Intent
At Hamstead Infant School we aim to support the needs of all individuals so that they can meet their fullest potential. In our school we aim to offer excellence and choice to all our children, whatever their ability or needs. We have high expectations of all our children. We aim to achieve this through the removal of barriers to learning and participation. We want all our children to feel that they are a valued part of our school community.
We aim to achieve this by:
1. Creating a positive and supportive environment for all pupils by:
- Removing barriers to learning and participation
- Promoting positive relationships, active engagement and well-being for all children
- Adopting a positive and proactive approach to behaviour
2. Building an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs by:
- Using the graduated approach (Assess, Plan, Do, Review) to understand a child’s needs
- Use of regular and purposeful assessment
- Gathering input from parents/carers as well as the pupils themselves and specialist professionals involved with the child
3. Ensuring all pupils have access to high quality teaching by:
- Using a range of teaching strategies (flexibly) in response to the needs of all pupils such as, flexible grouping (adaptive teaching), Cognitive strategies, Explicit instructions, use of technology to support pupils with SEND and scaffolding
4. Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and 1:1 intervention by:
- Use of effective interventions that are measurable and achievable
- Use of interventions that do not create a barrier to inclusion of pupils with SEND
- Interventions that are carefully targeted through identification and assessment of need
Implementation
At Hamstead Infant school it is a whole school responsibility to support children with and educational need. We aim to do this through various ways:
- Early Identification: It is important that a child’s needs are identified as soon as possible, therefore we adopt a ‘Graduated approach’ to identifying and supporting a child’s needs. We consistently follow a cycle of ASSESS, PLAN, DO, REVIEW. This will be shared with staff and parents during half termly meetings with the class teacher and/or SENco
- Individual support plans: Teachers, parents and professionals will develop targets and provision for pupils with SEND. Targets and provision will be review with parents and carers each term
- Multiagency approach: The SENco will liaise with external agencies if required in order to support a child holistically. The SENco will work with Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational therapists, Sandwell Inclusion support team, Educational psychologists, School and Teaching SL Spring 1 23 Learning advisors and SEHM team in order to identify and give targets to children who have/may have a Special Educational Need
- Quality first teaching: Staff at Hamstead Infant School are aware of the need for ‘quality first teaching’. This allows for inclusive learning practices. We offer a balanced and broad curriculum for all pupils and allow for reasonable adjustments where needed to support individual who have/may have Special Educational Needs
- Transition: We aim to ensure that all children are prepared and supported for their next phase of education by careful planning and transition work. We aim to help children prepare mentally and socially for the challenges of the future
Impact
- Our children are happy, safe and have their needs reviewed regularly
- Staff are empathic, supportive and create effective learning opportunities for all
- Parents are involved in the graduated approach to early identification and are involved in planning outcomes for children with SEND
- Early identification and the graduated approach means that children are getting support early on in their education
- Relationships between staff, pupils, parents and wider professional are strong and successful in our school
- Children with SEND have outcomes that are reviewed termly with parents and staff to ensure progress and next steps are made
- Reasonable adjustments are made for children with SEND, this may be to the environment or adaptive teaching strategies within lessons