Roundhay St John's Church Of England Primary School

Special Needs at Roundhay St John's

Roundhay St John’s Church of England Primary School is an inclusive school where everyone strives to meet the individual needs of all children. We aim to identify any barriers to learning that may exist and provide any support required in order for all children to achieve to their full potential, regardless of ability, race, culture, gender or social background.

The information below explains the way in which we support children with special educational needs and disabilities in our inclusive school.

What do I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

If you are worried about any aspect of your child’s development, you should contact the class teacher in the first instance to discuss your concerns. Following these discussions, if it is felt that a child would benefit from additional and different support or provision, the teacher may discuss it with the school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO), before deciding on the best course of action for the child. 

If your child is new to the school or you would like to speak to the SENDCO, please contact the school office (0113 2658451) or email sendco@rsjps.com to make an appointment to see Mrs Richards, to discuss your child’s needs. 

At Roundhay St John’s we identify children’s needs through:

• regular analysis of attainment and progress data gathered as part of day-to-day classroom practices; 
• assessments and observations; 
• discussions within pupil progress meetings; 
• information from support staff working with children;
• information provided by other professionals working with individuals;
• Information shared by the parents / carers.

How will school support my child or young person’s learning?

The class teacher is responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all pupils in their class. High quality teaching is our first step in responding to your child’s needs. We will make sure your child has a broad and balanced curriculum in every year that your child is with us at RSJ.

Adaptations may be needed to support your child to access the curriculum. These adaptations may include but are not limited to:

• Explicit instruction
• Over learning or pre-teaching of vocabulary / concepts
• Scaffolding or modelling
• Flexible grouping
• Use of technology such as a Chrome book
• Additional adult input / support when required
• Seating position within the classroom
• Brain breaks / movement breaks

For some children, additional support from other professionals such as a speech and language therapist may be required. Parents and carers will be kept informed about the support their child needs.

Where appropriate, class teachers will develop a specific plan for your child; this may be in the form of an ‘Individual Provision Map’ (IPM), a Pupil Passport or an ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ plan (APDR). The class teacher will ask for your input to support the writing of these documents and once finalised, they will be shared with you and your child.  The school leaders will monitor the effectiveness of the provision and the supporting documentation will be regularly reviewed (at least once per term) / updated by the class teacher with support from the SENDCO. 

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

We match the curriculum to children’s needs in a variety of ways:

• Work is differentiated to ensure the needs of all children are met:
• Your child may be taught in small groups with a teacher or a teaching assistant; 
• Work will be planned and monitored by the teacher; 
• Your child may need additional resources; 
• The curriculum will enable the targets on the personalised plan to be met;
• Additional intervention may be put in place.

How will I know how well my child is doing and how will you support me with their learning?

You will be invited to parent consultation evenings twice a year. You can also request additional meetings with the class teacher and/or SENDCO and other professionals. You will receive a written report once a year.  Whenever your child’s personalised plan is being reviewed, your views will be sought either through a written questionnaire or a face to face meeting. The revised plan will be explained to you, together with ideas as to how to support your child’s learning at home. If your child receives a high level of additional funding due to their special educational need or disability, a formal Annual Review will be held, at which reports from all professionals involved with your child will be shared and discussed. Both you and your child will have an opportunity to contribute to this process and you will be invited to attend the meeting. We operate an ‘open door’ policy and are always happy to advise parents as to how they can support their children at home and discuss any concerns.

What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

At Roundhay St John’s, we pride ourselves on having a supportive and caring ethos. All our staff ensure that the children have the highest levels of pastoral care possible. In addition, we have a Learning Mentor (Mrs Jones) who, depending on the specific needs of the child, can provide one to one mentoring support, small group nurture or social skills support. We also have, through our local cluster of schools, access to a large range of additional support services including a Family Support Worker and Counselling Services.  Where necessary, when several agencies are working with your child, we may, with your permission, initiate an Early Help Assessment.  The aim of this is to provide a co-ordinated team approach to meet the needs of your child in the most effective way.

Mrs Dhiman and Mrs Crooke, who work in the office, oversee the administration of medicines in school. They are fully trained First Aiders, along with a number of our staff team. If you have any concerns about your child’s medication needs please arrange to discuss them with the office team.

All members of staff are trained in child protection and safeguarding procedures. Mrs Briggs, our Headteacher, is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at Roundhay St John’s. Our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads (DDSL) are: Mrs Jones (Learning Mentor), Miss Castro (Discoveries Wrap Around Care Manager), Miss Hewitt (Assistant Head/Intervention Manager) and Mrs Richards (Assistant Head / SENDCO).

What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?

The SENDCO will access any additional support your child needs. This will vary but could include: Educational Psychologist; Speech and Language Therapist; Complex Needs Team; Visual Impairment Service; Hearing Impairment Service; Behaviour Support Workers; Family Support Worker and Counselling Services, SENIT (Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team).  We also work closely with Physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Social Workers and the School Nursing Services. The school works closely with the other local schools (The North East cluster and family of schools) and Roundhay Children’s Centre. The cluster has a parent support worker who can be accessed by the school as required. The school is part of the North East Leeds Primary Area Inclusion Partnership. This ensures that there is additional provision for pupils with high levels of complex needs. 

What staff training is in place to support children with SEND?

The staff regularly undertakes training on a range of SEND issues relevant to our school population and the children with whom they work.  Some of this training is provided in school; some is accessed on an individual basis through external training; other training is provided through the extended services cluster for all cluster schools to access as appropriate.

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

All children with SEND are encouraged and supported to access the full range of learning opportunities including those that take place outside the classroom and school trips. All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/special workshops. No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability. In consultation with parents, school ensures reasonable adjustments are made to enable access to after school clubs whenever possible.

How accessible is the school?

The school is accessible throughout for anyone with physical disabilities, having: wide doorways accessible to wheelchairs; ramps where necessary; and being on one level. There is an accessible  toilet and a designated parking area for disabled access. Appropriate adjustments will be made, wherever possible, to meet the specific needs of children.

How will the school prepare and support my child to join your school and how will you support them to move on to High School?

If we know your child has SEND before they start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, we will arrange to meet with you to discuss their needs and current provision. We will also, with your permission, speak to other professionals working with them and, where appropriate, visit them in their current setting. We can then make any necessary referrals to other professionals and arrange a bespoke transition package for them through discussion with you. 

When your child moves to High School, we contact the SENDCO who usually comes to school to meet the child and to discuss their needs and current provision with school staff. Depending on the specific needs of the child, and in discussion with you and your child, we can then plan a package of support which is additional to the support that all children moving up to High School receive. This may include additional visits or meeting specific members of staff to talk over concerns or worries.

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to the children’s needs?

Most of our SEND funding comes through a designated amount received through central capitation. The school spends the money it receives wisely to ensure everyone can succeed. Where necessary, additional teaching assistants are employed to support your child. This will usually be in a small group as most children do not need 1:1 support.  Some money is spent on additional resources eg sloping desk tops, laptops, as well as training to meet the specific needs of individual children.

The SENDCO, Headteacher, School Business Manager and class teachers discuss the most appropriate way to use the SEND funding to support our children.

How are parents involved in the school?

The Governing Body has parent governors who act as a link between the school and all parents. Parents are also kept informed about what is happening in school through regular newsletters. We have Parent Consultation Evenings and ‘Keep In Touch’ meetings throughout the year as well as information evenings when we explain specific aspects of teaching and learning. There is a very active ‘Friends of Roundhay St John’s’ (formerly the PTA) who arrange a variety of events throughout the year and are always keen to welcome new members. Some parents also volunteer in a variety of capacities within school. 

We are keen to engage with parents and carers to be actively involved in their child’s education. At Roundhay St John’s we have an ‘Open Door Policy’ and encourage parents and carers to meet with classteachers if they have any questions or concerns about their child’s learning.

Parents of children with SEND who wish to discuss their child’s needs and progress are encouraged to speak to Mrs Richards (SENDCO).

Who can I contact for further information?

If you are considering applying for a school place for your child, please contact the school office on 0113 2658451.

If you wish to discuss your child’s special educational needs or disabilities, please ring the office to arrange an appointment with our SENDCO, Mrs Richards or email: sendco@rsjps.com 

If you want more information about school policies, please visit our website:

www.roundhay-st-johns.leeds.sch.uk/ 

Access to wider information or support regarding SEND can be found by contacting LEEDS SEND Information Advice Support Service (SENDIASS) on 0113 3785020 or emailing sendiass@leeds.gov.uk 

If you want more information about the Leeds local authority offer, please visit the Local Offer website:  www.leedslocaloffer.org.uk/

What should I do if I am unhappy about something at school?

The first thing to do if you are unhappy with something at school, is to speak to your child’s classteacher and / or the school SENDCO, Mrs Richards. If this does not resolve your concern, you should speak to the Headteacher, Mrs Briggs.

If you cannot resolve the problem informally, ask for a copy of the school’s complaints procedure or look at it on the school website within the ‘Policies’ section.

Key Staff

Mrs Briggs: Head Teacher 

Mrs Richards: Assistant Head Teacher and SENDCO

Miss Hewitt: Assistant Head Teacher and Intervention Manager

Mrs Dhiman: School Business Manager

Mrs Jones:  Learning Mentor

Mrs Thompson: Chair of Governors 

Mrs Robertson: SEND Governor

Mrs Woodhead: Governor with Responsibility for Safeguarding

Further Information:

SEND POLICY 

SEND Information Report

RSJ SEND Offer