Percentage of SEND at Billesley

SEND:  24.9%

EHCP overall: 4.3%

SSPP: 5 children

Pupil Premium SEND: 62.13%

What type of SEND do we provide for?

At Billesley Primary School we support children with a variety of differing special educational needs and disabilities and pride ourselves on being a highly inclusive school with an ethos which recognises and celebrates diversity and difference. SEND is categorised into the following four broad areas in the SEND code of practice:

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

At Billesley Primary School we provide an alternative provision which meets the needs of children who have a diagnosis of Autism and an Educational and Health Care Plan.  This is our Resource Base

How do we identify and assess pupils with SEND?

• When pupils have an identified special educational need or disability, before they join Billesley Primary, we work very closely with the people who know them best; their parents. This helps us to best identify any possible barriers to learning which may exist and/or any accessibility issues and plan appropriate support strategies.
• If you tell us that 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 school staff, although sometimes we may seek advice from more specialised services such as Educational Psychology, Language, Learning and Strategic Support Service, Communication and Autism Team or Speech and Language Therapy. We always share our findings with you and the next steps we need to take to support your child.
• If teachers feel that your child has a special educational need, they will discuss this with you in a timely manner.  Identifying your child as having SEND can happen through observing behaviours and/or analysing assessment data.  When a child is identified as SEND, action is immediately undertaken to modify our provision and resolve any concerns hopefully resulting in your child’s needs being met.  However, if concerns persist, we will observe your child’s learning characteristics and how they work within their current provision; we will assess their understanding of their learning and where appropriate use diagnostic assessment resources to pinpoint clear next steps.  This may result in the need for more specialised services.  If school becomes concerned about your child, you will be contacted by their class teacher or the school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo).
• In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we plan and track progress using the Statutory framework for EYFS. In Key Stage 1 and 2 we use the National Curriculum.
• Each term, children are formally assessed and data is recorded.  Attainment and progress is then analysed against children’s targets and is discussed during pupil progress meetings with teachers and at consultation meetings with parents.
• Children with SEND are identified through this process and teaching is adapted to suit the needs of the individuals wherever possible.  
• Additionally, targeted interventions may be put into place to support your child.  We use the graduated approach of ‘assess, plan, do, review’ across all interventions to measure impact and ensure each child is receiving the best possible education.  We set individual targets for children who require interventions and monitor progression on the software Provision Map. This information will be shared with you during parent consultations.
• If your child has a specific need we will use an assessment tool / tracker to support them and identify clear next steps for them to work towards. We currently use the AET framework: Show Progress to accurately assess children with complex SEND needs.
• We gather views of parents and carers at our regular parent consultation meetings. The SENDCo/Assistant SENDCo is available to attend these meetings alongside teachers, or alternatively a separate appointment can be made with the SENDCo/Assistant SENDCo to discuss the provision your child is receiving at school.  Provision Map software is also used to communicate with parents regarding pupil profiles and provisions.

Who is part of our  inclusion lead staff and how can they be contacted?

• Vice Principal: Sam Hudson
• Inclusion lead: Ayesha McDaniel
• SENDCo: Lydia Lanchester
• Assistant SENDCo: Abbie Watson
• Please visit the school office on 0121 675 2800
• Email at senco@billesleyschool.co.uk

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

• All aspects of life at Billesley Primary School are inclusive. Wherever possible, children are taught alongside their peers in mixed attainment classes.  Teachers constantly use adaptive teaching strategies in order to cater to pupils’ needs,  but plan individual learning sequences or timetables when necessary.
• Teaching is based on clear objectives, shared with the children and revisited during and at the end of the lesson to assess success.  Lessons are engaging and interactive and adults use adaptive teaching to ensure our children with SEND reach their full potential.  All staff are trained in a range of research based SEND approaches, meaning we are able to cater for all areas of SEND.  These strategies include: EEF 5 a day, (scaffolding- written, verbal and pictorial, explicit instruction, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, flexible grouping and the use of technology) executive functioning, making sense of autism training, PDA, speech and language and EEF social emotional learning.
• Staff are trained in a range of interventions for reading, social emotional learning and speech and language.
• Pupils have the opportunity to work with a Learning Mentor to support behaviour as well as social, emotional and mental health issues.
• Some pupils may have a SEND need which will require staff to be medically trained to aid them effectively.  This is arranged annually by the SENDCo.
• Additionally, specialised support is provided from external professionals such as the Educational Psychologist, Communication and Autism Team and Physical Disability Support Service.
• If a pupil’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) identifies a need which is significantly different to ‘typical’ SEND provision, additional funding could be 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.
• The environment is developed, maintained and risk assessed continually to ensure all children with disabilities can attend Billesley Primary and an accessibility plan is written every 3 years in line with regulation.

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

• At Billesley Primary School, we work closely with parents and carers recognising that they have much to contribute to our support for their children.
• When we assess any potential special educational need, we will liaise with parents to ascertain whether your child’s understanding and behaviour are the same at home as presented at school. This enables us to develop and agree on a consistent, shared approach for supporting your child in both settings.
• Where appropriate, we will write and review targets for interventions or pupil profiles with pupils and parents/carers. A copy of these targets will always be available for you via Provision Map software during consultations.
• We hold regular meetings that allow our staff, external professionals and parents or carers involved with the child, to share information, celebrate progress and achievement, and plan clear next steps.
• We will use home learning opportunities to repeat and practice learning that is new and presents a challenge to your child.  If you have any questions about homework, please see your child’s class teacher.
• Our pastoral team is able to help parents in accessing a wide range of support services for parents, carers, pupils and families. These are available through services provided by Birmingham City Council or agencies that Billesley Primary School subscribes to.
• Our staff are available at the end of every school day to discuss any concerns you may have about your child, or to share information that either party feels would be useful to the other.
• Our Pastoral Team is available to work with families who may require Early Help in order to support them with their child/children who have been identified as having SEND.

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

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

• Self-assess
• Take part in pupil voice
• Contribute to and, if appropriate, attend review meetings with their parents/carers.

• Create pupil profiles
• Personalise work stations
• Participate in social, emotional learning
• Access the safe spaces around school to regulate.

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

• Children who join our school in Nursery or Reception are welcomed into our school community with a home visit by their key worker, followed by a meeting in school. Parent and child ‘taster’ sessions follow 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 where staff share information, alongside taster sessions for pupils to meet their teacher.
• Parents and children who are joining our school mid-term are encouraged to visit the school before their official start date.
• 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 a familiar environment. If the children’s needs are unknown to us before they start school, we will conduct early assessments to ascertain if the child needs additional support.
• 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.
• Relevant documentation is transferred to a child’s new setting via secure email and a phone call with the SENDCo can be requested to ensure a smooth transition for the pupil.

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

• Our SEND team creates bespoke, individualised resources for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities that support their specific learning needs and targets, but which still, where possible, reflect their peer’s learning experience.
• We assess all children who are newly arrived to the country and use a range of resources to help them develop their communication skills, if required.
• We have a wide range of reading materials (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 may need them.
• We have ‘safe spaces’ around school, which children can access throughout the day to help them identify and regulate their emotions alongside book areas and the school library where children are able to sit and reflect.
• We seek advice and resource equipment from outside agencies as required.
• We use a range of software on our school learning platform to help pupils engage with subjects they find difficult to support them to be independent learners as much as possible.

SSPP and EHCP

• A SEND Support Provision Plans (SSPP) is a document developed by Birmingham Local Authority, for schools and settings to use.  SSPPs are designed in a way that schools and settings, in partnership with parents, are able to build up a picture of need and provision over time.

• An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document which details the education, health and social care needs of a child or young person for whom extra support is needed in their early years setting or school, beyond that which the school or setting can provide. It is a legal document.
• The parental pathway for parents to access a SSPP/EHCP can be found here.

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 always available at the end of every school day.
• In addition, our SENDCo, Pastoral Team and Senior Leadership Team are available in the playground before and after school and by appointment if you would prefer.
•  If you are not satisfied that your concern has been addressed then you may speak to the Principal or Vice Principals at any time. If your  issues are not resolved, then you may speak to our Regional Director of The Elliot Foundation.
• Additionally, the local authority has a multi-agency panel who consider unresolved issues. You are entitled to appeal against any decision made about your child, if you disagree. They may offer you an independent mediator if the matter remains unresolved. The mediator may try to help you to agree a resolution with the local authority that you are happy with. Birmingham SENDIASS (formerly Parent Partnership Service- 0121 303 8461) is available to provide independent information and advice.

Where can LA's local offer be found?

• The Birmingham Local Authority Local Offer can be found at  https://www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk/