All children are welcomed to Grove Park School they are valued and respected. We are aware that some children will require extra support whilst at school and we aim to provide this for them. In some cases this will only be for a short time but in other instances their needs will be ongoing.

We aim to provide you with a short overview of how our Special Educational needs department works.

All teachers are teachers of children with Special Educational Needs but are supported by a SENCo (Special educational needs co-ordinator) who oversees the provision in school. In our School Amanda Harling is the SENCo.   There is also a statutory duty to monitor SEN by the Governing Body.

The SENCO  and SEN Governors meet to discuss SEN within school, in its broadest sense; specific children are never discussed.

SENCo liaises with outside agencies who may offer further support for your child. Usually, if your child requires extra support and their provision is "additional or different to their peers", they will be added to Special Educational Needs Audit and their progress carefully monitored.

Admissions    

A disabled child has equal access to admission. Reasonable adjustments are made if the need arises. We would always seek to do our utmost to provide for a child with a disability.  Please contact the school for further information.

Special Educational needs Audit

The SEND register    is a list that is kept in school. It is for children who require additional support. We also keep a monitoring list for children who may have a diagnosis, but their needs can be met by mainstream core standards in school. Children who require further support in school and from outside agencies are identified as SEND Support and children whose needs are very complex may have an EHCP (Education, Health, Care Plan). Parents are informed if your child is placed or removed from the SEND audit.  

Teachers, teaching assistants and the SENCo  meet termly to discuss the progress of your child if they are on the register. Individual    targets are set and written on an individual education plan (IEP) in order to identify specific targets and work towards these.

OUTSIDE AGENCIES

A variety of people visit school to offer support and advice. Schools meet regularly    with outside agencies to discuss children who we have concerns about and commission services. Parental permission is always sought prior to these meetings. They include:

Specialist teachers and LIFT (Local inclusion forum team)  - these are teachers that have further qualifications in Special Educational needs and many have worked in special schools.

School nurse- they provide information to help us deal with children with medical difficulties such as diabetes or incontinence.

Educational Psychologist- these are psychologists, many of whom, also hold teaching degrees and usually help in assessing children’s strengths and weaknesses.

Speech and Language therapists- these provide support for children who are struggling with speech production and understanding and using grammar.

Physiotherapists/Occupational  therapist- these provide support for children with physical or sensory difficulties and offer guidance on exercises and activities we can run in school.

SUPPORT PROGRAMMES FOR YOUR CHILD

A variety of support programmes are carried out in school, the following list is not exhaustive but provides an idea of provision in school.

Literacy  Support

Literacy support   varies throughout school. Some children work in small groups    to focus on reading, writing or speaking and listening skills; or their area of difficulty may require precision teaching on a one-to-one basis to learn something they find very difficult. These sessions are usually delivered by a teaching assistant, but all planning for intervention groups is completed by your child’s class teacher.

Numeracy Support

Numeracy support    varies throughout school. In most instances, the support takes place in class, through additional adult support and  scaffolded learning.    Some children work in small groups on an area they are finding difficult, such as timetables, counting on 10 or place value. Sometimes precision teaching on a very specific area is required. These sessions are usually delivered by a teaching assistant in your child’s year group. All planning for intervention groups is completed by your child’s class teacher.

Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)

All children are screened on entry to school for both speech and language difficulties. Parents are informed of the outcome of this screening at the first Parents’ evening. Children with specific difficulties then work with Mrs Stickells    on the identified targets. These sessions are  followed up with the class teacher. The children are re-screened at the end of reception and the majority of children require no further support. This screening also identifies children who may benefit from a formal screening with the Speech and Language therapist.

Fine and Gross Motor Development 

Fine motor skills are essential for children to be able to write and sometimes children require a little extra help to develop their manual dexterity. These are a range of programmes used to help children develop both gross and fine motor skills. All year groups have resources specifically aimed to help gross and fine motor skills.

Counselling Services

Grove Park have access to a counselling service, Talk Time, children can self-refer for  in school  sessions. We currently have access to a play therapist who can offer session following a referral from the SENCO/FLO.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) 

Mrs Sequeria    is our TA  who supports children who have SEND in this area. She is able to run a variety of interventions and support children who are struggling in the area. It may be through emotional regulation techniques or anxiety based strategies. She is able to offer time for reflection and talking, linked to many issues including friendships, in a quiet setting .

Resources

There are a wide range of resources available for children with difficulties. These include: pencil grips, wedges, cushions, ear defenders, coloured overlays, IT equipment and programmes, fidget toys,. This list not exhaustive and when specific equipment is recommended children will usually have access to this.

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the school.