- admin@montpelier.ealing.sch.uk
- 020 8997 5855
This policy is a statement of the arrangements to ensure the inclusion of pupils with Special Educational Needs at Montpelier Primary School. It has been written with reference to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 (2015), Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions (2019) and the school’s SEND Information Report (2022).
This policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s following policies:
We recognise that pupils learn at different rates and that there are many factors affecting achievement, including ability, emotional state, age and maturity. We believe that many pupils at some time in their school career may experience difficulties which affect their learning and we recognise that these may be long or short term. In implementing this policy, we believe pupils will be helped to overcome their difficulties.
Our aims are to:
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 defines SEN as:
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
The four areas give an overview of the needs that should be planned for, and to determine what action should be used to support pupils. Other factors that may impact on progress and attainment but are not SEND are:
Identification and Management of Pupils who have SEND
Class Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil and aim to teach them the full curriculum, whatever their prior attainment. All teachers are responsible for identifying pupils who have SEND and, in collaboration with the, SENDCO will ensure that those pupils requiring ‘different to’ or ‘additional from’ support are identified at an early stage.
Early Identification
We aim to identify pupils who may have SEND as early as possible. Some pupils in our school may be underachieving but will not necessarily have a special educational need. It is our responsibility to identify this quickly and ensure that appropriate interventions are put in place to help these pupils make accelerated progress. Pupils’ needs should be identified and met as early as possible through:
Where teachers decide that a pupil is not making sufficient progress, the SENDCO is consulted. If required, further understanding and knowledge of strategies to identify and support pupils is provided by the SENDCO for teachers. If the child is not making the required progress over a specific amount of time, a decision to place the child on the SEND register at SEND Support is made.
Placement of a pupil on the SEND register is made by the SENDCO after full consultation with parents, supplemented by evidence that, despite receiving high quality teaching, pupils continually demonstrate difficulty in one or more of the four areas of SEND needs and is making little or no progress over a specific period of time. The procedure for placing children on the SEND register follows the ‘Assess – Plan – Do – Review’ cycle.
Assess
Assessment is the process by which pupils who have SEND can be identified. This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s needs using teacher assessment and data in line with National Curriculum expectations. More detailed assessments may be administered by the SENDCO and advice from external support services may be sought to help clearly identify barriers to learning and address additional needs.
Plan
Planning will involve consultation between the teacher, SENDCO, parents and where appropriate, the pupil. Outside agencies can also be consulted to help plan interventions and to offer strategies and support to overcome identified barriers to learning. Targets and strategies will be recorded on an individual learning plan for pupils on the SEND register. All those working with the pupil, including support staff, will be informed of the pupil’s individual needs and the support provided.
Do
Where pupils are underachieving and/or identified as having SEND, the school provides additional support in a variety of ways. Specific strategies and additional resources will be provided to support their learning. In collaboration with the teacher, the SENDCO may organise a targeted intervention which may be taught by a teacher or TA, which can include:
The SENDCO and teachers will work closely with TAs to plan and assess the impact of the support and interventions.
If a pupil who has SEND has a more complex need, the SENDCO may discuss with their parent about making a referral to an external support service. External support services make an important contribution in assisting to identify, assess, and provide for pupils who have SEND. The service will require access to pupils’ records in order to understand the strategies employed to date and the targets set and achieved. The specialist may be asked to provide further assessments and advice, and possibly work directly with the pupil. The school works closely with the following agencies:
Occasionally, a pupil may require an Early Help Assessment and Plan (EHAP) where the needs of a child or young person are assessed and objectives and strategies are agreed with parents to meet those needs. The process aims to ensure that targeted support for the pupil from different agencies occur as early as possible. If a service can address the needs of the child successfully then an EHAP is not required.
Review
Pupils on the SEND register will have an individual learning plan that includes targets and strategies specific to their needs and records only what is ‘different from’ or ‘additional to’ the standard curriculum. The learning plan:
Parents will be offered at least two SEND review meetings each year and these may take place during parent consultation meetings or separately. At the SEND review meetings, parents’ views of their child’s progress will actively be sought.
Where possible, the school will involve pupils in this process. Once targets and strategies have been agreed, a copy of the learning plan is made available to the parent. The learning plan may also be reviewed, coinciding with Parents’ Consultation meetings by the class teacher.
Teachers can use the learning plan to inform internal (professional) pupil progress meetings where data is scrutinised and strategies are reviewed to determine next steps for underachieving pupils. For pupils receiving SEND support, it is expected that class teachers’ adjust their own planning and consider the learning needs of individual pupils when providing appropriately pitched challenge and support across the curriculum.
Where concerns remain and a pupil at SEND Support has a significant and sustained need, the school and/or parent can consider requesting a statutory assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in line with local authority (LA) threshold guidance. This may particularly be the case where outside agencies have been involved in assessing the pupil or contributing to their provision. The school will provide the local authority with evidence of the action taken as part of SEND support.
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will normally be provided where the LA considers that the pupil requires provision beyond what the school can offer and will document any additional support the pupil should recieve.
The school should have the following information available:
However, the school recognises that a request for a Statutory Assessment does not inevitably lead to a pupil receiving an EHCP.
The Code of Practice (2015) encourages involving pupils and parents in the decision-making process, therefore, the EHCP will include targets for the pupil achieved through the views of the pupil and parent.
Pupils with an EHCP will have an annual review meeting where the pupil will present their views about their learning and any additional support received. The SENDCO will organise these reviews and invite:
The aim of the review will be to:
Year 5 annual reviews are usually held in the spring term and they will indicate the provision required in secondary schools. Year 6 transition annual reviews are usually held at the start of the summer term. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator of the high school will be invited to the year 6 annual review, which enables the receiving school to plan appropriately for the pupil in the new school year.
The SENDCO will write a report of the annual review meeting and send it, with any supporting documentation, to the LA.
Where specific planned provision has been successful and progress has been made, so that a pupil is no longer has significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, a pupil will be removed from the SEND register in consultation with parents. In a few cases, where pupils make accelerated progress, pupils may be placed on the school’s SEND register for only a short period of time.
Where an external agency, OT or SaLT for example, discharges pupils, they may also exit the SEND register unless there are additional needs that require further SEND support. Pupils who come off the SEND register have their progress monitored by their class teacher and senior leaders, in accordance with the usual school procedures.
It is necessary to monitor and evaluate the quality of SEND provision and the impact it has on pupils who have SEND. The monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of our provision for pupils is carried out in the following ways:
Appropriate training for staff is essential to ensure that there is progression for pupils who have SEND. Part of the SENDCO’s role is to develop awareness of resources and teaching strategies for use with pupils. All staff are encouraged to attend courses that help them acquire and develop the skills needed to work with pupils who have SEND.
Newly qualified teachers are offered support and in school training by the SENDCO. As a routine part of staff development, INSET is planned to address gaps in SEND knowledge and practice. Once identified and, where appropriate, outside agencies may be used to deliver the training. For pupils with an EHCP, the school receives a ‘top up’ of money from the LA to provide extra support.
This ‘top up’ is in addition to the delegated funds that the school provides. Pupils with an EHCP who are in receipt of delegated funding only will not receive ‘top funding’ from the LA.
This funding and the school’s SEND budget may be used to provide specialist training and professional development for staff. Recruitment, deployment, monitoring and review of support staff (including external specialist staff) is the sole responsibility of the school.
Where possible, staff will be trained to meet the needs of the EHCP. However, the school does not endorse therapies which are not in line with the culture of the school, such as ABA.
The school recognises that pupils who have SEND can face additional safeguarding challenges. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will consult with the SENDCO if a concern has been raised to plan the best course of action. Staff should be aware of any additional barriers when recognising abuse and neglect in this group of children.
These can include:
The Role of the Governing Body
The Governing Body’s responsibilities to pupils who have SEND include:
The Role of the Head Teacher
The Head Teacher’s responsibilities include:
The Role of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO)
The SENDCO plays a crucial role in the school’s SEND provision. This involves working with the Headteacher, senior leaders and the Governing Body to determine the strategic development of the policy. Other responsibilities include:
The Role of the Class Teacher
The Code of Practice clearly acknowledges the importance allocated to the teacher, whose responsibilities include liaising with the SENDCO to agree which pupils are underachieving and how to facilitate progress.
The teacher’s role includes securing good provision and outcomes by:
The Role of Support Staff
The contribution that support staff make in implementing the SEND policy is essential in ensuring that school is successful in supporting pupils who have SEND. They are expected to:
Montpelier school firmly believes in developing a strong partnership with parents as this will enable pupils who have SEND to achieve their full potential. Parents are encouraged to contribute additional information and guidance to support their child at school. They will be consulted about additional support led by external professionals and will be invited to book a meeting appointment to discuss their child’s learning each term with the child’s class teacher. Parents may be invited to attend review meetings with professionals and external services to discuss next steps for their child.
The school will make available to all parents, details of parent partnership services in the LA. Our school’s SEND Information Report also provides further information about support for pupils who have SEND and is written in support of the Ealing Local Offer which informs parents of the services they can access from a range of local agencies.
More information about the Local Offer can be found: here
ECIRS (Ealing Children’s Integrated Response Service) offers one point of entry for all referrals and requests for help, advice and information to parents.
Contact details are:
The Ealing ISAID service (Information and Support on Disability and Special Educational Needs) provides free and confidential advice to support parents of children and young people aged up to 25.
Contact details are:
Ealing’s Contact a Family offer information and support to parents and carers of disabled children, regardless of their need. Further information can be found: here.
Ealing Grid for London (website) also provides support for parents who have queries regarding children who have SEND.
The admission arrangements for pupils who have SEND is the same as for other pupils. The class teacher will usually meet with parents within two weeks to discuss how we can support vulnerable learners.
This is a good opportunity to share strategies about what works well and, after seeking parental permission, relevant information gathered may be shared with the SENDCO. If the child has a EHCP, we will carefully decide whether we can meet the needs of the child in our setting.
On entry to the school, the pupil’s records will be requested from the previous school. In some cases, the SENCO will visit the child in their current setting to support the transition process.
At Montpelier Primary School, we ensure that transition for all pupils is a seamless process. Pupils who are at SEND Support are provided with strategies to facilitate transition between phases of education, key stages and year groups. If a new pupil coming to our school has SEND, we will contact the SENDCO of their previous school to gain further information.
When the pupil moves to a new school (including schools abroad), SEND records are forwarded to the school. We may contact their new SENDCO to inform them of targets and strategies we have found successful to support their learning. In some cases, a high school transition meeting is arranged early in the summer term for pupils in year 6.
Where pupils have been on the SEND register but are no longer on the SEND register, key historical information may be transferred to a new school. Records will be sent to schools in the UK or abroad in an electronic form after the receiving school has confirmed the child’s attendance. All data is maintained in line with the school’s data retention policy.
Accessibility considers how the school alleviates barriers to learning and sets out the ways the school will increase opportunities for disabled pupils to participate fully in the school curriculum.
The school provides resources to support learning, such as writing slopes and move-n-sit cushions. We recognise that a small number of pupils may need additional arrangements to access the key stage 2 tests, which are based on normal classroom practice for children with particular needs. Ramps are situated at the main entrance of the school and a lift is situated in the Early Year’s playground for easier access to the second floor of the school.
The SENDCO will endeavour to arrange SEND review meetings with parents at times that are convenient for both parties. (See the school’s Accessibility Plan for further information.)
Information collected about a pupil who has SEND is confidential and may be shared with school staff and professionals with the consent of the pupil’s parents, Head Teacher or SENDCO.
The SENDCO files a copy of a pupil’s provision and information from professionals. Most of this information can be accessed electronically from the school’s network. Teachers are provided with copies of plans, reports and assessments and will ensure this information is stored confidentially.
At Montpelier we support parents who ask private professionals to assess their children’s learning needs. This often involves a visit to school to talk to the SENDCO and observe the child in their classroom environment.
However, when ongoing intervention is required, this must take place at home and outside of the school day. The SENDCO is available to communicate with these professionals and receive their advice and recommendations. Where possible some of these strategies may be integrated into the school provision map.
The school’s complaints procedure is available on its website. The SEND Code of Practice outlines additional measures the LA must set up for preventing and resolving disagreements. These will be explained to parents if required. If parents have concerns, these can be raised with school staff below, who can be contacted in this order:
They can be contacted on 020 8997 5855 or admin@montpelier.ealing.sch.uk.
The school considers the SEND Policy document to be important and, in conjunction with the Governing Body, undertakes a review of both policy and practice each year.
Special Educational Needs Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations
SEND Generic Issues for all Staff to Consider
The following questions are ones that all staff should consider carefully when planning, delivering and evaluating support for pupils who have SEND. These are not listed below because they aren’t being adhered to, they are there simply to assist staff to analyse and evaluate the quality of provision on a cyclical basis.