SEND

The staff here at Seaton Academy have a wealth of experience when identifying and supporting Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)

It is important that any child, who may need or benefit from additional or adapted normal classroom support, is identified as early as possible. Some children come to us with already identified needs and the use of external agencies in place. At Seaton Academy all teachers use comprehensive assessment and tracking systems and each child’s progress and development is regularly monitored and reviewed. Pupil progress meetings allow any identified and additional needs to be discussed and any action taken quickly.

If Parents/Carers have any concerns about their child’s development we ask them to discuss it, in the first instance, with the class teacher. These can then be discussed further with the SENCO (Mrs Wendy Durham) or Headteacher (Mrs Chris Banks) We recognise that there can be many reasons where concerns could be raised including

• lack of progress despite targeting specific areas
• personal, social and emotional difficulties
• physical or sensory difficulties

The class teacher is responsible for the education of all children in their class. They plan the Individual Education Plans for children who have, or may have, SEN with support from the school’s SENCo and Head Teacher and will access external advice from any specialist service as and when required.

Your child’s class teacher will work directly with your child as will other school staff members, every year group has at least one Senior Teaching Assistant. The children may be supported in class, in a small group outside the class or one-to-one as appropriate. Every adult will ensure that an appropriate curriculum is delivered at a differentiated level.

Individual provision will be planned carefully and Parents/Carers will be included in the setting and reviewing of Individual Education Plans (IEP’s)

The SENCO will liaise closely with the adults working with your child to develop targets and seek external support/advice when necessary.

The Academy has a nominated Trustee for SEND.

High quality teaching that is differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEND.

All children’s development is carefully planned and tailored to need as all children have different needs.

Differentiated lessons may involve using specialist resources or equipment, alterations to the timetable, additional adult support, group or individual work. 

Learning objectives within the lesson are set appropriate to the child’s needs. All lessons are appropriately differentiated with an emphasis on achievable targets. Your child will be working at an appropriate level and have targets for improvement. They may be working within the Early Years Foundation Stage/ National Curriculum but not necessarily at average age expected levels. 

As Parents/Carers you will be regularly informed of your child’s progress towards their targets and, if appropriate, may be asked to support learning at home. Regular reviews of IEP’s and annual reviews of Early Health Care Plans (EHCP’s) will allow for information sharing and clarity of progress.

How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Seaton Academy has an open-door policy that encourages the full engagement of Parents/Carers in the education of their children.

Often parents will receive verbal updates before or after school as appropriate and when necessary, indeed we actively encourage parents to seek more informal and frequent conversations with us and your child.

All parents are welcome to make appointments with their child’s class teacher to discuss any concerns. The SENCo and/or Head teacher are always available to discuss concerns

Children who have been identified as requiring an IEP will have their plans set with SMART Targets and reviewed with all involved regularly.

If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) you will have the additional opportunity to discuss your child’s individual progress with the wider range of adults who have a direct impact upon your child’s learning and progress.

The progress of each child is carefully monitored and tracked regularly. Summative assessments are recorded on a half termly basis. This, along with other information gathered informs staff on the next steps for your child.

Assessments made by specialists will also be shared with you. Targets from these assessments are clearly identified and written into the pupil’s IEP in order to ensure that all staff are aware of them and they are embedded into the day to day planning for progress for your child.

In some cases, your child may require a behaviour management plan which will be drawn up in consultation with you and your child and reviewed regularly.

Where there is a need for ongoing dialogue the SENCo or Safeguarding Officer may set up regular ‘Team around the Child’ (TAC) meetings. We believe that the involvement of parents in the educational development of their child is crucial and key to short and long term progress therefore we welcome and encourage as much involvement in the planning process as the parent wishes to be involved in and contribute towards

What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

Seaton Academy provides excellent pastoral support. Staff are highly trained and all have a minimum of Safeguarding Level 1 training and have first aid certificates.

The Safeguarding Lead professionals provide support to children, and their families, to support them pastorally and medically and we liaise closely with a range of external agencies to ensure needs are met.

A wide range of individual/small group interventions are used to support the wellbeing of children with SEND and to promote positive behaviour.

The Academy follows statutory guidance in the administration of medicines and provision of personal care and regularly reviews its medicine and intimate care policies

Where there are distinct medical needs your child will be subject to a ‘Health Care Plan’ drawn up by school, health professionals and parents.

If medicine is required to be administered agreements are made through the “Health Care Plan” for the delivery of the medicine. Only medicines prescribed by a GP can be administered.

Seaton Academy has an agreed and effective behaviour management policy. Where there are concerns the school intervenes early and action plans/behaviour management plans are drawn up, parents are informed and involved and the Safeguarding Lead professional and Head Teacher who become involved.

Attendance and punctuality are closely monitored. Where attendance is becoming a concern, early intervention is crucial and parents/Carers are informed via letter to encourage improvement.

The Academy celebrates good behaviour and good attendance. Pupils receive rewards, stickers and certificates which are taken home to share with Parents/Carers.

We are keen to seek the views of pupils through such things as circle time, embedded PHSE and SEAL activities, a secure and trusting school ethos where listening to children is important, School Councillors from each Year group, Sports Crew and Green Team meetings.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?

There is a wealth of experience and expertise in the school staff including Autistic Spectrum conditions. All staff are Paediatric First Aid trained and where specific medical needs are identified (e.g. Allergies requiring Epi pens, febrile convulsions and Asthma) all staff are trained with the needs for specific children in mind. This is not an exhaustive list of expertise and staff are trained and developed continually.

Seaton Academy has close links with health with the School Nurse and Speech and Language Therapists visit regularly and the Safeguarding Officer and SENCo can contact with GP’s, health visitors and paediatric consultants.

There is access to counselling and family support services through referrals via the initiation of an Early Help Assessment request to gain advice and support from external agencies such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), the Educational Psychologist and the Specialist Advisory Teacher Service, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist and occupational therapists.

We also liaise closely with Social Care and hosts TAC/TAF meetings, Core Group meetings and also refers into Triage wherever and whenever there is a concern.

What training is the staff receiving or have completed to support children with SEND?  

Our staff share expertise through collaborative training opportunities organised by the school as well as local and national training. Individual staff development needs are identified and met as part of the formal Perfomance Managment process at least annually.

 All staff have had training in the PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) approach and its benefits for children with SEN. Many of our TA’s have also undergone Autistic Spectrum training.

 Under the effective management of our Safeguarding Team the school ensures children and their families receive the most appropriate and effective support. We work closely with agencies representing health, police, social care, mental health, welfare, children’s centre and many others. Again this is not an exhaustive list and links with other agencies are continually being developed dependent on need.

There is a wealth of experience and training held by staff and this is continually updated.

Seaton Academy is accessible to pupils with disabilities.

Over the years we have made specific alterations to the learning environment, both inside and out, to meet the needs of individual SEND children.

We make use of technology to support SEND children in a range of ways and take regular advice from outside agencies in the Local Authority such as Specialist Advisory Teachers and Occupational Therapists.

The Class Teacher, SENCo and  Head teacher would ensure that there was a detailed plan in place to contact the school your child is transferring from in order to share the most current and relevant information.

We would follow the transfer policy and procedures which ensures that all information is passed to the new school or collected from the transfer school to ensure that we have immediate detailed information of the child.

If necessary meetings may be arranged to discuss the needs and provision being offered and you and your child will receive a Home Visit from your new Class Teacher.

If your child is new to the education system then the health professionals involved would be contacted.

The SENCo would meet with the SENCOs/Nursery leader or transfer school to discuss arrangements for your child and also attend any TAC/ EHCP meetings

We will ensure the learning environment will be planned to ensure your child’s needs are met and in some cases this may involve a multi-agency meeting prior to your child starting school.

Where possible new schools are invited to attend transition meetings to share information about your child and to ensure a positive transition. In all cases there will be liaison and communication between the schools.

We believe that full parental involvement in transition process is essential to support the transition of your child to a new school.

How are the settings’ resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

We aim to allocate resources appropriately to meet the needs of all children with special educational needs.

Seaton Academy has a financial responsibility to provide the first £6,000 worth of support that a child may require. This is already in place in every Year group with the high level of teaching assistants who are directed to support the needs of all our pupils, and specifically SEND children, if required.

Expenditure for children with SEND is driven by the needs of the individual. Resources can be obtained from the Local Authority or purchased from the SEND funding attached to the child. The SENCo, Head teacher and nominated SEND Trustee will discuss and decide any budget required for such things as additional staffing and specific resources

The decisions about the type of support your child needs will be based on discussions and observations involving all involved in the development of your child, inside and out of school.

It will, of course, include you as a Parent/Carer. We also try to involve your child in the process but this may have limitations because of their age and other factors.

Any support will be reviewed consistently to ensure it is appropriate and effective. Your input will be valued at the wide range of meetings to ensure your child is receiving the best support possible here at Seaton Academy. This is essential so we can measure progress and set realistic targets. It is also important to remember targets may not be purely academic ones but often involve social, health or pastoral targets too.