SENCO: Mrs J Hughes
Contact: senco@st-georges-jun.shropshire.sch.uk
Special Educational Needs
At St. George’s, we value all pupils and pride ourselves in providing an inclusive environment in which all pupils can successfully achieve. Our curriculum offer is ambitious and achievable for all pupils. We are passionate about the ways in which pupils learn, drawing upon well founded research and pedagogy to inform teachers in the best delivery of education to our pupils. We ensure our curriculum is accessible for all pupils through innovative, evidence-based teaching methods.
St George’s Junior School aims to:
Meet the needs of children and young people with SEND within the four broad areas: Communication and Language; Cognition and Learning; Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMH); Sensory and Physical needs
Identify additional needs promptly and ensure effective provision is sought to meet that need
Consult with parents, carers, class teachers and outside agencies to plan personalised provision to address needs and achieve the best outcomes for pupils with SEN and or disabilities
Remove barriers to learners and ensure pupils have access to the curriculum, are able to build upon and develop skills to progress in understanding and to become enthused lifelong learners
Have trained, well-informed staff whom are equipped with skills in the identification and management of SEND
Monitor the impact of provision to ensure it is matched appropriately to need
Conduct plan, do and review cycles that involve information from a range of professionals; including the views of parents and carers, and pupil voice; thus to ensure effective outcomes are achieved.
Identification of pupils
At St. George’s Junior School, we follow the SEN code of conduct (2014) to identify four main areas of need. These are:
• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Heath
• Sensory and physical development
We recognise the stages in identifying a Special Educational Need and through a continuous cycle of planning, doing and reviewing, which takes account of ranging abilities, aptitudes and interests; we assess the learning and progress made by pupils. Where overall attainments and achievement in specific areas fall significantly outside the expected range, despite graduated support and intervention, it may be due to a Special Educational Need (SEN).
Children may have a special educational need if they:
Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or;
Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age
Through a thorough plan, do and review process, pupils’ needs are evaluated and monitored. The extent of, and type of provision is In line with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (July 2014), and is defined as:
‘Special educational provision goes beyond normal differentiated and personalised teaching and learning approaches, it is individual provision that is additional to or different from that made for other children of the same age.’
At St. George’s, monitoring of pupil progress is integral to successful pupil outcomes. Where pupils are identified as not meeting expectations, school follows a graduated pathway in the identification of need. We recognise the importance of early identification in removing any barriers to learning, and with this, proceed with timely intervention to ensure provision is personalised to enable pupils in meeting their full potential. The following outlines the gradual response to meeting a range of pupil needs:
Wave 1 – Inclusive whole class teaching
Quality First Teaching for all children; this is effective inclusion of all children in accessing and engaging in high quality teaching on a daily basis across the curriculum. Teaching strategies and approaches are adapted to account for pupil need.
Wave 2 – Targeted Provision
Targeted provision is the provision children will receive if they make less than expected progress within the wave 1 provision. Wave 2 is more targeted at pupils with SEN specifically. There could be access to specialist resources within the school, such as nurture groups, therapies, identified interventions and some 1:1 support. This can be for general ‘catch-up’ or the start of the graduated approach cycles of Assess, Plan, Do, Review. This may include making adaptations to the curriculum and providing targeted intervention to support pupils in making the desired progress. This will be reviewed between teachers and teaching assistants, and in liaison with the SENCo.
Wave 3 Higher Needs Provision
Wave 3 is usually where an external specialist may be asked to advise on more specialised support, generally where a pupil has not progressed as well as expected with the current additional support. This would form part of subsequent cycles of the graduated approach.
Higher needs provision is the provision a small number of children will receive if wave 2 provision does not enable them to make consistent progress. It will be informed by advice from liaison with SENCo, and, or outside agencies and will require a ‘pupil centred plan’. This will outline provision in the form of personalised and measurable targets, including baseline data to review progress, based upon targeted support from interventions and specific resourcing. It is a very individual provision.
Any concerns regarding your child at any stage should initially be discussed with the class teacher, who will liaise with the SENCo.
Curriculum
‘Excellence and Enjoyment are Achievable’
St. George’s Curriculum Intentions:
To recognise pupils’ prior learning and provide progressive and exciting learning experiences
To build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers and nurture a passion for learning
To develop pupils’ aspirations demonstrating possibilities for their future lives
To allow individuals to become well-rounded and emotionally stable citizens
The SEN code of practice (2014) states: All children and young people are entitled to an appropriate education, one that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and the fulfilment of potential. This should enable them to:
• achieve their full potential
• become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and
• make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training.
• At St. George’s Junior School, we provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils through:
• creating suitable learning experiences and challenges
• responding to the diversity of individual pupils’ learning needs
• conquering barriers to learning to ensure pupils reach their full potential
We strive to ensure all children have access to the full curriculum, quality first teaching being a key tool to enable this. In addition to adapting the curriculum to suit pupil needs, bespoke learning opportunities will be planned for to ensure children are taught basic and fundamental skills individual to their needs. High aspirations and expectations results in empowering our pupils to achieve and access an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum.
More able pupils
We seek to provide opportunities for all children to succeed and be challenged through the curriculum and in after school activities. If children excel in out of school activities these successes are celebrated in school assemblies. More able children are given opportunities to extend their skills through a range of methods. We seek to extend and challenge children in a variety of ways that serve to broaden their knowledge, understanding and skills and develop further the abilities they show.
Interventions
We provide for additional needs in a variety of ways, including:
• in class support for small groups
• small group or 1-1 withdrawal
• feedback and modelling
• individual class support / individual withdrawal
• differentiation of resources
• scaffold materials
• specialised resources
• access to nurture support
Our approach to intervention is based upon accurate assessment, and seeking provision to meet need. We apply evidence-based teaching approaches and intervention programmes that aid pupil progress, this includes, but is not limited to the following:
• Toe by Toe (reading and spelling support)
• Stareway to spelling
• SNIP spelling
• Catch up Reading/Maths
• Precision teaching
• IDL
• Power of Maths
Outside agency support
We work closely with outside agencies to seek external support to further enhance our provision in meeting pupil need. The following list details some of the support agencies we work with:
• Woodlands Outreach
• Educational Psychologists
• Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• NHS health services
• Shropshire Early Help
• Spectra Autism Inclusion Service
• Counselling services
• Special teacher for hearing impairment
• Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services (BEE-U)
Training and qualifications
The head of school, Mrs K. Lee, holds the National Qualification in Special Education Needs. Additionally, we have staff who are trained in the following areas to support pupils with additional needs, identified within the four broad areas of SEN.
• Safeguarding and Child Protection
• Sensory inclusion hearing impairment training
• Speech and Language
• Anxiety in children
• Attachment and trauma
• Precision teaching
• Catch up reading
• Catch up Maths
• Dyslexia
• Social stories
• Tier 1 Autism Education Trust Training
• Tier 2 Autism Education Trust Training
We regularly source outside training for our staff, in addition to having a supportive and collaborative training culture within school that ensures staff are kept up to date and supported to access resources and training to support them in their role.
Working with parents
It is our aim to work with parents to endeavour to meet pupil needs. Positive relationships and working together will secure the best outcomes. Through our commitment to working with parents, we aim to:
• Listen to parental concerns and act upon this
• Effectively monitor pupil progress
• Provide termly consultation
• Offer a termly consultation in relation to progress of Pupil Centred Plan Targets
• Communicate around assessments from external agencies
• Meet/telephone call to discuss the outcomes of external assessments
• Provide a meeting with SENCo upon transition into Year 3
• Update our website with useful content
• Provide workshops and support materials
The SEND local offer outlines information, services and resources for children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities, their families and the practitioners who support them.
View the SEND local offer here: https://shropshire.gov.uk/the-send-local-offer/
Other useful contacts
shropshirebeam@childrensociety.org.uk
BeeU Access Team can be contacted by phoning 0300 124 0093.
Early Help 0345 678 9021
Shropshire Speech and Language Advice Line 01743 450800
Transition
We work with our feeder school and any other schools to ensure that transition into St. George’s Junior School is supportive and settling for pupils. Together, with Woodfield Infants School, we have a devised transition program that enables work to take place prior to starting in Year 3. This includes the SENCo from both schools working together, sharing necessary information, attendance of annual reviews and meeting with parents. Pupils are given opportunities and experiences, based around need to aid them with transition. Transition is equally supportive at the end of Key Stage 2, whereby we work closely with Secondary schools to ensure pupil need is met. Pupils will make additional visits as part of transition and if required, will work with our learning mentor on a preparation transition package.
SEN Progress and monitoring
Progress is regularly monitored and termly meetings ensure pupils are on track. Where pupils are not identified as meeting targets, class teachers and cohort leaders devise next steps to support pupils. This is completed in liaison with the Senior Leadership Team. Where additional support is shown to not meet need, class teachers will work with SENCo to seek further support and decipher next steps.
For pupils who have a Pupil Centred Plan, targets will be monitored, reviewed and updated termly in liaison with parents and pupils.
The Local Governing Body is kept up to date about deployment, funding and provision of SEND through reports and presentations from the Headteacher, SENCo and the link governor. The SENCo will present data about attainment and progress of all pupils with SEND to the Governing Body. The Link Governor meets with the SENCo on a termly basis to ensure appropriate provision is made for pupils with SEND. The Link Governor plays an active role in work reviews, observation and pupil voice. The Governing Body reviews and monitors St. George’s Junior School SEN Information Report.
SEN Information Report
In line with new SEN code of practice, every school is to produce an SEN information report.
Please click on the link below to read the full report for St George’s Junior School
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy – approved by LGB 10.10.23
Accessibility Plan March 2021
Equality_Information and Objectives Statement – joint SGJ & WFI – approved by LGB 16.5.23
Shropshire Council updates
Neurodiversity Week