At Moorlands Primary Academy we believe everyone’s contribution is essential. All learners are entitled to an appropriate education, one that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and the fulfilment of their potential. This should enable children to:

• achieve their best
• become confident individuals living fulfilling lives

We want all adults and children to take part in learning and we celebrate all members of our community.  We are developing an inclusive learning environment in our school and we are working hard to be more responsive to the variety of children’s backgrounds, interests, experiences, knowledge and skills.

We aim to create a learning environment which is flexible enough to meet the needs of all members of our school community.  We monitor progress of all learners, and staff continually; plan, do and review, ensuring learning is taking place and new, challenging targets are set.

Students can fall behind in school for lots of reasons.  They may have been absent from school, they may have attended a variety of different schools and not had a consistent opportunity to learn. English may not be their first language or they may be worried about things that distract them from their learning. This does not mean that all learners have a special educational need (SEN).  Only those with a learning difficulty that requires special educational provision will be identified as having SEN. A child or young person may have a special educational need at any time in their school life.

At Moorlands Primary Academy, we are committed to ensuring that all students have access to learning opportunities, and for those who are at risk of not learning, we will intervene.

To view our SEND policy use the link below;

• SEND Policy

To view the Code of Practice use the link below;

• Code of Practice

A learner has Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires extra provision outside normal teaching practice and this can occur at any time in their school life.

At Moorlands Primary Academy we are committed to ensuring that all learners have access to learning opportunities, and for those who are at risk of not learning, we will intervene.  However, this does not mean that all learners have SEND, they may just need extra intervention from within the school. If a learner is identified as having SEND, we will provide provision that is “additional to or different from” the normal differentiated curriculum, to allow them to reach their full potential. If this is not sufficient, we will then seek advice from specialist teams.

In our school and cluster we have access to various specialist teams including, but not exclusive to:

• Educational Psychologist – Dr Susan Wilkinson
• Learning Advisory Teachers – Jill Skipper
• Child Pyschologist / ASD specialist Sue Sengupta
• Speech and Language Therapists – Julie Pass, Vanessa Barnes
• Occupational Health – Wendy Gair
• School health – Claire Vout
• Engage Family Services
• The Newberry Child Development Centre
• Silverwood (CAHMS)
• Nelson’s Journey
• Ormiston Families – Point1
• Family Voice
• Norfolk Parent Partnership

Our SEN profile for 2016 -17 shows that

• The school has 8% of learners identified as having SEN with <1% of those have an Educational Health and Care Plan or Statement of Education.
• 21% of SEN linked to Cognition and Learning
• 43% of SEN linked to Communication and Interaction
• 11% of SEN linked to Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• 25% of SEN linked to Sensory and Physical

Class teachers, support staff, parents/carers and the learner themselves can all notice a difficulty with learning.  The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will also support with the identification of barriers to learning.

Most children will make expected progress in their learning through differentiated work in the classroom.  However, for those children identified as not making expected progress, extra support will need to be put into place.

At Moorlands Primary Academy this could look like:

• Class based support – small group support from the teacher or teaching assistant and specialist equipment
• Intervention programs

On some occasions children may work with an adult, however this does not mean that a child has 1:1 support.

Class based support

Every teacher is required to adapt the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all children in their class.

Our teachers will use various strategies to adapt access to the curriculum, this might include using:

• Visual timetables
• Writing frames
• I-pads, laptops
• Talking tins
• Peer buddy systems
• Work stations
• Differentiated work
• Fiddle toys
• Pencil grips
• Ear defenders
• Coloured backgrounds on IWB’s
• Coloured overlays
• Seat cushions
• Now and Then boards
• Numicon

Intervention programs

• 1:1 intervention support
• Group intervention
• Sound Discovery
• Clicker 6
• Toe by Toe Dyslexia programme
• 1:1 Speech and Language intervention – Elkland Trained TA
• Emotional Support Literacy Assistants ( ELSA)
• ATT Access through Technolgy

SEN Support

Each learner identified as having SEND, is entitled to support that is additional to or different from a normal differentiated curriculum.  The type of support is dependent on the individual learning needs, and is intended to enable access to learning and overcome the barrier to learning identified.

Interventions could focus on phonics, writing, reading, maths, working memory, social, emotional or mental health needs or speech and language.

Individual support is described on a Provision Map, (Formally known as an IEP) which is modified regularly and changes every term to reflect the needs of the children in our school.

Measuring Impact

Monitoring progress is an integral part of teaching and leadership within Moorlands Primary Academy.  Parents/carers, pupils and staff are involved in reviewing the impact of interventions for learners with SEN.  We follow the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ model and aim to ensure that everybody is involved in each step.  It is up to the class teacher to assess the needs of the children in their class, plan do and review. If however, after extra support is given to a child and there is still concern about their development then the school SAFS (Student and Family Support) team will assess their risks and needs.

A baseline is recorded before further intervention, which is used to compare the impact of the provision.  Our MOP (Monitoring Outcomes Pack) consists of a pack of 7 checklists that we use to assess children with SEN prior to their intervention and following it.

1. The BPVS 3
2. Working Memory Rating Scale
3. ASD Observation Profile
4. Developmental Co-ordination Questionnaire
5. Emotional Literacy Checklist
6. Boxall Profile
7. EY GL assessment

In a small number of cases some children will still need more support. At this stage, with the family and child, we would complete an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) application and refer it to Norfolk County Council. This is when we would ask the County Council to carry out an assessment of the child’s needs, which could result in the child receiving an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to support them through until they are 25.

For more information about EHCP follow the link to Norfolk County Council’s website.

Parents and teachers meet each term to discuss the progress of their children’s learning. If a child has SEND then the progress made following interventions are also discussed, if applicable.

Some children will require a specific plan that details their learning barriers, the support and intervention strategies to help overcome these barriers and the success criteria of progress made. These are called Provision Maps (PM)

If a child requires a PM then the parents, teacher and child will be involved in writing and assessing them.  Inclusion Plans are reviewed termly.  If a learner has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) an additional annual review is also held with an EHCP advisor.

At Moorlands Primary Academy, SEND support follows the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ model as set out in the Code of Practice.

• Assess – information is gathered from parents, baseline assessments, pupil progress and specialist advice
• Plan –  a plan is put into place involving the child and parents, and may be recorded on an IP, with a date for review agreed
• Do – intervention to reduce any barriers to learning
• Review – a meeting takes place to determine the effectiveness of the intervention and to decide on new targets

The school’s SENCO collates the impact data of the interventions to ensure we are only using interventions that work. Intervention programmes are regularly discussed with the Lynn Grove cluster so all SENCOs in our cluster use high quality provision.

All learners should have the same opportunity to access extra-curricular activities.  School takes full regard of the Equality Act 2010 and understand this has an impact on all children and adults and we make reasonable adjustments regarding this.

For more information about the Equality 2010 Act please click here.

Transition can be to a new class, teacher or school. Moorlands Primary Academy is committed to working in partnership with children, families and other providers to ensure that positive transitions occur.  Planning for transition is a part of our provision for all learners, including those with SEN.

Moving to a new class or school is initially discussed at the Summer Term review meeting between the Senior Leadership Team and teachers.  A transition plan is usually put into place following a consultation with the SENCO where the children have an opportunity to see their new class/teacher/school.

Extra transition is made available for children who maybe anxious and require more support, to ease their move.

At Moorlands Primary Academy we can shape and develop provision for all our learners, but we need your help too.

Email office@moorlands.norfolk.sch.uk and our SENCO will get back to you as soon as possible.