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SEN Information Report

All Ebor Academy Trust schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the local authority (LA) to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.

What is the local offer?

The LA Local Offer

  • The Children and Families Bill was enacted in 2014. From this date, Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 0–25. This is the ‘Local Offer.’
  • The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
  • York SEND Local Offer Website: yorksend.org
    Email: yorklocalofferSEND@york.gov.uk

The school SEN information

  • The school utilises the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEN pupils as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.

Our Environment

At Lakeside Primary Academy, we are committed to providing our pupils with a broad, balanced and enriched curriculum which is accessible to all and promotes inclusion. All our pupils are included in all aspects of school life and are equally valued in school. We create environments that are safe and calm so that our pupils feel comfortable to be in school and to enable them to flourish. Our staff work closely as a team to provide consistency of approach and strategies that we have in place for our pupils.

Reviews are held twice a year, to set and review targets. Children and parents are invited to the review meetings twice a year. Input from the SEN team can be requested at other times of the year.

All pupils with SEN at Lakeside have a document in place that is jointly written by parents, the child and professionals. Depending on the level of need, this may be called a My Support Plan (MSP) or an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). An EHCP is a statutory document that is written alongside the SEN Panel at the Local Authority.

During the summer term for pupils from EYFS–Year 5 we hold transition reviews for all pupils who have a MSP (My Support Plan) or EHCP (Education Health Care Plan). We use social stories to support the children. Where possible children visit new classrooms or class teachers to begin to build up relationships.

School can make a referral to SENDIASS where parents can be supported to visit different secondary provisions within the area.

Transition reviews are held within school with parents where secondary schools are discussed. The school apply for secondary places for any children who have a EHCP through the review meeting.

Once secondary schools are allocated, children with EHCP have a transition review between primary and secondary provisions to plan a personalised transition package.

Support for Early Years Transitions

Early Years children transitioning to Lakeside Primary Academy may be offered:

  • Transition meeting pre-admission
  • Visit to school with parents
  • Staggered transition into school
  • Extra transition visits including previous setting
  • Social stories to be used at home and over school holidays

Classroom Environment Adaptations

Because all children learn in different ways, we have tailored our classroom environments so that they can meet a range of needs. All our classrooms provide:

  • Visual supports (including dyslexia friendly, speech and language friendly and autism friendly approaches)
  • A distraction-free learning zone
  • Sensory Processing strategies (movement breaks, noise reducing headphones, move and sit cushions, fiddle toys etc)
  • Access to multi-sensory and hands-on learning
  • Use of IT and alternative methods of recording where needed
  • Use of de-escalation strategies
  • A Restorative Practise Approach with daily check-ins and Affective Questions
  • A preventative rather than reactive approach
  • Positive praise – and lots of it!
  • Staffing ratios appropriate to the level of support needed

Identification and Intervention

Every teacher at Lakeside is working towards the achievement of every child through excellent quality first wave teaching. We call this our Universal offer. If any child is struggling in class for any reason, strategies and or intervention will be put in place at a Targeted level to support this after discussions with parents/carers. Advice would be sought from the SEN team and progress would be tracked to see if these strategies were proving to be successful.

If a child is still struggling in school and needs additional support, it may be that they need more Specialist level intervention and resources put in place. Again, parents would be very much involved in this discussion and would work with the school to plan this. At this stage, your child would be receiving ‘SEN Support’ and the SEN Team would be closely involved to support staff, your child and the family. The majority of children at this level will have some Teacher Assistant Support. Each child’s support package will look different depending on their level of need. As we are keen to promote independence and develop young people’s life skills for the future, through careful planning, we will ensure that each child’s needs are met through a balanced approach of Teaching Assistant support, group work and monitored independent time.

Children are identified for the SEN register by using the City of York bandings. Depending on the outcome, children are placed on either a monitoring register or the SEN register. The bandings are reviewed every 6 months to ensure that they are accurate.

SEN Support: Defining SEN and SEN Provision

The new SEN Code of Practice (2014) defines children as having special educational needs (SEN):

‘A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special education provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

  • Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.
  • Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

The SEN Team and the WEB (wellbeing, emotional and behavioural) team oversee the provisions and interventions we have in place for all our pupils at Lakeside. Along with the Senior Leadership Team, they monitor the effectiveness of provision through observations and data analysis and provision will be adjusted as required to ensure pupils are fulfilling their full potential. Children will always be supported to engage in activities available to pupils who do not have SEN.

Because we understand Early Identification is key, the SENCO works closely with staff to help identify children with any additional needs and advise on intervention at this early stage.

We work closely with individuals and other agencies to help us identify the right support for each child, including:

  • Educational Psychologist
  • CAMHS (Child Adolescent Mental Health Service)
  • Speech and Language Therapists (both in school and in clinic)
  • Other Health Professionals
  • Physiotherapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • CYC Specialist Teaching Teams
  • Physical and medical
  • Autism
  • Early Years
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Dyslexia Outreach Support
  • Speech and Language Outreach Support
  • York Independent Living and Travel skills co-ordinator
  • Local Area Teams (LATS)

These can be contacted through the SEND department Specialist Teaching Team.

Below you will see more detail and examples of interventions that we run for our pupils. Some children will need support in more than one area of need so we will personalise their learning to encompass this. At Lakeside, we strive to support children with a wide range of special educational needs in each of these areas.

Communication and Interaction

6.28 Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty in saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.

6.29 Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Communication and Interaction Interventions may include

  • Delivery of individual speech and language programmes
  • Time to Talk
  • Talk Boost
  • Talking Partners
  • ELKLAN strategies – mind maps, task plans, modelling, limited use of language etc.
  • Lego Therapy
  • Pre teaching vocabulary
  • Every Child a Talker (ECAT)
  • Communication Toolkit.

Communication and Learning

6.30 Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.

6.31 Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Learning and Cognition Interventions may include

  • Phonics Boosters
  • 1:1 Reading
  • Reading/Writing/Sentence and punctuation boosters
  • Handwriting intervention – multi-sensory or alternative methods
  • Precision Teaching (bespoke to child’s need)
  • Big Maths Quiz
  • Numicon
  • Pre teaching
  • Use of specialist equipment – ICT equipment, coloured overlays and books, pencil grips etc.

Social Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

6.32 Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

As a school we work closely with the Wellbeing worker who is the school’s wellbeing worker who works across schools in York and is the link between schools and CAMHS. The wellbeing worker, in consultation with Lakeside’s WEB team, identifies SEMH interventions across the whole school and referral pathways with external agencies.

Please contact SENCo at the school.

6.33 Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour, so it does not adversely affect other pupils. The Department of Education publishes guidance on managing pupils’ mental health and behaviour difficulties in schools – see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health interventions may include

  • ELSA provision or mentors by trained ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants)
  • Lunch Clubs
  • Peer Buddies
  • Use of visual prompts and timetables
  • The Island Mentors Service
  • Young Carer Group
  • Wellbeing worker (CAMHS)
  • 1 to 1 wellbeing worker
  • Wellbeing in Mind Team
  • Small group wellbeing work

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

6.34 Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Information on how to provide services for deafblind children and young people is available through the Social Care for Deafblind Children and Adults guidance by the Department of Health (See the References section under Chapter 6 for a link).

6.35 Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

Sensory and Physical Interventions

  • Handwriting intervention – multi-sensory or alternative methods
  • Delivery of 1:1 Physio and OT programmes
  • Use of sensory resources and strategies
  • Adapted PE sessions
  • Early movement sessions

Family and Pupil Engagement

Communication is key

We pride ourselves on strong links with parents/carers and the child. We will always keep you in the loop when planning provision and interventions for your child. We have introduced comprehensive documentation for all our pupils receiving SEN Support that is written and reviewed jointly with parents and pupils. We know that by working together, we have a much greater chance of getting it right for your child. There are dedicated sections within your child’s plan for parents/carers and pupils to complete. We welcome yours and your child’s input into their plan, not just at their review meeting, but on a more regular basis as things arise.

Workforce

As part of Ebor Academy Trust, we are committed to providing high quality training and support to all our staff. We have an experienced Academy Specialist for SEN who has dedicated time to work with in schools and our workforce. Our staff access in-house specialist training as well as a wide range of external courses from other professionals and agencies.

Examples of recent staff training would include:

  • Differentiation in classrooms
  • Creating an inclusive environment for ALL pupils and reducing anxiety
  • Supporting pupils on the dyslexia continuum
  • Restorative Practice
  • Lego Therapy
  • Precision Teaching
  • Talk Boost
  • Team Teach
  • Autism Awareness training

There are also ELSA and ELKLAN trained staff in school to support children with social and emotional aspects of learning and speech, language and communication strategies.

Within our school, we have a team committed to inclusion to ensure that all children are happy and safe and are achieving academically and socially.

Our Senior Leadership Team carry out weekly learning walks in all of our classrooms which ensure that advice and support is given regularly to staff which means we are confident that our pupils are receiving the best possible support and teaching.

All staff in school are made aware of individual children’s specific needs and training/support will be put in place as needed. This helps ease transitions from different teachers and into new year groups in September. Careful transition is also planned with Secondary Schools for pupils in Year 6.

Transition

We recognise that any transition time can be difficult for children and families, and especially for children with SEND who might find change more difficult to cope with.

Children are informed of their new teacher in advance and spend time with them during the summer term. Information is shared between outgoing and incoming class staff so that the new staff are fully aware of the child’s needs. Where children need extra time for transition this can also be arranged. If necessary, staff will use social stories, photos and buddying systems to support children who are struggling with transition. All staff in school are made aware of individual children’s specific needs and training/support will be put in place as needed.

We work closely with our secondary school colleagues when children move on. Staff from the relevant secondary school will usually visit Lakeside to discuss the child’s needs during Year 6. For children with an EHCP this process will begin in Year 5. Additional visits to secondary school will be arranged for children with SEND who are likely to find the transition more difficult.

We also have strong links with Clifton Moor pre-school and through the Early Years Foundation Shared Partnership many other settings that feed into Lakeside. We can therefore make sure provision is in place for any SEND needs when children join us in the reception year.

The SEN Team

Lizzy Bamford – SENCo

SEND Teaching Assistants

If you have any concerns about your child please contact their class teacher or Miss Bamford on 01904 806444 or by email at slt.lak@ebor.academy

Other links you may find useful

York SEND Local Offer Website: yorksend.org
Email: yorklocalofferSEND@york.gov.uk
SEN Code of Practice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Children and Families Act 2014: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/part/3/enacted

Complaints about SEN provision

Parents are encouraged to consult the class teacher or the SEN team to discuss any concerns or problems. If the problem is not resolved, the parents should ask to see the Headteacher and a meeting will be arranged. It may be appropriate for others to be involved in the meeting (e.g. the class teacher, SEND Team, the Governor responsible for SEND). If the problem still remains unresolved, parents can meet with a representative from the Local Authority with or without members of the school staff present.

York SENDIASS is able to support parents at any point in the complaints procedures.