Special Educational Needs (SEN)

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At Woodside Primary School we strive to support all children to enable them to achieve their academic potential.  In order to do this many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey.  Quality teaching is vital; however for some children there are occasions when further positive support may be needed to help them achieve their targets.

Below are some answers to questions that parents/carers might have about Woodside Primary School’s SEND provision/information.

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

• All children’s progress – academic, social and emotional, is constantly monitored by teachers and the Senior Leadership Team within the school.  Any concerns a teacher may have about a child would be discussed with parents at the earliest opportunity.  Parents are able to discuss the progress or any other concerns with the class teacher, SENDCO (Mrs Percival) or Mr Collings, the Headteacher

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2.   How will school staff support my child?

• All children are provided with ‘Quality First Teaching’ within their year group.

• Children with special needs have Support Plans put in place, outlining targets and strategies to support your child.

       Support Plans are reviewed regularly with the child and shared with parents.

• The school SENDCO is in regular contact with the Educational Psychologist, the Behaviour Support Team, 

       Speech & Language Therapists and the Local Authority.  Any child needing specialist support will be identified to the

       relevant professionals and given any subsequent recommended support necessary.

• If a child requires Speech & Language support, school will act upon advice given by therapists and support will be given

       by specially trained Teaching Assistants.

• Children identified as needing extra support will have interventions put in place.

• Some children may require further support and interventions as advised by outside agencies.

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 3.  How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

• All children are provided with ‘Quality First Training’.

• Class Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that your child’s needs are met.

• All lessons offer the challenge and support necessary for each child to learn and where necessary, differentiation occurs through the work set, questions asked and support given.

• Specific resources and intervention strategies will be used to support your child individually and in groups.

• Planning and teaching will be adapted on a daily basis if needed to meet your child’s learning needs.

 

 4.   What SEND types do we currently provide for?

Currently at Woodside we provide additional support and provision for the following recognised forms of SEND:

• Speech and Language Difficulties

• Social, emotional and communication difficulties

• Irlens Syndrome

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5.   How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

• Children’s progress is shared with parents throughout the year during parents’ evenings.

• We have an open door policy at Woodside and welcome parents to come in and discuss their child if they have any concerns with their class teacher or SENCO.

• If teachers have concerns they will contact parents to discuss them and listen to any concerns that you may have too.

• Woodside has an anti-bullying policy and deals with any incidents seriously and effectively.

• The class teacher or SENCO will speak to you regarding any referrals to outside agencies to support your child’s learning.

• Support plans are discussed and reviewed with parents.

• All children are tracked using the school’s data tracking.

• Annual reports are written for every child.

• The voices and views of children at Woodside are valued.  Children have class representatives on the school council.  Pupils also are active participants in the planning stages of Creative Curriculum topics.

• Woodside holds regular curriculum evenings to advise parents on how they can best support their child’s learning.

 

6.   What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

• We ensure that all children are supported socially and pastorally by teaching staff and teaching assistants who know the children well.

• We offer a wide range of activities within school to support their social and emotional developments such as school visits, educational trips, and links with the community.

• School has a medicine policy which supports parents/carers with the management of their child’s medication within school and staff regularly undergo training in key areas such as asthma, diabetes and the use of Epipens.

• If a child comes into school with a specific need, the school nurse will provide the relevant staff with training.  The school also has staff who are trained First Aiders within the school.

• Children who need specific support within their behaviour will be identified and support offered.  This support will range from extra support in the classroom, to interventions and support in small nurture groups as and when required.

• We promote and celebrate excellent attendance with class rewards, certificates and end of year awards.

• Parents are supported and school will send texts or ring home to query a child’s non-attendance at school.

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Mental Health and Wellbeing

School can make a referral to CAMHs

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6.   What specialist services and expertise are available at school or accessed by the school?

• School employs staff trained to educate and care for children throughout their primary years.

• Staff are trained regularly in key areas of the curriculum and also in identifying and supporting children with specific difficulties around learning, child development and social and emotional problems children may experience.

• School has direct access to a wide range of services, all of which can support both parents/carers and children.  These agencies include speech and language, CAMHs, Educational Psychologist, Behaviour Support, Autism support, Early Intervention, Social Services, Paediatricians and the School Nurse.

 

7.   What training are staff who are supporting children with SEND accessing and undertaking?

• All staff receive regular training if required from the health service around key medical issues which could arise for children.

• Individual staff are trained in First Aid and are strategically placed around school.

• The SENCO attends L.A. training and attends key regional training which is then shared with all staff.

• The SENCO provides in-house training on developing Support Plans and around specific requests from staff, or as necessary to support a particular child or group of children.

• Where necessary, specialist training is brought into the school.  For example the Behaviour Support Team can provide school with training and around a range of social and emotional needs, ADHD training, and also support staff with Team-Teach training.

• Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class.

 

8.   How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

• We are fully inclusive and all children attend all events and trips, as well as being encouraged to take part in all activities both within school and outside of school.

• Where necessary, extra support will be provided to ensure full participation by all children and parents are fully informed as to any to any trips and activities open to every child.

• Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put into place to enable all children to participate.

 

9.   How will the school prepare and support my child to join the join the school or to transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life?

• We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

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If your child is joining our school:

• We encourage parents and children to visit the school and meet their new teacher prior to joining the school.

• A member of the Senior Management Team will either show the child and parents around school or be available to answer any questions.

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If your child is moving to another school:

• We will contact the school SENCO and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child.

• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.

 

When moving classes in school:

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance.

• Your child will have transition visits to meet the class teacher and become familiar with their new classroom.

 

In Year 6:

• The teacher and SENCO will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENCO of their secondary school.  Where possible your child will visit their new school on several occasions and in some cases staff from the new school will visit your child in this school.

 

10.   How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

• All classes have additional support staff, who are well trained to support children with SEND and who work on intervention programmes alongside a class teacher.

• The SEND budget is allocated each financial year.  The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependence 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.

• Resources may include deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances.

 

11.   How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our provision?

• Throughout the school the progress of all children, including those with SEND is monitored termly, with intervention programmes put into place to support specific groups/individuals identified as requiring additional support.  Support plans are also evaluated regularly.

 

12.   Who can I contact for further information?

• If you wish to discuss your child’s educational needs or are unhappy about something regarding your child’s schooling please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with the class teacher, SENCO (Mrs Percival) or Mr Collings.

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 Please find information below:

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Woodside Local Offer / SEN Information Report 2024 - 25​

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Halton Children's Trust Local Offer

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Woodside's Equality Statement

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Woodside's Accessibility Plan

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SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services)

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Halton's SEND Carer's Forum ( HSCF )

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Halton SEND Carers Forum (HSCF) is a community group that consists of a group of parents and carers whose aim is to ensure SEND services reach and meet the needs of disabled children and their families in Halton.

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The forum achieves this by gathering the views of local families who are either service users or have personal experience of disability or special educational needs. HSCF work in partnership with Halton Borough Council, various education settings, health providers and other disability stakeholders to highlight where local services, processes and commissioners are working well.  Forums have a steering group consisting of parents and carers who lead this work and listen to the views of other parents and carers in the local area to identify what is important to them. This feedback then enables HSCF to build on their strengths and identify how service delivery can be improved and delivered in the future.

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Steering committee meetings are every month except August and December. The Forum is continually signposting parents and carers to helpful information via their Facebook page HaltonSENDcarersforum and website www.haltonsendcarersforum.org.uk

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Who can join a parent carer forum?

Any parent or carer of a child or young person aged 0-25 years, who resides in Halton, is over 18 years of age regardless to disability, political or religious affiliation, race, sex or sexual orientation and who is:

a)         Interested in helping the forum to achieve its aim.

b)         Willing to abide by the rules of the forum and adhere to the Code of Conduct.

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Joining the forum does not mean you have to commit a significant amount of your time. In most forums you can simply join and receive information, and then decide if you want to get more involved at your own pace.

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The forum represents the personal views of parents and carers in the local area but does not advocate for individual families. Halton SEND Carers Forum are looking at extending their forum membership and adding to their steering group. The forum is keen to hear from as many parents and carers as possible. Please drop us an email at info.haltoncarersforum@gmail.com

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