Pittington Primary School

- Laura Wigham - Head Teacher
- Laura Nobbs - SENCO
- Helen Sutherland - SEN Link Governor

All of the above can be contacted on 0191 3720314

For information on the admission of pupils with a disability, please visit the School Admissions section of our website and view the Accessibility Plan in our School Policies section.

If you would like to discuss your child’s SEN in more detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

The full range of local support available for children/ young people with SEND and their families within and outside of school can be found in the County Durham Local Offer

There are four broad areas of special educational need, these are:

- Communication and Interaction
This area of need includes children with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs
- Cognition and Learning
This includes children with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
This includes any pupils who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn
- Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties
This area includes children with hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties

At Pittington Primary School, we have experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of need including:

- Specific Learning Difficulties
- Moderate Learning Difficulties
- Speech and Language Difficulties
- Social Communication Difficulties
- Hearing Impairment
- ADHD
- Attachment Difficulties
- Autism
- Foetal alcohol syndrome

We also manage a range of medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, asthma and arthritis.

Medical conditions are managed through IHPs (Individual Healthcare Plans) which are shared with parents and the school nurse and are reviewed annually. The school provides data on the levels and types of needs to the Local Authority. This is collected through the school census.

Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

The Curriculum also included the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence.

Pittington Primary School prides itself in being inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need.  All pupils follow the EYFS (in Two Year Old Provision, Nursery and Reception classes) and National Curriculum (in Key Stages 1 and 2) at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

• Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities.


• Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.


• Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.


• Pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.


• To work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.


• To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)


• To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.


• Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.


• To promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.


• To give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.


• To regularly review the policy, procedures and practice in order to achieve best practice.

We adapt the curriculum and learning environment for pupils with SEN:

Children learn and develop in different ways and at different rates and may need extra help and support at various points during their school career.  Some children, at some point in their school life might have additional or different needs and it may be that they will be on our SEN register for a short period or longer period of time.  However, children’s needs will be reassessed regularly in order to ensure that the provision is suitable and supports every child’s development.

Mrs Nobbs works alongside Class Teachers to oversee all SEN provision, different approaches to teaching and monitor the progress of any child requiring additional support across the school. 

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum and learning environment there are some actions and adaptations we may take to achieve this:

• Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and school activities, visits etc.


• Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.


• Ensure that teaching staff are aware and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is most appropriate to their needs.


• Pupils will grow in confidence and improve their self-esteem.


• To work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.


• To identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)


• To make sure that children with SEN are fully included in all activities in school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.


• To promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.


• To ensure every child has a sense of achievement.


• To regularly review the policy and practice in order to achieve best practise.

We believe that inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes, not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities and educational visits to enrich the experiences of our children. Our curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning, personal growth and development of independence. 

Some of the actions we may take to achieve this are:

• Help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.


• Modify the curriculum to meet individual needs.


• Ensure that teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.


• To make suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.

At Pittington Primary School we do our best to ensure that all children are offered the opportunity to participate in activities outside the classroom and extra-curricular activities. We ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to enable children with SEND to access a full curriculum and to enrich the experiences of all pupils. We are prepared to seek advice, resources, equipment and training in order to provide high quality experiences for our children. Many settings offer support and advice in meeting the needs of children with SEND and offer specific risk assessments which are sent to the school prior to school outings or visits. As a school we ensure that suitable and accessible transport is provided and that comprehensive risk assessments cover travel arrangements to ensure that all children are safe during excursions.

How are the Governors involved and what is their responsibility

Governors are kept up to date on the progress of SEN children. Individual children are not named in this instance and confidentiality is maintained at all times. One of the Governors (Mrs H Sutherland) is responsible for SEN and they liaise with the Head Teacher and SENCO, they also discuss the funding arrangements of staff and resources for SEND children. The Governors agree priorities for spending within the SEN budget with the overall aim that all children receive the support they need in order to make progress.

More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

Early Identification of Need

In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we assess all children continuously across all areas of learning including the four broad areas of Special Educational Needs. We assess informally every day through observations and we carry out formal assessments at the end of every term to measure progress and identify the next steps in learning. We work in partnership with parents, carers and pupils by building good relationships, working together and supporting each other. If there is an identification of need then we will discuss this with parents and if needed provide a pupil with a Short Note. We will share this with parents and may begin to gather evidence to inform whether to make special education provision and consider if we need to consult with relevant external agencies and use assessment tools and materials to ensure early help or identification of SEN happens.

• Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 staff and the SENCO, where necessary, liaise with Nursery or the child’s previous school.


• If a child is performing below age expectations then meetings will be held with the class teacher and SENCO. Observations of the child may also take place.


• SEN is regularly discussed in staff meetings so that all staff can contribute to the identification process.


• We have regular parent meetings and take into account any concerns raised by parents. We pride ourselves on having an ‘open door policy’ where at any point parents can talk to staff.


• Concerns raised by teacher for example behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance.


• Liaison with external agencies we work closely with Movement Support, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, Crisis Response, Educational Psychology, The School Nurse, and Behaviour Support.


• Health diagnosis through local paediatricians at the hospital
  
  

SEN Support

Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.

This means that we will:

• Assess a child’s special educational needs


• Plan the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes


• Do put the provision in place to meet those outcomes


• Review the support and progress
  
  

As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provision to meet those needs. Parents, carers and children’s views are integral to this process. When the child’s Support Plan is reviewed comments are made against each target to show what progress the child has made. If the child has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be tried to ensure the child does make progress.

As a school we help children on SEN support by making additional or different provision from that provided to most other pupils to meet their needs. Some children may need more help than the school can provide. If a child does not make progress despite everything staff have tried, an EHC needs assessment might be the next step. A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan.

In such cases the local authority will look at:

• The child’s attainments and rate of progress


• Their special educational needs


• What has already been done


• The difference that support has made


• The child’s physical, emotional and social development and health needs

For more detailed information see the Local Offer.

Details of Identification and Assessment of Pupils with SEN

At Pittington Primary School termly assessment is carried out by staff who work together to moderate children’s work. The school uses a tracking system to analyse data and to identify gaps in children’s learning and to plan appropriate intervention when required. Different children require different levels of support to diminish the difference and to achieve age related expectations.

Some children may join our school with parents having a clear understanding of their child’s special educational needs and as a school we see parents as partners in their child’s educational journey. In this case we work together with parents/carers, children and education, health and social care professionals to design an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provision to meet those needs.  Parents/carers and the child’s views are integral to this process.

If school staff identify a concern, the class teacher and support staff alongside the SENCO will discuss the child’s needs and a meeting with parents/carers and (if appropriate) the child would be arranged at the earliest opportunity. During this meeting a Short Note would be completed with agreed outcomes for the child and next steps. The next steps may require the involvement of specialist support or advice for example, Educational Psychology, SENDIASS (Parents Advice and Support Service) or another of education health and social care professional. It is important to understand that the involvement of professionals is not always to label or diagnose but to seek advice and strategies to enable a child to reach their full potential.

As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised SEN Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provision to meet those needs. Parents/carers and child views are integral to this process.

A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The purpose of an EHCP is to make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education. It is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs.

We enable all children to engage fully in all aspects of school life. To do this, we:

• Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement. This includes after school clubs, educational visits, sporting festivals and competitions.


• Ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and all school activities making reasonable adaptations where necessary.


• Ensure every child has the entitlement to a sense of achievement through marking and feedback, display of children’s work and our weekly celebration assemblies.

Some examples include:​

• Re-think the way activities are planned and delivered so that learning is accessible to all children. For example, we have undertaken pre-visits to swimming baths to support a child with sensory difficulties to become familiar with acoustics as well as preparing them for a new change in their daily routine. 


• Ensure all staff at Pittington Primary School are highly skilled and reflective practitioners. Whole school training, often bespoke to reflect the needs of our learners, is offered to all staff including those who do not work directly with children such as office staff, caretaker and School Governors.  This ensures a holistic approach to SEN. 


• Adapt learning materials such as equipment and activities to suit each child’s needs


• Provide additional support allocated across the school as necessary, this can be targeted Quality First Teaching in class interventions with the class teacher.


• Ensure a range of strategies are always accessible such as movement breaks, fidget toys, sensory boxes, thought processing lists, distraction aids, weighted blanket, lap belt and relaxation and mindfulness techniques.


• A tag-team approach is a valued strategy used within our school to offer a pupil a change in environment and/ or person which can aid de-escalation.


• Re-arrange the learning environment to allow specific resources to be included in the classroom. For example, an individual workstation, visual timetable, break-out spaces and access to nurture provision.


• Plan whole school adjustments to ensure children are supported throughout their journey at Pittington Primary School. In advance of any year group transitions year groups are carefully allocated to classrooms which will facilitate access to particular in school provisions.  For example, break-out spaces, intimate care facilities, school hall and direct access to outdoors. 


• Use a communication journal called Tapestry to support home/ school links and communication. This is used for all children from Nursery to Year 6 and can be a particularly effective tool for parents whose children have additional needs. 


• Implement bespoke reward systems, reflecting the interests and passions of our pupils. This personalised approach ensures that every child has a sense of achievement.

Please see our Equality Policy and Accessibility Plan for more details.

We continuously ensure the provision has a positive impact on the outcomes for all of our children/young people. We do this in a variety of ways, including:

• Robust evaluation of policy and practice


• Book scrutinies


• SENCO/SLT/Governor monitoring


• Learning walks


• Performance management


• Pupil progress meetings

Pittington Primary School is an inclusive school.  We believe that a positive supporting and caring ethos coupled with a strong personal education provides the opportunity for pupils to develop high self-esteem.  It is paramount that we support and promote the emotional wellbeing of all children.  We consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the Emotional and Social Development needs of SEN children are met.

Pittington Primary School has and maintains close links with External Partnerships in order to access the best professional advice.  In addition, we also link with Local Authority and additional services, such as Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), School Nursing Service, Social Services, Councillor, EWEL Team and Medical Professionals.  We hold meetings in school so that parents and pupils are comfortable and confident in their supporting environment.

At school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by staff and pupils.  Rewards at Pittington Primary include:

-Stickers
-Head Teachers Award
-Deputy Head Teachers Award
-Team Points
-Certificates
-Notes and photographs home via Dojo
-Lunchtime Award (awarded for whole class achievement)
-Attendance and Punctuality Awards

The rewards above run alongside the bespoke reward systems in place for those children with SEN.

At Pittington Primary School we never underestimate the reward of a smile from adult to a child.  A smile and kind words are powerful motivators and acknowledgement of good behaviour and positive attitudes.     

The Head Teacher, Laura Wigham, is the Designated Person for Looked after Children.  She works closely with the SENCO to ensure all staff in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.

Children who are Looked After (CLA) and have SEN are supported in the same way as all children in school through the graduated response: Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.  In addition to any Support Plan or EHCP the child will require a Personal Education Plan (PEP).

When a child becomes looked after the Social Worker must ensure that the child’s needs and the services needed to meet those needs are documented in the Care Plan. The Care Plan, of which the PEP is an integral part, is made before the child becomes looked after, or in the case of an emergency placement, within 10 working days.  The PEP is a record of what needs to happen for children who are looked after to enable them to fulfil their potential and reflects any existing plans such as an EHCP, SEN Support Plan or Short Note.  The PEP should reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning, which secures good basic skills, stretches aspirations and build life chances.  The PEP is the joint responsibility of the authority and the school.   

How we support children/young people with SEN starting at our school 

We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting and this is done through a series of transition days. These are timetabled so that children can have an experience of various parts of school life including lunch. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

Transition into nursery for children with SEN is planned in advance through consultation with parents. Sometimes shorter sessions are planned initially to enable the child (and the family) to gain confidence in the nursery. Groupings are planned in advance, and where possible, children with SEN are taught in smaller groups.

How we support children/young people with SEN moving between classes in our school 

At Pittington Primary School we work closely within key stages so children become familiar with each staff team. Transition is treated the same at every juncture and children are given the opportunity to take part in ‘Moving Up Days’ where children spend time with their new class teacher in their new classroom. During the summer term staff meet to share information and for those children who require provision that is additional to or different from quality first teaching we make additional arrangements to support these children through individual transition activities. This can include spending additional time in their new classroom, visiting their new classroom with their current member of support staff, beginning transition arrangements earlier in the Summer Term or photographs of their new classroom to take home and talk about with parents and carers during the summer holidays. The support provided is tailored to the needs of individual children and will be discussed with parents and carers and the child.

How we support children/young people with SEN leaving our school

Children with SEND are given an extensive level of support before they leave for their new school. We work closely with parents to help this be as smooth a transition as possible. When children are preparing to leave us for a new school, typically to go to Secondary education, we arrange additional visits. All our ‘feeder’ secondary schools run programmes specifically tailored to aid transition for the more vulnerable pupils. We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex needs and has an Education Health and Care Plan, then a review will be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend and any other relevant professionals. Their teacher and SENCO will discuss with secondary colleagues how many transition visits can be arranged over and above those offered to children without SEND. These additional visits to the new school will be carried out with the child and secondary school staff in the summer term.

Our SEND Team

Our SENCO is Mrs Laura Nobbs and she can be contacted by phone on 0191 3720314 or by email at pittington@durhamlearning.net . Mrs Nobbs is working towards the statutory National Professional Qualification for SEN Coordination required of all SENCOs. She regularly attends Durham County SEN network meetings and training courses.

More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

Our Teachers and Teaching Assistants attend a variety of county run SEN courses and staff training workshops in school and are encouraged to keep their knowledge of SEN up to date.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

The external specialists may:

• Act in an advisory capacity


• Extend expertise of school staff


• Provide additional assessment


• Support a child directly


• Suggest statutory assessment is advisable


• Consult with all parties involved with the child

How we secure Specialist Expertise 

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEND. If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.

This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:

• Providing staff training


• Buying resources to support children


• Enabling staff to run intervention programs


• Paying for assessment and advice from outside agencies e.g. Cognition and Learning Team

At Pittington Primary school, we liaise with the following agencies depending upon the individual child’s needs:

• Autism Social Communications Team


• One Point


• CAMHS


• CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Pathway


• Cognition and Learning Team


• Crisis Response


• Education Psychology Service


• Emotional Wellbeing for Effective Learning Team


• Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service


• Mental Health Support Team


• Movement Difficulties Service


• Occupational Therapy


• School counsellor


• School Nurse Team


• Social Care and Health Team


• Speech and Language Therapy

We encourage these professionals to visit school as often as possible to work with our staff and share their expertise. Wherever possible, staff implement programmes of work linked to these professionals e.g. speech and language programmes, exercises recommended by physical therapists etc.

Consultation with Children and Young People with SEND 

Teachers/SENCO and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes.  The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children take an active role with setting their outcomes and discussing them with the class teacher/SENCO.  The children have regular meetings with staff to discuss their progress and support.

Consultation with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND 

We are committed to working with parents and carers to identify their child’s needs and support.  Parents and carers will be involved throughout the process.

There is a range of ways this can be done, for example:

• Termly parents/ carers evenings;


• Ongoing discussions with a class teacher and/or SENCO;


• An ‘open-door’ policy, where parents and carers are welcome to come into school to discuss any concerns they may have;


• Through termly reviews of their child’s SEN Support Plan/ EHC Plan.


• Annual EHCP review meetings


• Asking for Parent views at meetings and in questionnaires

We encourage and value the opportunity for children to be able to express their views about school life. Children who have Support Plans discuss their targets with the SENCO. We have carried out pupil questionnaires where we actively seek the viewpoints of children especially concerning being able to speak to an adult if they have a worry.

If your child has an EHCP (Education Health & Care Plan) their views will be sought before any review meetings.

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of education we provide for children with SEN and are keen to hear from parents about their child’s experience. 

We would also like your views about the content of our SEN Information Report. If you would like to comment please complete the online form in the Contact Us section of our website.

Compliments are always greatly received and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher.  These positive comments will be published on this area of our school website. 

We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.

Further information can be found in the Complaints Policy in the School Policies section of our website or by visiting the Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service website.

All of our school policies can be found on the website but the most important ones for parents of children with SEND are listed below:

• SEND Policy


• Equality Policy 


• Equality Information and Objectives 


• Accessibility Plan 


• Anti-Bullying Policy


• Behaviour Policy 

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.