Our Head Teacher is Mrs Helen Harper and she can be contacted by ringing 01453 543535 or emailing head@woodfield.gloucs.sch.uk
Our school SENCO is Mrs Sarah Powell and she can be contacted by ringing as above or emailing spowell@woodfield.gloucs.sch.uk
Our School SEND governor is Mrs Sam Friend and she can be contacted by ringing 01453 543535 or emailing sen@woodfield.gloucs.sch.uk
Local Offer/ Family Information Service: Glosfamilies Directory:http://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/gloucs/glosfamilies/home.page . If you would like support with finding information please speak with Mrs Powell.
Our vision is for our children to be happy, healthy, independent learners who communicate effectively and show respect for their environment, their peers and the global community.
• developing a strong partnership between children, parents, staff, governors and the community as a whole
• encouraging the children to achieve their full potential through a broad varied and interesting learning environment and curriculum
• an emphasis on learning which has regular opportunities for pupils to talk both individually and in groups
• an expectation that pupils will accept responsibility for their own learning and work independently
4.1 Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. They have an even greater obligation to plan lessons for pupils who have low levels of prior attainment or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious.
In our school, if a child makes less than expected progress in their learning, or is not attaining the expected level for children of a similar age, steps will be taken to address this. Action will also be taken if a child expresses a concern themselves or there is a change in their behaviour which is a cause for concern.
This sets out things being put in place by the government to support families and improve services for children, helping them to do well no matter what their background or circumstances. (see link to 'Children and Families Act' at the bottom of the page)
There will be changes made to Fostering, Family Justice and Special Educational Needs services. Gloucestershire County Council will publish a ‘Local Offer’ which sets out the range of provisions and services that are available in the area for children and young people with SEND, along information about what schools, academies and colleges are expected to provide.
As a school we are adding information to our website telling you how we support children with Additional and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. There is a new Code of Practice which schools will have to follow from September 2014 (see link to 'Code of Practice' at the bottom of the page)
It describes how help for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities should be organised in a step by step way. It gives guidance to anybody who helps to identify, assess and provide help for children with special educational needs. It sets out the processes and procedures that different organisations must or should follow to meet the needs of children.
The Code of Practice states that ‘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.
• has 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 facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions’.
If you have any worries or concerns about your child’s progress or development you should speak to the Class Teacher, Senco, Parent Support Advisor, Head Teacher, G.P. or Health Visitor. They will be able to talk to you about your concerns and make suggestions about the next steps to take.
In our school Mrs Powell is the SENCO and Mrs Law is the Parent Support Advisor they work with the staff and parents to support children’s progress and well- being. Mrs Powell will liaise with parents, pre-schools, nurseries and other educational settings to ensure smooth transitions take place as the children move between different phases of education (eg. pre-school to infants). Mrs Powell and Mrs Law can support parents to access other services.
Parents and Teachers talk to Mrs Powell about concerns they have about a child’s learning, progress, health/ medical conditions and behaviour. Mrs Powell and the Class Teacher will often meet with parents (and where appropriate the child) and hold a ‘Structured Conversation’. This will be incorporated into an action plan detailing the responsibilities of the school, parents and child in order to meet the identified needs. The Class Teacher and/or Mrs Powell may carry out some assessments, do observations or keep checklists to gain a picture of the difficulties. Parents might be asked to give a picture of the child at home or think about interests the child has which may motivate them. A copy of the action plan will be given to the parents and also kept in school. A review meeting will be arranged or progress may be discussed at a parents evening.
Our school uses interventions to help boost progress or tackle skills and areas of learning that the child is finding difficult. These are short, snappy sessions which are tailored to the child’s learning needs and give them extra practice or extend their learning. They are usually published schemes which have a good track record in helping children to move on in their learning. Children will be assessed at the beginning and end of an intervention or termly for longer running interventions, to check that it is working and making a difference for the child. Parents will be invited to talk about any interventions being offered. The impact of interventions is reviewed regularly by Mrs Powell and Mrs Harper in consultation with the teaching staff (see document on bookcase 'List of Available Interventions').
No. He/she may start to make progress and there may no longer be any concerns. Interventions can also be used to help children with other needs such as English as an Additional Language (EAL), or those who are identified as Gifted and Talented (G&T), or are eligible for Pupil Premium (PP). (see 'Policies' page on the website)
Any member of the teaching staff may deliver an intervention. If there is a member of staff who has an expertise in the area that the child finds difficult, then where possible, they will deliver it. Here is a list of training courses that the staff has attended (see 'SEND related CPD' - Continuing Professional Development document on the bookcase at the bottom of the page)
If there are still concerns about progress or the child’s needs are not being met then this will be considered at review or as soon as it is obvious that progress is not being made. Mrs Powell might give advice about how to change the intervention slightly to improve the child’s progress. For example, the intervention might need to happen more often, or in a smaller group or on a one to one basis. The resources might need to be changed. A ‘My Plan’ will be drawn up which includes needs and outcomes along with information about how these will be met.
If it is decided at the next review that the child is making progress, the intervention will either end or if resources are available, may carry on to support the child’s on-going progress. If there is still a concern about progress then Mrs Powell may talk to parents and teachers about making a referral to health or education professionals for more advice.
School may do a ‘My Assessment’ from the graduated pathway if they are providing 10 or more support hours for your child or the school feel they cannot support your child within school and needs more support and money from the Local Authority.
School may make referrals to a range of different services, such as Speech and Language Therapy, School Nurse, Advisory Teaching Service or buy in advice and support from Education Psychology or Behaviour Support Services.
These services will share their expertise with the staff and parents. They will support the school in meeting the needs of the child or assessing what unknown needs they may have. They may carry out assessments, observe the child in action, speak to the parents and the child. They may help review how interventions are working and suggest new interventions and resources that school may not be familiar with. Referrals will not be made without permission of the parent. A multi-agency meeting might be held so that everyone involved can give feed- back about how the ‘My Plan’ is going. A ‘My Plan +’ will be drawn up if the child needs on -going support from different agencies.
‘My Plan +’ is where the multi-agency meeting records the needs and progress they would like to see in more detail. It might record wider needs such as medical or social needs and concerns related to home and family which might be making an impact on the child’s learning and well -being. If a child has high level and complex needs which the multi- agency group feel that the school might not be able to meet within their resources, a request may be made to the Local Authority Education Department to carry out a more detailed assessment of the difficulties called an’ Education Health and Care assessment.’ His is all outcome related and id review regularly to monitor progress of your child.
The assessment will not always lead to an EHC plan. Education Health Care Plans (EHC) will be phased in from September 2014 replacing ‘Statements’. It will take time for existing Statements to be changed over to the new plans and the Local Authority are currently organising this process. The ‘My Plan +’ along with reports from adults involved with the child will form the request for the EHC assessment.
A school will meet the needs of the majority of children with SEND from its delegated budget. Where it has been agreed that a pupil requires in excess of £6000 per year of additional support, and an EHCP is in place. Top up funding may be available from the Local Authority to supplement the school’s budget.
This is funding which is available to meet educational needs which cannot be met within existing resources. The option is available from September 2014 to all children and young people with an EHC plan.
Please find the link below that provides information about what Gloucestershire Schools are expected to provide from their budget: http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/4481/gcc_1188_personal_sen_budgets_a5-web8079.pdf
If it is agreed that the school is able to meet the child’s needs within its resources and allocated budget, then the school will be expected to continue working from the My Plan +, continuing to have regular multi-agency meetings to review how things are going. The multi-agency group may request an assessment at a later date if appropriate.
If you would like more help at home with issues, then you could have your family’s needs addressed through the My Assessment and My Plan+. Mrs Law is a Lead Professional who is able to support families through this process.
If a child has medical or personal care needs, then the school will record information about how and when to give the child their medicine. They may need a Personal Care or Individual Health Care Plan to explain what needs to be done, when and by whom. Training is undertaken to ensure that staff are competent and confident in their ability to support pupils with medical conditions and to fulfil the requirements as set out in their care plan. (see 'SEND related CPD' - Continuing Professional Development document on the bookcase at the bottom of the page)
We recognise that bullying can occur. When it does it can be harmful both physically and emotionally for the victim. Cam Woodfield Infant School will not tolerate bullying and are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our pupils. There are clear guidelines and procedures in our anti-bullying policy. (see 'Policies' page on the website for Anti-bullying Policy)
At Cam Woodfield Infant School, all pupils, families and staff are of equal value. We recognise that treating people equally does not necessarily involve treating them all the same. We take account of diversity and the kinds of barriers that pupils, families and staff may face. In order to ensure that all pupils are included we liaise with parents/ carers about specific needs and carry out risk assessments and apply for inclusion grants to access clubs etc. It is our aim to include all children in trips and activities while accommodating any needs they may have.
Cam Woodfield Infant School is a fully inclusive school. We make provision to support children with a variety of needs such as;
The school will seek to engage with children who have both additional and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in order to establish their views in relation to their learning, needs, outcomes and aspirations for the future. This will be carried out:
• Through the use of visual resources for example where communication is a barrier to the child expressing their views
Mrs Powell and the class teachers will liaise with parents, pre-schools, nurseries and other educational settings to ensure smooth transitions take place as the children move between different phases of education (eg. pre-school to infants). This can include visits to other settings and attending reviews before the child has made the transition.
We aim to foster an inclusive climate through the provision of a well- planned and differentiated curriculum, effective in meeting the individual needs of all children including those with special educational needs or disabilities.
We take care to follow advice from medical and advisory agencies in order to meet needs and support the best possible outcomes. All staff gets to know the children with SEN very well in order to make their school experience as consistent as possible. Staff work with parents and provide bespoke resources for home and school to aid consistency. Staff attend training (sometimes alongside parents) or seek advice from colleagues who work in Special School settings to ensure our approach is current and meets the children’s needs and outcomes as well as we are able to. Referrals can be made by the SENCo to secure additional support or services may be commissioned eg. Play therapy, Education Psychology or Outreach programmes.
All pupils have the entitlement to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. All pupils with SEN are taught for most of the week with their peers in mainstream classes. All teaching and support staff are aware of the National Curriculum Inclusion Statement and in their planning and teaching, they strive to:
With advice from and support of the SENCO, teachers match the learning to the needs and abilities of the pupils. They use a range of strategies to develop the pupil’s knowledge, understanding and skills. Where appropriate, materials are modified or support is provided to enable pupils with SEN to access the learning or the assessment processes. Resources range from such things as social stories, visual timetables, tablet computers, work stations, timers and pencil grips. Our school will make reasonable adjustments within its resources in order to achieve better outcomes for the children.
The school monitors the progress of all the children in the school against starting points or baselines as well as looking at expected progress for children of the same age. In addition, children’s progress in meeting their targets or outcomes is also monitored during their interventions. The school selects interventions which have proven to help children make progress or those which have been recommended by specialists such as Speech Therapists.
Please see the link at the bottom of the page which give a list of all the interventions we offer at Cam Woodfield Infant School.
Some families need more help with home issues and these needs can be addressed through the My Assessment and My Plan+ in the Graduated Pathway. Mrs Powell is a Lead Professional who is able to support families by working through their concerns and difficulties, helping to identify needs to be met and meeting them through working with a variety of voluntary groups, charities, national bodies or commissioning support services such as Home start. The school may also be involved in Team around the Child meetings, Child in Need and Core Group meetings.
The school has accessed inclusion grants previously to enable children with SEN to take part in after school clubs.
The school promotes positive relationships through our Golden rules. The children belong to four teams across the school – Shelduck, Moorhen, Mute Swan and Goldeneye. The children are able to earn team points for good work and behaviour. The team with the most points is then mentioned in a celebration assembly. Success is frequently celebrated and children’s achievements great or small are recognised. Staff comments on positive behaviours when they are seen and children are praised. The school has a friendship bench and play time buddies who can support children. Some interventions run by the school aim to improve social awareness and skills. The school has a robust rewards and sanctions scheme to support children making good choices.
We recognise that bullying can occur. When it does it can be harmful both physically and emotionally for the victim. Cam Woodfield Infant School will not tolerate bullying and are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our pupils. There are clear guidelines and procedures in our anti-bullying policy.
Come in to school and talk about what is going wrong. You are more than welcome to talk to the class teacher, Mrs Powell, Mrs Powell, Mrs Harper or Mrs Friend (who is the governor for SEND). The school has a complaints procedure also. (see 'Policies' page on the website for Complaints Policy)
Our school strives to improve the outcomes for children with SEND by forming links with other settings and outside agencies such as:
We take the CPD and training of our staff very seriously at Cam Woodfield Infant School. At the bottom of the page you will find and up to date list of all of the training and CPD of staff. We are very proud of our hard working staff and have some very talented and experts on our team.
Related information is available through our website, including School Offer and SEND policy www.woodfield.gloucs.sch.uk