Eastway SEND Information

SEND Information Report 

 Please look at the questions below for more information about the provision at Eastway Primary School and how we can support your child. 

Who can I contact if I have concerns about my child and their special educational needs?

Your first contact if you have concerns about your child’s progress is the class teacher.  Teachers have training for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and as part of their professional development they continue to have training when it is required either by the SENDCo (Mrs Harrison) or outside professionals to support their knowledge.  You may feel you would like to talk to someone else. If this is the case, you can make an appointment with the SENDCo or Head Teacher via the school office.

Head Teacher

The head teacher is responsible for the day to day management of all aspects of the school, this includes the support for children with SEND.  They will delegate responsibility to the SENCo and class teachers as appropriate but ultimately is responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.

They must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND.

SEN Governor

The SEN Governor will ensure the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND. They will oversee the provision in place for all SEND children. You may request to speak to a member of the Governing Body at any time.  The SEN Governor at Eastway Primary School is Ms Karen Irvine.

Who is the Special needs coordinator (SENDCo) at Eastway Primary School?

Our SENDCo is Mrs Harrison who can be contacted via the school office on 0151-677-1235 or an appointment can be made for a mutually convenient time.

Mrs Harrison has completed the SENDCo award and holds a Diploma in Dyslexia and Literacy.  She has also attended many courses regarding different support for all children with SEN.

How does Eastway Primary School know if you child needs extra help?

At Eastway Primary we use a range of strategies to help us identify any child who may need extra support.

Cognition and Learning

Teachers record and monitor individual children using a computer data tracking system called Insight.  The assessment lead and head teacher oversee all children’s progress by monitoring the data.  This data then informs the regular pupil meetings held with the senior leadership team and pastoral team. 

A child may be identified as being off track or in need of some extra academic support if;

• Their progress is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline.
• The child’s previous rate of progress is not met.

If a child is identified as off track or in need of some extra support this is allocated in the most appropriate way and then the impact of this will be reviewed at the next meeting or before if necessary.

We will have an early discussion with the pupil and their parents when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
• We take into account the parents’ concerns
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are

How the decision is made about what type of and how much support my daughter or son will receive?

• Individual pupil progress is tracked half termly and meetings/discussion are held from which we and identify children who are causing concern.
• Assessments such as the WRIT,WRAT, PM Benchmarking, TOWRE and Salford reading test or Sandwell Maths and Thrive are also used to inform decisions about the type and level of support required by individual children
• Assessments and recommendations by outside agencies are also considered when allocating resources and support
• Interventions are either small focus groups within class, targeted groups outside class, or 1:1 support as required.
• Interventions/support programmes are then implemented and monitored to ensure that the child makes accelerated progress.
• If further concerns are identified due to a pupil’s lack of progress or failure to thrive other interventions will be planned and implemented and then reviewed.
• Pupil’s targets will be shared with parents/carers during parent teacher meetings and the mid and end of year reports.

What are the different type of support available with SEND at Eastway Primary School?

Support for all children

Eastway Primary School is an inclusive school.  We strive to ensure that each child flourishes socially, emotionally and academically.   We offer a range of opportunities and provision and adaptive teaching for all children with SEND. 

Class teachers will plan each child’s education programme.  It is adapted accordingly to meet the individual needs of pupils.  Teachers have high expectations for all children in their class and will utilise teaching strategies so that everyone is fully involved in class.  For example, at times practical approaches may be appropriate or collaborative approaches to learning where children work in pairs/groups.

Specific small group work

Small group work targets any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning or social and emotional development.  A trained teacher/teaching assistant will run these groups on a regular basis and the impact assessed and monitored.

Individual work

Your child may have been identified by the class teacher/SENDCo as needing some extra specialist support, for example it may be deemed appropriate to seek external advice from outside professional e.g. a speech therapist or Educational Psychologist.  You will be consulted and if you deem it appropriate, you will be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child.

This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and therefore, be better able to support them. The outside professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:

Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better.

Support to set targets which will include their specific expertise

Interventions we offer

At Eastway we are a Thrive school, which is a systematic approach to early identification of emotional developmental needs in young people so that adapted provision can be put in place quickly by adults working most closely with the child.

At Eastway social and emotional development is an integral part of everything we do, ensuring we meet the needs of all children.  We have a pastoral team who encourage pupils to share their views as we feel they are important in informing what can be improved and how best to support them.  

Below is a list of some of the more targeted interventions that we provide for our children (this list is not exhaustive): 

• Drawing and Talking therapy
• Seasons of Growth
• Butterflies
• ELSA
• Next Step (CAMHS)
• Wellcomm
• Speech and Language programmes – these will be provided by the speech and language therapist.  A referral will made if needed with the consent of the parent/carers.
• IDL Maths and English
• Toe by Toe
• Precision Teaching 
• Attention Autism Bucket Time
• NELI Programme
• AcceleRead/ AccelaWrite
• Lego Therapy
• Sensory Circuits
• Time to Talk
• Numbers Count
• One to One Tuition
• Girls’ Maths Group
• Project X Reading Intervention
• Fast Track Tutoring for Phonics
• Fresh Start Programme for KS2 Phonics 
• Focused intervention that specifically targets gaps in children’s learning

Interventions and provision are evaluated and monitored regularly by the SENCo to ensure they are effective.

How will I know if my child is doing well?

Parents are actively encouraged to be partners in their child’s education through; informal and formal discussions, telephone contact, home school diaries, and half yearly and end of year written reports.

• Parent’s meetings are held where you can discuss your child’s progress
• You can speak to your child’s class teacher at the end of the day or make an appointment for a longer more private meeting
• Parents will discuss with class teachers and receive a learning plan (LP which will outline the strategies to support, the outcome of the provision and the progress of their child. 

If at any point you have concerns about the progress of your child, meetings can be held with the class teacher (outside of school hours) or SENCo by contacting the school office on 0151-677-1235

What Expert and Specialist Support Services are Available to the School from outside Agencies?

In order to meet the individual needs of a child the school will work with and seek advice from a range of colleagues from outside agencies to support the child’s academic and social progress:

• School Nurse/Health Visitor
• Early Years SEND Team
• Sensory Support Teams
• Medical Physical Needs Team
• Speech and Language Therapists (NHS/Liverpool speech therapist)
• Autism and Social Communication Team (ASC Team)
• Community Paediatricians
• CAMHS
• Physiotherapy Team
• Children’s Physiotherapy  & Occupational Therapy
• Community Matters
• Early Childhood Service
• Family Matters
• Safer Families
• ADHD Foundation (SLA)
• Gilbrook Social and Emotional Outreach Support
• Elleray Park School Outreach Support
• SENAAT- Special Educational Needs Assessment and Advisory Team (SLA)
• Foundation Years Trust (SLA)
• Wirral Inclusion Team
• Wirral Early Years SEND Team
• Educational Psychologist- school’s Private EP SLA and the LA statutory team
• Play Therapist
• PCSOS

Which will also include support in advising of and accessing equipment and facilities to support children with SEND.

An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school by the Local Authority for a limited number of sessions each year. They would usually only work directly with pupils who have considerable needs and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place. 

We are supported by Wirral LA MEAS Team (Minority Ethnic Advisory Service) when we need specific support with families and children.

What specialist provision is provided by Eastway Primary School?

Pupils are placed in these specialist resource bases by the local education authority and have an Education Health Care Plan.

Eastway Primary School has three specialist bases for pupils identified with social communication needs.  The bases run across 3 key stages. We provide teaching and learning which enables all children to gain access to a broad, balanced and appropriately adapted curriculum with some inclusion in mainstream when appropriate. We recognise and record student’s strengths and successes to encourage a positive self-image. Eastway Primary School ensures that all children become independent learners we empower children to become lifelong learners.

How will the school prepare and support children to join Eastway Primary School or Transfer to a new school?

Successful transitions are important in meeting a child’s SEND needs so strategies are put in place to support a child these Include:

• Discussions between the previous or receiving schools before the child joins/leave
• A member of staff always meets parents/carers prior to their child joining the school
• Mrs Harrison is happy to meet parents/carers before/as their child joins Eastway
• All new pupils attend a transition visit where they see their new classroom and meet their new teacher
• Within school all change mornings are held each year to enable children to meet their next teacher
• Additional visits are also arranged for children who may need extra time in their new school
• Social stories are used for pupils who may need them
• Secondary school visit children prior to them joining their school
• We liaise with SENCOs and pastoral care teams from secondary schools to share relevant information with them
• Where a child has more specialised need a separate meeting may be arranged with colleagues, parents/carers and child if appropriate

Pupils with additional Health or Medical Needs

• When a pupil has an identified medical need an Individual Healthcare Plan is written with parents/carers, SENCO and Mrs Dennett and the School Nurse, and other medical professionals as appropriate. All staff who work with the child are made aware of this Healthcare plan.
• Staff receive epipen training
• Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school when parents have completed and signed the medication consent form to ensure the safety of both child and staff
• We have 6 staff trained in Administering Medicines in School
• Medication is kept in the school office and any medication given is witnessed and recorded
• All staff have basic emergency First Aid training, including defibrillator training and 5 members of staff have a full Paediatric First aid Certificate, two members of staff have the full First Aid at Work certificates.

How accessible is the school environment?

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Eastway School is built on one level which enhances accessibility within the school the school environment. We also have:

• 2 toilets adapted for disabled users

• 4 changing facilities

• Ramps into the main entrance and all fire exits make the building accessible to all

• Ramps between our outside and indoor learning environments for Foundation Stage children

• Wide doors in most areas of school

For further information see our school Accessibility Plan.

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

We are an inclusive school so activities and school trips are available to all;

• Risk assessments are carried out and adaptations are put in place to ensure that all children can participate safely
• Where a child may need a high level of supervision the parent/carer may be asked to accompany their child

All staff receive on-going training in relation to SEND and meeting pupils’ needs within school:

• The SENCO has national accreditation in this role and provides advice and guidance to staff.

One of our teaching team is completing the National Award for SEN and another was completed last year. We have five staff in total with NASENCo. 

Our SEN Resource Base staff join Wirral Specialist Provision for access to specialised training during INSET Days and staff meetings

School staff receive bespoke support through Gilbrook SEMH School and Elleray Park Outreach

As a Wirral Pilot School all staff received University of Chester Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health training. 

All staff have mental health training. We have two staff with Mental Health First Aid certificates and a further two with Mental Health First Aid for Adults and Young People to support all in our school community. 

Our Partnership with ADHD Foundation provides regular training and updates as well as staff workshops with their experienced therapists

• There are regular SEN training sessions for both TAs and Teachers during the year.
• Mrs Dennett (HSC) is a licenced Thrive practitioner and qualified in Drawing and Talking Therapy.
• Mrs Dennett has an additional Level 6 counselling qualification.
• We have an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
• Our Headteacher has a Post Graduate Certificate in Attachment, Trauma and Mental Health. 

What are the arrangements for parents of children with SEN who may wish to complain about the provision?

Parents who wish to complain are strongly encouraged to initially speak to the SENCO, then if they are still not satisfied they should speak to the Head Teacher regarding their complaint. If the issue can’t be resolved at this level or the complaint is regarding the Head Teacher the parent would be directed to the schools complaints procedure.

Where is the Local Authorities Local Offer published?

http://localofferwirral.org/

How do we support Families at Eastway?

At Eastway Primary School we take the care of our children very seriously. In order to care for them we also try to support family members. In order to do this we have a designated Home/School Co-ordinator, Mrs Dennett.

We offer a range of support programmes and training for parents to help them support the emotional wellbeing of their child or children.

At times we offer parents support through Training Courses such as Family Works, How to Raise a Confident Child and Healthy Eating on a Budget.

We also offer Maths and English Level 2 Course are offered.

We run The Hub, Drop-in for parents on Wednesday mornings throughout the year.

The ADHD Foundation also work with parents in school to help them to support and manage children displaying challenging behaviour or neurodevelopmental conditions.

We work with Foundation Years Trust to provide parenting support for our Early Years Pupils

Local Offer Wirral - Providing information for children and young people (0-25 years) with special educational needs and disabilities.