Bishop Monkton CE Primary School
SEND Information Report
January 2024
At Bishop Monkton CE Primary School we aim to provide all children with an enjoyable learning experience in which they can flourish. We offer an inclusive and welcoming ethos which fosters the development of well-rounded individuals. Children learn through a variety of settings: mixed age classes, single year cohorts, small focused groups and one to one teaching. This variety enables teaching to be differentiated to meet the needs of every pupil in the class. We recognise that children learn using a diverse range of styles and aim to teach according to individual learning types. Teaching staff plan and deliver an exciting and stimulating curriculum which engages children at all levels.
As a parent there may be questions that you have when trying to assess the right school for your child. You would be invited into the school along with any other professionals involved, so that the appropriate strategies and provisions can be put in place in order to support your child effectively before they start school.
Our school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is Mrs Sally Cowling. Having completed the National Award for SENCO, Mrs Cowling went on to study a Masters in Special Educational Needs. As an experienced SENCO she is always available to discuss your child’s needs. She can be contacted on the school number: 01765 677583
Mr Rajasekaran Selvarajan is our SEND Governor and is responsible for making sure the necessary support is made for any child with additional needs.
What kinds of SEND are provided for in your school?
Children in school may be identified as having special educational needs under any of the four broad areas of need:
High quality support for learning within mainstream lessons is the most important factor in helping pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to make good progress alongside their peers. This universal provision is the support provided for all learners to meet their individual needs. It includes:
What policies do you have for identifying children and young people with SEND? How do you assess their needs?
Children at Bishop Monkton School all have access to quality first teaching and the school has high expectations for all pupils. The school regularly reviews the SEND policy which is in line with the SEND Code of Practice. Children are regularly assessed and monitored to ensure any areas of need can be supported at the earliest stage. However there may be occasions when the school feels that some additional support within lessons may help your child to make better progress. If some additional small group or one to one support within lessons is planned, the school will explain how this will work, what the aims of this support will be and how and when the impact of this support will be reviewed. Most importantly, this support should be aiming to make your child more independent in lessons.
Where something additional or different is needed to support a child with SEND a structured learning programme (intervention) will be planned. Information regarding this personalised provision will be recorded in a document known as an individual provision map (IPM). The IPM will be drawn up in consultation with the pupil and parent and will include:
What arrangements do you have for consulting with parents of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education?
At Bishop Monkton School we recognise parents/carers as equal partners in their child’s education. For this reason we work closely with parents; teachers will discuss any concerns they may have regarding a pupil and may, at this stage, involve the SENCO. There are 2 formal parents meetings during the school year and an opportunity to discuss the children’s report in the summer term. At parents meetings parents will be made aware of the progress their child has made and what needs to be done to support the child. Children who have an IPM would have this updated each term and this would be shared with parents. This would involve a further meeting where the support a child is receiving in school would be made clear and any out of school support would be suggested. Some children may have a home – school diary to enable communication between parents and school staff. Parents are encouraged to talk to teachers at any time during the school year should they have concerns. Children with more complex special educational needs may have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) which is formally reviewed on an annual basis. The school encourages open dialogue with parents in order to promote a partnership approach.
What arrangements do you have in place in your school to consult with young people with SEND and how do you involve them in their education?
The school has a strong Pupil Voice. We have a school council who are involved in supporting children, setting rules and fundraising. We also have a collective worship group, Eco-Squad, school prefects, house captains and wellbeing warriors all of whom are used to consult with. We regularly seek the views of children both informally in class to assess our classroom environments and resources the children have access to and formally with pupil voice questionnaires to gain an insight into provision and aspects of social and emotional wellbeing. Children with SEND are also consulted on their provision through their individual provision maps and have opportunities to set their own targets as well as discuss and reflect on their progress.
What arrangements are in place for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes?
Class teachers and support staff regularly make observational assessments of the children they work with on a daily basis. In addition to this, each term, teachers make assessments of all children against national curriculum key objectives. Formal standardised assessments take place each term, often in the form of a test. Test information is used alongside teacher assessment to give an overall view of each child’s attainment and progress. Alternative assessments may be used to evidence progress, should these be more appropriate. This may include different access arrangements for some SEND children such as taking their assessments in a quieter room, having a scribe, making use of additional time or needing movement breaks. This may be due to medical issues or more complex learning needs. School based tracking systems are used to identify children who are not making expected progress or those working below national expectations. This is discussed at termly pupil progress meetings and enables staff and the SENCO to focus on children who are not making progress and put interventions in place. Tracking of subjects is submitted to the Head Teacher who, along with Governors, monitor the progress made across the school. Professionals from outside agencies may also be part of the assessment and review process, contributing to this and helping to formulate relevant targets.
What are the arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood?
For some children with SEND, the transition between classes in September can be an unsettling time. For this reason, transition arrangements will be planned in the summer term so as to ease anxiety. The school works very closely with both parents and the new class/school. Transition reviews for children with SEND are organised before moving. The relevant staff from the receiving school will be invited to reviews in order to meet the young person. If they are unable to attend, the SENCO will contact the child’s new school with all relevant information. Additional transition visits are arranged for pupils moving to High School and resources can be prepared in order to help familiarise the child. Children who are moving to another Primary school are encouraged to visit.
What is your school’s approach to teaching children and young people with SEND?
All pupils will receive Quality First Teaching. Planning will be appropriately differentiated to meet the needs of all pupils and, in some cases, children can receive a personalised curriculum where recommended by outside agencies. Support staff within the classroom are used effectively to support where necessary with tasks being scaffolded to promote independence. Some pupils benefit from working in smaller groups with adult support. Pre-teaching (a pupil is taught specific key concepts and vocabulary prior to the next lesson) can also be effective. We endeavour to tailor our interventions to the children’s needs and abilities and ensure that the timing of intervention does not take them away from their peer group where possible. Intervention work completed outside of the classroom is planned with the class teacher to enable links to be made within the classroom lessons. Children who receive these intervention programmes would have a meeting arranged with parents to discuss the reasons and intended outcomes for the child.
Examples of some of our intervention programmes include:
Literacy interventions:
Numeracy interventions:
Emotional/social programmes:
There are many resources available to all children so that the classroom environment is inclusive. For example, we provide ear defenders, pencil grips, coloured overlays, wobble cushions, sensory boxes and quiet spaces. We have sloped writing surfaces and specialist chairs to support children with physical needs along with two disabled toilets. We provide writing support through Clicker8 and sound buttons and staff are trained to offer alternatives to written recording to support children with Dyslexia. We promote the use of Makaton as a form of communication. Class teachers plan and support any interventions given to the child. Any intervention work which is completed outside of the classroom will be brought into the whole class work to ensure its value is seen and consolidation can be made. Each half term, staff will look at the children who have received these interventions and assess their impact. Teaching Assistants are allocated to provide support in each class during the morning sessions. These extra adults are used to support groups of children who require further explanation of the task or resources in addition to those accessed by the rest of the class. The aim of the ‘in class’ support is to boost confidence in those children to develop their own independence. Where appropriate pre-teaching is used to prepare children for new concepts prior to the lesson. This enables children to work at a similar pace to their peers. Our philosophy is “keep up, not catch up.”
How are adaptations made to the curriculum and learning environment of children and young people with SEND?
The schools ethos and Christian values are evident throughout our school. Our school has quality first teaching and lessons which are appropriately scaffolded so as to provide an inclusive environment for all children. Interventions are identified on provision maps and support timetables. They have clear objectives and SMART targets and focus on moving the children forward in their learning. These are shared with the child’s parents. Interventions are delivered by trained teaching assistants and monitored by class teachers and SENCO. Regular discussions ensure that skills are reinforced/transferred back into the classroom and built upon. Assessments at the beginning and the end and ongoing monitoring, enables staff and pupils to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. Relevant care plans, Health care plans and risk assessments are implemented for children who have a high level of need in discussion with parents and relevant professionals. The school building is on one level with each class having their own entrance and exit doors. If an alternative entrance is needed due to equipment e.g. wheelchair access this is discussed and arranged with parents. The bell goes at 8.55 am but if access is needed prior to this (for example to allow a child to enter a quieter environment) this can be arranged in consultation with the class teacher.
What sort of expertise/training do staff have to enable them to support children and young people with SEND?
All staff receive regular training to enable them to meet a range of SEND. Teachers and teaching assistants have regular generic training and specific training to meet individual needs as necessary. If a pupil has particular needs and the school requires training in this area, specialist support and advice is gained from relevant professionals to ensure that we can support to a competent level. All staff are trained to Level 1 with Compass Buzz, with identified staff trained to Level 3 in order to support children with their mental health and well-being. The SENCO has the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO) and a Masters in Education focusing on SEND. She has also undertaken her Senior Mental Health Lead training.
How do you evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEND?
We are a welcoming school and new children settle well with the help of a buddy system from peers and staff availability to speak with parents to keep them informed. Our children are very supportive of additional needs and differently-abled children. Provision Maps are updated regularly to make sure vulnerable learners are being supported and parents are informed of progress. All staff promote and implement the behaviour policy consistently which enables children to feel safe. Our engaging curriculum is carefully planned to allow the children to build on prior skills and knowledge. Learning walks and observations, conducted by the SENCO, enable monitoring to take place.
How are children and young people with SEND enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEND?
As an inclusive school, we work with parents to ensure that all children have the same range of opportunities. All children are given the opportunity to represent the school through the school council and other school groups. A range of sporting events are attended in class groups. After school clubs are accessible to all children and where additional support is required to enable full access this will be discussed and arranged with parents. Educational visits, including residentials are accessible and all children are encouraged to participate. Extra risk-assessments, arrangements and planning will take place on an individual basis as required.
How do you support children and young people with SEND to improve their social and emotional development?
Supporting and developing children’s positive mental health and well-being is very important at Bishop Monkton. We have teaching assistants trained in using Socially Speaking , Drawing and Talking and other Emotional Literacy support programmes. We use a buddy system for vulnerable children including those who are new to the school. Staff use a comprehensive PSHE programme from Year 1 to Year 6, which covers in detail social and emotional development for children. Additional materials are used through collective worship and classroom activities where needed to support children.
How does the school involve other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations in meeting children and young people’s SEND and supporting their families?
Sometimes it will be helpful for school to request some additional support from an outside agency. This is made through a referral to our SEND hub. At Bishop Monkton School we currently receive advice and support from an Education Psychologist, Speech and Language therapist, Occupational therapist, Autism Specialist teacher and other specialist teachers for areas such as social, emotional well-being, and cognition and learning. These professionals are based in our local SEND hub and can work with children and staff to help support children through developing intervention strategies and activities to develop skills. If any specialist equipment or training is required, we contact the relevant professionals and ensure that resources are in place in time to provide a smooth transition. If we feel that it is appropriate to involve outside specialist support to meet the needs of your child, parents will be consulted and asked to give their consent before a referral is made.
What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEND about the provision made at the school?
Our Complaints Procedure is on the school website and advice can be sought from the school office on 01765 677583
Our Headteacher is Sally Cowling. Our Chair of Governors is Ashlea Costelloe.
SENDIASS: Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities information, advice and support service provide a confidential and impartial service for parents and carers of children with SEND. They are able to offer advice, listen to worries and concerns, offer home visits and support you in meetings. They may also be able to put you in touch with other organisations or parent support groups. They can be contacted on 01609 536923 or via their website: http://sendiassnorthyorkshire.co.uk/
North Yorkshire provision for SEND
The North Yorkshire local offer can be found at:
https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer