SEN Information Report
At Reculver C.E.Primary School we welcome everyone into our community. Reculver C.E.Primary School endeavours to make available inclusive provision to ensure that all pupils, including those children identified with Special Education Needs and Disabilities, can enjoy and benefit from a broad and balanced education with access to the National Curriculum at an appropriate level, so that they may achieve their full potential.
We are committed to narrowing the attainment gap between pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities and those without Special Education Needs and Disabilities and offer a range of personalised learning interventions/opportunities to support this. We are very proud of all our pupils and their achievements.
The School
Reculver is a primary school for pupils of 4+ to 11 years of age. The number on roll is currently approximately 450. There are 16 classes in total ranging from the Early Years to Year 6. The majority of these have 25 to 30 children of mixed ability. There are approximately 16.7% children on the SEN register (Nov 23), with a higher-than-average level of children with more complex needs. In November 2023, 17 children had an Education Health Care Plan, including 11 children within the Vision Impairment (VI) and Cognition and Learning (C&L) Specialist Resource Provision (SRP).
All SEN, VI and C&L children are included alongside their peers and access the full range of National Curriculum subjects when it is appropriate to do so. All teachers scaffold / adapt in all subjects as appropriate, with intervention programmes implemented as necessary, in special groups across the school. Bespoke curriculum interventions are also delivered, which are planned and monitored by the class teacher.
Each Class has a Class Provision Map or contributes to a Year Group Provision Map in addition to the Personalised Plans produced for pupils with the most severe and complex needs, as a means of recording additional and different interventions and progress tracking for all the pupils in their class, regardless of whether or not they have additional needs. Provision Mapping is a constant focus of ongoing development and improvement and it supports the cycle of the Assess, Plan, Do Review process.
Pupils who have been identified as SEN Support, and who have a package of intensive and personalised support (some funded by High Needs Funding) and those with an Education Health Care Plan, have Personalised Provision Plans.
In the last OFSTED report (2018), it was stated that “pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and / or disabilities make strong progress, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.
The majority of the Teaching Assistants employed at Reculver C.E.Primary School work with pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities on a full time or part time basis. Some are specifically targeted towards supporting pupils with SEND while others have particular areas of focus with SEN Support children.
A number of Teaching Assistants have a more general role, especially within the Early Years and Key Stage 1 classes. Others, with more specialist training, support children within the VI and C&L SRP.
A Lead practitioner for Speech and Language coordinates the Speech and Language support across the school. A Lead practitioner for VI and Medical needs as well as a Lead Practitioner to support C&L work, including use of visuals, Social Stories, Clicker 8 and small Steps progress tracking, provide additional across the school. Opportunities for professional development of all support staff are welcomed and valued.
The Education Endowment Foundation recommendations about appropriate use of Teaching Assistants have been used by the Education Psychology service to design and deliver training to all Teachers and TAs in school on the effective use of TAs to promote the independence of pupils. Reliance of pupils on any one particular adult is therefore discouraged.
sen information report website data .pdf
How does the school take care of the Health Needs of its pupils?
A member of staff provides coordination of all the medical needs of pupils, ranging from maintenance of medical records to management and administration of medication and liaison with medical professionals in the development of Individual Health Care Plans and provision of specialist staff training in liaison with the school Nursing Service.
What SEND has the school recently or currently provided for?
We are experienced and committed to supporting pupils in our school who have a range of Special Education Needs and Disabilities including:
- Autistic Spectrum Condition
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Cerebral Palsy
- Cognition and Learning Difficulties
- Down Syndrome
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Emotional Needs
- Epilepsy
- Genetic Conditions
- Hearing Impairment
- Physical Disabilities
- Severe Learning Difficulties
- Speech, Language and Communication needs
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Vision Impairment
Who is responsible for the pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
The member of staff with overall responsibility for pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities is Mrs Fiona Cunningham who has the role of Inclusion Manager. She is a qualified teacher and holds the National Award for SEN Coordination. She also holds the Mandatory M Phil Postgraduate qualification and is a Qualified Teacher of children with Vision Impairment (QTVI). Her email address is: fiona.cunningham@reculver.kent.sch.uk and she is happy to answer any queries you may have about our local offer.
We are proud of our ethos of Inclusion at Reculver and as a result, all our staff feel it important to take responsibility for the inclusion of all our children, whatever their Special Educational Need or Disability.
What support is offered within the Specialist Resource Provision (SRP)?
Reculver C.E.Primary School has had a Specialist Resource Provision for the Vision Impaired since the 1990s. The provision has now expanded to also meet the needs of pupils with Cognition and Learning difficulties and is funded for 15 pupils. Currently (November 2023) we have 3 pupils within the SRP with an Education Health Care Plan for Vision Impairment who are registered either blind or partially sighted and 8 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan that includes Cognition and Learning needs. For a child to be supported by the provision, they must have an Education Health Care Plan with either Vision Impairment as their Primary Need or a significant Cognition & Learning Need.
We work closely with the Local Authority and parents to ensure that our Specialist Resource Provision most appropriately meets the needs of children with a Vision Impairment and or Cognition & Learning need. The Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) at Reculver C.E. Primary School provides the opportunity for additional alternative curriculum activities to be experienced by SRP pupils that is above and beyond the offer of the mainstream classes. Pupils are able to access specialist input in a separate designated area according to their individual needs, for example from an Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Therapist. Some specialist teaching in, for example, Braille and Mobility are taught alongside the National Curriculum. All pupils are given the opportunity, when appropriate, to be taught in the classroom alongside their peers. As one of a few such SRPs in Kent, pupils travel from beyond the local catchment area of the School and transport can be discussed with the Local Authority if parents wish.
The provision for VI pupils is overseen by Mrs Fiona Cunningham who is a qualified Teacher of the Vision Impaired (QTVI). There are currently four Teaching Assistants who have a variety of experience, training and expertise in supporting the vision impaired including knowledge of Braille and use of technology to support pupils. In addition, a Lead VI Practitioner oversees the day to day provision for the VI pupils.
The provision for Cognition and Learning pupils is overseen by Liz Ross who is the Specialist Teacher for Cognition and Learning. As part of her role, she works directly with SRP pupils, sets and monitors targets and trains staff to deliver bespoke interventions.
Our Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) contains all the resources, technology and specialist equipment to enable the team of Teaching Assistants to adapt and provide resources for the pupils that they support. The level of adaptation can depend on whether the resources are required in Makaton symbols, large print or in a tactile version, such as Braille. Our library of resources includes a variety of fiction and non-fiction books in Braille and enlarged print.
We are members of the RNIB lending library, CustomEyes (Blind Children UK) and Clear Vision books. Should children need to learn Braille, we have Perkins braillers. We also have adaptive software ‘Supernova’ on designated computers (which reads text aloud). We also provide a laptop or IPad with software that replicates the information on the class Interactive Whiteboard for children’s use, if appropriate. We have previously applied successfully for electronic braillers and ‘BraillenoteTouch Plus machines’ for pupils who are becoming proficient braillists. Other technology used includes handheld electronic magnifiers as well as portable CCTV devices which can be used in the classroom and enable accessibility for children alongside their peers.
Pupils, who require Mobility tuition, including the use of long cane, are supporting by Kent Association for the Blind, who visit on a weekly basis.
All staff have an awareness of Makaton and those working closely with the pupils who use Makaton are skilled in its use. Communicate in Print software is available throughout the school and is used to produce written communication symbols. Clicker 8 software is also available for use.
The school has close links with Schools and Units for the Vision Impaired including local Secondary Schools with resourced provision such as the Archbishop’s School in Canterbury and The Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs, where many of our children move onto for the next stage in their education. Transition to Secondary School is carefully co-ordinated with the support from the Local Authority Specialist Teacher in Charge of Sensory Needs, schools concerned and, of course, the families and carers.
Close links are maintained with the outreach services from St Nicholas Special School who have provided support, particularly with resource making, including development of Social stories and other visual communication aids.
The Cognition and Learning Specialist Teacher supports the needs of the pupils in the school by direct involvement with the majority of the C&L pupils in the SRP as well as providing ongoing training and support for the staff in the school. This includes awareness events for all staff and more specific specialist training for staff working directly with pupils with C&L needs. She also provides In Reach support for pupils in school with Cognition and Learning needs.
The School encourages positive inclusion of our children in the SRP in all aspects of School life and we feel strongly that the whole school community benefits from having the provision on site and that it epitomises the Christian ethos of our Church of England School.
Children in the SRP routinely take part in the school productions, become members of the School Council and join all school trips including those to residential activity centres. Our children in the SRP are fully included and make many friends amongst their peers.
How does the school know if a child needs extra help and what should I do if my child may have Special Educational Needs?
Definition of SEN Support
The reference document that was used to formulate Reculver C.E. Primary School’s definition of SEN Support, is the SEN Code of Practice dated January 2015. The following template summarises the usual criteria used for the identification of pupils in the school that are to be identified as SEN Support.
The following template is used as a guide only and is not prescriptive, there are exceptions and judgements are made by the Inclusion Manager following discussions with the Class Teacher on the impact on learning and also the level of additional interventions that are required to support the individual pupil’s access to Learning Intentions.
Graduated response to support and intervention for pupils with Additional Needs
|
Stage |
Provision required |
Support and provision |
Assessment, recording and monitoring systems
|
Monitored by |
|
1 |
Universal provision |
|
|
Class Teacher
|
|
2 |
Early intervention support
(Not on SEN Register) |
In addition to Stage 1:
|
|
Class Teacher SLT |
|
3 |
Targeted, additional support
(Not on SEN Register) |
In addition to Stages 1 - 2:
|
|
Class Teacher SLT SENCo |
|
4 |
Targeted, intensive additional support
(SEN support)
Children with a diagnosis are not automatically added as SEN Support. This will depend on the presentation of their needs. |
In addition to Stages 1 – 3:
|
|
Class Teacher SENCo |
|
|
Request for a Statutory Assessment |
|
|
|
|
5 |
Provision over and above that which would be expected at universal and targeted support levels because pupil’s needs are exceptional, severe, complex and long term.
(SEND register – EHCP or application)
|
In addition to Stages 1 – 4:
|
|
Class Teacher SENCo |
