Mrs Emma Rogers is our special education needs co-ordinator, she can be contacted on the main school number 02476 328009 or via email rogers.e@welearn365.com
INFORMATION REPORT
Middlemarch School is an inclusive school and we are committed to meeting the needs of all pupils including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We have a shared expectation that we will use our best endeavours to see that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, will be provided with every opportunity to make their best possible progress within our school.
At Middlemarch School, we offer all children a broad, balanced, creative curriculum. This is planned with the needs of the year groups, classes and individuals in mind. The activities are chosen to ensure all children are actively engaged in their learning. If necessary, the activities will be differentiated to allow all children to participate.
Part of the SENDCo’s job is to support the class teachers in planning for children with SEND. The school provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), speech and language difficulties and attachment and trauma. We are currently in the process of becoming an ‘Attachment Aware’ School.
The SENDCo, individual teachers and support staff regularly attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class/group, e.g. Specialist Teaching Service (STS) Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) or Warwickshire Primary Mental Health Team .
The Code of Practice (2014) states that:
Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching.
It states-
‘High quality provision is needed to meet the needs of children and young people with SEN High quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised will meet 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. This is special educational provision under Section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to ensure that such provision is made for those who need it. Special educational provision is underpinned by high quality teaching and is compromised by anything less.’
Local Offer
Warwickshire Local Authority supports all Warwickshire Schools to do this and encourage schools to use their best endeavours to meet the needs of all pupils where possible within main stream settings.
The Children and Families Bill came into force in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review; information about services they expect to be available for individuals aged 0-25. This is called ‘The Local Offer’ and the intention of this is to improve choice and transparency for families. It is also an important resource for parents to understand the range of services and provision within the local area. The Warwickshire Local Offer can be found on the local authority webpage at:
https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send
Middlemarch School SEND Information Report
This report, to be read in conjunction with the SEND Policy, outlines the provision for SEND pupils that Middlemarch School can offer and hopes to answer any questions parents/carers may have regarding SEND. The Code of Practice, 2014, states that all schools must publish this information on their websites and update this information annually at a minimum.
What are Special Educational Needs?
The 2014 Code of Practice states that:
‘A person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. At compulsory school age this means that he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or, has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for other of the same age in mainstream schools.’
The Code of Practice refers to the following four areas of need:
Communication and Interaction difficulties
Cognition and learning difficulties
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH)
Sensory and physical needs
1. Communication and interaction:
Speech, language or communication needs (SLCN)
Difficulties with making themselves understood
Difficulties with understanding or using social rules of communication
2. Cognition and learning:
Moderate learning difficulties (MLD) – children who learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation.
Severe learning difficulties (SLD) – children who are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum
Profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) – children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as physical or sensory impairment.
Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) – children who have specific difficulties in one aspect of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Children who display challenging, disrupting or disturbing behaviours as a result of social and emotional difficulties.
Children with underlying mental health issues such as anxiety, depression self-harming, eating disorders or attachment disorder.
4. Sensory and/or Physical needs
Children who have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided
Visual impairment (VI)
Hearing impairment (HI)
Multi-sensory impairment (MSI)
Children with a physical disability (PD)
Some children have difficulties in just one area and will need provision for this need, others may have more complex needs and will have needs in more than one area. The range of support deployed will be tailored to the individual needs and we will encourage children to work independently where possible.
How are pupils identified as having SEND?
A pupil will be identified as having a SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Therefore a child with a diagnosis will not automatically be added to the SEN register if their needs can be met through Quality First Teaching in the classroom. Likewise if a child is making slow progress and has low attainment this also does not necessarily mean that a child has SEN and will not automatically lead to a pupil being recorded as having SEN. However, it may be an early indicator of learning difficulties or disabilities therefore these children will be included on our Monitoring list for those who potentially may have SEN. Other factors such as attendance figures, quality of teaching, engagement in lessons to name a few need to also be considered before SEN is identified. Equally, it should not be assumed that attainment in line with chronological age means that there is no learning difficulty or disability. Some learning difficulties and disabilities occur across the range of cognitive ability and, left unaddressed may lead to frustration, which may manifest itself as disaffection, emotional or behavioural difficulties.
The SEND Code of Practice, 2014, suggests that pupils are only identified as SEN if they do not make adequate progress once they have had numerous interventions, adjustments and good quality personalised teaching.
Our constant progress monitoring is used to highlight any pupil who is showing slow progress and staff will intervene within their quality first teaching. This monitoring should seek to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances.
This can be characterised by progress that Code of Practice defines as which:
• is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• widens the attainment gap
Teachers will discuss their concerns with parents/carers and interventions will be put in place to try to improve progress. If there is still no improvement shown after these interventions and support, then the SEN team will become involved with the teacher and parents. If parents have any concerns they wish to raise about their child, this is to be discussed with their child’s class teacher first and then to the SEN team if needed.
We place a child on the SEND register if:
The child has a significant need which requires provision that is different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age
Their progress and attainment is significantly behind (18 months-2 years behind) if their main need is cognition and learning (standardised score of 80 or below)
The child has ongoing SEMH factors which impacts their school day and their ability/capacity to learn.
Children could be identified as having SEN through a variety of ways including the following:
Child performing significantly below age expected levels that require extra provision to be made
Assessment using New Group Reading Test, MALT Maths test, Single Word Spelling test and a Non-verbal reasoning test in the first and final terms of year 3 (or when they join the school if new to a different year group or mid-year) and then in the summer term of every year after. These tests provide a reading/spelling/maths age which is compared to chronological age
Screenings such a Dyslexia Screening by Nessy can give an indication of a specific literacy difficulty, however this will not diagnose dyslexia
Assessments by the Specialist Teaching Service (STS) or Educational Psychologist (EP) may indicate need
Concerns raised by Parent
Concerns raised by a teacher: for example behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance
Liaison with a previous school
Liaison with external agencies
Information received from health specialists
Some children transfer to us with a special need already identified and the SENDCo will liaise with the previous SENDCo in this instance.
Who can I talk to at Middlemarch about my child's needs or if I am concerned about progress?
In the first instance, your child’s class teacher will be able to keep you informed about progress as well as any additional support they may be receiving. They will also draw up an IEP for your child using SMART (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed) targets which will be reviewed termly. They are also responsible for personalised teaching and learning for your child using effective differentiation. Teachers will also be responsible for ensuring the SEND policy recommendations are adhered to and external professional’s recommendations and strategies are implemented within the classroom where possible. They will also liaise closely with the SENDCo as necessary.
The school’s SENDCo (Mrs E Rogers) is responsible for co-ordinating all support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). She will also liaise with parents, fellow teachers and external agencies to ensure the day to day operation of the school SEND policy. As well as this, she will manage teaching assistants, oversee records on all SEND children and contribute to the in-service training of staff.
The Head teacher (Mrs G Mawdsley) as part of her day to day management of the school which includes the support for children with SEND, has overall responsibility for ensuring that SEND children’s needs are met. She also ensures that the Governing Body is fully informed on all aspects and issues relating to SEND.
The SEND Governor is responsible for making sure that all the necessary support is given to any child with SEND who attends Middlemarch School and liaises closely with the Governing body, SENDCo and Headteacher.
The SEND Assistant (Mrs T Stokes) is responsible for record keeping and administration of SEND paperwork, as well as liaising with Parents, Teaching Assistants and external agencies in order to ensure the smooth delivery of day to day SEND provision.
If you are concerned about your child then first point of contact is the class teacher to discuss your concerns. The SENDCo or SEND assistant will be able to discuss these further if your concerns continue.
What support is available at Middlemarch School?
Support is tailored to the needs of individuals or small groups within our school, at the present time we can offer;
Differentiated class teaching as necessary within the classroom
Reading/phonics/numeracy interventions or small group work with a teacher or teaching assistant
1:1 support from a teaching assistant
Communication Friendly Environment
Lego Therapy
Cooking Therapy
Nurture groups
Forest School groups
Social Skills groups
EAL Support
Pastoral 1:1 support
Speech and Language programmes
Physiotherapy programmes
SEMH groups (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) such as anxiety, anger or self-esteem programmes
Individual sessions with our Creative Therapist from Sycamore Counselling
Zones of regulation support to self-regulate
Attachment Aware ethos
Quiet room for a quiet lunch
What external specialist services can be accessed by Middlemarch?
External agencies also provide support within school. These include:-
Specialist Teaching Service (STS)
STS provide advice and assessments for literacy, numeracy and behaviour difficulties. They also assist the School with assessment, advice and review of individual children with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Speech and Language Therapist
They undertake assessments, give advice, set targets, work with and review progress of individual children with a specific speech and/or language difficulty.
Physiotherapist
They provide assessment, advice and review of individual children identified with specific difficulties.
Educational Psychologist
They assess individual children’s learning/behaviour and then advise the school and parents with recommendations and strategies of how best to support the child’s difficulties.
Early Help
This is a route to provide support for families through multidisciplinary meetings and support.
RISE (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services -CAMHS)
In 2017, CAMHS partnered up with Coventry and Warwickshire Mind to transform emotional well-being and mental health services for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire which together are now known as RISE.
This service provides support, assessment and treatment for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire experiencing emotional wellbeing difficulties, or mental health problems, disorders and illnesses.
School Nurse
The school nurse can provide advice to school and parents on a wide variety of medical issues. This service is called the ‘Warwickshire School Health and Wellbeing Service which is provided through Compass. They are contactble on Tel: 03300 245 204 or
Email: warwickshireschoolhealth@compass-uk.org
How do I know what support my child is receiving?
Regular meetings with the Class teacher at parent’s evenings are a good opportunity to discuss progress, IEP targets and interventions the school will be providing to support your child if required.
The SENDCo or SEND Assistant will contact you to discuss the involvement of external agencies if the school feel your child would benefit from this support and a consent form will need to be completed.
All support given to our SEN children will be detailed on the School Provision Map.
How does the school monitor my child’s progress?
The Code of Practice states that ‘Class and subject teachers, supported by the senior leadership team, should make regular assessments of progress for all pupils’.
Assessments are carried out on all children each term to monitor their progress and any concerns are discussed with parents and children at termly parent’s meetings.
Reading age, Spelling age, Non-Verbal age and Maths ages are also assessed at the end of the school year to monitor progress.
Also at parent’s meetings, progress on IEP targets will be discussed and new targets set for the following term.
Social, emotional and behavioural concerns are also discussed with parents in order that support can be offered or advice sought from relevant professionals if the concerns continue. Parents can also contact their GP if necessary.
Children that have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have an Annual Review meeting with professionals that are involved in supporting the child to discuss the child’s progress and any concerns.
What do I do if I am not happy with the provision made for my child?
What do I do if I am not happy with the provision made for my child?
Discussion with your child’s class teacher may help to resolve issues in the first instance. If not, complaints should be raised with the SENDCo or Headteacher so that they can try to resolve any issues you might have. If you are still concerned, you can contact the governing body directly.
Where can I seek help, other than through school, if I have a child with special educational needs?
Warwickshire SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs Information Advice and Support Services) supports parents and carers of all Warwickshire Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from 0-25 years of age. It is a free, confidential and impartial service which offers independent support for parents and families who have children and young people with SEND.
They can be contacted as follows:
Address: KIDS, Exhall Grange Specialist School, Easter Way, Off Pro Logis Park, Coventry CV7 9JG
Phone: 024 7636 6054
Email: Warwickshire@kids.org.uk
How does the school support my child when transitioning to another school?
Close liaison between schools and discussions regarding your child’s needs with teachers and SENDCo’s ensure that we meet the needs of your child both academically as well as emotionally and socially.
Extra transition visits are provided for both child and parents, supported by a member of staff, if required.
Transition booklets are provided for children.
Nurture type work on transition can be offered if identified as being required.
What is an EHC Plan and who can request one for one for my child?
The purpose of an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP), which replaces Statements of SEN, is to make specific educational provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for them across education, health and social care and, as they get older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will contain;
the views and aspirations of you and your child,
a full description of their special educational needs and any health and social care needs,
establish desired outcomes for your child’s progress,
the provision required and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes.
You or the school, usually the SENCO, can request that the local authority conduct an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan. These extensive referrals are for children with the most complex needs who require a significant level of additional support and possibly placement in a specialist provision.