Current school overview 

Total number of SEND:  49 children   22.9%

Total number of EHCP: 1 children    2.14%

Total number of SSPP: 2 children    4.28%

40.8% of children with SEN are Pupil Premium

Currently 17% of the Birmingham Pupil Population have a SEND, compared to 14% nationally and 13.7% have an EHCP. 

What type of SEN do we provide for?

At St Alban’s Catholic Primary School we support children with a variety of differing special educational needs and we pride ourselves on being a highly inclusive school with an ethos which encourages and celebrates diversity and difference.

SEND is categorised into the following areas in the SEN code of practice 2014:

• Cognition and learning
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
• Sensory and Physical needs.

How do we identify and assess pupils with SEN?

• When pupils have an identified special educational need or disability, before they join our school, we work very closely with the people who already know them. We use the information already available to identify what the possible barriers to learning may be within our school and to help us to plan appropriate strategies to support them. We use external agencies, such as Physical Disability Support Service and NHS professionals to ensure disabled children can access school. 

• If you tell us you think your child has a special educational need we will discuss this with you and assess your child accordingly.  Often these assessments will be carried out by the school. Sometimes the school seeks advice from more specialised services such as Educational Psychology, Pupil and School Support or Speech Therapy – we always share our findings with you and the next steps we need to take.

• By looking at the progress that the children make on a termly basis, we can identify children who may need extra support quickly. The earlier we take action and modify our provision, the sooner we can resolve concerns and help children towards success. We will observe your child’s learning characteristics and how they cope within our learning environments, we will assess their understanding of what we are doing in school and, where appropriate, use tests to pinpoint what is causing difficulty. This will help us to decide what is happening and why.  If school becomes concerned about your child you will be contacted immediately by their class teacher or the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo).

• We use a school assessment tracker system to track pupil attainment and progress against targets. This is updated every term and children’s attainment and progress is discussed at each parent consultation meeting and in staff progress meetings.

• Children with SEN are identified and interventions may be put in place to support your child.  We set individual targets on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for children who require interventions and we monitor progression and review targets.

• We gather views of parents and carers at our regular parent consultation meetings and make notes of important points so that they can be revisited at each successive meeting to review progress.

• The SENCo is always present at our parent consultation evenings. Parents have an opportunity to chat with the SENCo at this meeting or make an appointment to discuss provision for their child.

Who is our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and how can he be contacted?

Andrew Griffin

Please see Mr Griffin on the school gate or call at the school office (0121 444 6530).

What is our approach to teaching pupils with SEN and how do we adapt the curriculum and learning environment?

• We are an inclusive school.  Wherever possible children are taught alongside their peers in clear differentiated groups. Teachers adapt their high quality teaching constantly in order to cater for their pupils’ needs, and plan individual timetables where necessary. When appropriate, staff are deployed to give children additional interventions in small groups outside the classroom, or to provide one-to-one support.

• Teaching is based on clear objectives, shared with the children and returned to at the end of the lesson.

• Lively, interactive teaching styles are used - visual and kinaesthetic as well as auditory/verbal learning.  All our staff are trained in a variety of approaches which means that we are able to adapt to a range of SEN: - specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia); Autistic Spectrum Disorder; speech, language and communication needs; and behavioural, social and emotional difficulties, Visual impaired, Hearing impaired.

• Strategies will include: Visual Timetables, task boards, peer mentoring, grouping for support, positive behaviour system, writing frames, word banks, differentiated groupings and activities, ICT, talk partners, self-assessment strategies and peer marking.

• Staff are trained in a range of interventions for reading, writing and maths and SEMH strategies.

• Specialised support is provided from external specialists e.g. Educational Psychologist, Communication and Autism Team and PDSS.

• Medical support and medical training to support specific children is arranged.

• After school clubs are fully inclusive.

• If a pupil’s education, health and care plan identifies something that is significantly different to what is usually available, there will be additional funding allocated. Parents will have a say in how this is used. This must be used to fund any agreed plan formulated by professional advisors, parents and school.

How do we consult parents of pupils with SEN and involve them in their child’s education?

• At St Alban’s Catholic Primary School we work closely with parents and carers, and recognise that they have much to contribute to our support for children with SEND.

• When we assess special educational needs we will discuss with you if your child’s understanding and behaviour are the same at school and home; we take this into account and work with you so that we are all helping your child in the same way.

• Where appropriate we will write and review targets for Individual Education Plans (IEPs) with pupils and parents/carers, a copy will always be available for you.

• We hold a regular meeting that allows all school staff, other professionals and family or carers involved with a child, to share information, celebrate progress and achievement and plan next steps.

• Our school is able to support parents to access a wide range of support services for parents, pupils and families. These are available through services provided by Birmingham City Council or agencies that St Alban’s Catholic Primary School subscribes to.

• Our staff are available at the end of every school session to discuss any concerns you may have about your child, or to share information that either party feels would be useful to the other.

How do we consult pupils with SEN, involve them in their education and improve their emotional and social development?

Pupil’s views are very important; they have a right to be involved in decisions about their education and they are made aware of the support that surrounds them in school. They will be fully involved and their views will feed directly into all policies, procedures and daily teaching of children with SEND.  Pupils are given regular opportunities to:

• Self-assess
• Take part in Pupil Conferences
• Contribute to and, if appropriate, attend review meetings with their parents/carers to:
• Decide specific outcomes they wish to achieve
• Decide the help and support they need to achieve these outcomes
• Reviewing progress towards these targets
• Have a range of equipment available for children to use.

How do we support pupils moving between different phases of education?

• Children who join our school in Reception are welcomed into our school community with a personal home visit by their new teachers. A parent and child ‘taster’ sessions follows in the second half of the summer term in preparation for their September start.

• Transition to Reception, and then into each successive year-group, is supported by meetings, information leaflets and taster sessions in each new class.

• We liaise very closely with our partner schools in the cluster to ensure that the transition from primary school to the secondary school is as smooth as possible.

• Parents and children who are joining our school mid-term are encouraged to visit the school before they start.

• When we are aware that pupils joining us from other settings have identified special educational needs, we may arrange a visit to observe them in their familiar environment. If the children’s needs are unknown to us before they start, we will conduct early assessments to ascertain if the child needs additional support.

• Children with disabilities are supported by an arranged visit to observe them in their familiar environment. We organise a meeting with relevant professionals and parents.

How will we secure specialists, equipment and facilities to support pupils with SEN?

• We assess all our new arrival children on entry to school and use a range of resources to help them develop their communication skills if required.
• We have a wide range of reading material (books, digital stories, newspapers) to appeal to both aural and visual learners.

• We have a wide range of ICT equipment available to help motivate pupils and access learning.

• We use workstations, picture and symbol timetables and equipment such as countdown timers for pupils who need it.

• We seek advice and equipment from outside agencies as and when the need arises.

• We use a range of software on our school learning platform to help pupils engage with subjects they find difficult, to practice basic skills and work towards becoming independent learners.

• We upskill staff regularly at INSETs and whole school training days. Key staff are offered specific training courses to support the delivery of high quality support.

Who can young people and parents contact if they have concerns or a complaint?

• Our school operates an open door policy. Your first point of contact is your child’s class teacher, who is usually available at the end of every school day. In addition, our SENCo, Mr Griffin, or any other member of the Senior Leadership Team, are here to listen to your concerns. We also have a governor responsible for SEND who may be contacted through the school office. 

• The local authority has a multi-agency panel who consider unresolved issues. You are entitled to appeal against any decision made about your child that you are not in agreement with. They may offer you an independent mediator if you are still not satisfied. The mediator may try to help you to agree a resolution with the local authority that you are happy with. The Birmingham Parent Partnership Service (0121 303 5004) are able to provide this independent information and advice.

Where can the LA’s local offer be found?

• The Birmingham Local Authority Local Offer can be found at www.birmingham.gov.uk/localoffer