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SEND

Special educational needs & disabilities

SENDCo – Mrs Nina Sneddon

At Rainbow Forge, we endeavour to meet pupils individual needs, whatever they are. We provide for all types of SEN, of which the broad areas are:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social emotional and mental health difficulties
  • Sensory and/or physical needs

Admission of children with SEND

The Local Authority admits pupils to the Academy according to its own admissions policy.

Children who have Education, Health & Care plans which name Rainbow Forge Primary Academy are given priority.

Identification

At Rainbow forge we have an individualised approach to each child’s learning journey. We recognise children do not learn at the same rate all the time or in every subject, as such all children may need some extra support from time to time – this does not mean they have a special need. Our interventions are available to boost all pupils progress. At Rainbow forge we will adapt our curriculum or teaching approach based on a child’s needs, regardless of diagnosis.

Children will be placed on the SEN register if we are concerned about persistent barriers to their learning for example:

  • A child’s learning is significantly behind their peers and this gap is not closing despite good quality teaching, differentiation and intervention.
  • A child is receiving specialist support from an outside agency to overcome a difficulty (for example speech and language)
  • A child has a significant barrier to learning due to their social and emotional needs or mental health and therefore requires an adapted curriculum and intervention.
  • A child has a serious medical condition or physical disability which impacts on their learning.

For some children effective intervention will enable them to be removed from the SEN register as they progress through school.

A graduated approach

If a child requires adaptations to their quality first teaching from the class teacher, perhaps with a short intervention to catch up in a certain subject, this will be outlined on the class provision map.

For most children on the SEND register, a support plan will be written to ensure carefully planned steps are taken towards individualised targets. This will be completed by class teachers and reviewed with parents 3 times a year, around the same time as parent’s evenings.

For some children on the SEND register the complexity of their needs will require a My Plan, this gives a fuller picture of the needs of the child and may be useful if there are a range of professionals working with the family. These will also be reviewed with parents 3 times a year in consultation with both class teachers, and a member of the school SEND team.

A small number of pupils on the SEND register will have significant or complex needs which are likely to impact their learning for many years to come. These children may have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The school SEN team would review whether an EHCP is appropriate with all parents of children on a My Plan.

As children progress through school they may move up or down this scaled approach depending on their needs as they grow.

Assessment

Children with SEND may need alternative or additional assessment. They may have ongoing assessments by outside professionals such as speech or physio therapy which will inform teachers differentiation in the classroom.

Birmingham Toolkit

If a child in Y1 and above is working significantly below age related expectations in literacy or maths they may be tracked using the Birmingham Toolkit. The toolkit breaks literacy and maths down into specific strands of learning and then partitions the sequence of learning into small steps.  This enables small steps of progress to be celebrated and ensures that the child’s learning remains focussed on their next very specific target. Children’s targets can be found in the front of their exercise books.

More information about the Birmingham Tooklit can be found in this video: https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=Z4JnoCZLjkg

Engagement Model

If a child is not yet working on subject specific learning they may be assessed using the Engagement model. This is an observation based assessment that enables staff to look carefully at what motivates a child and informs their very personalised curriculum. Children who are assessed using this model have specific targets based on early learning skills and communication. Parents are informed of progress weekly through observation feedback.

More information about the Engagement model can be found in this video: www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=4quMoWQdlPM

Parents and careers

All parents are encouraged to work closely with class teachers to track their child’s progress. Parents are welcome to make arrangements directly with class teachers to meet before or after school. If your child is on the SEND register you will be invited to review your child’s plan each term (at least 3 times a year). Support plans will be reviewed by class teachers, My Plans and EHCP’s by a member of the school SEND team.

If you are concerned about your child’s progress, please firstly see your child’s class teacher. If need be, the teacher will advise you make an appointment with the SENCo for your child’s year group.

Access facilities

The office block building and most classrooms downstairs in the teaching block are fully accessible for wheelchair or mobility scooters.  We have two accessible toilets, one near the main school office and another opposite the FS2 classrooms.

Visual timetables are used in every classroom. Within school we have a range of equipment available, for example visual overlays, ear defenders and talking tins, which may be used to help children access learning. We also have a selection of educational resources to support children such as Numicon or word mats. For more specific needs equipment may be provided to aid learning, for example laptops to record work.

Complaints

Should parents of children with SEND have any complaints about the provision for their children, they should contact the strategic SENDCo, Nina Sneddon. If their complaint is not resolved then they should follow the school complaints procedure, available from the school office and the school website.THE LOCAL OFFER The school’s contribution to the local offer can be found on the Sheffield Directory.

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