Who we are 

Parklands Primary School is a highly inclusive primary school which strives to meet the individual needs of all its learners. We work in partnership with children, parents and other agencies to provide the best possible outcomes for all our children, including those with a range of additional and complex needs. The school’s SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) policy and procedures ensure that high expectations, early intervention and appropriate support for all our children is in place to ensure every child reaches their full potential. 

At Parklands Primary School we are committed to: 

The Safeguarding and wellbeing of all children and adults 

Unlocking every child’s potential to learn and succeed 

Early intervention and the Early Support principles (uk/help-for-disabled-child/early-support-programme). 

 

What we offer 

At Parklands Primary School SEND Funding is spent on the following: 

Special Educational Coordinator for 3 full time days of the week 

5 Band 3 Teaching Assistants 

2 Learning Mentors for Nurture Group Provision 

Pupil Transport (for our Resource Provision children) 

Access to Specialist off site provisions- if necessary, dependent on children’s needs. 

 

Named contact 

The school SENCO is Mrs Lucy Dalgliesh. Mrs Dalgliesh can be contacted via the school office. If you have concerns, contact your child’s teacher or Lucy Dalgliesh. Appointments can be made through the school Office Telephone: 01132 930282. There are other members of staff who you may also wish to contact to discuss your child. These include: 

SENCO Mrs. Lucy Dalgliesh – send@parklandsleeds.org.uk 

Headteacher Mrs. Laura Darley 

Your child’s class teacher 

Foundation Stage Leader Mrs. Julia Feeley 

Key Stage One Leader Mrs. Katie Mawson 

Key Stage Two Leader Mrs. Jess Buckley 

DHT Mrs. Sam Rennison 

 

Complaints 

In the first instance, please get in touch with the SENCO Lucy Dalgliesh. Following this, if you are still unhappy, please contact The Head Teacher Laura Darley. If you are still unhappy, please get in touch with our Chair of Governors. 

 

POLICIES LINKED TO SEND 

The school has an allocated SENCO, Mrs Lucy Dalgliesh, who is responsible for the co-ordination of provision for children with SEND and SEND leadership. If you would like to talk to the SENCO, please contact the school office between Tuesday to Thursday to make an appointment. The SENCO works closely with the SLT to ensure that the most effective provision is put in place to support children with SEND. 

The following policies are available and reflect the school’s commitment to inclusion, safety and well-being of children: 

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy 

Accessibility Plan 

Safeguarding/ Child Protection policy 

Behaviour Policy 

Teaching and Learning policy 

Anti-Bullying Policy 

Health and Safety Policies 

Manual Handling 

Positive Restraint 

Care and Control Policy 

The school has a staff and pupil Wellbeing Policy (see the Policies section on the website) 

 

TYPES OF SEND 

We support a range of children with Special Educational Needs across our mainstream school. Children’s individual needs are organised into the following areas: 

Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) 

Cognition and Learning Needs MLD/SpLD) 

Physical and Medical Needs (PMD) 

Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) 

  

IDENTIFYING CHILDREN WITH SEND 

Every child has the right to access Quality First Teaching. Where children are finding things difficult, a teacher will take steps to provide differentiated learning opportunities that will aid the pupil’s academic progression. Teachers will use assessments to identify where children are finding things difficult and will also discuss where necessary with the child. In some cases, there may also be a change in behaviour in the child. Discussions will also be had with parents to identify if they have any concerns. By investigating all of these areas, the class teacher will be able to identify if the child has a specific need (where further differentiation and support outside of the lesson is needed) or whether they have some milder learning difficulties which can be met through differentiation.  In cases where the child needs further additional support, The SENCO will be consulted for support and advice and may wish to observe the pupil in class. It will then be determined which level of provision the child will need to move forward with their learning.  Pupil progress meetings are used to monitor and assess the progress being made by the child. Parents will be informed fully of every stage of their child’s development and the circumstances under which they are being monitored. They are encouraged to share information and knowledge with the school. The child is formally recorded by the school as being under observation due to concern by parent or teacher but this does not place the child on the SEND register. Parents are given this information. It is recorded by the school as an aid to further progression and for future reference. When a child is not making the expected progress, the teacher and SENCO will investigate this further to identify whether: 

1. the child is working below expectations and therefore requires some short-term support to help them meet age related expectations, or 

1. the child is working well below expectations and requires further, more long-term intervention to support them with their learning. 

If the concerns are primarily linked to a) it is likely that the child does not have a special educational need, and that instead they require some additional resources or small group work over a short period of time, to help them make the expected progress. These children will not be added to the SEND register, but will continue to be monitored by the class teacher. 

If the concerns are primarily linked to b) the child will be identified as having SEND. A child has an SEND if their needs cannot be met through Quality First Teaching or Quality First Teaching with in class differentiation. This means that they require extra and additional support than that available in the lesson in order to help them make progress.  There is a specific next step process used to support these children on their learning journey, which enables them to monitored, and their progress and needs to be measured in the most effective way. If a child is seen to have SEND, they will be added to the school SEND register, their prime area of need will be identified, and parents will be informed. They will receive one of 3 types of intervention: 

 

Wave 1 – Quality First Teaching (universal provision for all children in the class, with differentiation where necessary). 

Wave 2: 

either – When a child is given additional intervention on top of Quality First Teaching and differentiation, provided for by the class teacher and SENCO. 

or When a child is supported by professionals e.g Speech and Language Therapist (SALT), The Autism Team (STARS), Educational Psychologist (EP) etc. 

Wave 3:  

Where a child has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) and specific and an individualised and specific programme of support has been written for the child by a range of professionals. 

 

OUR APPROACH TO TEACHING SEND PUPILS 

In the mainstream school 

All provision for SEND pupils is overseen and managed by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and is co-ordinated by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (Lucy Dalgliesh) who is a member of the SLT. The SLT monitor, review and evaluate all SEND provision on a regular basis throughout the year and report to the school governing body on how individual needs are being met and how SEND funding from the local authority is being spent. Individual families are able to access clear information about how funding is used to support individual learners. Parklands Primary School’s governing body will be responsible for the well-being and achievement of all children. 

In the Resource Provision 

Our school is additionally resourced for children with complex learning needs. We call this RP (or Resourced Provision). Twenty three places are allocated via SENSAP to children with Education Health Care Plans, whose needs cannot be met in their local school. The same applies as above for our children in our RP. High levels of specialised staffing in RP ensure high quality provision, high expectations and excellent outcomes. Learning is personalised for each individual. Children within RP have access to more specialised support and resources to meet their specific needs. The amount of time they spend in the mainstream environment and how they access it will depend on their individual needs and their personalised plan (identified in their EHCP). 

 

 

 

HOW CHILDREN WITH SEND ARE INCLUDED IN OUR SCHOOL 

Individual Education Plans (IEPs) 

Each pupil’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be drawn up by the class teacher. It will be differentiated accordingly to suit the pupil’s individual needs, setting individual targets. A copy of the targets will be given to parents. This may include additional general support by the teacher or teaching assistant in class or use of particular resources (e.g. a writing slope, a pencil grip, visuals etc). If a pupil has needs related to more specific areas of their education or social skills, such as spelling, handwriting, numeracy and literacy skills, the pupil may be placed in a small focus group. This will be run by a teacher or teaching assistant. The length of time of the intervention will vary according to need but will generally be for a term. The interventions will be regularly reviewed by all involved to ascertain the effectiveness of the provision and to inform future planning. These interventions will be recorded on a provision map (for each class). This is a record of the interventions, timings of the intervention. The impact of the intervention is recorded on a half termly basis by using teacher assessments. If you have any queries related to the interventions, please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or SENCO, Lucy Dalgliesh. 

 

Pupil Progress Meetings 

Pupil Progress Meetings are held on a termly basis. This is a meeting where the class teacher meets with the Headteacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team to discuss the progress of the pupils in their class. This shared discussion may highlight any potential problems in order for further support to be planned. Occasionally a pupil may need more expert support from an outside agency such as Speech and Language Therapist, Complex Needs Service of Leeds City Council or Physiotherapist etc. Referral forms are then completed by the SENCO in conjunction with parents/carers and forwarded to the most appropriate agency. After a series of assessments, a programme of support is usually provided to the school and parents/carers and the school will then follow the recommendations made. 

 

Matching the curriculum to the child’s individual needs. 

Teachers plan from children’s levels differentiating work to closely match children’s ability and learning needs. When a pupil has been identified with SEND, their work will be further differentiated by the class teacher to remove barriers to learning and enable them to access the curriculum more easily. 

A teaching assistant may be allocated to work with the pupil in a 1- 1 or small focus group to target more specific needs. 

If appropriate specialist equipment may be given to the pupil e.g. writing slopes, pen/pencil grips,  easy to use scissors etc. 

A range of interventions (support programmes) will be used in small groups or 1- 1 situations to accelerate progress. 

Where needed, there will be extra pastoral support arrangements to aid the social, emotional and behavioural development of children with SEND such as Nurture Groups, which include measures to prevent bullying. 

 

Communicating with parents 

You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at Parents Evenings. Class teachers are regularly at the classroom door or on the playground, or at the school gate at the end of the day, if you wish to raise a concern. Appointments can be made to speak in more detail to the class teacher, SENCO Mrs Dalgliesh by visiting or contacting the school office. IEPs (Individual Education Plans) are sent home each term. Targets are usually set by the class teacher. Parents/Carers are encouraged to contribute their input, which will be included on the IEP. Termly reviews with the class teacher and SENCO, Mrs Dalgliesh where necessary. Parents are encouraged to comment on their child’s IEP with possible suggestions that could be incorporated in the following ways:- 

• Discussions with the class teacher 
• Parent evenings during the Autumn and Spring Term 

• Discussions with Mrs Dalgliesh SENCO, or other professionals. 

 

Helping parents to support children 

Teachers suggest ways of supporting all children’s learning through the curriculum newsletters, (sent out termly) and on the website. The class teacher may suggest additional ways of supporting your child’s learning through a note in the reading contact book, at parent’s evening or by arranging a meeting with you. Lucy Dalgliesh (SENCO) completes a termly Inclusion Newsletter which includes ways to further support children at home. The SENCO may also meet with you to discuss how to support your child. This would normally follow on from when a child has been assessed or discussed at a Review Meeting. 

Outside agencies or the Educational Psychologist may suggest advice or programmes of study that can be used at home. 

Parent/Carer workshops and coffee mornings are arranged throughout the year, sometimes with invited guests, to encourage an open and relaxed forum where advice and ideas can be exchanged. 

 

Supporting children’s social, emotional and mental health and overall well-being 

The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who are encountering emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. 

These include: 

Members of staff such as the class teacher, teaching assistants, SENCO and Learning Mentors are readily available for pupils who wish to discuss issues and concerns. 

The Learning Mentors run wellbeing groups targeting social skills, self-esteem, emotional wellbeing and anger management. 

Pupils who find lunchtimes a struggle are able to join Clubs run by experienced teaching assistants. 

The School regularly accesses support from the cluster. This is a team that consists of Children’s Support Workers, Family Support Workers, an Inclusion Support Worker and a Play Therapist. They can offer support to children and families where there are issues which are presenting barriers to learning. 

The School also refer children to Renew, who provide a counselling service delivered in School. 

  

Supporting children’s medical needs 

If a pupil has a medical need then a detailed Health Care Plan is compiled by Lucy Dalgliesh in consultation with parents/carers. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil. 

Where necessary and in agreement with parents/carers medicines are administered in school where a signed Health Care Plan is in place. Antibiotics may be given in some circumstances on discussion with the office staff and on completing of a medication form. 

In cases where children require intimate care (e.g changing nappies) an Intimate Care Plan will be compiled by Lucy Dalgliesh in consultation with parents/ carers. These are discussed with all staff who are involved with the pupil. 

  

Including children with SEND on school trips 

Activities and school trips are available to all.   Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. If a health and safety risk assessment suggests that an intensive level of 1:1 support is required a parent or carer may volunteer to accompany their child during the activity in addition to the usual school staff. 

 

Ensuring provision and inclusion for all 

We welcome all children into the Parklands community and will take reasonable steps to ensure that we can meet your child’s needs. If your child has an EHCP, a consultation will be held to identify whether we have the facilities required and whether we feel your child’s needs can be met in our school. If your child does not have an EHCP, we will make sure that we have open conversations with parents, carers and professionals who work with your child to ensure that we fully understand what facilities are required to meet their individual needs. This enables us to identify if we are able to provide the right environment for your child and the reasonable adjustments that will need to be made in school to meet their individual needs. 

As a school we are happy to discuss individual access requirements. Facilities we have at present include: 

Ramps into school to make the site accessible to all. 

Toilets adapted for disabled users. 

Double doors 

Chair lift 

Care Suite 

Sensory Room 

  

Steps taken to ensure we are an inclusive school 

Here at Parklands, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive school. We have children with a range of learning, communication, physical, medical, sensory, social and emotional needs across our school community. Every child plays an important role. Every child is treated with respect. Every child has a voice. Every child is welcomed. Here are some of the ways we ensure that our disabled pupils are treated equally: 

All children are included in after school clubs. 

All children are included in sporting events. 

Work is differentiated to meet every child’s needs, however we also encourage children to challenge themselves. 

Members of staff build positive relationships with every child, making sure that they know the individual needs of their pupils and how to support them. They provide their pupils with the best resources to help them achieve their learning goals and listen to them. 

  

  

 

Our Accessibility Policy 

We have an up-to date-Accessibility Plan (copy on Website). 

 

Matching resources to meet SEND. 

The SEND budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependent on an individual’s needs. The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year. Further support or resources may be allocated to your child following assessments by school staff or outside agencies (e.g. children’s therapy teams). Funding may be used to buy in specialist support. Funding for Inclusion (FFI) payments are used to support that individual pupil’s needs and learning. 

 

Decision making around support for SEN children 

The Headteacher, Mrs. Laura Darley, in consultation with the SENCO Mrs. Lucy Dalgliesh and the class teacher will agree the level of support needed. This may take the form of additional individual or small group support in class or in other focus groups tailored to the pupils needs. During their school life, if further concerns are identified due to the pupil’s lack of progress or well-being then other interventions will be arranged. 

  

ASSESSING AND REVIEWING PROGRESS 

We use The Graduated Response process to support our children with SEND – Assess, Plan, Do, Review, which is identified in the SEND Code of Practice 2014/2015. This process is a cycle so it is continuous throughout a child’s time in our school, whilst they remain on our SEND register. Parents and children are involved in this process. If a class teacher has concerns about a child’s progress, they will first speak to parents to identify any concerns and also talk to the child about their learning. This information will then be given to the SENCO who will then support the class teacher with the Graduated Response process. 

Stage 1 – Assess 

We use a variety of school-based assessment approaches depending on the area of need. 

 

• For speech, language and communication concerns – First we will use some assessment tools to support us in assessing where the child is currently working within this area. We will then arrange for the child to be assessed by an NHS Speech and Language Therapist to help us identify specific areas of need for the individual child. 

 

• For cognition and learning concerns – We use a range of assessment types in school depending on the year group of the child. 

• Initial baseline assessments linked to individual profiles 
• Early Year Foundation Stage Profile 
• Ongoing Teacher assessments  
• Progress towards end of year targets 
• End of Year Teacher Assessments 

• Year 2 and Year 6  – SATs 
• Year 3/4/5 optional SATS 
• In some cases, specific assessments might be recommended for individual pupils who show more specific concerns. 

 

• For physical and medical concerns – The child will often have a specific team of professionals around them who will identify specific assessments if necessary and, in some cases, carry out these assessments themselves, letting us know the results once they have been completed. 

 

• For social, emotional and mental health concerns – In our school we have two Learning Mentors who work with the SENCO to identify specific SEMH needs in individual children. These children are assessed using observations in the classroom, at playtimes and lunchtimes, through discussions with the class teacher, parents and the child, using informal assessment programmes such as the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire and in some cases Boxhall Profile. 

 

These assessments help teachers and the SENCO to identify some clear next steps for supporting the child. 

 

Stage 2 – Plan 

Once the assessments have been completed and it has been identified that the child has a SEND, the teacher works with the support of the SENCO to plan how the child’s individual needs will be met. This plan will focus on supporting the child in achieving the best outcomes, through the implementation of the most effective provision. The teacher will identify SMART targets which the child needs to work on over the following 12 weeks/ term to help them make the first step/ steps of progress. These targets will be written onto an Individual Education Plan (IEP). For each target, specific provision and resources will be identified along with information about how the intervention will be delivered etc. The SENCO is responsible for supporting the teacher in identifying the best provision and resources for the child. IEPS will be written for all children on the SEND register (speech, language and communication, cognition and learning, physical and medical, and SEMH). Where a child has been assessed by a professional, it is likely that they will create the SMART targets for the child and identify the provision and resources which need to be put in place. There may be some children on the SEND register with SEMH needs who require a more detailed plan which works in a more systematic way throughout each SEMH incident. These IBPs will set out the behaviour expected for the child, written with involvement of the child and the consequences if the right behaviour is not followed. Like IEPs, they will be reviewed on a termly basis, but may be adjusted accordingly if the need arises. Once the class teacher has identified the targets and provision for each child in their class on the SEND register, they will create a class Provision Map which identifies the programmes of support that will be offered in their class to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Copies of IEPs and IBPs will be shared with parents and children, and feedback is invited, to ensure that they continue to be part of the support process. 

 

Stage 3 – Do 

The class teacher will ensure that the provision identified on a child’s IEP is put in place. As the interventions continue, teachers will record the child’s individual progress and monitor how the intervention is having an impact on their learning across the curriculum. The teacher may find, during the intervention, that adjustments need to be made to help the child make further progress. During the intervention programmes, the SENCO will monitor sessions to help evaluate the effectiveness of the support being given. This is an important part of the process. There may be some small adjustments that need to be made as the intervention is being carried out. Equally, it may become clear that the intervention is not working for the child and that there are more significant needs that must be addressed before continuing the programme. 

  

Stage 4 – Review 

At the end of the intervention programme, the class teacher will review the progress that the child has made. 

If the child has made progress, the class teacher will identify (using recent assessments alongside teacher assessments) what the next steps are for their child and the cycle will continue. 

If the child has not made progress, the SENCO will look at the following things: 

• Has the intervention been carried out at the most effective time? 
• Has the person who has delivered the intervention received the necessary training to carry out the work? 
• Has the child and the adult created the most effective relationship to allow the child to feel comfortable during the intervention? 
• Has the intervention been at the correct level for the child? 
• Have the most effective resources been used to support this intervention? 

• Does the child need to be referred to professionals for further support? 

 

Depending on the outcome, adjustments may be made to the provision, or a referral might be made to professionals e.g The SENIT team (Learning), SALT (speech and language therapists) – if this was not done at the first stage, STARS (Autism team), The EP (Educational Psychologist), Mindmate (Mental Health team) etc. The school will make every effort to ensure that advice from the external agencies is put into practice as swiftly as possible and will keep in regular contact with support services and parents regarding progress and targets met. External input can involve support and intervention, for example through specialist teaching or therapy services. The school will coordinate this and, with the external professional, monitor, review and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. Once the referral is made and the child is seen by the professionals, targets will be identified and the Graduated Response process can continue (Assess, Plan, Do, Review). Our graduated response is being continually reviewed in light of the Code of Practice and advice from the Leeds SEND Team. 

 

Children with EHCPs 

In a very few cases, if a child continues to demonstrate significant cause for concern despite interventions, a request may be made to the LA for Statutory Assessment towards an Education Health Care Plan. This will decide the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s SEND. If this cannot reasonably be met by the school, then the LA may provide extra resources. 

The application for an assessment will combine information from a variety of sources including: 

• Parents 
• Teachers 
• SENCO 

• Health professionals 

Information will be gathered relating to the current provision provided, action points that have been taken, and the preliminary outcomes of targets set. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision either for or against a statement or Education Health Care Plan of SEND for their child. If after a statutory assessment the LA deems the needs of a child to be severe and complex, they may issue an Education Health Care Plan. If a child does not have an Education Health Care Plan, it does not mean that they will fail to receive the necessary support. The Education Health Care Plan will include reports and targets set by professionals involved with the child, along with information from parents, the child and school (class teacher and SENCO). It is a legal document. Once the Education Health Care Plan is written it will be kept as part of the pupil’s formal record and reviewed annually by staff, parents and the pupil. The annual review enables provision for the pupil to be evaluated and, where appropriate, for changes to be put in place, for example, reducing or increasing levels of support. Professionals, parents, the child, the class teacher and the SENCO are invited to the Annual Review along with a representative from the Local Authority. 

It is essential if a child is being considered for a placement in the Resource Provision as an alternative to mainstream school, that the child has an Education Health Care Plan. A child is unable to be placed in the Resource Provision without an EHCP. 

 

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH SEND WHO ARE MOVING ON 

Parklands Primary School understands what a stressful time moving school can be therefore many strategies are in place to enable the pupil’s transition to be as smooth as possible. These include: 

• On entry- A planned programme of visits in the summer term for pupils starting in September including “play and stay” visits with parents/carers, visits with Nursery key workers and a visit to their new class without the parent or carer. 
• Parent/carers are invited to a meeting at the school so that they know what to expect and are encouraged to share any concerns with the school. 
• Our Foundation Stage Leader, Julia Feeley, visits all the children in their pre-school setting.  
• Where concerns are raised, Mrs Lucy Dalgliesh (SENCO) may visit the setting and a meeting with parents to discuss any issues may be arranged. In some circumstances individual arrangements may be made for starting school such as shorter hours. 

• An additional opportunity for children to visit the school with their parent/carer. 

  

Reception children – Children start mornings only and are introduced to lunchtimes before staying full time. If parents or teachers feel a child is not ready for full time school they can remain part time. 

Transition to the next year group– Although not officially leaving the school, moving from one year group to the next can be unsettling for some children. We therefore prepare children for this change by providing opportunities within the last few weeks of the summer term of the children to visit their new classrooms with their new class teacher and Teaching Assistant.   The children also attend playtimes on their new playground for a week in the summer term, if there is a change involved. Information sharing sessions between the class teachers also happens. Support from Learning Mentors Sarah Richardson and Karen Graham, including a circle time for children to raise questions and share worries or access one to one support with additional visits to deal with concerns is also provided if necessary.   The class teacher is always willing to meet parents/carers prior to the child moving to their class. 

Secondary Transition– Our Year 6 team work closely with the SENCO and our Learning Mentors Karen Graham and Sarah Richardson to support children with anxieties about the move. This provides them with the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have. Secondary school staff visit pupils prior to them joining their new school. Mrs Lucy Dalgliesh (SENCO) meets the SENCOs from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEND pupils. Children attend a transition day particular to the school they are going to. Opportunities to work with local secondary schools are actively encouraged so that children are familiar with them. 

Transition within the year- Mrs. Samantha Rennison, Deputy Headteacher is in charge of new starters. Currently we give all children a tour of the school with their parent/carer. Children are introduced to their new teacher and shown around their new classroom environment. A start date is agreed. In certain circumstances such as the child not having attended school before special starting arrangements may be agreed. The child’s previous school is contacted for records. Where there are concerns the SENCO will be contacted by phone. 

Children moving to our Resource Provision – children will be provided with additional support for transitions to the next stage of education. Opportunities for extra visits to and from both Educational Settings are carefully planned for. 

 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONSULTING WITH PARENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE 

Partnership with Parents/Carers 

The school aims to work in partnership with parents and carers.  We do so by: 

• Working effectively with all other agencies supporting children and their parents. 
• Giving parents and carers opportunities to play an active and valued role in their child’s education. 
• Making parents and carers feel welcome. 
• Encouraging parents and carers to inform school of any difficulties they perceive their child may be having or other needs the child may have which need addressing. 

• Instilling confidence that the school will listen and act appropriately. 
• Focusing on the child’s strengths as well as areas of additional need. 
• Allowing parents and carers opportunities to discuss ways in which they and the school can help their child. 
• Agreeing targets for all pupils, in particular, those not making expected progress and, for some pupils identified as having SEND, involving parents in drawing up and monitoring progress against these targets. 
• Keeping parents and carers informed and giving support during assessment and any related decision –making process. 

• Making parents and carers aware of the support services. 
• Providing all information in an accessible way, including where necessary, translated information for parents with English as an Additional Language. 

Involvement of Pupils 

At Parklands Primary School we recognise that all pupils have the right to be involved in making decisions and exercising choice.  In most lessons, all pupils are involved in monitoring and reviewing their progress through the use of self- assessing or peer assessing against success criteria and targets and using green pen to edit and improve their learning.  We endeavour to fully involve all pupils by encouraging them to: 

• State their views about their education and learning. 

• Identify their needs and learn about learning. 
• Share in individual target setting across the curriculum so that they know what their targets are and why they have them. 
• Self-review their progress and set new targets. 
• Monitor their success at achieving the targets on their Individual Education Plan. 
• Where possible and appropriate, pupils can attend part of their Annual Review Meetings to have their voice heard. 

  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

At Parklands Primary School we are constantly looking at how we can improve the provision for our pupils. To this end the information in these responses will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. The voices of children and young people and their families will be valued and honoured and there will be opportunities for them to influence change. 

 

Who can I contact for further support? 

• Leeds Local Authority Local Offer: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Leeds-local-offer.aspx 
• SENDIASS https://sendiass.leeds.gov.uk/ 
• STARS (Autism Support Team) www.starsteam.org.uk   

 

How does your school involve professionals? 

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies to receive their more specialised expertise. The agencies used by the school include: 

• Child Protection Advisors 
• Educational Psychologist 
• Complex Needs Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Team 
• Children’s Complex Needs Service, SEN, Statutory Assessment and Provision Service 

• CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service) 
• AAP (Attendance Advisory Practitioner previously known as Educational Welfare Officers) 
• Deaf and Hearing Impaired Team (DAHIT) 
• Visual Impairment Team (VIT) 
• Speech and Language Therapist 

• Occupational Therapist 
• Physiotherapist 
• Paediatricians 
• School Nurse 
• Epilepsy Nurse 

• Leeds Special Educational Needs and Disability Advice Support Service formally known as Parent Partnership 
• Social Services 
• Area Inclusion Partnership Officer 
• Guidance and Support 

 

An Educational Psychologist is allocated to each school. He or she would normally only work directly with pupils who have needs that are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them. This involvement is generally planned at the In School Review. These are meetings held twice a year between school staff and where appropriate, other professionals. The aim of an In School Review is to gain an understanding of and try to resolve a pupil’s difficulties. In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after the assessment has been completed. He or she will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward. 

 

What training and expertise do staff have in school to work with children with Special Educational Needs? 

All staff have received training related to SEND. These have included sessions on: 

Read Write Inc 

Speech and Language Therapy Interventions- Colourful Semantics 

Team Teach Positive Handling Techniques 

Lego Therapy 

ASC 

Dyslexia 

Supporting children with SEMH needs  

 

We have an NHS Speech and Language Therapist who works in school 1 day per week. We also buy into Chatterbug Speech and Language therapy and these therapists support all of our children in RP. All Therapists work with children both in small groups and on a one-to-one basis with a designated and trained TA delivering follow up sessions in class. The speech and language therapists keep in regular contact with parents and carers when working with a child. Where additional support is thought to be beneficial for other children, a referral to speech therapy will be made with additional consent from parents/carers so that accurate records of progress can be kept. The school also has some teaching assistants who have received training enabling them to deliver more specialist support. 

 

Mrs Lucy Dalgliesh attends SENCO Network meetings and Educational Psychologist Cluster planning meetings every term and has completed the following courses: 

• National Award for SEN Leadership 
• SENCO course for new SENCOs in Leeds 
• B Squared and B Squared assessments 
• Team Teach 
• Dyslexia Assessment and Strategies 

• Lead Practitioner of Autism 
• Dyslexia awareness trained 

 

All members of staff within the Resource Provision are well trained and highly competent in delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as well as the National Curriculum. Every member of staff has completed the Tier 2 Autism training program. The Lead Teacher in Resource Provision is also a Lead Practitioner of Autism. Our Resource Provision is now highly regarded among the SEND provisions available in Leeds. 

  

All members of staff working directly with children and young people with SEND will have, or will be supported to develop, enhance their skills to meet the learning and cognition needs or any other needs related to that of the child. Staff wishing to gain specialist skills and knowledge will be supported to do so. All teaching staff have completed the Tier 1 Autism Training program. A number of teachers and teaching assistants have also completed the Tier 2 Autism Training program. There is also a rapid response to the need to access new training to meet a child’s needs (i.e. when a child is new to the setting, or if a child develops a new need that requires specialist support.) 

 

What equipment and facilities does your school have? 

• The Rainbow Room – a place to support children’s social, emotional and mental health. 
• A care suite 

• Resource Provision – a place specifically for children with EHCPs for Complex Communication Needs 
• Sensory room – a created space that provides multi-sensory resources to support a child’s sensory needs to enable them to engage in learning 
• Speech and Language intervention room – a place where speech and language programmes are held  
• SEN office for SENCO and work/ meeting space for parents and carers, and professionals, along with resources accessible for children 
• Specific resources and programmes to support children with difficulties in maths and English 

• Sensory toys and resources to support emotional regulation to enable children to engage in learning 
• Equipment to support children’s fine and gross motor skills