Red Oaks Primary School
Redhouse Way
North Swindon Learning Campus
Swindon SN25 2AN
Website www.redoaks.org
Hours of business/opening hours 8.30 - 3.00

Key person to contact for further information
Rachel Surch (Head Teacher)
surchr@redoaks.org.uk
01793 493920

Nat Harvey (Inclusion Base Manager)
harveyn@redoaks.org.uk
01793 493920
 

Special Resource Provision (SRP) for children with complex learning and additional needs.

This SRP caters for children in Foundation Stage 2, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Access criteria:

• Children will have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan describing their complex learning and additional needs. Pupils may have a number of additional special needs e.g. speech and language, communication, fine and/or gross motor difficulties but these pupils do not have profound, multiple and/or severe learning difficulties.
• All learners should be able to access the mainstream curriculum for at least 50% of the school day with appropriate support.
• Children will be placed after full consultation with parents.
• Children will be considered for admission by Swindon Local Authority via the accepted channels of referral through the Special Educational Needs Resourcing and Assessment Panel (SENRAP), subject to there being available spaces in the provision.

The provision is funded in full by Swindon Borough Council.
Children's progress is carefully monitored through regular assessments and analysis of progress and attainment.
The effectiveness of the provision made for children is evaluated via parent/child annual review feedback and progress tracking - which is formally reported to the Head Teacher, Governors and Local Authority as an Annual Report.

Once a parent/carer has visited Red Oaks Complex Needs Special Resource Provision (SRP) and decided that they would like their child to join this provision, they need to indicate their preference to the Special Educational Needs Resourcing and Assessment Panel (SENRAP) via the accepted channels. We recommend that parents/carers visit a variety of provisions prior to this stage. If SENRAP agree that Red Oaks Complex Needs Provision is an appropriate provision, and if there are spaces, a request will be made to Red Oaks asking if we feel that we can effectively meet the child's needs.

At this stage we will arrange to observe the child, preferably in their current setting, consider any paperwork received and liaise with any relevant professionals currently involved. We will then indicate whether we feel we can meet the child's needs within our current resources and SENRAP make the decision as to whether they are awarded a place within the provision (subject to successful induction visit(s)).

An individualised package will be provided based on the child's individual needs and will take into account current levels of support available within the provision which will be allocated on a needs-led basis by the Inclusion Base Manager. This provision will be agreed in conjunction with other professionals involved. Factors likely to influence this decision may include a child's age, stage, ability, needs, progress and current funding/support available within the provision which is determined by Local Authority funding. Children will access the Early Years and National Curriculum where appropriate. This will be with their mainstream class for some of the time and they will also access a modified multi-sensory topic based curriculum for part of their timetable within a small group within the Inclusion Base.Red Oaks also has strong links with Brimble Hill Special School which is co-located on the North Swindon Learning Campus. Where access to learning and resources at Brimble Hill is considered by professionals to be appropriate, this may also be incorporated into their individualised package, with the agreement of Red Oaks and Brimble Hill Inclusion leads. To be eligible to access this Special Resource Provision (SRP), children must be able to access the mainstream curriculum for at least 50% of the school day.

Pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 will all register in the Inclusion Base in the mornings as they are predominantly part of 'Forest Class' (our Inclusion Base class). They will then usually access morning lessons in the Inclusion Base; mainly core subjects such as Numeracy, Literacy and Science, as well as opportunities to develop their gross motor skills e.g. soft play and swimming. Within the Inclusion Base, teaching and learning will be differentiated and adapted to meet the children's needs - this will include small group teaching and will follow a topic based approach - separate to the mainstream curriculum focus, but linked to the National Curriculum, at an appropriate level. Children in Foundation Stage will usually access their mainstream class for more of their day, as appropriate. All children then access their mainstream classes too - predominantly in the afternoons.

When the children are being supported in mainstream classes, they will receive a high adult:child ratio of support, wherever possible. The Teaching Assistant working with them, or their group, will provide support to help them access teaching, learning and social integration in their mainstream class. This may involve some short periods of 1:1 or small group work outside the classroom to support this - either linked to the objectives of their work in their mainstream class or on their individual targets. The child's mainstream teacher and Inclusion Base Manager will support the Teaching Assistant in carrying out their role.

Children are given opportunities, where appropriate, to access the full life of the school, e.g. playtimes, accessing performances, relevant school trips and celebration days with their mainstream class. At present there is no funding available locally to provide additional support for children to access extra-curricular activities such as after-school clubs. We will consider access to clubs on an individual basis subject to a full risk assessment and discussion with relevant professionals. Parents/carers must work with us to identify appropriate activities for their child and also to notify us in advance of attendance as activities such as discos, to ensure that we can provide adequate staffing to support access and safety.

Children in the Complex Needs Provision may access trips with their mainstream class where the curriculum link is relevant to their individualised package. Reasonable adjustments will be made to enable pupils to attend relevant trips. However, each individual case and the outcomes of a full risk assessment, involving relevant professionals, will be carried out and carefully considered prior to a decision being made. Parents will be consulted and informed of the outcome and deposits will be refunded where it is decided that it is not appropriate for the child to attend. For local visits, a permission slip will be sent home to be signed when the child joins the provision.

The Inclusion Base Manager and team of Teaching Assistants who are part of the Complex Needs Provision have access to in-service training and Special Educational Needs can feature on the School's Improvement Plan which is linked to staff's performance management.

Organisations typically worked with include:

• Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
• Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
• Physical Impairment (PI) Advisory Teacher
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Advisory Teacher - children can be assessed for assistive technology if their needs require it
• Hearing Support Team (HST)
• Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Schools (CAMHS)
• Learning Disability Nursing Team
• Disabled Children Team (DCT)
• Children Services

Parental consent is required before any external organisation can support a child.

Nat Harvey - Inclusion Base Manager/Teacher

Teaching Assistants
Kelly Newman
Ania Akala
Carla Hillier
Lauren Eagles
Simona Mendonca
Victoria Sykes
Maryla Kolodziej
Ella George
Hannah Webb

This is the core Special Resource Provision team, however we also work very closely with many of the Teaching Assistants and Teachers across the North Swindon Learning Campus, who are key to facilitating successful inclusion.

Children will undertake assessments in line with the provision's assessment policy (which is reviewed annually).
Please see video below for more information about our assessment procedures.

Marking and Presentation Policy CLAN

Children will have priority targets to support them achieving their EHCP outcomes set by school, families and multi-agencies, as well as target any particular priorities that arise for that child. Parents are expected to support their child at home and work in partnership with the school on IEP targets through the homework process - responding to and inputting evidence from home through our 'Evidence for Learning' app, to ensure generalised learning for our children in different settings and real life contexts.

The school holds three formal parent review meetings each year (including the annual review) for parents to meet with the team and anend of year summary report is also provided to parents each July in addition to the assessment evidence that is shared throughout the year on Evidence for Learning. Parents are formally invited to review their child's needs and progress in relation to their Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) at an Annual Review meeting. Children in Foundation Stage also have an Interim Review each year. As part of the review process, parents/carers are also invited to complete a form to share their views on their child's progress and development needs against their EHCP outcomes. Pupils are also given the opportunity to feed back on their preferences, strengths and areas for development through a talking mat, written/pictorial annual review form/objects of reference/symbols, as appropriate. If a parent/carer wishes to discuss how they can effectively support their child's learning at home at other points in the year, they can make an appointment with the Inclusion Base Manager.

Parent workshops and open mornings are sometimes run by the school or provision, to enable parents/carers to find out more about teaching and learning approaches used in school, how they can support this at home and to give them an opportunity to observe their child in class. It is important that parents/carers communicate their attendance and any access needs in a timely manner to enable these to run effectively. Children will also receive termly homework which parents/carers are required to complete at home with their child and also respond to inputting evidence from home related to individual targets through our 'Evidence for Learning' app, to ensure generalised learning for our children in different settings and real life contexts.

All children in the provision have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The vast majority of our pupils leave at the end of their primary school years, however, there is occasionally a child whose needs have changed since joining the provision. They may need more or less specialist support, which means that they no longer meet the access criteria for the provision and that alternative provision is likely to be more suitable in meeting those needs. In such cases, a formal review process will be held with parents/carers and all relevant professionals will be invited to review their current provision and consider whether alternative provision may be more appropriate to meet their needs. A recommendation will then be made to the Special Educational Needs Resourcing and Assessment Panel (SENRAP), in full consultation with parents/carers, and SENRAP will decide on the suitability of the child's placement so a more suitable setting can be identified and a managed transition carried out, where appropriate.

Secondary school placement can be discussed at any time, but is formally discussed as part of a child's Annual Reviews in Year 5 and 6. Parents are encouraged to go and visit possible secondary settings before the reviews, to inform the discussions, as well as earlier on in their child's education to support planning towards long term aspirations for each child.

Any pupil transferring out of the provision will have induction visit(s) as agreed with their new setting and appropriate transition and support will be provided. We request that parents assist with transport to/from induction visits if needed. The new setting will be invited to any relevant reviews/meetings and a specific transfer meeting will be organised, if needed. All records regarding the pupil will be safely and securely transferred.

Destination information will be submitted to the Authority as part of our provision's annual reporting procedures.

What is the SBI SRP?
It is a Special Resource Provision (SRP) run in partnership with Swindon Borough Council for severely and profoundly deaf children who require specialist sign support to access learning, and who without such provision would be unable to access an age appropriate mainstream curriculum. It is a fully integrated provision and pupils spend the majority or all of their time supported in mainstream classes. Both English and British Sign Language are respected as languages for learning and communication. Sign bilingualism means having and using two languages in everyday life, one of which is a sign language. Some children in the provision have BSL as their first language. Other children are moving towards having spoken English as their preferred means of communication but require a high level of sign support and Teacher of the Deaf access to achieve this. Children have access to sign language support throughout the school day, including at break and lunch times.

What age range is covered?
The provision caters for children aged 4-11 (Reception to year 6). The school has a mainstream nursery for children aged 3-4. Deaf children who meet the normal entry criteria for the SRP may be considered for a place in the nursery, subject to available funding.

What are the access criteria?

• Children must be severely or profoundly deaf, and have this as their primary special educational need
• They will have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan
• At the time of entry to the provision, children will:
  • Show a significant delay in spoken English such that they would be unable to access an age appropriate mainstream curriculum delivered through spoken English alone
  • Either have (or be expected to have) BSL as their primary language for communication and learning; or
  • Require specialist sign support and Teacher of the Deaf access over and above what could reasonably be delivered outside of an SRP
  • Be supported by a range of current assessment evidence indicating no additional learning needs that will (or are likely to) result in the child being unable to access an age appropriate mainstream curriculum in a fully integrated setting.
• Be placed after full consultation with the child’s parents
• Be placed after consultation with the SRP manager, Head Teacher and Senior Advisory Teacher of the Deaf
• Be considered for admission by Swindon Local Authority via the accepted channels of referral through the Special Educational Needs Resourcing and Assessment Panel (SENRAP)

What is the admissions process?
Admission to the provision is through SENRAP, subject to there being available spaces in the provision.

How is the provision funded?
The provision is funded in full by the Local Authority.

What do children learn?

• Children in the Sign Bilingual Inclusion provision follow the same Early Years and National Curriculum as their hearing peers, at an age-appropriate level. Children learn alongside their hearing peers, with sign support provided. The provision is not a 'unit' and deaf children are not taught separately from the hearing children as a matter of course.
• Intervention lessons are used, as required, to provide extra support for learning (for example, with reading or grammar).
• All children have an Individual Play Plan (Foundation Stage) or an Individual Educational Plan (Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2), with rolling targets.

How is emotional and social development supported?

• Deaf children have access to both deaf and hearing peers within the school. Pupil voice is strong in the school, and both deaf and hearing children can apply to take on extra responsibilities and mentoring roles if they wish.
• Children participate in Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Values education, and any special events such as anti-bullying workshops.
• Hearing children have access to signing and deaf awareness. British Sign Language signs are incorporated into assembly songs and year group performances.
• Deaf children are covered by the same school policies as hearing children, including in relation to safeguarding and anti-bullying.
• The school buys in support from the Targeted Mental Health in Schools Service (TAMHS), and deaf children can access this if needed.

How is progress assessed and reviewed?

• Children's Individual Play Plan / Individual Educational Plan targets are shared with parents. The school also holds two formal parent review afternoon/evenings each year for parents to meet with class teachers.
• The school has an open door policy and parents are encouraged to raise concerns or discuss their child's needs and progress as the need arises.
• Staff meet with parents if there are any concerns about a child. The school likes to work with parents to problem solve and find effective strategies to support any child who may be experiencing difficulties.
• Parents are formally invited to review their child's needs and progress in relation to their Statement of Special Educational Needs or their Education Health and Care Plan at an Annual Review meeting. Children in Foundation Stage also have an Interim Review each year. As part of the review process, parents are also invited to complete a form to share their views on their child's progress and development needs.
• Children's progress is closely tracked throughout the year through the school's data system. Progress is analysed and interventions put in place if necessary to boost progress. The children do the same assessments as their hearing peers and their progress is monitored both in relation to their individual starting points and the average progress and attainment of their class/year group.

How are children prepared for future life? Children begin to prepare for adult life by:

• Taking part in Values education
• Taking part in Building Learning Power
• Being expected to follow the same class and behaviour rules as other children
• Promotion of age-appropriate independence
• Learning to make appropriate behaviour choices
• Having opportunities to interact with both deaf and hearing peers without adult support

Can children access extra-curricular activities?

• Deaf children have access to lunch-time and after-school clubs. They go on the same trips and take part in the same school events as their hearing peers. Older children have the opportunity to go on residential trips with the rest of their year group.
• Sign support is provided for all trips and for all clubs and events that take place during normal school hours. Sign support is available for out-of-hours school clubs and events (i.e. occurring after 3.00 pm) subject to availability of staff and funding.

What audiological support is available?

• Some children have cochlear implants. Other children may have been issued with hearing aids by the hospital. Children with implants or hearing aids are issued with a radio aid system by the Hearing Support Service if it is felt they will benefit from one.
• Children who have implants or hearing aids are expected to make full use of these at school. They are expected to wear them throughout the school day, unless they are new to their amplification and are 'building up' wearing time.
• Children can be assessed for assistive technology by the Advisory Teacher for Information & Communication Technology and Alternative & Augmentative Communication if their needs require it.

Which other agencies are worked with? Organisations typically worked with (according to the needs of individual children) include:

• Great Western Hospital Audiology and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) departments
• Southampton Auditory Implant Service
• Oxford Cochlear Implant Programme
• West of England Cochlear Implant Programme
• Children Services
• Disabled Children Team
• Educational Psychology Team
• Advisory Teachers, e.g. Physical Disability, Specific Learning Difficulties, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and Alternative & Augmentative Communication (AAC)
• Hearing Support Team
• Paediatric Occupational Therapy
• Paediatric Physiotherapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Targeted Mental Health in Schools Service (TAMHS)

• Teachers receive basic training on Deaf awareness. They also have access to training on the implications of learning through British Sign Language, especially for literacy.
• More in-depth training is provided for staff working closely with deaf children and for Sign Bilingual Inclusion staff.
• The specialist teachers in the provision are fully qualified Teachers of the Deaf and hold a mandatory qualification for teaching deaf children.
• Sign Bilingual Inclusion staff have high level signing skills. All staff currently working in the provision have at least NVQ Level 3 BSL. Many have NVQ Level 6.

• Once pupils have a place in the provision, they normally continue through the school to Year 6 unless their learning or communication needs change significantly.
• Pupils transferring into the provision from another setting are normally offered induction visits so they can familiarise themselves with their new setting, peers and staff.
• Any pupils transferring out of the provision will have similar induction visits to the new setting.
• Secondary school placement can be discussed at any time, but is formally discussed as part of children's Annual Reviews in Year 5 and 6. Parents are encouraged to go and visit possible secondary settings before the reviews, to inform the discussions.

• All children in the provision have a Statement of Special Educational Need or an Education, Health and Care Plan.
• Some children may have additional needs which are known about prior to entry to the provision, or which become apparent as they become older. Where additional needs are known about before entry, these needs will be taken into consideration when a request for placement is made to ensure that the provision is likely to be able to meet these needs effectively. Where additional needs are suspected or become apparent after entry, agencies such as the following are used to assess these needs:
  • Educational Psychology Team
  • Paediatric Occupational Therapy
  • Paediatric Physiotherapy
  • Advisory Teachers (e.g. Physical Disabilities, Specific Learning Difficulties, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and Alternative & Augmentative Communication (AAC)
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Targeted Mental Health in Schools Service (TAMHS)
  • And any other agency it is appropriate to involve
• In most cases, additional needs will be able to be met within the provision. When this is not possible, a more suitable setting is identified and a managed transition carried out.
• Parents are kept informed and fully involved in discussions and plans concerning their child at all stages.

• The effectiveness of the provision is measured through the progress and attainment made by pupils. Progress and attainment are evaluated in three ways: from the child's starting point in comparison with other children (deaf and hearing) starting from the same point; in comparison with the performance of hearing peers in the child's class/year group; and against national expectations using Progression Guidance tools.
• An annual report is produced for the borough as part of the auditing process to ensure that the provision is effective in meeting children’s needs and is delivering value for money.
• The effectiveness of the provision is also assessed during OFSTED inspections.