The School is proud of its Inclusive ethos. It has a full time, dedicated Inclusion Team who are committed to supporting children and removing barriers to learning for ALL, including those with SEND. This team is led by Mrs Adele Knight, who is our highly experienced SENCO and holds the National Award in Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (NASENCO). There is also a named Governor responsible for Inclusion (including SEND), Mrs Sarah Langley.

Together, they ensure that Barnwood’s Inclusion Policy complies with the National Code of Practice (2014), the Local Education Authority, and other policies current within the school. They also keep the Full Governing Body informed and updated.

 

In line with current best practice, Barnwood C of E Primary School believes that early identification is essential and should include an open discussion with the child and his/her parents about ways of providing support to meet needs and specific, agreed outcomes.

 

This person-centred approach is a dynamic process to accommodate and reflect the changing nature of a child’s needs; recognising that over time a child may need more, less or different support and resources as they progress through their education.

 

Most children will receive support in class so they are able to, inclusively, access the work of their peers, sometimes at an adjusted level; others may be withdrawn for short periods to receive group or individual targeted work based on academic, social and/or emotional needs. For a few children, who are experiencing greater levels of difficulty accessing learning, they will require more intensive support. This may, but not always, require 1:1 support. Where this is the case, school will work with parents to facilitate attuned, individualised support. Where a child’s needs are more complex, a request can be made for an Education Health and Care Plan assessment. This is decided by the Local Authority.

 

Universal Support delivered, inclusively, by the Class Teacher:

All teachers are teachers of SEN and have overall responsibility for meeting the needs of all children, including those with special educational barriers. This provision is overseen by the SENCo who quality assures any support that is put in place. We use;

• High-quality classroom teaching as the primary strategy for supporting any SEN need. Reasonable adjustments are made to facilitate access to learning and the wider activities of the school.
• Lessons are carefully planned and adapted to suit all learners needs, through the use of differentiated support and outcomes.
• Teaching that is based on building upon what a child already knows, can do and can understand. High expectations are maintained, even where there are barriers, as we are ambitious for all children, regardless of need.
• Additional adult support, in every class, every morning often targeted to those most in need.
• Classrooms which are adapted and resourced to suit pupils with educational/ additional/ physical needs.
• A holistic approach to education, which considers all aspects of learning including social and emotional well-being. We see the child as a cohesive whole.
• A variety of visual and tactile resources are used to support learning.
• Specialist equipment is used to ensure pupils with Special Educational Needs and Physical Disabilities have fair and equitable access to the school environment and curriculum.

 

Targeted work with a smaller group of children:

For some children, more intensive support may be required, which is over and above classroom provision. This may involve a child having small-group catch-up and/or consolidation learning work, known as intervention. This is delivered in work bays/ learning areas just outside the classroom by either a teacher or Learning Partner. These are designed to close the gap towards age related attainment or above and can include;

• Pre-teaching which rehearses key learning before the main lesson to instil greater confidence to engage with high-quality teaching.
• Precision teaching, which is a teaching programme that meets the needs of an individual child who is experiencing difficulty with acquiring or maintaining some (basic) skills.
• Additional small group guided support from an adult - teacher and/or Learning Partner that further practises key learning at a tailored pace and delivery.
• Nurture-style provision to support social and/or emotional difficulties
• Sometimes an external professional will guide or run interventions such as a Speech and Language Therapist.

 

Specified Individual Support

We provide personalised provision for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for a few this may include individualised specific support, sometimes supported through a 1:1 adult. This support can be provided in a classroom or outside; often there is a balance of both, dependent on need. For children with more complex difficulties, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be put in place to provide robust targeted provision. Children who receive this level of support have been identified by the class teacher, SENCo and outside agencies, such as the Educational Psychologist or Advisory Teaching Service, to need a particularly high level of support.

 

Medical assistance for children with on-going health conditions, are documented on Care Plans.

 

Our Inclusion (inc. SEND) Policy outlines further details of identification and assessment arrangements; how we work with parents to involve them in their child’s education; how we capture the voice of the child; liaison with outside agencies that form Teams Around a Child or Family; transition arrangements and provision for children with SEND as part of our school offer.

 

 

 

Our Offer of Early Help

 

At Barnwood C of E Primary School, we recognise the importance of Early Help as a key strategy when working with children and families to enable every child to thrive.

We believe that by working together, at an early stage, we are able to develop flexible support services that are responsive to children and families’ needs and provide the right level of intervention at the right time.

This approach is reliant on local agencies working in partnership to:

• Identify children and families who would benefit from Early Help
• Undertake an assessment of the need for Early Help; and
• Provide targeted Early Help interventions based on the assessed needs of a child and their family in order to significantly improve outcomes for the child.

 

There are several factors that are essential to being able to deliver effective early support and intervention to children and families. 

An open, honest and transparent approach to supporting children and their families –Asking for help should be seen as a sign of parental responsibility rather than a parenting failure. Support is often more effective when parents feel they are listened to and respected by practitioners. We will work honestly and openly with families, having clear conversations about concerns and making sure that they are involved in decision making.

Early, solution focused and evidence based interventions – We will work with families to help them identify the things that they need to change and the support that they need. For support to be effective it will be tailored to the family’s needs and be provided at the lowest level necessary to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved.

A multi-agency approach to assessment, support and intervention – Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of everyone in Gloucestershire who works with, or has contact with, children and their families. We need to consult each other, share information and work together using our collective skills, knowledge and expertise to deliver the best possible outcomes for the child.

What will we try to achieve with the support of the local authority Early Help team?

• Engage with families and work to their strengths
• Focus on preventing problems and building the resilience of parents, children, young people and communities to support each other
• Be clear and consistent about the outcomes we expect
• Be brave enough to stop things that aren’t working

Gloucestershire Family Information Service provides information, advice and support for families with children aged 0-19 (up to 25 for those with a disability)

www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk

Telephone - 0800 542 02 02

	Assess, Plan and Do for 4 Areas of Need	[pdf 405KB]
	ELSA at Barnwood	[pptx 4MB]