Parent Question and Answers

What type of school is St Monica Primary School?

St Monica Primary School is a mainstream school for children between the ages of 4-11. We are committed to providing a high-quality education for pupils with a wide range of needs. This includes those with specific needs in the areas of communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, sensory and/or physical.

As of September 2023, the school has 450 places. All 15 classes are fully inclusive and determined by children’s ages rather than their individual level of need. We have high levels of expectations for all our children and we aim to fully extend their academic and social development. We manage high levels of support and individualised learning programmes to ensure both the learning and social needs of each child are met within their class. Throughout their time in our primary school, children may receive varying levels of support according to their changing needs and circumstances.

What special educational needs do you cater for?

We provide an inclusive education for all pupils, including children who may be experiencing difficulties in one of these four broad areas:

Communication and Interaction (e.g. autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties)
Cognition and Learning (e.g. dyslexia, development co-ordination disorder)
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (E.g. ADHD)
Sensory and Physical Needs (E.g. visual impairments, hearing impairments, processing difficulties.)

Would my child be able to join in with other children who do not have SEND?

Of course! As an inclusive school, we believe that all children should be given the same opportunities and experiences. Whilst there are sometimes where children with SEND may need to complete learning on a 1:1 or small group basis, we strongly believe that they need to be integrated and included with the rest of the children in the class.

All of our after-school clubs, trips and other opportunities are available to all our pupils.

All pupils are encouraged to take part in daily school life and special events like, sports day, school plays and learning exit points.

How would you support my child’s emotional wellbeing?

We are a very caring school where children’s emotional wellbeing is given a high priority. We teach Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in classes and strongly believe that children’s emotional wellbeing is crucial to their development in all areas of learning.

If any child is struggling with their emotional wellbeing, it may be appropriate to receive some Nurture or ELSA support. Like our other interventions, this is a time bound intervention that is individually planned to target a particular area of concern for a child.

We also work with the Mental Health in Schools Teams and other charities where appropriate.

We always listen to the views of our children and take any emotional concerns seriously. We have a zero tolerance to bullying at St Monica Primary School.

How do you know if my child may need extra help or may have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)?

If any concerns are raised, the class teacher will then consult the SENDCo, Mrs Sherwood, who will look further into the nature of the difficulties with the class teacher and look at the criteria for placing a child on the SEND register. This decision will be made in conjunction with parents through discussion after following a rigorous Assess, Plan, Do, Review approach. Parents will be informed if any concerns are raised after initial observations in a meeting, their viewpoints and the children’s will be taken into consideration throughout the process.

To inform monitoring of children’s progress and development, class teachers make regular observations and assessments of all children within and outside the classroom setting. More formal assessments may also take place, for example a GL Ready Assessment or a Boxall Profile. Assessments may be of an academic or a social nature.

These assessments are used to identify any children whose:

Progress is significantly slower than that of their peers
Progress fails to match or better their previous rate of progress
Attainment falls below the age-related expectation and widens the attainment gap
Formal assessment score indicates a particular weakness.

Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEND, but may often lead to further investigation.

The early identification of additional needs is paramount in ensuring the best possible progress for all children.

How will my child be involved in their learning?

We believe that your child should be at the centre of all learning discussions. Where appropriate, we will seek your child’s viewpoints and are keen to find out how they think they are progressing, what they are finding difficult and useful strategies to use to support them. Children are always welcome at meetings if that is your and their wish.

How will I know how my child is doing with their learning?

We recognise the importance of developing close working relationships with parents and we regularly update you about how your child is progressing with their learning through:

Informal communication and chats after school, when possible
Additional scheduled meetings, as and when required
Formal SEND meetings where we share your child’s individual learning targets with you and discuss how well your child is doing
Parents Evening
Regular communication where necessary through home school communication books
Meetings with outside agencies (E.g. Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists)
Annual reviews (if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan).

We can advise you about how you can best support your child at home or sometimes signpost to external agencies for further support.

How will my child’s progress in learning be reviewed?

Ongoing responsive teaching and assessment for learning happens on a daily basis. Additionally, as part of the graduated response, we all work within a cycle of ‘Assess – Plan – Do - Review’. Every small step is clearly planned based on assessment of your child’s needs. Provision is set up for your child (E.g. either a specific 1:1 intervention, small group work, inclusive teaching or adaptations to the environment) and a timeframe is agreed in which to achieve the set targets.

After the timeframe has ended, your child’s learning target and progress within it is evaluated and the cycle continues. You are informed of your child’s progress and their next steps in learning.

For those working below their Key Stage and not accessing the national curriculum, we will apply the Engagement Model to help us reflect on how well the bespoke curriculum we are offering is helping your child to make progress. This does not necessarily replace our existing plans, assessments and reporting systems, but adds value to them.

What is your approach to the teaching of children with SEND?

High quality, inclusive teaching is our first step in responding to children with SEND. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum that will be adapted and differentiated for individual pupils. Some children may benefit from smaller group work or 1:1 support at times but we always aim to develop resilience and independences.

We provide the following interventions:

Precision Teaching
Social, emotional and Mental Health (Nurture)
ELSA
Reading Wise
Clever Hands and Clever Bodies (Fine and Gross Motor)
Speech and Language programmes, including social skills groups
NHS Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy programmes
We also provide small group or 1:1 support for children with specific cognition or social and emotional targets which do not fit into the above interventions. An example of this could be 10 minutes working on a specific target e.g. recalling number bonds to 10 or turn taking skills.

What adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment for my child?

In order to meet your child’s needs, it may be necessary to make adaptations to the curriculum or the learning environment. This may be through:

Variation of our curriculum to ensure all children are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson, etc.
Adapting our resources and staffing
Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, wobble cushions etc.
Variation our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud, etc.
Setting up an individual workstation, giving a specific seat or carpet space, creating a calming zone, etc.
Completing risk assessments where necessary to make adjustments to school trips, sports events and after school clubs etc.

What training and expertise do the staff at Kanes Hill Primary School have with SEND?

Mrs Sherwood is the SENDCo at St Monica Primary School. She has completed the National Award for Special Educational Needs or Disabilities Co-ordination at the University of Winchester. Mrs Sherwood has a non-class-based role in order to manage SEND provision. She is particularly passionate about achieving high-quality inclusive education for all.

There are three trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants at St Monica Primary who work throughout the school.

Regular CPD is provided for all Teachers and Teaching Assistants. This is both with external agencies or through senior leaders/specialists within the school.

Specialist expertise is secured through referrals to external agencies and outreach support where necessary.

How is SEND provision evaluated?

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for children with SEND by:

Reviewing children’s individual progress towards their learning targets
Reviewing the impact of interventions
Completing pupil questionnaires or pupil conferencing
Monitoring by the SENCo, the Principal, the CEO, Outside Agencies such as SIP and the Academy Councillor with responsibility for SEND
Holding annual reviews for children with EHC Plans
Ongoing school self-evaluation and monitoring.

Do you work with any other agencies?

We work with a range of outside agencies (where necessary) to support your child’s learning and development. We can also make referrals to agencies to support you and family. Examples of outside agencies include:

Educational Psychologist
Speech and Language Therapist
Occupational Therapist
Jigsaw support
Southampton Inclusion Partnership (SIP)
Children’s Services
Mental Health in Schools Team
CAMHs
School Nurse
Specialist Teachers for Visual and Hearing impairments

How will you support my child’s transition to school and to the next school?

If your child has been identified as having special educational needs prior to starting school, then a meeting will take place with your child’s current setting and with parents/carers. This enables us to gain a more thorough understanding of your child and their needs before they join the school. We work closely with the professionals that know your child the best at that time and put together a structured plan that details the strategies and provision that will help your child have a successful transition into school. If your child has an Educational Health and Care Plan, the Local Authority in charge of this plan will consult with a new setting prior to your child starting, to ensure this setting can meet the needs of your child in line with their plan.

A similar process will happen when your child moves from St Monica Primary School to another setting, whether this be at an end of phase transition or an in-year transfer. There will be an arranged meeting with the next school’s SENCo and future schools will also be invited to your child’s Annual Review if they have an Education Health and Care Plan.

What would I do if I had a concern about the SEND provision at the school?

Please come and tell us if you have any concerns about the SEND provision at our school. We would advise that you speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance where we will try and resolve any issues. If necessary, the SENCo or the Principal may be involved.

For more information, please follow the link to the Inspire Learning Partnership’s complaints procedure: https://khps.ilpartnership.org/Policies/

What happens if my child is looked after by the local authority?

All the information contained in this report is relevant and applicable to children who are looked after by the local authority.

Your child’s individual needs will also be discussed and documented as part of the Personal Education Plan (PEP).

Where can I find more information?

For more information, please follow the link to our website where you can find the SEND Policy and the Accessibility Policy: https://khps.ilpartnership.org/Policies/

Further information can be found on Southampton’s Local Offer Website: Southampton City Local Offer.

We welcome visits at any time so please call the school office on 02380 399870 to arrange a time to come and look around the school.