Special Needs Coordinator: Claire Holt (cholt@olota.uk or 01803 613095)
SEN Governor: Angie Baldwin (contact via office 01803 613095)
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School is a fully inclusive school community which aims to provide the very best education for all our pupils.
What kind of special needs does Our Lady of the Angels School provide for?
The school uses a range of data, observations and assessments to identify pupils who are assessed as having additional learning needs. These may include literacy difficulties such as dyslexia, spelling difficulties, and processing speed or mathematics difficulties. In addition to this, some pupils may have more complex needs and need a more comprehensive process of assessments. All additional needs fall under the four categories below, although many pupils will have needs from more than one area:
- Cognition and learning
- Social, Mental & Emotional Health
- Communication & Interaction
- Physical and sensory
Our Lady of the Angels has children with a wide range of need based on these categories. The majority of our pupils have their needs met from support and appropriate scaffolding as part of a teacher’s quality first teaching in class. Some children require further support and need something which is “additional to” or “different from” their peers to cater for their special educational needs.
We do not discriminate in any way against any pupil seeking admission. Once pupils are at our school, our aim is to provide the best possible learning experiences for all; this includes giving necessary support to individuals or groups of pupils who require something extra to meet their needs. We actively encourage all pupils to have full access not only to the taught curriculum, but also to out of school enrichment activities and all are encouraged to participate in the range of clubs and sports. Pupils are involved in reviewing their learning experiences, evaluating their progress and actively planning their learning.
How does Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School know if a pupil needs extra help and what should their parents do if they think their child has special education needs (SEND)?
Children who are not making expected progress academically and/or socially will be assessed through a variety of observations, class-based assessments and diagnostic assessment. Parents will also be consulted to see if any changes or difficulties have been noticed or have occurred at home.
If you as parents and carers have any concerns about your child's progress you should contact their child's class teacher in the first instance as they know your child and their needs within the classroom best.
When necessary, further advice may be sought with parental consent, from external professionals such as the Educational Psychologist or our School Nurse. The school works closely with external agencies to ensure early identification of need and further provision is pinpointed to support the needs of every child.
What support does Our Lady of the Angels offer for our children’s well-being?
We offer a graduated response to mental well-being. Children in every year group receive well-being lessons each year to provide them with a toolkit of strategies for positive mental health such as exercise, talk to friends, get some sleep or read a book.
Our school has a nurturing ethos which benefits all our children. We are willing to make adjustments for children that require additional support or alternative arrangements.
We offer a supervised lunch club for children who may require additional support at lunchtime to develop their social skills.
We are supported by our Educational Psychologist as well as Behavioural Support from Chestnut Outreach, the school nurse team and CAMHs (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Team).
What specialist services and expertise are accessed by Our Lady of the Angels?
Educational Psychologist
SEN Advisory Team
Chestnut behaviour outreach
Speech and Language Therapy
Child & Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHs)
Visual & Hearing Impairment Advisory Teachers
School Nurse Team
Early Help
What training have the staff at Our Lady of the Angels had to support your child?
We work closely with specialists who train, guide and advise us, so we can deliver the best support for children with SEND.
Recent training includes:
●Coaching for setting learning plan targets
●Whole school Attachment Awareness
●Supporting children with slow processing and working memory
●Delivering precision teaching
●Scaffolding support for SEN children and encouraging independence (delivered by Educational Psychologist)
●Speech & Language levels training and colourful semantics
SEN Core Progression Steps
At Our Lady’s we recognise that children with SEN may need to take small steps in their learning, and this can sometimes appear as if they are making no progress compared to their peers.
We aim to ensure that the children with SEN do not have gaps in their learning but rather build upon skills in a methodical way.
We have created a ‘functional skills’ type assessment programme which focuses on Speech and Language, Writing and Maths. We have broken down the curriculum in these areas into small steps, focusing on what the children will need to learn to gain the life skills they will need for success in the future.
How accessible is Our Lady of the Angels?
The outdoor space is accessible with safe wheelchair access to our field.
The school is spread over three floors, however there is a lift with plenty of space for a large wheelchair.
There are stairs to the main hall where a platform stair lift is in place.
We have two disabled toilets within the building - one on the ground floor with a hoist and one on the second floor.
How are parents involved in the education of their child?
All parents are encouraged to be involved in their child’s education. Working in partnership always has the greatest impact on a child’s progress.
If required, teachers may set up a home/school communication book and ask for support in hearing your child read and completing homework or specific work towards individual targets.
Parents of children who have an Education Health Care Plan are invited to meet with the SENCO each term to discuss their child’s needs and next steps.
How are your child’s views taken into account?
●Children are involved in target setting and reviewing the success of their work. Teachers give verbal feedback and have pupil/teacher conferencing so that children are aware of what they need to do to move on in their learning.
●Children with EHC plans are involved in setting targets and invited to attend annual reviews to discuss their learning.
What steps should be taken if you have concerns about your child’s provision?
If you are concerned about your child’s provision, please talk to us. Talk to your child’s teacher in the first instance, they may direct you to the SENCO.
Most issues can be dealt with appropriately with good communication but should you wish to make a complaint please see the complaints policy on the website.
The SEN Governor is Angie Baldwin, who can be contacted via the school office.
Where can I get further information?
The Local Authority provides information for parents who have a child with additional needs here:
Torbay SEN https://www.torbay.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/send/
If you feel your child requires extra support in school and you and/ or the school wish to apply for an Education Health Care Plan you will find guidance criteria here:
https://www.torbay.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/send/statutory-assessments/
SENDIASS provide information, advice and support for young people & parents/carers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 0-25. http://sendiasstorbay.org.uk/
What is the Torbay Local Offer?
The local authority are required by the Government to set out and publish a ‘Local Offer’. It provides clear accessible information about services available in the area, for parents and young people.
The local offer:
■Provides information on provision from birth to 25 across education, health and social care
■Makes clear the options that are available at a community level right through to specialist and targeted services for children and young people with more complex needs.
If you would like further information please click here.