SEND
What type of SEND are provided for at Rosehill?
The SEND code of practice (2015) identifies four broad areas of need as follows –
Communication & Interaction
Cognition & Learning
Social, Emotional & Mental Health
Sensory and Physical Needs
At Rosehill, we identify a child’s main area of need when they are put onto our SEN register and when necessary, carry out further investigations to establish any specific needs. These include specific areas of need include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, and sensory processing disorder.
Whatever the needs of the child are, we work with parents and professionals to ensure the best outcomes for the children at Rosehill.
What approaches do we use for identifying children with SEND and assessing their needs?
At Rosehill, we identify children as having SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities) through a variety of ways, usually in combination, which may include some of the following -
- Liaison with previous school or Nursery setting
- Children performing below agerelated expectations.
- Concerns raised by a parent.
- Concerns raised by a teacher that will then be actioned using our Graduated Approach as detailed on our SEN policy.
- Liaison with external agencies, e.g., for a physical, sensory, Speech & Language assessment, etc.
- Use of standardised assessment, reading ages, phonics assessments, etc.
- Children coming to our school with an EHCP (Education & Health Care Plan) will already have many of their needs clearly identified.
What arrangements do we have for consulting and involving parents / carers in their child’s education?
At Rosehill we actively encourage parents and carers of pupils with SEND to share their knowledge of their child and value information sharing meetings with the
SENDCO and other key staff. Their input with their child’s All About Me document is particularly encouraged.
All parents will be notified if we provide their child with SEND support. The steps taken before a child’s SEN status is confirmed is detailed in this report under the section referring to our ‘Graduated Approach’. The class teacher (supported by the SENDCo when necessary) will meet with their parents / carers regularly (at least termly) to set clear outcomes, review progress, discuss activities and support, and identify parental responsibilities through the review of Assess Plan Do Review Support Plans.
What arrangements do we have for consulting young people with SEND and involving them in their education?
Pupils are invited to share their views through the information captured in Assess Plan Do Review Support Plans and by being invited to attend the review meetings. Children with EHC Plans are part of the annual review and present their views to those present. They listen to what the adults admire about them and review their progression since the last review meeting.
What arrangements do we have for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes?
In consultation with the pupil’s parents / carers, we will request a statutory assessment of SEND where the pupil’s needs cannot be met through the resources normally available with in school. From this, the local authority will decide whether to continue the process that may lead to them being given an Education and Health care Plan (EHCP).
Where a pupil continually makes little or no progress, or is working substantially below expected levels, the school will consult with parents / carers before involving specialists. This will be monitored through our Assess Plan Do Review cycle on a pupil tracker and includes termly scaled scores in Reading, Writing and Maths, and when appropriate more specialised assessment tools in line with the individual pupil’s needs.
In tracking the learning and development of pupils with SEND, the school will:
- Base decisions on the insights of the pupil and their parents / carers
- Set pupils challenging targets.
- Track Pupils’ progress towards these goals
- Review additional or different provisions made for them.
- Promote positive personal and social development outcomes.
- Base approaches on the best possible evidence and ensure that they are having the required impact on progress.
- Track pupil’s progress within interventions and through a range a specific assessment to explore their strengths and difficulties in depth.
We continually review the effectiveness of interventions for our pupils with SEN and strive to use evidence-based approaches that have a greater impact on the progress of pupils.
What arrangements do we have for supporting children in moving between phases of education?
The school fully supports the transition plans & timetable for pupils to visit their nominated high school; Year 7 & Year 6 teachers share information prior to transfer to share assessment and personal details on pupils. Assessment and any specific needs are shared through the Tameside platform – 6 into 7 during the summer term of Year 6.
Some children need more support with the transition, and this is co-ordinated through the SENDCo. The SENDCo ensures that the relevant paperwork is sent to the high school to ensure details of needs, attainment and targets are shared. For those pupils who need additional support, a personalised transition plan is developed, including a one-page profile and individualised or small group sessions to support pupils in their understanding of routines, timetables and expectations at high school.
Some children are supported during transitional periods by external agencies such as the Outreach Team. This may involve creating ‘social stories’ for children with Communication, Language & Autistic Spectrum condition if they are likely to find transition challenging.
What is our approach to teaching children with SEND?
Our Graduated Approach to SEND starts with a focus on Quality First Teaching, where the teacher will ‘notice, try and check’ different strategies to engage and meet the needs of all learners within lessons. Teachers aim to make lessons as interactive as possible through a range of technology to support and enhance the learning experiences. If these strategies are not enough to meet the needs of a child, the teacher will fill out an Initial Concerns form and discuss further approaches with the SENDCo. There progress will then be revied after 6 weeks and a decision will then be made as to whether the child is put onto the SEN register. This cycle may be repeated before the SEND status of a child is confirmed.
At Rosehill, we ensure the classroom environment is language friendly, as all classes have visual timetables that are actively used by all teaching staff. Some SEND children have their own versions of these to show a small section of the day and help them to focus on tasks with built-in motivators.
We also use visual prompts and study aids with symbols and pictures to help facilitate learning for SEND children and promote inclusivity. Some pupils also have boards to section their work into manageable chunks or they may have a workstation that helps them to organise their tasks and promotes independence.
Classroom teachers may differentiate tasks or use adaptive teaching methods to meet the needs of all learners. Alongside this, teaching assistants provide support in
small groups or individually to help SEND learners to achieve specific targets and lesson objectives.
Some SEND children will need targeted support through a range of interventions in addition to the quality first teaching. This is part of our graduated approach outlined in the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and forms part of the Plan, Do, Review, Assess Cycle that helps to ensure good outcomes for SEND leaners.
Examples of some of the specific interventions we use at Rosehill include –
Social Stories, Comic Strip Conversations, Lego Therapy & other turn taking games are used to support children whose main area of need is Communication & Interaction. We also use the speech & language programme – Wellcomm in EYFS and other specific Speech & Language interventions from Black Sheep Press.
Aswell as tailored support from our pastoral team, children whose main area of need is Social, Emotional & Mental Health are supported through Emotional Literacy interventions such as The Colour Monster, ELSA and Zones of Regulation. We also use Protected Talk Time, Mindfulness and individualised programmes of support tailored by our qualified Thrive Practitioners.
Children struggling with reading are supported through Read Write Inc Interventions such as Fresh Start (KS2), Fast Track and 1:1 tutoring. We also use Precision Teaching methods to supporting writing and spelling, as well as the SNIP intervention.
Our Thrive practitioners and Teaching Assistants facilitate sensory breaks for children with sensory needs and where appropriate, children can access our sensory room. Children with gross motor and fine motor skills difficulties are supported through Motor Skills United. Specific handwriting issues are first addressed through a more individualised approach to our handwriting scheme – Letter Join and with Write from the Start, where appropriate.
Where can I find more information about support for my SEN child in the local area?
The website links below are the best way to access more support for your SEN child and the family. They can also signpost you to the best support if you need more specialised advice -
If you have further questions about our SEND Approach, please contact our SENDCo, Mrs Anna Goodwin on 0161 343 8435.
Updated Autumn 2024