Arden Primary School

• At Arden Primary School, children are identified as having SEN or requiring additional help through the following ways:

• Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers or the child.
• Admissions information provided by parents/carers and previous schools and settings.
• Information provided by external agencies, including health diagnosis through paediatrician, speech and language assessments or through Early Help Assessments (EHA) and prevention teams that offer support to families.
• On-going marking/feedback, monitoring and assessments by class teachers which identify lack of progress or concerns in relation to specific areas of the curriculum or through specific in house assessments e.g. language or motor skills.
• Observations by staff in school identifying barriers to learning, including social, emotional and behavioural concerns, including changes in behaviour or changes in progress.
• Observations by specialist staff and outside agencies including Stockport’s Inclusion team.

• Speak to your child’s class teacher as the initial point of contact.  They are normally available after school for informal conversations but can make a longer appointment with you at a time that is mutually convenient. 
• If you have further concerns after this meeting, contact Mrs Sumner who is the school’s Special Educational Needs Co coordinator (SENCo), Mrs Garner (Pastoral Manager) or Mr Briggs (Headteacher).
• In some cases, we will complete an EHA (Early Help Assessment) with you to get a fuller picture of your child’s needs and to prioritise and plan support. 
• In collaboration with parents, a decision may be made to refer to outside agencies to seek further advice and support.
• In some cases, you may be asked permission for your child to be discussed in a Team Around the School (TAS) meeting or if several barriers to a child’s learning are identified, then a Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting may be arranged where relevant agencies are invited along with parents/carers to plan a package to support your child.

• Your child’s education programme will be planned by their class teacher. It will be adapted accordingly to suit their individual needs. This may include additional support by the teacher or a teaching assistant within the class.
• If your child has needs related to more specific areas of their education, such as phonics, numeracy, literacy, speech and language, social skills development, emotional regulation or motor skills, then he/she will receive an evidenced based and accredited intervention in a small focus group. This will be run by the class teacher, a specialist teacher, one of our teaching assistants, our behaviour mentor or a member of our pastoral team.  The length of interventions will vary depending on need but will generally last a few weeks to a term. Interventions are carefully planned and results inform us if sufficient progress has been made or further support is needed.
• Pupil progress meetings are held each term. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Senior Leadership Team to discuss the progress of the children in their class. This is an opportunity to identify any potential barriers in order for further support to be planned.
• Occasionally, a child may need more expert support from an outside agency e.g. Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Service, Educational Psychology Service, Inclusion Team, Primary Jigsaw or CAMHS.  The SENCo, with your consent, will refer to the appropriate agency.  After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers. This could include advice for the class teacher and or parents/carers or more specialised individual support within school.
• The SENCo oversees and co-ordinates the provision and access to services for any child requiring additional support.
• Your child’s SEND Support plan will be co-produced and reviewed at least three times a year, however this may be more frequent depending on each child’s needs.  Plans will be co-produced and reviewed with yourselves, your child and their class teacher.  The SENCo may or may not be involved in this process.
• Class teachers will meet with you at Progress meetings held in the Autumn and Spring term and are available to meet with you following the end of year reports in the final half of the summer term.  The SENCo and Pastoral manager will also be available should you wish to speak to them.  Additionally, class teachers, SENCo and the pastoral team are available to meet you to discuss any ongoing concerns and share your child’s success’
• Arden employs a specialist Cognition and Learning teacher one day per week and buys back additional Speech and Language Therapist time form the Speech and Language Service.  Additionally, Arden has a full time Speech and Language Teaching Assistant and specific Cognition and Learning Teaching Assistants aside from the Teaching Assistants who support within the classrooms
• The Governors of Arden Primary School are responsible for entrusting a named person, Mr Phillip Wilkinson, to monitor SEN and Safeguarding. Mr Andrew Briggs (Headteacher) is the school’s Safeguarding and Child protection Lead and is supported by Ms Jane Garner (Pastoral Manager) and Mrs Julia Dunn (Deputy Headteacher). The Governors ensure that the school is as inclusive as possible and treats all children and staff in an equitable way. They also monitor and review the accessibility plan and all other statutory policies as defined by the Department for Education.

• Staff at Arden will have high expectations for your child and will support them to strive to achieve their potential.
• Your child’s strengths will be celebrated and where appropriate a curriculum will be planned to utilise these strengths.
• When a child has been identified as having SEN, teachers will complete a SEN tracker highlighting the child’s current level of attainment.  This document will then identify the personalised next steps needed in the child’s learning and as such will form the focus outcomes of the child’s SEN Support plan. The child’s work and support will be adapted and differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum at an appropriate level.  For some children with significant complex needs, this could include a personalised timetable to accommodate additional interventions, provision and support that they may need.
• Teachers and Teaching Assistants may work with children one to one or in a small intervention group to target more specific needs.
• If your child is identified as having SEN, a SEN Support plan will be produced in collaboration with parents/carers and your child.  Outcomes will be set according to the area of need. The outcomes will be monitored by class teachers and reviewed throughout the year with parents/carers and your child.  The SENCo may or may not be involved in this process.  Some children may have a One Page profile which is an overview of their likes, identified needs and strategies on how they can be best supported.  Again, this will be co-produced.
• If appropriate, specialist equipment may be given to a child with special needs to enable them to access the curriculum more easily. Examples of these are specialist seating or cushions, slope boards, pencil grips, chewellery, fidget toys, easy use scissors and we will seek specialist advice where necessary.

• You will be able to formally discuss your child’s progress at our Progress Meetings but are welcome to make an appointment to speak to your child’s class teacher, Mrs Sumner, Ms Garner, Mrs Dunn or Mr Briggs whenever you have a concern.
• Your child will receive a detailed written report at the end of each academic year.  In addition, all parents with children who have an identified special need, will meet the class teacher (and in some cases, specialist teachers providing additional support or the SENCo) on a termly basis to review, update and co-produce SEN Support Plans.
• In addition to the above, there will be two other review meetings over the course of the year for children who have an EHCP, one of these being the EHCP annual review.

• Your child’s class teacher is the point of contact to suggest ways of how you can support your child at home.  This is in addition to home learning that is sent weekly or half termly and information meetings held throughout the year on reading, phonics, maths and writing.
• You may be given specific advice to support your child’s learning further during review meetings.
• Mrs Sumner and particularly Mrs Garner (Pastoral Manager) can meet with you to discuss how to support your child if there are any social, emotional or behavioural barriers to learning. This could include signposting to other services e.g. Primary Jigsaw who can offer more specialist advice.
• Outside agencies such as Stockport’s Inclusion Team, Speech and Language Service, Occupational Therapy and Educational Psychologists, who have worked, or are currently working your child, can also advise how you can support at home.
• You can also work with the school to support your child’s learning by:

• reading at home regularly -listening to your child and reading to them
• supporting any additional activities that are sent home, either by school or other agencies
• sharing information about your child’s strengths and areas for development
• regularly informing/communicating with your child’s class teacher anything that they need to know
• attending any parent information events and progress meetings that are held in school
• contributing to your child’s plans and one page profiles

Arden primary school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who have emotional difficulties.

• Ms Garner (Pastoral Manager) and Miss Copeland (Learning Mentor) are available to support children and families who may have concerns.
• The pastoral team offer a number of different support options to the children at Arden:

‘Time to Talk’ where children are given the opportunity to talk to an adult about any worries or concerns they may have or even just a chance to chat in general.  Rainbow club – a group session where children spend time with an adult, scale their emotions and explore feelings with the use of Blob Tree characters.  Targeted activities help children to build friendships and understand others feelings.

ELSA intervention – Our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant is Miss Copeland and she supports children with their emotional well-being, developing resilience, self-esteem and social skills, and helping them to develop new skills and coping strategies.

Young Carers – At Arden we pride ourselves in being the first Primary school in Stockport Authority to be awarded the Silver Young Carers award.  For those children at Arden who are carers, we have a Young Cares group which meet once a month.  Our young carers engage in workshops such as art and photography and those run by SignPost Stockport (Independent local charity that supports carers)

• The Headteacher, SENCo and class teachers are always available to children who wish to discuss issues or concerns.  Ms Garner also supports the Headteacher in the role of Deputy Designated Officer Child Protection.
• Lessons are planned for all year groups to support understanding of feelings and emotions, along with where to access support if needed.
• The school’s Behaviour Mentor, Mrs Terry, also offers well-being support to children. 
• The MAPLE (Mindfulness Approaches for a Positive Learning Environment) room offers a high nurture low challenge environment where wellbeing is promoted and resilience encouraged.  Children can access this resource at any period during their time at Arden should staff feel it appropriate.  Children who access MAPLE gain skills and coping strategies to allow them to access a mainstream classroom.
• MAPLE also offers other interventions/groups that promote the well-being of the children at Arden e.g. Zone of Regulation, Autism group, Lego Therapy, Mindfulness, transition.
• Alternative provision can be made for children who find the lunchtime environment stressful.  Children can be supported at break times if they find this a challenge, and different areas within school can be made available for alternative activities where necessary.
• Specialist support for some pupils through Stockport’s Inclusion Service and Primary Jigsaw. This can include one to one support for a number of sessions, normally taking place within the school day, along with support and advice for parents and carers.
• Children in Key Stage 2 take part in Forest Schools

• We have a positive approach to all types of behaviour and a consistent system of rewards and sanctions.
• This is understood by children and all staff working in school and is followed consistently.
• We have a wide variety of support for children encountering SEMH and behavioural difficulties. If necessary we can seek additional advice form Stockport Inclusion team and their specialist Social, Emotional and Mental health teachers who visit school on a regular basis.
• We are a Restorative School and as such follow restorative approaches to enable children to reflect on their own behaviour and relationships with others.  We have a team of children, restorative ambassadors, who support this and help children in the playground at lunchtimes.
• If a child needs additional support, strategies are identified in consultation with professionals, parents/carers and children and outlined in their One Page Profiles and or SEND Support plans.  This is reviewed on a regular basis with the child, parents/carers, behaviour mentor and class teachers.  If needed a My Plan may also be written. This recognises the child’s behaviours, the changes in behaviour that they may show and strategies on how best they can be supported.
• All staff follow our Behaviour Policy.
• We have a ‘Restore and Repair’ procedure whereby, if children do not follow the rules and requests from staff, they stay back during some of their lunchtime to reflect on their behaviour.  When behaviours are unacceptable, exclusions can be made for a fixed period.  Incidents of exclusion are rare.
• Behaviours that are consistent or of a high level of concern are recorded and then referred to the Headteacher.  Parents/carers may be contacted so that school and home can work together to improve behaviour.
• If appropriate, children have access to Maple (Nurture room) and small group spaces should they need to regulate their emotions.
• Morning check-ins are available for children needing additional support upon arriving at school and then again regularly throughout the day.  These will usually be with an adult form class or form one of the members of the pastoral team.  Additionally some children can start the school day in our nurture room.
• Ms Garner and Miss Jones (Office) work closely with the Educational Welfare Officer to monitor lateness and attendance.
• The school has a structured system for following up concerns around attendance and lateness and aims to work in a supportive way to overcome obstacles to full attendance. 

• Decisions are made collaboratively between your child, yourself, school staff and outside agencies to ensure the best outcomes for your child.
• Class teachers discuss regularly with the SENCO and Senior Leadership team children’s needs and the support that would best enable them to learn.
• Different children require different levels of support and these can be quite specific to individual children.
• Decisions are based on ongoing formative assessments, termly tracking of progress, reviews, external agency assessments and observations from Stockport’s Inclusion Team.
• We strongly value dialogue between teachers and parents/carers to ensure that your voice is heard and you and your child feel supported.

• EHCP’s, SEND support plans and One Page profiles are written collaboratively and we value and encourage your involvement.
• Multi- agency meetings with class teachers, SENCo, outside agencies and other professionals working with your child.
• Discussions with your child’s class teacher informally and then formally at progress meetings.

• Your child’s view will be captured on their one Page profile.
• A person centred approach is adopted by school and your child will be involved in reviews (where appropriate and where they want to be).
• When reviewing plans, your child will be encouraged to contribute.
• Where children find expressing their views and needs difficult to do, Talking Mats will be used.  This is a picture based activity that allows children to share their thoughts, likes, dislikes, what’s going well or what they might be finding difficult, by simply placing pictures on a mat under specific headings. 
• Teachers discuss outcomes and provide feedback to children.
• Regular pupil voice is collected regarding all aspects of school life.

• This is usually detailed via an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).  The school (or you as a parent) can request the Local Authority to carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs.  The Authority will gather information form school and yourself.  They then decide whether they think your child’s needs seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment.  If this is the case, they will ask you and all other professionals working with your child, to write a report outlining your child’s needs. After all the reports have been collated, the Authority will make a decision on whether to issue an EHCP. If they do not think your child needs an EHCP, they will ask school to continue with the current support available.

• The school’s Medicine in School policy is in line with the Local Authority and can be found on our website.
• Staff have regular training and updates of conditions and medication so that they are able to manage medical situations that may arise.  This includes asthma and diabetes and the use of EpiPens when needed.
• Emergency asthma inhalers are held in school and will be administered by staff if a consent form has been signed by parents/carers
• A defibrillator is located in the Community room within school
• Prescribed medicines are allowed in school but must come in through the main office and signed for by a parent/carer.
• All staff take out a first aid bag (including inhalers) when outside or off site on an educational visit or when going swimming.
• If your child has a specific medical need, then a detailed Care Plan is compiled with the School Nurse and in consultation with parents/carers. 
• All staff are made aware of children with severe medical conditions and are updated if a child’s needs change.
• There a number of trained first aiders in school across all key stages, including lunchtime supervisors.

• For further information, please see our Accessibility Plan on the school website.

• We believe that all children should be included in all parts of the school curriculum.
• We aim for all children to be included on school trips and will endeavour to provide the necessary support, making reasonable adjustments.
• A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure that everyone’s health and safety needs are accounted for.  This may include additional one to one support to enable your child to take part in a trip.
• In the very unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for your child take part in an activity, alternative activities will be arranged.

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive more specialised expertise to help school and families support children.

These can include:

• Stockport Inclusion Team – SEMH Teachers, Cognition and Learning Teacher’s, Complex lead teacher and Educational Psychologists
• Early Years Team at Stockport
• Stockport’s Specialist Cognition and Learning teachers
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• GP’s
• School Nurse
• Paediatricians
• Clinical Psychologists
• Ethnic Diversity Team
• Sensory Support Service
• Signpost Young Carers
• Primary Jigsaw (Emotional Health and Well-being)
• CAMHS (Child and Adult Mental Health Services)
• Health Visitors
• Social Services
• School Age Plus workers
• Virtual Schools (Looked after children)

An Educational psychologist is allocated to the school.  They normally only work with children who have significant additional needs.

• Mrs Sumner (SENCo) has completed the National Award for Special Educational Need Coordination.
• Miss Copeland is our ELSA (Emotional Literacy support assistant) and is trained to support children with social skills, emotions, bereavement, anger management, therapeutic stories, self-esteem and friendships.
• Staff have received training on Restorative approaches and Team Tach (use of escalation and positive handling strategies for when a child is in crisis.
• Training on supporting children with additional needs within the classroom.
• Other training includes;

• Autism awareness
• Dyslexia
• S.E.R.I (Stockport’s Early Reading Intervention)
• Maths Recovery
• P.A.T (Phonological Awareness)
• Narrative (Speech and Language)
• Speech Link
• Language Link
• WELLCOMM (Speech and Language)
• ELKLAN (Speech and Language)
• Attachment
• ADHD
• Understanding Sensory Differences
• Lego Therapy
• Mindfulness
• Zones of Regulation
• Adaptive Teaching
• EAL (English as an Additional Language)

All staff receive regular training in Maths, Literacy and Phonics.

Many strategies are in place to enable a child’s transition to be as smooth as possible.

These include:

• We encourage all new children to visit school prior to starting so that they can become familiar with the staff and the school environment.  This will include transition sessions for parents and children and home visits from Nursery staff prior to starting.  Additionally, teachers in the Reception will have transition meetings with staff from other Nurseries and may visit a child in their current Nursery setting.
• If necessary and appropriate, we can arrange additional visits for children with specific transition needs.
• To support children with transition from one year group to the next, we have transition sessions where children meet the new teacher and spend time in their new classroom.  Open evenings provide an opportunity for you to speak with your child’s current class teacher and their new teacher and visit classrooms.  For a number of children and particular our Autistic children, we provide additional transitions sessions, intervention and transition books which include all the information, both in print and photographs, about their new class and teacher.
• Our Maple team also work with children to support in-year and cross phase transition.
• All Year 5 children with an EHCP have a transition meeting usually held in the summer term.  This is to plan for provision and resources for the receiving Secondary School.  The SENCo from the Secondary school will be invited to attend this meeting.
• For transition to Secondary School we liaise closely with the schools involved and arrange visits.  Mrs Sumner meets with the SENCo’s/Inclusion Managers form the local Secondary schools (Werneth and Harrytown) early in the summer term to discuss individual children and their needs.  This meeting also provides an opportunity to share the names of children who will require some additional transition support and or visits to the receiving Secondary Schools prior to the allocated transition day. Secondary School staff can also meet any children who have special educational needs during this visit.  In addition to this, the Year 6 teachers at Arden also meet with staff form the Secondary schools to handover important information.  For those children who do not transfer to one of the local Secondary schools, Mrs Sumner, where necessary, will liaise with the SEN departments of other schools.
• Year 6 children with special educational needs will receive additional transition work/intervention form either the school’s Speech and Language TA, Class TA’s or the Maple team.
• Arden ensures that all records are sent securely to the receiving school.

• The SEND budget is allocated each financial year.  The money is used to provide additional support and resources dependent on an individual’s needs.
• The Headteacher decides on the budget for SEN in consultation with the School Governors on the basis of the needs of the children currently in school.
• Resources are allocated, including the deployment of staff for individual children or groups of children, based upon the assessments of needs for each child, termly tracking of pupil progress and SEN assessments by outside agencies.
• Children who have an EHCP usually have provision and support stated on their plan.
• The allocation of the budget is monitored by the Governors and the Local Authority.  All resources, training and support are reviewed regularly and changes made when required.

• The first point of contact is your child’s class teacher
• If you wish to discuss your child’s Special Educational Needs further, please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the SENCo, Mrs Sumner, the Headteacher, Mr Briggs, or a member of the pastoral team.

School office: 0161 430 267   admin@arden-primary.co.uk

I hope I have answered any queries you may have had through this school offer.

           Ruth Sumner (SENCo)