Introduction

All Sunderland Local Authority (LA) maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and are supported by the 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.

The broad ‘areas of need’ being Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties and Sensory and Physical Needs.

If you are the parent of a pupil with SEN and you would like to raise a concern, please contact Mrs Wilson [SENCO] via the school office on 0191 4155050 or info@rickletonprimary.co.uk

RPS Support for our Pupils with SEND

At Rickleton Primary School, we believe that every child has the right to a full, supportive and inclusive education.  We ensure that any pupils with SEND are fully supported in both their learning but also involvement in wider school life.  

Range 1 – Quality First Teaching 

Class teacher input, via excellent targeted classroom teaching (Quality First Teaching).

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.
• Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCO) are in place to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
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Range 2 - Specific group work

Class Teachers’ may identify that your child needs a little more support so they would plan for intervention which may be:

• Run in the classroom or a smaller room elsewhere in school.
• Run by a teacher or a Teaching Assistant (TA).
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This intervention may run for a half term and the impact of it would be evaluated by the Class Teacher. Class Teachers’ meet with the SENDCO each term to review the progress children with SEN are making and they evaluate how successful interventions have been in ensuring that the children are making progress.

Within school, Range 2 interventions include academic groups such as; Read, Write, Inc, Project X Code reading, Nessy Reading and Spelling and Maths Catch Up. However, at Rickleton, we also recognise that children need intervention to support them with their Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and their Communication and interaction needs and we run interventions such as Relax Kids, Lego Club, Sensory Regulation and Rainbow Club, which works on developing social and emotional skills.

Range 3 – Professional Support

Normally, a child will work through Range 1 and Range 2 interventions and if they don’t make progress, we may need to refer them into an outside agency to receive some professional support. This means that the child has been identified by the SENDCO and class teacher as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services such as the Autism Outreach Team or Sensory Service (for students with a hearing or visual need)
• Outside agencies such as the Education Psychology Service (EPS).
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What could happen:

You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g . a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school, and yourself, understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them more effectively in school.

The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.

Range 4 - Specified Individual Support

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are, severe, complex and lifelong.

This is usually provided by an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups (“Including All Children” documentation from LA).

 Your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services such as the Autism Outreach Team or Sensory Service (for students with a hearing or visual need)

• Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language therapy (SALT) Service For your child this would mean:

When applying for an EHCP, the school (or you) can request that Local Authority Services carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.

After the request has been made to the ‘Panel of Professionals’ (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), they will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the current support.

After the reports have all been sent in, the ‘Panel of Professionals’ will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case they will write an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.

The EHCP will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used, and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long and short-term goals for your child.

The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes, run small groups including your child or support your child on a 1:1 basis.

What is the Local Offer and SEND Information Report?

The LA Local Offer

The Children and Families Bill will became enacted in 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND) 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.  Click the link to Sunderland Service Directory https://www.sunderlandinformationpoint.co.uk/

The School SEND Information Report

This utilises the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy and the provision that the school is able to provide.

The school SEND policy is available  on our policy page Policies | Rickleton Primary School

The document below outlines the roles and responsibilities of the school to pupils with SEND. It will also guide parents in understanding the needs of their child and how they can request support or report concerns.