Inclusive practice at Shirley - Questions
How does the school identify long term "barriers to learning"? What should I do if I feel my child has SEND?
All children's progress is carefully monitored throughout the school year and interventions and support are put in place as a response to any concerns. If we feel a child is consistently not making expected progress based on observations and assessment data, we will arrange a meeting between the class teacher, Inclusion Team and parents. Following this discussion the child may be recorded as needing either:
Differentiated curriculum support within the class and access to appropriately selected interventions
OR
Additional support through interventions and specialist support from outside agencies
If a child requires support beyond this, a request may be made to the Local Authority for a
Educational and Health Care Plan (EHC plan).
How will the curriculum be matched to my child's needs?
Every child has the right to access quality first teaching with highly focused, interactive and engaging lessons. All lessons are carefully differentiated to meet a range of differing needs.
Additional teaching support staff are available to facilitate differentiated group work and the teachers ensure they work with each group on a regular basis.
A range of physical resources, including laptops and iPad are also always available.
Each child is given termly maths and English targets which are focused on during directed group activities. These targets are shared with parents in termly Pupil Mentoring reports.
Lessons and learning environments are monitored on a termly basis to ensure all children are supported and challenged to reach their full potential.
What kinds of extra support is there if my child has additional needs? How will this be decided and shared?
At Shirley School we use a range of different intervention programmes and strategies to support children's learning in a structured way. The progress of the children is carefully monitored and evaluated for impact. The aim of this support is always to make the child more confident and ultimately more independent during whole lesson times. Information about the intervention programmes will be shared with you at review meetings.
How will I know how my child is doing and how you will help me support them?
Personal Learning Plans are shared with parents at termly parent consultations, where the provision and support will be discussed. Strategies that can be used at home will also be explored. Pupil mentoring reports also document the progress your child is making and give feedback on the progress of individual targets. If you feel you would like an additional meeting to discuss your child's progress, please arrange it with their class teacher or a member of the Inclusion team. If the school has any concerns about your child's progress, we will arrange a meeting with you.
What support is there for my child's overall wellbeing?
Children's wellbeing is of utmost importance at Shirley School and we work hard to ensure we support children in every aspect of their development. We have weekly PSHE sessions using the Cambridgeshire scheme of work throughout the school and each class has regular Circle time where children have the opportunity to discuss their feelings and share concerns in a safe environment.
Teaching Assistants support children with additional needs through a variety of targeted groups.
In addition, Blue Smile supports children through play and art therapy.
What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?
At Shirley School, we have teaching staff trained in a number of interventions that can be delivered one-to-one, or in a small group setting, these include:
- Talking Maths
- First Class at Number
- Expanded Rehearsal Technique for reading and spelling (ERT)
- Five Minute Box Reading intervention
- Fisher Family Trust Reading intervention (FFT)
- Reading Club
- Lego Therapy, Social Communication Intervention
The Local Authority offers a range of specialist support and outreach services including:
- Educational Psychologists
- Specialist Teachers
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech and Language Therapists
If the school feels that the involvement of another agency is required, this will be discussed and agreed with parents and agreed as part of the child’s Personal Learning Plan.
How accessible is the school environment?
At Shirley School we believe that accessibility is measured in more than just physical terms and every effort is made to ensure that the curriculum and all information shared is accessible to everyone.
The school environment is regularly monitored for its accessibility. There is full wheelchair access to the whole school and arrangements are made for children with mobility needs. Various strategies are in place to support accessibility for children with visual and hearing impairments.
For additional information, see the school’s Accessibility Policy, link at the bottom of the page.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school or transfer to a new year group or school?
There are a range of transition arrangements in place for all children and additional ones are implemented depending on individual need. When starting the school in Pre-school or Reception, a home visit will be arranged followed by a chance for you and your child to visit the school in an informal way. If appropriate, additional visits can be arranged and resources such as photobooks or holiday packs provided.
When transferring across year groups, children will meet their new teachers (and teaching assistant if applicable). Transition work which could include "All about me" booklets, photo books and holiday packs will implemented according to the child's needs.
When the time comes to transfer to secondary school, our Inclusion team will meet with SENCOs to share information and effective strategies that have been used to support your child. Visits will also be arranged for individuals or groups.