1. What kinds of Special Educational Needs do we provide for at West Croft School?

West Croft School is a mainstream Primary school with a Nursery, educating 415 children from 2-11 years (January 2025).

At West Croft we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure that all pupils regardless of race, creed, gender, ability or disability make the best possible progress. We utilise a framework which enables us to analyse and adapt our arrangements to provide effectively for all of our students. This is linked with the School Improvement Plan by monitoring and evaluating the needs of groups and individuals and ensuring that progress for children with SEND is good or better.

We make provision for pupils with a broad range of needs from all four areas of the Code of practice (2015).

• Cognition and Learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy details that some pupils may need some support within the classroom and within the adapted curriculum and pupils with SEND will require enhanced provision to meet their individual needs.

2. How do we identify Special Educational Needs?

At West Croft School we continually monitor children’s progress. Progress is monitored through a range of assessment methods including daily monitoring and assessment of learning, weekly discussions and review of learning sequences and half termly/termly formal assessment methods.

When it has been assessed that a child is not making expected progress teachers will make appropriate adaptations to the provision as part of inclusive, high quality teaching with the aim of supporting the child to narrow the gap. If there is insufficient progress, the teacher will ensure extra support and intervention is initiated within the classroom setting. This support is implemented in discussion with Phase Leaders, the Deputy Head or Head Teacher and the SENDCo and will be a focus point of Pupil Progress Meetings.

For some children, limited progress continues and this may mean they have a Special Educational Need. We will use school-based assessments to gain an understanding of the underlying barriers to learning and in some cases (and in partnership with parents), we will request assessment and the support of external professionals to identify barriers to learning and plan provision/support.

Special Educational Needs are identified through a range of:

• School based assessments (Communication and Monitoring Tool, Let’s Talk More, 2YO progress checks, Dyslexia Screener, Boxall Profile, Speech Link, Language Link, Star Reader, Nessy assessments, Devon Graduated Response Tool, Needs Indicator Tool), end of term age related tests
• Discussion with parents
• Assessment by external professionals
• Feedback from teaching staff
• Ongoing teacher assessment
• Liaising with previous settings
• Pupil voice and views

Children who begin to narrow the gap with provision and support in place may no longer be considered to have a Special Educational Need and may be removed from the SEND register. This will be done in consultation with parents/carers and the class teacher.

3. How do we plan and support learning for pupils identified with SEND?

High quality inclusive teaching is an essential part of supporting all children to learn and make progress, including those who are working below age related expectation or have been identified with SEND. Teachers adapt lessons and provide planned scaffolding in their teaching sessions to meet children’s individual needs. Teachers use specific strategies to support individual needs and this is often planned in discussion with the SENDCo.

Progress is carefully monitored and specific needs are discussed in pupil progress meetings when intervention or adaptations to provision are planned to help children make good or better progress. This intervention may take place in small groups or 1:1 with an adult. Additionally, teachers assess additional needs and plan for identified children using My Plans and EHCPs which are monitored and reviewed by the SENDCo.

4. How will the curriculum and learning environment be adapted for my child?

Using assessment for learning, class teachers will adapt the curriculum to meet individual children’s needs. The curriculum may be adapted in a variety of ways:

• Adaption of outcome
• Adaption of scaffold, including resources and opportunities for concrete learning experiences
• Whole class inclusive teaching
• Small groupings
• 1:1 support
• Responding to advice from other professionals
• Visual prompts, symbols and words
• Use of adaptive technology
• There is use of a sensory room for children requiring sensory regulation

At West Croft we are committed to gaining further support and guidance from the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision document which we access to provide further advice and support in adapting provision and our school environment to best meet the needs of all of our children.

5. How will the school enable children with SEND to receive additional support?

At West Croft we strive to ensure we provide a fully inclusive curriculum through skilful adaption of provision, lessons and teaching. However, there is often further support for pupils with identified SEND. The pupils are identified by the class teacher and SENDCo. The Senior Leadership Team regularly review needs across the school. This allows them to identify specific areas of support and implement appropriate provision.

Provision is provided based on assessment of individual needs and will be different for every child. Some examples of additional provision include:

• SaLT practitioner working with individual children and small groups of children on programmes of support.
• Behaviour specialists to support children who find school challenging and to provide learning mentor support.
• 2 bereavement trained Teaching Assistants
• Collaborative working with external professionals
• Trained Autism practitioner
• A sensory room to provide sensory regulation for children
• Lunch time provision during unstructured times
• Providing assistive technology to access learning
• Specific resources to overcome barriers to learning, including; ear defenders, writing slopes, coloured overlays, sensory resources
• Communication and Interaction Resource Base to provide an alternative provision for selected learners to access alongside their mainstream class
• Mental Health Support Team

6. How will the school involve me in my child’s education?

We are committed to having an ‘open door’ policy at West Croft whereby class teachers are available to speak with parents and carers before and after school each day. They will also communicate with parents/carers over the telephone and using the Class Dojo app. In addition to informal conversations with our parents/carers, we hold formal parents’ evenings in the Autumn and Spring term and provide an End of Year report in the Summer term.

If your child has been identified with SEND their teacher will share additional or different provision with you on the children’s My Plans which are reviewed termly, following discussion with parents/carers that they would benefit from being added to the school SEN register. Parent/carer and pupil views will form part of each review and these will be recorded in the meetings. Other school-based plans, including; Relational Support plans and Behaviour Care Plans will also be shared with parents/carers. For children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan, there will be a formal annual review involving parents and external professional where appropriate.

Our inclusion team hold regular meetings with parents/carers of children with additional needs and are able to be contacted by telephone or in person by any parent who wishes to raise a concern or ask about the provision their child receives. Any copies of assessments or reviews can be made available at parental request.

Additionally, our inclusion team may hold meetings with parents/carers to discuss their child’s additional needs. There are times this may involve other professionals from agencies who would meet with parents, families and schools. In these cases, there will often be a multi-agency approach through Team Around The Family (TAF) meetings. Our inclusion team also hold workshops for parents where parents are invited into school to learn more about different aspect of learning and support (including behaviour and sensory processing).

7. How do we consult pupils with SEN and involve them in their education?

Pupil voice is captured as part of My Plan reviews and target setting. On a whole school level, there is a school council who contribute ideas as part of pupil voice to support changes, promote inclusion and represent the views of their peers.

Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan are invited to contribute their views and aspirations, alongside parent/carers and class teachers, as part of the yearly review

8. How do we assess pupil progress towards outcomes?

At West Croft our teachers use a variety of assessment methods which combine to provide a clear understanding of each pupil’s attainment and learning. Teachers use ongoing formative assessment to inform planning on a daily basis and adapt the curriculum and provision as necessary. Children are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and consider their next steps or how they may approach learning differently.

My Plans, Relational Support Plans and Behaviour support Plans are reviewed on a termly basis and there is an annual report sent to parents. Parents and children are invited to contribute towards My Plan reviews.

9. How do we support pupils with SEND to improve their social and emotional development.

At West Croft we believe that children’s social and emotional development and wellbeing is paramount. All pupils have access to weekly PSHE lessons with their class teacher. Pupils who need additional support or nurture are able to access additional provision from our school Behaviour Support Specialists/Learning Mentors through 1:1 or small group provision. Additionally, we provide structured lunch clubs in both key stage one and key stage two where social and emotional development and positive interactions are a key priority.

We have school assessment systems whereby we are able to identify gaps in children’s social and emotional development to plan provision to meet their needs in class as well as intervention. We also work with a variety of other professionals such as SEMH advisory teachers, the Communication and Interactions team and currently have support from the Mental Health Support Team. In EYFS, we also work with partners from Nursery Plus to support children in the prime areas of learning including the early stages of their personal, social and emotional development.

10. What expertise and training do our staff have to support pupils with SEND?

We have a highly skilled team with a variety of training and experience to support a broad range of SEND. Our SENDCo holds the National Qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordination. In addition, we have staff trained in:

• Supporting children with complex SEMH needs
• Supporting pupils with Autism
• Bereavement training
• Boxall training
• Speech and Language training
• Emotional Logic
• Dyslexia training
• Neli Language programme
• Nessy intervention
• Working memory intervention
• Fun fit intervention
• Comic strip conversations and social story
• Relational support plans

11. What external professionals do we work with?

At West Croft School we work closely with a wider variety of external professionals to help assess need and plan appropriate support. These services include:

• Communication and Interaction Team
• SEMH Team
• Educational Psychologists
• Health Visiting Team
• School Nursing
• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Community Nursing
• Bladder and Bowel Team
• Nursery Plus
• Complex Needs Team
• Inclusion Team
• Early Child Development Team (U5s)
• CAMHS
• CYPS
• Early Help
• Family Hub
• Family Intervention Team