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Christopher Reeves Church of England Primary School

Christopher Reeves Church of England VA Primary School is a small rural primary provision catering for pupils aged 4 - 11 years.Staff, supported by the governors, work hard to deliver a rich and challenging curriculum, to ensure children develop a thirst for learning and a curiosity about the world around them. We also believe it is our role to help develop children’s life skills to support personal well-being, and a sense of social responsibility.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Barbara Aellen
Contact Position
SENDCo
Telephone
E-mail
admin@crls.org.uk
Website
Christopher Reeves Primary School

Where to go

Address
Christopher Reeves Church of England Primary School
Hinwick Road
Podington
Wellingborough
Northants
Postcode
NN29 7HU
Get directions
Notes

Although the school has a Northamptonshire postal address, this is a Bedford Borough Council school!

Time / Date Details

When is it on
Monday - Friday
Time of day
Morning
Afternoon

Other Details

Availability

Referral required
No
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?

How do we identify a pupil for SEND support?

There may be a range of factors that alert us:

  • Pupil has physical or sensory needs that require specialist equipment, advice or support
  • Class teacher identifies pupil is not making progress even when teaching has targeted an area of weakness
  • Parent has concerns about their child’s progress
  • Parents and / or school staff identify behaviours that suggest unhappiness, confusion or distress
  • Pupil themselves expresses unhappiness, confusion or distress in a Quality First Teaching environment
How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

What happens next?

The teacher and SENDCo review the appropriate support available. We will meet with the pupil and parents / carers and all three parties discuss and agree:

  • What the pupil can do now
  • What we want the pupil to achieve, long and short term, with clear and specific targets
  • What the barriers are to reaching those targets
  • A plan of actions, resources, techniques and specialist support to overcome those barriers (this may be an Individual Education Plan - ‘IEP’, a challenging behaviour plan, or other tailored plan, according to the pupil’s need)

 

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

How will the teaching be adapted for a pupil with SEND?

Planning and Teaching

All teachers work a using ‘Quality First Teaching’ principle, which means that many pupils with special needs can participate in class without specialist help. For example, the teacher breaks down tasks into small ‘bite-size’ chunks, presents ideas using visual, audio and practical resources, allows thinking time before expecting answers and provides a variety of tabletop resources to help pupils with their tasks.

Additional resources

The pupil’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) highlights what additional resources should be used to support them. This may be physical resources in the classroom, additional time with a member of staff in school or specialist help from an outside agency. The school has a designated SEND budget to provide for these resources.

 

 

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?

How do we assess and review a pupil’s needs?

From then on we will:

  • Have a parent / pupil / teacher consultation meeting each term
  • Review the effectiveness of the support by assessing the pupil’s progress in a) the IEP targets and b) how this has helped them close the gap on overall class targets
  • Keep a regular check on whether the pupil needs continued support or different support
What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

How is the Emotional and Social Development of pupils supported?

Christopher Reeves Primary School is a Values-based School. Values-based Education is taught in a structured way (in dedicated collective worship and in classroom lessons) and underpins all our activities and relationships throughout the school. A structured PSHE curriculum includes an understanding and celebration of difference, Mental Health & Well Being, Protective Behaviours and resilience.

Extra support may be given to individual pupils or small groups to develop their Emotional and Social wellbeing.  For example, one of our Teaching Assistants is trained in the ‘Happy To Be Me’ program to support pupils with their self-esteem and confidence.

If a pupil needs specialist support for their social and emotional development, we can draw on specialist support from a range of agencies and this is accessed by using Bedford Borough’s Early Help Assessment procedure.

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

The school has access to the specialist support services from Bedford Borough Council, such as the Education Psychology Team. The school will also work closely with Northamptonshire services, where a pupil's home address is in Northants, or they are already supported by services such as Northants NHS.

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

Teachers’ professional development

All teachers are teachers of special needs. As a part of their professional role, teachers will have professional development in the form of courses, mentoring and feedback. The school also arranges specific training for individual teachers in response to their pupils’ needs.

Currently our staff have recent, relevant training in:

ADHD Awareness & Classroom Approaches

ASC / Girls with ASC Awareness & Classroom Approaches

Speech, Language and Communication skills for EYFS and KS1

Dyslexia Awareness

Medical Needs

Mental Health and Well Being

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

In preparation for any trip out, the needs and additional needs of all pupils are considered rigorously through the use of the EVOLVE system. This means we complete risk assessments, itineraries and have staffing ratios that meets strict guidelines.

If your child needs support, beyond that already provided through their IEP, Medical Plan or EHCP, the school may seek the additional support of parents when taking trips out or in preparing for residential trips.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

How is the school adapted for access and integration?

We aspire to be fully inclusive and all children have access to a broad ranging curriculum that not only emphasises the skills, understanding and knowledge associated with core subjects but also incorporates their spiritual moral, social and cultural development.

As described above, children are taught using a range of approaches to take account of the different ways that children learn best. Staff get to know the individual children in their classes and can adapt on a case by case basis.

Our school environment is accessible by:

Children & adults using wheelchairs – all on one level, wide opening doors, ramps, disabled toilet and changing facilities. We have to recognise, however, that our facilities may not be adequate to meet the needs of all pupils, and we will make careful and informed assessments, in consultation with parents, for each individual application.

Children with dyslexia – use of dyslexia friendly paper for pupils’ information and worksheets, training and guidance for staff.

Children with mild, moderate or high functioning autism – visual / individual cues, individual workspaces, ‘safe haven’ spaces

Children & adults with English as an additional language (EAL) – signs use clear language and visual cues, teacher expertise in developing EAL skills, one-to-one language support, translation support (on request) at Parent Consultation Meeting.

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?

What happens when it’s time to go to another school?

When a pupil with SEN is preparing to transfer to another school, transition activities are incorporated into the Individual Education Plans for the final two terms. This may involve additional visits to the new setting or parent meetings with staff.

The transfer to secondary school has its own managed programme which every child accesses. This includes a two-day induction period near the end of the summer term.

SEND paperwork, such as the Education Health and Care Plan, and most recent Individual Education Plans are given to and discussed with the member of staff responsible for the pupil’s support in the next school.

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

Each classroom has the support of a Teaching Assistant who can periodically work with the class, while the class teacher works directly with smaller groups of pupils who might have additional needs. Equally, the Teaching Assistant may themselves provide additional support under the guidance of the class teacher. Examples of this support might include pre-teaching, or out of class interventions to go over learning.

In some cases, the level of pupils' needs is higher than the class team can provide and then, with clear evidence that this is the case, it would be possible to apply to the local authority for High Needs Funding. These funds, and any funding that comes as part of an EHCP is carefully monitored and reviewed each year, and in some cases can be used for 1:1 support.

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

The decision about how much and what kind of support is offered will be between yourself and the following people in school:

Class teacher – they will be able to:

  • discuss your child’s progress against expectations and targets
  • identify, plan and deliver any additional support your child might need
  • explain this personalised learning to you
  • suggest ways you can help at home
  • meet you once each term to share and review plans and targets

SENDCo (Special Educational Needs / Disability Coordinator) – Mrs Aellen will be able to:

  • help the class teacher to deliver your child’s additional support
  • co-ordinate support from outside agencies
  • discuss your child’s learning experience and progress
  • make sure the school’s SEND policy is adhered to throughout the school

The Headteacher – Mrs Fraser / Mrs Bush will:

  • be responsible for ensuring your child’s needs are met
  • make sure the Governors are kept up to date on all SEND matters within the school and all legal requirements relating to support for children with SEND

The SEND Governor – Mrs Merrifield will:

  • make sure the school provides the necessary specific and/or specialist support to all of its pupils with an SEND
  • hear your concerns if you are not happy with the response or support from the school staff
How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

How are parents consulted and involved in their child’s education?

Every parent at Christopher Reeves Primary School will receive termly progress reports in the form of a Parent Consultation or a written report.  There are Parent Curriculum and Information Evenings held throughout the year.  As outlined earlier, parents with pupils identified as having SEND will be involved the Assess Plan Review Do cycle with class teachers.  Additional support is provided through drop-in sessions with outside professionals such as the School Nurse and Educational Psychologist.  Parents are also encouraged to be involved in the numerous school events held throughout the year such as visits to the local church at key times through the year and the crowning of the May King and Queen charity champions.  There is an active PTA which parents can also be part of.