We are committed to early identification of special educational needs and adopt a graduated response to meeting them in line with the SEN Code of Practice 2014. A range of evidence is collected through school assessment and monitoring arrangements. If this suggests that your child is not making the expected progress, the class teacher will consult with both you and the school Inclusion coordinator in order to decide whether additional or different provision is necessary. In addition to the usual assessment, there are specialist assessment tools which we use to explore the reasons for any difficulties. There is no need for pupils to be registered or identified as having special educational needs unless the school is taking additional or different action.

If you have a concern about your child’s progress or believe they have a special educational need, this should be first discussed with the class teacher. Additional assessment or support can then be discussed with the Inclusion Coordinator.

Our Governing Body ensure that as a school we make appropriate provision for all pupils identified as having special educational needs. The named Inclusion Coordinator for the school is Mrs Claire Greenway. A member of the Governing body, Mrs Sue Nelson, takes particular interest in special educational needs, although the Governing Body as a whole is responsible for making provision for pupils with special educational needs.

The school may support your child in a variety of ways depending on their individual needs. The first way is within the class, where learning tasks will be matched to your child’s needs and will be overseen by the class teacher. An additional provision may be through targeted small group work that takes place out of the classroom. Your child’s targets will be set by the class teacher in collaboration with the Inclusion Coordinator at half termly pupil progress meetings. A further level of provision may involve your child working individually with a member of staff to meet specific targets.

Initially, the class teacher will oversee your child’s with support from relevant learning support staff.

We also recognise that children who are looked after by the local authority will need additional support and we work with the West Sussex Virtual School to meet the needs of the children.  You can find more information in the Policy for Children Looked After at the bottom of this page.

Our school strives to provide an engaging and exciting curriculum for all children. Your child’s class teacher will plan for the variety of needs in the classroom by providing appropriate tasks and achievable outcomes to consolidate and extend children’s learning. For children with special educational needs, the teacher may provide different resources for children to use or there may be an adult to assist a small group of children to complete the task as independently as possible.

If your child is on the SEN register, in addition to the regular parent meetings, you will be involved in creating a ‘pupil passport’ in collaboration with your child and your child’s teacher. This document will celebrate your child’s strengths and indicate how we support your child in school with the areas they need additional help with. This document is updated termly.

If your child requires support from an outside agency we will follow the target/goal sheet they provide us with and we will review this with you at the time of the pupil passport being updated.

If your child has more complex special needs we will also generate, in collaboration with you and your child, a Learning Plan. This will bring together the targets from the different outside agencies and identify your child’s immediate next steps. This will also include how you can help your child at home.  Progress will be monitored and reviewed termly to ensure that both you and your child can express your views and are fully involved in decisions. Regular contact may be communicated through a home/school link book.

We aim to develop children’s emotional and social well-being in partnership with parents and carers. In some cases this may be provided by a specialist TA supporting learners in confidence and self-esteem building activities. Healthcare plans and pastoral support plans can be used to meet specific needs. These plans are created in collaboration with school, parents and pupil, and they are monitored and reviewed at agreed intervals.

External support services play an important part in helping the school identify, assess and make provision for children with special education needs.

These include:

• Annual visit & telephone consultations from the nominated Educational Psychologist for the school.
• Seeking advice from specialist advisory teaching services for children with sensory impairment or physical difficulties or from services like Occupational Therapy Service.
• Advice and support from the Speech and Language Therapist and contributions to the reviews of pupils with significant speech and language difficulties.
• Advice and support from the Primary Mental Health Worker and local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for children with emotional and behavioural needs.
• Advice and support from the school nurse and community paediatrician (Child Development Centre or CDC).
• Multi-agency meetings (known as the Early Help forum), with representatives from Children and Family Services, Social Care and Health. These are held to ensure effective collaboration in identifying and making provision for vulnerable pupils.
• Targeted support for families on a variety of issues through the Think Family service.
• Referral to the Pupil Entitlement Team.

Before the school make any referral to a specialist service we will always gain your permission.

We make an annual audit of training needs for all staff taking into account school priorities and personal professional development. Particular support is given to new members of staff and to training that addresses children’s specific needs. The SENCOs/ Inclusion coordinators of each school within the Angmering Locality meet together each term to share good practice and this is a strength of our group of schools. 

It is the school’s policy to enable every child to participate as fully as possible in all elements of the wider curriculum. We ensure that all children attend school trips and residential visits with support as appropriate. Where necessary, the school will meet with parents and carers to discuss individual needs prior to any visit or activity.

Our school has an accessibility policy which is reviewed regularly. As part of this review, we ensure that the school environment is accessible for all children, including those with physical and sensory needs or where English is not a first language. All classrooms have wheelchair access and each year group has an adapted toilet cubicle. There is also a disabled toilet adjacent to the school hall. For anyone requiring support where English is not a first language, we have access to the EMAT team.

When you apply for a place for your child at the school, we encourage you to share your concerns about your child’s special educational needs or pass on information about any specialist support or agencies already working with you. We will contact any previous educational establishments for relevant information. Any practical arrangements can then be discussed and put in place.

At the end of the school year or if your child moves to another setting, the relevant staff communicate to pass on information and ensure that transition arrangements are in place.

The school receives money on an annual basis to support provision for special educational needs. This is based on the number of pupils on roll who are on the ‘SEN register’ and this varies from year to year. The money is allocated annually by the Governing Body when setting the school’s budget. It is used to pay for staffing and resources which support children with special educational needs throughout the school.

Each term we share data with the Local Authority through the School Census informing them of the number of the children who are on the SEN register and the types of need we are supporting.

On top of this resource, there may be additional funding from the Government and West Sussex County Council to support individual children on specific programmes. This includes ‘Pupil Premium’ money and additional funds for children with a Statement of Special Educational Need.

Every child’s needs are carefully assessed and decisions are then made based on the ability of a child to access the curriculum and make progress. The school Inclusion Coordinator will work closely with you and all staff to discuss relevant interventions, adult support and advice from specialist services to make best use of available resources. We regularly assess the impact of any additional support and resources and report children’s progress to parents.

We try to work closely with parents, however, there are times when despite our best efforts, issues cannot be resolved and in this instance parents are directed to the Complaints Policy at the bottom of this page.

The first point of contact will always be your child’s class teacher. The Inclusion Coordinator at this school is Mrs Claire Greenway who is also available if further assistance is necessary. You can make contact with Mrs Greenway via the School Office, telephone number 01903 773177 or e-mail secretary@epinf.co.uk