King's Oak Primary School

Schools Extended Local Offer Response

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

At King’s Oak Primary your child’s progress will be continually monitored by his/her class teacher and their progress is formally reviewed by the Head Teacher and Senior Leaders every term.

Initially class teachers’ assessments and observations are used to identify a pupils needs and any concerns will be shared with the parents and where appropriate pupil’s views will also be sought.

We have high expectations of all pupils; targets are set by class teachers in conjunction with senior leaders. If a pupil is not able to progress as expected, we quickly begin to explore why. We know a child needs help when

• There is a change in the pupil’s behaviour or progress
• The child’s rate of progress slows down
• The gap between the achievement of a child and their peers does not close
• The gap between the achievement of a child and their peers widens

If parents have concerns about their child’s progress, or they believe their child may have special education needs then they should speak to their child’s class teacher initially. The class teacher will set up a meeting to discuss your concerns in more detail and to:

• Listen to any concerns you may have.
• Liaise with the school’s SENDCo
• Plan any additional support your child may need.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

At King’s Oak our teachers have high expectations for all of our children and our teaching is targeted to support all children’s needs.

For your child this would mean:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class
• That all teaching is built on what your child already knows can do and can understand
• That different ways of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved with learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
• That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCo) are in place to support your child to learn
• Specific group work interventions which may be run in the classroom or a group room.

If appropriate, the SENDCo will organise specific 1:1 or small group interventions to address and support specific areas of need. Currently a range of different interventions are delivered and these change on either a half termly or termly basis depending on the needs of the children.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.

Support staff, under the direction of the class teacher, can adapt planning to scaffold and support the needs of your child where necessary.

Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.

Planning and teaching will be adapted, on a daily basis if needed, to meet your child’s learning needs. Support for social and emotional difficulties may take place outside of the classroom such as lunchtimes, break times and small group interventions.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

At King’s Oak Primary there are termly opportunities to meet with the class teacher to discuss your child’s progress.

If your child has an Individual Provision Plan (IPP) then the parent’s meetings will also cover their individual targets and outcomes, along with their overall academic attainment and progress. During these meetings a co-production approach is used and strategies will be shared both from school and from home to ensure the best approaches are used to support your child.

There is also the opportunity for parent’s to contact the SENDCo or the inclusion team via the school office for further support.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

We believe that supporting the overall wellbeing for all of our children is an integral part of education. It helps to support and develop their mental health, resilience, self-help and independence skills so they are well prepared for their next stage in education and citizenship in modern Britain.

Promoting children and young people’s wellbeing is a key part of keeping them safe, helping them develop and ensuring they have positive outcomes into adulthood

(Public Health England, 2021).

We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative.

All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health end Economic education) curriculum to support this development.

We have an Inclusion Team which is led by our Assistant Head Teacher Sarah Ross and the team includes Learning Mentors to support with behaviours, pastoral and emotional needs.

We work closely with outside agencies that can support wellbeing, such as CHUMS or CAMH and run regular interventions such as ‘emotion detectives’ and ‘socially speaking’ which help to support and develop the children’s abilities to express their feelings and emotions.

We have a number of quiet and calming areas in the school where children can go, with support, if unstructured times of the day, such as lunch time, become too much for them.

We also have a school farm where children can go and be with the animals and a kitchen garden where we grow our own vegetables. These places give the children an opportunity to explore and be immersed in nature and it gives them a focus which can help children express themselves when they might normally find it difficult to communicate their thoughts and feelings.

We have a robust Child Protection Policy in place, following National and LA guidelines. If further support is required the SENDCo or other members of the inclusion team may be able to access outside agencies, with your agreement, through the Early Help Team.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

We have a number of specialist interventions to support children with their individual needs.

Such as:

• Access to Learning group: This is a group designed to help children to develop their learning behaviours while having an individual approach to supporting children with their SEMH needs.
• Enriched language group: The focus for this intervention is on developing and expanding children use and understanding of language
• Emotion Detectives: This supports children who need support in communicating and understanding their emotions.
• Lift off to Language: This is an early intervention language programme to support children’s language development.
• Sensory Circuits: This support children with physical support and emotional regulation
• Socially Speaking: This intervention is to support and develop children’s confidence with interactions and friendships.
• TEACCH trained staff: TEACCH is an evidence-based academic program that supports children on the Autistic Spectrum.

All teaching and support staff are also trained to deliver Read, Write, Inc (RWI) interventions to support the children’s development and love of reading.

We also have learning mentors that help support children with their emotional and behavioural needs

When appropriate the school may access specialist services from the local authority.

This may be from:

• Autism specialist Team
• Behaviour Support Team

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Chums

• Early Help Team
• Early Years Support Team
• Educational Psychology Team

• Hearing Support Team
• Nursing Team
• Occupational Therapy Team
• Paediatrician Support and Advice
• Parenting Support

• Physiotherapy

• Speech and Language Team

• SEND Support Team

• Vision Support Team

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

Staff training and professional development is integral to the way we work at King’s Oak Primary to ensure that we deliver a full and rounded education, appropriately differentiated to meet the individual needs of our children, enabling them to achieve their full potential showing individual excellence.

The school provides training and support to enable all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH) and communication and language difficulties.

Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by school and outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

At King’s Oak we work with the best interest of each child in mind. We encourage all of our children to take part in all activities and adapt or change these activities to best suit the needs of our children.

Parents and Carers are contacted and consulted where adaptations, adjustments and changes need to be made to ensure that the child’s needs are met in full.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

King’s Oak is fully compliant with requirements set out in the Equality Act 2010

• The Oak Building is on one level with easy access, double doors and ramps.
• The King’s Building is on two levels, the upper floor is not currently accessible for wheelchair users, however classrooms and all other facilities can be accessed on the ground floor
• There is a disabled toilet and changing facilities in both buildings.
• We ensure wherever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
• After-school provision is accessible to all children, including those with SEND.
• Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

We recognise that times of transition can be a cause of anxiety for all pupils, especially those with SEND. We ensure that teachers liaise closely in order to ensure information is passed between staff when pupils move classes, or move to new schools. The SENDCO also provides support at these handover meetings. Pupils are given additional opportunities to visit new classes and will be given personalised support such as social stories to explain to them what is happening and why.

If your child is joining us from another school:

The SENDCo will visit or have virtual meetings with the SENDCo of the child’s current school.

If a child would be helped by a book/photographs to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them.

Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.

If your child is moving to another school:

We will contact the school SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENDCo from the new school.

We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.

In Year 6:

The SENDCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCo of the child’s secondary school. In most cases, a transition review meeting will take place with the SENDCo from the new school.

Your child will participate in focused learning relating to aspects of transition, to support their understanding of the changes ahead. Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions, and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

The school budget, received from Bedford Borough LA, includes money for supporting children with SEND. The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, in consultation with the school governors on the basis of needs in the school. The Head Teacher and the SENDCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:

• the children getting extra support already
• the children needing extra support
• the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected.

From this information, the school identifies the support, training and resources needed.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

All of our children's needs are taken into account on an individual basis. Discussions between class teachers and parents, overseen by the SENDCo, take place when it is decided that a child may need SEND support put into place. If outside agencies are involved they have meetings with parents, and/or provide a report with their support recommendations. 

The information from these meetings are then used to draw up a child's Individual Provision Plan, (IPP) where the amount and type of support are detailed, this document is drawn up in co-production with parents.  

If a child has an Educational, Health and Care Plan, then the hours of support are stated on the plan, along with the strategies needed to help the children work towards their targets and outcome. 

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

We value a working partnership with parents at King’s Oak. There are many ways that we involve parents in our setting. They include:

• Termly meetings with your child’s teacher to discuss progress, ways to support your child, and any concerns you may have.
• The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
• Personal targets /IPPs will be reviewed with your involvement every term. .
• Contact with the class teacher via Dojp

We also value parents' support and time with helping on school trips, or coming into school to hear children read.

There are also opportunities to become a parent governor when places are available.

How do we include your child in the planning of their support? 

Children are at the heart of any school and here at King’s Oak we value their opinions and insights into their learning and ambitions. Children are included in the writing of their individual provision plans and their Educational Health and Care Plans; this helps us to gain their views and their understanding of their interests, strengths and difficulties.

All children have individual targets and know what they need to do next to move forward in their learning. This helps them to recognise and celebrate their success and progress; enabling them to achieve their full potential showing individual excellence.