sen annual report for st. joseph's catholic primary school

St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby: 2019-20

SEN Annual Report for St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby 2019-20

1. Executive Summary

2. School characteristics & Context: 2.1: Commentary 2.2: Breakdown of SEN register by primary category of need 2.3: Primary Needs 2.4: Spread of needs across year groups 3. Funding arrangements: 3.1:Breakdown of Funding 2019-20

4. Current SEN staffing infrastructure 5. Staff training and Qualifications 5.1: Staff qualifications 5.2: Training opportunities provided in this period 6. Relevant data sets 7. Range of interventions currently in place 7.1: Intervention Overview 7.2: Other Outside Agencies involvement:

8. Attendance & Exclusions 9. Quality Assurance Arrangements 10. SEND Pupil Profiles 11. Parent Involvement / Engagement 12. Pupil Involvement / Engagement 13. Governor Links 14. Compliance with statutory duties 15. SENCO’s Summary of the Year 16. SENCo’s Action Plan / Link with SDP 17. View from SEN Governor

18. View from Stakeholders

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SEN Annual Report for St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby

Report by Liz Holmes (SENCO)

Period Academic Year 2019-20

1. Executive Summary:

This annual report presents the context of Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby for the academic year 2019-20. It

identifies key statistics regarding the nature of SEND needs in school and highlights and explains how pupils with SEND are supported in school in order that they can achieve

their full potential. Data analysis and reflection on practice identifies the school's current strengths in relation to SEND provision and highlights those areas that can be developed

further.

2. School Characteristics & Context:

St. Joseph's, Wetherby is a Catholic primary school for boys and girls. We have 8 registration

classes for 227 pupils aged from three to eleven.

4.4% pupils are eligible for free school meals.

15% pupils have SEND provision of which 0.88% have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) and 1.32% receive Funding for Inclusion (FFI).

The highest category of SEND is Cognition & Learning accounting for 63% of the primary SEND need followed by Speech, Language & Communication Needs at 17%.

19/20

Total number of children on school roll 227

Number of children on SEN register for this period 35

% of children on school roll with SENs 15%

Number of children with EHCPs 2*

2.1: Commentary:

Over the past four year, the number of pupils with SEND support has remained relatively consistent. We pride ourselves on early identification of SEND need and intervention and will place children on the register if we feel this is appropriate. At the end of 2020 we have 2 pupils (0.8%) with an EHC plan which is below the national figure of 1.3% and we have 1 application submitted.

2.2: Breakdown of SEN register by primary category of need: The highest primary need continues to be Cognition & Learning. Specific learning difficulty and

mild learning difficulties are beginning to rise with pupils highlighting dyslexia tendencies. Of the 22 children within the Cognition & Learning Category, 9 have an official dyslexia diagnosis whilst another 5 have significant dyslexic traits but have not had a formal assessment. We have followed Leeds Dyslexia guidelines, ensuring all of our classrooms are Dyslexia Friendly and that we teach using Dyslexia Friendly techniques. We provide pupils with materials such as coloured books, overlays and reading rulers to support pupils in class. Teachers & TAs have received training on adapting resources for pupils in class with dyslexia.

We have continued our service with Interactions Speech Therapy this year and this has meant that all pupils on our Speech & Language Register have been reviewed prior to COVID

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Lockdown. Two pupils are currently on the NHS Pathway for specialist intervention and are accessing specialised blocks of treatment, these have been re-referred during Lockdown and are ongoing.

Two pupils have a diagnosis of autism.

19/20

Cognition and learning 21 Sensory impairments 0 Behavioural, social, emotional and mental health needs 5 Speech , language and communication needs 7 Physical disabilities 0 Medical needs 2 TOTAL: 35

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2.3: Primary Needs:

2019-20 EYFS KS1 KS2 Total

Prime Need

Category of Need

FS1 FS2 YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 YR5 YR6

M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F

Cognition & Learning

Specific Learning Difficulty (SPLD)

Dyslexia Diagnosis

1 2 2 3 1 9

Mild / Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD)

1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 10

Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)

1 1 2

Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)

Behaviour, Social, Emotional & Mental Health Needs

Social, Emotional & Mental Health

1 1 1 2 5

Speech, Language & Communication Needs

Speech, Language & Communication Needs (SLCN)

1 1 3 5

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

1*

1*

2

Physical / Sensory / Medical Impairment

Visual Impairment (VI)

Hearing Impairment (HI)

Physical Disability (PD)

Medical Condition

1 1 2

SEND Support but not specialist assessment of type of need (NSA)

TOTAL: Prime Need by Year Group & Gender

1 1 2 1 0 2 5 1 3 2 4 1 6 3 3 0 35

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2.4: Spread of needs across year groups:

19/20

Nursery on SEN register 2 Reception on SEN register 3 Year 1 on SEN register 2 Year 2 on SEN register 6 Year 3 on SEN register 5 Year 4 on SEN register 5 Year 5 on SEN register 9 Year 6 on SEN register 3 TOTAL:

35

The spread of need is relatively even across EYFS and Year 1.

Year 2 has a cohort of 4 boys who have all required considerable additional support, one receives E Band funding hence the need to ensure more TA support has been in place in this year group.

Year 3 & 5 both have high number of children with dyslexic tendencies (7 of the 9 have official diagnosis).

Across the year groups the use of B-Squared assessments has been crucial in showing the progress of these pupils and has highlighted the targets to work towards. Some

children have individual B Squared targets but it has also worked well as an assessment tool for groups.

Number of SEND Pupils Assessed on B Squared:

19/20

Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2 4 Year 3 3 Year 4 4 Year 5 9 Year 6 2 TOTAL:

22

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3. Funding arrangements:

We currently have 3 children who receive FFI Top up funding. A successful new application was made in the Autumn Term of 2019 for one of these children. All of these children receive funding for 'E Band' ~ 2 for pragmatic difficulties linked to their ASC and one for specific speech and language impairments. It needs to be noted however that the 2 children who receive the funding for pragmatic difficulties will no longer be in our school community from Sept 2020 due to transition to high school and transfer to specialist provision.

Due to Covid 19 there are implications for FFI funding going forward as the FFI team have decided that no applications for funding can be placed this year, unless pupils are new to school. This means that the re-application for the child moving into Year 3 does not need to now be made until Year 5 but that no application could be made for other children in school who were identified as meeting criteria. (This does not affect the 2 children who are currently accessing the NHS SaLT Pathway programme for whom an E Band application will be made in the Autumn term of 2020.)

3.1:Breakdown of Funding 2019-20 AMOUNT RECEIVED: 4 units £2736

FFI FUNDING BAND: E Band SSI

BRIEF OUTLINE OF EXPENDITURE:

Half termly appointments with private speech therapist in school.

Accesses x3 weekly SaLT sessions with SD (Staff expenditure)

Additional support in lessons from Support Assistant (Staff expenditure)

SENCO Support (Staff expenditure)

Half termly appointments with private speech therapist in school. Purchased in school to support with reading and spelling.

NESSY purchased in school to support with reading and spelling.

POINTS TO NOTE:

Funding for 2018-19 has enabled private speech & language Therapy Company to be employed within school. Half termly appointment with speech therapist.

NHS Referral to be made Spring Term 2020 ready for reapplication in July 2020

AMOUNT RECEIVED: 10 units £6,840

FFI FUNDING BAND: E Band Pragmatics

BRIEF OUTLINE OF EXPENDITURE:

Termly appointments with private speech therapist in school.

LEGO Therapy resources purchased ~ Lego sets / staff to support the sessions in school.

Has 1:1 support 2 days a week with TA / access to additional support x5 days (Staff expenditure)

SENCO Support (Staff expenditure)

NESSY purchased in school to support with social interactions.

Purchase of resources and games to work on Social Interaction skills.

STARS Training for staff

POINTS TO NOTE:

Funding for 2019-20 has enabled private speech & language Therapy Company to be employed within school. Termly appointment with speech therapist.

Successful EHCP application in Summer Term 2019

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4. Current SEN staffing infrastructure

Each class has an assigned TA who works alongside the class teacher to support all the children within the class and to provide additional support for those children identified as having SEND. Within school there are 2 HLTAs who provide additional cover across all classes.

Staff

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator 1 Higher–level teaching assistants (HLTAs) 2 Teaching assistants 8 Nursery Nurse 1

5. Staff training and Qualifications

Training of Support Staff had been identified as a key area to focus on during 20-19-20 and was a

key feature of all support staff performance management objectives. A comprehensive plan &

timetable had been drawn up which was halted due to COVID19 lockdown.

5.1: Staff qualifications

Qualifications

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator BAJH Geography & Management

PGCE Primary Education

National SENCO Award Higher–level teaching assistants (HLTAs) HLTA Award Teaching assistants NVQ's Varying Levels 5.2: Training opportunities provided in this period

Staff role Training accessed SENCO 7Habits

STARS Drop-in Session on Sensory Processing

EP Cluster Meetings

SENCO Network Meetings ~ (Catholic Compass)

Effective Transition (STARS Team)

MAP Panel Member

FFI Moderation Panel Member

All Support Staff Team Teach

First Aid Refresher

7 Habits

NESSY

SWST

Read Fluently Model

Lego Therapy

Dyslexia Awareness Training

B Squared Refresher Training

Speech & Language Training ~ Colour Coding / Vocab in the Classroom / Speech Pronunciation Difficulties / Working Memory

Big Moves (x 1 member of staff)

Using Visuals (x 2 member of staff)

Word Aware in the Early Years (x 2 members of staff)

Teachers Team Teach

First Aid Refresher

7 Habits

Dyslexia Awareness Training

B Squared Refresher Training

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6. Relevant data sets

At the end of every academic year all subject leaders write their Annual subject leader reports for the Governing body that identify strengths and areas for future development. A focus on SEN is contained within each report and data is key so that accurate conclusions can be drawn. The findings that feed into the next year's action plan. Please see Appendix 1 for the SEN Data report for 2019-20.

7. Range of interventions currently in place

There are a high number of interventions in place across school as well as the

introduction of 'Quality First Top Ups' occurring on a daily basis. Interventions have shown

that pupils have made progress and have been effective in transferring their learning into

whole class teaching. The interventions work best when they have been short sessions

and have had class teacher's input in setting objectives. Class teachers work alongside

their support staff to identify which children need to access different interventions of QFT

and keep the necessary records. Progress is monitored and discussed at the half termly

Pupil progress meetings which involve discussion and analysis between the class

teacher, Headteacher and SENCO.

7.1: Intervention Overview

Description Lego Therapy

Number of students currently accessing intervention

X3 children Year 6 X3 children Year 5

Comments on effectiveness This has proved to be an excellent activity for all the children who have taken part. It has primarily been used with the 2 boys who have pragmatic difficulties linked to their ASC and has focused on their social interaction skills with their peers. All have benefitted as they have received time in a small group which has helped to focus them on turn taking and initiating conversations with other people. They have developed self confidence and have enjoyed the feeling of success when a Lego model has been completed. They are keen to share this success with other people outside of the group. encouraging correct use of language to enable their friends to understand positioning of Lego pieces. All the children have benefitted from spending time with peers who have modelled good behaviour and appropriate language particularly positional language. Skills have been transferred to the classroom as all the boys are more confident in explaining why or how they have carried out a task and the playground in terms of joining in and playing with peers.

Description Speech & Language across school


X 11 children through Interactions X2 children on NHS Pathway

Comments on effectiveness All the children in this group are making good progress towards their targets. Each child has been seen by the Speech Therapist and targets are reviewed and updated. This year we introduced the most relevant member of staff attending the session with the Speech Therapist so that they could see the techniques and strategies modelled. This has proved invaluable in terms of raising staff confidence for implementing and using the techniques and has also meant that the transition into the classroom setting has been easier and quicker. Two drop in sessions were also held for parents in the Autumn term of 2019 so that their child's targets could be discussed and strategies and ideas for use at home could be shared. All parents shared how useful they had found these sessions to be and they will now become an annual event.

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Description Happy To Be Me


X6 children from Year 3& 4

Comments on effectiveness This began to be run weekly by the SENCO focusing on self-esteem and emotional wellbeing. Three sessions were held prior to COVID19 lockdown. Despite the short amount of time it had been effective in helping the children to recognise skills and talents that made them unique and they had all developed confidence in being prepared to share their feelings in front of a small group. Class teachers had commented on the children's improved attitude and their eagerness for the sessions to come round again. This will be resumed once it is safe to do so in school.

Description NESSY


50 from Year 1 - Year 6

Comments on effectiveness NESSY has proved to be extremely effective across school and was an invaluable resource during Lockdown as many children were able to access their activities and maintain some element of independent learning. Children in all the year groups have enjoyed the variety of activities and moving through the different islands. The use of the worksheets alongside the computer programme has also proved useful for a number of children as they have been able to consolidate their learning and see the transfer across from the screen to a written piece of work. NESSY Fingers has also proved to be a useful programme for some of the older children in Key Stage 2 who are encouraged to develop and work on their touch-typing skills.

Description 3 Book Reading Approach (Read Fluently Model)


X1 Year 1 X1 Year 2 X3 Year 3 X2 Year 5

Comments on effectiveness This intervention continues to embed within school and all staff are more confident at identifying those children who would benefit from this approach. All TAs have been trained in the approach, have set up the necessary systems in their class and the children involved are familiar and happy with the set-up. Children are heard to read on a more frequent basis and their confidence and fluency is improving. In addition all the children have commented on their increased enjoyment for reading and parents have fed-back that reading at home is less of a battle. The purchase of a new reading scheme has meant that staff need to identify where the new books fit best alongside the old levels and this is something that will need to continue to develop in the Autumn term of 2020.

Description SWST Analysis


Year 2-6

Comments on effectiveness SWST analysis is now used from Year 2 upwards. All of the class complete the assessment and then detailed analysis is carried out for those children who find spelling challenging. Personalised spelling patterns are identified which are worked on, on a weekly basis. These overviews are also shared with parents. Spelling patterns are inputted into Spelling Shed so that they can be practised in all formats. All staff have received a training refresher so that they are confident to administer the tests, analyse the results, plan & deliver the interventions and review & monitor its impact. Staff are now confident with this programme and it is used widely and independently across school. Those children who are on personalised spelling programmes are supported in class through the use of spelling key rings, word mats & My Try dictionaries.

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Description Visual Stress Assessments


Year 1-6 (x16 children were assessed

prior to lockdown with a further 10 identified to be tested upon return to school.)

Comments on effectiveness This has been one of the simplest and cheapest interventions to implement but is possibly the one that has had the most immediate impact. The Visual Stress Assessment kit was bought in September 2019 and any child who is identified as having some dyslexic traits can be assessed immediately to determine which colour overlay and exercise books will be most beneficial. Some of the results have been incredible with one child's reading rate increasing by 68 words in a minute! A whole school visual assessment register has been set up and shared with all class teachers. Specific exercise books (both lined and squared), overlays and reading rulers have been ordered in line with the specific colours required so this is now much more cost effective too. Children have commented on the immediate difference when letters don't move around anymore and parents have been really pleased that a set of resources is also sent home.

Description Big Moves


X6 pupils KS1 X6 pupils KS2

Comments on effectiveness This has proved to be an excellent intervention. The SENCO has trained 1 member of staff to lead the intervention in school and prior to Lockdown 2 groups were accessing this weekly. All of the children were engaged and enthusiastic and making progress towards the 10 Big Moves. In addition those children who were accessing it for SEMH needs and to increase self-esteem, confidence and leadership were making accelerated progress. This intervention will be resumed once it is safe to do so in school. 7.2: Other Outside Agencies involvement:

2 children have had specialist NHS Speech & Language Therapy on the Pathway model.

Interactions Speech Therapy have seen 11 children across the year. This continues to be very successful and again the continuity of the same speech therapist working with both the children and staff on every visit has been invaluable. Each visit is planned in close collaboration with the SENCO and the therapist then assesses and sets targets, provides all the necessary resources and models good practice for staff. Copies of speech and language plans are always shared with relevant staff and parents.

1 pupil has had support from SENIT (devising programmes of work to use in school for learning).

2 children have received support from STARS in preparation for their EHCP Annual Reviews.

Parents were signposted to SENDIAS to help with the EHCP Annual Review & next steps.

Educational Psychologist (EP) has been involved in a casework for 1 pupil for whom an EHCP application has been submitted in July 2020.

We have attended an EP city wide consultation meeting for a child where parents were also invited and attended.

We have used the EPOSS Cluster for referrals for pupils with emotional needs and accessed family support outreach work .

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8. Attendance & Exclusions:

Whole-school attendance rate 97.00%

Attendance rate for those on SEN register 95.23%

(Please note the above attendance rates are for the period from 07/09/20 to 20/3/20 and do not include the

period where school was closed due to Covid19)

In 2019 / 2020 there were no exclusions.

9. Description of SENCOs Current Quality Assurance Arrangements:

Quality assurance and performance management of teaching assistants

CPD / Training Sessions

External Training Courses Attended

TA Performance Management targets and observations

Working alongside TAs / Modelling good practice

Quality assurance and performance management of other staff

CPD / Training Sessions

Learning Walks

Monitoring of One Key Folder / SEND Pupil Profiles

Book Scrutiny

Pupil Progress Meetings

SEN Teacher Review Meetings

EP Support

SENIT Support

Working alongside Teachers / Modelling good practice

Quality assurance of interventions

Progress of children taking part in interventions is monitored through Pupil Progress Meetings which take place on a half-termly basis with the SENCO, class teacher and head teacher. Progress is monitored and tracked.

Quality First Top Ups means pupils can access quick intervention in addressing any previous learning not met.

Pre-teaching interventions are supportive in ensuring that SEND pupils are included within the lessons.

Class teachers and support staff work together to complete Intervention Record sheets. SENCO monitors their use and effectiveness.

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10. SEND Pupil Profiles contained within the One Key Class Folder:

Pupils on the SEND register have a SEND Pupil Profile which is stored in the 'One Key

Folder' for each class.

Within each individual SEND Pupil Profile there is a Pupil Passport, a provision grid, SEN

Support Plan (if required) and B Squared targets (if required.) These detail SMART targets

being led by EHCP outcomes, B Squared assessments and any outside agency involvement

or recommendations and may include academic and SEMH needs. Each profile is different

dependent on the individual needs and nature of the child. The pupils' individual learning

targets which are worked on, daily in 1:1 or small group sessions.

Targets are quality assured by the SENCO during the termly SEN review meetings with every

class teacher when they are also reviewed and updated.

SEND Pupil Profiles are always shared with parents. Parents of pupils with SEND are offered

termly meetings with the SENCO & class teacher in order to discuss the SEND Pupil Profiles

and targets They also meet with the class teacher twice a year as part of the annual parent

consultation evenings where the SENCO is also in attendance.

All children are making progress in line with their SEND Pupil profile and individual plan. This

is due to them being highly child led and specific to their individual needs.

11. Parent Involvement / Engagement:

Following on from the success of the SEN Showcase afternoon in March 2019 a second SEN

Showcase event was held in October 2019. The focus of the morning was 'Approaches to

Reading.' The SENCO led a workshop for parents explaining the 3 Book Approach to

Reading and shared strategies and techniques for encouraging a love of reading at home.

Parents also received a personalised pack of resources for their child to help with the

approach at home. Parents then had the opportunity to work alongside their children in their

class, to see first-hand the provision that is in place for their child and to participate in some of

the interventions that they access. Every parent who was invited was able to attend and the

feedback results were excellent. Staff also commented on the value of the afternoon.

(Appendix 2)

EHCP applications are written with the involvement of parent/carers and the collaboration

between home and school has been a key element. This has continued to be a key focus of

this academic year with 2 EHCP Annual reviews & 1 new application submitted. The

applications and annual review paperwork have all been noted for being robust, detailed,

comprehensive and excellent submissions.

Parents/carers are consulted when decisions on personal/intimate care and medical needs

are required.

SENCO makes early contact with new parents of children with SEND in the summer term

prior to the child starting.

New classroom strategies are shared with relevant parents.

Success and progress are shared with parents as often as possible.

SENCO offers parent evening appointments at both consultations’ sessions during the year

12. Pupil Involvement / Engagement:

Unfortunately, due to the Covid19 Lockdown the annual pupil satisfaction questionnaire was not carried out with all of the children on the SEN Register. Careful consideration was given as to whether this was an activity that could be carried out remotely with the children completing it at home but it was felt that this was not the appropriate way to elicit the information, particularly in light of the possible worries linked to Covid19 and school closure. It has always been conducted on a 1:1 basis between each child on the SEN Register and the SENCO and has been an

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invaluable tool in highlighting what is working well for the children as well as identifying some areas that need to be changed or improved. The intention is that this is something that can be conducted in the Autumn term with the new SENCO and can act as a useful induction exercise. It is important to note that a key feature of the Catch Up Programme and the return to school has been regular check-ins with all pupils but particularly those children with SEN to check that they are happy and feel safe in school. Class teachers have been responsible for leading on this and initial feedback has been very positive.

Prior to school closure, informal conversations and interactions with pupils across school indicated that they did feel safe and happy in school and were unanimous about the fact that they get help when they need it and know who to go to in school if they need additional support.

13. Governor Links:

A new SEN Governor was appointed in September 2019. The judgement made at the

SEND Review Day that this was an area for intense work was therefore somewhat

unmerited given the relatively little time that the Governor had been in post. The

objectives identified of ensuring that the SEN Governor has a greater understanding of

the role / awareness of SEN provision in school have been actively pursued since

November. Both the SENCO & SEN governor have worked hard to personalise the LGG

Annual Governance Cycle so that all processes are followed, all information is conveyed

and that all necessary actions are completed in the required timescales. Unfortunately,

many of the planned activities have had to be postponed due to the school closure but

there is a comprehensive plan in place to ensure that the Annual Cycle will be completed

in full during the next academic year. (Appendix 3)

The SENCO reported to the Pupil Support Committee in January 2020 to ensure that the

Spring Agenda items had been met and answered questions from the Committee

regarding SEND provision in school.

The format of this Annual Report has been altered to ensure that it follows the suggested

LGS template which was a recommendation from the SEND Review Day. Due to Covid

the SENCO & Governor could not work on the report together as planned but discussions

have taken place and a meeting is planned for sharing the report prior to submission to

the FGB to ensure that it incorporates the SEN Governor viewpoint.

14. Compliance with statutory duties:

Two annual reviews were held for the children with an EHCP (Nov 2019 & April 2020) Both of these were submitted, and all the suggested amendments were agreed and adopted by the Local Authority. One review resulted in specialist provision being authorised for the child.

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All provision is in place for students with EHCPs Annual reviews have been conducted on time The school’s SEN policy reflects reality within the school The school has responded to all professional recommendations made in this period

Students with disabilities have accessed all relevant school activities including trips

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15. SENCO’s Summary of the Year:

What has worked well this year

SEND pupils continue to be very well supported and through use of Individual SEND Pupil Profiles, pupils are achieving well and making progress.

One Key Folder – pupil passports have been built upon, so they give space for pupil and parent voice and are in a format that suits all children across all key stages. Their use is more consistent across school and all staff are now aware where this key information is kept and when it should be shared.

Support Plans – Staff are improving in their use of these, they are SMART and have become a working document that pupils and parents are encouraged to participate in the review and setting of these.

The SENCo has conducted SEND Learning walks this year and strengths have been identified, such as; the learning environment, differentiation and resources to support SEND. Provision for SEND pupils within the classroom is good practice, not in addition to good practice.

Dyslexia Friendly Strategies have continued to be embedded across school and are now just part and parcel of QFT provision in all classes. All staff have taken more responsibility for the learning and provision of dyslexic children or children with SpLD and have continued to develop independent use of dyslexia friendly strategies in the classroom using our continuum of support plan.

Analysis of Dyslexia Assessments & Reports continues to be a strength. Recommendations are broken down into 'easy to understand language' for both staff and parents and parents have commented on the fact that they have made them accessible. Transferring the info across into a clear RAGGED action plan has also meant that the implementation & monitoring of recommendations is much easier.

NESSY has been particularly successful in supporting pupils with specific literacy difficulties. Children enjoy using the programme and make progress.

SEN Showcase event focusing on Approaches to Reading received excellent feedback.

Use of LEA Support – Teams have been brought in to support staff with individual pupils needs, such as SENIT & the Educational Psychologist. The good working relationship that we have with our EP was invaluable in being able to access and support a Trainee EP which enabled a successful EHCP application to be made despite COVID19 closures.

All statutory duties have been completed well within the timeframes and successfully. The EHCP annual reviews were a success and both sets of parents felt the process was clear, transparent and easy to do.

Securing a successful EHCP assessment for a Year 6 pupil.

Successful FFI application in November 2019.

Renewed focus on CPD for TAs prior to Covid closure. Staff report that they feel well supported and have access to resources / training opportunities and SENCO support when they need it. Lesson observations have highlighted the effective use of TAs in the classroom and the quality of support for SEN pupils.

Observations of TAs delivering groups, have highlighted that TAs have good knowledge, effective use of questioning and have enabled pupils to make progress.

The SEN Transition sessions in the summer ~ despite school closure all the children on the SEN register attended an additional SEN transition session. The focus and content of the session using the Worry Monsters has received a huge amount of very positive feedback from both parents and the children involved. This has been immensely rewarding and reassuring to know that they felt supported at a difficult time and had concrete resources to help them. The example of a FS2 child independently sharing his worry monster with a friend so that he felt safe and happy

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is testament to its positive impact.

The parent friendly version of our School's Local Offer has been rewritten into a user-friendly format. The information is streamlined, non-jargon and presents the key facts in a useable way. It is easy to navigate and reflects the school's approach and ethos to all things SEN related. Initial feedback from parents has been very positive.

The SEN webpage ~ this is now packed full of key information for parents and covers a range of resources / conditions / specialist areas. Having audited many school's SEN Webpages I am confident that St. Joseph's is now one of the most informative in Leeds.

The level of personalised SEN Support that was offered by the SENCO during lockdown. Contact was made with all families of children on the SEND register on several occasions throughout the school closure and when identified, weekly contact was made with a small number of families. The SENCO was also responsible for creating personalised learning packs for 6 children who received these resources on a weekly basis and ensured that every effort was made to engage all learners at their level.

Link with SENCO & SEN Governor. This has been a real success this year and great plans were afoot prior to Covid closure. The creation of the SEN Annual Governance Cycle documentation which incorporates the LGG information alongside our school format clearly outlines what needs to be completed with definitive timescales and should prove to be a very useful resource moving forward.

SEND Review Day ~ lots of learning points came from this day. It identified key areas that needed to be focussed on within school in order for the SEN provision to continue to develop and improve whilst identifying those areas that are already well

established and where excellent practice is in place.

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What could have worked better

The SEND review day was a useful process to identify the areas to concentrate on and therefore inform the points for what could have worked better and the priorities for next academic year. (See Appendix 4 for full identification & analysis of the key areas to work on following the SEND Review day report.) 1. SENCO to spend more time in class working alongside staff / giving practical

support & advice regarding implementation & management of interventions. 2. Intervention planning & monitoring to demonstrate more rigour. 3. Feedback of interventions & observations to be directly fed back to TAs on a

consistent basis ~ include as part of Performance Management objectives. 4. SEN Governor to have greater understanding of the role / awareness of SEN

provision in school. To be on a par with other Governance areas in school. 5. SEN Annual Governor Report to adopt the Leeds model to ensure full coverage

of all areas. Full use of data / information as evidence for the following year. 6. Improve staff clarity & understanding of how to explain SEN needs / provision in

their class. Include in 1 key document. 7. Develop progress reports to evidence pupils’ holistic needs & progress. Capture

their progress in all other areas e.g.: social skills, speech & language, independence

SENCO’s priorities for next academic year

1. SENCO to spend more time in class working alongside staff / giving practical support & advice regarding implementation & management of interventions.

2. Intervention planning & monitoring to demonstrate more rigour. 3. Feedback of interventions & observations to be directly fed back to TAs on a

consistent basis ~ include as part of Performance Management objectives. 4. SEN Governor to have greater understanding of the role / awareness of SEN

provision in school. To be on a par with other Governance areas in school. 5. SEN Annual Governor Report to adopt the Leeds model to ensure full coverage

of all areas. Full use of data / information as evidence for the following year. 6. Improve staff clarity & understanding of how to explain SEN needs / provision in

their class. Include in 1 key document. 7. Develop progress reports to evidence pupils’ holistic needs & progress. Capture

their progress in all other areas e.g.: social skills, speech & language, independence

See Appendix 4 for full identification &analysis of the key areas to work on following the SEND Review day report.

16. SENCo’s Action Plan / Link with SDP:

SENCO’s ACTION PLAN 3 KEY OBJECTIVES:

See Appendix 5 for RAGGED SENCO Action Plan 2019-20.

See Appendix 6 for SENCO Action Plan 2020-21.

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17. View from SEN Governor:

• Jo Dent to write a comment in here

18. View from Stakeholders:

Thank you for the care and support given to my child. He is very happy.

Carry on doing what you are doing.

The school is great and helpful.

Mrs Holmes is extremely knowledgeable.

Great relationships with my children.

You are doing a great job ~ thank you

SEN support in school is really helping my child to progress and catch up. The school and staff understand my child’s individual needs.

My child is happy.

My child is more confident.

Thank you for the incredible work you have put into our child over the last few years. From the nurture you have offered and the guidance you have given us as you steered us faultlessly through the frankly navigable waters of the EHCP process. You have directly improved our child's possibilities at school and beyond. Your work makes a real difference.

Thank you for your continued support. We are lucky to have you on this journey and thank you for listening and understanding.

I would like to feedback how invaluable we feel Mrs Holmes has been so far in our child's dyslexia journey. She is a credit to the school, and it is evident how much work she has put in to support X and we are seeing results. I appreciate it is a difficult learning indifference to pick up in young children and I urge you to use Mrs Holmes to provide continuing support to your staff on the detection and classroom support. We felt she was the first person at school to really understand X and how she learns. Her interpretation of X assessment has been great. Little things like the Times Fables book recommendation has been a light bulb moment in helping us to understand how the dyslexic brain works. Amazing work. We look forward to continuing to work with Mrs Holmes.

Thank you so much for the session today! X has put the little monster in the mouth (!) of his big monster to keep it safe. And we have said the little one can come to School with him but the big one will need to stay at home! He does want to bring the big one in to show you in September. Thank you also for the pack and for the parent survival kit, it made me just a little teary! Thank you for the 360 support!

Thank you so much for the ‘summer holiday survival kit’ and activity booklets for X that came through my door. It is such a lovely and thoughtful idea, and X has already started the well-being journal so that you can see it in September. We feel very lucky to have such lovely teachers in our children’s school.

sen annual report for st. joseph's catholic primary school

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