St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
The following information is designed to help existing and prospective parents better understand the provision that exists for children who need extra support at St. Mary's. If you are a prospective parent we would encourage you to contact the school as soon as possible to discuss your child and their needs with the school.
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is a mainstream school with an inclusive ethos.
What should I do if I think my child needs extra support?
QUALITY FIRST TEACHING
At St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy teaching is good across all stages. All pupils have access to Quality First Teaching within the classroom. All learners are included in a stimulating learning environment, which is differentiated to meet wide ranging needs. This differentiation can involve diverse techniques, different expected outcomes, various ways of recording or accessing information and multi-sensory teaching approaches.
The Quality First Teaching approach is offered across the wide range of subjects that are covered within the school curriculum and each class follows their own individual long term map. To view these please click here.
All children access this provision on a daily basis to enable them to make progress as individuals. If you feel your child needs extra support in a particular area, you should approach the class teacher to discuss this.
How does the school know if my child needs extra support?
At St Mary's Catholic Academy, children are identified as having SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) through a variety of ways, usually a combination, which may include some of the following:
- Liaison with previous school or pre-school setting.
- Child performing below ‘age expected’ levels or equivalent (e.g. percentile rankings)
- Concerns raised by a parent.
- Concerns raised by a teacher: for example, if behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance.
- Liaison with external agencies e.g. for a physical/ sensory issue, speech and language.
- Use of tools for standardised assessment
How do you assess and record the progress made by children with a Special Educational Need?
Formal and Informal Assessments
Through the Quality First Teaching Approach, teachers assess the progress made by all children on a daily basis, through their understanding shown in class, the work they produce, and through detailed marking.
More formal teacher assessments are made termly and are monitored by the school’s tracking system. This helps identify any children who are not making expected progress and who may benefit from further support and interventions.
Provision Maps
Provision Maps identify any further needs and provision offered by the class teacher and teaching assistant alongside their usual lessons. They may occur in small groups or one to one with an adult.
Provision maps are reviewed each term by the class teacher. Class teachers have responsibility for drawing up, reviewing, assessing and updating their Class Provision Map. An attainment level is recorded at the beginning and end of the term, to monitor the child’s progress and the success of the intervention. Children may begin a new intervention at any time in the term if it is felt that it would enhance their learning. Further information can be made available for parents on request.
Individual Education Plan
Some children on SEN Support will require a higher level of intervention than others, and advice from outside agencies may be sought. For these children, an Individual Education Plan will be produced, with individual targets. An IEP details the child’s successes, needs and access arrangements. Targets will be set and reviewed termly with the child, Parents, Class Teacher and SENCO. Outside agencies may be involved in the target setting and reviewing process.
Support Plan
If multiple agencies are involved with a child or a child is showing needs across more than one area, a Support Plan will be written with the child's family, SENCO, teacher and other involved agencies. This will collate all information about the child and bring together the targets the child will be working towards in their areas of need. This will be used instead of an ANP and will be updated every term. It will address long term and short term targets for the child and looking at what needs to be done to achieve these targets. If progress is still not being shown through the use of a Support Plan it may be decided to put the child forward for an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Education, Health and Care Plan
If an EHC Plan has been provided by the Local Authority, this will be reviewed each year at an Annual Review Meeting. This will involve the child, Parents, Class Teacher, Support Staff, SENCO and Outside Agencies meeting to discuss the progress made towards the long and short term outcomes.
How do you identify Special Educational Needs or a Disability?
The Department for Education published an updated Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and Disability in July 2014. This included the following definition:
A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Making higher quality teaching normally available to the whole class is likely to mean that fewer pupils will require such support. (SEN COP 2014)
SEN SUPPORT
If a class teacher feels that a child is not making good progress despite differentiated work in class within the Quality First Teaching Approach, further evidence will be gathered. This will involve consultation with Parents and other school staff, including the SENCO. If it is felt that a higher level of intervention and support is needed, the child’s name will be placed on the school’s Special Educational Needs Register by the SENCO. This initial stage is called SEN Support.
Children on SEN Support will access further provision and interventions, outside usual classroom differentiation, to enable them to make progress. These will be assessed and monitored by the class teacher on a Provision Map, which lists the interventions accessed by smaller groups of children.
Some children on SEN Support will require a higher level of intervention than others, and advice from outside agencies may be sought. For these children, an Individual Education Plan will be produced, with individual targets. An IEP details the child’s successes, needs and access arrangements. Targets will be set and reviewed termly with the child, Parents, Class Teacher and SENCO. Outside agencies may be involved in the target setting and reviewing process.
EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLAN
If it is felt by all parties involved at SEN Support that the child would benefit from resources and support which cannot be funded through the school’s budget, the process of formal assessment will begin. Evidence will be collated from all parties and submitted to a Local Authority moderating panel, where a decision will be made as to whether the child will be put forward for statutory assessment or not.
Educational advice will then be compiled by all parties involved, submitted to the LA and an EHC Plan may be agreed.
