How will the school support my child with special educational needs when they start at Spalding Parish Church of England Day School?

Entry into Foundation Stage

If your child attends a pre-school/nursery, the SENCo there will normally inform us that your child will be joining us and that he/she has special educational needs.  The SENCo at our school will then attend any meetings at the pre-school before they start school, so that we have a clear picture of your child's needs and what support they might need when they join us.  If any support is needed, we will try to have it in place as soon as they start, for example any training or equipment.  The SENCo will also speak with outside agencies involved to make sure that any advice is in place.  

If your child has significant needs, they may need some extra visits to our Foundation Stage class in addition to those already provided.

Joining school at other times, e.g. mid-year

If your child joins our school at any other time in their school life and they have additional needs, their previous school should send us all their pupil information, which would identify that they have special educational needs.  We will then initially rely on the information that they send us. It would be useful if you could tell us all about your child and their needs too.  The information from the previous school should tell us what support has been in place at their previous school.  We will use this information as a starting point, and try to provide similar support within a short space of time.  If outside agencies are involved, the SENCo will contact them so that they continue to support your child in our school.  This will often be through a review meeting to which you, the parent/carer, will be invited.

Moving from one class to another

When your child moves from one year group to another, the two teachers (current and new) meet together to discuss each pupil.  The current teacher will pass on any significant information to the new class teacher so they are kept fully informed.  Any pupil who has a special educational need and/or disability will have a Individual Support Plan and possibly other support plans such as a Health Care Plan or De-escalation Plan. All paperwork and any outside agency support reports are passed on to the new teacher so that they have a full understanding of the pupil, their needs and what support needs to be in place to help them.  The SENCo will also ensure that new teachers and support staff are informed about pupils with SEN so that there is a smooth transition between classes and support continues as soon as pupils start in their new classes in the new academic year.

Moving to another Primary School

If your child moves to a new school due to relocation, once we have been informed that they are on roll at their new school, we will send on any relevant paperwork, including documents such as Learning Maps and outside agency reports.  The new school will then have all the relevant information needed to put support in place as soon as your child joins them.  It is always helpful for you to also keep the new school staff informed and make sure that they have received the paperwork from us.

Moving to Secondary School

The SENCo at our school meets with all the secondary school SENCos during the final term of Year 6 to inform the new SENCo of all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities joining their school.  Details of the pupil's needs are passed on to the new SENCo, along with details of what support has been in place at our school to help them.  Our SENCo passes on information about any outside agencies that have been involved and all SEN paperwork is passed on, including documents such as Individual Support Plans and outside agency reports.  The receiving secondary school will then have all the relevant information needed to put support in place as soon as your child joins them in Year 7.

How can I help during a transfer?

It is always helpful for you to personally speak with new staff to make sure that they are fully aware of your child's special educational needs and/or disability.  Always check, after a short time, that support has been put in place and that you understand what help your child is receiving.  If moving to a new school, take your child to visit the school so that you can both see the environment and ask any questions which you may have.