SEN Information

GRAY'S FARM SEN INFORMATION REPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS 2019-20

Thank you to those of you who have offered input about what parents and carers would like to know in this report. Please watch this space for further work on this in the coming year!

Useful External Contacts

Please find Bromley's Local Offer HERE

Please find information on the The Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) HERE

IASS offers free, impartial information, advice and support in confidence for

• Children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities age 0 to 25.
• Parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• All Bromley residents (regardless of SEND) around transitions from pre-school to primary school and onto secondary school.

Please find information on the Bromley Parent Voice HERE

Identifying children’s additional needs

How will the school know if my child needs additional help and how will the school share information with me?

If your child is identified as requiring additional support all staff are made aware of the needs of these individual pupils and relevant actions are put in place. The learning of all pupils is assessed regularly and where pupils are not making the expected levels of progress a plan identifying desired outcomes is put in place and support is identified. You will be kept informed of this. The plan is then implemented by all teachers and reviewed on a regular basis. The plan is then refined to ensure the pupil makes the expected level of progress.

Types of Special Needs identified at Grays Farm Primary Academy come under four categories. These are: Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction, Emotional, Social and Mental and Sensory and Physical. We cater for children with a variety of needs including:

• Specific learning difficulties
• Moderate learning difficulties
• Speech, language and communication difficulties
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
• Vision impairment
• Hearing impairment

 

The teachers work closely with the SEN team to meet the needs of individual pupils and staff receive regular training on specific educational needs.

We also welcome your contributions, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Who should I contact if I have any questions or concerns about my child’s additional needs?

Mrs Ella Morley - SENCO

Mrs Kelly Marsh - Assistant SENCO and Family Worker

Mrs Nicola Furneaux –Headteacher

Gray's Farm Primary Academy, Gray's Farm Road, St Paul's Cray, Orpington, BR5 3AD

020 8300 5283 admin@graysfarm-tkat.org

If you have a complaint, please refer to our Complaints Policy, available HERE

 

Involving pupils and parents/carers in planning support

How will the school involve me as a parent/carer and my child in meeting our SEND needs and in general school life?

Three times a year there are set parent’s evenings. The SENCO will be available during these times.

You can make appointments with class teachers, SENCO, assistant SENCO and the head-teacher upon request.

We can also provide report cards and home-school contact books where needed.

Range of support available to my child

What different kinds of support are available to children with SENDs?

children with SENDs?

Regular small group work with the class teacher or teaching assistant during lessons

Intervention groups for literacy and numeracy, led by a teaching assistant

Specific strategies to support/develop literacy/maths

Small group intervention programmes

Speech and Language therapist (advice disseminated to and followed by teaching staff)

School Counsellor

Play therapist

Educational Psychologist

Specialist Dyslexia learning mentor

Social Eyes service (who give advice on social communication difficulties)

Tests and examinations; Access Arrangements

For some pupils additional arrangements and adjustments can be made to enable them to fully access a range of tests. These arrangements are used for all tests. They might include additional time, use of a reader, rest breaks or the use of a scribe or word processor. The SENCO or class teachers will inform parents about eligibility and applications for these arrangements. Only tests and assessors authorised by the school and recognised by the Examination Boards can be accepted for public examinations.

Pastoral Support

School Counsellor

Play therapist

Social skills groups

After school clubs

Trained first aiders and medical room

Strategies to reduce anxieties/promote emotional well being

Transition meetings for children with complex needs

Trained staff supervising at breaks and lunchtimes

Access to counsellors and links with other external agencies

Access to 1:1 mentors

How will the school know how well my child is doing and how will they inform me about this?

The learning of all pupils is assessed regularly and where pupils are not making the expected levels of progress a plan identifying desired outcomes is put in place and support is identified. You will be kept informed of this. The plan is then implemented by all teachers and reviewed on a regular basis. The plan is then refined to ensure the pupil makes the expected level of progress.

The teachers work closely with the SEN team to meet the needs of individual pupils and staff receive regular training on specific educational needs.

Support and Training for school staff

Have any staff received specialist training in SENDs?

The SENCO has completed the accredited SENCO course and a masters degree with a focus on managing autism in mainstream settings. Staff within the department have specialisms in dyslexia, speech and language, autism and ADHD.  Teachers and teaching assistants attend regular training sessions led by specialist teachers on these subjects.

Accessibility

How is the school accessible to children with SENDs?

Advice of professionals disseminated and followed

Use of any recommended equipment

The progress of pupils with SEND is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team and SENCO. Parents are invited in as required to discuss progress and to evaluate existing provision. Pupils participate in meetings where appropriate.

How will the school ensure that my child will be included in all activities at school, after school clubs and on school trips?

Pupils with SEND are encouraged to participate in all school activities. TAs accompany pupils on schools trips where additional support is required. Specialist transport is engaged where necessary. Risk assessments to include all children are undertaken as routine.

How will the school support my child to change classes and/or move on when they reach the appropriate stages?

All pupils experience the yearly transition of moving to a new class and new teacher. All children do class visits and take home a photo of their new teacher. Learning journeys and transition photo-books are used where needed.

Teachers and SEN staff will pay particular attention to preparing pupils with SEND for transfer to secondary school, addressing both the learning and the well being concerns that may arise

Support and training for Parents and Carers

What support and training within the school is available to parents and carers?

Throughout the year information sessions, specific to subjects, will be held to inform parents and carers of how they can support their children and what the school will be doing to ensure pupils meet their potential.

Parents are invited into school regularly to discuss the best strategies to support their children. Any information from specialist teachers or the Educational Psychologist is passed to parents.

 

SEND Information Report for Nursery
Provider Name	Gray’s Farm Primary Academy
Address	Gray’s Farm Primary Academy Gray’s Farm Road Orpington BR5 3AD
Email	admin@graysfarm-tkat.org
Telephone	020 8300 5283
Name of SENCo	Ella Morley
1  How will the setting help my child to settle in?
Communication with family via speaking on door and use of Tapestry Meeting with parents before child’s arrival to complete ‘All about me’ form together Medical Information provided
2  What is the setting’s approach to supporting different children’s needs and how will that help my child?
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum is tailored to meet differing needs, including for children with SENDs. This may be through visual prompts (pictures which give clues), use of PECs (Picture Exchange Communication Cards which support children’s early use of language), additional small group or individual input from a key adult where applicable The Nursery and school SENCO work closely together to identify where children may be facing challenges. These concerns will be raised with parents directly and appropriate action taken This might involve referring children to outside services and inviting external advisors and visitors to nursery to visit them (e.g. Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist
3 Who can I contact for further information within the setting?
Mandy Penfold, Nursery teacher Ella Morley, SENCO Nicola Furneaux, Associate Headteacher   To arrange meetings please contact the school office: 020 8300 5283                 admin@graysfarm-tkat.org
4 How accessible are the setting’s indoor and outdoor environments?
At Gray’s Farm we endeavour to make our setting as accessible as possible. We treat all children with care and respect. Physical disabilities: We will work with families on an individual basis to assess accessibility of setting, including accessing appropriate equipment and facilities where needed Toilet facilities: toilets accessible from classroom, easy use taps and drying facilities. If children have toileting difficulties we will work with families on an individual basis to establish the best way to cater for their needs
5 What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?
Identifying needs may involve referring children to outside services and inviting external advisors and visitors to nursery to visit them, with your permission. For example: Educational Psychologist Speech and Language Therapist Portage Occupational Therapist Bromley Wellbeing
6 How does the setting know if children need extra help?
All staff are trained in supporting children with SENDs. The learning of all pupils is assessed regularly and where pupils are not making the expected levels of progress a plan identifying desired outcomes is put in place and support is identified. You will be kept informed of this. The plan is then implemented and reviewed on a regular basis. The plan is then refined to ensure the pupil makes the expected level of progress.
7 How will I be involved in my child’s learning and overall wellbeing?
Use of the tapestry interactive system ensures frequent updates from school to home and vice versa, alongside parent’s evenings and invitations to events.
8  What training and experience have staff had in supporting children with SEND?
All of the staff at Gray’s Farm Primary Academy have had training in supporting children with SENDs. This includes: speech and language difficulties, autism, dyslexia, ADHD.
9  How will the setting support my child at times of change, for example moving rooms or age groups, to a new setting or onto school?
We understand the importance of transition and the worries that may arise. We organise transition days and visits to ensure that children are confident in their new start in a new classroom. On an individual basis we can consider additional visits, a temporary key worker and/or a transition book. The EYFS team work closely together and with Year 1 staff and share information which will support your child’s transition.
Date published : September 2019
Date of next review: September 2020
Feedback Parents and carers, we’d love to hear from you! Is there additional information not included here that you would like to know more about? Let us know!
Bromley Local Offer: a source of information and advice to help support children and young people with disabilities or learning needs and their families https://bromley.mylifeportal.co.uk/localoffer/