plus an LA maintained Nursery catering for 52 children (26 in the morning and 26 in the afternoon).

There are on average around 28 children in each Foundation Stage/Key Stage One class and an average of 31 children in each KS2 class.

We currently have approximately 21% of children with a special educational need or disability.

We have approximately 28% of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium funding.

What should I do if I think my child has SEND?

Start by speaking to your child’s class teacher. If you require more information, then an appointment can be made for you to talk to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo - Mrs Lexy Harris). You know your child best. It is vitally important that we work together with you as parents/carers so we can help your child to achieve their potential during their time with us.

How does the school know if my child needs extra help?

All teaching involves a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessing. We monitor all the children’s progress through observations, class teacher assessment and Pupil Progress Meetings. If your child is identified as needing extra help during the school year, the class teacher will inform you and liaise with the SENDCo to discuss the nature of their needs. If we feel we need outside support/advice to help your child we will invite you into school to talk in more detail about this and we will always explain the process to you. This is also an excellent opportunity to find out how you can help at home. Further information on our approach to teaching pupils with SEND can be found in our SEND Policy which is updated annually.

Children who have been identified as needing support that is additional to and different from that of their peers and therefore having a special educational need or disability, will be placed on our SEND register. This document is updated regularly and helps us track and assess the support offered over time.

How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school?

First and foremost, we will liaise with you as parents/carers to plan for a smooth transition to our school.

If your child is due to join our school at the start of September in Reception year we will also liaise closely with your child’s nursery/pre-school. If your child is due to join us during a school year, or at any other time during their school career, we will liaise closely with their previous school. We will also liaise with any other professionals who have been involved in your child's educational provision or meeting their additional needs such as health visitors, speech and language therapists etc.

These discussions will enable us to plan a suitable transition programme for your child, depending on their needs. This may include:

- extra visits to our school before your child’s start date;
- meeting significant members of staff such as their class teacher or teaching assistant;
- taking photographs of areas of the school which will be important to your child e.g. classroom, hall, toilets and playground;
- ensuring the correct resources are available and reasonable adaptations to the school environment have been made. We have an Accessibility Plan to ensure that our school is accessible to all and to plan for any improvements to access that may be needed.
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How will the school prepare and support my child to transfer to a new setting?

We have good relationships with all our local secondary schools and work closely in the lead up to the end of Year 6 to ensure that all children have a successful transfer experience. Our Year 6 teachers meet with the Year 7 Pastoral Support Team from the relevant secondary school. Our SENDCo and the SENDCo from your child’s receiving secondary school also meet in the summer term of Year 6 to ensure that any child with additional needs is discussed in depth and so that provision to meet those needs can be made.

If your child has an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan), a Transition Review Meeting will also be arranged in Year 5, which you and your child will be invited to attend. If your child has an EHCP and you know which secondary school you would like them to attend, a representative from that school will also be invited to that meeting.

How accessible is the learning environment?

Bellefield is a two-storey school. Within the building itself, there is one main staircase leading up to KS2 classes. There is a lift in the main building which can be used to access the upstairs classrooms. The playground directly accessible from downstairs classrooms. Upstairs classes use the external fire escapes to access the playground. Other provision can be made using the lift as necessary. We have an accessible parking space outside the main entrance and accessible toilets both upstairs and downstairs.

Who can I talk to if I am not happy about how my child is learning?

It is always advisable to talk to your child’s teacher first, as they are the member of staff who knows your child best. If you have further questions, please contact the SENDCo or the Head Teacher via the school office.

How does the school allocate resources to match children’s SEND?

It is the Governing Body’s responsibility to ensure that resources in school are allocated to support appropriate provision for all pupils requiring it. These resources include learning materials/apparatus for the children, training for staff and staffing levels. It is important for children to have a balance of support from teachers and teaching assistants, as well as opportunities to work with their peers and independently. The Head Teacher, together with the Senior Leadership Team (Assistant Heads, Early Years Lead Teacher and SENDCo), meet regularly to review and monitor the provision across the school and to allocate resources appropriately. Pupil Progress meetings are held three times a year where class teachers can report on children’s progress and any additional support can be discussed and arranged.

What training have members of staff had to be able to support my child?

Mrs Harris, our SENDCo, has completed the NASENCo qualification which all new SENDCos are required to complete within two years of taking up the post.

Training for other school staff has included:

- Dyslexia Awareness
- Autism Spectrum Awareness
- Identifying and supporting speech and language difficulties
- Soundswrite phonics training
- Supporting children with SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) needs.
- Makaton
- Neli – (Nuffield Early Language Intervention) for EYFS/Y1
- BLAST – Boosting Language Auditory Skills and Talking for EYFS
- Chris Quigley Vocabulary Training for KS1 and KS2
- Visual differences training for some Teachers and TAs.
- Block therapy – to support social communication in small groups
- Play pod training to support interactions and play at lunchtimes.
- Identifying dyscalculia.
- Forest school training.

We have recently trained two teaching assistants an Thrive Practitioners and Mrs Harris has completed the leading emotionally healthy schools programme. All staff in school have also completed an induction to Thrive and we are working towards using this approach to support all of our learners in school. For more information, please see the Thrive website https://www.thriveapproach.com/

– once we have embedded this practise, we will hold information sessions for parents and carers and the wider school community.

We are lucky to have an experienced team of TAs, all of whom have worked with children with additional needs across the school. Some are also trained to deliver specific programmes across a variety of year groups. Some of our TAs have particular experience with working with children with speech and language therapy needs and autism. We work closely with many of the specialists listed below, taking their advice and ensuring our training is up to date so we can deliver the best support for your child.

What specialist services and expertise are available for my child?

We have excellent relationships with a variety of services including:

- Educational Psychology
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Special Educational Needs Support Service (SENSS)
- Behaviour Support Service (BSS)
- Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
- Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- School Nurse
- Social Care
- Sensory Impairment Service

These services advise and support our staff by delivering training, assessing and monitoring children individually and by recommending support programmes for children with additional needs.

If we feel that your child may benefit from some learning experiences away from the school site, we are able to access some forms of alternative provision (AP) which could be used if all other routes have been exhausted.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

When a child starts at Bellefield, the SENDCo will note any SEND which has already been identified and liaise with any previous settings they may have attended. If your child has had support from other services, the SENDCo will also liaise with them. Your child’s class teacher will assess and monitor the needs of all the children in their class.

If your child has a statement or an Education, Health and Care Plan (this is sometimes referred to as a `My Plan’ in Wiltshire) we will use the information contained in this document, together with any additional information from you as parents/carers, other services and previous settings to ensure the appropriate support is in place when your child starts at Bellefield.

How are parents/carers involved in the assessment and review of their child’s needs?

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), your views will have been sought by SEND Lead Worker and other professionals during the assessment process. You will also be involved in the review process and kept informed of any developments noted by the services involved with your child. This could include being invited to review meetings, completing questionnaires or just discussing your child with the professionals who help to support you and them. Your views are very important.

If your child has been identified at school as having additional needs and he or she has worked with services (such as those named above) you will be invited to attend assessment and review meetings with the school and these services.

If the school is the only service working with your child then your child’s class teacher will meet with you at parents’ evenings to discuss progress and you will also be invited to meet with the SENDCo. If you would like to talk to the SENDCo at any other time, please contact the school office to arrange a convenient appointment. (01225 753 530)

We use pupil profiles for some of our children who have additional needs as a way of capturing your child’s views about what is important to and for them. This is shared with all staff working with your child and with you. You are then able to contribute to the profile as well. If the school, in consultation with you, decide that your child may need and EHCP in the future, we will start a SEND support plan.

How will my child be involved in the assessment and review of his/her progress and needs?

We encourage all children at Bellefield to be aware of themselves as learners and where their strengths and needs lie. We create one-page profiles for children with additional needs. These profiles are one way of providing children with the opportunity to think about what they are doing well, what helps them to learn and what support they may need. These are updated annually and they provide your child with the opportunity to express their views about their progress, as well as hearing about how other people think they are doing.

If your child has an Education, Heath and Care Plan (EHCP) or `My Plan’ their views about school and their progress will always be sought and recorded as part of the annual review process.

How will my child be included in activities and events outside the classroom e.g. school trips?

We want all the children at Bellefield to have the same educational opportunities and to feel included as part of our school community.

Every effort is made by the whole staff to ensure that all children are integrated into all aspects of the school.

For school trips, we may increase adult to child ratios if we feel the children in a particular class would benefit from more adult support.

We have a School Council which consists of representatives from each class in the school from Year 1 upwards. Members of the School Council visit the younger classes to talk to them about whole school issues. The council also has a regular assembly slot.

What types of SEND do you provide support for?

We support children with a wide variety of needs at any one time. The list below is not exhaustive, but is designed to give you an idea of the range of needs we work with:

- Autism
- ADHD
- Speech and Language Difficulties
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia/ Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
- Medical Needs
- Sensory needs including vision and hearing needs.

We also acknowledge that some children may have learning needs which may not have a label or diagnosis, but who still benefit from having extra support in school. We aim to treat each child as an individual and respond to their needs accordingly.

How do you support children to develop socially and emotionally?

We use Jigsaw to deliver our PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and Relationships Education and this is supplemented by support from the school nursing service. We also have a MHST (Mental Health Support Team) link worker who can help support our pupils with social and emotional needs. Our Pastoral Manager can work with you as a parent or carer, if things at home are challenging. This support can be invaluable for your child too, as it provides an additional link between home and school. Our Pastoral Manager – Mrs Carrie Ward, can be contacted via the school office. You do not need an appointment.

We have a very positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy, with lots of individual and class rewards. We have targeted support for children who have additional social and emotional needs or who may need help to join in. This can include social skills groups, games and support at playtimes.

Our Anti-bullying approach can be found in our Relationships and Behaviour Policy.

How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children with SEND?

During each term the SENDCo and Head Teacher meet with each class teacher individually to review the progress and provision made for all pupils, including those with SEND. These meetings are called Pupil Progress Meetings. The SEND Policy is also reviewed annually and contains further information on how the school monitors the effectiveness of provision. The interventions we use to support children with SEND are evidence based and we monitor their effectiveness through our school tracking system and Pupil Progress Meetings. As a result of these meetings, provision can be adjusted and varied to meet individual needs on a very regular basis.

Who can I contact for further information and how?

In the first instance, please speak to your child’s class teacher. If you are a prospective parent please contact the school office (admin@bellefield.wilts.sch.uk or ring 01225 753530) to arrange a tour or to speak to the Head Teacher Mrs Victoria Withers or the SENDCo – Mrs Lexy Harris.