SEND: Information Report for Parents

From September 2014, the Government has asked all Local Authorities in the UK to publish, in one place, information about the services and provision they expect to be available in their area for children and young people from 0 to 25 who have Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND).

As part of this commitment, all schools are asked to detail their approach, resources and provision for children who may have an additional SEND need. This is known as the ‘Local Offer’.

Further information about Middlesbrough Council’s ‘local offer’, can be found following the link:

https://fis.middlesbrough.gov.uk/kb5/middlesbrough/fsd/localoffer.page?familychannelnew=8

Lingfield Trust / Hemlington Hall

The key aim of Lingfield Education Trust and each of its schools is to help all pupils – including those with SEN and disabilities – to achieve their very best and become successful, well-rounded individuals.

We believe that all children should have high quality teaching, adjusted to meet their individual needs, in accordance with our statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equalities Act 2010. Our school regularly assesses all of our pupils, enabling us to determine those who may have special educational needs as early as possible.

Our School Offer

This guide aims to detail our ‘School Offer’ to children and families who have an interest in, or need for SEN provision. This report complements the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy.

Should you require any additional information, please feel free to contact myself, I would be more than happy to discuss with you any questions which you may have.

Our school has a variety of key policies which directly impact upon our provision for children with SEND, which are all available as part of our school website, including:

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy
• Admissions Policy
• Anti-Bullying Policy

Special Educational Needs and / or a Disability can affect many children throughout their school career and beyond. Whilst disabilities generally affect children long term, not all SEN difficulties should be seen as ‘Life Long’. SEND is seen by our school as the child requiring provision that is additional to, or different from the rest of the class. In these cases, a carefully planned approach is needed additional to high quality class teaching in order for these children to achieve as well as they can.

We are a mainstream primary school and we admit pupils aged 3 to 11 years. We are an inclusive school. This means we provide for children with all types of special educational needs. The areas of need that are described in the SEND Code of Practice are:

Communication and interaction – this includes children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) including Asperger’s Syndrome.

Cognition and learning – this includes children and young people with moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). This also includes  children and young people with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties – social, emotional and mental health difficulties may manifest themselves in many ways including becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical needs – this includes children and young people with visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI), multi-sensory  impairment (MSI) and physical disability (PD).

Children and young people with any of these needs can be included within our school community. Whilst these four categories broadly identify the primary areas of need for children and young people, our school will  consider the needs of the whole child or young person and not just their special educational needs.

We aim to identify children’s special educational needs (SEND) as early as possible, so that they have the best possible outcomes.

Often, children may join our school, with parents having a clear picture of their child’s needs – parents know their children best – and as a school we see parents as full partners in their child’s education. Sometimes, however, it is school staff who may initially identify a concern. If this were to be the case, school staff would liaise with parents at the earliest opportunity to discuss such concerns and agree a way forwards. For some concerns, we may discuss the involvement of the Educational Psychology Service, the Inclusion and Outreach Service, the Occupational Therapy Service, Speech and Language Therapy, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, the Neurodevelopment Team or your local GP.

It is important to understand, however, that the purpose of such involvement of professionals is not always to seek a ‘label’ or ‘diagnosis’ – but more often in order for advice to be offered to help the child learn as well as they possibly can. For example, certain programmes may be advised, teaching strategies, resources or services in order to address the needs as best as possible. As previously mentioned, if these needs are addressed, we are confident in the outcomes of such support, and the issue has been resolved, your child will no longer be placed on our SEND register.

There are three categories at Hemlington Hall Academy:

– Monitoring; when a teacher has initial concerns that a child has a Special Educational Need he/she will complete a ‘Monitoring’ form. This form includes, possible area of special need, observation notes, assessment information and details of strategies tried so far. School staff will then liaise with the child and their parent/carer at the earliest opportunity to discuss such concerns and agree the best way forward.

– A Support Plan; the children are overseen by the school and the school and parents initiate, review, amend, and cease support for children whose needs are seen at ‘Support Plan’ level.

– An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP); Children with greater needs at this level have their plans initiated and created by the Local Authority, but reviewed and monitored by the school and parents at least annually. An EHCP is generally a multi-professional process, where everyone comes together (including the parents and child) to jointly plan the support which the child requires and is entitled to.
Professionals which would be typically involved in these planning and review sessions would be:
– Health and Social Care colleagues
– Local Authority SEND Teams / Psychology 

If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Care Plan is compiled by the teacher in consultation with parents/carers and other professionals such as The Epilespy Team. These are discussed with all staff involved with the pupil.

All staff are trained in treating pupils with epi-pens, asthma and epilepsy and this training is refreshed yearly.
We also have staff who are trained to administer First Aid.

Hemlington Hall offers a fully inclusive environment for all children. Children with additional needs, such as SEND or Looked After Children are closely monitored and supported throughout their time at our school. Our Headteacher, SENDCo and Leadership Team reviews the provision and achievements for our children with SEND to ensure the best outcomes for children and families. Supporting families is a specific part of this role and also the role of all staff at all levels; we see supporting children through supporting families as a vital part of ensuring quality provision. Children who are ‘Looked After’ by the Local Authority (in care) are monitored and supported by the Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Knox. Provision, additional resources and teaching and outcomes are reassessed regularly to ensure that these vulnerable children are both happy – and making good progress. The Deputy Headteacher also liaises with Social Services and attends all ‘Looked After Reviews’.

If you would like a place at our school for a child with an Education, Health and Care plan, this can be considered during the annual review process and/or during the consultation stage of the EHCP assessment.

If you want a place for any other child with special educational needs, you should apply as normal, and your application will be considered in the same way as applications from children without special educational needs. 

Our Admissions Policy is available on our school and Trust website.

In common with all schools in Lingfield Education Trust, we set high expectations for all pupils, whatever their prior attainment. We use assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. We deliver high quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised and meets the individual needs of the majority of children and young people. Some children and young people need educational provision that is additional to or different from this and we use our best endeavours to ensure that such provision is made for those who need it. The provision offered to each child with SEND is unique.

Teaching and learning strategies include, but are not limited to:

• Differentiated curriculum, objectives, activities and teaching approaches.

• Teaching Assistant support within the class, in order for the work to be further differentiated to meet exact needs.

• Some individual teaching, following dedicated programmes to address specific needs.

•  Use of’: visuals, visual timetables, modelling and demonstration.

•  Clear instructions and simplified language.

•  Pre-teaching of key words and subject terminology.

•  Specialist interventions, e.g. Occupational Therapy, or Bungalow.

•  Additional resources to enable better access to the curriculum, e.g. seating / writing apparatus that have been suggested by professionals

•  ICT resources and use of computers and iPads.

•  Assessments undertaken by Educational Psychologists in order to pinpoint exact areas of difficulty that are then addressed

Our School has:

•  A dedicated Headteacher with significant SEND experience to oversee the provision for all children with additional needs across the school.,

•  A SENDCo – Miss Lovatt, and Deputy SENDCo—Mrs He, who coordinate the SEND offer for children and families at Hemlington Hall Academy.

• An ASD Specialist Teacher—Mrs He to support staff in making adaptations and supporting the needs of those children with an ASD diagnosis.

•  Dedicated and experienced staff in the field of SEND to directly support children across the school.

•  An ethos where each child and their needs is understood by all of the school community

•  A curriculum which is tailored to the needs of the child – through the use of staffing, differentiation, teaching style, and resources – including ICT

• Strong links with external partners, such as LA SEND support teams including the Outreach and Inclusion service, Speech and Language Therapy and so on as well as our own private professionals, such as an Educational Psychologist and Bungalow Therapists.

We very much value the contribution that parents can make to their child’s education. We promote positive partnerships with parents and actively work with them to enable their children to achieve their best.  We recognise parents as the main educators of their children and operate an ‘open-door’ policy to share information, as well as more formal consultation evenings. 
At all stages, we work with parents to agree on the best decisions and provision for their children.  Parental consent is obtained prior to pupils being added to the register of Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.

We encourage parents to become part of school life by:

•  Inviting parents to  meet their child’s new class teacher prior to their transition to a new class / environment. 

•  Having regular meetings and discussions with parents about what we have planned for their child—including sharing the child’s SEND support plan and targets.

•  Inviting parents / carers into school to share in their child’s learning journey, e.g. for reading sessions and ‘World Book Day’, context activity afternoons, open house celebrations and lots more.

•  Using Dojo to provide information about the curriculum and activities specific to each year group as well as sharing good news with parents.

•  Involving parents in the regular reviews of SEN support plans and, where applicable, in the annual review of EHC plans.

Every effort is made to strengthen home / school links and to encourage parents to work with their children and staff in order to overcome any difficulties.

We are committed to involving children and young people with SEN in decisions about their learning and do this regularly through supporting children to complete a questionnaire to ensure genuine wishes and feelings are captured or, for those children who are not yet able to express themselves verbally, by observations.

We will:

• Seek the views, wishes and feelings of children and young people.
• Share targets with children.
• Provide children and young people with the information and support necessary to enable full participation in decision making.
• Support children and young people to develop and help them achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, preparing them effectively for adulthood.

Most importantly, we pride ourselves in the effective relationships that we have with our children – which means that we have daily, open conversations with our children leading to a very clear picture of what our children enjoy, what works and what they need.

In order for your child’s successes and needs to be accurately identified, we carefully assess your child using a range of assessments. When your child enters our school, their current attainment is assessed to give us a ‘baseline’ from where your child will progress. We communicate the outcome of these assessments using end of year written reports, annual report process (EHCP), or through parents’ evenings. 

Some of the assessment methods are:

Speech Therapy Assessments – which may focus on sound production, language understanding, or other relevant assessments to your child’s needs

Education Psychology Assessments – which may include memory, understanding, reasoning, logic, and general skills assessments

On going school assessment. These assessments are comprehensive in all aspects of school life. These include

· Reading, writing, maths assessments

· Phonic and spelling assessments

· Social and Emotional Assessments

· Additional assessments relevant to your child’s needs

Your child’s school achievements may be assessed against the levels expected for children who are working on the National Curriculum (i.e. the same as the majority of other children in their year group), or they may be assessed against other measures for children who are not ready to work on National Curriculum Levels (i.e. the steps before the National Curriculum). These smaller steps are measured in our school using a system called PIVATS. Aspirational targets are set for all children assessed against PIVATS using support from an external data consultant and our Headteacher who is a regional hub leader for PIVATs,

As with everything related to your child in our school – the answer is individual, but most children do achieve well when they have been supported effectively. If your child is able to access the Year 1 Phonic Screen, Year 2 statutory assessments, Year 4 national tables test, or Year 6 SATs, they will be supported appropriately to access these, often with access arrangements (such as extra time, a scribe, or enlarged texts). However, if your child is not able to access these assessments, due to very complex needs, they will not be expected to complete them, and their achievements and progress will be measured using school data. Such decisions will always be discussed in partnership with parents.

We are committed to eliminating discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relationships. We have high ambitions for all pupils and expect them to participate and achieve in every aspect of school life.  Through careful planning and reasonable adjustments, pupils with SEND engage in the activities of the academy together with those who do not have SEND, and are encouraged to participate fully in the life of the academy and in any wider community activity.

We work with parents and pupils to listen to their views, feelings and wishes to ensure pupils with SEND engage fully in the life of the school and in any wider community activity.

We ensure appropriate support is given to ensure that pupils identified as needing additional support can be included in the same activities as their peers, including those outside of the classroom and school trips.
For example:
– if a child had a physical disability, they can always be incorporated in to a PE lesson with adaptation and effort; we make that effort.
– if your child has social difficulties but wishes to participate in a club, a key adult may attend alongside him / her to offer support and guidance;
We are keen to work with you to ensure that your child achieves their full potential in all areas of school life.

We regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils to make sure no-one under achieves. We look at whether our teaching and programmes of support have made a difference and also their cost effectiveness. We use information systems to monitor the progress and development of all pupils. This helps us to develop the use of interventions that are effective and to remove those that are less so.

Pupil Progress Meetings and SEND Reviews are held regularly. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with members of the Leadership Team and/or SENDCo to discuss the progress of the pupils in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned which will be discussed and implemented.

With so much additional provision and resources, many parents are concerned as to who pays for this – and where does the money come from? Each school in our Trust receives its school budget in September, and as part of this budget there is a ‘notional’ SEN amount. As such, schools are responsible for funding the first £6k of support for children with SEN – after which they can request addition ‘Top Up Funds’ from the Local Authority; generally this is for children with very high needs – typically in receipt of an EHCP. In order to access these funds, the school requests the Local Authority to review what support is required – and how much above the school contribution is required to meet the needs of the child – detailing the provision the child is receiving and at what cost to the school .

More information about SEND finances is available within the Local  Authority Local Offer Website.

At Hemlington Hall Academy, we have a whole-school approach to promoting the health and well-being of all of our pupils.  We recognise that all adults have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm and that every child’s welfare is our paramount and collective concern, as identified in our Safeguarding Policy.

We understand that developing the resilience of your child to mental health problems will enable him / her to develop into a healthy adult in the future. 

Our school will provide a caring, positive and safe environment for your child where he / she can develop a sense of belonging and feel able to trust and talk openly with adults about their problems. 

We will offer personal, social and emotional guidance to your child at each stage in their educational journey, in line with our curriculum for Personal, Social and Health Education (and Citizenship). 

As a school, we recognise positive behaviours and effectively use Peer Mentors to encourage peer-to-peer support in low-level conflict situations. 

We also provide access to a ‘nurture group’ and work closely with the Bungalow Project to offer specific support for our most vulnerable pupils. 

Class teachers work with your child every day and get to know him / her well, so they will notice changes in his / her behaviour that might indicate a problem.  At all times, we will keep you informed and work with you to overcome any difficulties.

If necessary, we may involve other specialist services such as CAMHs or the Link to assist in assessing, planning and supporting your child and reviewing his / her progress.  Your opinions and wishes will be taken into account.

With the right support, the great majority of children and young people with SEND or disabilities can find work, be supported to live independently, and participate in their community and we encourage these ambitions from the start.

Our support for children with SEND, includes planning and preparation for the transitions between phases of education, key stages, year groups and preparation for adult life.

If a child or young person has an EHC plan, this will be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to moving between key phases of education.

Foundation Stage:

Before starting Nursery, your child will be visited by Nursery staff at home and invited to a welcome ‘Stay and Play’ session. 

Prior to transition to Reception, you will be invited to a meeting to share information about starting school and to give you the opportunity to ask questions.  Children will be familiar with their new class teacher and the learning environment through the joined up work between Nursery and Reception staff.

Your child will be invited for ‘trial lunches’ in the school dining hall.

Key Stages 1 / 2:

As your child transfers to a new year group he / she will be given the opportunity to meet their new class teacher on a number of occasions prior to their transition to a new class / environment.  You will be invited to a ‘Meet the Teacher’ meeting.

If your child has particular difficulties in coping with change, additional provision may be made, e.g.
*They may visit their new class teacher / environment on a greater number of occasions to enable them to feel more prepared and less anxious;
* They may be provided with a visual support to help them to prepare for the change;
* It may be possible for a key supporting adult to make the transition to a new year group with him / her to provide continuity for your child.

Transition to Key Stage 3:

When your child is ready to make the transition to Key Stage 3, his / her class teachers and the SENDCo will arrange to meet with staff from the relevant Secondary Schools to discuss any additional needs your child may have.  Key Stage 3 settings now provide additional induction arrangements for pupils who require extra support, whether this be a need relating to their academic or personal, social and emotional development.  You will also be invited to Open Events where you will receive the information you need to support your child in their transition.

At Hemlington Hall we have 3 specialist ‘High Needs Bases’ (Reception / KS1 / KS2).

Base 1 – The Infant Base Provision for Reception / Y1 / Y2 is a 15-place provision.

Base 2 – The Junior Base Provision for Y3 / Y4 is a 12-place provision.

Base 3 – The Junior Base Provision for Y5 / Y6 is an 12-place provision.

Occasionally, short-term additional places are created in order to meet school or L.A. need. Where this occurs, staffing is increased accordingly.

Places are allocated by the Local Authority according to the specific needs of children across Middlesbrough.

Our Bases provide nurturing, needs-led environments enabling detailed assessment, specific and targeted work to take place on a day-to-day basis in a small group setting.  We place an emphasis on the integration of these children into mainstream environments, such as their own year group, whole-school assemblies, the dining hall and playground at appropriate times and with relevant support.

Base 1 pupils may be taught within the unit for up to 3 years, or until they are 7 years old and due to make the transition to Key Stage 2.  Base 2 pupils may be taught within the unit for up to 2years, or until they are 9 years old  and Base 3 pupils may be taught within the unit for up to 2 years, or until they are 11 years old and due to make the transition to Key Stage 3.  In preparation for transition, staff work closely with parents / carers, Educational Psychologists and other professionals, and forwarding schools to provide a smooth and successful transfer of pupils to their new placement.  It is our aim to work with the Local Authority to ensure our pupils move to a setting that will best meet their particular needs during the next phase in their education.

Your first point of contact at the school is the child’s class teacher.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) is responsible for managing and co-ordinating the support for children with special educational needs, including those who have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. They also provide professional guidance to school staff and work closely with parents/carers and other services that provide for children in the school.

Head Teacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead	Mrs K Edmenson	01642 591171 admin@hemlingtonhallacademy.co.uk
Deputy Head and Designated Person for Children Looked After	Mrs J Knox	01642 591171 admin@hemlingtonhallacademy.co.uk
SENDCO	Miss S Lovatt	01642 591171 admin@hemlingtonhallacademy.co.uk
Deputy SENDCO	Mrs E He	01642 591171 admin@hemlingtonhallacademy.co.uk
SENDIASS Service—South Tees		01642 310 806 southteessendiass@barnardos.org.uk
Middlesbrough LA SEN Team		016422 01831 sen@middlesbrough.gov.uk

If there are any disagreements with parents about SEND support for their child, it is best to speak to Mrs Edmenson asap and we will do our best to rectify the problem, in partnership with you and your child. There is also a copy of the school’s complaints procedure on the school and Trust website should you feel you require it.

Send Information Report for Parents

SEND Policy