Co-op Academy Glebe’s Trust  

At Co-op Academy Glebe we plan a curriculum which reflects our six school values: THRIVE: Togetherness, Hunger to Learn, Resilience, Inspiring Individuals, Valuing all, Excel and Enjoy  and which incorporates high performing experiences where children are engaged and challenged and developed educationally, physically, socially and emotionally. These are underpinned by our Co-op Academies Trust 4 values of: Succeed together, Be yourself always, Show you care, Do what matters most.

Principles and Objectives

Aims: 

We value all children at Co-op Academy Glebe as equal but special. The Inclusion (SEND) Policy aims to provide every child with access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. It is generally accepted that approximately 20% of all children have special needs at some time during their compulsory education. It is the aim of the school to recognise and support all pupils with Special Educational Need and/or Disabilities (SEND) and any special provision made should relate to the individual needs of the pupils. We aim to create a secure and supportive environment where all pupils feel valued.

Definition of SEN:

A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support, we shorten this to SEND.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:

• Has significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• Has a disability that prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions  

(The Code of Practice 2015) 

There are four main areas of SEND identified within the SEND Code of Practice (2015). All areas of SEND can be considered as falling under four broad areas.

1. Communication and interaction

That is, children that find communicating and understanding language difficult. This may be due to a specific language difficulty or conditions such as autism, pragmatic difficulties or sensory processing disorder.

2. Cognition and learning

That is, children that have learning difficulties that mean they are not able to learn basic numeracy or literacy skills. A child or young person with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) may have difficulty with one or more aspects of learning.

This includes a range of conditions such as dyslexia (difficulties with reading and spelling); dyscalculia (maths); dyspraxia (co-ordination) and dysgraphia (writing). Children with severe learning difficulties may also have difficulties in acquiring basic skills in any area and this may also impede their physical development.

3. Social, mental and emotional health

That is, children that have severe difficulties in managing their emotions or behaviour. They can include low mood (anxiety or depression), problems of conduct (oppositional problems and more severe conduct problems including aggression), self-harming, substance abuse or eating disorders.

Some children and young people may have other recognised disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), attachment disorder, anxiety disorder, or, more rarely, psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar. Children with ASD can have comorbidities of social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

4. Sensory and/or physical

That is, children with physical or sensory disabilities which affect their ability to access the environment or learning. This may include visual or hearing impairment, cerebral palsy or congenital conditions, injury or disease.

The above definitions are termed ‘broad’ areas as some children may have difficulties in one of more areas or it may not be clear which area their difficulty falls under. However, most children’s needs will come under one of the above.

What is an Education Health Care Plan (EHC)?

Under the Code of Practice, local authorities have a responsibility to provide an EHC plan for a child with SEND if it feels those needs mean that the child will be at a disadvantage without additional support. An EHC plan explains the child’s difficulties and sets out long-term and short-term outcomes for the child. The local authority and the educational provider will then work towards those outcomes.

Guiding Principles: The guiding principles of the SEND policy are:

• To identify and assess the needs of all pupils
• To plan, implement, assess and record education programs and other appropriate intervention for those children who are identified as having SEND
• To liaise with and actively involve the LA, SEND support services, external agencies, staff, parents and children as appropriate in the processes of assessment, support and evaluation
• To monitor and evaluate all procedures and to initiate changes, which will benefit the pupils and are consistent with the School Development Plan 
•  

Specific Objectives 

• To continue to implement and develop staff awareness of the DfES Code of Practice
• To provide updated training for the whole school on Dyslexia awareness & Autism Awareness
• To identify potential concerns of pupils prior to entry into the Foundation stage through home visits
• To continue to develop effective provision for pupils on SEND register through provision mapping
• To Track data & explore concerns through in-school monitoring and testing 
• To explore the notion of SENDs underperforming with all concerns raised.
• To regularly update parents on progress.

The objectives outlined above will be evaluated either termly or annually depending on need.

The SENDCo will:

• Review the school SEND policy in conjunction with the Head of School, Staff and Governors
• Report the state of SEND at Co-op Academy Glebe to the Governors
• Be responsible for the day to day operation of the SEND policy
• Coordinate provision for children with SEND
• Liaise with staff, LA, SEND support services, external agencies, including Educational Psychology Service, medical and social services to identify, assess and provide appropriate support to those children with SEND
• Liaise in partnership with parents and carers of pupils with SEND
• Maintain the SEND register and oversee records of pupils with SEND offer support and advice to  staff regarding appropriate intervention activities, resources, behaviour programs etc)
• Identify and contribute to INSET
• Liaise with the High school and other Primary Schools
• Oversee resources for pupils with SEND
• Consult with parents, staff, governing body and other professionals

Management

The SEND policy is reviewed by the SENDCo, in consultation with the Head of School, staff and governors annually and the policy document updated.

The policy is implemented in the following ways:

• Each class has a SEND file containing individual records of children on the SEND register
• The SENDCo liaises with SEND support services, Educational Psychologists and other external agencies
• The SENDCo liaises regularly with class teachers concerning pupils with SEND

Admissions 

An equal opportunities and inclusion policy is adopted regarding the admissions of children with SEND. Please see our Disability Equality Scheme for our Policy on Inclusion.

Including Children (Disability Equality Scheme)

The definition of a disabled person is someone who has “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

At Co-op Academy Glebe, we acknowledge that every child has equal access to a full and varied curriculum in a learning environment that encourages and supports children’s development. We also acknowledge that all children learn in different ways and at different rates; and that these factors should not prevent a child from getting an education.  

The school has a wealth of knowledge about the disabilities of children, staff, parents and members of the community (as a result of the questionnaire) so as to know current barriers within school. The curriculum is not narrowed for any child, ensuring that all pupils with SEND have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

In order to ensure all children have equal access to the curriculum and to aspects of school life, reasonable adjustments will be made according to the identified needs.

School Accessibility to disabled persons

The school has wheelchair access, two disabled toilets, designated parking spaces and all buildings are accessible to disabled persons. Co-op Academy Glebe is a single story building.

Resources

• The school has a variety of resources to support children and include them in all areas of the curriculum. Lessons and activities are adapted to meet the needs of children using a mixture of everyday resources and specialist resources, sometimes bought under the advice of specialists.  
• Additional SEND Funding/Devolved: The school receives funding for children who have undergone assessment and have been issued with an EHCP. Funding depends upon the band allocated in the EHC plan.  
• The school adopts a range of strategies to support pupils with cognition and learning, (including dyslexia), social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication needs and physical and or sensory needs and those identified as having a need through resources and teaching strategies and the plan do review cycle (as shown below).

Identification, Assessment and Review 

It is our aim to identify as early as possible any pupils who may have SEND.  This will be in the way of pre-school visits prior to pupils entering our foundation unit, or by staff and parents raising concerns once children are in school. The other way we track children is through DC Pro – a system that allows us to monitor the progress of children, and areas they have difficulties. Pupils will be assessed in school and will be discussed with our LA SEND lead when they visit. Any resulting recommendations will be followed by the school, and parents will be kept informed of progress.  

The process of Identifying needs and including children at Co-op Academy Glebe: 

Children progress in monitored using in-class assessment & DC Pro will be completed.

Children whose rate of progress flags up concerns are discussed with the class teacher and parents.  

Children are then placed on a ‘monitoring register’ where additional targets under APP (accelerating pupil’s progress) are provided. After 1 term the SENDCo meets with the Class Team to discuss rates of progress from the APP intervention. If rates of progress are still of concerns, the child is then placed on the SEND register.

The child is then given targets by the class teacher supported by the SENDCo in the area where support is identified as being needed (e.g. maths) and these are shared with the children. Specific interventions are carried out with the child (or group of children) to support them in class. Children’s progress continues to be monitored.

If we still have concerns over the child’s rate of progress, despite the school putting in some extra support and monitoring this over a specific period, the school may seek the advice of services outside of school (e.g. the Speech and Language Therapist, the Educational Psychologist, the Inclusion service’s specialist teachers, etc). When we receive specialist advice, we act upon this and include it in the child’s School Support Target Sheets in the form of targets. At this point the child will be reported to parents as having SEND and be added to the school SEND register.  

If, despite support and advice from outside agencies, the child is still making little or no progress, the school will put a child forward for coordinated assessment. The process of applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan should take around 20 weeks, and evidence has to be provided to show that the school has done all they can, and explored all of the support channels available to them. A child issued with an EHC plan has a set number of hours given to them so that the school can employ an adult to carry out specific activities to achieve the objectives on the plan.  

The SENDCo will also have access to whole school assessment on a termly basis in order to assess pupil progress.  They will use the LA indicators for intervention along with class teachers in order to assess if a child needs to be identified as having SEND and placed appropriately on the SEND School register.

Curriculum

Children with SEND will have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. The needs of pupils with SEND will be identified and provided for in curriculum planning. Where appropriate, differentiation and special curriculum planning will be outlined within planning for the class, group and / or the pupil's SEND targets.

Pupils with SEND must experience success in tasks and activities presented; and their work must be planned in order to match their level, interest, type and pace of learning. Activities should be broken down into small, achievable steps; however, they must reflect high expectations.

There may be occasions when pupils may be withdrawn for extra support on a one to one basis and in small group situations.  This decision is made by the SENDCo in conjunction with the class teacher.

Pupils will be assessed regularly and their progress recorded, reviewed and evaluated. Intervention should be measurable and targeted specifically.

Inclusion

All pupils with SEND are included socially and provision is made for pupils to be included within the curriculum. Reference should be made to the 'Equal Opportunities' document but it should be noted that this school supports the LA stance on inclusion of all pupils by a holistic approach through:

• Setting suitable learning challenges
• Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils
• Responding to pupils' diverse learning needs
• Contributing to outer-agency support where necessary
• Taking account of diverse cultures, faiths and family situations    
• Taking account of health, physical, emotional and mental requirements

At Co-op Academy Glebe we hold the view that our equal opportunities and inclusion policy together with high expectations will support the highest standards of achievement for all pupils.   We have quiet working areas throughout the school for small group and one to one sessions for all pupils requiring somewhere quiet to work.  These areas are time tabled in order for all classes to have equal access.  

Complaints 

The school policy enables parents and carers to have direct access to their child's class teacher, the SENCO, Phase Leader and the Principal. If necessary, complaints can be referred to the Governing Board by following the academy complaints policy.

INSET / Staff Development

INSET needs for all staff will be delivered in conjunction with the Professional Development Program as outlined in the action plan. The SENDCo will continue to attend regular SENDCo Network meetings and will be responsible for sharing current developments and initiatives with staff as appropriate and this will continue to support the development of all staff in SEND areas.

External Support and Relations 

The school benefits from Special Educational Needs Support Service. The Educational Psychologist visits the school on a regular basis and offers support to staff and works with pupils assessing their individual needs. To implement the SEN/Inclusion policy the SENCO will liaise, when appropriate, with a network of external support, including Health, Social Services, SENDS, Educational Psychologist, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, advisory teachers for visually and hearing impaired and EWO.  

Service Level Agreement

The SENDCo agrees support and signs a Service Level agreement where appropriate at the start of each term with supporting outside agencies.

An Educational Welfare Officer visits school regularly and meets with the Head of School..

Home / School Links

At Co-op Academy Glebe we have a dedicated team of staff who work closely with our families identified as needing additional support by working closely with a wide range of external agencies /professionals to ensure that our most vulnerable children achieve their fullest potential.  

Parents/Carers 

There should be the greatest possible degree of partnership between parents and their children, school, LEA and other agencies. Parents are actively encouraged to participate in the implementation of their child's School Support Targets. Parents will be actively involved at least 5 times a year when targets are reviewed and new objectives set for their child. With regard to the Code, parents' and children's views, comments and concerns are paramount throughout and they are placed at the heart of the process.

Transition Arrangements 

When children transfer to another school all documentation is forwarded to ensure continuity. When appropriate the SENDCo will liaise with the new school and arrange additional transition sessions for the child, as well as advanced handover meetings.