Under the Children and Families Act of 2014, Local Authorities are required to publish, and keep under review, information about services that they expect to be available for children and young people with disabilities and Special Educational Needs aged 0-25.  This is called the Local Offer.  The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families.  It will also be an important resource for professionals in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.

Meriden CE Primary School is a fully inclusive school that is totally committed to providing the best possible education to all of its children regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, sexual identity, physical ability or educational needs.  This document is intended to give you information regarding the many ways in which we ensure we support all of our children, including those with SEND.  It is important to note that it may not include every skill, resource and technique that we employ as these are continually being developed and modified to meet the changing requirements of individual children.  Please click on the links for additional information.

 

​Who is the school SENCO/Inclusion Leader?

The school’s designated Inclusion Leader is Mrs Victoria Massey. She is supported by Mrs Becki Yeomans, our Pastoral Lead.

 

The roles and responsibilities of the Inclusion Leader include:

• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy

• co-ordinating provision for children with SEN

• liaising with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN

• advising on the graduated approach to providing SEN support

• advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively

• liaising with parents of pupils with SEN

• liaising with early years providers, other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies

• being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services

• liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned

• working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements

• ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date

• writing and reviewing the school’s Special Educational Needs Policy

• organising appropriate INSET for all staff

• completing relevant paperwork, including ‘Education, Health and Care Plans’ and referrals and monitoring their progress through regular liaison with the Local Authority’s Statementing Officer

  • organising appropriate and timely interventions to support children not on track to meet their targets and monitoring the effectiveness of such interventions

 

What are the school’s areas of strength?

The school has supported a huge number of children with a range of additional needs including Autism, Dyslexia, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Learning Difficulties and Speech and Language Difficulties

Please click here

 

What specialist facilities/equipment are available to support children with SEND?

The building is mostly wheelchair accessible as we have a lift into Key Stage 2, and there are disabled changing and toilet facilities; within one disabled toilet facility, we have a hoist and a bed. Adjustments have been made to various taps around school, which have sink facilities with easy to turn on taps.  There is a disabled bay in the staff car park which parents are able to use following agreement with the school office.

A range of equipment and resources are purchased throughout the year to support specific needs and these are usually recommended as part of advice received from the external professionals we work with.  In recent years, resources have ranged from specialist chairs, iPads to support children with their communication and vision needs, wobble cushion, ear defenders, fiddle toys and writing slopes. Staff have received training by appropriate agencies allowing them to hoist children and provide physiotherapy exercises. The Nurture Room and Sensory room provide support to children with sensory and emotional needs.

Our Disability and Accessibility plan, in policies, outlines adaptations made to the building to meet particular needs and enhance learning. 

 

What input do you receive from Therapists/Advisory Teachers/other specialist support services?

Staff at Meriden are committed to working with external professionals in order to meet the needs of all children. We work in partnership with the Specialist Inclusion Support Service (SISS). The following teams support children within our school:
 Communication & Language Difficulties Team (CLD)
 Autism Team
 Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
 Sensory/ Physical Team
 Visually Impaired Team
 Speech, Language and Communication Disorders Team (SLCD)
A linked teacher is allocated to us from each team and the school work closely with the link teacher to plan the allocated time effectively. The Autism Team only work with children who have a diagnosis of Autism. It is expected that school’s will be able to support most Autistic children internally and the Autism Team support those with a higher level of need.
Further support is provided via the Community Educational Psychology Service (CEPS). School has a named Educational Psychologist, who workers closely with children, parents and staff, to enhance support.
The school also works with the Early Years Area SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator), which currently supports children in Nursery, with some early transition support in Reception.
In addition, Meriden has invested in the services of a speech therapist, who works with specific children in Nursery, Reception. Physiotherapists, Occupation Health Therapists, Physical Impairment Advisors, Habilitation Officer, School Nurses and Health Visitors also work closely with the school as appropriate.

 

What CPD have staff had in order to meet the needs of children with SEND?    

Senior leaders are committed to providing the entire staff with appropriate CPD in order to carry out their roles and responsibilities to the very highest standards. As a result, staff regularly receive training sessions on a range of needs. Recent training has included:
 1:1 support for specific staff working with children with additional needs.
 Supporting anxiety
 Emotion Coaching
 Diabetic training
 Autism awareness
 Cerebral Visual Impairment
 Precision Teaching
 Attachment needs
Training is always focused on specific needs and the school actively seeks expertise and additional training as necessary.

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INCLUSION:

How do you promote inclusion within school? Including day and residential trips?

Here at Meriden we are totally committed to providing an inclusive education for all of our children. To this end, every child in each year group, participates in a range of trips which are carefully planned by staff to enhance their learning. Children in Key Stage 2 benefit from an annual residential trip, every possible effort is made to ensure this is accessible to every child regardless of their needs.

 

What proportion of children currently at the school have SEND?     

28 percent

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PARENT SUPPORT/ INVOLVEMENT/LIAISON:

How do you involve/ support the parents of children with SEND regarding identifying and meeting their needs?  Parents know their child best, so we believe that working in partnership with parents is essential.
Parents are involved at every stage during the identification of special educational needs, through to discussing and reviewing provision implemented.
If a parent has any concerns about their child's development, they are encouraged to share their thoughts with the child's class teacher and can ask to speak with the school SENCO or Pastoral Lead.
Parents are invited to discuss pupil progress and provision with the class teacher, each term. Every child in the school with additional needs, where they are receiving support for their specific needs, has a Needs Based Plan, with small step targets mapped out.
Where a child receives a high level of targeted or specialist provision, to meet their complex SEND needs, a member of the SEND team, the school SENCo and external agency professionals may be in attendance, along with the parents, at a termly SEND review meeting to discuss progress against a child’s specific SEND targets. Outcomes of assessments by other external agencies may also be discussed with parents at review meetings and reports shared.
As part of the graduated approach some pupils are identified to require the highest level of support, the SENCo will apply for statutory assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This is a lengthy process, part of which involves a structured discussion with the parent. Close liaison with parents is necessary throughout and once the plan is in place. If the plan is agreed it will be reviewed, and updated at a meeting with the parents, SENCo, EHCP team and any other external agencies involved, at an annual review.
Parental views are sought at termly and annual reviews and throughout the year to obtain parents' views about their child's SEND, provision to meet pupils needs and any reasonable adjustments which parents feel may be appropriate.                                                                                                                           

 

How do you communicate their progress and areas of difficulty?   

There are a range of both formal and informal opportunities to meet with staff including Parents’ Evenings and at the end of the school day. Parent evenings with the class teacher are held twice a year where progress and any concerns will be discussed, however if there is an immediate concern the class teacher will contact the parents directly and invite them to come in for a meeting. The outcome of this meeting will determine whether a child may need a Needs Based Plan (NBP) and/or involvement in a specific intervention. For children with more complex needs a My Support Plan may be implemented. Parents are also encouraged to make an appointment to see their child’s Class Teacher should they have any immediate concerns and appointments can also be made with Mrs Massey (SENCO). All appointments can be made in the following ways:
 at the school office
 by telephone – 01676 522466
 by email – staff email addresses are sent out via a newsletter at the beginning of each academic year
Parents of SEND children are invited to attend a termly meeting with either the class teacher or SENCO. At this meeting, the child’s progress against the targets set in their Needs Based Plan will be discussed and all parties (child, teacher and parent) will be asked for their views and feedback about progress to date.

 

PUPIL VOICE:

How do you know the views of the child?

Children’s views are actively sought on a regular basis throughout their time at Meriden. This includes opportunities for children to be part of the School Council. Key Stage 2 children also have the opportunity to present their views via questionnaires.
Children with SEND also have the opportunity to share their thoughts about what they enjoy and what they find difficult as part of reviews and information gathered to produce One Page Profiles.

 

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How will the school prepare children with SEND to join their next stage of education or life?   

From the beginning of Year 6, children are gradually prepared for their transfer to secondary school. We develop responsibility through tasks undertaken in class and around school.
Additional activities are planned to support the transition of our children with SEND and any other children we consider to be particularly vulnerable. For some children, additional visits are set up to visit their secondary school, so that they can become more familiar with the layout of the school and build a better relationship with staff. They may also receive additional support from one of the Solihull Specialist Inclusion Support Service Teams. A transition book is also made for those children that need it. This includes pictures of their new teacher, their new classroom and other key parts of the school including the hall and playground for example.
Similar procedures are in place for children moving into new year groups within Meriden and more information can be found in the Transition Policy.

 

 

OTHER INFORMATION:

What services, external agencies or support groups are available for parents?  

There are many support groups for parents of children with special educational needs available locally:

Solihull Family Information Services website using this link: 

https://www.solihull.gov.uk/children-and-family-support

Autism West Midlands: https://www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/

SOLO:https://socialsolihull.org.uk/localoffer/family-information-service-directory/3554/solihull-life-opportunities-solo/

Solihull parent carervoice - enquires@spcv.org.uk

SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service): https://socialsolihull.org.uk/localoffer/education/sendias/ 0121 516 5173

Solihull Learning disability service - https://ww.solihull.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/learning-disabilities 

Activities/ holidays for SEND children - http://www.solihull.gov.uk/children-and-family-support/short-breaks

 

What are the arrangements for making a complaint?

Should you have any concerns or worries, please do not hesitate to get in touch straight away, by phone, email, dojo or direct contact. You can speak to your child’s class teacher, the SENCo or a member of the Senior Leadership Team, so that we can work together to ensure the needs of your child can be met quickly and effectively. 

 

Should you feel your concern has not been managed to your satisfaction or you want further support please speak to the Headteacher, who will assist you. 

Please refer to our school Complaints Policy

 

 

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