Our academies provides for pupils with the following needs: -

Which staff will support my child, and what training have they had?

All staff attend regular training to support all children and children with Special Educational Needs. Staff have training to:

• Keep up to date with changes
• Build confidence 
• Support teaching and learning
• Develop skills and knowledge 

The expertise and training of staff to support children with SEN received the following training:

• Safeguarding Level 1
• Writing of SMART ILP targets
• In-print
• RWI for KS1
• Words First
• Fluent in Five
• ELSA
• Precision Teaching

Some Teaching assistants have either Paediatric First aid or First Aid at work to ensure children’s safety and medical needs are catered for. A record of this is kept at the school office.

How are children with Special Educational Needs identified and assessed?

If teachers feel that your child has a special educational need this may be because they are not making the same progress as other pupils. 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 achieve within our learning environments. We will assess their understanding of what we are doing in academy and where appropriate, use additional assessments to determine what may be causing difficulty.

Below is a list of ways children may be identified as having an additional need:

• Liaison with the previous educational setting
• Tracking information – is the child performing below age expected steps?
• Academy based assessments carried out initially by the class teacher
• Further school based assessments carried out by the SENDCO
• Concerns raised by parents
• Concern raised by school staff
• Concern raised by pupil
• Liaison with external agencies
• Health diagnosis

When pupils have been identified as having a special educational need or disability we work very closely with the people who already know them including parents, previous settings and specialists and use the information available to identify what possible barriers to learning and implement strategies.

If parents believe that their child has a special educational need, we will discuss this with them and assess their child accordingly. Often these assessments will be carried out by the academy but we sometimes request advice from more specialised services such as Educational Psychology, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy or North Star Advisory Team. We will always share the findings with parents and, in consultation, plan the next steps to best support their child.  

Sometimes teachers feel that a child has a special educational need; this may be because they are not making the same progress as other pupils. We believe that early identification and intervention is best to help children achieve success. We will observe the child’s learning characteristics and how they cope within our learning environment, we will assess their understanding of what they are learning in school and if appropriate use on going assessments to help us to pinpoint the difficulty using a graduated approach in line with the code of practice (2014). This will help us to identify the child’s needs and plan strategies to support their learning.

If school has become concerned about a child, parents will be contacted by the child’s class teacher or the academies Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENDCo), Samantha-Jane Papadopoulos and Ellen Maddison and their thoughts and opinions will be sought. We will then work together to create individual learning targets to best suit the child and review this regularly.

How will the academy know if my child needs SEN support?

All our class teachers are aware of SEN and are on the lookout for any pupils who are not making the expected level of progress in their work or socially.

If the teacher notices that a pupil is falling behind, they try to find out if the pupil has any gaps in their learning. If they can find a gap, they will give the pupil extra tuition to try to fill it. Pupils who do not have SEN usually make progress quickly once the gap in their learning has been filled.

If the pupil is still struggling to make the expected progress, the teacher will talk to the SENDCo, and will contact you to discuss the possibility that your child has SEN.

The SENCDo will observe the pupil in the classroom and in the playground to see what their strengths and difficulties are. They will have discussions with your child’s teacher/s, to see if there have been any issues with, or changes in, their progress, attainment or behaviour. They will also compare your child's progress and development with their peers and available national data.

The SENCDo will ask for your opinion and speak to your child to get their input as well. They may also, where appropriate, ask for the opinion of external experts such as a speech and language therapist, an educational psychologist, or a paediatrician.

Based on all of this information, the SENDCo will decide whether your child needs SEN support. You will be told the outcome of the decision in writing. 

If your child does need SEN support, their name will be added to the academies SEND register, and the SENDCo will work with you to create a SEN support plan for them.

How will we involve pupils and their parents/carers in identifying special educational needs and planning to meet them?

We are a child and family centred academy and believe that pupils and parents should be at the heart of all decision making about the child.   When we assess special educational needs, we discuss with parents if their child’s understanding and behaviour are the same at the academy and home; we take this into account and work with our parents so that we are helping their child in the same way and helping them make progress.  

Where appropriate, in line with our graduated response, we will write and review targets with pupils and parents/carers, a copy will always be available to all.   We hold regular meetings that allows the pupil, family, academy staff, family support worker if required and other appropriate outside agencies to be able to share information, celebrate success and plan next steps.     

We have an open door policy, which means that staff can be contacted to address concerns and celebrate successes daily. Appointments can be booked with teachers or the SENDCo when a more in depth discussion is required.  A member of the Senior Leadership Team are on the playground daily in the mornings and welcome you to raise celebrations or concerns about your child’s needs.   We hold regular parent support groups for families of children with Special Educational Needs as an informal way to share ideas support each other and develop relationships.  

How will the academy measure my child’s progress?

Since the reform to the SEND Code of Practice in 2014 there are now different and additional procedures which need to be carried out in order to identify and support pupils with SEND.

We follow the ‘graduated approach’ to meeting your child’s SEN needs

The graduated approach is a 4-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review. 

As a part of the planning stage of the graduated approach, we will set outcomes that we want to see your child achieve.

Whenever we run an intervention with your child, we will assess them before the intervention begins. This is known as a ‘baseline assessment’. We do this so we can see how much impact the intervention has on your child’s progress.

We will track your child’s progress towards the outcomes we set over time and improve our offer as we learn what your child responds to best.

This process will be continual. If the review shows a pupil has made progress, they may no longer need the additional provision made through SEN support. For others, the cycle will continue and the school's targets, strategies and provisions will be revisited and refined

How will I be involved in decisions made about my child’s education?

We will provide annual reports on your child's progress.

Your child’s class teacher will meet you a minimum of 3 times per year to:

  Set clear outcomes for your child’s progress

  Review progress towards those outcomes

  Discuss the support we will put in place to help your child make that progress

  Identify what we will do, what we will ask you to do, and what we will ask your child to do

The SENDCo may also attend these meetings to provide extra support. 

We know that you are the expert when it comes to your child’s needs and aspirations. So we want to make sure you have a full understanding of how we are trying to meet your child’s needs, so that you can provide insight into what you think would work best for your child.

We also want to hear from you as much as possible so that we can build a better picture of how the SEN support we are providing is impacting your child outside of the academy. 

If your child’s needs or aspirations change at any time, please let us know right away so we can keep our provision as relevant as possible.

After any discussion we will make a record of any outcomes, actions and support that have been agreed. This record will be shared with all relevant staff, and you will be given a copy. 

If you have concerns that arise between these meetings, please contact your child’s class teacher.

How will my child be involved in decisions made about their education?

The level of involvement will depend on your child’s age and level of competence. We recognise that no 2 children are the same, so we will decide on a case-by-case basis, with your input.

We may seek your child’s views by asking them to:

• Attend meetings to discuss their progress and outcomes
• Prepare a presentation, written statement, video, drawing, etc.
• Discuss their views with a member of staff who can act as a representative during the meeting

Who are the best people to talk to in this academy about a child’s difficulties with learning/Special Educational Needs or disability?

The Class Teacher is responsible for: 

·      Checking on the progress of a child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help they may need (this could be things like targeted work, additional support)

·      Writing Individual Learning Plans (ILP’s), and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.

·      Ensuring that all staff working with a particular child are helped to deliver the planned work/programme for the child, so they can achieve the best possible progress. This may involve the use of additional adults, outside specialist help and specially planned work and resources, as well as differentiated quality first teaching.

·      Ensuring that the academies SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

The SENDCo, (Samantha-Jane Papadopoulos and Ellen Maddison) is responsible for:

• Coordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) and developing the school’s SEND Policy and action plans to make sure all children get a consistent, high quality response to meeting their needs in the academy. This includes developing and monitoring the academies graduated response of support for our SEND pupils and supporting the assessment of progress and impact.
• Ensuring the changes under the SEND Code of Practice 2014 are implemented in line with the schools SEND Action Plan.

    - Ensuring that parents are:

    - involved in supporting their child’s learning

    - kept informed about the support their child is getting

    - involved in reviewing how they are doing

• Liaising with all outside specialist agencies who may be coming into the academy to help support a child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychologist etc…
• Updating the academies SEND register (a system for ensuring all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that there are excellent records of your child’s progress and needs. 
• Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the academy so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.
• To evaluate, in conjunction with all relevant stakeholders, the effectiveness of the academies SEND provision.
• Applying for additional support and funding where necessary for our most vulnerable children.
• Coordinating Learning Support Assistants and Teaching assistants to ensure the best support is given to the children on the SEND register and those with Education, Health and Care Plans.

The Headteacher (Mrs Claire Chandler)

Are responsible for:

• The day to day management of all aspects of the academy, this includes the support for children with SEND
• Giving responsibility to the SENCO and class teachers but is still responsible for ensuring that all children’s needs are met.
• Making sure that the Governing body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND.
• Supporting the academies SENCO in terms of budgeting the SEND provisions 

SEND Governor (Mr Simon Griffith) is responsible for:

• Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND.
• Challenging the schools SEND department to ensure ALL children are reaching their full potential. 
• Reviewing how we use other adults in school to support pupils with special educational needs or disabilities.

How do we use other adults in the academy to support pupils with special educational needs or disabilities?

Our team of Teaching Assistants and Learning Support Assistants are able to effectively support individuals or groups of children in the classroom and undertake small group or one-to-one support as appropriate to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities. The provision across the academy is planned for by our class teachers as part of our quality first teaching.   We have a specialist Speech and Language therapist who works closely with the academy, working with the children and providing strategies for staff.  

We have regular contact with external agencies to support staff and children in school including:

• Educational Psychologist
• NHS Speech and Language
• North Star Advisory Team
• Occupational Health
• Outreach
• Parent group / Coffee meetings
• School Nurse
• Early Years advisors
• Physiotherapy

How do we use specialist resources to support pupils with special educational needs or disabilities?

Our staff make individual resources for pupils with special educational needs that support their specific learning targets and reflects the learning undertaken by their peers. We have a range of technology to support different learning styles and help motivate and access learning. These include iPads, computers and microphones. We use intervention rooms, pictures, objects, symbol timetables and equipment such as countdown timers for pupils who may need it. We seek advice from external agencies as and when the need arises.

We have changing facilities for those children who require it and staff are compliant with the intimate care policy and procedures. 

We have a sensory room for children to use when they need time away from their learning space.

How will the academy adapt and modify its teaching for individual pupils?

Your child’s teacher is responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class.

High-quality teaching is our first step in responding to your child’s needs. We will make sure that your child has access to a broad and balanced curriculum in every year they are at our academy.

We will differentiate (or adapt) how we teach to suit the way the pupil works best. There is no '1 size fits all’ approach to adapting the curriculum, we work on a case-by case basis to make sure the adaptations we make are meaningful to your child.

Our creative curriculum celebrates the different learning styles of all pupils and supports inclusion and differentiation to address the needs of all of our pupils. We give children the opportunity to record their work in a range of different forms, which suits their needs and enables them to experience success. Our curriculum aims to bring learning to life and wherever possible enables the child to experience and be a part of their learning. We encourage educational visits for all and arrange for visitors to come and enable all children to access and benefit from this learning. We are striving to be an inclusive academy. Wherever possible children are taught alongside their peers in clear differentiated groups so that every child has a level of challenge appropriate for them and also experiences success.

Teachers adapt their teaching and the learning environment constantly in order to cater for their pupil’s academic and physical needs. When appropriate, staff are deployed to give children additional support for their academic and/or physical need in small groups outside the classroom, or to provide one to one support. We use class and personal visual or object timelines to help children to understand what activity is coming next.  

Teachers assess children’s progress half-termly and discuss this at termly meetings with the Senior Leadership Team. This will help formulate next steps to support a child’s progress.

We may also provide the following interventions:

What other activities are available for pupils with SEND in addition to the curriculum?  

How will the academy make sure my child is included in activities alongside pupils who don’t have SEN?

Our children with SEND are given the same opportunities as their peers, with differentiation where required. We have a breakfast club and after school clubs which cover a range of interests which include; sports, creative activities, performing arts and music.

We strive to ensure that all of our trips and extra curriculum activities are fully inclusive and work with parents and external professional to do this where needed.  

All pupils are encouraged to go on our school trips, including our residential trips.

All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/parent workshops.

Risk assessments will be carried out for this events.

How does the academy make sure the admissions process is fair for pupils with SEN or a disability?

The admission arrangements for the school treat all children exactly the same. They are administered in accordance with the guidance set out in the Academy Admission Arrangements published by the Authority. A copy of the Admission Arrangements is available from Education Walsall.

 https://go.walsall.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/school-admissions

For more information read the Inclusion Policy and Admissions Policy. 

How does the academy support pupils with disabilities?

What is a disability?

A person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.

At Beacon Academy we treat all people as individuals, including pupils, prospective pupils, staff, school committee and other members of the academy community, and take reasonable steps and adjustments to avoid placing anyone at a substantial disadvantage. The academy works closely with disabled pupils, their families and any relevant outside agencies in order to remove or minimise any potential barriers to learning, which puts them at a disadvantage, but allows them to learn, achieve and participate fully in academy life.

The academy building, large playground and academy field is fully accessible for all pupils, including those with physical disabilities. The academy has a lift to the first floor for KS2 pupils.

For more information read the Accessibility Policy and Plan

How will the academy support my child’s mental health and emotional and social development?

We provide support for pupils to progress in their emotional and social development in the following ways:

• Pupils with SEN are encouraged to be part of the school council.
• Pupils with SEN are also encouraged to be part of Choir club to promote teamwork/building friendships.
• We provide extra pastoral support for listening to the views of pupils with SEN (Mrs Karen Meredith).
• We have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to bullying.

How do we support pupils in their transition into our academy and when they leave us?

Children who join in nursery are welcomed into our academy community with an open evening where they get to meet their new teacher and see their classroom.

Transition into Reception and then into successive year groups is supported by staff handover meetings, where information is passed on. The children meet their new teacher and taster sessions in the new class are conducted.   Children working across to become familiar with different classrooms and teachers. Children are given ‘transition booklets’ to take home with them to give them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new teachers and learning environments.   In addition to this, SEND children have further visits to ensure anxieties are reduced.

We will plan a child’s transition to us with information from parents and all professionals already involved to supporting a child.  This helps to enable a smooth and supportive start for a child. A child who enrols mid-year is offered a transition programme that is suitable for them and parents.  

As a child makes the transition to Secondary school, again we will contact and discuss the child’s needs with our Secondary school colleagues, invite them to observe the child in our setting and through dialogue with parents and the child set up appropriate transition visits to support a smooth transition.  

How does additional funding work?

The academy receive funding for all pupils with special educational needs and we are able to provide what pupils need from this (including equipment). The local authority will top-up funding for pupils with a high level of need.

If a pupil’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) 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. 

Children who qualify for ‘Pupil Premium’ are tracked and monitored allowing specific, appropriate interventions to be put in place.  This information can be found as part of our school’s Pupil Premium statement on our school website.  

Where can pupils get extra support?

Pupils’ voice is important here at Beacon and we listen to what children tell us about how they like to learn.  Their views and feelings are important to us and have an impact on our practice.  

Our children are made aware of the support that surrounds them in the academy.  They know who to talk to and have access to a member of the senior leadership team at all times.   The academy welcomes parents to share any concerns that they may have, however big or small.  

Family Support Officer- Pastoral Support

At Beacon, we have a full time learning mentor – Mrs Emily McLoughlin.

Mrs McLoughlin provides support and guidance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties in learning due to social, emotional or behavioural needs or other issues. She helps pupils overcome behavioural, social or emotional needs that are affecting their learning and works closely with the class teachers to put strategies in place within the classroom and at home.

Pastoral support is available every morning along with members of Senior Management Team and Teaching Assistants to hear any concerns.

Children that are ‘Looked After’ (LAC) receive personalised support from the pastoral lead and external agencies to ensure that they are accessing a high quality education, feel safe, and secure in school and at home.

What support is in place for looked-after and previously looked-after children with SEN?

Mrs Julie Roberts (Deputy Head) is the designated teacher for looked-after children and previously looked-after children here. Mrs Roberts works closely with the SENDCOs (Mrs Papadopoulos and Mrs Maddison) to make sure that all teachers understand how a looked-after or previously looked-after pupil’s circumstances and their SEN might interact, and what the implications are for teaching and learning.

Children who are looked-after or previously looked-after will be supported much in the same way as any other child who has SEN. However, looked-after pupils will also have a personal education plan (PEP). We will make sure that the PEP and any SEN support plans or EHCP plans are consistent and complement one another. 

Safeguarding

At Beacon, we have a senior leadership team (DSL’s who work closely with the family support worker to ensure all children are safeguarded including Looked after children and children with Special Educational needs).

The following member of staff are Level 2 Safeguarding trained:

• Mrs Claire Chandler – Head teacher
• Mrs Julie Roberts – Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Mrs Samantha-Jane Papadopoulos - Deputy Head of School/SENCO/DDSL
• Mrs Maddison – Assistant Head/DDSL
• Mrs Green – Assistant Head/DDSL
• Mrs Julia Johndrow – Assistant Head/DDSL

What should I do if I have a complaint about my child’s SEN support?

What are the arrangements for handling complaints?

Complaints about SEN provision in our academy should be made to the class teacher in the first instance. They will then be referred to the academy complaints policy. If needed they can then contact the SENDCO, a member of the Senior Leadership team or the Head of Academy. If the concern is not resolved informally, parents may lodge a formal complaint. The procedure for lodging a formal complaint is contained within the complaints policy.

If you are not satisfied with the academies response, you can escalate the complaint. In some circumstances, this right also applies to the pupil themselves.

To see a full explanation of suitable avenues for complaint, see pages 246 and 247 of the SEND Code of Practice. 

If you feel that our academy has discriminated against your child because of their SEN, you have the right to make a discrimination claim to the first-tier SEND tribunal. To find out how to make such a claim, you should visit: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school/disability-discrimination

You can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:

• Admission
• Exclusion
• Provision of education and associated services
• Making reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services

Before going to a SEND tribunal, you can go through processes called disagreement resolution or mediation, where you try to resolve your disagreement before it reaches the tribunal.

Where can parents/carers can get extra support?

Our inclusive philosophy aims to support parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities so that their child’s journey through our school is smooth, successful and anxiety free.  Our practice is enhanced by parent’s views, it is important that people listen to them and that you are satisfied with what happens as a result of our collaboration. Our SENDCo (01922 710874) can put parents in touch with a wide range of support groups as appropriate to the specific needs of your child.  Please come into the academy and discuss your needs. For more information on Walsall’s Local offer, please follow this link: 

https://go.walsall.gov.uk/children-and-young-people/send-local-offer

What is the role of the governing body?

Our governing body actively seek the advice from other agencies, including health and social services, local authority support services and voluntary organisations, in meeting the needs of the pupils with SEND and in supporting the families of these pupils when necessary.   The school committee meet regularly to discuss the needs of ALL pupils at Beacon.

Our SEND governor, Mr Simon Griffith, meets during the academic year with the academies SEND team to discuss the academy provision and progress, this includes talking to pupils and parents.