Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School

SEND information

Welcome to our SEND Information Report which is part of Durham County Council’s Local Offer for children and young people with Special Educational Needs.

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, we recognise that all pupils are entitled to a quality of provision that will enable them to achieve their potential. We believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all our pupils including those with a special educational need or disability.

Our school recognises there are particular groups of pupils whose circumstances require additional consideration by those who work with them to support their SEND.

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, we ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs make the best possible progress.

Please see our SEND Policy and the additional information provided below.

There are four broad areas of SEND. These are:

  • Communication and Interaction
    This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs
  • Cognition and Learning
    This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
    This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn
  • Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
    This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

How we support SEND

Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, prides itself in being very inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need.  All pupils follow the National Curriculum at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times, and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

  • Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.
  • Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
  • Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
  • Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
  • To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
  • To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
  • To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
  • Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
  • To promote self worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
  • To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
  • To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practice.

Your child’s needs will be met within the class supported by high quality teaching, including planning which takes account of the needs of each child. The progress of all children is reviewed on a regular basis. If necessary, the class teacher will work with the SENDCO to produce a plan for your child and set appropriate targets. If needed an individual programme of additional support will be put in place. This will be reviewed at least three times a year and updated as needed. Sometimes the school will seek support from outside services. This will be discussed with you and a referral made with your permission.

If your child requires specific equipment to help access the curriculum then it will be purchased.  The governors are responsible for ensuring that SEND funding is used well and that all pupils are given the help that they need to make good progress. There is a SEND Governor who meets with the SENDCO regularly.

Types of SEND

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including: Autism, Anger Management, Anxiety, Bereavement, Counselling, Social Skills and Communication Difficulties.

The school provides data on the levels and types of need to the Local Authority.  This is collected through the school census.  

Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, we believe that inclusive education means providing all pupils with appropriate education and support alongside their peers. The Curriculum is all the planned activities that the school organises in order to promote learning, personal growth and development.

It includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the range of additional opportunities that the school organises in order to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning.

High quality classroom teaching and adjusted plans and resources for individual pupils is the first step in supporting children who may have special needs. For example, additional visual aids or maths equipment may be provided. This will enable your child to access a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.

Children might also receive additional support in small groups. These groups, also called intervention groups, may be:

  • run in the classroom or outside;
  • run by a teacher or a teaching assistant who has been trained to run these groups;
  • run by a specialist from outside the school, such as a speech and language therapist.

Further specific support may also be provided through a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by the class teacher and SENCO as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching, which cannot be provided from the budget available to the school and will need ‘top-up’ funding.

How we identify and assess children with special educational needs

Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, we follow a graduated support approach which is called “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.

This means that we will:
  • Assess a child’s special educational needs
  • Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
  • Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
  • Review the support and progress
As part of this approach, we will produce a SEND Support Plan that describes the provision that we will make to meet a child’s special educational needs and agreed outcomes.  Parents and carers will be fully involved in this process. A small percentage of children and young people with significant learning difficulties might need an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan. Full details can be found on the Local Offer website.

How we adapt the curriculum

You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEND below: We share information about the additional needs of individual children at transition meetings before they enter Reception. If your child is coming from another school then we will use the information transferred to us and speak to the previous class teacher or SENDCO if appropriate. We may also be given information from other people who have worked with your child, such as a speech and language therapist. We encourage parents and carers to work in collaboration with us and to discuss and raise any concerns as early as possible. In the first instance, parents should discuss any concerns with the child’s class teacher. This may then lead to a meeting with the class teacher and special educational needs coordinator (SENDCO) to discuss next steps. Any special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) may also be identified during termly meetings between teachers and the SENDCO to monitor and discuss the development and progress of all pupils. These are called Pupil Progress Meetings.

Staffing and any Specialist Qualifications/Expertise

The SENDCO, Class Teachers, Higher Level Teaching Assistants and Teaching Assistants have attended a variety of training courses, including Personalised Learning for Reading, ASD training, Anxiety training, Language Link , Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language training. We have a rolling programme of training and support for staff based on the needs of the pupils within school. Staff are sent on more individualised training if they are supporting a pupil with a specific need. Key information from these training courses will be cascaded to other teaching and support staff. If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Finance

The budget allocation is agreed between our school and the Local Authority at the beginning of each financial year. Detail of how this money is used to support children and young people with SEND is shown below. This is monitored each term by the Academy Council. The school budget is used to support children with SEND. Additional ‘High Needs Funding’ can be applied for where appropriate. The Headteacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, in consultation with the Academy Council, on the basis of needs in the school. The Head Teacher and the SENDCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including children needing extra support and pupils not making as much progress as expected. The child’s view will be sought informally and for review meetings. For very young children with SEND, or for children where school identifies the needs of pupils on a school provision map, all resources/training and support are reviewed regularly with changes made as needed. The school will use its SEND funding in the most appropriate way to support your child. This support may include individual or small group teaching assistant support, but this may not always be the best way to support your child. The funding may, therefore, be used to put in place a range of support. SEND funding may also be used to purchase particular resources and interventions or support from other specialist support services. If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes. A Costed Provision Map will be developed in liaison with the child, young person, parent or carer.  An example of a costed provision map can be found here.

Emotional and Social Development Support 

We recognise that pupils with SEND may well have emotional and social development needs that will require support in school.
  • The emotional health and well-being of all our pupils is very important to us.
  • We have a robust Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy in place; we follow National & LA Guidelines.
  • We have a robust Behaviour Policy in place.
  • The Headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and all staff continually monitor the emotional health and well-being of all our pupils.
  • We are an Anti-bullying school.

Statement of Intent for Supporting Equality

At Bishop Ian Ramsey, we are committed to equality. We aim for every pupil to fulfil their potential no matter what their needs. Our School is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families. We aim to:
  • Provide a secure and accessible environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued.
  • Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity.
  • Provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and disabled people.
  • Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting equality and valuing diversity.
  • Make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the school.

Pastoral, Medical and Social Support

We strive to be an inclusive school. We welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff believe that children’s high self-esteem is crucial to their emotional well-being and academic progress. We have a caring, understanding team who support all of our children.

 

Medicine can be administered in school with signed parental permission. There are nominated first aiders in school and several members of staff have paediatric first aid qualifications. If your child has significant medical needs you will need to speak to the SENDCO or Headteacher to discuss how we can best support you and your child. This might include drawing up a Health Care Plan which will include advice from medical professionals.

 

The class teacher has overall responsibility for the well-being of every child in their class. If you have any worries, please speak to the class teacher first.

 

Risk assessments are carried out for school visits including residential trips and reasonable adjustments will be made where required. Where needed the risk assessment would include a meeting with parents as well as taking account of any medical advice. The destination of these trips will be considered when assessing the needs of all children. On some occasions an individual member of staff may be assigned to support a small group or individual child if the risk assessment indicates that this is necessary. 

 

After school clubs and inter-school events are available to all pupils. Adjustments are be made to support the participation of vulnerable pupils. 

How we consult with our SEND pupils

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND                                        We 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. The children take an active role with setting their targets, discussing them with the Class Teacher/SENDCO. The children have regular meetings with support staff to discuss their progress and support. All class teachers meet with the Head teacher termly to discuss pupils’ progress. We also look closely at the plans that have been put in place and their effectiveness and impact on your child’s learning. We discuss any new concerns and plan appropriately for additional support, provision, resources or advice from outside services as necessary. Where appropriate, a provision map will be written. This will be discussed three times a year. Your child’s view point is important to us. Your child will be asked to contribute to the assessment of their provision and what could be improved. This can be shared with us directly or through the conduit of you as a parent. Consistent and effective and open dialogue is the key to a happy and secure child.

Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND

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:
  • Termly Consultation Evenings for parents and carers;
  • 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 a review of a child’s SEND Support Plan or the Annual Review of their Statement of SEND or EHC Plan.
We have an open door policy for any daily information that needs to be shared between school and home. Parents and teachers may arrange a meeting with the class teacher or with the SENDCO if there is anything of a more serious or private nature to be discussed. Parent Consultations take place twice a year.                                                                                                                                                           

Parents are given information about the expectations where children should be working at for their age and also about the expected rate of progress for maths, reading and writing. Annual reports are sent to parents in July to give an overview of the child’s achievements that year.

 

Outside services involved with some children provide reports and information about attainment and expected progress for specific needs, such as speech and language or physical development. Any report connected to your child is also available to you. These include the outcome of specific assessments that may be undertaken. If a child is identified as needing an individual school based plan to support their education, then parents will be involved in helping the school to create this and reviewing targets at regular intervals, usually three times a year but more if needed. 

Additional help

Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School is an all inclusive school and we meet the needs of our pupils in a range of different ways. Children’s needs will be met in accordance to their SEND plans. This could mean staff attending medical appointments with children and parents to support the child and learn about their individual needs. Staff training from medical professionals, in school or externally, help keep us up to date with individual pupils’ changes. We also take part in training staff led by educational professionals when needed. All our children take part in PE lessons including swimming, through differentiated planning and support. All children are welcome to take part in After School Clubs too. Educational visits are planned with thorough risk assessments in place with support put into place to ensure all of our children’s needs are met.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A copy of our Accessibility Plan and SEND Policy can be found in our School Policies section and is available for parents and carers to view on-line or download. 

SEND Transition

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                          How we will support children with SEND when they are moving on;                                   If your child is moving to another school:
  • We will contact the school SENDCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.
  • We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible. 
  • Information will be passed on to the new class teacher and in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher to discuss your child’s strengths and difficulties and the strategies that have been successful. Provision maps/targets will be shared with the new teacher.
In Reception:
  • The Reception class teacher/teaching assistants will arrange visits to Nursery providers to meet and discuss your child.
  • The SENDCO may arrange additional induction visits for children identified as having SEND and additional meetings will be arranged with parents and any other services who have been involved with your child (e.g. The Early Years Support Service).
In Year 6:
  • The Year 6 teacher and/or SENDCO or Headteacher will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCO/Inclusion Manager of their secondary school.
  • Your child will carry out focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead.
  • Where possible your child will visit their new school on several occasions and, in some cases, staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.
  • A range of methods, suitable for your child may be used to support them at the time of transition. For example, we may use books or social stories to support your child and enable them to understand moving, if we think this would help.

Agencies and Partnerships

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of agencies providing services to children with SEND and their families; particularly when a child is demonstrating further cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent. The external specialists may:
  • Act in an advisory capacity
  • Extend expertise of school staff
  • Provide additional assessment
  • Support a child directly
  • Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
  • Consult with all parties involved with the child
These include:
  • Durham SEND Information,  Advice and Support Service
  • The Education Psychology Service (EPS)
  • The Language and Learning Support Service (LLSS)
  • The Education Support, Behaviour & Attendance Service
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • Speech and Language Therapy Service
  • EWEL Counselling
  • Additional Language Service (ALS)
  • ASD service
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Children’s Services
  • School Nurse
  • Traveller Education Team.

Our SENDCO

The following are the main contacts for Special Educational Needs and Disability at our school:
    • Miss Richards is our designated Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator.
    • Mrs Calver-O'Neill is our designated SEND Governor.

It is the SENDCO’s job to:
  1. Oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy
  2. Liaise with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEND
  3. Advise teachers on using a graduated approach to providing SEND support
  4. Advise on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet the pupil’s needs effectively
  5. Liaise with parents/carers of pupils with SEND
  6. Liaise with and be a key point of contact for external agencies
  7. Ensure that the school keeps the records of all SEND pupils up to date
  8. Work with the Headteacher and Academy Council to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements by phoning the school on 01207 560235 or sending an email to: admin@birmedomsley.co.uk 

Compliments, Complaints & Feedback

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEND and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience. We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed. 

SEND Feedback

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEND and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience.  We would also like your views about the content of our SEND Information Report. If you would like to comment please get in touch.                                                                                            
If you would like a paper copy of any of our documents on our website please speak to the school office, who will provide them to you free of charge. 

Bishop Ian Ramsey CE Primary School is part of the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust. Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust is a company limited by guarantee (company number 10847279) and exempt charity registered in England and Wales at The Cai Building (fourth floor), Coble Dene, Royal Quays, North Shields, NE29 6DE.