Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
As an inclusive school, we are proud of the support we offer to all pupils including those with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities.
Our school is part of the Schoolsworks Multi-Academy Trust and the West Worthing Locality of Schools who work collaboratively to ensure best practice and a common approach.
We ensure that all children are included fully in the life of our school, whatever their additional need may be.
The information below relates to our school. Further support for families and young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities is available via the West Sussex Local Offer website at westsussex.local-offer.org
Supporting all of our children to reach their potential is key. We work together with parents of children with Special Educational needs or disabilities, because we understand that you know your child best.
Mrs Helen Morris - SENCO: hmorris@hawthorns.school
How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child has special educational needs?
We are a mainstream school, committed to early identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and adopt a graduated response to meeting them in line with the SEND Code of Practice. The four main areas of need, as identified in the SEND Code of Practice, are:
- Communication & Interaction
- Cognition & Learning
- Sensory & Physical
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health
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 SENCO (Special Educational Needs 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 and Disabilities 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 SENCO.
How will the school support my child?
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 SENCO. A further level of provision may involve your child working individually with a member of staff to meet specific targets.
Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have their targets set out in an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). These detail support that is additional to, or different from, that provided as part of the school’s usual differentiated curriculum. All children on the SEND Register will also have a Pupil Passport detailing what is important to them, their hopes for the future, how we can help them and their school champions. This document will also detail any short-term targets that have been set and any interventions/additional support being given.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Hawthorns 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 and Disabilities, 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.
How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
In addition to parent meetings, you will be kept regularly informed of your child’s progress by agreeing and sharing your child’s targets with the class teacher. This will identify the next steps for your child to make progress and how the school and you can help them. Progress will be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that both you and your child can express your views and are fully involved in decisions. Regular contact may be communicated through Class Dojo, telephone calls or meetings.
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
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 our Teaching Assistants who support parents and children in addressing the needs of learners who require assistance in overcoming barriers to learning in order to achieve their full potential. Healthcare Plans and Pastoral Support Plans can be used to meet specific needs. These plans are created in collaboration with school, parents and the pupil, and they are monitored and reviewed at agreed intervals. Every child in the school has access to our Teaching Assistants.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
External support services play an important part in helping the school identify, assess and make provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
These include seeking advice and support from:
- the nominated Educational Psychologist for the school.
- the specialist advisory teaching services for children with sensory impairment or physical difficulties.
- the specialist advisory teachers from the Autism and Social Communication Team (ASCT) and the Learning and Behaviour Advisory Team (LBAT).
- services like the Occupational Therapy Service.
- the Speech and Language Therapy Service.
- the Community Mental Health Liaison Service (CMHLS) and local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for children with emotional and behavioural needs.
- the School Nurse.
- the Community Paediatrician at the Child Development Centre (CDC).
- the Integrated Front Door (IFD) which includes services such as Enabling Families, Early Help, Children and Family Services and Social Care.
- the Designated School Team at Early Help.
- services like Pupil Entitlement and Fair Access.
Before the school makes a referral to a specialist service we will always gain your permission.
What training are the staff supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities having?
We undertake regular audits 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. Professionals are invited to deliver training to school staff at staff meetings as applicable.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
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.
How accessible is the setting?
Our school is fully accessible. We have 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.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school and transfer to the next stage of education or life?
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 and Disabilities 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. We offer additional transition visits for any child that may need support with their transition to our school.
We work closely with Nurseries/Pre Schools to ensure the transition for pupils with SEND goes as smoothly as possible. This includes transition meetings, additional visits for pupils and parents and the opportunity for pupils to meet key members of staff.
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.
We work closely with all relevant secondary schools to ensure the best outcomes for our children with SEND during the transition process. This will include transition meetings, additional visits for pupils and meeting key members of staff from their new school.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s individual Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
The school receives money on an annual basis to support provision for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The money is allocated annually when setting the school’s budget. It is used to pay for staffing and resources which support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities throughout the school.
How is the decision made about the support my child will receive?
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 SENCO 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.
What arrangements are in place to support the admission of disabled pupils?
Admissions for all pupils are dealt with either through the routine admissions process, or in the case of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan, through the local authority's Special Educational Needs Assessment Team allocation process.
The policy of the school is to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged because of a disability. To achieve this, we ensure that the physical building is accessible, that teaching and other materials are adaptable to support pupils - and their families - with disabilities which might require adjustment, and that we work closely with other agencies to support pupils with specific needs, such as the local authority's sensory teams.
Further information about how the school meets its broader equalities objectives, and is support by the academy trust to do so, is available from the Equalities Objectives page.
What if I have a complaint?
Complaints are handled through the academy trust's policy, which can be found in the policies section of the website.
Who can I contact for further information?
The first point of contact will always be your child’s class teacher. The SENCO at this school is Mrs Helen Morris who is available if further assistance is necessary. Alternatively speak to Mrs Wendy Lawson (Headteacher).