Bush Hill Park Primary School is a mainstream primary school with a nursery.
At Bush Hill Park we value the individuality of our children and provide them with every opportunity to reach their highest achievable standards. We take account of each pupil’s experiences and needs and provide a broad and balanced curriculum. We have high expectations of our pupils. We focus on their achievement, attitudes and well-being. We demonstrate due regard to the SEN Code of Practice 2014 and the Equalities Act 2010.
We promote the early identification of any additional needs by assessing and monitoring pupil progress, and by working in partnership with parents and external agencies. Appropriate support is provided to overcome barriers to children’s learning through interventions, additional provision and from professional advice.
Parents are consulted with throughout the process and when needed a school based plan will be developed.
What are the different types of support available for my child?
That 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.
That specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCo) are in place to support your child to learn.
c) Specialist advice provided by outside agencies.
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 you to understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them more effectively in school.
The specialist professional will assess your child to understand their needs and make recommendations as to the ways your child is given support.
This has usually been provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small-group teaching.
The school (or you) in partnership with parents can request that Local Authority Services 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 request has been made to the SEN Panel (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 current support.
After the reports have all been sent in, the Panel of Professionals will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will coproduce with you, the school and any involved professionals an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of 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 EHCP will outline additional funding the school will receive to support your child to make progress and narrow the gap between them and their peers. The additional adult may be used to support your child with whole class learning, run individual programmes or run small groups including your child.
You will have a consultation meeting with their child’s class teacher twice a year. In addition to this written reports are sent home twice a year and if your child is on the SEN register you will be able to meet with a member of the Inclusion team termly. Your child’s progress is reviewed at least termly in pupil progress meetings and any concerns will be discussed with you immediately. You can request to meet the class teacher or Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion at any time. At these meetings your child’s attainment and progress will be discussed as well as any additional support in place for them.
How will we support your child when they are joining the school, leaving the school or moving on to their next class?
The Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion will visit pre-schools with the Foundation Stage staff when appropriate.
If your child would be helped by a Transition Book to support them moving on, then one will be made for them.
Your child will be able to make extra visits to our school if this is appropriate.
We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on to us as soon as possible.
Information will be passed on from the old to the new class teacher in advance. School based plans will be shared with the new teacher.
If your child would be helped by a Transition Book to support them in moving on, then one will be made for them.
The Assistant Headteacher will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCo of the child’s secondary school. In most cases, a transition review meeting to which you will be invited will take place with the SENCo from the new school.
We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs may manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiousness, and being uncommunicative.
What support does the school have for the parents of SEND children?
The class teacher is 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 that similar strategies may be used.
The Assistant Headteacher Inclusion and Asssitant SENCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
We also hold regular coffee mornings and invite guest speakers in dependent on the needs of the group.