SEND

At Victoria Academy we provide for a range of special educational needs.

These four broad areas give an overview of the range of needs that may be planned for.

– Communication and interaction

– Cognition and learning

– Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

– Sensory and/or physical impairment.

The purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take, not to fit a pupil into a category. We identify the needs of pupils by considering the needs of the whole child, which will include not just the educational needs of the young child or person.

Children are assessed regularly within school and Mrs Goulding (SENDCO) has discussions with the class teachers on a regular basis to discuss any children working below the age related expectations.   Further assessments, discussions or observations may need to be carried out to identify if further support is needed. 

If a child does not make adequate progress in line with national expectations, despite appropriate differentiation and good quality first teaching, they may be identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN) and an Individual Support Plan will be written. 

For children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), Individual Support Plans are written and reviewed termly and these are shared with parents.  Through these plans, parents are given ideas and strategies of how they can help their child at home. 

Appropriate intervention will be put in place for a specific period of time (usually termly) and a child’s progress will be measured and assessed at the end of such intervention. This is known as the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review Cycle’, and is an integral part of the support we provide for our children.  If a child continues to make limited progress, despite specific support within school, it may be necessary for the SENDCO to make a referral to an outside professional such as an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist or Specialist Advisory Teacher to seek further advice and support. 

If a parent has concerns about their child they may make an appointment with their child’s class teacher or the school SENDCO to discuss this further. 

The SENDCO at Victoria Academy is Mrs Laurie Goulding.  She can be contacted on 01229 870812 or by email at: mrsgoulding@victoria-academy.co.uk

Discussions and visits to our feeder infant schools are carried out prior to a child starting at Victoria Academy.  During these visits, important information is collected in relation to a child; including how they learn, what barriers to learning they may have, and how they have been supported in their previous classes. Parents are invited to meet with the SENDCO in the Summer term before our children start in Year 3. These transition discussions will ensure that any additional requirements can be put in place as soon as possible. 

In addition to the normal reporting arrangements, parent’s evenings are held during the Autumn and Spring terms.  At these appointments, teachers will discuss progress that a child is making and ways in which parents can support their child at home, if necessary.  Additional appointments are also offered with the SENDCO if a child has an Individual Support Plan, where parents can discuss individual targets and additional support that their child is receiving.

For children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), Individual Support Plans are written and reviewed termly and these are either shared at parent’s evenings or sent home at the start of each term for parents to read and sign. 

Wherever possible, all those involved with a child should be included when deciding how much and what kind of support a child should receive in school and this should include parents.  

Parents are able to contact teachers or the SENDCO (via email or telephone) to arrange a meeting at any time throughout the academic year, should they wish to discuss their child or raise any concerns that they may have. 

At Victoria Academy, children are involved, wherever possible, in the setting and reviewing of their targets on their Individual Support Plan.  Children are made aware of their targets, wherever appropriate.

The effectiveness of SEND support is monitored regularly though discussions with teachers and support staff.  Support Plans are reviewed termly and children’s progress towards their targets is commented upon.  This enables the SENDCO to establish how effective their provision has been and will form the basis of further assessment and planning. Parents are invited to a termly meeting with the SENDCO and/or class teacher to discuss their child’s progress and possible next steps. 

Core subject assessments are also carried out termly and results are tracked to monitor a child’s progress in reading, writing, grammar and spelling and maths and, for some children, speaking and listening.  Alongside the class teacher, Mrs Goulding (SENDCO) is responsible for monitoring the progress of children with SEN. 

• If a child is transferring to another school or setting, appropriate data and information is shared between schools. In some cases, teachers may visit the other setting to have a discussion with staff about the needs of a particular child, if they feel it is necessary. 
• If a child leaving our school has Special Educational Needs or a disability, Mrs Goulding (SENDCO) will contact the SENDCO from the child’s new school to pass on relevant information and paperwork.
• Additional transition days or visits for children with SEND are arranged by the SENDCO to make the transition between schools or classes smoother. This may involve a child visiting a secondary school with a Teaching Assistant to familiarise themselves with their new environment, take photographs and have any questions they may have, answered. 
• At Victoria Academy we believe in good communication between schools and parents. It is important that any relevant information is shared in confidence as soon as possible, so that appropriate support can be put in place for a child to ensure a smooth transition. 
• Transition sessions are provided in the Summer term, for Year 6 children who are transferring to secondary school. Within these sessions children are given the opportunity to discuss any concerns or anxieties that they may have or ask questions in relation to their new secondary school. 

At Victoria Academy our SEND budget is distributed according to the needs of the children.  Support staff and resources are allocated appropriately and this varies each year.  If specialist equipment or resources are needed, these will be purchased using money from the SEND budget.  The SENDCO liaises with the Headteacher regarding staffing in relation to SEND and this is monitored regularly to ensure that effective SEN support is provided across the school for those children who need it most.

Within Victoria Academy there are a number of Teaching Assistants who may provide additional support to children who need it.  A number of staff, including Teaching Assistants have SEND qualifications that are used effectively to provide specific support to children eg. Smart Moves, Dyslexia, Autism. This training is updated as and when required and when a child presents with difficulties we have not experienced before, our school prioritise this as a training need for or staff.

If school has sought the advice of an external SEND specialist, they will provide advice regarding what kind of support a child should receive and the school will work with the specialist to ensure that the appropriate support is in place and is monitored.

At Victoria Academy, children’s individual needs are met through adapted teaching activities within the classroom.  Some children need additional support to help them access the curriculum and this may be done with the support of a Teaching Assistant who works alongside a child in the classroom or appropriate resources. Quality First Teaching is the forefront of all of our lessons. All lessons and activities that are planned by the class teachers are suitably challenging for all children and take into account their varying abilities and needs. 

Children may also work in different groups which are supported by the class teacher or Teaching Assistant, have specific 1:1 sessions, work with a ‘buddy’ in class or in mixed ability groups. 

Visual timetables and prompts are used in some classrooms and appropriate strategies and resources are used depending on the need(s) of each individual child.

Staff training in relation to SEND is carried out on regular basis depending on the needs of the children within our school.  Individual staff may attend the training and this may be on specific areas of need such as Dyslexia or Autism, or more whole school issues such as disability awareness. 

In-house training can also be offered to a number of staff where a specialist will come into school and provide training on a specific area of SEND, e.g. a specialist nurse may train a number of staff in a particular area, if needed. 

There are currently a number of staff at Victoria Academy who have additional qualifications, experience or training in relation to SEND.  These include: autism, speech, language and communication needs, Dyslexia, Sensory dificulties etc.

Referrals can also be made to external agencies by the SENDCO (Mrs Goulding) if we require more specialist support and advice.  The services that we currently have access to include:  Education Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Children’s Services’ Specialist Advisory Teachers, and the Public Health Team.  They will then come into school and provide staff with advice and strategies, if appropriate, that can be used to support individual children.  Parental consent is always sought before a referral is made to an external agency. 

The strategies and interventions agreed in a child’s Individual Support Plan will be implemented and progress monitored using the school’s usual assessment systems, plus specific tracking of progress through any interventions. Progress may be measured through assessment scores and/or through qualitative observations.

The progress of a child will be reviewed at the end of the specified period of intervention. This review will form the basis of further assessment and planning. Parents are invited to a termly meeting with the SENCO and/or class teacher to discuss their child’s progress. 

Extra-curricular activities at Victoria Academy are available to all children and specific arrangements will be made, if necessary, for children requiring additional support. 

Activities that take place outside the classroom, or school trips, are organised to ensure that all children can take part in them.  Appropriate risk assessments are carried out for off-site trips as well as ensuring that the child to adult ratio is correct and all necessary precautions have been made. 

At Victoria Academy, expectations in relation to behaviour are consistent across the school.  All children are treated equally and rewards and sanctions are in place for appropriate or inappropriate behaviour (please see our Behaviour policy).  For children who consistently display inappropriate/unacceptable behaviour in and around school, a meeting will be arranged with parents and next steps will be discussed.  In some cases it may be necessary for a behaviour plan to be drawn up by staff and this will be reviewed on a regular basis. It may also be necessary for some children to receive behaviour support and/or sanctions which may be different to the majority of children. This will always be shared and discussed with the child and parents. If a child displays consistently challenging behaviour, we have close links with the County Council Specialist Advisory Team for SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health).  For further details please see our school behaviour policy. 

We also have a trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), who is allocated a certain amount of time each week to support children with specific emotional needs in school.  This can include: bereavement, separation, friendship or family issues. Alongside this, we have a designated Family Worker, Michelle Davies, who works in school and in the home with children and families who are experiencing difficulties.

Bullying is taken very seriously at Victoria Academy and our anti-bullying policy is available to view on our school website. 

Statistically, children with SEND are more likely than their peers to experience bullying. Consequently, staff and governors at Victoria Academy endeavour to generate a culture of support and care amongst all pupils.

At Victoria Academy we have access to support from other organisations such as health, speech therapy, occupational therapy and social care, as well as specialist advisory teachers and educational psychologists. 

If a child has a higher level of need, which requires specific advice and intervention, it may be necessary to draw on more specialised assessments from external agencies and professionals, such as educational psychologists, speech therapists or specialist teachers. Parents will be required to give their consent before the SENDCO refers a child for any specialist support and the SENDCO and child’s teacher will meet with parents to discuss a referral first. 

In some cases, the specialist may come into school to meet with a child, their parents, SENDCO and class teacher.  They may carry out assessments and/or observations with the child and produce a report which includes targets and strategies to inform a child’s Individual Support Plan.  The SENCO will keep parents fully involved and informed throughout this process and about any proposed interventions or next steps. 

Victoria Academy is partly accessible for wheelchair users. There is a ramp leading down to Year 6 classrooms. All other classrooms are accessible, once inside school, and we are continually adapting our classrooms to ensure that they are fully accessible.

Interactive displays, visual timetables (in some classrooms) ensure that children/visitors with visual and auditory needs are catered for.  

In relation to children who have English as an additional language (EAL), letters can be translated upon request from parents/carers, if necessary. 

If a child is looked after by the local authority and is suspected to have SEND, they will be assessed in exactly the same way as any other child and appropriate support will be put in place, if necessary.  

Victoria Academy’s complaint procedures are set out in our school’s prospectus and can also be found on our website. 

Under the SEN and Disability Act 2001, parents can request the services of an independent disagreement resolution.  The SENDCO will provide more information about this on request. 

Should a parent or carer have a concern about the special provision made for their child they should in the first instance discuss this with the class teacher.  If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily, parents have recourse to the following:

• discuss the problem with the SENDCO
• discuss the problem with the Headteacher
• More serious on-going concerns should be presented in writing to the SEN Governor, who will inform the Chair of the Governors

If parents and carers feel they would like some impartial information, advice or support on any issues relating to their children’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), you can contact the Cumbria SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) who can offer a range of support. They will help parents, carers and young people to prepare for meetings with school or the local authority and practically support you at the meetings in an appropriate and impartial manner.  They also signpost to other relevant support networks.

For more information on SENDIASS and how to find support, please click on this link: https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/schoolsandlearning/ils/parentpartnership/default.asp