Special Educational Needs/Disability – Our School Offer

(Complies with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014)

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Who are the best people to talk to at Quintin Kynaston?

  • Talk to your child’s community tutor about your concerns.
  • Your child’s Head of Community
  • It is likely that the class teacher will have discussed your concerns with Todd Greenwell, the school SENCo. You may wish to arrange a meeting with the SENCo.
  • If you continue to have concerns, arrange to discuss these with Celeste Fay, Deputy Head

How will the school let me know if they have any concerns?

  • Your child’s subject teacher or tutor may initially speak to you at the beginning or the end of a normal school day and arrange a further time to discuss the concerns.
  • The teacher or tutor may also talk to you about any issues at a parents evening or Progress review.
  • The SENCo may contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss your child’s difficulties with learning and any possible support strategies the school might be considering.

How will the school consider my views and those of my child?

  • At Quintin Kynaston, we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in all areas of their child’s learning and we actively encourage discussions. We believe, where appropriate, that it is essential to understand your child’s views or any difficulties they may experience with their learning.
  • Please contact the school at any time to express your views.
  • In addition, you will be able to share your views and discuss your child’s progress at regular meetings with tutor teacher and support staff during scheduled progress review meetings scheduled by the school.
  • If your child has an identified special educational need you will be invited to a termly meeting with the Senior Support Learning Advisor and / or the  SENCo to discuss current progress, support strategies being used and expected outcomes.
  • If your child has a Statement of special educational need or an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) you and your child will be able to share your views at least once each year during the Annual Review or at any other time you chose.

 

How does Quintin Kynaston ensure the teaching staff are appropriately trained to support my child?

  • At Quintin Kynaston we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high quality teaching delivered by her/his class teacher.
  • We regularly review the school training schedule and professional development for all teaching and support staff to ensure there is the appropriate expertise to support children with special educational needs.
  • The school is able to access training programmes from different organisations including the Triborough Training and Outreach team.
  • Individual training can also be arranged when necessary to provide teachers with the appropriate strategies and support for your child’s learning difficulties.

 

How will the curriculum and the school environment be matched to my child’s needs?

  • It may be appropriate to adopt different strategies or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning needs.
  • If your child has a Statement of Education Health Care plan, the SENCo or staff from the SEN department may work with your child’s teachers to help plan lessons and to make resource and / or work in lesson directly with your child.
  • Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning.
  • Quintin Kynaston regularly reviews its Accessibility Plan to ensure that all children have the fullest access to the curriculum and the school site as possible.

 

What types of support may be suitable and available for my child?

  • This really depends upon the nature of your child’s needs and difficulties with learning. But our education provisions will match the needs of the four broad areas of need as defined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014;
  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and Learning
  • Social, emotional and mental health
  • Sensory and/or physical needs

 

At Quintin Kynaston we have a 3-tiered approach to supporting a child’s learning.

  • Universal – this is the Quality First Teaching your child will receive from her/his class teacher and may include some very minor adaptations, in order to match their learning needs.
  • Targeted – it may be appropriate to consider making additional short term special educational provision to remove or reduce any obstacles to your child’s learning.  This takes the form of a graduated four part approach of a) assessing your child’s needs, b) planning the most effective and appropriate intervention, c) providing this intervention and d) reviewing the impact on your child’s progress towards individual learning outcomes.
  • Specific – targeted one to one or small group interventions may be run outside the classroom. These will be limited to a number a weeks to minimise disruption to the regular curriculum. You will be kept informed of your child’s progress towards learning outcomes.
  • Specialist –  it may be necessary to seek specialist advice and regular long-term support from a specialist professional outside the school in order to plan for the best possible learning outcomes for your child. This may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory advisory teachers and the child development service. The school may need to prioritise referrals to these services. However, for a very small number of pupils access to these specialists may be through a Statement of SEN or an EHC Plan.

 

How will you support my child to reach his/her learning outcomes?

  • The class teacher and other staff working with your child ensure that your child receives appropriate teaching and support in order to reach these targets. The learning plan, strategies and progress will be reviewed termly.
  • External agencies and specialists may also review your child’s progress and adapt their planning accordingly.

 

What is an Educational Health Care (EHC) Plan and who can request one for one for my child?

  • The purpose of an EHC Plan is to make special education provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/her gets older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will contain;
  • the views and aspirations of you and your child,
  • a full description of his/her special educational needs and any health and social care needs,
  • establish outcomes for your child’s progress,
  • specify the provision required and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes
  • You, your child (where appropriate and aged 16 and over) and / or the school, usually the SENCo or Headteacher, can request that the local authority conduct an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan.

 

How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

  • There may be suggested strategies or activities for you to do at home to support your child’s learning.  If this is the case, we will explain the strategies and offer you support.
  • We sometimes run parent/carer workshops in school to help you understand the strategies used in school. In addition, we may be able to offer you individual training in specific support strategies relevant to your child.
  • The SENCo may also support you with strategies, resources and ideas for supporting your child’s learning at home.
  • You may have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child.

 

How is support allocated to children and how do they move between the different levels of support in school?

  • Quintin Kynaston receives funding from the EFA. These funds include money to support the learning of children with SEN and/or disabilities.
  • The Headteacher, in consultation with the School Governing Body, decides the budget for SEN provision on the basis of the needs of the children in the school.
  • The Head teacher and the SENCo discuss the effectiveness of the school’s current interventions and provisions and prioritise an action plan, which may include additional or alternative interventions, staff training and equipment needs.
  • This process is reviewed regularly to ensure the best possible intervention is provided to those children who require additional support to learn.

 

How will the school know that the support has made a difference to my child’s learning and how can I and my child be included in this review process?

  • Your child’s progress will be assessed both in terms of his/her regular learning within the class and with regard to specific intervention programmes.
  • The impact of the support given is carefully measured to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved and if not, what adaptations are necessary. It may be decided that a further period of support would be beneficial for your child.
  • You and your child will be kept informed and encouraged to be actively involved at all stages of this support.

 

What support will there be for my child’s happiness and well being at Quintin Kynaston ?

  • At Quintin Kynaston we believe that the happiness and well being of all our pupils is paramount. All members of staff take this aspect of school life very seriously.
  • You can be confident that in particular your child’s class teacher, the teaching assistants and the SENCo are available to provide support to match your child’s needs.
  • You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher or SENCo if you have any concerns.
  • At Quintin Kynaston every students has a form tutor whom they see for 30 minutes daily.  The form tutor carefully monitors the well-being of their groups and reports daily to the Year team.

 

How is my child included in all the same activities as their peers?

  • Quintin Kynaston is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all children.
  • School clubs, educational visits and residential trips are available to all children.
  • When necessary the school will make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with SEND and/or disabilities are included in all activities.
  • You should also feel free to contact your child’s class teacher, Director of Learning or SENCo if you have any questions.

 

How will Quintin Kynaston support my child in transition stages?

  • We liaise closely with the school your child is transferring from. We meet with your child’s class teacher, read their school file, schedule a meeting with you and make a plan for their transition to Quintin Kynaston all while your child is still in Year 6.
  • While at Quintin Kynaston we take care to ensure that during transition between each year and Key Stages, all staff are aware of individual pupils needs, learning progress and best support strategies.
  • Quintin Kynaston makes arrangements to ensure there is a smooth transition when your child transfers to his/her secondary school of choice. Please contact us for further details.
  • If your child has an EHC Plan, we will participate and/or facilitate its review in sufficient time prior to him/her moving between key phases of education. You will be kept informed of these arrangements and asked to attend the reviews.
  • From Year 9 all EHC Plan reviews will have a focus on preparing for adulthood, including employment, independent living and participation in society.

 

Who can I contact if I have concern about the SEND provision made for my child?

  • Initially speak with Todd Greenwell our SENCo. Hopefully, he will be able to address your concerns.
  • If you still have unanswered question you can then contact the Deputy Headteacher, Celeste Fay