Supporting Educational Needs – Information Report

Academic Year 2020-21

These pages set out information about our provision for those pupils who need school support for their educational needs and disabilities which impact on their academic, emotional or social development and learning. This report is updated annually. Our SEND policy, Equality Scheme, Accessibility Plan and other related policies can be found on our website.

About our school

John Hampden Primary School is a mainstream, 2 form entry school with 455 pupils on roll from Nursery to Year 6. JHS provides for children and young people with a wide range of more specific educational needs and disabilities including those with:

Communication and interaction needs (C&I): This includes pupils who have speech, language and communication difficulties and pupils who have A-typical neurological development such as ASD (autistic spectrum) or ADD/ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity).
Cognition and Learning needs (C&L): This includes pupils who have moderate, complex and or specific learning difficulties ranging from delayed learning, eg global delay, to specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH): including pupils with emotional or behavioural difficulties such as OCD, anxiety or attachment disorders.
Sensory and/or Physical needs; (PD&S): This includes children who have visual, hearing or specific sensory processing needs or a physical or medical disability that impacts on their learning

Our SEND and Inclusions Lead is Luci Watson. Luci’s working days are Monday – Thursday. Contact details:

John Hampden Primary School, Park Street, Thame, OX9 3HU Tel. 01844 212291

Email. lwatson@john-hampden.oxon.sch.uk

Our governor with responsibility for SEN is: Mrs R Bowling

How do we identify and give extra help to pupils with SEN?

The school uses Oxfordshire County Council’s guidance ‘Identifying and supporting Special Educational Needs in Oxfordshire schools and settings’. This guidance follows the revised SEN Code of Practice for 2014.

The guidance sets out clear practice for identification, early intervention and provision:

How we identify if a child or young person has a special educational need.
How we assess children and plan for their special educational needs, and how we adapt our teaching.
Ways in which we can adapt our school environment to meet each child’s needs
How we review progress and agree outcomes and involve our pupils in this.

For further information please see details of OCC guidance and the SEN Local Plan https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/default/files/folders/documents/childreneducationandfamilies/educationandlearning/specialeducationalneeds/SEND/CompilationFoundationYearsandPrimary.pdf

How do we work with parents/guardians and pupils?

We will always contact parents/guardians if we have a concern that a pupil may be presenting with any difficulty impacting on their learning, academically, socially or emotionally. We work hard to handle any issues that may be sensitive and voicing concerns may initially come from a teacher or from the SENCO. We work closely as a school team with pupils and parents/guardians to unpick difficulties, explain assessments, agree outcomes, plan provision for school and home and then review progress regularly. Pupil and parent views are always central to this process. We incorporate the pupil’s voice about their strengths, difficulties and targets on their Pupil Learning Plan, All about Me profile or a Pupil Passport at transition to Year 7. Parents are asked for their own views and contributions about their child’s needs and progress in good time for any meeting.

Following a range of assessments, pupil progress is reviewed termly and new outcomes set. Targets need to be simple for pupils to understand and take ownership of and should be their key learning targets within class. Dependent on the level of support needed there may be termly review meetings with the teacher or with the SENCO and any other external agencies involved with the pupil’s provision. Please see the information provided below about our register and review procedures. We will also review progress and provision for any transition to secondary school. We may also review progress during A Team around the Child or Family for appropriate pupils. Teachers and the SENCO are of course available to meet at any point by appointment.

Parents who would like impartial advice about SEN needs are able to contact the Oxfordshire Parent Partnership Service (SENDIASS) at: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/sendiass-oxfordshire-formerly-parent-partnership

Identifying Pupil Needs, Assessing and Providing Appropriate Provision

The SENCO and teaching staff are experienced and skilled in identifying and assessing learning difficulties so that pupils can be supported effectively. Most importantly at an early stage of identification is observation, discussion and assessment with the pupil’s whole team – pupil themselves, parents, teacher, TAs and SENCO.

Informal monitoring of pupil development and progress is always ongoing through observation and discussion. More formally, there are 3 whole school academic assessment weeks per year. In the Early Years Foundation Stage progress is tracked towards the Early Learning Goals. From Year 1-6 Maths is assessed using PUMA assessments, English assessments are through PERA/PIRA assessments and teacher assessment. As statutory tests, Year 1 have a phonics test at end of the year, Year 2 have KS1 SATS tests and Year 6 have KS2 SATS tests.

Our whole school assessment tool, Target Tracker, helps to ascertain progress and achievement, either individually or within a group but is also used in conjunction with external agency reports and where appropriate a range of specific SEN diagnostic assessment. Examples of diagnostic are such assessments as a Diagnostic Reading Assessment, Youngs Spelling, S&L Vocabulary assessment, Phab processing. Alongside these we have specific assessments to measure emotional, behavioural or co-ordination/motor difficulties. More in-depth cognitive assessments, language assessments or specific learning difficulty assessments eg autism, ADHD, dyslexia/dyscalculia may be provided by a Paediatrician, Educational Psychologist, Speech & Language Therapist or external professionals eg Camhs.

Once we have identified a learning need a pupil will be tracked on our register and provision planned to support them. Provision is planned on Year Group Provision maps and assessed regularly between pupils, teaching team, parents and SENCO.

Supporting Educational Needs and Disability Register (SEND Register)

Our register tracks and monitors those pupils for whom we need to provide specific provision to ensure that they make appropriate progress to meeting their relevant age related expectations or individual developmental targets. Pupil’s support needs falls across 4 stages to ensure effective provision that links into our Provision Maps. Pupils can move to different stages on the register and indeed come off it completely. This will always be discussed with parents.

Level 1: EHCP: Pupils with more complex needs are supported through an Educational Health Care Plan. There are termly and Annual reviews with all the team involved in the pupil’s provision. Pupils are supported in an educational setting until they are 25 and usually have a high level of adult support. Pupils who do not meet the criteria for an EHCP may also be supported with a Non Statutory Plan (from Autumn 2020).

Level 2: SEN SUPPORT: Pupils who academically are scoring at around 30% below their peers or need a higher level of emotional/social provision. Their provision is supported with an Pupil Learning Plan and they will have an appropriate element of 1:1 or small group support. Parents, teachers and SENCO meet regularly to review progress.

Level 3: SEN SUPPORT: Pupils who academically are scoring at around 15% below their peers or have continuing provision for emotional/social issues and need some additional support individually or in small groups interventions. They will be supported with an Pupil Learning Plan and teachers will review progress with parents/guardians termly in conjunction with SENCO advice.

Level 4: Pupils who may be meeting their age related expectations or just falling below but have some difficulties for which there needs to be provision made through first quality teaching or specific interventions. They will be supported either through a Group Learning Plan or on the Year group Provision Map.

PUPILS WITH SEND INFORMATION DATA NOVEMBER 2020

TABLE 1: PRIMARY NEEDS OF SEND PUPILS NOV 2020 (INCLUDES FORMAL DIAGNOSIS, REFERRALS & SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS)

SEND PRIMARY NEED OF PUPILS	93 PUPILS	GENDER: F	GENDER: M
COGNITION & LEARNING	22	11	11
COMMUNICATION & INTERACTION INCL ASD	20	9	11
SPECIFIC LEARNING NEED SPLD eg DYSELXIA, DYSPRAXIA, DYSCALCULIA, DYSGRAPHIA	14	6	8
SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL & MENTAL HEALTH INCL ADHD/ADD, ANXIETY	26	9	17
SPEECH & LANGUAGE	5	3	2
PHYSICAL DISABILITY & SENSORY NEED INLCUDING VISUAL/HEARING	3	1	2
COMPLEX NEEDS INCLUDING DOWNS SYNDROME, GLOBAL DELAY	3	0	3
	93	39	54

SEND DATA NOV 2020: 93 PUPILS OUT OF TOTAL ROLL OF 455 TOTAL: 20%. THIS INCORPORATES SOME COVID-19 SLIPPAGE. PUPILS WITH EHCP: 7; PUPILS WITH SEN SCHOOL SUPPORT: 86

TABLE 2: SEND PUPIL NOV 2020 BY YEAR GROUP:

Nursery	3
Reception	7
Year 1	11
Year 2	15
Year 3	11
Year 4	16
Year 5	14
Year 6	16

SEND DATA NOV 2020: Pupils with SEN & Pupil Premium: 31/56 pupils on pupil roll with PP: 55%

How do we adapt the curriculum to ensure it is broad, balanced and inclusive?

We offer a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum for all of our pupils, whatever their need. The way in which we adapt this provision for pupils with SEND and/or disabilities is set out on our website in the School Accessibility Plan. Adaptations to the curriculum are dependent on individual pupil need and provide a holistic approach to their needs. Examples of current adaptations for individual or groups of pupils are below:

Ensuring ongoing training to ensure strategies and provision is embedded throughout the school for inclusive teaching, eg from supporting emotional behaviour management, environment issues and awareness of sensory difficulties to provision of individualized, alternative curricula where necessary.
Signing is used to support pupils with complex needs and is used routinely across EFYS and incorporated into school assemblies and productions. We have an experienced TA who leads on signing throughout the school.
Incorporating provision for physical disabilities through modification of resources, environment and physical activities with highest level of expert TA support.
Supporting emotional and behavioural needs through careful emotional management, high level TA support and training to ensure inclusion and pupil confidence.
Supporting specific learning difficulties with handwriting and structuring written work with range of recording methods and an emphasis on teaching touch typing to support writing skills. We run specific touch typing programmes for pupils in Year 4/5/6.
Specific intervention programmes such as Word Wasp (dyslexia) Precision Monitoring and Tracking (for spelling, number work, reading), shared reading interventions eg paired reading; Spirals programme for social language; social skills and emotional regulation programmes to support Communication & Interaction difficulties.
Whole school approaches eg Kagen groupings to encourage confidence in thinking, discussion.
We have ensured intensive maths provision for lower ability groups with additional teacher for Year 6 and smaller groups where feasible across the rest of the school.
We encourage pre-learning and over-learning for pupils and offer resources for home-school learning to ensure continuity of support. Increased online communication during Covid-19 regulations maintains our parental-school relationships and support. Once Covid-19 regulations permit, EYFS will resume weekly stay and play session to encourage parental involvement. Signposting continues for parents for other support networks eg Red Kite, Family outreach services.
We run 1:1 and group intervention work across the school to target difficulties pupils may be experiencing in developing their learning and/or social skills in line with age related expectations. We have a strong cohort of experienced TAs who work both 1:1 and with small groups. Provision of all interventions is monitored termly by the team of teachers, TAs and SENCO.
Covid-19 has meant that our whole school Sanctuary for those more vulnerable pupils is currently unavailable. This has been replaced by a classroom Sanctuary and additional resources and nurture provision at breaktimes. Covid-19 regulations permitting, our Sanctuary provision will resume, led by trained Year 6 pupils and supported by SENCO and Wellbeing Team. Additional whole school support will be in place via the introduction of Zones of Regulation whole class and with specific interventions.
All pupils are included in activities and trips following risk assessments where needed and in accordance with duties under the Equalities Act 2010. We communicate with parents and pupils when planning trips so that everyone is clear about what will happen. We will do a full risk assessment for individuals for whom we feel this is necessary.
We ensure that we provide parents/guardians with relevant information about any activities and events for those pupils with SEND issues eg family support at Thomley Hall, Autism Family Support, Outreach services, Red Kite and Camhs.
For further information please refer to the Family Information Directory: HTTP://FISD.OXFORDSHIRE.GOV.UK/KB5/OXFORDSHIRE/FSD/DISABILITIES.PAGE

What expertise can we offer?

SENCO: Our SENCO has many years of teaching experience (21 years at JHS) and in SEND teaching across primary years and lower secondary school. She holds the National SENCO award and has been SENCO at JHS since 2010. She is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and is a Designated Lead for Safeguarding and Looked after Children and has a Mental Health First Aid award. She works in conjunction with Alison Charlton and Luci Watson to support SEND provision at Tetsworth. Katherine attends regular SEND meetings, training and conferences and is responsible for ensuring the JHS community are kept abreast with training and developments.

Teachers are responsible for the learning and progress of all the pupils in their class and we have a highly dedicated and hard working team who strive to help each child fulfil their potential. Teachers receive ongoing training across a range of special educational needs from cognitive learning to social/emotional difficulties and work hard to embed up to date, well researched strategies in their classrooms. There are regular meetings with the SENCO to share ideas, advice, resources and guidance. EYFS teachers are adept at recognizing early difficulties and working with the head of EYFS, Amy Begley, and the SENCO to address early intervention.

Teaching assistants are trained to support the particular needs of the children they work with as well as having in depth training in a range of learning difficulties. Over this past year, for example, training has taken place for TAs to support Downs Syndrome, Makaton signing, complex needs, ADHD, ASD, dyslexia, attachment and emotional disorders as well as a range of specific medical issues. TAs are encouraged to attend termly whole school training, in addition to the specific TA training during the term and monthly meetings. We currently have 24 TAs, all experienced and with a range of expertise.

Wellbeing Practitioner/Home School Link Worker

Our Wellbeing Practitioner, Sarah Weston, works in conjunction with the SENCO to provide support and signposting for families and individual pupils with a range of difficulties. Sarah is a teacher and qualified family therapist with many years of experience. She works at JHS 2 days a week.

SEND Governor.

Mrs R Bowling has Governor responsibility for SEND and meets with the SENCO to discuss SEN issues and developments.

Specialist Support Services.

We work with a range of specialist support services to ensure that we provide the most effective and appropriate support and provision. Parental discussion and consent is always sought prior to any referral. Examples of specialist support services currently used are below:

SEN Officer at County level to advise on support and placements
Educational Psychology
SENSS team who support children with communication and language, sensory needs and physical needs
Communication and interaction specialist teachers working to support pupils with autism and other communication needs in school and at transition to Year 7
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Pcamhs and CAMHS)
Therapy services including speech and language, specialised speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and play therapy
Wellbeing Practitioner – Sarah Weston.
Children’s social care services LCSS
Attachment and adoption team
Behaviour support and outreach services
Parent Partnership
We also liaise with other agencies when necessary to support any need, eg adult education

Information and details about the services above can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council SEN web pages about the Local Offer. https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/special-educational-needs-and-disability-local-offer

Oxfordshire’s accessibility strategy can be read at:

http://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/schools/files/folders/folders/documents/schoolsnews/2016/Revised%20Schools%20Accessibility%20Strategy%20FINAL%20May%202017.pdf

What do we do to support the wellbeing of pupils with SEND provision?

Developing a pupil’s self-esteem, confidence, sense of achievement and progress is key and underpins all of our inclusive provision. We have a strong holistic, inclusive ethos and our teams work hard to build positive relationships with children and parents so that wellbeing concerns can be addressed easily and sensitively. All children have the opportunity to share thoughts with teachers 1:1, in circle times, classroom worry boxes, PSHCE, assemblies, class or school council. Teachers are encouraged to promote both a growth mindset and mindfulness approach to help to foster resilience and positivity. TAs supporting pupils with any level of emotional/social difficulties run talk time sessions, positive diaries, friendship groups and we have a specific art therapy series of sessions. Classroom activities are often offered for children for whom the playground causes difficulties. Additionally, several pupils work 1:1 or in a small group with our Senco, our Wellbeing Practitioner or an advisory specialist.

Pupil voice is crucial for all pupil learning – discovering how they learn best, what they enjoy, what they find tricky, what worries or excites them. Pupils contribute to their targets for their Pupil Learning Plans, EHCP targets and the classroom.

We take bullying and any form of discrimination very seriously through anti-bullying week, class discussion, PSHCE lessons and effective school rules. We have run power point presentations by pupils with ASD and ADHD to help to explain their feelings and how tricky life can be to ensure there is a broader understanding amongst their peers and have recently used the Year 6 school newspaper to highlight neurodiverse needs.

We work with Young Carers and their parents to foster a sense of calmness and wellbeing within school.

Families in need: Teams around the Child or Around the Family are ongoing multi-agency meetings to support families with pupils who also have SEND needs. They provide a forum for bolstering wellbeing for both pupils and family.

Team Around the Child or Around the Family are ongoing

Transition for Pupils with SEN needs

We encourage new pupils to visit the school before starting and arrange a meeting with parents to find out about the pupil, their needs and past experiences. Current or past teachers are contacted so there is a complete picture. Pupils coming from different nurseries are visited in situ by the EYFS team and the SENCO where there are more complex needs. EYSENIT (the Early Years SENCO team) liaison and documentation for any more complex pupils are used to address provision and planning.

From February Year 6 transition is planned so that all pupils with SEND needs are able to have either more visits to their chosen secondary school, parents and pupils meet appropriate staff and that there is timely liaising between SENCO, Year 6 and Year 7 staff. Additional transition over the last year involved our SENCO and C&I teachers working with small groups, as well as Pioneers Plus visits and extra visits for individual pupils. Transfer meetings for pupils with an EHCP take place in September of Year 6 and a final review meeting with Year6/7 staff takes place in June. Ongoing liaison between SENCO and Year 7 Head continues during the first term of Year 7 and sometimes beyond.

From May transition is planned carefully throughout the school, particularly in transition phases from EYFS to Year 1, Year 2 to Year 3 and Year 5 to Year 6. All teachers and TAs contribute to detailed profiles and IEPs for the pupils on the register. Several transition meetings are held for TAs and teachers to liaise re individual pupils and groups of pupils with any necessary training delivered or planned.

Highlights of Developments 2019-20

Signing School focus with weekly assemblies and signing within class embedded across Nursery and school with Year 6 Signing Ambassadors also in place.
Year 6 pupils supported with “Smile” training leaderships skills to run lunch time Sanctuary room for more vulnerable pupils who benefit from a quiet space to read, be creative, make friends or have some talk time.
ASD best practice training delivered and practice embedded across SEN needs.
Training to support SEMH Emotional Behaviour Management, particularly around attachment and adoption with best practice from ‘Becoming an Adoption Friendly School’ as standard for supporting pupils with all trauma, emotional and behavioural needs.
Continued developing relationships with Camhs, Community Paediatricians, Outreach services and training providers to support pupil and parental needs.
Parental involvement in SEND learning has been fostered in a number of open evenings for phonics, early reading, as well as Stay and Play in EYFS prior to March. Online platform meetings replaced face to face parental-home communication March – July.
IT provision for SEND development of more consistent use of touch typing for alternative recording in Years 4-6. We took delivery of a small number of government supplied chromebooks to support our more vulnerable pupils.
Transition – Transition period during Covid lockdown/return to school regulations was a little different but well managed with online assemblies, talks, story readings, virtual circle times as well as ongoing SEND planning and communication with SENCO/school team and parents. Transition monitoring will continue through the first 2 terms of 2020-21.

Special arrangements in relation to COVID-19.

From 4 June 2020, JHS saw the return to school for children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Vulnerable children and children of key workers continued to be supported in school since the end of March. This group of vulnerable pupils included those pupils with SEND needs. The SENCO, Wellbeing Practitioner and teachers continued to work with all pupils with SEND and their families to provide support, advice, guidance and individual resources and planning for academic, emotional and behavioural needs. Pupils were supported additionally through a Wellbeing Blog on Purple Mash via our Wellbeing Practitioner. Ongoing risk assessments were carried out to ensure all pupils needs were best met either in school or at home monitored weekly by SENCO and SENSS team. All EHCP Annual reviews and parent transition meetings were held online. Transition liaison for all pupils at JHS and into Year 7 was held online.

Planned Developments for 2020-21

Ongoing Covid-19 SEND Provision: We continue to follow Department of Education regulations and advice with our ongoing Year group bubbles. Our online platform Purple Mash continues to be in place for any children who are self isolating and also for homework resources. Additional IT resources are being provided for children where possible for home and hard copies of all work are given where appropriate. The SENCO, and where appropriate, class teachers will work with individual pupils and parents to provide advice and guidance for alternative resources to support engagement. All pupils continue to have the resources necessary to support their specific needs eg sensory boxes, calm boxes, resources for ASD, ADHD etc. External agents are still able to visit pupils in school and online training is continuing to take place for all staff online. All EHCP/annual reviews are being held online or face to face when permitted.

Core Subject Catch up

Literacy Catch up focus for SEND pupils in literacy to focus on slipped learning and closing the gap. EYFS Department of Education Catch up Language programme training Jan 2021 for Reception. Additional teacher led catch up groups for language acquisition and reading Reception-Year 2. Additional support for reading in Year 3 and 4 to be planned for January 2021. Group tutoring to support Years 3-6. Best inclusive practice in classrooms to be monitored for varied recording methods, speaking for writing frameworks, structured mind mapping and writing frameworks, task management boards, visuals and aid-memoires. Use of ICT to be developed within the classroom for writing touch typing skills. Online learning support to continue to be developed for all pupils.
Reading Training for TAs – online course to support reading difficulties across year groups; intervention to be trialled in Year 4.
Vocabulary extension for pupils to support oracy skills, reading and writing. Training sessions whole school to incorporate specific vocabulary teaching, continued developing of word walls.
Maths Catch up: SEND pupils support via additional catch up, tutoring and additional training for TAs.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Wellbeing Support

Nuture support lunch time club in all classes; additional playground games and nurture support
additional day of support from our Wellbeing Practitioner in school
CBT for children Zones of Regulation training to embed understanding of emotional regularity and strategies for children. Specific interventions to be in place for pupils who struggle with emotional irregularity.

Neurodiversity Training.

ADHD Foundation training to embed understanding of neurodiverse needs of pupils within the provision needs for ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia to ensure first quality inclusive classroom practice, resources and strategies. Particular focus on understanding impact on self esteem, confidence and mental wellbeing of pupils to strengthen emotional behaviour practice.

Positive Safe Handling Training (Team Teach) to be delivered to appropriate staff to support more complex behaviours.

Complex Needs Training: Developing TA Teams to support complex pupil needs including co-morbid SEN needs, signing, Downs Syndrome curriculum planning and assessment.

Handover of SENCO role

Handover beginning October 2020. Luci Watson and Katherine Rose to begin handover for one afternoon per week.
From Term 5 Luci Watson to have three full days out of class to take on SENCO duties, with Wednesdays being a transition day alongside Katherine.