SEN

Type of school	Maintained and Voluntary-Controlled
Specialist provision on site: None SENDCo: Mrs Melanie Leeson - mleeson@educ.somerset.gov.uk
Policies available on school website to support this offer	SEN Safeguarding Behaviour Equality and Diversity
Accessibility	West Coker VC Primary School is situated at the top of a slope behind the main road, with limited vehicular access to the school. The school has wheelchair access to the downstairs classrooms in the main school building. The upstairs classroom and the Foundation Stage classroom and outside learning area are not accessible by wheelchair. Handrails at child height have been installed for safety near steps and stairs throughout the school.

Local offer statement

All Somerset maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with a Special Educational Need/s being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible, where families want this to happen.

Here is the link to the Somerset Local Offer:

https://choices.somerset.gov.uk/025/local-offer/

How can I let the school know I am concerned about my child's progress in school?

If you have concerns about your child’s progress you should always speak to your child’s class teacher first. If you are not happy that the concerns are being managed and that your child is still not making progress you should speak to the school SENCO. If you are still not happy, you should speak to the Headteacher. If you are still not happy you can speak to the school SEN Governor.

How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child's learning?

As a school, we always make sure we involve parents. The class teacher will be the first person to speak to you about any concerns they have about your child. You will then be invited to a meeting with the class teacher and possibly the SENCO to review your child’s progress.

What kind of help will my child get in school?

Children in school will get support that is specific to their individual needs. This may be all provided by the class teacher, with the support of a class Teaching Assistant, or may involve other staff in the school. It may also involve staff who will visit the school from the Local Authority Support Services such as Learning Support or the ASD Outreach Team. Any individual provision plans are discussed with both the pupils involved and their parents. The school will contact you to make a mutually convenient appointment.

At West Coker School, we follow the Core Standards for Education, implemented in Somerset in 2017, for all children. The Core Standards can be found here:

https://choices.somerset.gov.uk/025/education/what-to-expect-from-education/

Type of support provided	What would this mean for your child?
Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching	Teachers have the highest possible expectations for all children in their class. · All teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand. · Putting in place different ways of teaching so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
Specific group work in a smaller group of children. This group may be run in the classroom or outside. STAGE OF SEN CODE OF PRACTICE – SEN SUPPORT	Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress. Any concerns will be discussed with the parents. · A learning support assistant or teacher will run these small group sessions. · If a teacher has further concerns, you will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan a possible way forward. If the school and parents agree that further advice is needed, a referral will be made to a specific outside agency, such as and educational psychologist or the Learning Support Service, via an EHA (Early Help Assessment). A referral will not be made without parental permission. · The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations. You will usually be invited by the professional to talk about your child’s needs. You will receive a copy of the recommendations. They may include: o Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better. o Support to set better targets, recorded in an Individual Education Plan (IEP) o Group or individual work run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g. Social Skills group, Speech and Language work. · The school may suggest that your child needs some agreed individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

STATEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OR AN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLAN (EHCP) – for children whose needs are severe , complex and lifelong. This means your child will have been identified as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching.	You can request that the Local Authority carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process and you can find more detail about this in the Local Offer. In such cases an additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child

To read our most recent SEND Report to governors, detailing SEND work and progress over the last year, please click on the link below:

SEND Report

Governor SEND Report July 19.docx

Our Special Educational Needs policy can be found on our policy page.

Our SENDCo, Mrs Melanie Leeson, can be contacted via the school, or directly by e-mail at the following address: mleeson@educ.somerset.gov.uk.

People who support children with Special Educational Needs / difficulties with learning in this school

Staff	Summary of Responsibilities
The Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO), Mrs Melanie Leeson	They are responsible for: Co-ordinating support for children with special educational needs (SEN) and developing the school’s SEN Policy to make sure all children get a consistent, high quality response to meeting their needs in school. Ensuring that you are: Involved in supporting your child's learning Kept informed about the support your child is getting Involved in reviewing how they are doing Part of planning ahead for them Liaising with all the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child's learning, e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology etc. Updating the school's SEN register (a system for ensuring all the SEN needs of pupils in the school are known) and making sure that there are excellent records of your child's progress and needs.
Class Teachers	They are responsible for: Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning for and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be things like targeted work, additional support) and letting the SENCO know as necessary Planning appropriate learning activities to meet the needs of all of the children in their class (including any children with SEN) Writing and using Individual Education Plans (IEPs) when planning for your child’s lessons (if necessary Using continual assessment, both formal and informal, to measure the progress of all children in their class.
Learning Support Assistants and Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)	They are responsible for: Carrying out support planned for your child and providing feedback to the class teacher.
Headteacher Mr Darren Troake	He is responsible for: The day to day management of all aspects of the school, this includes the support for children with SEN. He will give responsibility to the SENCO and class teachers but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met. He will also make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEN.
SEN Governor Mrs Sally Taylor	She is responsible for: Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEN.

How will the school support transition into a new school, moving to a new class or leaving school?

Transition from Pre School setting into Foundation Stage Class	If your child has been assessed by the pre-school as having Special Educational Needs, the school will hold a School Entry Planning Meeting. You and all other interested parties will be invited (e.g. pre-school SENCO, Speech and Language Therapist) to plan for a smooth transition and sharing of knowledge.
Moving to a new class	Careful handover between teachers is planned. All SEN information will be shared at this meeting.
Leaving this school	All information will be passed to the new school. A meeting may be held between the new school’s SENCO and the class teacher to be able to carefully pass on important information. Extra visits to the new school may be arranged for your child if necessary.

Links to help you understand the new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice:

Somerset Choices

Further parental information and support can be found at the Somerset Parent/Carer forum:

https://somersetparentcarerforum.org.uk/

For further independent advice and support, please click on the SENDIAS link below.

http://www.somersetsend.org.uk/welcome/

Somerset SEND Newsletters link here:

https://choices.somerset.gov.uk/025/send-news/

For a downloadable copy of the provision information on this page, please click below:

West Coker SEND Information Report (1) (1).pdf

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