Special Education Needs Local Offer

Together we learn, Together we achieve.

At Sir John Heron Primary School, we believe that all pupils should participate in school life fully.

Our aim is to develop learning communities where every child is recognised for their abilities and can take ownership of their learning in order to achieve to their full potential.

We are part of a wider local community and work closely with parents and carers. We use a family centred approach to identify and establish appropriate provision for all our pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We believe that quality education in the classroom is vital for all our pupils, with additional resources provided for pupils with special needs in order to support them in reaching their potential.

At Sir John Heron members of the SEND team work closely with Teaching Assistants to provide interventions and support to all the pupils they work with.

Main Contact:

Mr N. Kundu-SENDCO

020 8514 9860

Inclusion

At Sir John Heron we are committed to providing enjoyable, engaging, stimulating and targeted learning experiences, that will enable pupils to be successful regardless of their age, gender, disability, ethnicity or social group.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

At Sir John Heron Primary School we follow the SEND Code of Practice 2015. The teaching style of our school is one of striving to ensure that individual pupils have their educational needs met in the setting and style that best suits them. This may mean that pupils identified as having special educational needs are taught in their classrooms with differentiated and targeted work, in a focused intervention group with a trained member of staff, or in the SEND classroom with our SEND teacher.

Provision for children with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

Our school has a PMLD resource provision. We believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit the school. All pupils with a physical disability and learning difficulties are highly respected members of the school community and every decision we make about their education is carefully considered and based entirely on their individual needs.

Pupils within this PMLD provision access a multi-sensory curriculum following a highly personalised plan developed by the SEND teacher with input from external agencies such as the sensory team, Occupational and Speech and Language Therapists, educational psychologists and practitioners from the Complex Needs and Dyslexia Service (CNDS) and the Language, Communication and Interaction Service (LCIS).

As well as receiving part of their education alongside their peers, our PMLD pupils also benefit from our sensory room, soft-play room and the SEND classroom. The school also has two hygiene rooms and lifts to the upper floor and our roof terrace.

All children with PMLD have a full time support assistant. These assistants receive ongoing training throughout the year from the SENCO, the Occupational Therapist and the Speech and Language Therapist.

Provision for children with Language and Communication Difficulties

We are very lucky to have a NHS Speech and Language Therapist who works in the school for one day every week. She helps us to assess the language and communication needs of our pupils, and advises teachers on how best to support those pupils. This might mean inclusion in a focused Speech and Language Group, such as a Language Enrichment Group, or a personal programme for the pupil to follow, such as Colourful Semantics. In Nursery and Reception, a number of pupils also participate in a play based speech and language therapy group called Box Clever. The progress these pupils make within these groups is tracked and reviewed frequently.

School staff have also received training on how to support non-verbal pupils and pupils with Autism. Depending on the severity of needs of these pupils, we would either use Signalong, visuals or switches to facilitate pupils’ communication. Parents are kept informed about what communication system we are using at school so they can continue to use it home.

Some of our Autistic pupils with a severe level of need access our resource provision, others may spend some time in class and some time out of class working on personal targets, and others will spend all their time in class either at a workstation or alongside their peers. This depends solely on the individual needs of the child. Staff also receive advice and training from LCIS on how best to support pupils with Autism.

Provision for children with Cognition and Learning Difficulties

Many of our pupils with cognition and learning difficulties are class based for all of the school day, supported through quality teaching and scaffolded activities or through taking part in class based interventions such as Lexia. Assistant Headteachers in each key stage, along with the SENCO, also take targeted groups for Literacy and Maths.

If we have a concern about a child’s development in learning, the SENCO will observe the child and make a decision on how best to support them, which may include making an application to an outside agency, such as the CNDS, Child Development Service, Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist. He will also carry out an observation of children. The SENCO may also screen pupils for having traits of dyslexia. If a child is seen by an outside agency, we will endeavour to put their recommendations into place as soon as possible.

If the child’s cognition and learning difficulties are seriously impairing their ability to access the curriculum, the SENCO may apply for additional funding to support that child, and may apply for an Education and Healthcare plan.

Before any referrals are sent to any outside agency, we will always seek permission from parents/ carers first.

Provision for pupils with Physical Needs

Our school is totally wheelchair accessible. We have lifts to upper floors, wide corridors and doorways, hoists and slings and disabled toilets. The majority of our teaching assistants have also been hoist trained. We have moving and handling risk assessments in school for all pupils who need them, which are written by the SENCO and someone from the CNDS team. If a physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist has advised a programme for a pupil to work on within school hours, we will allocate staff and time for that programme to be carried out as recommended.

Provision for pupils with Social, Emotional, Behaviour and Mental Health (SEBMH) Difficulties

Pupils with SEBMH difficulties may be supported in small groups such as a social skills group, or LEGO therapy. If they need a more personalised approach, we may seek permission from parents to allow them to work either with our Learning Mentor or with our school counsellor. In this instance, pupils will be taken out during the day to have a 1:1 session, during which time they will be taught strategies for dealing with the area of SEBMH they are struggling with.

In some instances, the SENCO may decide it is appropriate to seek input from Behaviour Support Services or may refer the pupil to the Child and Adult Mental Health Service. We will always seek permission from parents before we refer a child to an outside agency.

For more information on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at Sir John Heron, please read the following information: