Friars Primary School and Nursery - Early years and education

Applications for nursery school places at Friars Nursery must be made directly to the school. An admission form should be requested, completed and returned to the school office. Your child will be offered a place in the Nursery commencing the term after his/her third birthday.

Applications for our EYFS, KS1 and KS2 classes must be made through Southend City Council admissions team.

Breakfast Club

At Friars Primary School we have a brilliant FREE Breakfast Club! This is thanks to the wonderful support we get from Greggs the bakers, who supply all of our bread and help to fund the other food we offer. There are always several choices of healthy cereal and fruit!

Breakfast Club begins at 8 a.m. and finishes at 8.30 a.m. The club is run by our wonderful staff, who ensure that all of the children are well cared for and learn manners and social skills.

If you would like to find out any further information about our school we would love to hear from you.

office@friars.southend.sch.uk

www.friarsprimary.co.uk

Information about support for special educational needs and disabilities.

S Halls (Vice Principle and SENCo). Call 01702 294837. Email office@fps.porticoacademytrust.co.uk

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

Sometimes teachers or parents have concerns about a child’s progress, learning or development. If you have a concern you should:

• Share the concern with your child’s teacher.
• Your child’s teacher will then make any changes to support your child. The impact of these changes will be reviewed at an agreed date.
• If there are still concerns at this point, the teacher will speak to the SENCo.
• Your own views will form part of this referral.
• The concern will be explored by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) alongside your child’s class teacher. The child’s own views will be collected and used to support the agreed outcomes.
• If needed, changes will be made to the support your child receives. Where appropriate, experts from outside agencies will be arranged. You will be kept informed throughout the whole process.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

How will the teaching be adapted for my child with SEND?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery SEN support takes the form of a four part cycle: the graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review).

• The teachers assess the progress of all children. Some children with extra needs may require an individual, timetable or an Individual Support Plan (ISP) with specific outcomes and targets so we can track their progress more closely.
• Targets are reviewed regularly by the child’s teacher and any other adults that support that child. All of this is monitored by the SEN Team who will provide additional support where required.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young persons needs?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we value a wide range of approaches to support pupils’ learning. These include:

• Lessons that are carefully planned and adapted to suit all learners.
• Creating stimulating indoor and outdoor learning environments.
• A holistic approach to learning.
• A variety of visual and tactile resources will be used to support learning.
• Personalised provision for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me support my child's/young person's learning?

The SEN Team is responsible for:

• Monitoring the support for children with Special Educational Needs, Medical
• Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), social and emotional difficulties, developing
• the school’s SEND Policy to make sure all children receive a consistent, high
• quality provision to meet their needs in school.
• Ensuring that parents/carers are:

1. Kept informed about the support their child is getting
2. Involved in supporting their child’s learning
3. Involved in reviewing their progress

• Working with all the other agencies who may be involved in supporting your child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, physio therapists etc.
• Making sure that there are excellent records of children’s progress and needs.
• Providing specialist support and training for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we support all children to achieve their highest potential. Specialist professionals from within the school along with those from external agencies ensure that we meet all children’s needs and that they are supported fully. This may involve a child having:

• Interventions such as speech and language development, social groups, fine motor skills and additional sessions for maths and literacy.
• An individual timetable tailored to their specific needs.
• Some 1 to 1 adult support.

The approach taken to designing and implementing provision is constantly reviewed and updated to ensure it is effective in supporting the pupils with their learning and development. The progress of each child is also regularly tracked.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school/setting/college?

Friars Primary School and Nursery work closely with a range of agencies. These include Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Hearing Impairment and Visual Impairment Specialists, Pediatricians, Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services, Social Services, the Early Help Family Support service, Therapeutic Intervention Services. We strive to implement all advice received from them. Further details about these agencies can be found in our School Offer. We invite other professionals to meetings and attend the meeting of other agencies which are relevant to our children and families.

What training are the staff supporting the children and young people with SEND have had or are having?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we provide specialist support and training for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help children with SEND in the school achieve the best progress possible.

We are commited to providing all staff with the most regular and up to date training based on findings from the most recent educational research.

Our training is provided by specialists both internally and externally. Training is delivered via Southend Learning Network, INSET sessions, Specialist Teachers and External Agencies.  Through internal Learning Walks staff are mentored on how to improve their practice to meet the individual needs of all learners.   Specialist Training includes:

• Specific Learning Difficulties e.g. Dyslexia
• ELKLAN Speech and Language
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Behaviour Management
• Social, emotional and mental health and well-being

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we encourage all children to take part in extra curricular activities. Some children may need extra adult support during these activities and, as a fully inclusive school; we plan carefully to ensure suitable support is put in place.

Emotional and social development is an area of importance to us. We have on our team a Pupil and Family Support Worker/Counsellor who works very closely with the children and families. The SEN Team can signpost parents to a number of services to support emotional and behavioural difficulties.

How accessible is the setting/school/college environment?

At Friars, we ensure that all of our children have the very same opportunities. We believe in equality for all and we are Equality and Diversity Champions. We are careful to ensure that learning is accessible to all, aiming to remove any barriers to learning.

Our Accessibility Policy is reviewed regularly to ensure that we are enabling all of our children the best access to their education.

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we make sure that all classrooms create an enriching, visually stimulating learning environment to enable all pupils to access the curriculum and resources they require.

 We aim to ensure that our learning environment and equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs. We carry out risk assessments and provide additional support dependent on a child's individual needs, for instance, more tailored visual aids to support them.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

A transition plan is put in place for some children to ensure they are supported during the next stage of their education. Friars Primary School and Nursery and Secondary Schools work closely with children, school
staff and parents to talk, share information and arrange additional visits with children, parents will be involved during this ongoing process.

Where required, suitable activities are planned to support the learning of key life skills that children will need in later adult life. For example, independence is always promoted at Friars Primary School and Nursery and is considered an incredibly important life skill.

These activities may involve road safety, social awareness, personal care and everyday skills. When we are notified of which school a child is transferring to, contact is made with the new school and all relevant information is passed on.

A transition plan may be designed for the child if parents or staff are concerned that they might find the move challenging. This plan may include opportunities for a member of the SEN Team, along with
any staff who work with the child, to visit the new school.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

At Friars Primary School and Nursery we support all children to achieve their highest potential. Specialist professionals from within the school along with those from external agencies ensure that we meet all children’s needs and that they are supported fully. This may involve a child having:

• Interventions such as speech and language development, social groups,
• fine motor skills and additional sessions for maths and literacy.
• An individual timetable tailored to their specific needs.
• Some 1 to 1 adult support

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

Decisions concerning support are made collaboratively with parents, teachers, the SEN Team and when appropriate, external specialists.

We collect information from parents and external agencies in order to decide how much support a pupil will receive. The pupil’s own views are also taken into account.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Sometimes teachers or parents have concerns about a child’s progress, learning or development. If you have a concern you should:

• Share the concern with your child’s teacher.
• Your child’s teacher will then make any changes to support your child. The impact of these changes will be reviewed at an agreed date.

If there are still concerns at this point, the teacher will speak to the SENCo. Your own views will form part of this referral.
The concern will be explored by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) alongside your child’s class teacher. The child’s own views will be collected and used to support the agreed outcomes.

If needed, changes will be made to the support your child receives. Where appropriate, experts from outside agencies will be arranged. You will be kept informed throughout the whole process.

We have Parent/Teacher meetings throughout the year, and at least once a term, that allow teachers to talk through children’s progress with their parents/carers.

Parents/carers can also make an appointment at any time to speak to their class teacher or Senior Teacher. A member of the SEN Team will attend if necessary.

If a child receives high levels of support, which may include funding from the local authority, then regular review meetings are held to discuss the individual progress of that child. Parents are always invited to these meetings.