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Cotton End Forest School

Cotton End Forest School is a place where everyone is cared for as an individual, their views and heritage respected and where children are at the centre of all we do. We allow each individual to flourish through a happy, safe and stimulating environment where everyone can meet their personal goals and full potential: physically, socially, intellectually, emotionally, morally and spiritually. Through a positive community ethos we listen, engage and nurture a can-do attitude in order to prepare all learners for their future lives, enabling enjoyable learning within the context of a rapidly changing technological society.

Cotton End Forest School have two trained SEND coordinators.

Mrs Diane Catchpole is the SENDCo for parents and families of children in Key Stage 2.

Contact: senco@cottonendforestschool.co.uk or 01234 740100

Mrs Rebecca Sohanpal is the SENDCo for parents and families of children in Key Stage 1 and Early Years.

Contact: rsohanpal@cottonendforestschool.co.uk  or 01234 740100

Who to contact

Contact Name
Mrs Headland
Contact Position
Headteacher
Telephone
E-mail
office@cottonendforestschool.co.uk

Where to go

Address
Cotton End Forest Primary School
High Road
Cotton End
Bedford
Postcode
MK45 3AG
Get directions

Time / Date Details

When is it on
School Day 8:45am-3:30pm

Other Details

Costs

Details
Breakfast and after school club is available for all pupils from 7:30am to 6pm. This is run by an external company, Dawn till dusk.
Age Bands
11-14 years old
0-4 years old
5-10 years old

Schools Extended Local Offer Response

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

Early identification is key to ensuring that a pupil can be successful in their learning journey. All children are carefully tracked and their progress monitored regularly. Class teachers differentiate tasks to include all pupils and any concerns about progress or development are raised at pupil progress meetings or with one of the SENDCo. Parents are kept informed throughout by means of informal discussions, consultations, scheduled meetings with staff and/or other professionals.

As a mainstream school we promote an inclusive environment but we do not cater for any specific special educational need.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

Class teachers are primarily responsible for teaching and monitoring the progress of their pupils. Every class has a teaching assistant, for some of the day, who supports the class teacher and helps with the pastoral care of the children. If a child is not making expected levels of progress, an Individual Education Plan/ Action Plan may be required and if so, it will be drawn up by the class teacher in discussion with the SENDCo and parents. School data is analysed by senior leaders and interventions established where necessary.

If a child has a high level of needs (as stated on an EHCP, an additional member of staff would be employed to support them).

The Headteacher reports on SEND to Governors termly. A Governor is responsible for SEND and meets with the SENDCo termly.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

At Cotton End Forest school we teach through exciting topics which aim to create engaging, inspiring and challenging learning experiences. We understand that all children learn in different ways and aim to cater for all needs in every lesson.  Activities and lessons are carefully differentiated to cater for all needs in the class.  Teaching assistants are skilled to help support and extend learning for the group of children they work with.  We have high aspirations and expectations of all children including those with SEND. Children are treated as individuals and their needs addressed as such. We differentiate through wave 1 and 2 interventions, accommodating all Special Education needs within a mainstream setting.  Learning environments richly reflect the termly topic to fully submerge the children into the topic.  Areas are set up around the classroom to encourage independent learning.

 

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

Cotton End Forest School has an open door policy and a close working relationship with families. As the children first start in our Preschool, staff visit the family home. The relationships develop as they continue through school through regular contact with families both informally and by appointment. Staff constantly monitor children’s progress and adapt work accordingly. At termly parent meetings teachers share information on children’s progress with their parents and discuss future targets.  This is an opportunity to discuss concerns and share ideas for how parents can support their child’s learning at home.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

We work hard to ensure children are happy and feel safe at school to ensure they can learn to their full potential.  We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be supported. If these needs are not addressed children may suffer with behavioural difficulties, anxieties, and being uncommunicative.   All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health end Economic education) curriculum to support this development through our values education. For children who find aspects of this difficult we offer social skills group sessions, 1-to-1 sessions to deal with emotional behaviour, individual behaviour target cards and encourage attendance at extra-curricular clubs.  Mindfulness is taught throughout the school and each class has a worry eater and an emotionally friendly space is provided.

Children who require more support may be invited to a Nurture lunch club with their class teacher, this is an opportunity for children to share their views and worries and to give them time to talk.

The SENDCo tracks children’s wellbeing and involvement in learning termly and support is offered accordingly.

 In each classroom a lockable medical box is used to store medicines for children in the class.  Key workers are responsible for monitoring and administering medicines for individual children. 

 

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

All of the staff at Cotton End Forest school are dedicated to helping children to achieve their best.  We have two named SENDCos, Mrs Diane Catchpole supports children in EY and KS1 and Mrs Claire Gormley supports children in KS2.  Both SENDCOs have many years of experience with SEND and has achieved the National Qualification for SENDCo.

Development and training for staff is ongoing and high profile at Cotton End.

All Teaching Assistants hold Level 2 or higher qualifications.  We have staff trained in: SEND, Sounds-Write, Makaton, positive behaviour management, diabetes, first aid, anti-bullying, ELKAN, Fischer family Trust intervention.

We are an Achievement for All School.

We work with external agencies to support pupils with additional needs in school.  These include: Speech and language, Educational Psychologists, CHUMs, CAMH, Art and Play therapists.

 

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

All of the staff at Cotton End Forest School undertake CPD for supporting children with SEND. Mrs Diane Catchpole has recently undertaken Protective Behaviours training, CHUMS training, Leading a mentally healthy school training and arranged whole staff training lead by the Educational Psychology Team. This has included training on anxiety, working memory and ADHD.

Mrs Claire Gormley is also trained in Protective behaviours and successfully works with individuals across the school.

As a result of this training the school have a Mental Health and Emotional Well-being policy and children’s mental health and well-being is tracked in line with the policy.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

All activities provided outside the classroom at school will be made available to all children. Reasonable adjustments will be made to ensure the inclusion of all children and parents will be included in the planning and delivery of these activities where appropriate. If, for any reason, they are unsuitable, an alternative activity will be offered.

All children are welcomed to breakfast and after school clubs and extra support is put in place where required.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

All children joining the school in Preschool and Reception are offered a home visit and our staff visit any previous setting before a child starts with us.  We liaise closely with our feeder schools and ensure that our pupils are well prepared for transition to the next stage of their education. Transition arrangements include visits to us from Secondary School staff and visits from our children to the Secondary school they choose to attend. All parents are encouraged to visit the schools available to them in order to make an informed choice for their child. If a child has an Education and Health Care plan parents will be consulted about their wishes for the next stage of their education.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

If a learner is described as having SEN, we will provide support which is ‘additional to’ or

‘different from’ the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, personalised teaching intended to overcome the barriers to learning. This support is set out in the pupil’s action plan and/or Provision Map.  We use assessments, as well as discussions with parents and pupils to identify the barriers to learning and to plan any additional support the pupil needs. Additional support and intervention programmes will be reviewed regularly by the class teacher and meetings with the Headteacher and SENDCo will be held termly to discuss progress. Our aim is for children to close the gap between their learning and their peers and so maintain a flexible approach to additional support and interventions which are adapted and changed according to the child’s need.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

The class teacher monitors each individual child’s progress half termly through assessment. Progress is tracked carefully and if a child is deemed to be making less than expected progress the parents would be asked to meet with the class teacher to discuss this. Targeted interventions are implemented and the impact is measured using Individual Needs Action Plans. These are working documents and are reviewed as needed. All children on plans making less than expected progress will be placed on the SEN register.

The Educational Psychology team deliver termly drop-ins for teachers and parents where advise and strategies are discussed to support individual needs.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

We have an open door policy with the Headteacher and staff meeting and greeting parents on a daily basis. Any concerns raised about a child are shared with parents as soon as possible. Parents and teachers meet termly with timetabled consultations. Any action plans are discussed and agreed with parents before involvement of any external agencies. Individual targets are shared with parents termly.  Teachers have a structured conversation with parents where targets are set and joint actions are agreed. Parents and teachers keep in touch regularly to update and review progress.