Our vision at Ellacombe is for every child to be confident and happy as we nurture their development and strive for success. We are very much a school family, and have a fantastic relationship with our parents and families, working together to ensure the very best for each and every child.
To compliment our engaging and aspirational curriculum, we have a purpose built Early Years Foundation Stage unit and playground, separate KS1 and Year 6 units, a newly refurbished IT suite and a dedicated Thrive room. We also have a newly refurbished nursery, Little Stars Childcare Centre, that offers high quality provision for 2 – 4 year olds with extended opening hours from 7.30am – 5:30pm weekdays during term time.
We are proud to be a member of the Learning Academy Partnership – a values led family of exceptional schools. Our schools work together within a Multi Academy Trust, currently consisting of 8 primary schools and All Saints Teaching School Alliance, to support school improvement across the South West.
Headteacher : Mrs E Semmens Nursery : Yes DfE No : 880/2000 Number on Roll : 370 Type of School : Academy
What special education provision is available at our setting?
Within the Learning Academy Partnership, all teachers are accountable for the progress and development of all children in their class, including those identified with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND). All staff track those at risk of underachievement or slow progress so that rapid appropriate intervention can be put in place.
Additional structured and tailored intervention is provided by trained members of staff in addition to high quality teaching. Specialist teaching assistants, within the school, deliver interventions to accelerate progress in targeted areas of need.
Such interventions include:
Designated staff deliver social skill support groups
Specialised interventions, devised to suit individual needs
Access to a range of agencies and support services, when required, such as:
Educational Psychologist
Speech & Language Therapists
Social Care professionals
Early Years Advisory Support
Portage Workers (home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families)
SEN Advisory teacher
Bereavement therapy – children and families in grief
Primary mental health workers:
CAMHS
Hearing Impairment Support
Visual Impairment Support
Chestnut Behaviour Outreach Team
Occupational Therapy
Furthermore, members of staff may receive additional training to enable them to support specific pupils with additional needs, for example, PECS (picture exchange communication system) training to support children with communication needs.
What criteria must be satisfied before children and young people can access this provision/service?
We are an inclusive academy trust and consider placements for any child across our academies and nurseries. We adhere to the guidance laid out in the Equalities Act 2010. Children with SEND are offered full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education, including an appropriate curriculum for the foundation stage.
For us to provide a successful provision for children with additional needs, we ensure we work in partnership with families and that families sign up to this agreement of building a team of support around the child. This may involve other outside agencies. We have clear induction meetings to ensure a child makes a successful start in our learning environments.
Through the regular monitoring of attainment and progress, children who may require additional support have their needs identified and become part of our ‘QFT – Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ process. Parents are consulted and encouraged to participate in partnership with the school.
How do we identify the particular special educational needs of a child or young person?
We have a clear system in place across the academies to identify potential special educational needs for a child. We consider early identification of SEN to be vital.
We follow the SEND Code of Practice (January 2015)
All class teachers track and monitor the data of children’s progress and attainment. Where a child is making limited progress, or achieving below age related expectations, the class teacher monitors to ensure this is not due to any underlying special educational need.
Classroom observations and learning walks by school leaders are standard practice, to ensure that children’s barriers to learning are not an issue that can be dealt with through the development of teaching strategies (quality first teacher). Any concerns are shared with the SLT and/or SENDCo.
The SENDCo subsequently uses appropriate assessment tools to further investigate concerns raised through the observation and monitoring processes.
Where needed, we refer to outside agencies to provide support in the identification and assessment of any barriers to learning.
We support parents in liaising with medical professionals where an underlying medical condition is causing barriers to learning to aid the process of identification.
Where behaviour is causing barriers to learning, we work closely with families to identify what the cause might be, such as parenting support, housing, bereavement or friendship issues.
How do we consult with parents and/or children and young people about their needs?
We recognise that it is essential we work in partnership with parents. We do this in many ways:
Individualised processes in place between nurseries and academies to ensure smooth transition.
Individualised transition processes in place between the school and Secondary schools.
Home Visits on entry for children transferring from nursery
Open days
Tours of the school by the Senior Leadership Team.
Staff visible and present on the playground at the beginning and the end of the day to communicate with parents and carers
Termly parent consultations
EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) Annual Reviews
Termly Individual Support Plan reviews
Family Support Team
Home/school communication books when required
Regular ‘check in, check-ups and check outs’ (opportunities for teacher/pupil communication)
Invite parents to observe and build awareness of the structured educational interventions their children are receiving e.g. Read Write Inc and Numbers Count
Subject leaders provide parent advisory/information sessions for key areas of children’s learning e.g. approaches to calculation, or reading development.
SEND Clinics
What is our approach to teaching children and young people with special educational needs?
Our academies are inclusive learning environments and we value each child as an individual.
All children are treated with equity, and we ensure that when additional needs are identified a team is built around the child. This team is inclusive of the parents/carers who know the child best, the class teacher and SENDCo and any additional outside agencies who may be involved in providing specific objectives and supportive advice (including health and social care).
The information from the team provides a clear identification of the child’s needs. Teachers then use this information to ensure the child’s needs are recognised and planned for within the classroom environment. Teachers are responsible for ensuring quality first teaching is adapted to meet the needs of any children with SEND.
Some pupils may require individual assessment by the SENDCo. The assessment will determine whether the pupil requires a bespoke programme of support. The programmes are devised to suit individual needs of the child and using evidence based research. Children identified with a higher level of need will also have an ISP (Individual Support Plan) with individualised targets.
How can we adapt our curriculum for children and young people with special educational needs?
We adapt the curriculum by:
Adaptation of class teaching – quality first teaching – ensuring access for all learners
SENDCo identifies children who need tailored intervention, in liaison with SLT, SENDCO and parents.
Individual Support Plans provide key targets and provision
Engaging parents to support home learning
Resources and specialist equipment provided and tailored to support children with special educational needs to progress within the classroom
Any interventions (in addition to class teaching) are reinforced and consolidated in the classroom
How will we ensure we get the services, provision and equipment that children and young people need?
At times we need to call on the advice of professionals to ensure that we have identified and provided for a child’s needs effectively, this might include:
Gaining support from external professions (e.g. the Communication & Interaction Team) for expert guidance to better support a pupil’s needs.
There may be times when we may not always have the resources and facilities to meet the specific needs of an individual child. Although we make every reasonable effort to do so, when this occurs we take advice from the Local Authority Special Educational Needs Team and signpost parents/carers for advice.
Advisory Teacher for SEN
Educational Psychology Service
Torbay Information Advice and Support (SENDIASS – free and confidential for parents)
Speech and Language Therapy Service
Hearing Impairment Service
Visual Impairment Service
School Nurse Team
Paediatrics
CAMHS
Social Care
Mayfield Chestnut (behaviour)
Combe Pafford Outreach
How is this provision funded?
Across our academies, provision for meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs is funded by the academies’ notional SEN budgets. Some pupils with special educational needs may also be eligible for Pupil Premium funding if they are in receipt of Free School Meals, are Looked After by the Local Authority or if their parents work in the Armed Forces. (For details of this please see the Pupil Premium Annual Report available on our website.)
Pupils with complex special educational needs and/or a disability who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan may also receive additional Element 3 funding from the Local Authority according to the complexity of the child’s needs.
What additional learning support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how do they access it?
As outlined below under “What other support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how can they access it?”, we may need to draw upon additional support from outside agencies.
The Family Support Worker and SENDCo will be able to signpost parents and carers to appropriate agencies and can offer to support through the referral process.
How do we support and improve the emotional and social development of children and young people with special educational needs?
All members of our PSED team are trained in Boxall.
Our Nurture Lead and PSED Lead are both Level 3 attachment aware trained.
A range of pastoral interventions based on the identification of need e.g. Boxall programmes.
The academies follow our Positive Behaviour Policy to ensure a consistent approach to behaviour management in every classroom.
Professional Development for all staff focusing on positive behaviour management.
Meal Time Assistants training and support for lunchtime positive behaviour management.
Guidance for parents in the emotional and social development of children (which may manifest as behavioural difficulties) with signposting to appropriate support through Early Help.
A Nuture Group is available for children who require additional emotional and social support – access is via a specific Nuture assessment. (This provision is only currently accessible at Ellacombe Academy)
Where social care is supporting a family, designated members of staff liaise with the case workers.
How do we support children and young people with special educational needs moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood?
Nursery to KS 1
Personalised tours for potential parents
Open day for potential parents
Home visits
SENDCo and Family Support lead liaison with children who may require extended transition
Opportunities for nursery children to spend time at the setting, meeting staff etc.
School Entry Plans are implemented with children already identified with a high level of SEND. These plans are reviewed following entry to the Academy
Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2
Transition sessions for children to spend time with their next teacher prior to moving year group
Extended transition plans for children who may require additional transition days
Class teacher handover to include sharing of SEND information
Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3
Open day for parents and children hosted by the KS3 provision
Year 5 opportunities to visit local secondary settings
Assisted transition for vulnerable children or those who would benefit from additional transition
Transition meeting between SEND Leads and class teachers and child in both setting environments
What other support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how can they access it?
There are many avenues of support to explore in regards to SEN. The SENDCo can aid parents and children in accessing the following (which is not an exhaustive list):
Social, Emotional and Mental Health:
Family Support Team liaise with Social Care and oversee Child Protection, Child In Need & Early Help
Pastoral interventions – identified by need
Liaison with outside agencies for advice and support – Educational Psychologist, Child Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Chestnut Outreach
Implementation of the Academy’s behaviour policy
Behaviour concern may be referred to SENDCo which may result in referral to Chestnut Outreach
South West Family Values
Communication and Interaction
Speech & Language concern may result in referral for Speech and Language Therapy
Liaison with Speech and Language Therapist. Recommendations implemented by allocated members of staff.
Use of resources such as: Talking Postcards, whiteboards
Request to outside agencies for advice such as Coombe Pafford, Chestnut, Coast Academies (ASD)
Makaton
Cognition and Learning
Concern forms may be referred to SLT and SENDCo from staff with concerns for progress or achievement using our graduated response paperwork
Specific tailored interventions: 1:1 Phonics, Read Write Inc, Counting to Calculating (Reading and Maths)
Battery of 1:1 assessment may be undertaken by SENDCo to determine barriers to learning followed by the implementation of appropriate bespoke intervention
Physical and Sensory
Outside agencies for advice such as Visual and Hearing Impairment Advisory Teachers
Implementation of recommendations by Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist by an allocated member of staff
Outside agency referral to Occupational Therapist for assessment and intervention
Provision of support resources as advised (wedges, specialised equipment)
Medical
Regular meetings with SENDCo, Family Support Team and School Nurse
Liaison with medical professionals for children with ongoing treatment
Implementation of medical plans as advised by medical professionals
What extra-curricular activities are available for children and young people with special educational needs?
Our Academies have extra-curricular activities available to all children, such as:
A range of After School Clubs
Regular school visits that are fully inclusive – we complete full risk assessments where children with specific difficulties may require additional support.
Residential Experiences for KS2 children
Breakfast and After School Club available for all children (fees apply)
Peripatetic teachers offer music tuition (fees apply)
Family Support Team will signpost service to provide guidance on where parents could access extracurricular facilities outside of school.
How do we assess and review progress towards agreed outcomes, and how are parents, children and young people involved in this process?
A graduated approach to SEND is used across the school, following the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process.
As soon as an SEND concern is raised, the school will seek the viewpoint of parents and children involved. Your voice as a family is extremely important in ensuring we have a full and broad picture of your child and that we have all relevant information to support the assessment and support process.
We may use the advice of professionals such as Educational Psychologists and/or Speech and Language Therapists, to agree desired intervention that is recorded as part of a child’s Individual Support Plan. If your child has an Individual Support Plan (ISP), Parents/carers will be invited to a review meeting at least 3 times a year and your views (Child and Parents) taken into consideration in planning next steps. Parents will be aware of outside agency involvement with their child and will be provided with relevant reports detailing intervention and progress.
Termly tracking of data and other evidence of progress is recorded on children’s records to ensure we can monitor the impact of additional support and intervention.
An Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is reviewed annually, twice if the recipient is under five years of age. The Annual Review enables provision for the pupil to be evaluated and, where appropriate, for changes to be made. Parents and pupils are consulted and encouraged to give their views as part of this review process.
How do we assess the effectiveness of our special needs provision and how are parents, children and young people involved in this assessment?
All intervention and provision implemented across the Academy is regularly reviewed to measure impact. If the intervention hasn’t been effective in ensuring progress within the targeted area of need, the child’s needs will be reassessed and interventions modified accordingly. The review process varies depending on the area of need: Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction, Physical/Sensory and Social, Emotional and Mental Health. This may be in conjunction with outside agencies, for example, occupational therapy reviewing impact of a support plan they have provided and the Academy has implemented.
As part of our practice, we collect information and feedback from parents and pupils using parental and pupil termly reviews.
Expertise is shared across our Trust. We carry out cross Academy moderation, which ensures that we have secure assessments of all children in the Partnership.
How do we ensure that teaching staff and other staff have the expertise needed to support children and young people with special educational needs?
Quality First Teaching, is the key to ensuring the best progress for all children. We invest in our staff to provide a learning environment where high quality interventions are run by trained staff, rather than deploying a Teaching Assistant in each class room.
Class teachers and Learning Support Assistants are trained in the delivery of the systematic phonics programme Read, Write Inc.
Numbers Count trained teacher
Staff Trained in the mathematical intervention programmes: From Counting to Calculating, Numbers Count, Number Sense and Success at Arithmetic. Each of these is a well-researched intervention programme for different key stages of the primary curriculum.
Staff trained in the delivery of Boxall and working alongside specialist advisory teachers to update skills
Across the Trust the SENDCos meet monthly to ensure best and consistent practice
SENDCo attends regular SENDCo Forums where there are opportunities to network and share good practice with local SENDCos in Devon and beyond.
Termly SEND Clinics/Inclusion Meetings held with class teachers and SENDCo to share expertise.
SENDCo consults with professionals from a range of services where required to ensure children with additional needs are best supported with recommendations from all professionals involved with the child.
The SENDCo has additional qualifications in SEND.
How do we keep parents informed where children and young people have special educational provision but do not have an Education Health and Care Plan?
Pupils with more complex and significant needs have Individual Support Plans (those with an EHCP will have an Implementation Plan). These documents are produced in consultation with parents and the pupil. A summary of the Special Educational Need is recorded, and targets set.
A review meeting is held to measure the impact of the support provided and to consider whether changes to that support need to be made. These meetings are held termly and the pupil, their parents, the class teacher and the SENDCo can all contribute to the review.
Where staff are concerned about a potential special educational need, parents will be involved fully in the process of assessments and any outside agency involvement.
Once a barrier has been identified through the graduated response and liaising with teaching staff and other professionals (such as Speech and Language Therapists or Educational Psychology) an Individual Support Plan may be put in place. We recognise that families hold a wealth of information and it is essential we work as a team to ensure best outcomes for children.
Teachers are available in the mornings and afternoons for direct contact to support home/school communication. Parent Consultations are held termly, where progress and concerns are shared.
Other communication documents may be used, based on the child’s individual needs, such as: home/school reward or behaviour chart and medical care plans.
How can parents, children and young people make a complaint about our provision?
We endeavour to work with parents at every opportunity, with staff available to speak to before and after school and a visible presence on the playground to build a collaborative relationship.
However, at times a complaint may be raised. If this is the case, there are many ways of gaining a positive resolution.
Initially parents/carers should seek a consultation with the class teacher and see if matters can be resolved
If the concern persists or is unresolved, an appointment to see a member of the senior leadership team can be made through the office.
How can parents, children and young people get more information about the setting?
If you would like to gain more information about Ellacombe C of E Academy and the Learning Academy Partnership (South West), to find out more about what we can offer children and families, please:
Contact the academy office 01803 293040 or via email ellacombe@lapsw.org
Arrange a parent tour
Visit the academy website for up to date newsletters and information
How the school involves other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young peopleâs SEN and supporting their families?
The Academy can arrange visits from the School Nurse Team to discuss pupils’ medical needs.
If a pupil has been referred to the Paediatric team the school will be contacted for information and consultation.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead has access to Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
The Academy has access to additional support through Torbay SEND Team and an Educational Psychology Service. Planning and review meetings are held during the year to discuss pupils with SEND prior to engaging their involvement or to discuss progress. SENDIASS is available to attend meetings to support parents.
The Partnership could access the services of a bereavement counsellor to support bereaved children.
What arrangements are in place for supporting children who are looked after by the local authority and have SEN?
The Looked After Children Coordinator will liaise with the SEND Team with regards to accessing appropriate support and provision for identified SEND children. This will follow the Assess, Plan, Do, Review model.
