A parents' guide to Special Educational Needs
Glapton's belief
At Glapton Primary and Nursery, we believe that each child is entitled to a full and inclusive education. We are aware that not all children learn in the same ways. Some learn predominantly through visual work, some through auditory means and some through kinaesthetic ways. Some children also have a range of specific needs which need to be catered for, in order for them to reach their full potential. As a school we adapt our curriculum and lessons in order to meet the range of needs in every class.
What are Special Educational Needs (SEN)?
The beliefs of Glapton Primary and Nursery School are based on the values that come from the DFES Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001. The Code of Practice defines children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the following way.
Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty , which calls for special educational provision to be made from them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:
• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority
• are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.
Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because of the language or form of the language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.
Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001, DFES, p6
Children who are considered by the school to have these difficulties, and are then given an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
The children are then noted as:
School Action (SA) – where your child receives additional help provided by the school
School Action Plus (SA+) - where your child receives additional help provided by agencies outside of school
What is an Individual Educational Plan?
• An Individual Educational Plan or IEP is a document that states your child's area of need.
• It also sets targets for your child to achieve. These targets are determined by the child's class teacher and talked through with the child, so the child also knows what their targets are.
• There are support strategies on the sheet, which informs you of the extra support your child is getting.
• The success criteria let you know how the teacher will assess the child to see if their targets have been met.
• The review date at the bottom of the IEP states when the targets will next be reviewed. They are normally reviewed termly, but it may depend on the child's area of special needs.
• In order to keep a link of communication between home and school, an IEP will be sent home each time it is reviewed.
• If you are concerned or are confused about any areas of the IEP, there is an evening each term for you to discuss your child's progress. Teachers are also available to make appointments with, if necessary.
Ways in which school helps your child
• They receive at least one lesson of group support every week. This works towards their IEP targets.
• Teachers cater for SEN children by giving them differentiated work.
• If the school feel it necessary further one to one or small group sessions are provided with a teaching assistant
• The school provides reading books at your child's level and provides a program of reading books to follow.
• Weekly homework is given to your child to consolidate the week's learning.
• W can give the children a literacy assessment to monitor their areas of weakness so the school is able to work with the child on the targets.
Ways in which you can help your child
• Listen to your child read for twenty minutes every night. Encourage them to break down the words into sounds.
• Make word families, eg,
Book. ‘What words sound and look the same?'
Cook
Look
Hook
• Check they are familiar with the sound and letter name of each letter in the alphabet makes and the irregularities. Encourage them to make and draw the letter in the air and with string or play dough.
• Spend time with your child when they are doing their homework. Their homework is usually based on work covered in class so they may just need the confidence to get started.
• Help your child learn their number bonds to ten. Eg, 4 and 6, 7 and 3, 1 and 9. Using their fingers to show the numbers helps.
• Learn the times tables! These help your child in daily lessons. Give them timed tests, practise reciting them and writing them down.
• Count things wherever you go! Trees, doors, shops, red cars!)
• Help your child to produce legible and well-formed letters. See next page for the schools' handwriting style. It is important the child writes from an early age in the schools format in order to produce legible and joined handwriting.
• Your child is given weekly spellings to increase their vocabulary and improve their spelling. By testing your child through the week gives the children more opportunities to retain he spellings.
With school and home working in partnership with each other your child has every chance of success at Glapton.
