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PARENTS GUIDE TO PROVISION

How is Holy Cross accessible to children with SEND?

It is vitally important to us that all of our children have access to every activity within school.  In order to ensure this, we have key elements that allow this to happen.

  • The building is fairly new and has been designed so that it is all at ground level.  Physical disability ramps and pathways have been included in the building’s design so that it is accessible for all children, parents and carers.
  • We ensure that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs.
  • A medical cabinet is kept on site to store medication which children may require.
  • Mrs Higgins and other members of the Senior Leadership Team give children their medication if they need to take it during the school day.
  • A number of staff have been trained to test glucose levels and give insulin injections, to children who are diabetic in school.
  • Breakfast Club and after school provision is accessible to all children including those with SEND.
  • Extra curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND.
How will we support your child when they are leaving Holy Cross?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

  • If your child is moving child to another school:
    • We will contact the school SENCO and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.
    • We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
  • When moving classes in school:
    • Information will be passed on to the new class teacher IN ADVANCE and in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. All Person Centred Plans will be shared with the new teacher.
    • If your child would be helped by a book to support them understand moving on then it will be made for them.
  • In Year 6:
    • The SENDCO and Year 6 teacher will attend the Primary Transition Day to discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCO of their secondary school, and the specialist session for students with an ASD, as appropriate.
    • Your child will do focused learning about aspects of transition to support their understanding of the changes ahead.
    • Where possible your child will visit their new school on several occasions and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.
What support do we have for you as a parent of child with an SEND?
  • Class teachers are regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used.
  •  Mrs Brás (SENDCO and Deputy Headteacher) is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.  If you wish to make an appointment with them, please contact our office staff for further information.
  • All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
  • Person Centred Plans will be reviewed with your involvement each term, so you know exactly how your child is progressing and what their expected outcomes are.  This enables us to work in partnership together.
  • A home/school contact book may be used to support communication with you, when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.
How will we measure the progress of your child in school?

It is important that all our children achieve, aspire and progress at Holy Cross and measuring progress is how we record this information.

  • Your child’s progress is continually monitored by his/her class teacher.
  • His/her progress is reviewed formally every term and a National Curriculum level given in reading, writing, numeracy and science.
  • If your child is in Year 1 and above, but is not yet at National Curriculum levels, a more sensitive assessment tool is used which shows their attainment in more detail and will also show smaller but significant steps of progress. 
  • At the end of each key stage (i.e. at the end of year 2 and year 6) all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). This is something the government requires all schools to do and are the results that are published nationally.
  • Children at School Additional Support will have a Person Centred Plan (PCP) which will be devised with you, your child and the class teacher.   This is take place every term and a plan for the next term will be made.
  • The progress of children with a statement of SEND/ EHC Plan is formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education.
  • Our Deputy Headteacher (SENDCO) will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.
How are the teachers in school helped to work with children with an SEND and what training do they have?
  • Part of the SENDCO’s role is to support the class teacher in planning for children with SEND.
  • The school has a training plan for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children including those with SEND. This includes whole school training on SEND issues such as ASD and Speech and language difficulties.
  • Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class (e.g. from the ASD Outreach service, Diabetes Medical Training).
How will the teaching be adapted for my child with SEND?
  • Class Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.
  • Specially trained support staff can adapt the teachers planning to support the needs of your child where necessary.
  • Specific resources and strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.
  • Planning and teaching will be adapted on a daily basis if needed to meet your child’s learning needs
How can I let the school know I am concerned about my child’s progress in school?
  • If you have concerns about your child’s progress you should speak to your child’s class teacher initially.
  • If you are not happy that the concerns are being managed and that your child is still not making progress you should speak to the Assitant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher/SENDCO or Headteacher.
  • If you are still not happy you can speak to the school Special Educational Needs Governor, Marie Wallace.
How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child’s learning in school?

If your child is identified as not making progress the school will set up am meeting to discuss this with you in more detail and to:

  •  listen to any thoughts or concerns you may have
  •  plan any additional support your child may require
  •  discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning
How is extra support allocated to children within Holy Cross?
  • The school budget, includes money for supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
  • The Head Teacher decides on the budget for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors, on the basis of needs in the school.
  • The Head Teacher, Senior Leadership Team and the SENDCO discuss all relevant information they have about SEND in the school, including:
    • pupils getting extra support already
    • pupils needing extra support
    • pupils who are identified as not making as much progress as would be expected

This then results in deciding what resources/training and support is needed.

  • All resources/training and support are reviewed regularly and changes are made when necessary.
Who are the other people providing services to children with SEND in this school?

Directly funded by the school:

  • Deputy Headteacher/SENDCO
  • Teaching Assistants to support children with specific needs
  • Two Speech and Language Therapists
  • SENAAT – Special Educational Needs Advisory and Assessment Teacher
  • Engage and Change – supporting children’s mental health and well-being
  • My Happy Mind Programme – supporting children’s mental health and well-being
  • An Educational Psychologist to provide support for the child, parents/carers and staff.

Paid for centrally by the Local Authority but delivered in school:

  • Autism Outreach Service
  • Educational Psychology Service to complete Statutory assessments
  • Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
  • Mental Health Support Team (linked to CAMHS)

Provided and paid for by the Health Service (Wirral NHS Trust) but delivered in school:

  • School Nurse
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physiotherapy
What different types of support are available for my child at Holy Cross?

Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching.
For your child this would mean:

  • That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
  • That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
  • Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
  • Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the Deputy Headteacher/SENCO or outside staff) are in place to support your child to learn.
  • Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has gap in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

All children in school should be getting this as a part of excellent classroom practice when needed.

Specific group work with in a smaller group of children.
This group, often called Intervention groups by schools, may be

  • Led in the classroom or outside.
  • Led by a teacher or a Teaching Assistant who has had training to run these groups.

Stage of SEND Code of Practice: School Support
which means they have been identified by the class teacher as needing some extra support in school.

For your child this would mean:

  • He/She will engage in group sessions with specific targets to help him/her to make more progress.
  • A Teaching Assistant/teacher or outside professional (e.g Speech and Language Therapist) will run these small group sessions to provide personalised support.

This type of support is available for any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning.

Specialist groups run by outside agencies e.g Speech and Language therapy OR Occupational therapy groups
AND/OR Individual support for your child

Stage of SEND Code of Practice: School Additional Support
which means they have been identified by the class teacher/ Inclusion Manager as needing some extra specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

  •  Local Authority central services such as the ASD Outreach Team or Sensory Service ( for students with a hearing or visual need)
  • Outside agencies such as Catch 22 or the Youth Inclusion Program (YIP).

For your child this would mean:

  • Your child will have been identified by the class teacher/ SENDCO/Deputy Headteacher (or you will have raised your worries) as needing more specialist input instead of or in addition to quality first teaching and intervention groups.
  • You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
  • A Person Centred Plan (PCP) will be developed to set achievable targets for your child, which will include the thoughts and opinions of the child, yourself and teacher, in order to support your child’s learning.
  • You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them better in school.
  • The specialist 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 better targets which will include their specific expertise
    • A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g a social skills group
    • A group or individual work with outside professional
  • The school may suggest that your child needs some agree individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

Specified Individual support

 

This is usually provided via a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by the class teacher/ SENDCO/Deputy Headteacher as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching (more than 20 hours a week), which cannot be provided from the budget available to the school.

Usually your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

  • Local Authority central services such as the ASD Outreach Team or Sensory Service ( for students with a hearing or visual need)
  • Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language therapy (SALT) Service.

For your child this would mean:

  • The school (or you) can request that the Local Authority carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.
  • After the school have sent in the request to the Local Authority (with a lot of information about your child, including some from you), they will decide whether they think your child’s needs (as described in the paperwork provided), seem complex enough to need a statutory assessment. If this is the case they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If they do not think your child needs this, they will ask the school to continue with the support at School Additional Support.
  • After the reports have all been sent in the Local Authority will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong and that they need more than 20 hours of support in school to make good progress. If this is the case they will write a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an EHC Plan. If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the support at School Additional Support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.
  • The Statement or EHC Plan will outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long and short term goals for your child.
  • The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.

This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are:

  • Severe, complex and lifelong
  • Need more than 20 hours of support in school
Who are the best people to talk to in this school about my child’s difficulties with learning/ Special Educational Needs or Disability?

Deputy Head Teacher and SENDCO – Mrs Brás 

Responsible for:

  • Coordinating all the support for children with additional educational needs or disabilities and developing the school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy to make sure all children get a consistent, high quality response to meeting their needs in school.
  • Ensuring that you are:
    • involved in supporting your child’s learning
    • kept informed about the support your child is getting
    • involved in reviewing how they are doing
  • Liaising with all the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology etc…
  • Updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that there are excellent records of your child’s progress and needs.
  • Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.

Class/subject teacher
Responsible for:

  • Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be things like targeted work, additional support) and letting the SENDCO know as necessary.
  • Writing Person Centred Plans (PCPs), and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
  • Ensuring that all staff working with your child in school are helped to deliver the planned work/programme for your child, so they can achieve the best possible progress. This may involve the use of additional adults, outside specialist help and specially planned work and resources.
  • Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any additional needs.

Headteacher –Mrs Higgins
Responsible for:

  • The day to day management of all aspects of the school, this includes the support for children with SEND.
  • She will give responsibility to the Deputy Headteacher/SENDCO and class teachers but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
  • She must make sure that the Governing Body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND.

SEND Governor – Marie Wallace
Responsible for:

  • Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND