SEND
Our SENCO is Miss Kate Williams contacted via SEN Admin Assistant Karen Higgs at k.higgs@merrylands-pri.essex.sch.uk
Merrylands Primary School and Nursery is an inclusive mainstream school. We have an ‘enhanced provision’ called the Autism Support Centre (ASC).
All schools, primary and secondary, are experiencing a high intake of pupils with SEND.
Pupils’ needs fall into 4 categories of need: Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH), Physical and Sensory Impairments (P&S), Communication and Interaction (C&I), Cognition and Learning (C&L)
The SEND Code of Practice states ‘a pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils the same age.’
How do we support children with SEN?
All staff working within our school community ensure high quality teaching is delivered and work alongside the Ordinarily Available document.
What does Ordinarily Available—Class support mean?
Ordinarily Available sets out a common set of expectations about provision and practice that is expected in all settings for all children, including those with SEND. The aim is to provide provision that can ‘ordinarily’ be provided for a child within a mainstream setting from early years, without the need for an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP). The SEND Code of Practice recognises that such provision is more sustainable and effective.
Beyond Ordinarily Available—Class Support
If it is felt that your child requires support that goes beyond that which can be offered at class level, a One Plan will be created. A One Plan monitors the additional support required to help a child achieve targets. This is carried out by the class teacher, family and any other additional adults working with the child. One Plans are reviewed termly.
All planning for pupils, regardless of need, involves cycles of Plan, Do, Review at all levels.
Support beyond One Plan
If a child’s needs continue to be a barrier to learning without progress, it may be explored by the class teacher, SENCO, and family to apply for an EHC Needs Assessment (EHCNA).
What is an EHCP?
An EHCP is a legal document which is created by the Essex SEND Operations team which sets targets and outcomes to support the child or young person.
How does a child get an EHCP?
- if a child has three cycles of the Plan, Do, Review cycle (three terms of One Plan), the school or parent/carer can apply for an EHC Needs Assessment. Supporting evidence and costings are required to be submitted alongside an EHCNA to provide evidence that the support the individual requires goes beyond that which can be provided at class level
- if a Needs Assessment is approved, the pupil will be observed by an Educational Psychologist. This observation, alongside the application and other submitted evidence, will then be reviewed by several professionals at a panel meeting
- once the above is carried out, an Outcomes Meeting will take place, following which a decision will be made and communicated to all those involved
It is important to know that, due to high demand within Essex, there is a severe delay in this process.
What does it mean if my child gets an EHCP?
With an EHCP comes a banding which provides the school with top-up funding. EHCPs and top-up funding do not automatically provide a 1:1 adult for a child and funding is used to best support a child’s individual needs.
At Merrylands Primary School and Nursery we do not assign full-time 1:1 support to children for several reasons; children need to develop independence, they become reliant on the supporting adult, and funding does not cover the cost of a 1:1, for example. Top-up funding will contribute towards input to support the outcomes and targets set within the EHCP.
Pupils with an EHCP will continue to go through the Plan, Do, Review cycle, and will have termly meetings with the class teacher to review the child’s progress towards targets and outcomes laid out in the EHCP. Yearly, the class teacher, family and SENCO will meet to carry out an Annual Review.
Who can I reach out to if I have concerns about my child?
Your first point of contact is always the class teacher. You can, if needed, follow up with one of the school SENCOs. We also have a SEND team in the school which includes the Nurture and Sensory Lead, and as a team we can look to address any concerns and worries raised, and seek the right support where required.
The Nest
Within our school we have a dedicated provision for some of our SEND pupils called the Nest.
The Nest has been designed to support the complex learning needs of pupils in EYFS and Year 1. This provision supports pupils who lack functional language and communication skills. It nurtures the sensory needs and difficulties pupils experience around focus and attention. The nest promotes the acquisition of skills required to access learning opportunities with aspirations to support integration into mainstream. This is further supported by pupils individualised timetables where they access mainstream classrooms and curriculum.
The curriculum specifically addresses specialised approaches in teaching the following skills;
- Use of functional communication- receptive and expressive language
- Focus and attention
- Impulse control and regulation
- Early reading and writing skills
- Fine motor development- hands and facial
- Executive functioning and independence
- Sensory integration
The current approaches to support acquisition of these skills include;
- Multisensory stories
- Music communication
- Makaton Sign language
- Intensive interaction
- Attention Autism
- Use of widget and visual reading and writing resources
- Experience of language approach to reading and writing
The Autism Support Centre (ASC)
This is a Local Authority funded Enhanced Provision for autistic pupils. Placement requests are considered by the Local Authority autism panel, following the annual review process, for pupils with an EHCP where the main category of need is autism.
Signposting
Information on events and support within the community