SEND information Report

At Lindens Academy we have a graduated approach to SEND, ensuring early identification of needs and a continuum of support for children in order to enable them to make progress and reach their fullest potential. Please refer to our SEND Policy, which outlines the purpose, nature and management of special educational needs within our school.

Lindens Academy prides itself on being an inclusive school, committed to the education of the whole child. We are always seeking new and creative ways of engaging children in learning experiences that motivate and entice children to deepen their understanding and develop a lifelong love of learning.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum with creative contexts providing the stimulus to engage all children in quality experiences. We strive to achieve high academic standards for all children and believe this is best achieved through teaching which is engaging, innovative and personalised to children’s needs.

Definition of Special Educational Needs and Disability

The Code of Practice (2014) states that a child or young person has a special educational need or disability if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or 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 of the same age,
Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools

What is the SEND Information Report?

The SEND Information Report uses the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of pupils with SEND as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.

Special educational needs and provision can be considered as the following categories:

Communication and interaction Cognition and Learning

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Sensory and/or Physical

Our School

Lindens Academy is a mainstream Primary School with an ARP for up to 12 pupils with physical disabilities and complex medical needs.

Additional Resource Provision (ARP)

This is a additional provision for pupils who have a variety of physical impairments and/or medical needs; such as needing medicines to be administered through a gastric peg or specialist personal care such as catheterising or assisting pupils with a mitrofanoff .

The school building is fully accessible and has a designated physiotherapy room where specialist professionals such as Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapists visit school to assess and monitor pupils and advise on any additional prescribed resources required. There is an accessible large playground; however, the sports field is not fully accessible.

Staff throughout school have additional and specialised training in supporting children with a physical disability including:

Moving and handling
Carrying out Physical Management Programme
Accessing the curriculum using specialist assistive technology.

Who are the best people to talk to at Lindens School about my child’s difficulties with learning/ Special Educational Needs & Disabilities/Medical Needs?

The Class Teacher is responsible for:

Planning for and ensuring that all children have access to good/outstanding teaching. Provide a Curriculum and deliver QFDT which will meet your child’s individual needs
Closely monitoring the progress of your child and identifying, planning and delivering any additional help your child may need (this could be things like targeted work, additional support, adapting resources etc) and discussing any adjustments with the SENDCOs as necessary
Writing an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) sharing and reviewing these targets with the SENDCOs, then parents at least once each term and planning for the next term.
Ensuring that all members of staff working with your child in school are aware of your child’s individual needs and/or conditions and what specific adjustments need to be made to enable them to be included and make progress.
Ensuring that all staff working with your child in school are supported in delivering the planned work/programme for your child, so they can achieve the best possible outcome. This may involve the use of additional adults, outside specialist help, SENDCOs advice and specially planned work and resources.
Making sure that there are records of your child’s progress and needs. Also monitoring the impact of interventions
Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any SEND.

Lindens Academy have two SENDCo's

Mrs Grainger and Mrs Keight Direct Line: 0121 580 7758 and also contactable via email;

cgrainger@lindens.lhmat.com lkeight@lindens.lhmat.com

Mrs Grainger and Mrs Keight work in partnership and together they will support children and parents with any additional questions.

They are responsible for:

Coordinating and delegating to the SEND Team to support the children with special educational needs (SEN) and or disabilities, and developing the school’s SEND Policy to make sure all children get a consistent, high quality response to meeting their needs in school.
Providing opportunities for those parents who wish to discuss their child’s Individual Educational Programme IEP
Ensuring that you as parents are:

Involved in supporting your child’s learning
Kept informed about the support your child is getting
Involved in reviewing how your child is doing and planning ahead for them.
chairing annual reviews for children who are in receipt of an Educational Health and Care Plan

Liaising with all the other people who may be coming into school to help support your child’s learning e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy..
Updating the school’s SEND register termly
Ensuring that educational, physical and sensory needs of your child are known, understood and shared with relevant staff. This is mostly done via a Child Passport.
Providing specialist support for teachers and support staff in the school so they can help your child (and other pupils with SEN and/or disabilities in the school) to achieve their potential.
Organising training for staff so they are aware and confident about how to meet the needs of your child and others within our school.
The SENDco's and their team work alongside outside agencies to support them to produce children sure risk assessments, personal care plans, individual health care plans Safer handling plans and Pupil Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are in place. The SEND Team will then support the SENDcos to monitor all of the above and ensure that staff, parents and the child receive a smooth and robust transition

Mr Griffiths- Executive Head Teacher

The day to day management of all aspects of the school, this includes the support for children with SEN and/or disabilities.
He will give responsibility to the SENDco and class teachers but is still responsible for ensuring that your child’s needs are met.
He must make sure that the Local Governing Committee is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND.

SEND committee lead

Mrs Danielle Howell-Smith

Her responsibilities are:

Making sure that the school has an up to date SEND Policy
Making sure that the school has appropriate provision and has made necessary adaptations to meet the needs of all children in the school
Making sure that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEN and/or disabilities.
Making visits to understand and monitor the support given to children with SEND in the school and being part of the process to ensure your child achieves their potential in school

Danielle Howell-Smith can be contacted through our Executive Headteacher on:

0121 353 9273 or Mrs Grainger on 0121 580 7758.

If you have a concern or a complaint.

By appointment, complex concerns may be better discussed face to face. Parents are encouraged to telephone to make an appointment with the relevant member of staff. This can be done via the main school telephone number on 0121 353 9273 OR SEND direct Line 0121 580 7758 OR via email to cgrainger@lindens.lhmat.com

If parents wish to make a complaint about the educational provision for a SEND pupil they are invited to discuss their concerns with the SENDCos- The direct line is 0121 580 7758.

If parents are still dissatisfied they will be referred to the School Complaints Policy of which is a referral to the:

Executive Head Teacher- Mr Simon Griffiths
SEND local School Committee Lead- Mrs Danielle Howell-Smith
Local Committee Lead- Mrs Danielle Howell-Smith

How are children with Special Educational Needs identified and assessed?

If teachers feel that your child has a special educational need this may be because they are not making the same progress as other pupils. The earlier we take action and modify our provision, the sooner we can resolve concerns and help children towards success. We will observe your child’s learning characteristics and how they achieve within our learning environments. We will assess their understanding of what we are doing in school and where appropriate, use additional assessments to determine what may be causing difficulty. We as a school follow the ‘Waves of Intervention’ process to allow a robust informed referral pathway for the children in our care.

Waves of Intervention- Lindens Academy

Below is a list of ways children may be identified as having an additional need:

Liaison with the previous educational setting
Tracking information – is the child performing below age expected steps?
School based assessments carried out initially by the class teacher
Further school based assessments carried out by the SENDcos
Concerns raised by parents
Concern raised by school staff
Concern raised by pupil

How my child will be included in all activities in and outside the classroom?

Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children, both SEND and non-SEND, to participate in all school activities, including school trips

We have a number of clubs which are held at lunch time and after school. All children are invited to attend, including those with SEND, who will be offered 1:1 support where needed to support access.

The school ensures it has sufficient staff expertise to ensure that no child with SEND is excluded from any school provided activity, with the exception of activities which take place on our upper sports field. Children within the ARP, who travel to school via Walsall LA Transport, and wish to attend after school clubs will need to be collected from school by their parents/carers
How will my child be prepared for transition?

Parents/carers will be invited to a transition meeting to discuss ways to support their child to settle into their new school routine. The SENDcos will meet with both parents and identified SEND pupils to discuss concerns to be raised and solutions to any perceived challenges to be considered
Pupil transition will be completed in the Spring and Summer Term once placements have been finalised. For pupils transferring to local schools, the SENDcos of both schools will meet to discuss the needs of pupils with SEND in order to ensure a smooth transition.

How is Lindens Primary School accessible to children with SEND?

The school building is compliant with The Equality Act 2010 requirements. The school building is on one level with suitable wheelchair access by means of ramps and double doors. There are identified disabled toilets, a shower area and changing facilities. There is a functional physiotherapy area. We ensure where ever possible that equipment used is accessible to all children regardless of their needs. After-school provision is accessible to all children, including those with SEND. Extra-curricular activities are accessible for children with SEND. Radio transmitters will be worn by adults working with children who have hearing impairments to ensure that they are fully included in the curriculum Quiet areas and calming zones are provided for children who need a space to support their emotional needs.

Lindens Academy is an Emotion Coaching School and offers several Nurture Programmes to support pupils with Social, emotional and mental health issues. We take a Restorative Practice approach to resolve conflict and re-build relationships. We also offer Boxall Programme to identified pupils. Lindens school also has a trained ELSA (emotional Literacy Support Assistant) Mrs Wade and a Mental Health Lead- Mr Keight. We also have several Mental Health First Aiders both classroom and non-classroom based.