At Carrington Primary School we have a nurturing and experienced team of staff that support those children who have needs that are additional to or different from their peers.  This can include anything from supporting pupils with a specific medical need to provision for gifted and talented pupils.

Mrs Swankie is our SENDCo and she leads our Teaching Assistant team which is made up of large number of support staff across the year groups. We work closely with a number of outside agencies such as Educational Psychologists, the Behaviour Support Team and Occupational Health.

Support at Carrington is given in a wide variety of ways, tailored to each child’s individual needs. If a child requires additional support, the process and intervention that is put into place will be through discussion with parents/carers and form part of a three way process between the child as a learner, the staff and the parents.

Carrington Primary is an inclusive school and we are proud of the provision we offer for every child, including those with additional needs.

This information file is designed to meet the legislative requirements for SEN information reports, which are set out in schedule 1 of the SEN and Disabilities (SEND) Regulations 2014 and paragraphs 6.79-6.81 of the SEND Code of Practice.

What types of SEND do we provide for?

In broad terms we provide support for children with the following SEN needs; • communication and interaction • cognition and learning • behavioural emotional and mental health • sensory and/or physical needs We provide SEN support for children who have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or has a disability, which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of our educational facilities. We also support children and young people with long-term medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and food allergies.  Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN but where a child requires special educational provision over and above the adjustments, aids and services required by the Equality Act 2010, they would additionally be covered by the SEND definition.

How do we identify and assess pupils with SEN?

At Carrington Primary and Nursery School, pupils with SEND are identified as early as possible. In order to do this there is a clear system of record keeping. We track academic progress and closely monitor the emotional and mental health of our children. We believe all behaviour is communication. We link across other primary schools, playgroups, private nurseries, social services, health services, welfare groups and outside agencies to support and enable effective liaison and identification. For some children and difficulties become evident only as they develop. At Carrington, we are always alert to emerging difficulties and respond early. Parents know their children best so we involve them at this early stage, listen, and respond to their views about their child’s development and well-being. Parents should initially speak to their child’s class teacher if they have concerns about their child. We also listen to concerns raised by the children themselves.

Who is our special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and how can he/she be contacted?

Mrs Louisa Swankie is our special educational needs co-ordinator and can be contacted on 0115 9156825 or senco@carrington.nottingham.sch.uk

What is our approach to teaching pupils with SEN?

Our School mission statement is “Creative Aspirational Enthusiastic Successful” and this includes the aspirations we have for all of our pupils including those with SEND. We adapt our teaching to ensure all children can access a creative and engaging curriculum at the appropriate level of challenge. We start with gaining a clear understanding of children’s needs and believe positive, supportive relationships are key to ensuring a child reaches their full potential. Our first wave of quality teaching ensures the whole range of teaching and learning styles are delivered. Next, we ensure we are providing appropriate support and effective teaching methods to maximise learning and emotional well-being by adapting our provision to meet the needs of SEN pupils. We have support from a wide range of outside agencies to provide specialist advice and guidance. We seek to access continuous professional development opportunities in order to be able to develop our understanding of changing needs and to keep up to date with new SEN teaching support. We are committed to providing a consistent, inclusive approach to teaching pupils with SEN. Our clear understanding of children’s attainment and behavioural, emotional and well-being enables us to identify the next steps and set appropriate targets to ensure pupils with SEN continue to progress in all areas.

How do we adapt the curriculum and learning environment?

There is a high level of scaffolding through appropriate visual resources, use of IT and careful deployment of staff. We adapt the curriculum delivered in each class to ensure we meet the needs of all pupils. Additional provision is delivered through booster groups and bespoke 1:1 and small group intervention programmes. We carry out individual risk assessments and environmental sensory audits to ensure setting is a safe, learning environment where all identified triggers are removed as far as possible. We work with outside agencies to ensure our adaptation and learning environments are effective.

How do we enable pupils with SEN to engage in activities with other pupils who do not have SEN?

We are an inclusive school and proactively ensure pupils can engage in activities with other pupils. We ensure appropriate staff to pupil ratio in all areas of the curriculum. We deploy staff to support children with BEMH needs. Our school sport teams are not determined by ability and no pupil in Carrington is discriminated against. By thorough adaptation of resources, appropriate staffing and high expectations for all we enable all children to aspire to achieve and belong. We support a profoundly deaf child with technical support and appropriate arrangement of seating. Dyspraxic children have brain breaks and opportunities to access physical activities throughout the day as needed. Staff are trained in medical support e.g. use of EpiPen, asthma. Strict guidelines are adhered to regarding children with allergies. We have had training in supporting dyslexic children and resources are adapted on an individual need basis. Children with attachment issues have quality opportunities to develop relationships and trust. We use the progression framework in partnership with the Autism Team to ensure our autistic children engage.

How do we consult parents of pupils with SEN and involve them in their child’s education?

We will share any concerns with parents as early as possible. We believe a strong, trusting home-school relationship is pivotal to meeting the needs of pupils with SEN. Class teachers liaise with parents initially at Wave 2 stage of intervention. If support moves to Wave 3, the SENCo meets with parents on a termly basis at team around the child meetings. We gain as much information from the parents as possible and they are involved in assess, plan, do and review process. Provision maps are shared with parents. Any reports from outside agencies are shared with parents and we foster relationships between parents and outside agencies. A number of children have a home-school communication book and we encourage all parents to share any queries, concerns or questions as soon as they occur with either their child’s class teacher or the SENCo.

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

We involve all pupils with their education at a level appropriate to their need and age. Staff discuss progress with them and give feedback. They are asked to identify things they need help with. Children with BEMH needs take a key role in their education as targets are agreed through skilled questioning and opportunities for reflection with trusted and familiar staff. Children receiving Wave 3 intervention complete a pupil review sheet and if appropriate attend review meetings.

How do we assess and review pupils’ progress towards their outcomes?

We are continuously working through an assess, plan, do and review cycle. This is a process between all members of the team around the child and overseen by the SENCo and the assessment co-ordinator. Parents’ voice and the child’s voice is also part of this process. In addition to our whole school assessment tracking, the SENCo audits the six-week intervention blocks to ensure they are effective and children are making progress towards their targeted outcomes. Each target has baseline and summative data to help monitor effectiveness.

How do we support pupils moving between different phases of education?

To support pupils changing year groups, transition meetings are held at the end of the summer term and key information is shared. Each SEN child has a pupil passport, which summarises their strengths, needs, triggers and support strategies. In addition, children moving from early years setting or between key stages will be familiarised with new setting and staff. Pupils with high level of SEN needs will have a transition book containing photos and key information to take home over the summer holidays. Detailed information is shared between key stage 2 and their new key stage 3 setting. SENCo will meet SENCos from their next setting. Additional visits are co-ordinated where necessary and the SENCo facilitates visits from secondary schools to aid a smooth transition and ensure the  people working with our SEN pupils next know them as well as possible. Paperwork is shared and links with outside agencies are established. We maintain contact with the pupils during year 7 if requested.

How do we support pupils preparing for adulthood?

Our PSHE skills ladders identify key learning for all our pupils and we ensure, through appropriate scaffolding and adaptation where necessary, that our pupils with SEN are supported in preparing for adulthood. We give pupils with SEN appropriate responsibilities and foster as much independence as their SEN allow. We have used guidance and resources from the Autism Team to support our sex and relationships education where necessary. We share high aspirations and expectations for all our pupils, those with and without SEN. Our intervention targets and provision include these skills.

How do we support pupils with SEN to improve their emotional and social development?

We are strongly committed to improving the emotional and social development of our children with SEN because we believe that this is the essential foundation to build confidence, resilience, healthy well-being, aspirations and all academic achievement. We have had training from the Behaviour Emotional Support Team and the Educational Psychologist on the importance of providing emotional and social education and strategies and resources to do this are embedded in our school practise. Staff spend a lot of time both delivering social and emotional learning activities and supporting SEN children to navigate their emotional literacy and social interactions. We ensure children are aware of stranger danger and e safety and empower them to expect positive, healthy relationships in life. We have a range of stage appropriate resources to support emotional and social development. We adapt environments to provide quiet, nurture spaces, have brain breaks, give children the aid of requesting some time out if appropriate and able to manage this. We provide opportunities for pupils with SEN to have the same voice as other pupils and they are given responsibilities as appropriate.

 

The document below outlines the provision at Carrington.

SEND overview

Visit the Policies page to view:

• The SEND policy
• Intimate Care Policy
• Pupils with Medicines Policy

Carrington Primary School supports Nottingham City Council’s Local Offer for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), details of which can be found here.