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St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Great Hadham Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2NL
01279 652576admin@stjosephs207.herts.sch.uk

SEND Information

School’s Information Report

St Joseph’s is an inclusive school which strives to meet the needs of all our pupils in order to enable them to make the best possible progress during their time at school. We recognise that every child is different, and, therefore the educational needs of every child is different, which is why we offer a wide range of provision to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Our school works in partnership with DSPL3 (Developing Special Provision Area 3). In partnership we access training and support from all the schools and settings in our area. We also share information and good practice with each other. Transition is a high priority for us all and we will ensure your child’s educational journey is as smooth as possible.

All children, regardless of their specific needs, are supported to make the best possible progress at St Joseph’s.

Hertfordshire Local Authority (LA) ensure LA schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible.

St Joseph’s strives to be fully inclusive and children from the four broad areas of need are catered for.

The broad areas of need being: Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.

You can find a copy of our SEND policy under the 'About Us' tab. 

If you have any queries, please contact Mrs R Rogers, our qualified SENCO, via the school office.

Reviewed November 2023.

1. How does the school know if a child needs extra help? 

The school has a graduated approach in responding to pupils needing extra support.  This is a four-part cycle which increases in detail and frequency to identify the best way of securing at least good progress for pupils in our school

  1. Assess Needs: Staff monitor and review the progress and development of all children and young people through:
    • high quality teaching, adapted for each child is the first step in meeting the needs of pupils who have or may have SEND
    • most children make at least good progress if they are taught in this way
  2. Plan: Where a child’s progress or development in school gives cause for concern, staff work in partnership with parents and carers to develop a plan to ensure that children with SEND or potential SEND, receive the support they need for their future learning and development
    • class and subject teachers, supported by the Senior Leadership Team regularly assess progress for all children or young people
    • where a child is falling behind r making inadequate progress (given their age and starting point) they are given extra support
  3. Do: This graduated response is led and coordinated by the SENCO.
    • she will work with and support colleagues
    • parents and carers are included at each stage f this cycle, so that they can say what they think and make suggestions about assessment and planning
    • parents and carers are made aware of intended outcomes; they are included in any review of progress in achieving these outcomes
  4. Review: The effectiveness of the support and the difference it has made to the child’s progress is reviewed after one month of beginning the four-part cycle.

2. what should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs? Who will be involved from the school? 

What if I think my child has may have Special Educational Needs?

Please speak with your class teacher who is the first point of contact. The class teacher will speak with you to organise a short meeting with you and the SENCO to share your concerns. 

 

 

What if the school thinks your child may have Special Educational Needs?

The class teacher will speak with you to organise a short meeting with you and the SENCO to share their concerns. 

During this meeting your child’s class teacher and SENCO will decide what the best course of action is and thus the graduated response will begin (please see next question below)

Following the graduated response, the class teacher and SENCO will hold a further meeting to explain their findings and next steps.

Timescale:

We anticipate that we will meet with you, undertake any assessments and provision for your child and hold a second meeting to review within 6 working weeks from raising your initial concern.

St Joseph’s is committed to working in partnership with parents and will listen to any concerns parents may wish to raise. 

 

The following are involved with pupils with Special Educational Needs at St Joseph’s:

  • Class Teacher – the first point of contact. They monitor the progress of each child and liaise with key staff about extra support (called interventions) or changes in approaches that may be needed. They plan extra support or try new approaches in their class when they are concerned about a child’s progress. The class teacher will ensure you are informed of any concerns they have about your child’s learning.  They will support you to be a part of your child’s learning and make sure that you are involved in reviewing how they are progressing.
  • Special Educational Needs & Disability Coordinator (SENCO) – Mrs Ruth Rogers

She is responsible for co-ordinating all the support for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).  She liaises with all the other people who may be coming into the school to help support your child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology etc.  She is responsible for updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known and that provision is robustly monitored) and ensuring that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept.  She also provides specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best progress possible.

Parents can contact her by telephoning the school or emailing senco@stjosephs207.herts.sch.uk

  • Head Teacher – Mr. Peter Coldwell. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the school, including the support for children with SEND. Along with the SENCO he makes sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about issues relating to SEND. The Head Teacher will give responsibility to the SENCO and Class Teachers, but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met. 
  • SEND Governor – Suzie Carpenter is part of the Governing Body of St Joseph’s.   Suzie meets regularly with the SENCO to keep updated about SEND at St Joseph’s.
  • Parents are welcome to approach the school in person, initially via our friendly office staff or Class Teachers. Alternatively you can make contact with us by email or telephone: 

Email: admin@stjosephs207.herts.sch.uk     Telephone: 01279 652576

 

 

3. How will staff support my child? 

Quality First Teaching.

  • All children at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School follow the National Curriculum.
  • Class Teachers are responsible for the learning of all children in their class and they ensure all children receive Quality First Teaching.
  • Teachers are skilled at adapting the curriculum to take account of the needs of individual pupils, for example by providing tasks at different levels that cater for the range of abilities within any one lesson.  This is called ‘adaptations’. 
  • Your child will be provided with work at the right level for them.
  • Sometimes your child will be supported by an adult in class individually or as part of a group, and sometimes they will be expected to work independently.  This is true for all children in the school.
  • Teachers are able to take into account different learning styles and use them to ensure they meet the needs of all the children in their class

Extra Support Sessions

  • Children may be identified as benefitting from extra support called ‘intervention programmes’. Progress within these programmes is carefully monitored.
  • The use of intervention programmes complements the Quality First Teaching that all children receive.
  • A range of intervention programmes in the areas of English, Maths, Speech and Language, Sensory and Physical and Social Emotional and Mental Health needs are available to support children in groups and one-to-one.
  • The intervention programmes are run by Class Teachers, Class Teaching Assistants and the SENCO.
  • The effectiveness of the intervention programmes is monitored by assessing their impact. Intervention programmes are continually under review.
  • The school identifies the needs of SEND pupils on an individual provision map. This identifies all support given within school and is reviewed regularly and changes made as needed, so that the needs of children are met, and resources are deployed as effectively as possible.
  • With your permission, the school may seek external support/advice for children continuing to experience significant difficulty – this may involve an application for an Education Health and Care Plan assessment.

Other Strategies used to support SEND

  • Children are involved in their own learning and are able to feed into the topic.
  • Children are able to choose at hand from a selection of equipment and resources to suit their learning style and needs.
  • Children in KS1 and KS2 are put into random, mixed ability talk partners to enhance speaking and listening.
  • Children are aware of their targets and next steps. They receive feedback on progress towards targets through discussions with teachers and diagnostic marking. Self-evaluation is also encouraged.
  • Working walls in classrooms support the learning of English and Maths.
  • All classrooms have interactive displays.
  • Computing is used to support learning, including specific software programmes.
  • Some children with more complex or severe SEND are allocated their own 1:1 Teaching Assistant (TA)
  • All classes have a visual timetable on display, where appropriate, which details the daily planned activities. Some pupils have their own visual timetable.
  • The school’s physical environment is accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities.
  • Reasonable adjustments are made to help pupils to learn. For example, some pupils may use special equipment such as pencils grips, sound amplification systems and sloped writing desks.
  • Year 6 pupils may be assessed to determine whether individuals may qualify for additional time in their SATs.
  • Some pupils for statutory tests (Year 2 and 6) access them in a smaller environment and support for reading tests or writing for pupils may be requested, as appropriate and to comply with test guidelines.
  • School adheres to current access arrangements for Key Stage 1 and 2 statutory tests.
  • Class Teachers will inform parents/carers whether their child qualifies for additional support or time to access tests.
  • Booster and revision groups are run throughout the school year.
  • Child-centred play, speech and language, fine/gross motor skills, verbal reasoning and Social & life skill groups run throughout the school.
  • Accessible toilets are available.

4. How and when will i be kept informed about how well my child is doing?  will i know if my child is not making progress? 

  • You will be kept informed by the Class Teacher if your child is not making progress.  At first this may be informally during the course of the school year, or during parents’ evening.  Or the teacher may prefer to arrange a meeting with you and the SENCO or Head Teacher. 
  • The school staff are available throughout the year to informally discuss progress with parents/carers as needed.  Simply talk to your child’s teacher at the beginning or end of the day to arrange a convenient time or arrange a telephone call. All parents are invited to parents’ evening twice yearly to discuss progress, attainment levels and expected outcomes with the Class Teacher and SENCO if appropriate.
  • Most children with SEND have a Support Plan.  A Support Plan focuses on the outcomes for the children by setting targets from any area of their learning or the curriculum, making the targets more child-centred. Focusing not only on improving areas of development but improving their strengths.   The Support Plan reflects the child’s hopes and aspirations, and how best we at school can support their learning. It is an excellent tool to raise their self-esteem, as well as being a handy point of reference for any other adult who might work within the classroom. The Class Teachers monitor these targets and the outcomes will be discussed at the Support Plan review meetings. The voices of the pupil, their friends, teacher and their parent/carer are all valued and necessary in order to make the Support Plan process successful.
  • Parents of children with SEND are invited to Support Plan review meetings once a term.
  • Some children with SEND may have an Education and Health Care (EHC) plan.
  • Children with EHC Plans have an annual review, where progress is discussed and targets set. Written reports are provided by outside agencies that are involved with the child and these are shared with the parents and the other professionals involved with the child.
  • An annual report to parents/carers of all children in the school is written by the class teacher which details the achievements, strengths and areas of development in the different curriculum areas.

5. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips? 

  • When school trips or outings are being planned, the needs of all children are carefully considered by the relevant teaching staff.
  • The class teacher is responsible for carrying out a statutory risk assessment of the intended site of the activity/trip and is therefore in a position to assess any health and safety risks that the trip may pose.
  • If your child has additional needs, the class teacher will discuss any concerns with you and work to overcome any potential barriers.

6. how accessible is the school environment? 

All Hertfordshire schools are required to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and will make reasonable adjustments to ensure the school environment is accessible to all pupils.

St Joseph’s has an ‘Equality and Accessibility Plan’, available from the school website, which is reviewed annually.The school building was built in January 2021 and is fully equipped to ensure access for disabled pupils or adults.

7. what support will there be for my child's overall wellbeing? 

  • Here at St Joseph’s we have a strong ethos of pastoral care.  All staff take the children’s wellbeing very seriously because we understand that children cannot learn and progress optimally if they have problems in other parts of their life.
  •  All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health end Emotional education) program called in their classes.
  • All children at St Joseph’s are expected to follow the school rules and values.  Each class also has their own class rules which the children create at the beginning of the academic year.
  • We regularly inform parents of achievements and positive behaviour shown by their children.
  • Breakfast and after-school clubs e.g. sports activities, art club.
  • Additional support for children who are struggling at playtime; Midday Supervisory Assistants are always made aware of children who may be having some personal difficulties.
  • Child-centred play, speech and language, verbal reasoning and Social & life skill groups run throughout the school.
  • Home/School liaison books are used by teachers when felt necessary.
  • Visual timetables/symbols help all children understand the school day.
  • Anti- Bullying Policy and procedures – focus on vulnerable groups.
  • E-safety and cyber bullying is addressed at an age appropriate level.
  • Transition preparation helps all children move from one year to the next, and we have extra support for new children to the school (e.g. new Reception children, buddies for children new in the middle of the year) and for Year 6 children going to secondary School.
  • The SENCO and Year 6 teacher will complete extra transition work for children with SEND moving to secondary school and likewise if a new child starts with SEND the SENCO will be communicating with the SENCO at the child’s previous setting.
  • Meet the teacher meetings take place early in the autumn term which give a chance for parents to find out about arrangements for such things as homework, the curriculum topics and reading expectations.

8. What specialist services and expertise are available to the school?  What training have staff supporting SEND received? 

St Joseph’s works with a number of services including:

  • Educational Psychology Service
  • Traveller Education Service
  • Behaviour Support Service
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Communication and Autism Team (for children with Autism and similar conditions)
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physiotherapy Service
  • School Nurse
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • Outreach support from Special Schools
  • Counselling Services
  • ASPECTS - Family Support Service
  • Advisory teachers
  • The SENCO liaises with Class Teachers, leadership team and parents to prioritise referrals to these services.  Referrals to services may also come about following pupil review meetings.  
  • Staff (usually the SENCO or Class Teacher) discusses the referral to a service with parents/carers.
  • Parent’s views will be sought and they may be invited or can request to meet with the service.
  • Reports and recommendations are shared with parents and expected outcomes and strategies to meet those outcomes are planned.

 

  • Staff receive relevant training regularly as part and have allocated staff meeting time. Recent training has included training on Hertfordshire Step ON, ASD, ADHD and trauma awareness.
  • Every teacher is trained in supporting children with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Speech and Language difficulties.
  • Teaching Assistants attend regular training from external partners as well as upskilling sessions with the SENCO.
  • Where children have more complex needs, the relevant staff are supported by advisory teachers or the school’s Educational Psychologist.
  • If appropriate, class teachers and the SENCO attend relevant courses regarding complex needs, as and when they are provided by the Local Authority.
  • If the needs of the child cannot be met by the school, the school may request outreach support from Specialist settings.

9. how will the school prepare and support my child, transfer to a new school or the next stage of their life? 

Early Years Transition

  • SENCO or Class Teacher attend transition meetings for pupils with SEND making the transition from pre-school to Nursery and/or Reception. Class teacher visits child in setting.
  • Parents are invited to a pre-admission meeting.

Moving on at Year 6

  • Key staff and often some Year 7 students from the secondary school visit St Joseph’s to speak to the Year 6 pupils transferring to their school.
  • All pupils in Year 6 are invited to a familiarisation day at their secondary school. Children are prepared for the visit and given information in advance as necessary.
  • Additional visits to the secondary school may be arranged for individuals or groups e.g. those with SEND.
  • Transition arrangements are planned at Year 6 Statement/Education, Health and Care Plan reviews. Secondary schools are invited to attend.
  • SENCO attends Year 6 to Year 7 SEN transfer meetings.
  • Use of social stories/transition books when appropriate.
  • Class teacher/ SENCO meets with key staff from new school.
  • One page profiles (Pupil passports) for identified pupils are written for pupils to share with secondary schools.
  • Information transferred in advance of move.

Moving Schools

If your child is moving to another school we will:

  • Contact the school SENCO and ensure he/he knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.
  • Make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
  • Make a transition book/social story for them if we feel it will help or prepare a one page profile for the new school.

Moving to St Joseph’s

If your child joins us from another school we will:

  • Contact the school SENCO to find out any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child.
  • Meet with parents to discuss any concerns and plan any support.

Moving Classes

  • A hand over meeting will take place between the present and the new teacher.
  • Transition visits to new classes are planned in the second half of the summer term. Identified pupils have a number of additional visits to the new class.
  • Social stories and transition books are made for children who would benefit.

Policies

The following policies are available for parents to see in school:

  • SEND policy
  • Anti-bullying policy
  • Behaviour policy
  • Accessibility plan
  • Intimate personal care

 

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

The school is allocated a SEND budget from the Local Authority, Hertfordshire County Council. The funding is based on the number of children with SEND. The Head Teacher and Governing Body decide how this money is spent to ensure that it supports children to achieve their true potential. Our SEND funding is spent on a specialist teacher who is the SENCo, specialist Teaching Assistants as well as Teaching Assistants in each class. Special resources are also purchased where necessary.  We also receive a Pupil Premium Grant for every child that is in receipt of Free School Meals or who has received Free School Meals in the last six years. These children receive support to ensure that they have the same opportunities and chance to succeed as children who are not in receipt of PPG. Some children with SEND will have extra funding allocated to them because their needs are more complex.  This funding comes from the Hertfordshire Local Authority and the school applies for it if it is felt necessary.

11. How can I find out about the local authority's local offer of Services and provision for children and young people with SEN? 

Hertfordshire Local Authority offers a range of services and events for children and young people, please go to:  https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/the-hertfordshire-local-offer.aspx

 

  1. Quality SEND Offer