Additional Needs Team

ADDITIONAL NEEDS TEAM

Handbook for schools

Updated July 16

Introduction

The Additional Needs Team (ANT) provides an outreach service and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to Primary and High Schools to facilitate the inclusion of children with a range of additional needs. It also includes the Portage service, supporting children with disabilities through the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Additional Needs Team exists to enable schools (and in the case of Portage, families) to increase their own capacity to manage pupils’ additional needs. With the exception of the Portage Service, the main focus of our work is to support school practitioners with the inclusion of pupils with additional needs rather than to work directly with those pupils. When involvement is requested by schools, team members will take a consultation based approach, structured round assess, plan, do, review cycles, to enable school practitioners to take the lead themselves, ultimately empowering schools to work without the need for specialist advice.

The Additional Needs Team offers a range of school based CPD opportunities, from working with individuals or groups of practitioners, leading staff or department meetings,to presenting more formal whole school training events. We do recommend that our contribution to your school’s CPD events is personalised to school requirements so therefore do not publish a list of available training; however, Sencos are welcome to speak to any team member to make a CPD related enquiry or to contact us via our mailbox address at

Specialist Teams

Cognition and Learning Team (CLT)providing specialist advice for the inclusion of pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties;

Communication Difficulties Team (CDT)providing specialist advice for the inclusion of pupils with Social Communication Difficulties including Autistic Spectrum Disorders/Conditions;

Team for Inclusion of Pupils with Physical Difficulties and/or Medical Conditions (PDMC);

Advisory Teacher for pupils with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN);(Post currently vacant)

Advisory Teacher for Pupils with Complex Difficultiesproviding specialist advice for the inclusion of pupils with Moderate to Severe Learning Difficulties where pupils are in receipt of a Statement of SEN or an Education Health and Care Plan

The Portage Service, supporting childrenwith disabilities from birthto transition into a setting orschool.

Services offered to schools

The outreach service provided by the Additional Needs Team isfunded from the DSG and is free to Local Authority schools. There are charges for Academies which are circulated at the start of each financial year. Schools can request advice for any pupil, including those receiving SEN Support and those with Statements of Special Educational Need or Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans. Team members will travel to schools to assess pupils’ needs, to give advice and to offer support to schools in implementing recommendations. Each team will also support by recommending suitable resources. A range of associated CPD opportunities can be offered to schools.

NB: The service provided by the Additional Needs Team does not include regular teaching sessions for pupils. Team members only work directly with pupils for assessment purposes or as part of coaching or modelling for members of school staff.

Requesting involvement of the Additional Needs Team

Additional Needs Team involvement can be requested by completing the Additional Needs Team request for involvement form (RfI). Forms must be signed by parents before submission; although a signed copy does not need to be submitted, one must be kept in school before pupils can be seen. Schools should indicate that they are in possession of a signed format the end of Part A. Schools should select the particular specialism they are requesting on the form by ticking one box only at the top of Part B. If a pupil has more than one area of need, this can be discussed at the initial visit and once one specialist team has withdrawn, forms can be passed to other specialist teams. In exceptional circumstances, Additional Needs Team advice can be requested by telephone and we will always endeavour to provide an immediate response to schools experiencing extreme difficulties.

In line with the Equalities Act 2010, we are statutorily obliged to collect information about protected characteristics, in particular pupils’ ethnicity and disability. For this reason, it is essential that schools complete the ethnicity code e.g. WBRI, APKN, and School Census Disability Code (SCDC) e.g. MLD, SpLD, SLCN, ASD. Incomplete forms cannot be actionedand will be returned to school with a request to complete details.

A copy of the Request for Involvement form, team contact details, SCDC and ethnicity codes can be found on Bury’s Local Offer; search for ‘The Bury Directory’.

Completed forms can be submitted electronically to or via the internal mail system to Additional Needs Team, 3 Knowsley Place,Duke Street, Bury, BL9 0EJ. It is important that schools do not submit forms in any other way, for example by asking team membersto hand deliver, as forms may go missing and cannot be traced, which extends the amount of time that pupils are waiting to be seen. Schools will receive acknowledgement of receipt of forms via email and a member of the specialist team will contact school via email or telephone to discuss the request within two working weeks. If you do not receive acknowledgment within two working weeks, please contact the Additional Needs Team.

NB: It is school’s responsibility to send copies of reports to parents and to ensure that the recommendations are passed to all relevant members of staff, particularly as the pupil moves from class to class or on transition between schools. Feedback to parents or advice for parents can only be organised on site in school on request.

Additional Needs Team specialist practitioners:

Heather Alderson, Sharon Deacon, Heather Duckworth, Joanna Dunn, Lesley Harris,Julie Holt, Kelly Judd, Karen Kay,Emma Lees ,Nicola Loughnan,Ellie Lorenzo,Hayley Matthews, Catherine Penkethman,Michelle Talbot, Christine Thompson, Tammy Whittaker

ADDITIONAL NEEDS TEAM

Cognition and Learning Team

CLT services offered to schools

Consultation for pupils with specific learning difficulties;
Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Irlen screening;
Visual and Auditory perception screening;
CPD for schools (both centrally and in school);
Attendance at SEN Planning meetings;
Attendance at Statement or EHC Planningmeetings for pupils that have been on CLT caseload on request;
Attendance at Team Around the Child or Child in Need meetings for pupils on CLT caseload on request;
Provision on request of transition advice to pupilsknown to the team with specific learning difficulties as they move into high school;
Consultations around fine motor skills and recording skills.

Requesting involvement of Cognition and Learning Team (CLTeam)

CLTeam involvement can be requested by completing the Additional Needs Team request for involvement form and selecting ‘Cognition and Learning’ in the tick box in Part B. Forms must be signed by parents before submission; although a signed copy does not need to be submitted, one must be kept in school before pupils can be seen. Schools should state precisely what they are requesting on the form, e.g. a consultation focusing on reading or a specific genre of screening. Completed forms can be submitted electronically to or via the internal mail system to Additional Needs Team, 3 Knowsley Place, Duke Street, Bury, BL9 0EJ. Schools will receive acknowledgement of receipt of forms via email and a member of CLTeam will contact school via email or telephone to discuss the request as soon as possible after receipt. Following this, pupils will be placed on the waiting list; currently, CLT respond to requests within a term though this is subject to the number of requests received from schools.

Consultation

When a request for consultation has reached the top of the waiting list, a member of Cognition and Learning Team will contact school by telephone or email to make an initial appointment. At this appointment, a meeting with the referrer, ie the child’s class teacher or Senco, should take place. Also, CLTeam may make an initial assessment of the pupil. Subsequent visits may be made for any of the following reasons although some consultations only require a single visit:

To make further assessments
To meet with school staff, eg class teacher or teaching assistant/s, to discuss assessment outcomes or to clarify recommendations
To deliver on-site CPD, eg to model recommended strategies or to introduce a new resource or programme
To set up interventions alongside school staff and to train staff to run interventions
To support school in monitoring the effectiveness of interventions and/or to administer further assessments to monitor pupil progress

Consultation reports

After the initial visit, a consultation form will be completed by CLT and sent to school. This form will give an overview of the initial discussion, including detail of the pupil’s needs, and will outline the agreed actions, stating who has taken responsibility for each action and when it will be completed, if dates have been set.

A diagnostic assessment report will be sent to school within three weeks of assessments being completed. This report will outline the detail of the assessments and will include recommendations for delivery of SEN Support. Up to three further visits may be offered as appropriate within the scope outlined above.

Screening tests

Requests for screening tests can be made using the Additional Needs Team request for involvement form as outlined above. Please note:

Children must be between 6:6 and 14 years old to be screened for dyslexia or dyscalculia;
Children must be at least 8 years old for a formal Irlen screen;
Children must have had a recent eye test prior to an Irlen screen being carried out.

Screening can be carried out either as part of a consultation or as a standalone assessment. In either case, the purpose of screening tests is to identify the key skills and knowledge contributing towards a lack of progress for pupils with SEN. Screening does not result in a diagnosis of any Specific Learning Difficulty. Recommendations following on from screening are intended to be used as the focus for cycles of assess, plan, do, review as part of the graduated approach outlined in the 2014 Code of Practice.

Screening tests can normally be completed on a single visit and take between one and one and a half hours to complete. A quiet room is essential to carry out any screening. A report will be sent to school within three weeks of screening tests being carried out, along with recommendations and, in the case of Irlen screening, sample overlay/s. Please note that in order to carry out a dyscalculia screen, CLT will need access to a computer that is connected to the internet.

NB: It is school’s responsibility to send copies of reports to parents and to ensure that the recommendations are passed to all relevant members of staff, particularly as the pupil moves from class to class or between schools on transition. Feedback to parents or advice for parents can only be organised on site in school on request.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS TEAM

Social Communication Difficulties Team

The team gives advice to support the inclusion of pupils receiving SEN Support and those with a Statement of Special Educational Need or Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan throughout KS1-KS4. Advice and resources to support inclusion will be available on request from the time the pupil is added to the caseload until the end of Key Stage 4 (unless the pupil transfers to a specialist or out of borough placement) without need for re-referral. This reflects the fluctuating nature of the needs of pupils with Social Communication Difficulties/Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Team Responsibilities

To provide advice to SENCOs, pupils, teachers, head teachers, specialist support assistants, teaching assistants and other adults working in school;
To model strategies and to coach staff;
To model specific interventions;
To maintain up to date resources which can be loaned to schools;
To provide consultation reports at the request of the SEN team in preparation for an EHC needs assessment;
To provide CPD for staff:
Specific training courses organised through Bury’s Primary and Secondary Learning Collaboratives focusing on social communication difficulties/autism awareness and classroom strategies
CPD can also be providedmore informally in school through bespoke training/advice sessions at staff meetings, drop-in sessions or twilight sessions.
To attend SEN planning meetings (in conjunction with other teams within the Additional Needs Team);
To attend Annual Review meetings on request;
To attend Interim Review meetings on request;
To attend Transition meetings;
To attend Team Around the Child or Child in Need meetings on request;
To provide advice regarding transition support as pupils move into school, change classes or transition between key stages.

Please note: It is the responsibility of the school to inform the team of the date and time of any meetings.

Requesting team involvement

Schools may request assessment for any pupil they feel may be displaying social communication difficulties. Requests for involvement can be made at SEN Support or at EHC Plan levels of the Code of Practice (including pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs whose Statement has not yet been converted to an EHC Plan). Pupils can be referred at any time in key stages 1-4.

Communication Difficulties specialists provide

pupil assessment;
advice and support for staff;
training;
modelling and coaching;
support for families in collaboration with schools on school-related issues.

Consultations are

for pupils who have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder or who have been identified by the team as having Social Communication Difficulties;
time limited (up to 4 sessions other than by arrangement with the manager of the Additional Needs Team);
intended to help children with communication, social interaction and management of behaviour or anxiety related to social communication difficulties;
delivered in collaboration with schools to ensure continuation of learning and generalisation of skills; a member of school staff will be expected to attend sessions to take the lead on pupil inclusion rather than relying on specialist support to do this. Sessions may be modelled by a member of the team.

Training focuses on

increasing knowledge and understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders/ Social Communication Difficulties;
strategies to address the deficits or delays in the areas associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (Social Communication, Social Interaction, Rigidity of Thought and Behaviour, Sensory Difficulties);
ways in which schools can modify learning environments and expectations to meet learning needs;
specific specialist training in social skills and social stories.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS TEAM

INCLUSION FOR PUPILS WITH

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTIES AND/OR MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Individual Responsibilities

Heather

To support and monitor access to the curriculum for pupils with Physical Difficulties and/or Medical Conditions (PD/MC);
To assess and identify learning needs;
To support Teaching Assistants working with pupils with PD/MC;
To model assessments/teaching sessions for Teaching Assistants;
To support Teaching Assistants with planning for learning and setting targets;
To support schools in tracking pupil progress through consultation and review meetings;
To research and recommend software to support learning needs;
To work collaboratively with health professionals involved with KS2, KS3 and KS4 pupils in mainstream settings;
To support the transition of pupils with PD/MC into high school.

Christine

To work collaboratively with health professionals, schools, parents and pupils following planned or unplanned surgery;
To carry out joint visits to school with the Portage Service andhealth professionals for pupils with complex needs;
To carry out home visits along with other colleagues including health professionals to establish a co-ordinated approach when returning to school following a period of absence due to surgery or accident;
To provide general advice to schools on improving access for those pupils with physical difficulties;
To update relevant policies as necessary;
To work collaboratively with Portage Service andhealth professionalsinvolved with Early Years children who have complex needs entering a mainstream setting;
To carry out Environmental Risk Assessments on request;
To support the transition of early years pupils with PD/MC into mainstream settings;
To advise schools on equipment available to enable pupils with complex needs to access the curriculum.

Joint Responsibilities

To work collaboratively with staff from other agencies involved in supporting pupils with complex needs;
To provide training for the inclusion of pupils with Physical Difficulties/Medical Conditions;
To provide written reports in relation to pupils with PD/MC to support the EHC Needs Assessment process;
To attend SEN Planning meetings;
To attend Annual Review meetings;
To attend Interim Review meetings;
To attend Transition meetings;
To attend Team Around the Child or Child in Need meetings on request;
To provide Moving and Handling training for staff supporting pupils with physical difficulties;
To provide Moving and Handling advice to schools;
To support the transition of pupils with PD/MC into primary/high school;
To advise schools of their statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010, in particular ‘Reasonable Adjustments’;
To provide advice and assistance to schools on the production of pupils’ Individual Care Plans, Moving and Handling Plans and Risk Assessments;
On request from schools, health professionals or the SEN Team, to undertake observations of pupils with PD/MC.

Process for requesting involvement of PD/MC Team