At Orchard Park Community Primary School, we are committed to inclusion and ensuring the best possible outcomes for all our pupils, whatever their needs and abilities.
How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
If you have concerns about the development, progress or wellbeing of your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher. They will listen to your concerns so that together you can decide how best to support your child. There are many reasons why children experience difficulties, and it does not necessarily mean that they have special educational needs. Many children need short periods of extra support to help them at different points in their learning.
At Orchard Park Community Primary school, the identification of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) occurs within our overall monitoring of pupils’ progress and development. Each child’s current skills and levels of attainment are assessed on entry. Class teachers make regular assessments of progress for all children. Where children are falling behind or making inadequate progress given their age or starting point, the class teacher will implement and record strategies to help them catch up. We will invite you to discuss this with the class teacher. After a period of three to six weeks, if the strategies in place are having a limited impact, the class teacher may refer your child to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo).
Who can I contact for information about SEND?
If you would like to discuss something about your child, then your first point of contact should be their class teacher.
Other useful contacts for parents are:
- SENDCo – Kate Kelly 01223 438200 kkelly@orchardpark.cambs.sch.uk.
- Head Teacher – Robert Fisher 01223 438200 office@orchardpark.cambs.sch.uk.
- SEND governor – Andzelike Zaparyte office@orchardpark.cambs.sch.uk.
- SENDCo – Kate Kelly 01223 438200 kkelly@orchardpark.cambs.sch.uk.
- SENDIASS (Cambridgeshire's SEND Information, Advice and Support Service) 01223 699214
How will school staff support my child/young person?
School will support your child using the following graduated approach.
- All pupils receive quality teaching within an inclusive environment. We aim for a positive experience for all pupils whether they have special educational needs or not. Sometimes, some children will benefit from short-term regular interventions in a small group, run by a teacher or teaching assistant. This will enable them to address specific needs and ‘catch up’ with their peers if necessary.
- When a pupil routinely needs minor adaptations to be made, a pupil profile may be drawn up so that all adults involved can be informed.
- Pupils who are identified as having special educational needs may need longer-term and more dynamic intervention. In this case, with your agreement, they will be put on SEN Support. This means that an individual plan will be put in place with the aim of removing their barriers to learning. The plan will be reviewed at least termly in a process called APDR (Assess, Plan, Do, Review).
- If discussions reveal needs which require a multi-agency approach, the school might recommend an Early Help Assessment (EHA), which is a means of sharing information with services outside school. This will only happen after full discussion and with your consent.
- In most cases, good quality APDR, co-produced between parents/carers and class teachers, and overseen by the SENDCo, will enable pupils with SEND to make progress. However, a very small number of children may have needs which are beyond the ordinarily available provision in school. These pupils will require an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan), which is a legally binding document drawn up by the local authority and detailing a child’s needs and provision.
What kinds of special educational needs can be met by the school?
There are four broad areas which give an overview of the categories of needs which can be met across the school:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and/or physical needs
These broad areas are explained in this extract from the governments SEND Code of Practice 0-25 Years 2015:
Communication and interaction
Children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives. Children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Difference) are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
Cognition and learning
Support for learning difficulties may be required when children learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. Some children find the experience of school particularly stressful and so avoid attending. This is known as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder (AD).
Sensory and/or physical needs
Some children require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
In practice, many pupils have needs which overlap these four broad areas of need.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
All pupils at Orchard Park Community Primary School have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Universal provision, incorporating inclusive classrooms and high-quality teaching, is the foundation for all other provision or support in the school. High- quality teaching, which is based on inclusive approaches to teaching and learning, is the bedrock of our provision. Reasonable adaptations for individual needs are made. These include:
- The use of grouping, 1:1 work, a variety of teaching styles, adapting lesson content
- Adapting our resources and staffing
- Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font
- Adapting our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud
How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
Assessment is a central tool through which we measure children’s progress and plan to meet their future needs. It is an on-going process that happens daily, weekly and termly, both formally and informally. Assessment is conducted by teachers, teaching assistants and by the children themselves. Your child’s progress will be continually monitored by their class teacher and will be reviewed termly with the Senior Leadership team.
In addition to the assessments used for all children, we also use standardised tests to assess individual pupils’ ability and progress, such as the Phonological Assessment Battery, the YARC reading assessment, the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS) and the Sandwell assessment for maths.
If your child has an identified special educational need and is on SEN Support, you will be invited to make an extended appointment at parent consultation evenings, to discuss with your class teacher and co-produce APDR. These meetings last for approximately 20 minutes. The SENDCo may be involved in some of these meetings.
We will offer suggested strategies or activities for you to do at home to support your child’s learning and meet their needs. In addition, we may be able to offer you individual training in specific support strategies relevant to your child.
The Senior Leadership Team ensures that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.
You may have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child, eg Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist. We actively encourage parents and carers to approach us if they feel more support is needed.
In addition to these meetings, the class teacher is regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what works well at home and school, so that similar strategies can be used. The SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
How will my child be involved in decisions about his or her education?
All pupils at Orchard Park Primary School are encouraged to understand their own strengths and needs and how they can help themselves move forward with their learning and development. Their voice is valued and sought during APDR review and through ongoing dialogue between the pupil, parents, class teacher and support staff during the year.
What support will there be for my child/young person’s overall wellbeing?
We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. These needs can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including behavioural difficulties, anxiety, and communication difficulties.
All classes follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) curriculum to support this development. However, for children identified as finding aspects of this difficult we offer
- Dedicated Inclusion and Wellbeing Leader (Mrs Gilhart), who is an experienced teacher with an extensive background in counselling and mental health support.
- Trained ELSAs (emotional literacy support assistants)
- Blue Smile 1:1 therapy
- Red Hen family workers
- Mental Health Support Team
For more information, see the section on Wellbeing and Mental Health Support.
If your child still needs extra support, Mrs Gilhart or the SENDCo can, with your permission, make a referral to YOUnited, which is the gateway to services supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
School provision:
- Teachers responsible for teaching groups on a part-time basis e.g. Booster groups;
- ICT support in the form of writing and maths programmes, used as small group or individual sessions, according to need;
- Emotional Literacy Support Assistants offering support for children with emotional and social development through 1-1 work, social skills or anger management groups.
- Teaching assistants delivering Speech and Language programmes to individual children, devised by the Speech and Language Therapist.
- Individual or small group interventions where needed e.g. sensory circuits, ERT (expanded rehearsal technique), 1stClass@Number.
Local Authority Provision delivered in school:
- Sensory Impairment Service
- Specialist Teaching Service
- District Early Help Team e.g. Family worker
- Parent Partnership Service (SENDIASS)
- Educational Psychology Service
Health Provision available:
- School Nurse
- Community Pediatrician
- Occupational therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Mental Health Support Team
- YOUnited
- SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
Voluntary Organisations offering support to families:
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had?
The SENDCo holds the National Award for SEND Co-ordination, and is responsible for ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills needed to support pupils with SEND. Training is provided to all staff or to individuals, according to need, and can be internally sourced or provided by external experts, such as the Specialist Teaching Team.
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including physical activities and school trips?
All children are entitled to be included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful. A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised. This may include specialist advice from outside agencies where relevant. We work with parents and providers to make reasonable adjustments to ensure all children can access facilities and activities available.
How accessible is the school environment?
The school is wheelchair accessible with ramps provided to allow access to the building. There is a large accessible toilet which includes a hoist and adjustable changing bed if required. Regular risk assessments of the site are undertaken and trip hazards are highlighted using yellow paint. There is a car park on site which has a parking bay for disabled badge holders clearly marked. Where children have access needs that are not currently available within the school, we are able to liaise with the Local Authority and other professionals to ensure that facilities and equipment are secured.
How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school, transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life?
We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND, and we take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.
If your child is joining us from another school, the SENDCo will liaise with their previous setting and professionals where possible. Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a taster session, if this is appropriate.
If your child is moving to another school, we will contact the new school’s SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENDCo from the new school.
We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
When moving classes within school, information will be passed on to the new teacher in advance, and in most cases, a planning meeting will take place with them. In addition to the whole class transition, your child will be able to participate in more personalised one-to-one sessions with their new class teacher and may be supported with social stories if appropriate.
At the end of Year 6, the class teacher and SENDCo will discuss the specific needs of your child with the child’s secondary school. Your child will participate in focused learning relating to aspects of transition, to support their understanding of the changes ahead. Where possible, your child will visit their new school on several occasions, if necessary, in a small group. In some cases, staff from the new school will visit your child in their current school.
How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s SEND and how is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
The school budget, received from Cambridgeshire Local Authority, includes money for supporting children with SEND. The head teacher will decide on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities based on school needs. The governors require the head teacher and SENDCO to ensure that optimum use is made of resources. The head teacher and the SENDCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including
- the children getting extra support already,
- the children needing extra support,
- The children identified as not making as much progress as expected.
From this information, they decide what resources/training and support is needed. Information about the support of individual children is shared with their parents.
How are parents involved in the school? How can I be involved?
The involvement and support of parents and carers is greatly valued, and we encourage you to play a positive part in your child’s education. We believe that the relationship between child, teacher and parent is of paramount importance. We are always willing to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you might have and work together to plan effective support. We will invite you to tell us about your child, their strengths as well as their difficulties; what works well and what not so well. We will share this information with all staff in the school, so they know best how to welcome and support your child.
We encourage all children to read to an adult daily. This can be particularly important for some children with SEND. Where appropriate, your child’s class teacher will suggest further activities which you can carry out at home to support your child’s development.
What should I do if I wish to make a complaint?
Orchard Park Primary School seeks to provide the best education it can for each individual child, and endeavours, through consultation and discussion with parents, to overcome any problems that may occur. There is, however, a formal complaints procedure if needed.
The school’s complaints policy is set out on our website.
Local Authority SEND Support
Local Authority Parent and Carer Survey (PASS)
Pinpoint, SENDIASS and the Local Authority have worked together to create a short questionnaire for parents and carers to tell us what you think about the support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Cambridgeshire. We will use the information to develop, improve and celebrate good support for children with SEND. We will share the survey results with parents, carers, schools and settings twice a year. ‘PASS’ is now on the SEND Information hub - SEND Information Hub
Local Authority/NHS Waiting Lists
We continue to have good links with Specialists in the Local Authority, however the waiting lists for support are long. We know that it is challenging waiting for this support. Mrs Kelly (SENDCo) and Mrs Gilhart (INCo) are able to support teachers and parents to meet the needs of children whilst external support is sought through the APDR process.
Community Paediatrics
Reception and Year 6 – Waiting time of 18+ weeks; All other years 68+ weeks.
Speech and Language
We have a new therapist linked with our school and we hope the list will reduce to 12 weeks for assessment.
EHCP Assessment
Once agreed these should be received within 20 weeks, however due to high numbers of requests this is now close to 30 weeks.
Specialist Teacher
Requests for support from the Specialist Teaching Team are discussed with Mrs Kelly on a termly basis. These requests come from the class teacher. If you have concerns about the progress of your child in school, and haven’t yet talked about it with school, please discuss these with your child’s teacher at parent’s evening.
Medical Needs Policy
We have updated our medical needs policy to reflect national policy and our local approach - Cambridgeshire Medical Needs Policy
New School Special Schools
In August, the government announced formally the establishment of two new free school special schools.
Details of these schools:
The pre-registration window closes on the 22nd September with a formal announcement due in March 2024.
On-line conversation on Children’s Mental Health
For the first time, the NHS is launching a month-long online conversation on children and young people’s mental health, with a focus on gathering learning and ideas on how we can improve waiting times and make services more accessible. Using the Solving Together platform, the team will be inviting partners involved in the children and young people’s mental health pathway, professionals, children and young people and their families, to have a say about this critical issue – with a focus on collecting ideas and best practice for ways to make our NHS services better in the future. The team then plan to work with teams across the country to prototype and test the most promising ideas.
This will run from 9th October for around a month.
Further details, and to join in the conversation, can be found at Solving Together
Supporting your Autistic Child
New materials for the 'Supporting your Neurodiverse Child'.
Supporting your child through Autistic Burnout
SEND Documents
For more information please select on the document you would like to access:
