Babraham C of E Primary School creates a stimulating environment where curiosity and the enjoyment of learning is paramount. The individual talents and interests of each child are valued, and all children are taught to be effective thinkers and learners. We encourage close-knit co-operation and responsibility across the school community in an atmosphere of mutual support. As a school, we are committed to providing an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all our children, whatever their needs and abilities.
We aim to support children with a range of strengths and difficulties, including from the following areas:
- Cognition and learning
- Communication and interaction
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and/or physical needs.
Should a child start a Babraham with identified SEND, we work with the people who already know them and use the information already available to develop their SEND provision in our school.
Through a mix of achievements in class, formal assessments, and their in-depth knowledge of each child in the school, staff constantly assess how each child is learning and progressing. Each class teacher meets with the Head teacher at the start of every term for a Pupil Progress meeting. During this meeting the progress of every child is discussed and where children are identified as falling behind or making slower than expected progress, then support strategies will be put in place. This may include further assessments to enable staff to identify the area of difficulty. Your child’s teacher and/or SENDCo will meet with you to discuss further strategies and support.
If you have any concerns about the development, progress or well-being of your child, please speak to your child’s class teacher as soon as you can. The class teacher will listen to your concerns and together you will be able to decide how best to support your child. There are all sorts of reasons why children experience difficulties and it doesn’t necessarily mean they have special educational needs. Many children benefit from short periods of extra support to help them at different stages in their learning.
Sometimes, it is the parent / carer who first raises concerns about the possibility of special educational need to the school. Following this, a meeting would occur and together the school and the parent / carer will plan what to do next.
Children on the school’s SEND register will complete a Pupil Passport, in collaboration with their class teacher. This has targets set for your child and will be reviewed termly. You will be invited to attend a meeting to review and set new targets together.
The progress of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is formally reviewed at an annual review, with all the adults involved in your child’s education.
The class teacher and SENDCo will be able to offer suggestions for activities to be done at home to reinforce learning, alongside any strategies that may make learning easier for your child. We sometimes run parent / carer workshops in school to help you understand the strategies used in school. In addition, we may be able to offer or signpost you to training in specific support strategies relevant to your child. This is often arranged with Locality support.
Your children’s targets are discussed with them and they are encouraged to take ownership of them.
Teachers work with their pupils with SEND to complete a ‘Pupil Passport’. This holistic document gives your child the opportunity to share their likes and dislikes (in the classroom and beyond), as well as contributing their views on where they feel their strengths lie or the areas they want further help with. During this process, the class teacher and your child work together to identify outcomes and strategies for support for the pupil. This document is reviewed regularly and shared with parents.
- Marking forms the main source of daily assessment.
- On entry in Reception, children are assessed against the Development Matters Stages, for Cambridgeshire County Council and Early Excellence, for the Department for Education, so that a starting point can be identified. At the end of the Reception year the children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals.
- In the Summer Term of Year 1, the children complete a statutory assessment of their phonic skills.
- At the end of Year 2 and Year 6, all children are required to be formally assessed using Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). These assessment methods are required by the Government for all schools to undertake and the results to be published to parents.
- During other years, children are assessed through formal tests and informal assessment opportunities. These are used to inform teachers and parents about children’s progress and attainment.
- In addition to the assessments used for all children we also use a number of tests to assess individual children’s ability and progress, such as reading, spelling and number tests.
Your child may be participating in intervention programmes, which will have targets set specific to their needs. These targets are designed to accelerate learning and close any gaps a child may have between them and the age-expected standard. Progress against these targets will be reviewed regularly so that they are relevant and respond to each child’s needs. The SENDCo will also check that your child is making good progress in their individual work and in any group that they take part in.
Regular book scrutinies and lesson observations will be carried out by the SENDCo and other members of staff to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.
Moving to another school:
- We will contact the school SENDCo to ensure that that they are aware of any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child.
- We will make sure all records for your child are passed on as soon as possible.
Moving into Babraham during the school year:
- We will meet with you and your child to discuss their needs and decide how best to support their transition
- We will liaise with previous school SENDCo to discuss provision and obtain records
- Where appropriate, organise a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting six weeks after starting to discuss transition and ongoing support.
Moving class in school:
- Meetings and discussions will take place between the current and new class teachers and information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance.
- All pupils have the opportunity to participate in transition activities, where they spend time in their new classroom and with their new teacher.
- If necessary, extra opportunities can be made for your child to spend time getting to know their new teacher / classroom, or photobooks can be produced which enable your child to become familiar with everything over the summer holidays in preparation for the new school year.
Year 6:
- We support parents and carers in making decisions about the secondary school they choose for their child, and work with them to ensure a smooth transition from KS2 to KS3.
- The class teacher (and SENDCo if appropriate) will meet with staff from the secondary schools, including the SENDCo, to discuss your child’s needs and current provision.
- Your child will have opportunities to learn about and develop coping strategies for transition and change through whole school PSHE sessions.
- Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions. This may be supported by staff from Babraham. Your child may also be visited at Babraham by staff from their new school.
