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Sir John Barrow School is a fully inclusive school. We ensure all pupils achieve their potential – personally, socially, emotionally and academically, in all areas of the curriculum regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, physical ability or educational need.
The purpose of this SEND Information report is to inform you, as parents/carers, how we support all of our children, including those with SEND and CLA, to achieve their full potential. It is also intended to provide you with information regarding how you will be updated about your child’s progress, what specialist services the school has access to and how accessible the school environment is.
If you would like further information about SEND provision please do not hesitate to contact our school SENCo, Miss Alexandra Robinson. She can be contacted by telephone or email through the school office or through the school website.
01229 483960 admin@sjbarrow.cumbria.sch.uk
Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Policy
For information on Cumbria Local Authority’s Local SEND Offer please click here
At Sir John Barrow School we provide for a range of Special Educational Needs. These can be summarised into 4 broad areas:
From the moment of entry into SJB, whether through Early Years/Foundation Stage, or at a later point in a child’s school career, children’s needs are assessed. We talk with parents/carers and take into account any other available information such as via Heath Visitors, Community Nurses, previous Nursery/school to ensure we have an accurate picture of a child’s needs.
Once in school, all children’s needs are continually monitored by his/her class teacher, the Headteacher and where appropriate the SENCo. The Headteacher and SENCo meet regularly with class teachers to discuss pupils needs, access to the curriculum, progress and any area of concern.
At SJB it is not assumed that a child has Special Educational Needs because they are working below age related expectation. Action is always taken at SJB to diminish any learning gaps, including appropriate intervention, such as small group work and one to one support.
However, if a child does not make adequate progress in line with national expectations, despite appropriate intervention and good quality personalised teaching, they will be identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) following agreement with the parent/carer.
For children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), Education Plans (EP’s) are written and reviewed at least two times per year and these are shared with parents/ carers. Through these plans, parents/carers can be given ideas and strategies of how they can help their child at home.
In order to ensure accurate assessment of children’s needs, specialist advice may be sought. The school currently buys in the support of a School Nurse (0.2fte) and a Speech and Language Therapist (0.2fte). In addition, referrals may be made to other educational professionals such as an educational psychologist, health professionals or specialist advisory teachers.
We ensure the needs of our SEND children are met through regular discussions with teachers and support staff and through appropriate individual plans. Individual Plans are reviewed at least twice a year and children’s progress towards their targets is commented upon. This enables the Headteacher/SENCO to establish how effective their provision has been and will form the basis of further assessment and planning.
All SEND children have an:
Some SEND children are also supported through an:
Children with a high level of need which meets Local Authority SEND Thresholds, are supported through an:
An EHCP is a specific legal document outlining the individual’s needs, the objectives and the provision required in order to reach those objectives and the monitoring arrangements.
Core subject assessments are also carried out termly and results are tracked to monitor a child’s progress in reading, writing and maths and, for some children, speaking and listening. Alongside the class teacher, Miss Robinson (SENCO) is responsible for monitoring the progress of children with SEND.
Parents/carers are invited to a termly meeting with the SENCO and/or class teacher to discuss their child’s progress and possible next steps. The SENCO is always available to provide further support and advice if parents feel they would benefit from this.
The SENCo and class teacher is responsible for planning high quality curriculum provision for SEND children at SJB. The Headteacher and the SENCo allocate resources and support staff according to the direct needs of the children. This varies from year to year and may involve the purchase of specialist equipment. Sometimes allocated specialists, teachers or teaching assistants may deliver specific support programmes or interventions.
The school also takes account of specialist SEND advice provided by external professionals. Impact is monitored regularly to ensure that effective SEND support is provided across the school for those children who need it most.
At SJB, high quality teaching and classroom environments support inclusion. Teaching and learning involves differentiated learning tasks, based on accurate assessment of what children can do and what they need to do next. In addition teachers implement good classroom practice to support varying children’s needs, for example dyslexia, ADHD, visual impairment, physical/medical needs. Visual timetables and prompts are used in classrooms and interactive displays are put up to support individual children’s visual and auditory needs.
Some children need additional support to help them access the curriculum and this may be done with the support of a Teaching Assistant who works alongside a child in the classroom or appropriate resources. All lessons and activities that are planned by the class teachers are suitably challenging for all children and take into account their varying abilities and needs.
Children may also work in different groups which are supported by the class teacher or Teaching Assistant; have specific 1:1 sessions; work with a ‘buddy’ in class or in mixed ability groups.
Staff training in relation to SEND is carried out on regular basis depending on the needs of the children within our school. Where possible we encourage training for all teaching staff in order to disseminate good practice for SEND children throughout the school, for example dyslexia, autism, speech and language training. However, individual staff or small groups of staff may attend training specific to their role or pertinent to a particular age group.
In-house training can also be offered to a number of staff where a specialist will come into school and provide training on a specific area of SEND, if needed.
There are currently a number of staff at SJB who have additional qualifications, experience or training in relation to SEND. These include our school nurse, speech and language therapist and SERIS(pastoral support) worker. The SENCO also has gained the NASC Award (National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination).
Referrals can also be made to external agencies through a system known as Early Help, by the SENCO (Miss Robinson), if parents and school require more specialist support and advice. The services that we currently have access to include: Educational Psychology, Autistic Spectrum Conditions, Early Years Specialists, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Children’s Services and the School Health Team.
Providing the referral is accepted, the corresponding professionals will initially attend an Early Help Meeting. They will then seek to support staff and parents/carers with advice and strategies, if appropriate, that can be used to support the child. Parental consent is required for a referral to be made to an external agency.
The strategies and interventions agreed in a child’s EP will be implemented and progress monitored using the school’s usual assessment systems, plus specific tracking of progress through any interventions. Progress may be measured through assessment scores and/or through qualitative observations.
The progress of a child will be reviewed at the end of the specified period of intervention. This review will form the basis of further assessment and planning. Parents are invited to a termly meeting with the SENCO and/or class teacher to discuss their child’s progress.
Extra-curricular activities at SJB are available to all children and specific arrangements will be made, if necessary, for children requiring additional support.
Activities that take place outside the classroom or school trips are organised to ensure that all children can take part in them. Appropriate risk assessments are carried out for off-site trips as well as ensuring that the child, adult ratio is correct and all necessary precautions have been made.
Children’s emotional, mental and social well- being is paramount at SJB. We support these needs through the general ethos of the school, through the curriculum and through additional general provision and specific intervention. Further information can be found in our PSHE policy.
SJB’s school nurse and sports co-ordinator make significant contributions to pupils physical, mental and emotional well-being through promoting healthy lifestyles. Having a school nurse on site each week also means we can provide early intervention when concerns arise, supporting children and parents. Parents are welcome to book an appointment with the school nurse to discuss any medical issues they may have concerning their children.
In addition, the school’s SERIS (Supporting Emotional Resilience in Schools) worker, Miss Porter provides pastoral support to children through individual or small group work. A skilled teacher, Mrs Cameron, also provides timetabled pastoral and emotional support where required. This can include: bereavement, separation, friendship or family issues.
Children’s well- being is also supported through a range of lunch time activities and after school clubs allowing children to develop social skills and address any arising needs quickly.
At SJB, expectations in relation to behaviour are consistent across the school. All children are treated equally and rewards and sanctions are in place for appropriate or inappropriate behaviour (stickers, points, yellow jumper, time out). For children who consistently display inappropriate/unacceptable behaviour in and around school a meeting will be arranged with parents and next steps will be discussed. In some cases it may be necessary for a behaviour plan to be drawn up by staff and this will be reviewed on a regular basis.
For further details please see our school behaviour policy.
The school building allows for wheelchair access, with numerous wheelchair access points around the outside of the building. The majority of the building is on one level. We currently have two disabled toilet rooms at each end of the school. Within each toilet room there is a toilet (including one Clos- O-Mat Wash and Dry toilet), shower facilities, a height adjustable changing bed and a height adjustable sink with lever taps. One of the toilet rooms is fitted with a ceiling tracked hoist. The school also has a portable hoist to move children safely in other areas of the school.
There are designated areas for storing important SEND equipment required by our children with physical disabilities. We also have specific learning areas adapted to meet specific needs. The school is continually seeking to improve accessibility and will do whatever is ‘reasonable’ to ensure access for all.
At SJB we value inclusion for all and at the point of admission the SENCo and Headteacher evaluate accessibility, organising ‘reasonable’ adjustments to ensure accessibility for all our children.
At SJB children are fully involved in their education through discussion and quality feedback. Wherever possible, children with SEND are involved in the setting and reviewing of their targets on their Education Plan (EP). Children’s views, including children with SEND, are also sought through the school and class councils.
Home visits by Early Years staff are carried out prior to a child starting at SJB. During these visits important information is collected in relation to a child and parents/carers are given the opportunity to discuss any additional needs that their child may have when they start school. This will ensure that any additional requirements can be put in place as soon as possible.
In addition to the normal reporting arrangements, parents/carers evenings are held during the Autumn and Spring terms. At these appointments teachers will discuss progress that a child is making and ways in which parents can support their child at home, if necessary. Additional appointments are also offered with the SENCO if a child has an Education Plan (EP) where parents/carers can discuss individual targets and additional support that their child is receiving.
For children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilty (SEND), EP’s are written and reviewed at least twice a year. Wherever possible, all those involved with a child such as the Class Teacher, Parents/carers, Advisory Teachers, the child (if age appropriate) and Health Professionals should be included when deciding the provision and targets the child needs to work on in order to progress with their learning.
Parents/carers are able to contact teachers or the SENCO (through the school office) to arrange a meeting at any time throughout the academic year, should they wish to discuss their child or raise any concerns that they may have.
Bullying is taken very seriously at SJB and our anti-bullying policy is available to view on our school website.
Statistically, children with SEND are more likely than their peers to experience bullying. Consequently, staff and governors at SJB endeavour to generate a culture of support and care among pupils.
All children at SJB are reminded that they can voice their concerns via a number of ways such as speaking to their Class Teacher or TA’s working within the class or staff members they feel most comfortable talking to, writing down
their concerns in the class ‘Worry and Concern’ box, speaking with the SERIS worker who they know is always available during lunch-times.
The children are also, via their PSHE lessons taught about recognising bullying and the importance of telling an adult if it is happening to them.
The school SENCo and Safeguarding staff at school have a list of these bodies and contact details. Advice or referrals are made whenever it is appropriate to do so in order to meet a child’s needs, including children with SEND. This will be through the system known as Early Help.
SJB’s complaint procedures are set out in our school’s prospectus and can also be found on our website.
Should a parent or carer have a concern about the special provision made for their child they should in the first instance discuss this with the class teacher. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily parents have recourse to the following:
Cumbria SEND IAS Service (which was formerly known as the Parent Partnership Service) offers impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with special educational needs and or disabilities and their parents and carers. This support now includes signposting to health and social care advisory services.
Cumbria SEND IAS Service staff will make sure that parents/carers of all children (0-25 years old) with additional needs have access to information, advice and support. Confidential and impartial support is offered to parents/carers so they can make informed decisions about their child’s education.
More information can be found on:
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/schoolsandlearning/ils/parentpartnership/default.asp
Or by calling:
Celia Jones (Furness and South Lakes)
Tel: 01229 407439
Email: celia.jones@cumbria.gov.uk