"Together, we are a rainbow of possibilities so let's ALL sparkle and shine!"

Our Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) is Mrs Swain.

Mrs Swain can be contacted by ringing our school office on 01773 832307.

SEND Information Report

September 2023

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice gives guidance to education settings. The code of practice 6.79 states that the governing body of maintained schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the policy for pupils with Special Educational Needs.

The Code of Practice 2014 identifies 4 broad areas of SEND:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Interaction
• Social, Mental and Emotional Health
• Sensory and/or Physical needs

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:

1. Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or
2. Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided.

Identifying the Special Educational Needs of Pupils

It is the responsibility of all staff to identify, assess and meet the needs of children with special educational needs, with the support of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).

At Croft Infant School, the key people are:

• Mrs S. Swain – Headteacher & Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
• Mrs G. Slater – SEN Governor

The responsibilities of the SENCO include:

• Overseeing the day to day operation of the SEN policy
• Co-ordinating provision for children with Special Educational Needs
• Liaising with teaching staff, offering advice and support as required.

• Monitoring the use of SEN and General Teaching Assistants

• Overseeing the records of all children with Special Educational Needs
• Liaising  with parents of children with Special Educational Needs
• Organising and attending meetings to review interim and annual Statements of Special Educational Needs.
• Contributing to the in-service training of staff.
• Liaising with external agencies including the Local Authority’s support and educational psychological services, health and social services and voluntary bodies.

Children may be identified in a variety of ways:

• By parents before their child starts school
• From the child’s nursery or pre-school setting (for the under fives)
• From a previous school setting, if a child is transferring to our school
• Outside agencies may contact the school
• Class teachers may identify concerns regarding progress or behaviour and report this to the SENCO.

At Croft Infant School we believe that all children have the right to feel valued and access a broad and balanced curriculum within a learning environment and ethos of equality and inclusion. Regular assessment within the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, as well as building a picture of the whole child, are carried out and are used to identify any areas of need a child may have.

What are the different types of support available for children with SEND?

Children with special educational needs sometimes require special educational provision to ensure the greatest possible degree of access to the curriculum. Class teachers together with General and SEN Teaching and Learning Assistants based in the classroom will adapt the curriculum in their planning, using a variety of teaching strategies and resources to support this provision.

The teacher, with support from the SENCO, will set individual or group targets, which will be recorded on a school support plan, known as an IEP (Individual Education Plan). Targets will be worked towards either in class, with support from the teacher or teaching assistant, or by working in small groups or 1 to 1, usually with the most suitable adult. Children who have an Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have a set of planned targets, for the end of the key stage, identified using assessments from a range of professionals and specific provision also identified.

Specialist advice may be sought from outside agencies and any specific strategies suggested will be implemented. This may involve agencies such as:

• Educational Psychologist
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Visual Impairment 
• Hearing Impairment
• Physically Impaired
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Behaviour Support Service
• School Nurse
• Multi Agency Team
• Autism Outreach
• SSSEN services
• CAMHS

All staff are supported in their CPD and may attend courses to enable them to support children in their class with specific needs. Current staff are also highly experienced in supporting children with Autism, speech and language and hearing difficulties, physical disability and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

At Croft Infant School, all children will participate in any outside trips or visits. Any support necessary for children with special educational needs will be provided to enable those children to access these activities along with their peers.

What will be provided to support my child’s overall well-being?

We believe that pupils achieve their best when they are happy and feel safe and secure. We celebrate children’s successes with positive learning experiences and reward effort and achievement relevant to them. At times, children may experience some setbacks or challenges and all staff at Croft Infant School are committed to ensuring that children are given the appropriate support in order to overcome these set backs. Their needs can present in a number of different ways including behavioural difficulties, anxiety, being upset or uncommunicative and withdrawn. We can offer a variety of support:

• The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore this should be your first point of contact. If it is felt that further support is required, the class teacher will liaise with the SENCO/Headteacher for further advice. This could include working alongside outside agencies such as Health and Social services, the Educational Psychologist, Behaviour Support or the SSSEN service.
• Assemblies enable the children to celebrate their individuality, empathise with others, recognise diversity and learn about the wider world.
• Our curriculum has discreet and integrated PSHE sessions
• Circle time sessions
• Positive Play sessions and/or Nurture Group activities

How will we measure the progress of your child in school

Your child’s progress is continually measured by the class teacher. In the Foundation Stage this is by continuous assessment of independent learning. More formal assessment is also undertaken during focused group activities, as may be appropriate. In Foundation stage, progress in all aspects of learning are tracked termly. In Key Stage 1, progress in reading, writing and maths is more formally assessed on a termly basis and carefully tracked by subject leads and SLT.  Through the use of ‘Rainbow Jobs’, children have many repeated opportunities to show their own learning and progress independently, which they document themselves within their Learning Journey book.  All children have the same opportunities to succeed. 

How will I be involved in my child’s education?

Parents and carers know their children best and we greatly value your contribution in supporting your children to enable them to make progress and succeed. At Croft Infant School, we believe parents should play an active role in their child’s education. To enable you to do this we will:

• Share your child’s targets with you.
• Give you all relevant information from outside agencies.
• Invite parents into school at least three times per year to discuss your child’s progress and to review and update their IEP.
• Arrange a review meeting at least once a year with parents and relevant outside agencies to discuss and review your child’s EHCP. 
• Be welcoming and available so that you can arrange to see the class teacher or SENCO at any time if you have any questions.

How accessible is the school environment?

Croft Infant School is situated in the town of Alfreton. The school was built in 1907 and is a Grade 2 listed building. The site is on one level and all parts of the school are accessible to all pupils, including wheelchair access as there are ramps into the hall and a Y1 classroom. There is a disabled parking space on the school drive. The school also has a disabled toilet, a bed and changing facilities for any pupils requiring this facility. Corridors are wide for ease of access and classrooms are organised carefully to ensure plenty of space for all children to move around.

How will we support your child with transition points?

Joining our school:

• We fully appreciate that transitions can be particularly difficult with children with SEND and we will ensure we address this carefully for each individual child so that it can be as smooth as possible.
• We will contact the pre-school / nursery / current school to find out as much information as we can prior to your child joining us.
• We will arrange for any additional visits to us to be made, with parents too if that is appropriate, so we can get to know your family, and your child’s needs, better.
• We will liaise with external agencies who may already be involved with your child & plan for any further meetings to be made when appropriate.

Leaving us & joining another school:

• We will contact the SENCO at the new school and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that your child needs or may need.
• We will make sure all records about your child are passed on to the new school as soon as possible.
• We can arrange additional transition visits for your child to visit their new school before they move so that they can become familiar with their new surroundings.
• Outside agencies working with your child will be informed that they have moved to a new school in order for their support to continue.

The Local Offer

The SEND Local Offer is a resource designed to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families living in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Local Offer includes information about schools and colleges, childcare and education for the early years, transport to and from school, health services and support, support for families and a range of other relevant information and advice. Croft Infant School supports the local offer and we refer parents to it as appropriate. You can access the Local Offer at www.derbyshiresendlocaloffer.org

How can I let school know if I am concerned about my child’s progress?

Any concerns you may have should initially be shared with your child’s class teacher. If your concerns continue please ask to speak to our SENCO/Headteacher, who can be contacted through our school office, by telephone on 01773 832307 or by emailing via the form below.

Complaints Procedure

Should you have any concerns or complaints regarding the care and welfare of your child, you can make an appointment with the Headteacher/SENCO who will be able to advise you on formal procedures for complaint. A copy of the policy can be found on the school website.