School offer for Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities
At St. Kentigern’s, everyone is valued, inspired and nurtured on their individual journey of success.
We believe that supporting disability and difficulties in learning is part of our high quality, mainstream education service. Tackling the full range of pupil needs at St. Kentigern’s improves learning and the learning environment not only for SEND pupils but for everyone.
SEND and Inclusion
The Blackpool Local Offer
The Blackpool SEND local offer directory has information about organisations and services available locally for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. Click this link for more information: Blackpool Local Offer
Special Needs Provision at St. Kentigern's Catholic Primary School
Our school SENCo is Mrs Sarah Brooks (Deputy Headteacher). Tel: 01253 393302 Email: sarah.brooks@st-kentigern.blackpool.sch.uk
Our school is an inclusive school where every child is precious; we aim to address children’s needs and support their development in the most appropriate way possible and celebrate effort as much as achievement. Our school’s SEND policy (accessible on the link above), details our philosophy in relation to SEND. Additional and/or different provision is currently being made in school for children with a range of needs, including:
- Cognition and Learning – moderate learning difficulties; specific learning difficulties – dyslexia, dyspraxia.
- Sensory, Medical and Physical – hearing impairment, sensory processing difficulties, epilepsy.
- Communication and Interaction – Autistic Spectrum Disorder, speech and language difficulties.
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety.
Staff are trained according to the needs of new children joining the school – this can include training from specialist agencies or consultants, as well as from our SENCo or other staff with relevant expertise. SEND training forms part of the continuing professional development of all teachers and Learning Support Assistants and is organised in accordance with the needs of the children. Our school works closely with other local schools (sharing training opportunities) and outside experts, as well as hosting training here at St. Kentigern’s. The SENCo meets with other SENCos in the local area and attends cluster groups regularly to review and plan the training, guidance and advice that staff share across the cluster.
Our school’s Accessibility Plan is on our school website and it outlines adaptations made to the building to meet particular needs and enhance learning.
Roles and Responsibilities
The SENCo is responsible for the operation of the special educational needs policy and co-ordination of specific provision made to support individual pupils with SEND. It is also the role of the SENCo to liaise with staff to monitor pupil progress and plan further interventions, when necessary. Regular contact with specialised outside agencies ensures advice and support is available for those pupils who need it.
How we identify individual special educational needs at St. Kentigern’s Primary School
- When pupils have an identified SEND before they start at our school, we work with the people who already know them and use the information already available to identify what their needs will be in our school setting.
- If parents or carers tell school that they think their child has SEND, we will discuss this with them and carry out the necessary checks to ensure pupil’s needs are met. We will share our findings with parents and agree the next steps.
- If a teacher thinks that a child has SEND, this maybe because the child may not be making expected progress academically or socially. If this is the case we will contact parents first and then carry out the necessary observations and assessments to pinpoint difficulties the child maybe experiencing.
How we involve pupils and their parents/carers
- Pupils are involved with their personalised one page profiles, which contain details about the child including their strengths, interests and areas where they need support. All children are regularly given the opportunity to share their feelings about their learning and experience of school.
- When a pupil’s needs are more complex, they may be open to the Early Help strategy. This strategy assesses all aspects of the child’s learning and development from birth and the impact SEND has on the child and the family unit. A lead Early Help professional may be chosen, as part of this process, to act on the parents' behalf to ensure all actions are completed. More information about the Early Help Strategy can be found here: Early help strategy (blackpool.gov.uk)
- Regular meetings are held between the class teacher, SENCo, parents and outside agencies (when appropriate) to discuss a child’s special educational needs, current provision and plans for the term ahead. Additionally, Parents' Evening is held twice a year, during which progress reports are discussed.
How we adapt the curriculum so that we meet the needs of all pupils
- School uses a variety of resources, outside agencies and experts to support the needs of pupils who require specialised support.
- Pupils have the opportunity to access the curriculum through a variety of teaching and learning strategies. Staff are trained and supported to ensure all pupils are able to learn at their own level.
- A variety of computer programmes and programmes of study support teaching and are specifically aimed at pupils with SEND e.g. ‘IDL’ – a computer based multisensory programme to develop reading and spelling skills, Lexia, ELKLAN and Talkboost.
- For children with specific identified or diagnosed needs, we work closely with external agencies to ensure that the best possible support is in place (e.g. educational psychologist, speech and language therapist). Meetings are often held in school involving specialists (as noted above) and/or parents to set targets, evaluate progress and ensure consistency of approach in addressing needs in school and at home.
Transition to Secondary School
- If a child has an EHCP, then the chosen secondary school representative is always invited to the review and work is undertaken, depending on need, to ensure a smooth transition. This can be supported by outside agencies.
Assessment
How we assess pupil progress
- Class teachers have meetings with the SENCo/Headteacher to ensure that every pupil is monitored regularly and support is put in place as needed.
- Teachers work collaboratively to ensure judgements on progress are accurate. These judgements are moderated at school, cluster and LA level.
- The Headteacher, senior leadership team and subject leaders all monitor lessons and pupil progress to ensure every pupil has the opportunity to make progress in all areas of the curriculum. This is carried out through a cycle of monitoring.
- Further information is available in the assessment policy on the school website.
- Children with SEND who are not working within the targets linked to age related expectations are assessed using Blackpool Council's SEND milestones documents. This enables staff to track the small steps in progress that a child makes and ensures that children have meaningful targets that are both appropriate and achievable for them.
SEND Milestones
How we ensure the effectiveness of provision
- Mrs Caron Walker is our designated SEND governor; she has termly meetings with the SENCo to evaluate provision across school. This is then feedback to governors in the form of a SEND report.
- The SENCo will meet teachers to ensure the targets from previous meetings have been completed.
- Learning walks and work scrutinies are completed by the SENCo to ensure children are achieving their potential.
- The assessment co-ordinator completes termly data collection of children with SEND and feeds back to the SENCo.
How we ensure equal opportunities
- There is disabled access to the building and an equipped disabled toilet facility.
- When planning visits out of school, companies with accessible vehicles are hired if necessary.
- All letters sent home are available in large print format.
- All learning materials purchased reflect a range of disabled characters and address a range of experiences specific to those with a disability.
- The PSHE curriculum teaches children about disability from emotional, physical and personal perspectives.
- When collecting and interpreting data, disability is recognised as one of the comparative criteria considered, alongside race and gender. Data on children with Special Educational Needs is collected and analysed separately but children who are disabled are not necessarily within this group.
- When appointing staff and governors, all applicants are treated equally regardless of disability, race or gender in line with all other school policies.
How we cater for children's social and emotional mental health (SEMH)
- All children are monitored through 'Safeguard', which is updated whenever issues arise or parents/carers inform school of worries/anxieties. This is monitored by the DSL team which includes the SENCo, Headteacher and Family Support Worker.
- Strategies are put in place for children who need additional SEMH support; these strategies are reviewed termly and discussed with parents or carers.
- On occasions, outside agencies are involved through the Early Help system.
Agencies who support school
There are a range of agencies who support school in meeting the needs of our pupils. These include:
- Educational Psychologist
- Speech and Language Therapist
- School Nurse
- CAMHS
What to do if a parent has a concern
- Contact the class teacher initially and explain the concerns which will then be passed on to the SENCo.
- If the concern has not be addressed to your satisfaction, contact Mrs Murray, the Headteacher.
Additional Support and Guidance
SENDIASS are always available to help parents who need extra support or advice to ensure their child's needs are fully catered for.
This link will take you to their Blackpool website: Blackpool SENDIASS
This link will take you to the children's SENDIASS website: SENDIASS Home - Kids