Students at Beckfoot Nessfield School have a range of difficulties within four main areas: Cognition and Learning; Communication and Interaction; Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) and Sensory/Physical needs. Currently we have fewer than 40 children on our SEN register, which constitutes approximately 15% of our school demographic and is a mixture of children on SEND Support and those with EHCPs. We have a higher number of children with identified SEMH need than any other broad area, although there are a growing number of neurodivergent children moving through school (both diagnosed and undiagnosed).
The needs of children with SEND may be long-standing and may have been identified by parents, health or education practitioners prior to admission to, or during their time at, Beckfoot Nessfield School. Special Educational Needs may also become evident to school staff who recognise that, despite adapted learning opportunities and adequate scaffolding to support learning, and/or behaviour or nurture support, levels of attainment remain low and/or little progress has been made by the child. The school has a clear process for identifying need, which involves class teachers and/or the SENCo along with families, and any other agencies involved with a family once a need has been initially identified and strategies put in place.
Parents are always welcome to discuss any concerns about their child with the class teacher and/or the SENCo. As such, the SENCo holds a weekly drop-in ‘clinic’ each Thursday afternoon, for which no appointment is necessary. School is bound by the SEN Code of Practice (2014). which outlines the processes schools must follow.
At Beckfoot Nessfield School we place particular emphasis on early identification in the Early Years. During initial home visits conducted before children enter our setting, staff work with families to put the correct provision in place for children with identified or possible identified needs. From this early start we are able to begin our graduated approach (see below).
Evaluating provision is part of the graduated approach to supporting children with SEND that we have adopted here at Beckfoot Nessfield School. This is a cyclical process whereby we:
- ASSESS a child’s level of need using a range of tools.
- PLAN any adaptations or changes and/or additional or different provision necessary to meet the child’s identified need/s and remove barriers to a child’s learning and participation. This may be identified on a need-specific toolkit, on an Individual Support Plan (ISP) or an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP), depending on the level of need.
- DO – by the teacher working closely with teaching assistants and/or specialist staff, this planning is applied in the classroom and beyond.
- REVIEW the effectiveness of these planned strategies at removing identified barriers to the child’s learning and participation through continuous monitoring by the teacher, support staff, SENCo and specialist teachers (where appropriate).
Provision is based on the SEND Guidance from Bradford MDC Department of Children’s Services – The Matrix of Need. Children with SEND, assessed beyond SEND Support will likely have an EHCP in place, or be allocated to a specialist provision/setting.
Regular quality assurance is carried out by the SENCo and members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to ensure that the appropriate provision is in place for all students, including those with a special educational need. Depending on the area and the level of need, this provision may vary.
We use a variety of tools to evaluate the impact of provision at varying times throughout the academic year, including the support of external agencies where suitable. Some provision may be long-term and is evaluated through learning walks and during formative assessment points termly, other short-term provision may be evaluated using external tools, such as the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or Boxall profiles.
Children’s progress is monitored and reviewed through the three teaching and learning cycles across the academic school year. Towards the end of each 13-week cycle, teachers use formative and summative assessment to determine where each child is on their learning journey. Attainment and progress are reviewed through a Pupil Progress Meeting with a Senior Leader, to ensure accuracy and identify the next steps or targets for the child. This information is shared with each family through an end of Cycle Pupil Report and a statutory SEND teacher/ parent consultation meeting.
If there is a concern about a child’s progress the class teacher or SENCo, will arrange an interim meeting with a family earlier in the 13-week cycle or families can drop into the SENCo clinic each Thursday afternoon.
The Beckfoot Nessfield universal classroom offer supports children with SEND by ensuring every classroom in school has consistent routines, an inclusive learning environment and skilled teachers and support staff who can scaffold learning to meet children’s needs using the Nessfield pedagogy.
When a child is identified with a possible SEND need, the teacher and SENCo will focus on adaptations to the universal offer for the child to access learning. These adaptations are reviewed and adapted as needed to maximise progress. Teachers have a range of toolkits to choose from when planning effective adaptations linked to different types of need.
The school may identify that the child needs more than the universal classroom offer through an additional intervention over and above that received by most pupils in the class; this is known as our Universal Offer Plus. It may include small group work or 1 to 1 session. We liaise with families before a universal offer plus intervention commences so they know what provision their child will be receiving.
If a child meets the criteria for special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), as outlined in the Code of Practice, and need a bespoke approach beyond the universal classroom offer, an ‘Individual Support Plan’ is created. This plan details the exact support the child needs and is shared with the staff who work with them and their family.
It is the role of the SENCo to oversee the effectiveness of the provision offered by our school to meet the needs of pupils identified with SEND. Our school SEND register, along with our school SEND Intent document, shows the range of interventions in place in our school which may be used when we identify a need for additional support. This is not an exhaustive list; provision is tailored to the needs of the individual child and so will naturally vary depending upon the specific needs of each child.
Advice will be taken from external agencies where appropriate, and specialist staff may come into school to support with an assessment of needs or with addressing a particular need. Parental permission will be obtained prior to any outside agency becoming involved with a child.
It is clearly understood by staff at Beckfoot Nessfield School that children do not all learn in the same way. Teachers and other staff are skilled in employing a range of teaching and learning strategies which enable them to meet the needs of all children.
Staff use Beckfoot Nessfield teaching strategies and toolkits to support children who may be struggling and those with specific SEND needs. Strategies are continually practised through staff CPD to ensure we are all experts and they form an integral part of our Universal Offer. Teachers are required to precisely plan their lessons to meet the needs of all pupils to ensure they all make progress and meet their individual targets. For example, for a child who has Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), teachers will use simplified language and/or visual prompts to support them to understand new vocabulary; such strategies are identified on the school’s toolkits accessible to all class teachers.
All teachers are provided with information on the needs of individual pupils in their care so that they can precisely plan the learning within our curriculum to maximise the progress of all children. Where a child is working significantly below age-related expectations, content may be taught from the curriculum suited to their cognitive ability, thereby allowing the child to achieve at a level appropriate to them. In addition to this, groupwork or 1:1 work will also take place where appropriate, as directed by the teacher. This may take place outside the classroom for a short period to access resources elsewhere and/or reduce distraction. This may include a specific programme lasting a set number of weeks or sessions.
Classroom environments are used and adapted to help individuals with a range of needs and abilities to develop independent learning skills, for example a visual timetable, drawer labels with pictures and accessible areas of learning. We are currently working hard to develop our neuroinclusive classrooms, considering the executive function skills of all learners.
We have an Accessibility Plan in place and, where feasible, make reasonable adjustments to improve the accessibility of our environment to meet individual needs. Our policy and practice adhere to The Equality Act 2010. Please see our Accessibility plan for more detailed information.
The school receives a budget to support the needs of all children in school, including those with SEND. In addition, a child’s need may be significant and complex enough to require high-needs funding which is provided by the Local Authority (known as top up funding). The funding is used in a variety of ways, e.g., purchase of specialist resources and equipment, access to external services to provide alternative education, training opportunities or employment of additional staff to provide support identified in EHCPs etc. There may also be opportunity for school to apply for additional government funding, e.g., Disability Access Funding or Early Years Inclusion Funding, both of which are targeted at supporting children with additional needs aged 3 and 4.
The SENCo maintains information on the progress and welfare needs of children with SEND. The funding is managed by the Headteacher, ensuring that available is spent wisely to support the needs children who require additional support. Our finances are monitored and audited regularly, and we utilise resources to support the strategic aims of our setting as well as individual learner needs.
We promote involvement of all our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside the classroom. Where there are concerns for safety and access, a personalised risk assessment is carried out to consider if reasonable adjustments can be made to meet any additional needs. If appropriate, parents/carers are consulted and involved in planning, and may be asked to attend the visit (although we discourage this as much as possible to give children the opportunity to experience school-based activities without direct parental involvement).
The wellbeing of all our pupils is our primary focus at Beckfoot Nessfield School. They are supported with their personal development throughout the school day, through the curriculum and any extra-curricular activities offered. We are a ‘No Outsiders’ school – which means we believe that everyone belongs at our school, there are no outsiders – of which we are very proud, and which was highly praised by a recent Ofsted visit.
We access mental health support through the NHS – the Mental Health Support Team (MHST). Mr French is the accredited Senior Mental Health Lead for our school and Mrs Payne is our trained Mental Health First Aider. A wealth of medical expertise is also offered through the NHS/LA, such as School Nursing Team, Occupation Therapy and Educational Psychology to support each child’s overall wellbeing.
Additional support from specialist staff is arranged as required for individual pupils, both in and out of the classroom; and with their guidance, a tailored personal plan may be put in place for pupils with the highest need, for example those requiring a care plan for intimate care or specific medical requirements.
Our Behaviour Policy, which includes guidance on expectations, rewards and sanctions is fully understood and in place by all staff.
We regularly monitor attendance, support pupils returning to school after absence and take the necessary actions to prevent prolonged absence, considering a recent rise in the number of children experiencing school-based anxiety.
Pupils’ views are sought through the school’s house system and house captains. We are currently reviewing how we collect pupil views with the possibility of creating a ‘focus group’ of children across school.
In the first instance, parents/carers are encouraged to talk to their child’s class teacher. For students with SEND, further information and support can be obtained from the SENCo. Please make initial contact via the school office, directly with Mr French through epraise or through discussion at the drop-in clinic each Thursday afternoon.
SENCo: Mr Matthew French
Head Teacher: Ms Linda Hanson
Office: 01535 665 628
Email: [email protected]
School website: https://www.beckfootnessfield.org/
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) is an experienced teacher and receives on-going SEND training in specific areas as part of his professional development. In addition to the LA training, SEN Coordinators from across Beckfoot Trust maintain contact and attend regular meetings. This allows staff to undertake training, share resources and good practice, and work to continually support and improve the provision we can offer in our area and our school.
All our teachers hold qualified teacher status and all staff members, including support staff, receive regular CPD to best support our pupils with SEND, for example in dyslexia, autism, and SEMH and speech and language needs. Throughout the year, staff work collaboratively in deliberate practice to develop understanding and upskill themselves.
In recent years several members of staff have undertaken specific training, including, manual handling and hygiene, autism, behaviour management and nurture and attachment. We work closely with the school nursing team and other health colleagues to ensure the appropriate staff are knowledgeable of conditions which require specific medical or physical assistance in school.
Equipment and facilities required by children with SEND is provided where possible by Beckfoot Nessfield School through allocated SEN funding (SEN element 2 funding and/or EHCP top-up funding).
Termly reports alongside Parent/Teacher Consultations give all parents and carers regular feedback on their child’s up-to-date academic levels, individual targets and any behavioural, emotional or social difficulties. When appropriate, parents/carers may be contacted mid-term to discuss the support that school are providing, and how they can help their child at home: this may be a phone call or a face-to-face meeting. Pupils’ views will be obtained and when appropriate, they may attend all or part of any meeting should you wish. Home/school communications can be made verbally with the class teacher at the start/end of a school day or through written communications via the school office on epraise.
Occasionally, throughout the year, we hold specific information evenings which we invite parents to attend. Previous examples have included an introduction to the school for our new starters; a phonics information evening; a guide to the methods of teaching calculations in mathematics and an internet safety session to name but a few. In addition to information evenings, our SENCo also organises informal coffee mornings for families, known familiarly as Coffee, Cake and Collaboration, every few weeks with a particular focus, whereby an external professional may be invited in to share their expertise. Previous examples of coffee mornings have had a focus on anxiety (particularly linked to transition) led by MHST and EHCPs led by the school’s SEND caseworker who works for the LA. More recently, parents of neurodivergent children (diagnosed or undiagnosed) were invited to a coffee morning led by a representative from local charity AWARE (a parent-run support group for parents of children with autism).
See also section How do you check and review the progress of my child and how will I be involved? above.
Where appropriate, pupils are encouraged to evaluate their work within lessons, reflecting on their learning and achievements.
Pupils’ views are obtained as part of our termly monitoring and progress reviews. Children may attend all or part of any meeting which parents deem appropriate.
Pupil Voice will be obtained as a matter of course when applying for an Educational Health Care Plan as well as at assessment points throughout the year for SEND children, i.e., week ten of each of the three teaching and learning cycles across the academic year.
Arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEN about the provision at school:
In the first instance, the following members of staff should be contacted:
• the class teacher
• the SENCo or another senior leader
If at this point, the complaint has not been resolved, Beckfoot Nessfield’s complaints procedure should be followed.uld be followed.
Specialist services and expertise available or accessed at Beckfoot Nessfield:
• Support from the Bradford SEN team
• SCIL team (Social Communication Interaction and Learning) – a team of Specialist Teachers, Practitioners, Access & Inclusion Officers
• Educational Psychology Team
• School nursing service
• CYPMHS (Children & Young People’s Mental Health Service, previously known as CAMHS)
• Support from Bradford NHS professionals, including Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
Services and support for parents and families of children with SEND:
General:
- FYI Bradford – a free impartial service offering advice and, information and signposting to children, young people and families within the Bradford district.
- Bradford SENDIASS – for parents and carers for children 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the Bradford area.
- TREACLE.ME – this website signposts to all the support that can be accessed in the Bradford area
Other:
- AWARE – a parent run group supporting families with children and young adults on the autistic spectrum (formal diagnosis not required)
- The Hub of Hope app – the UK’s leading mental health support database
- CYPMHS (Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service), previously known as CAMHS
- The BREW project – a free service for children or young people (aged 5-17 years old to access a confidential and non-judgemental one-to-one support session via telephone, video call, face to face or walk-and-talk sessions.
We have very good relationships with our feeder settings and the settings that most of our pupils move on to; we share information to support pupils’ learning and well-being at key transition periods. Where possible, our staff visit the children at their pre-school setting prior to moving school. Early Years staff set up meetings with our staff and parents of children with specific needs prior to starting at Beckfoot Nessfield School.
In the summer term, all children in school participate in transition events when they visit their new classrooms to work with their new teacher and teaching assistant. Particular attention is paid to children with SEND and such children are given additional opportunities to meet with new teachers and visit new settings to make them feel most comfortable. One to one transition conversations are held between appropriate teachers so that more detailed information about the specific needs of the children can be passed on. Throughout Year 6, all pupils participate in a range of transition-preparation activities and opportunities are available for members of staff to provide support to parents and carers when needed.
Children with special educational needs will be given additional opportunities, prior to transfer, to become familiar with any new setting by making visits or having a photographic record of key people and places within any new building, for example. Parents and carers are involved in this process at every stage and accompany their child for as many visits as they wish.
If your child is moving to another primary school, we will contact the school SENCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Comprehensive records are passed on to the SENCo of the next school, both electronic and physical paper copies where appropriate.
Transition meetings are held well before any transition points and may involve a team around the child, involving parents, current staff, external agencies and new personnel from the next setting or school.
Contact details of relevant support services:
Information about Short Breaks: https://www.bradford.gov.uk/children-young-people-and-families/does-your-child-have-special-educational-needs-or-disabilities/send-short-breaks-team/
Information about Personal Budgets: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/service.page?id=bEdDRCGhR00&localofferchannel=182
Information for Families – things to do: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/results.page
Information about Preparing for Adulthood https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/Services/preparing%20for%20adulthood/?mid=8
Preparing for Adulthood: visual pathway: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/advice.page?id=o7te3b8jHKY
Bradford range guidance https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/Schools/CMSPage.aspx?mid=3315
SENDIASS (LA contracted parent mediation service) https://barnardossendiass.org.uk/bradford-sendiass/
Bradford Local Offer: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/home.page
Parents’ Forum for Bradford and Airedale: https://pfba.org.uk/
Social Care: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/results.page
Health:https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/results.page
Early Years https: https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/results.page
The school is bound by the Bradford admission process which allocates places and offers advice regarding all admission and appeal related enquiries. School admissions follow the Fair Access Protocol and gives equal rights to all potential applications. For more information, visit https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/content/admissions
A child who already has an EHCP, will go through a separate process called Consultation, and this is done through the SEN team at the LA. Contact the School Admissions team by email at [email protected] or telephone 01274 439200