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Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

Mrs O'Neill

SENCO

DSL

 

Welcome to St Paul’s School for Girls where the gifts and talents of all girls are nurtured and celebrated. God created each of us to be unique - "a one of a kind" masterpiece! The learning support department equips girls to become independent, confident and successful young ladies; to fulfil their vocation from God.

Many girls may need additional support through their learning journey.  The information below aims to answer questions you may have about this support.

Every Local Authority in England has a duty to provide children and young people, (0-25 years) with support if they have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities - this is known as the Local Offer. 

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The SEND Code of Practice 2014 Parent and Carer guide can be found at-

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/344424/Special_educational_needs_and_disabilites_guide_for_parents_and_carers.pdf

The current SEND policy of the school can be found here.


 

1.  What kinds of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) are provided for at St Paul's?

We follow the 2015 Code of Practice which outlines support for young people in four broad areas.

  • Cognition and learning
  • Sensory and physical
  • Communication and interaction
  • Social, emotional and mental health

Examples of support are outlined in this information.

2.  How does St Paul's know if my daughter needs extra help?

We know when a pupil needs help if-

  • Concerns are raised by parents, carers, pupils, teachers, outside agencies and the pupil’s previous school/s
  • Limited or slow progress is evidenced through school monitoring
  • Low prior attainment
  • Baseline data shows gaps in learning.

What should I do if I think my daughter may have special educational needs or a disability?

  • Talk to the Head of Year who will then inform the SENCO, Mrs O'Neill.

3.  How will I know St Paul's supports my daughter?

•    Individual one page profiles are used to give a profile of additional needs
•    Each pupil’s one page profile will be written jointly by the pupil, parent and SENCO. The one page profile will outline specific strategies used by subject teachers to support your daughter through quality first teaching. Additional equipment/resources e.g. a laptop will also be included on this document
•    If your daughter has needs related to a more specific area of their education, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy, language difficulties etc. then your daughter may be supported through focused small group interventions which run during form time.
•    Interventions are recorded on a whole school provision map which is a document outlining additional support.  Impact of interventions is recorded separately
•    The school has access to specialist support services and we would work in partnership with you to make a referral if appropriate.
 

4.  How will the curriculum be matched to my daughter's needs?

  • All pupils receive quality first teaching which is differentiated and personalised.
  • If additional support is required following consultation with you it may be felt that a Pupil Progress and Intervention Assistant (PIP) may be deployed to work with your daughter on a 1:1 basis or in a small focused group
  • Your daughter will be taught in an appropriate ability group for English and Maths lessons
  • Specialist equipment may be used by pupils to enable full access to the curriculum e.g. Laptops with CLARO.

5.  How will I know if my daughter is making progress?

  • A monitoring sheet  of your daughter’s progress is sent home termly
  • Parents’ evening for your daughter is an opportunity to discuss progress with subject staff.
  • Reviews will take place termly and you will be invited to attend.
  • Annual reports are sent out 
  • Positive and negative logs are in place.

6.  How can I help St Paul's to support my daughter's learning?

  • During Parent’s evening individual subject teachers will suggest support strategies for you to access at home.
  • During each review ideas to support you daughter will be explained and modelled
  • Firefly is a great resource which outlines topics to be covered throughout the year and different subjects use websites to assist with learning e.g. Kerboodle. It would be good to discuss these with your daughter
  • Outside agencies may offer ideas of how to support your daughter in school and at home.

7.  What support will there be for my daughter's well-being?

  • St Paul’s offers a wide variety of pastoral support for those pupils who are experiencing emotional, social and mental health difficulties
  • Form Tutors meet with all pupils daily and are always available to offer support and will refer pupils to their Head of Year whenever necessary
  • Mrs Canavan has overall responsibility for pastoral care and meets with girls regularly
  • Pupils can be referred to the School Chaplin Grace or Mrs Liddall who is the Family Liaison worker. Support here can take the form of listening, signposting pupils to sources of help or involving outside agencies
  • Miss Scotcher also works with some girls as part of a resilience programme
  • There is a nurture group which supports pupils with emotional differences
  • The School nurse can also offer support
  • There is also access to external counsellors if needed.

8.  What specialist support and services are accessed by St Paul's?

  • Sensory support including Teachers of the deaf, teachers of the blind and mobility specialists
  • The Communication and Autism Team.
  • Pupil and School support( cognition and learning)
  • Speech and Language therapist
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Forward Thinking Birmingham (Mental Health)
  • Paediatricians
  • School Nurse
  • Social services
  • Connexions, careers advisor.

9.  What training have the staff had or are receiving?

All staff have received training related to SEND. This training has included-

  • How to support pupils with a diagnosis of autism
  • How to support pupils with language and literacy difficulties
  • How to support pupils with visual or hearing impairment
  • The Speech and Language therapist offers advice to staff to support the development of language
  • Ongoing support and training for SEND.

The effectiveness of SEND provision is reviewed annually and this informs future staff training needs.

10.  How will my daughter be involved in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

Best endeavours will be made to enable all pupils to access all activities and trips.

  • Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to allow all students to participate in activities
  • If additional adult support is required for an activity then parents would be consulted and support put in place for that child.
  • If a girl has transport provided through the local authority the school will discuss alternative provision with parents.

11.  How accessible is the school environment?

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. However, St Paul’s was built in 1908 and we make reasonable adjustments in sympathy with the historical nature of the building.

12.  How will St Paul's prepare and support my daughter when joining or transferring to a new school or post-16 provision?

Year 6 Transition

  • Mrs Kinsella Head of Year 7, the Senior Leadership team and Mrs O'Neill the SENCO visit Primary schools to meet with new students in the term before joining St Paul’s
  • Pupils visit school for a transition day in July and many girls visit through Primary events such as retreat days
  • Pupils with specific needs may visit St Paul’s for a series of sessions before the Year 6 Transition day.

Mid-year Transition

  • Mrs Canavan Deputy Headteacher coordinates pupil admissions during an academic year. Pupils will have the support of a ‘buddy’ within their tutor group, the support of their form tutor and Head of Year
  • Information shared about any additional needs of pupils with staff.

Transition to post 16 provision or university

  • Year 11 pupils take part in transition interviews. The girls visit colleges for taster days and explore what courses are available to them
  • The girls are supported to complete application forms
  • Girls with a Statement or an EHCP receive guidance from Connexions during their annual reviews.
  • Girls in Year 12 and 13 are supported through the UCAS application process
  • Girls are signposted to support services within universities and colleges.

13.  How are the school's resources allocated and matched to children's special educational needs?

  • There is a notional SEND budget which is allocated to St Paul’s school each financial year. This money is used to provide additional support and resources according to individual pupil needs
  • Additional support or resources may be allocated to your daughter following an assessment by the SENCO or following the recommendation of an outside agency
  • Funding may be used for specialist support e.g. Speech and Language therapy
  • Pupil Premium money may also be used to support your daughter’s learning.

14.  How is the decision made about what additional support my daughter will receive?

  • All pupils are supported primarily through quality first teaching
  • If a pupil makes less than expected progress additional support to help close the gaps is put in place. This support may be through targeted interventions or on a 1:1 basis or in a small group
  • Parents will be notified of any additional support which their daughter receives
  • The decision regarding support is jointly taken by form teachers, subject teachers, Head of Year and the SENCO.

15.  How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my daughter's education?

  • During Parents evenings
  • During discussions with teachers
  • During termly reviews.

16.  What do I do if I have a complaint about the provision offered to my daughter?

  • As a school we encourage regular, open and honest conversations between staff, parents/careers and the girls. If you are unhappy about the provision made for your daughter

  • Contact Mrs O'Neill the SENCO, Mrs Canavan the Deputy Head Teacher or Dr Casserly the Head teacher who will work collaboratively with families to resolves any difficulties

  • If you still have concerns contact Mrs Hodgson the SEND governor

 

17.  Who can I contact for further information?

If you wish to discuss your daughter’s learning please contact-

  • Your daughter’s Head of Year 
  • Mrs O'Neill the SENCO-  [email protected]
  • Mrs Hodgson the SEND governor via the school office

Follow school admissions policy. Children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) should follow SENAR processes and give preferences at Year 6 annual review.

Please contact the school office to make an appointment 0121 454 0895 [email protected]

 

Glossary of key terms

FTB- Forward Thinking Birmingham

SENCO- Special Educational Needs Coordinator

SEND- Special Educational Needs and Disability

SpLD- Specific Learning Difficulty e.g. dyslexia

UCAS- University and Colleges Admissions Service

 

Reviewed September 2022. Parent and pupil voice will inform future changes.

St Paul's School for Girls