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Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Ethos
Pudsey Bolton Royd Primary School is a Leeds school, operating within the Leeds local authority. We have an inclusive ethos and work in partnership with children, parents and other agencies to provide the best possible educational outcomes for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We have high expectations of all our children and put support in place at the earliest possible stage where it is needed.
We ensure all pupils achieve their potential personally, socially, emotionally and academically in all areas of the curriculum. However, some children may have SEND that require additional support when progress has slowed or stopped and we work hard to support those children.
SEND & Pastoral Team
All SEND provision is managed and coordinated by the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) Mrs. Kath Walsh and overseen by the Headteacher. We monitor, review and evaluate all SEND provision on a regular basis throughout the year and report to the school's governing body on how individual needs are being met and how SEND funding is being spent. The Governors must have regard for the Code of Practice (Children and Families Act 2014), when carrying out their duties towards all students with SEND. The governor with specific responsibilities for SEND is Mrs. Jean Preston.
Meet our inclusion/pastoral team:
Mrs Kath Walsh
SENDCO
Mrs Christine Morton
Family Support Manager
Mrs Helen Firth
Learning Mentor
Ms Ayshea Henry
Pastoral Support
The school staffing structure reflects our emphasis on the individual needs of our children. We have teaching assistants, support assistants and a Learning Mentor who are trained to support individual children throughout school with a variety of needs including Autism, Dyslexia, nurture, speech & language difficulties as well as social, emotional & mental health needs. They work alongside other professionals to develop their skills, knowledge and expertise in specific areas of SEND and the progress they are making and evaluate provision.
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
All children are treated as individuals and the class teacher, alongside key support staff, plan an appropriately-differentiated curriculum for children with additional needs to ensure high quality teaching and learning with effective support and resources. Clear learning targets (set out in pupil passports, individual behaviour plans, provision maps and SEND support plans) are put in place and reviewed regularly to monitor progress and the impact of additional support and intervention.
Assessment
Key assessments are made to ensure children are on track to meet their targets and that planning and teaching accurately addresses need; planning is regularly reviewed and evaluated to inform next steps.
Where appropriate, children are involved in the setting of personal targets and in the review of progress alongside teachers and support staff. Parents are vital partners in the child’s learning journey through school and are invited to attend review meetings of their child’s progress each term. Parents are always encouraged and expected to engage in supporting learning in different ways, such as targeted homework, regular reading at home etc.
They are encouraged to keep an informal dialogue with school between formal parent meetings so school and home can mutually support each other in providing the best experience for the child.
Accessibility
An appropriate, exciting and accessible learning environment is provided within school. The school building itself, planned mainly on one level, enables easy access for wheelchair users; the school has a lift for access to the upper floor where the Computer Suite and Community Room are located. There are two disabled toilets and a care suite available within school; there are two disabled parking bays in our car park for Blue Badge holders.
We work alongside, and seek support from, other agencies where required to maximise learning opportunities and potential e.g. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Speech and Language Therapy Service, Physiotherapy Service, Occupational Therapy and the School Nursing team.
We have close links with local authority services such as the Special Education Needs Inclusion Team (SENIT), educational psychologists, sensory impairments team, STARS (Autism Outreach Service) and school improvement service. Where required, we have access to cluster-based services including Family Outreach Workers, behaviour support services and parent partnership services.
Leeds Local Offer
The Leeds Local Offer provides information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers in a single place. It shows families what they can expect from a range of local agencies including education, health and social care.
The Leeds Local Offer is about providing families with information to make informed choices about services they chose to use. Services that are supported by Leeds City Council and Health are highlighted with a blue badge.
Here are some answers to questions that our parents commonly ask:
Firstly, make an appointment to speak to the class teacher who will listen carefully to your concerns and discuss your child’s needs. They will have immediate information as to how your child is performing at school in all areas. They will be able to put your mind at rest or set up a meeting with the school’s SENDCO to address your concerns and put appropriate actions in place.
We work really hard to support children who have additional needs and we use a graduated approach to identify and support their needs whereby:
Any pupils who are falling significantly outside of the range of expected academic achievement in line with predicted performance indicators will be monitored and assessed.
Once a pupil has been identified as possibly having SEND, they will be closely monitored by staff in order to gauge their level of learning and possible difficulties.
The child’s class teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progress and enable the teacher to better understand the provision and teaching style that needs to be applied.
The SENDCO will be consulted as needed for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class.
Through steps 2 and 4 it can be determined which level of provision the child will need going forward.
Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school in order that school have a full picture of the child’s strengths and needs. Parents' Evenings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by children.
Children with learning needs will have an individual SEND support plan or pupil passport and those with social, emotional and behavioural needs will have an individual behaviour plan.
Work in the classroom will be differentiated to ensure it is at the correct level for your child to make progress. Children’s attainment is tracked closely, and targets are set to ensure that progress can be made by all pupils. Additional assessment tools may be used in school to work out a child’s individual needs. Groups may be set up in the class or across cohorts in order to maximize the support available.
All classes in school have access to at least one teaching assistant for part of the school day.
Appropriate resources will be used to ensure your child makes the optimum progress.
The curriculum at Pudsey Bolton Royd is inclusive and is designed with the needs of all children in mind.
We have an inclusion team who, along with class teachers and support staff, make sure children have the highest level of pastoral care possible. As part of the team, we have a Learning Mentor who will be available to support your child to help them overcome any barriers to learning. She works to help address any issues which could have a detrimental impact on a child’s engagement, happiness and progress, including punctuality and attendance, child mental health issues, difficult family circumstances, behaviour and social problems.
We have a Family Support Manager who works with specific children and families in order to meet their social and emotional needs. She can set up Early Help Plans and liaise with parents and carers and external agencies where required.
As part of a child’s SEND provision at Pudsey Bolton Royd, we look at all aspects of a child’s needs, not just educational. If we feel a child (or parent/family) has social or emotional wellbeing needs then school will endeavour to meet those needs as best it can, and/or signpost parents / carers to outside agencies as necessary.
Staff are always keen to discuss the progress of your child with you. Parents and carers are encouraged to make appointments to discuss any concerns with class teachers. The SENDCO can be available to join these discussions and provide additional guidance and support. It is very important to us to have positive dialogue with families to ensure the best possible experience for your child.
Parents will have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress with class teachers at parents evening consultations. The SENDCO is always available on these evenings for further discussion and to support parents/carers with any concerns they may have.
If your child has additional funding or an Education, Health & Care Plan, annual reviews are arranged so all key multi-agency staff can discuss your child’s progress. Parents have input into the production of support plans, individual behaviour plans, pupil passports and care plans. Parents are expected to be involved in supporting their child’s learning; this will often be through supporting with special homework tasks or reinforcing class strategies.
Parent workshops are offered in school, to help parents with supporting children in areas such as reading, maths, phonics and speaking and listening. We encourage parents to attend these sessions.
Staff in school are trained and equipped to offer a high level of support. Many have worked alongside other professionals to develop their skills, knowledge and expertise in specific areas of SEND.
The SENDCO, Nursery teacher and Family Support Manager are all qualified to Level 3 in Autism Awareness and are Lead Practitioners in school to oversee and support pupils, parents & staff in all matters relating to autism.
Staff training is also put in place where appropriate, and has in the past included training on Autism, Dyslexia, Makaton, speech & language training, assessment of SEND children, Attachment Disorder, behavioural support and medical needs like Asthma and Epilepsy.
As an inclusive school, we aim to ensure that all children, including those with SEND, are able to access all activities and school trips. Where a child requires support in the classroom, this will be continued into activities such as educational visits. If a child needs additional support to take part in extra-curricular clubs or activities, school will work with parents to find solutions for this. We complete risk assessments for all school visits to ensure the safety of all pupils; we make reasonable adjustments for those pupils with additional medical/physical needs.
For some activities in and out of school, parents or carers may be invited to join us if we feel that is the most positive way to ensure a child has the most successful experience. This is always discussed in individual cases. We also participate in a number of local authority inclusive events throughout the year targeted at SEND children, such as music or physical activities. Children will be invited to attend these.
There are strong links with the local primary and high schools to ensure a smooth transition for our Year 6 pupils. For those children moving from Year 6 to Year 7, we run carefully-planned transition meetings involving both parents and staff at primary and receiving high school. This is to ensure that our most vulnerable children have the best possible transition between Year 6 and Year 7. Some children attend “taster days” but those who are more vulnerable can visit and meet staff as often as necessary. We provide SEN children with a Transition Passport to take with them to high school, so that all staff there get to know the pupil in advance of their start date. This is completed by primary staff, pupils, parents and high school staff.
Parents have to make applications for high school places, but we will support you if you wish in finding out which school will be the best for your child. If it is thought necessary for a child to access a specialist provision during their time in school, this will be done with ongoing discussion with parents and carers, and educational support services. Where parents feel they would like it, a member of school staff may visit alternative school provision with parents to look around and help them to ask pertinent questions about their child’s needs.
Where children have attended our Nursery setting, the staff will work closely with our Reception staff team or, if moving to another school, the child’s next school to plan a careful transition. This will involve transition meetings involving both parents and staff at the receiving setting. The children will be encouraged to attend transition visits to the new school/class as well as inviting the new staff to come into Pudsey Bolton Royd to meet and work with your child in their current setting.
We provide SEND children with a transition passport to take with them to their next school/class so that all staff there get to know the pupil in advance of their start date. It is completed by Pudsey Bolton Royd staff, pupils & parents and given to the receiving school/setting.
Within Pudsey Bolton Royd school, SEND children will be supported in their transition between year groups and Key Stages, as needed by carefully planned transition visits, pupil passports and handover meetings between staff.
The school is funded on a national formula per pupil. Schools are expected to fund up to £6000 from within their budget to support pupils with SEND. The school can apply for ‘top up’ funding, based on strict criteria, if it is felt that a child’s needs exceed that which can be provided through the £6000*. The school uses the funds to put appropriate support in place to meet the child’s needs. The SENDCO takes advice from all professionals involved with the child, alongside the views of the parents to decide on the best support plan.
*Procedures may be different for children who reside in other local authorities.
The school has an open-door policy and we welcome parental involvement. Parents are kept informed about teaching and other events through regular newsletters, the school website, open days and parent consultation evenings. The school holds information sessions and workshops to show parents our methods of teaching e.g. phonics, reading and maths. We also have parental representation on the governing body. We ask parents for their feedback via parent questionnaires and at Parents’ Evenings.
Contact the School office and ask for Mrs Christine Morton (Family Support Manager) for information on family support services. Please contact the SENDCO for further information about what additional services are available for children and their families with special educational needs and disabilities in Leeds.
Leeds SENDIASS (SENDIASS) is a confidential and impartial service from the Local Authority and schools, free and accessible to all parents/carers and carers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leeds SENDIASS involves parents/carers, children and young people in discussions and decisions about their individual support.
You can call the helpline on 0113 3951200 or send an email to: sendiass@leeds.gov.uk
