We know when pupils need help if:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, teaching assistants, pastoral team or the pupil’s previous school
• Information is passed onto the school from the LA or other agencies ( eg Health Services)
• There is lack of progress
• There is a change in the pupil’s behaviour
• A pupil asks for help

Any concerns we may have are shared with parents, and with their consent, appropriate assessment and support is requested from support agencies to ensure that their child’s needs are identified and met.

To view our SEND Policy please click here.

If you have concerns then contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Atanaskovic, the school SENDCo.

When a child has been identified as having a need or disability we will work with those people who already know your child and use their knowledge to identify what the child’s needs are and how they can be met in our school.  This will usually involve meetings with parents/carers to ensure we have a full picture of the child’s needs.

The school is compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act of 2005.  SEN staff would meet with you and your child to discuss your child’s needs and the provision that may need to be put in place.

Each pupil’s education programme will be planned by the class teacher.  It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil’s individual needs.  This may include additional support by the teacher or other adults in class.

If a pupil has needs related to more specific areas of their education, such as numeracy or literacy skills then the pupil may be placed in a small focus group. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need.  The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning.

In addition to interventions, Lilycroft may offer focused teaching during Literacy and Numeracy outside of their usual classroom for children who are significantly below or above the other pupils in their class.  This will be subject to staff availability and funding.

Pupil Progress Meetings are held each term.  This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Headteacher and the Senior Staff 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 by the SENDCo.

Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support form an outside agency such as the Educational Psychologist, Paediatrician etc.  Referral forms are then completed in conjunction with parents/carers and forwarded to the most appropriate agency.  After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers.  The duration of this process may vary depending on a particular agency’s waiting list.

When a pupil has been identified with special needs their work will be differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum more easily.

Additional support may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1-1 or small focus group to target more specific needs.

If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, concentration cushions, pen/pencils grips or easy to use scissors.

You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at parents’ evenings, these are held 3 times a year.

Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher or SENDCo by visiting the school office.

IEPs (Individual Education Plans) are shared with parents at parents’ evening. Targets are usually set by the class teacher.  Parents/carers are encouraged to contribute their input to be included in the IEP.

The class teacher may suggest ways of supporting your child’s learning through face-to-face meetings, at parents’ evenings or the weekly homework meetings.

Mrs Atanaskovic the school SENDCo may meet with you to discuss how to support your child.  The class teacher may meet with you to discuss strategies to use if there are problems with a child’s behaviour/emotional needs.

If outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist have been involved suggestions and programmes of study are normally provided that can be used at home.

The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils; we have Learning Mentors who support individual or small groups of pupils as well as a Children’s Counsellor available to support children’s emotional needs.

If a pupil has a medical need then a Care Plan is compiled by the SENDCo in consultation with parents/carers.  Care Plans are discussed with all the staff who are involved with the pupil.

Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school.

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise.

The agencies used by the school include:

Autism Support Service
Learning Difficulties Team
Educational Psychologist
Children’s Counsellor
Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Team
Visual Impairment Team
Hearing Impairment Team
School Nurse
Occupational Therapist
Speech and Language Therapist (SALT)
Physiotherapy
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service