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Rushden
Primary Academy

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

A warm welcome from me, Emma Larbey (SENDCo), to Rushden Primary Academy's SEND page.

We are a school that prides ourselves on knowing our children and taking account of different learning styles and needs. We work hard to differentiate activities that support and challenge children and have high aspirations for all.

Here at Rushden Primary Academy, we follow the Graduated Approach and the Assess, Plan, Do, Review model to support our children. 

                                         

The Graduated Approach

Level 1 - all children have access to quality first teaching

Level 2 - interventions are planned to support children and help them reach their potential for a planned period of time; your child may have group interventions

Level 3 - interventions planned are specific to the individual needs of each child; your child may have a Pupil Passport and/or Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)

Communication between parents, pupils, teachers and the SENDCo will happen throughout this process so that everyone is informed and can offer their views, ideas and have their opinions heard and shared. At Rushden Primary Academy, we believe that the process of supporting children works most effectively when everyone works together as a team.

SEND Code of Practice

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

The SEND code of practice states that a child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) when their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age (Code of Practice 2015, Identifying SEN in schools, 6.15, page 94). This means that not all pupils who have a learning difficulty or disability have Special Educational Needs. We are here to support all children and parents so if you suspect that your child might have a learning difficulty or/and a Special Educational Need, please arrange to speak to your child's class teacher or myself, Emma Larbey - SENDCo to discuss your concerns.

The 4 Areas of SEND as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice (2015) are: Communication & Interaction, Learning & Cognition, Social, Emotional & Mental Health and Physical & Sensory. 

                                                                                 Communication & Interaction can encompass a lot of needs and issues that a child may have and includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and those with Speech, Language and Communication needs. Children have difficulty in communicating with others; this may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them, or they do not understand or use social rules of communication.

Learning & Cognition can cover a range of needs and includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Profound Learning Difficulties and Multiple Learning Difficulties. Support for learning may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate support and differentiation. Learning and Cognition conditions may include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health encompasses wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. Children can become withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour; these behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety.

The Code of Practice clarifies that persistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviours do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has a special educational need. Where there are concerns, there should be an assessment to determine whether there are any other factors including external factors such as family concerns including housing or other domestic circumstances. This assessment could involve our Family Support Worker and or other external agencies. 

Physical & Sensory Needs includes hearing, visual or multi-sensory impairment and includes children with physical difficulties. Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided - these difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children with and young people with a vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

Next Steps When a child is identified as having a Special Educational Need (SEN), their progress, attainment and provision is monitored by the SENDCo. The pupil will be supported with an individualised Pupil Passport that is tailored to the pupil’s needs. 

Consulting with our Pupils with SEND, Parents & Carers Teachers/SENDCo and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes.  The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs.

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support.  Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

  • Parents evenings
  • Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENDCo
  • An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;
  • Through regular reviews of Pupil Passports/ EHC Plan.
  • Parent questionnaire, with specific regard to SEND and provision in school

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Learning Plan? The Learning Plan is a SEN support plan that is formulated following the assess, plan, do, review cycle and is reviewed regularly. The review process will evaluate the impact of the support and interventions. Parents and pupils are part of this process and their views contribute to this process. Parents are informed about their child’s SEN Support Plan in the Pupil Passport at regular intervals throughout the academic year (and at relevant and appropriate timings according to the needs of the child) to ensure that the child's needs are being met, that the provision provided has a positive impact and that communication between home and school is effective. 

Learning Plans are a communication tool designed to share information regarding student's individual needs. The Plan is created based on information such as diagnostic reports or information from external agencies which school staff need to be made aware of to understand the specific learning requirements in the classroom. Learning Plan's enable the implementation of supportive personalised learning strategies for individual children and reinforce Quality First Teaching.

 The plan is made up of specialist interventions and small steps targets, designed to remove barriers to learning and support progression. These targets are assessed and reviewed at the end of each term, or before if a target has been met. 

A Learning Plan will only remain in place for as long as it is needed. They are regularly reviewed, and if it is felt that the student no longer requires the personalised support, as their learning has meet the expected progress, this will be communicated to parents/carers as part of the review process. If a child has a Learning Plan they may also need to be added to the SEND register, but again, the child is only on that register for as long as it is deemed necessary.

Learning Plans are very much a supportive tool designed to ensure the children at Rushden Primary Academy are getting the personalised support they need to succeed.

What is an EHCP? An Education Health Care Plan can be requested when a child has complex educational and/or health needs. Requests can be made by the school, parents or by health and social care. The Local Authority will then collect evidence and information from a variety of sources, i.e. teachers, parents, social care and health professionals, as well as the pupil themselves. After evaluating the evidence that have been collected, the Local Authority will decide whether the pupil is eligible for an EHCP. If an EHCP is not granted, parents have the right to appeal against the decision made. EHCPs are reviewed annually and parents and the pupil are included in the reviewing process.

Does a child with SEND have access to the same lessons? All pupils at Rushden Primary Academy have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. All teachers are responsible for providing that broad and balanced curriculum to all pupils. Depending on the pupils’ needs, adjustments may be made in order to enable the pupil to engage with learning and access the curriculum. All teachers are responsible for identifying pupils with SEND and, in collaboration with the SENDCo, are responsible for ensuring that the needs of those pupils are met through adaptive teaching and, when necessary, additional provision above and beyond the one available to the rest of the class.

Who should I speak to if I have concerns or worries about my child? Parents should speak to their child’s class teacher in the first instance if they have any concerns or worries about their child. If it is felt necessary, a meeting can be arranged with myself, Mrs Emma Larbey SENDCo, and I will endeavour to offer advice, signpost to external agencies and discuss the appropriate next steps. My telephone number is 01933 201200 or my email is elarbey@rushdenprimaryacademy.org

Websites and Support

https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/schools-and-education/local-offer-send-and-ehc-plans The Local Offer team publish information on this website about services available for children and young people (aged 0 to 25) with special educational needs and disabilities in Northamptonshire.

https://www.iassnorthants.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx Northamptonshire's Information, Advice and Support Service is a statutory service which is run at 'arm's length' from the Local Authority and provides free, confidential, impartial advice, guidance and support to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and their parents. You can contact them on 0300 373 2532 or their email address is sendiass@northnorthants.gov.uk 

https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/service-finder/  Northamptonshire Children and Families Information Portal that can be used​​​​ to search for providers of family-related services across the county.​​

https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/SEND/specialist-support-for-send/Pages/SEND-support-service.aspx The SEND Support Service offers advice and support to children, young people, families, carers and a range of educational establishments for children with a wide range of special educational needs and / or autism, aged 0 to 19 years.

https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/ I CAN is a charity that helps children with speech and language difficulties across the UK. The charity works to create a society where their special needs are recognised, understood and met, so that they have the same opportunities in life as other children.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health. 

https://www.sibs.org.uk/ Sibs exists to support people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister. It is the only UK charity representing the needs of over half a million young siblings and over one and a half million adult siblings.

https://nbda.org.uk/ The Northamptonshire & Buckinghamshire Dyslexia Association (NBDA) is a charity, and membership organisation affiliated to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) which has been providing services for those with dyslexia for over 34 years.

https://www.enfold.org.uk/ En-Fold is a growing charitable incorporated organisation providing essential services to families impacted by autism in Northamptonshire.

https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/ As parents and carers of autistic children, young people and adults, it can be hard to find help when you’re trying to get the right support. Autism Central aims to make it easier to learn more about autism and services available to you.