Woodgate Primary School SEN information Report (local offer)

Contact Information Hello and Welcome to Woodgate Primary School’s SEN report. My name is Mrs Colley and I am the SENco. I work with children, teachers, parents and different support agencies to ensure that our pupils’ needs are met. I am in school every day and can be contacted on 464 2315. You can also email me at d.colley@woodgate.bham.sch.uk I will do my best to make myself available to meet with you if you have a query or concern. My office is based in the Infant part of the school building. Mrs Fogarty is the Specialist Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant. She is based in a room off the main Reception area. We have a governor who is responsible for SEN. Her name is Sue Lowe. She comes into school regularly and can be contacted via the school office or the SENco. Sue has regular meetings in school to ensure that the school and the SENco carry out their duties in relation to Special Educational Needs. She also reports to the full governing Body on a regular basis.

Open and honest communication We operate an open door policy and you are welcome to come into school to discuss your child with the class teacher, SENco or SENta (Mrs Fogarty) at any time. We will try our best to make sure that all information we share with you is clear and easy to understand. You can access a copy of the full SEN policy from Miss Duddy or Mrs Burden in the school office. We will hold regular meetings to share with you how your child is doing. If you are concerned about any aspect of your child’s education you should discuss it in school first. If you are still dissatisfied you can use the school’s complaints procedures – available from the school office.

What happens if there is a concern about progress?

Woodgate Primary School works closely with a range of specialist agencies. Here are some of them. If your child requires support from any of these agencies, school will always consult with you and request your permission.

What happens if your child is identified as having Special Educational Needs? The SENco and SENTA will make sure that all necessary school staff are aware of your child’s needs. An School Support Plan will be written with clear targets for your child. It will show how your child will be supported to meet these targets. This plan will be shared with you and your child. If your child has emotional or behavioural needs only, an Individual Behaviour Plan will be written and shared with you and your child. If your child has medical needs, a plan will be written following advice from medical professionals and this will be shared with you. Staff have access to these plans in the classroom. The plans will help to ensure that your child is supported to succeed and make progress. The plans will be reviewed regularly and you will be invited to attend these review meetings. Any other professionals that work with your child will also be invited to attend.

Appropriate and Effective Teaching and Learning All school staff receive appropriate training so that they have the knowledge and confidence to support children’s needs. At Woodgate we hold weekly staff meetings. Some of these are used to update training and some training is run by specialists. Teachers and teaching assistants can access support from Mrs Colley, the SENco, or Mrs Fogarty the SENTA at any time.

Appropriate and Effective Teaching and Learning. We offer support for learning through regular interventions. These interventions are delivered by the teacher or the TA. Examples of interventions are: Letter formation Phonics Reading Comprehension Basic number operations Interventions are reviewed after 3 weeks to measure impact and progress. If no progress has been made we will try a different approach or intervention.

Appropriate and Effective Teaching and Learning Teachers are able to accurately assess the level children are working at and they then differentiate the lessons to meet the needs of all pupils. Differentiation may be by the resources and materials used, the task itself or by the level of support given. Where appropriate, specialist equipment may be used to support a pupil’s needs.

Behaviour support The school will provide support for children if they need support in managing their own behaviour or in building up skills and confidence in social situations. We work with City of Birmingham School who provide support for staff when working with a child who is having difficulty demonstrating appropriate behaviour. We run a lunchtime nurture group to support children who find social situations and developing friendships difficult. We have clear sanctions and rewards set out in our Behaviour Policy to encourage and support children in making the right choices. This is consistent across the school. We will work closely with parents if a child is having difficulty managing their behaviour.

Inclusion Woodgate Primary School’s motto is Happy, Hardworking, Successful. We want all pupils to meet these goals. The school will try to make sure that children with additional needs are able to take part in all aspects of school life. This includes educational visits and social events. We will make adjustments to the curriculum and the learning environment in order to meet your child’s needs. We have a fully accessible toilet in the junior and infant buildings. We have a fully accessible shower room. There is ramped/flat access to all buildings.

A Partnership Approach The school will involve you in all decisions and listen to your views. We will provide you with ways to support your child at home. We will listen to your child’s views and make sure their voice is heard. Children can speak to their class teacher, their teaching assistant, the SENco or the SENTA. We will make sure they know when they have done well and celebrate their successes with them. We will create one page profiles where needed to ensure that supply staff/students know about your child’s needs and can meet them.

Birmingham Local authority Local Offer From September 2014 a new duty in the SEN code of practice is being placed on local Authorities. This means that the local authority must publish a ‘local offer’. That is, information about provision they expect to be available in the area for children and young people from 0-25 who have SEN. The local offer should provide clear, comprehensive information about the support and opportunities that are available. Birmingham’s local offer can be found at www.mycareinbirmingham.com