Armley Park Primary School SEND Local Offer

What do I do if I think my child or young person may have special educational needs? 

If you have any concerns about your child, go and see their teacher. You don’t need to wait until a formal parents evening as we have an ‘open door policy’ which means that all class teachers will be happy to meet with you before or after school and you can discuss your concerns. You will have the opportunity to see their work and the teacher will be able to provide any relevant assessment information which may be useful. Miss Caine, the SEND co-ordinator, is available to meet with parents and carers if they continue to have any concerns. 

How will school support my child or young person’s learning?

Any children who need additional support will receive this is an organised way. Through rigorous assessment procedures, staff will determine what needs individual children may have and then plan the best way to support them. This may be through have some additional time with the class teacher or some individual or group sessions may be planned in with members of support staff. The SEND co-ordinator monitors the quality of provision provided for any children with additional needs to ensure it is appropriate and providing a high level of challenge. Assessment information is used to analyse the progress made by all children through school and if it is deemed that any child is not making sufficient progress, this will be addressed and alterations made to their personalised learning plans. Throughout the year, the SEND co-ordinator will meet with the teaching staff and formally record progress made and discuss plans for the future. If children have support from outside agencies, meetings will be arranged to discuss provision and progress and parents are invited to attend these.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child or young person’s needs? 

Within each lesson, the work is always differentiated to ensure all the children in the class are able to access the learning. Children are sometimes grouped by ability but often work in mixed ability groups as this is proven to be more productive for all abilities. Resources are matched to the needs of the children and staff try to ensure they use the resources which are best suited to their child’s learning styles.

How accessible is the school?

The school is all on one level and there are no stairs or steps within the building. The only steps are the ones which lead from the Armley Park Tennis Courts. These allow access across the park at the beginning and end of each day if families choose to use this route into the school grounds. Alternatively, you can use the main pedestrian gates on Salisbury Terrace. If you need to use the school car park, the access for this is located on Rombalds Terrace.

There is a disabled access toilet located near the main entrance area of the school and there are care facilities located within the toilets in Foundation Stage.

How will I know how well my child or young person is doing and how will you help me support my child’s learning?

As we have an ‘open door policy’, parents are always welcome to come and discuss their child’s needs with the class teachers. Parents Evenings take place twice a year and an annual report will be sent home at the end of academic year. If you want to meet with members of staff at other times of the year, this can always be arranged.

We would welcome any help and advice about your child which you think will help them to make the most amount of progress.

What support will there be for my child of young person’s overall well–being and social, emotional and behavioural development?

The school strives to provide outstanding support for all children’s social and emotional development. Any children with additional needs will have their individual needs met through a personal learning plan if this is appropriate. We have excellent pastoral staff and access outside agencies if needed to ensure all children are able to develop the skills they will need to begin High School at the end of Year 6. The Armley Cluster of Schools meets regularly to share expertise and we are able to refer to the Support and Guidance Committee. This multi-agency approach works really well to provide support for children and families which need additional support that a school cannot offer eg, access to School Nursing, Behaviour Support, and Youth Groups.

What services and expertise are available or accessed by the school, including staff with specific specialist knowledge/qualifications?

All children at school have access to the School Nursing Team throughout their time at Armley Park. Referrals can be made through the SEND Co-ordinator. We are also able to refer to other agencies whenever needed. We have access to an Educational Psychologist and also members of the Special Needs Support Service Team will help to target individual children who need additional support. The Inclusion Support Team can work with individuals or small groups who need help to manage their own behavioural, social or emotional needs. The Speech and Language Therapist will be working in school for a whole day once every two weeks to support any children who may have communication difficulties. Specialist services, such as Occupational Therapists or Physiotherapists often work with any children who require a specialist level of support. Parents will be informed at all stages of any referrals and will also be told when any of these services will be in school if they are going to be working with their child.

What training and development is done by staff supporting those with SEND?

The staff team are very open to any new training and regularly receive updates and training appropriate to their role. This can be as a whole staff team, a smaller group of staff who work with specific children or individual staff members who have particular interests in an area of SEND. Examples include Makaton training, Intensive Interaction, use of schemes of books or multi-sensory maths. All the support staff attended training last year to raise awareness of new methods or supporting all children throughout school, particularly those who were working below the age related expectations for their year groups.

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom? 

All children in school will have access to the extended curriculum. If a child has any additional needs, support will be provided to enable them to fully participate but we will fully consult parents at all stages of planning to ensure they are happy with the planned support.

How will the school help children and young people transfer to the next phase of education?

Transition is carefully planned for all children, from one class to another and then on to High School. Children with additional needs that require supplementary transition will be planned for on an individual basis and parents and children will be fully consulted at all stages to ensure everyone is happy and that the child has the best start in their next phase of education. This will often initially be through a multiagency meeting where all people who work with the child will be invited to contribute their ideas and then a plan is created to meet the child’s needs. Following on from this, any additional visits or meeting will be arranged between the key staff who are working with them and the staff in the next class or the next school.

How are the school’s resources/funding allocated and matched to children’s needs?

Resources and funding are always carefully matched to the needs of the children. Funding is often used to supplement the staffing budget which provides additional support for specific children. Physical resources will be purchased when needed and we often follow the advice from other professionals on what resources will best suit an individual child. Parents will often be consulted on what they think their child will like and what they will respond to best.

How are parents and carers involved in the school?

We welcome all parents and carers to become involved in the life of our school. If you would like to volunteer to come and help, please come and see the SEND coordinator or the class teacher.

Who can I contact for further information? 

The first point of contact for anything relating to SEND is the SEND co-ordinator. They are then able to refer to any other agencies and access specific support for additional needs. 

If you have any questions about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, please call the school office on 0113 2639216 or email [email protected]