The following details our local offer at

MOUNT PELLON PRIMARY ACADEMY

2017-2018

The education of every child is held to be of equal value in our Community School.

School Name / Mount Pellon Primary Academy
Principal / Mr Chris Walton
Vice Principal / Mrs R Collyer
Safeguarding / Mrs R Collyer
SENCO / Mrs R Collyer
Governor with responsibility for SEN / Mr Carlton Midgley
Contact details
Address
Telephone / Mount Pellon Primary Academy
Battinson Road
Halifax
HX1 4RG
01422 349618
Email /
Age Range / 3-11
Funding / Notional budget and top up funding for the children who have statements and EHC plans at the school.
We’ve tried to answer all the questions parents have asked us about the provision we have for children with special educational needs. We hope this is clear and easy for you to understand. If you would prefer to talk to one of our friendly, highly skilled and experienced staff, please just phone school and we’d be really happy to talk to you.
How will Mount Pellon Primary Academy support my child? /
  • Access to a broad balanced,differentiated curriculum which takes account of different learning styles and children’s interests.
  • Access to quality first teaching which is monitored by highly experienced teachers.
  • Individualised targets for all children
  • A rigorous pupil tracking system which ensures that all children are monitored
  • High quality teachers and teaching assistants who target the learning of each individual child
  • Half termly pupil progress meetings (PPM) that focus upon tracking children and setting appropriate targets and interventions
  • A dedicated SENCO with allocated time who is part of the senior leadership team
  • Detailed programme of reviews with parents and professionals – Parents Consultation meetings, termly reviews for children on the SEN register, annual reviews for children with an EHC. During these processes, children’s and parents’ views are extremely important to us
  • Carefully designed behaviour policy to promote good behaviour and with a zero tolerance policy for bullying
  • Half termly Pupil Support Overview Meetings (PSOM) that identify any vulnerable children and appropriate support to enable them to flourish in school
  • IEPs (Individual Education Plans) details specific personalised interventions and are shared with the parents
  • An ethos of inclusion and equality

How do we involve parents, carers, children and young people? /
  • Parents consultation evenings for all children twice a year plus an end of year written report.
  • Termly review meetings with parents/carers of children with SEN support needs or EHC plan.
  • A bilingual member of staff to support home and school communication.
  • Pastoral Teaching Assistant who supports children and their families during difficult times.
  • The children’s views are sought termly to inform the review of provision.
  • Mid-point and exit-point curriculum points for parents to attend

How do we help a child with physical needs? /
  • There are two disabled toilets. One is equipped with an adjustable changing bed.
  • Wide easily accessible corridors with ramps to some classrooms.
  • Specialist equipment available if required (writing slopes, enlarged script, magnifying domes, a variety of pens, coloured paper, shaped cutlery
  • Use of differentiated equipment e.g. textured balls.
  • Variable heights of tables and chairs if required.
  • Staff trained in moving and handling.
  • Delivery of specialist individual programmes for both fine and gross motor skills.
  • Personal Egress Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) plans reviewed annually
  • Risk assessments carried out yearly by a local Special Primary School.
  • One to one swimming sessions provided through the local LEA to support mobility and physiotherapy.
  • Use of fine motor programmes

How do we help a child with speech and language needs? /
  • Quality first teaching which focussing on developing vocabulary and modelling grammatically accurate speech
  • Liaison with NHS Speech Therapists
  • Fortnightly visits from a Speech and Language Therapist who designs bespoke programmes to be delivered daily by trained Teaching Assistants
  • BLAST programme and Black Sheep Press package used as intervention to develop skills
  • Visual Timetables

How do we help a child with sensory impairment? /
  • Classrooms are carpeted to prevent echoing
  • Hearing Impairment training provided the Local Authority
  • Visual Impairment training provided the Local Authority
  • Close liaison with VI/HI experts.
  • Specialist equipment (magnifying domes, enlarged script, ICT programmes, mirroring equipment, Brailler)
  • Access to specialist support for children and their families.
  • Risk assessments linked to activities.

How do we help a child who has social and emotional difficulties? /
  • Pastoral Teaching Assistant – full time
  • Two play leaders – lunchtimes
  • Attendance Officer who liaises with parents – full time
  • Visual timetables in all classrooms
  • Liaison with the Autism Team (ASD) for children with a diagnosis
  • Whole staff training for teaching staff by the ASD team
  • Half termly meetings to identify children with social and emotional difficulties and plan programmes of personalised support (Pupil Support Overview Meetings – PSOM)
  • Circle of Friends Programme
  • Nurture Room at lunchtime to develop social skills
  • Individual workstations where appropriate.
  • Nurture Groups to support self-control, behaviour management, making good choices and to develop confidence, social groups and self-esteem.
  • After school clubs to promote social interaction skills

How do we help a child who has behavioural difficulties? /
  • Behaviour policy which is clear and consistent
  • Pastoral Teaching Assistant – full time
  • Two play leaders – lunchtimes
  • Half termly meetings to identify children with social and emotional difficulties and plan programmes of personalised support (Pupil Support Overview Meetings – PSOM)
  • Individual Behaviour Plans and/or Risk Assessments to promote desired behaviour
  • Nurture Groups to support self-control, behaviour management, making good choices and to develop confidence, social groups and self-esteem.
  • Cool down boxes to support de-escalation
  • Staff trained in TEAM TEACH strategies

How do we help a child who needs support with literacy? /
  • Streamed phonic sessions using Read, Write Inc.
  • Reading buddies for additional reading support
  • Talking tins, iPad for recording and sentence planners
  • Intervention for phonics, reading and writing are identified through Pupil Progress Meetings
  • Teaching Assistants identified to delivered personalised targets identified in Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Dyslexia friendly strategies used in quality first teaching
  • Precision teaching programme
  • Pre-teaching of skills and vocabulary where appropriate

How do we help a child who needs support with numeracy? /
  • Streamed differentiated maths groups in Key Stage Two
  • Intervention for maths and basic fact recall are identified through Pupil Progress Meetings
  • Teaching Assistants identified to delivered personalised targets identified in Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Precision teaching programme
  • Pre-teaching of vocabulary.

How do we help a child with medical needs? /
  • Individual health care plans as advised by GP’s and school nurses in liaison with parents
  • Training carried out by the school nursing team related to need
  • Team of trained first aiders.
  • Staff trained in anaphylaxis awareness and asthma awareness.
  • Well-equipped medical room
  • Intimate care policy and individualised intimate care plans
  • Two disabled toilets that ensure space and sensitivity for aspects of personal care
  • Children are given as much responsibility as possible for personal care as is possible with staff interventions to support independence
  • Medicines policy in place

How do we help a child who has English as an additional language? /
  • An experienced member of staff trained in the delivery of development of EAL and New to English.
  • Induction programme for children when they arrive in school.
  • Bi-lingual staff-multiple members of staff that speak Urdu/Punjabi/Czech.
  • Bi-lingual resources.

How do we support a child with complex and multiple needs? /
  • Close liaison with local primary special schools, professionals and parents
  • Risk assessments conducted by local special primary school
  • Specialist resources, provision and plans are in place and are personalised to meet the needs of the individual child

Which specialist services do we access beyond the school? / We have regular and current contact with the following services that give us support and advice:
  • Specialist Inclusion Service, including ASD, HI, VI and Early Years teams
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Speech and Language Therapy – NHS and private company
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
  • Education Welfare Team
  • School Nursing Service
  • Virtual Schools Service
  • Local Authority SEN Team
  • One to one swimming service – Paul Graham
  • Woodbank Special School support - risk assessments, manual handling training for staff
  • We are also part of the West Central Halifax Cluster group where expertise is shared between schools.

How do we include children in activities outside the classroom, including school trips? /
  • Support assistants are deployed to support children with SEN in out-of-school clubs.
  • Extra staff deployed for trips to meet the stringent requirements of our risk assessments.
  • Parents/carers consulted prior to trips for advice and guidance.
  • Pre -visits by all staff to carry out prior risk assessments.
  • Play leaders to support children at lunchtime.
  • Lunchtime nurture group activities to promote social skills
  • Identified first aider to take responsibility for any medication during a visit

How do we prepare and support a child for joining school and transferring to secondary school? /
  • Home visits by Nursery Staff
  • Open mornings for Nursery and Reception parents.
  • Visits to pre-school placements by Nursery/Reception staff/SENCO
  • Allocation ofappropriate support based on identified needs
  • Extended visits to Nursery/Reception/Secondary School prior to the child starting
  • Transition plans
  • Close liaison with other settings involved in the transition
  • Transfer of all relevant documentation related to child’s needs

How will we meet a child’s personal care needs? /
  • Intimate and Personal Care Policy in place which is adhered to by all staff.
  • All staff sign and adhere to a ‘Code of Conduct’.
  • 2 disabled toilets, one with a changing bench
  • Children are given as much responsibility for personal care as is possible with staff interventions only coming into force when necessary and following strict procedures. Staff will only call parents in an absolute emergency.

How do we allocate resources? /
  • One to one adult support provided as specified in a child’s EHC plan
  • Teaching Assistants are allocated to each year group and a specified Teaching Assistant is responsible for the implementation of any Individual Education Plans.
  • Specialist resources purchased linked to need and based on advice
  • Where possible, interpreters are provided for liaison with parents.
  • All children reviewed regularly and provision is then matched to need.
  • Application for DCATCH funding for children in Nusrery settings where additional resources are required to support the child’s needs.

How do we ensure all staff are well trained? /
  • Regular training sessions for all support staff on SEN issues
  • Commitment to maintain levels of training if staff leave.
  • Well planned programme of CPD, accessing both external agencies and in-school support.

How do we evaluate and review the support we provide? /
  • Termly review meetings for individual children with parents/carers, class teachers and other involved specialists looking at the impact of provision for children
  • Termly IEP Surgeries are held to ensure that professional skills and expertise are pooled to provide the highest possible provision and support for children with SEN
  • Half-termly review of each child’s attainment and the impact of their provision.
  • Half-termly review of support packages for any vulnerable children to ensure that provision reflects the current need

How do we deal with complaints regarding our provision for children and young people with SEN? /
  • In the first instance our SENCO is willing to listen to parents and carers concerns about SEN provision and provide in school solutions
  • A complaints policy is in place for complaints that cannot be resolved at this level.

Thank you for taking the time to found out about our local offer at Mount Pellon. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further details.

For full details of the entire support provided by parents please follow the link to Calderdale’s Local Offer: