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Shackleton Primary School

Shackleton Primary School is part of HEART Academies Trust and is a great place to study.

At Shackleton Primary School we believe our children will thrive in an environment where they feel happy, safe, valued and respected. We aim to ensure they are motivated by learning and offered the best opportunities that we can provide. We hope their stay with us will prove to be happy and that through good teaching and a stimulating environment they can reach a high standard of personal achievement.

Who to contact

Telephone
E-mail
enquiries@shackletonprimary.co.uk
Website
https://www.shackletonprimary.co.uk/

Where to go

Name
Shackleton Primary School
Address
Pearcey Road
Bedford
Postcode
MK42 9LZ
Get directions

Other Details

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?

At Shackleton we view our children's learning as a jigsaw.  Like all jigsaws, sometimes it’s easy to find the right piece to make everything click together, in this case, children to access learning, but sometimes it takes a little bit longer.  Our SENDCO is the one who will help your child and you, find the vital piece that is enables your child to access learning effectively. We use a system called the graduated response, which is set out in the SEN Code of Practice. 

The teachers and Senior leaders are always looking to make sure that all our children are making good progress. We aim to have inclusive high quality teaching throughout Shackleton, enabling inclusion learning for all children. If a child isn’t accessing their learning effectively we start to dig a little deeper. It may be a child requires something additional in order to make progress, so we speak to those who know the child best, the parent.  We also do observations and  assessments to identify and remove any barriers to learning and, if appropriate, put effective special educational provision in place which is referred to as SEN support. When we have a child who is receiving SEN support, different strategies have been tried but progress is still not being made, we may, in agreement with you the parent, involve other professionals.  These will be professionals who can advise on further diagnosis if appropriate and additional guidance on effective teaching approaches, interventions and resources to support the child’s progress and development.  

Throughout all of this you will be involved.  The SENDCO, Faye McKinney, will be there to guide you through the process at any step, sometimes supported by one of our wonderful Learning Support Assistants.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress or well-being please speak to either your child’s class teacher.  If required they will then speak to Mrs Faye McKinney (SENDCO) to discuss your concerns further.

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

The class teacher is responsible for:

  • Checking on the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering the differentiated curriculum for your child
  • Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

The SENCO Mrs Faye McKinney is responsible for:

  • Providing professional guidance to colleagues and working closely with staff, parents and other agencies who may be working with your child
  • Developing and reviewing the school’s SEN policy and the SEN Information Report which is updated annually •Updating the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and making sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept. Ensure school keeps the records of pupils with SEN up to date •Co-ordinating all the provision for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). 
  • Ensuring that you, the parent,  are involved in supporting your child’s learning and kept informed of their progress
  • Co-Advising on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively •Overseeing day to day operation of the school’s SEN policy
  • Advising on a graduated approach to provide SEN Support
  • Manage the transition process for children with SEND •Work with head teachers and school governors with regards to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

If a learner is identified as having SEN need, we will provide support that is additional to or different from the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, individualised teaching intended to overcome the barrier to their learning. This support is set out in the individual school’s whole school Provision Map, which documents the support that is to be put into place.

We aim for our whole curriculum inside and outside of the classroom to be inclusive of all our children.  We do this by assessed the needs to different opportunities and making adjustments to ensure they are accessible for all. Once again we will always ask the parent to support us in planning for these situations as you know your children best.

We are a mainstream primary school providing support for pupils with SEND for whom mainstream education is appropriate. Teaching strategies and styles are dependent upon the nature of the class being taught and on the nature of the individual needs within the group.

Quality First Teaching (excellent targeted classroom teaching).  For your child this means:

•Teachers have the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class. If an LSA is in the lesson, their support is targeted to ensure that learning is moved on. They do not complete tasks for pupils.

•Your child is fully involved in learning in class. 

•Strategies maybe suggested by the SENCO or other professionals working with your child,  are in place to support your child to learn.

Specific group work intervention 

•This would be a program focused on a specific area of learning and could be run by a teacher, Learning Support Assistant or another adult.  The impact is measured by a baseline and end result.

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

This is at the heart of our teaching at Shackleton. We are an inclusive school; we welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff share responsibility for this and this is reflected in our teaching and reflected on in our general curriculum and in our structured PSHE curriculum.  The staff believe that pupils having high self-esteem is crucial to a pupil’s well-being. 

The class teacher has responsibility for every child in their class therefore this is the parents’ first point of contact.  The Senior Leadership Team will also offer pupils guidance and help. If further support is required, the class teacher liaises with the SENDCO and the appropriate member of the senior leadership team for further advice and support. Our Inclusion team then work closely with multi-agency teams such as Health and Social Care, CAMHS, and/or specialist educational services to ensure the best possible support is offered to your child.  In addition we provide a range of interventions and additional groups that are run to support the development of personal well-being, for example Social Skills groups, Assertiveness group, Lunch time “Colouring and Calm”, IMPACT self-esteem sessions.

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

As a proactive school the SENDCO and Family Worker will support parents in finding additional services that can provide support and information.  We work closely with  range of services to support us in ensuring that we provide a high quality provision for all the children in our care.  These include:

•Educational Psychology team

•Early Help Team

•Speech and Language Specialists

•CAMHS

•Play Therapy

•Social Services & Social Workers

•GPs & Community Nurses

•Vision and Hearing Advisory Team

•Bedford Parents Forum

•Counsellors

•Paediatricians

•Physiotherapists

•Occupational Therapists

•Sensory Inclusion Services

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

The SENDCO holds the National Award for SEN Coordination and is part of the Senior Leadership Team.  Tim James, the Heart Academies Trust Senior Learning Consultant for Inclusion is also a fully qualified SENDCO. 

We have a team of dedicated Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) who work hard to support out children across the school.  They are all qualified at Level 2 and above, with the majority begin first aid trained.  All LSAs have had training in delivering Read Write Inc, our Phonics program to support our belief in the importance of reading and have had SEND awareness training.  Other areas of expertise include additional languages, precision teaching, lift off to language and aspects of Autism.

We have a Family Worker, Miss Debbie Butt to support parents in a range of areas and offer Triple P Parenting classes.

There is a CPD plan in place to ensure staff are kept up to date with training and we are able to have training that covers all areas of need.

The Governing Body have allocated a dedicated link Governor for the SENDCO. 

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

•External activities and school trips are made accessible for all, with extra support provided if needed. Risk assessment are carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure everyone's health and safety.  In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

We aim to make Shackleton as inclusive as possible.  To support this the school has the following in place:

•Ramps, fire safety chairs, disabled toilets, disabled parking bays in the car park and a lift to ensure the building is accessible to children with a physical disability.  Posts in playgrounds have hi-vis tape and arrows are on the staircase

•We encourage inclusivity at Shackleton so use a range of groupings.  We also have a range of teaching resources and equipment to ensure accessibility for children e.g. darker lined books, iPads and laptops for vision impairment, class visual timetables, TEACCH stations, PECs on lanyards

•We know that lunchtime and breaktimes can be difficult for some children.  At lunchtime we now have “colouring and Calm” and a “Brilliant Board Games” club where it’s a little quieter and calmer.  We know the Dinner Hall can be noisy so “The Bridge” is also open for those who need it, to eat lunch in where its that little bit quieter and less crowded.  For those who have a limited diet or who's sensory needs affect their food choice our Kitchen Manager is happy to work with parents to make the lunchtime menu as accessible as possible.

We value the contributions of our parents and children so if you have an idea of how we can improve our practice please let us know.

•If your child has English as a Second Language we have various LSAs who speak other languages and also when appropriate can access addition translators.

•All staff are used to using visual representations such as PECS when required and one LSA is now Makaton trained.

•Additional resources and external advisors are accessed for those required additional support visually or for auditory difficulties. 

•We value the contributions of our parents and children so if you have an idea of how we can improve our practice please let us know.

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?

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

If your child is joining our school we will:

•Request information from the previous setting and ensure that we know about any specific arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child•Make sure you have a tour of a school and if requested organise a pre-meeting with the SENDCO and if required we will organise some transition visits•Make sure they have a buddy ready to meet them and support them during that first week•

If your child is moving to another school we will: 

•Contact the school SENDCO and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child and make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible

Transition from KS2 to KS3: 

•If required, we will provide support with applying for the Secondary School of your choice for example this may be filling in forms or supporting you in organising in a visit•The SENDCO will contact your child’s secondary school or vice versa and where possible support them with transition booklets

Preparation for adulthood:

Overall we support our parents in encouraging their children to develop independence, confidence and self-esteem ready for adulthood

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

The school budget, received from the Trust, includes money for supporting children with SEND. The Trust decides on the budget allocation for special educational needs and disabilities in consultation with the Trustees, on the basis of needs in the school. If a child has more complex needs we will apply for additional funding from the Borough in the form of Medical needs funding or an EHCP.  The Head Teacher and the SENCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:

●The pupils getting extra support already.

●The pupils needing extra support. 

●The pupils who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected.

The school identifies the needs of SEN pupils on an overall provision plan. This identifies all support given within school and is reviewed regularly and changes made as needed, so that the needs of children are met, and resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

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

At Shackleton we value the importance of building positive relationships with parents and families within our School Community. Where a pupil is identified as needing an One Plan or Positive Behaviour Plan, parents are given the opportunity to be part of the assessment and review process.  You can also support your child at home by hearing them read and using the different online programs available to use at home e.g. Purplemash and My Maths.  You will find the login details in your child's reading record. 

We are now developing a Parents Forum at Shackleton.  Please ask at the main office if you would like more information about how you can become involved.