SEN Information
Priority Questions asked by parents
Q. What services and expertise does your setting provide support for?
A. We have supported children with learning needs, medical needs, physiotherapy, speech and language and communication needs and children on the Autistic Spectrum. We also work closely with agencies such as CAMHS, Occupational Therapy Service, Speech and Language Therapy Service, Behaviour Support Service, Social Care and the Virtual School.
Q. What training do staff receive on supporting children with SEND?
A. Regular professional development is planned as a whole school initiative focusing on a particular area of SEND along with individual requirements to supplement expertise. The Head is open to requests from staff to pursue training that will enable them to further develop an understanding of their role and meet an individual child’s needs. We have had training on how to use the Wiltshire Early Support for Dyslexia (WESforD) resources and training on how best to support learners who have social communication difficulties. Both sets of training were delivered by members of the Specialist Special Educational Needs Service. Teachers and Teaching Assistants have had training on Thrive and how to use the Thrive approach to connect with our pupils. This was delivered by a member of the Behaviour Support Service. The Midday Supervisory Assistants have had 2 training sessions learning different behaviour management strategies which was also delivered by a member of the Behaviour Support Service.
Q. How does the school know if my child needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child might have SEND?
A. If your child is transferring from a pre-school or another school, staff there may have already raised their concerns with you in which case information they have gathered will be shared with our school usually at a meeting or by other means.
Your child’s progress is continually monitored over the year and if they are deemed unlikely to meet their targets, then extra help will be considered and planned for by the class teacher. If you have concerns you are welcome to come and discuss your child with the class teacher, Head and/ or SENCO at any time and together we will consider how best to support them and advise on what to do next.
Q. How will I know how my child is doing? How will you help me to support my child’s learning?
A. There are regular parents’ evenings throughout the year (3) where your child’s progress and any concerns are shared with you. The Home Learning Policy is available on our website and this explains what is expected for children in each year group to be doing for homework each week. We ask that you provide your child with a quiet place to work.
If your child has a My Support Plan/ SEN Support Plan or an EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) then regular formal meetings will take place during the year too.
Q. What is an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) or My Plan?
A. An EHCP or My Plan is a holistic way of support planning for children and young people with SEND, looking at the whole person, their strengths and interests as well as their needs and challenges. Solutions will focus on what is important to the person concerned, as well as capturing the views of their parents and carers. To find out more information, click on the image to watch a video explaining what an EHCP is.
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Q. If it is decided that my child should be assessed for an EHCP, how long will the process take?
A. To view an Education, Health & Care Needs Assessment Timeline, click here.
Q. How will the school help my child achieve their potential?
A. Every child has individual targets for reading, writing and maths and, through regular assessments throughout the year, they are monitored to ensure they remain on target. Opportunities are planned to develop a broad and balanced curriculum which will appeal to all children and there is a range of after-school clubs to foster specific skills.
Q. What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
A. We have ELSA trained staff, who work with children requiring emotional, social and behaviour guidance. We have a Pastoral Manager who will be able to work with the whole family.
Q. What support is there for parents/carers?
A. Mrs Spanswick - SENCO and Mrs Owen – Head of School are available to meet with parents/carers. Contact details are on our school website.
Q. Who can I contact for further information and how?
A. Please call into the office and speak with our administration team who will be happy to advise you or alternatively speak directly to the Head of School, Mrs Owen. Contact details are on our school website.
Q. What should I do if I have a complaint about my child’s SEN support?
In the first instance, please arrange a meeting to speak to your child’s class teacher and the SENCO. We will discuss your child and the support that they are currently receiving. If however, after the meeting, you are still not satisfied with your child’s SEN support, please contact the Head of School. You may then be referred to the school’s complaints policy which can be found using this link:
https://www.kingsgate.wilts.sch.uk/key-information/policies
If you are not satisfied with the school’s response and you want to make a more formal complaint, you can use the complaints service provided by Wiltshire council https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/complaints
Sometimes issues can be fixed without needing to make a formal complaint. You may find using a different route will provide you with a quicker response. For example, if what you want to raise is a request for a service, it can be resolved directly by the service team rather than the complaints team. If you wish to speak to the SEND Service directly, use 01225 712620.
To see a full explanation of suitable avenues for complaint, see pages 246 and 247 of the SEND Code of Practice.
If you feel that our school has discriminated against your child because of their SEN, you have the right to make a discrimination claim to the first-tier SEND tribunal. To find out how to make such a claim, you should visit: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school/disability-discrimination
You can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:
- Admission
- Exclusion
- Provision of education and associated services
- Making reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services
Before going to a SEND tribunal, you can go through processes called disagreement resolution or mediation, where you try to resolve your disagreement before it reaches the tribunal.
Mediation
Your right to appeal is not affected by entering into mediation, however you must contact a mediation adviser before registering your appeal with SENDIST. You will be required to obtain a mediation certificate before any appeal can be made to the First-Tier Tribunal.
Global Mediation
www.globalmediation.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 064 4488
Email: sen@globalmediation.co.uk
