‘Staff share the highest ambition for pupils’ achievement. The curriculum is meticulously planned and reviewed to ensure that each pupil receives the support they need to succeed.’ OFSTED February 2024

At different times in their school life a child may have a Special Education Need (SEN).  The code of practice defines SEN as follows:

‘A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for a special educational provision to be made for him/her.  A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

• Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or
• Has a disability which prevents or hinders him/her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.’

Types of SEN

In the Code of Practice, SEN and provision falls under four categories:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and/or Physical

This includes a wide range of needs such as:

• Moderate learning difficulties and global delay
• Autism and social communication differences
• Specific learning differences e.g. dyslexia and dyscalculia
• Speech and language difficulties
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
• Visual or auditory difficulties
• Anxiety, anger and depression

When a child is making significantly slower progress than their peers or is struggling to achieve their predicted potential they could be considered to have Special Educational Needs (SEN).

In partnership with the class teacher, SENCO and parents we will look for any barriers to learning. 

Barriers could include:

• Absences or lateness
• Changing schools or moving house
• Difficulties in speaking English
• A temporary illness or injury e.g. broken arm
• Worries or concerns such as a family bereavement
• Being a young carer

We know that children who experience these types of issues may be vulnerable students but this does not mean they would be identified as a child with SEN.

The learning of all children at Fairchildes Primary School is regularly and rigorously assessed.  School leaders check books, observe lessons and monitor the achievement of the children. 

We also use a range of formal assessment to monitor progress which may include:  

• Phonics screening in Year 1
• SATs in Year 2 and Year 6
• SALT assessment
• Fine motor skills assessment
• PHAB2 assessment

After collecting information on progress and attainment and following agreement with parents; a child experiencing long term and complex barriers to their learning will be placed on the SEN register. 

All pupils are given quality first teaching. This means that class teachers are well trained; lessons are well planned, exciting and adapted to ensure that all pupils can access the learning at their own level. 

For pupils with SEN this could mean that they are given a slightly different task to achieve or are using visual clues or equipment to help them complete their task. Some may require additional support from the class teacher or teaching assistant as part of a small group, pair or individual. 

Some SEN pupils will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP).  This will outline specific targets for the child and identify what support and resources need to be put in place for the child to make progress.  An IEP is regularly assessed and updated by teachers and SENCO together with parents/carers.

Some SEN pupils will have a One Page Profile (1PP). This will outline the strategies and support that the child needs, to successfully access the curriculum.

As you can imagine there have been many changes during the last few years as a result of Covid and this has had a significant impact on the level of need and how we deliver SEND support.  As a result, we have enhanced  our practice to meet the individual and changing needs of our children with additional learning needs:

Introducing and embedding Zones of regulation to support children in managing their emotions at school and home

Building resilience through after school clubs, activities and trips

Increased offer of a wider curriculum through the creative arts

Expanded counselling service, including for parents

Parent workshops and information on our website and via social media

We have an extensive staff at Fairchildes who continuously look to develop their practice and extend their expertise.

An ongoing programme of training is in place to ensure that teachers and support staff have appropriate skills and knowledge. This includes:

• Literacy strategies
• Maths strategies
• Neurodiversity
• Mental Health & Well Being
• Makaton
• Phonics
• Sensory support
• First Aid
• Safeguarding
   

Our staff also have opportunities to visit alternative provisions to share good practice as well as engaging with outreach support from special schools.

We have regular staff meetings where all members share ideas to promote successful learning strategies. 

Curriculum leads’ attend co-ordinator meetings to keep up to date with local and national initiatives in education. 

The SENCO (Mrs Lillo) attends local authority SENCO briefing meetings as well as being part of the SEND Locality Forum.

Fairchildes is recognised as an inclusive school and has the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) flagship award. 

‘The school has created an incredibly supportive and healthy environment where there is an exceptionally high level of respect and commitment from all staff, parents and pupils. This in turn has led to a positive holistic experience for everyone.’ IQM Flagship report June 2024

"Fairchildes Primary School is dedicated to providing an inclusive environment where everyone within the school community feels respected, valued and supported. Through comprehensive policies, targeted strategies and ongoing collaboration with the school community, Fairchildes continues to strive to ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to succeed. Their continued commitment to inclusivity helps to build a strong, inclusive school community for all." (IQM Flagship report, June 2024).

Additional Literacy Support: 

• We have a team of well-trained Teachers and Teaching Assistants who work with small groups of children and provide individual support.
• We have a group of volunteers who are passionate about helping our struggling readers make progress.
• Children have access (at home and school)  to the Spelling Frame website
• All children have access to Oxford Owls/ Oxford Buddies in order to support their reading at home.

Additional Maths Support:

• We target small groups of children throughout the school, giving them additional number work.
• Times Tables Rock Stars is available for children to reinforce their skills and thoroughly embed their learning.

Occupational Therapy: 

• We run Funky Fingers fine motor skills groups for pupils who have a care plan from an Occupational Therapist or who have been selected by their teacher to receive additional support. Time is spent on cutting, threading, writing, sticking etc. Anything to get those fingers working!
• We have a well resourced  Sensory room in our 360 centre. The children can be taken individually, in pairs or small groups to spend time in the room for focused OT support.
• Some children may require additional apparatus to help them achieve; we take advice from the occupational therapists to ensure that our children have the correct pencil grips, writing slopes, chairs etc.  
• Some children need a sensory diet with regular movement breaks to enable them to focus. 
• Currently there is a reduced service from the NHS OT Service in terms of school visits. Visits mostly focus on pupils in the 360 ELP with OT provision on their EHCPs. They are reviewed, advice is provided for staff and parents.

 

 Speech and Language: 

• Currently there is a reduced service from the NHS Speech and Language Service in terms of school visits. Visits will focus on pupils with EHCPs and feedback from the therapist is shared with our Communications coordinatorco-ordinator/SENCO.
• Our specialist speech and language TA  (Communications coordinatorco-ordinator) continues to support children throughout the school who are on the NHS caseload.

• Any difficulties in communication are identified quickly and the appropriate support put in place.

Teaching Assistant Support 

Some children might need short term individual support to help them achieve academically or to help them manage their physical needs. We have a team of well-trained TAs who are deployed throughout the school to offer this support.

Pastoral Support

We know that a child cannot learn unless he or she is ready to do so emotionally. We are fortunate to have three mentors as well as our own counselling service (Share Problems, I’ll Listen – SPIL) to support our children's emotional needs.

360 Enhanced Learning Provision (ELP)

We provide 14 places for children with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).  All the children who attend the ELP have an Education Health and Care Plan and admission is through the Croydon SEN department.

Children who attend the 360 ELP will be taught in small groups with a higher adult to pupil ratio.  Whenever possible, children will access their mainstream class with support.

The 360 ELP is an integral part of the provision offered by Fairchildes Primary School.  While the admission process is different and the children in the ELP may experience a modified curriculum; we have the same high expectations and they enjoy the equality of opportunity that the mainstream children enjoy.

Parents of pupils from the 360 Centre stated that the support they receive from the staff at Fairchildes Primary School is phenomenal. They described how staff are always professional and open with them and offer plenty of reassurance. They felt that staff go out of their way to support their children and make sure that they can take part in events and activities that happen within the mainstream classes such as a Year 5 camping trip.  (IQM - June 2022)

Encompass Enhanced Learning Provision (ELP)

From September 2024 we will provide 10 places for Reception aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). All the children who attend the ELP will have an Education Health and Care Plan and admission is through the Croydon SEN department.

Children who attend the Encompass ELP will be taught in the small group provision with a higher adult to pupil ratio. Whenever possible children will access mainstream experiences with support.

Encompass is an integral part of the provision offered by Fairchildes Primary School.  While the admission process is different and the children in the ELP may experience a modified curriculum; we have the same high expectations and they enjoy the equality of opportunity that the mainstream children enjoy.

The use of outside agencies very much depends upon the individual needs. However, some are frequent visitors to school.

1. The Educational Psychologist

We have an Educational Psychologist who works with Fairchildes and is available for advice. Children are referred if they are not making the expected progress given the amount of support that they are receiving. The Educational Psychologist observes and assesses the pupil and then, in consultation with the parent, helps the school decide the best way forward for the pupil.

2. Speech and Language Therapy

We have weekly visits to our 360 Centre by the Speech and Language Therapist for therapy sessions and reviews. Currently only pupils with an EHCP are being seen and reviewed by the therapist.

3. Occupational Therapy

Following a period of intervention by both home and school the child can be referred  to this service. The pupil may then be further assessed and a care plan is written. The care plan has actions and targets for the individuals which are carried out both in lessons and in additional OT sessions e.g. Funky Fingers, Gross Motors Skill group & Sensory needs.

Other agencies may include the school nurse, Croydon Sensory Support service which includes the Hearing and Visual Impairment teams, CAMHS, the Community Paediatricians and audiology.

Our school has been part of an initiative by Croydon Council to improve support for children with special needs or disabilities who live in Croydon since September 2020.

Along with several other schools in our area, we’ve been given funding to provide earlier and better targeted help and support to SEND youngsters. This will enable our special needs staff to work closely with our partner schools to quickly get the necessary support and help for students who are beginning to demonstrate that they have additional needs which can’t be met through our own school SEND resources.

This early help which may be in the form of advice, school to school support, referral to specialist services, or additional resources can be put in place rapidly without unnecessary delay. This is because our group of schools hold the funding between us so we can direct this to the most suitable children in an efficient targeted way.

The initiative is called “Croydon Locality SEND Support” and will continue to run throughout this academic year. It has now expanded across all Croydon Schools (Since Sept 2022). Presently the scheme is only for Croydon residents and will not impact on students who already have an Education & Health Care Plan or those in Enhanced Learning Provisions.

If you want to learn more about this scheme please click the link below or contact our SENDCO and we will be happy to send you further details.

Locality SEND Support Information

Pupils make outstanding progress. Disabled pupils and those with SEN receive specialist teaching and support and so make excellent progress. Pupils who receive additional funding are closely monitored and well supported to make better than expected progress. (OFSTED)

Fairchildes works very closely with parents and carers who are welcome to make an appointment to discuss their child’s progress at any time. Class teachers are available before school starts and after school to speak to parents.

Parents can contact the SENCO, Inclusion Manager or any member of the inclusion team at any time.

Formal parents' evenings are held three times a year. At these meetings the parents of children with SEN will be given a copy of their child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) or One Page Profile (1PP). This is an opportunity to discuss your child's progress and to help make new targets for the coming term.

Each child receives a written report at the end of the school year detailing his/her progress.

The progress of pupils at Fairchildes is monitored very closely. We aim for all of our pupils to make outstanding progress:

• Teachers meet with the assessment coordinator each term. Children's work is scrutinised and levels of progress recorded.
• The assessment coordinator and class teacher meet with the SENCO to discuss the type of intervention that a child might need.
• The SENCO/Class Teacher monitor the progress in each intervention provision and meet regularly with the leaders of provisions to discuss individuals and any necessary changes that need to be made to provisions.
• The Academy Committee Members are regularly informed of pupil progress for all groups of children including SEN.

Definition of Disability

A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

Legal Background

This plan sets out the proposals of the Governing Body of the school to increase access to education for disabled pupils in the three areas required by The Equality Act 2010

• increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum, which includes teaching and learning and the wider curriculum of the school, such as participation in after school clubs, leisure and cultural activities or school visits;

• improving the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services, which includes improvements to the physical environment of the school and physical aids to access education.

•improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information, which is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled. eg. handouts, timetables, textbooks and information about school events. The information should take account of the pupils` disabilities and the preferred format of pupils and parents and be made available within a reasonable timeframe.

Fairchildes Primary School aims to treat all stakeholders, including pupils, prospective pupils, staff, governors and other members of the school community favourably and, wherever possible, takes reasonable steps to avoid placing anyone at a substantial disadvantage. The school aims to work closely with disabled pupils, their families and any relevant outside agencies in order to remove or minimise any potential barriers to learning, which puts them at a disadvantage, but allows them to learn, achieve and participate fully in school life. The school is active in promoting positive attitudes to disabled people in the school and in planning to increase access to education for all disabled pupils.

As part of the school’s continued communication with parents, carers and other stakeholders we continually look at ways to improve accessibility through data collection, questionnaires and parental discussions.

Contextual Information
Fairchildes is a two form entry primary school with a Nursery and two Enhanced Learning Provisions for children with a diagnosis of Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) in the 360 Centre  or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Encompass.

The mainstream school has accessible toilets at either end of the building, there are stair lifts so the main and upper floors are accessible to those with mobility concerns.  There are sound systems and microphones in both the school halls. There are ramps to the outdoor classrooms.

The 360 Enhanced Learning Provision is a purpose built single story extension with a hygiene room and disabled toilets. Encompass is a single story building with a ramp, a sensory room, dining room, changing room and disabled toilet.

The Current Range of Disabilities within Fairchildes Academy

The school has children with a range of disabilities which include Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Hearing Impairment, Visual impairment, physical disabilities and medical conditions such as Epilepsy, Chronic Allergies and Sickle Cell Anaemia. When children enter school with specific disabilities, the school liaises with LA professionals for assessments, support and guidance for the school and parents/carers.

We have a number of children who have asthma and all staff are aware of these children. Inhalers are kept in the classrooms and a record of use is noted.

Some children have allergies or food intolerances/cultural food choices. We have our own independent caterers who are able to meet the needs of children with specialist diets in an inclusive environment.

All medical information is collated and available to the relevant staff, with a designated member of staff responsible for their monitoring.

All medication is kept in a central safe and secure place which has easy access for First Aiders and staff members. Consent forms for the administration of medicine are filled in by parents, outlining the condition and dosage of medication. All medication that is given is recorded.

Our aim is to support our families. We know that our pupils do their best work if they have come to school from a happy home where they feel safe and are encouraged.

We know that being a parent is not the easiest of jobs and sometimes it can seem too much.

We offer:

• Support for families from our mentors
• Referral to Parent counselling services, including onsite
• School based parenting workshops
• Signposting/ referral to local outside agencies such as Foodbanks, Early Help, National Autistic Society.

The parents that I spoke to on my visit were full of praise for Fairchildes and felt supported and welcomed by the staff and Head of School. They felt that their children had opportunities at the school that they would not get anywhere else and felt they were able to talk to all staff if they had concerns. (IQM 2018)

Moving on to high school can be an anxious time for any child. We try to make sure that our pupils have opportunities to visit high schools during their time at Fairchildes and so are familiar with our local schools. 

We also work closely with our high school colleagues to make sure that transition is smooth, passing on information well before the child is due to attend so that their needs can be catered for.

If your child has an Education Health Care Plan we arrange a transition meeting towards the end of Year 6 and invite high school colleagues. Parents find this meeting very valuable in ensuring that the correct provision is available for their child at transition.

If a child is very anxious about moving to high school extra visits can be arranged as part of our transition programme as well as support from our Pastoral Team.

If you do not feel that your child is progressing as you expected, come in and see us.

Make an appointment with the class teacher, SENCO or the Co-Head.

If after a discussion with the Co-Head you are not happy, you could contact our Academy Committee Lead:

Jake Telford

You can contact him by post at:

Fairchildes Primary School
Fairchildes Avenue
New Addington
Croydon
CRO 0AH