These are some of the questions we are often asked by parents and carers who are concerned their child may be struggling in school.

What should I do if I think my child needs more help at school?

Firstly, speak to your child’s class teacher. They can discuss your concerns and will be able to advise about your child’s progress to date, any possible barriers to learning and what interventions and support they can provide at class level.

How do school identify children who may need more support?

In addition to our daily classroom assessment, we monitor the children’s progress on a termly basis through separate meetings with both the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and Deputy Head Teacher. If we believe a child is finding something particularly challenging or difficult, we will put support in place accordingly. This might be as simple as extra handwriting practice, or maths group work. Most children can struggle from time to time, and receiving support does not necessarily mean your child has special educational needs.

What if the problem persists or the child is continuing to struggle to make progress?

If your child is still struggling despite adaptive teaching strategies and support, then the teacher will liaise with the SENCO your child may be placed on the SEN register if your child starts to receive support which is additional to or different to that normally available to other children, such as a regular group intervention outside the classroom. The SEN register is legal document on which we record these children and they can be added to and removed from this list at any time. Parents will be informed when their child is on this list.

What is SEND what does it cover?

SEND covers the full range of emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties. This might display as problems with reading, writing, communication, social interaction, concentration, or focus, among other things. Not making progress with an area of learning is also a potential sign of underlying SEN. We have processes and resources in place to support children a full range of needs.

Who will support my child in school?

The main support for all children at Yerbury is their class teacher, alongside the class teaching assistant. They deliver targeted support to children across the curriculum on a daily basis through high-quality, adaptive and responsive teaching which may sometimes include running small group intervention to target common problem areas such as handwriting, and early numeracy and literacy skills. We also have a literacy specialist support teacher and, where appropriate, staff from external agencies who sometimes support children. You can read more about our SEN team here

SEND support for children at Yerbury is coordinated by the SENCO, although they do not normally work directly with children in class.

When is support given?

Support is given in class time, alongside normal teaching. We occasionally take children out of class to access interventions or support from an external practitioner.

How will the school support my child?

Every child is different, so the level or types of support given will be dependent upon the individual child’s needs. We have a range of ways to support children who are finding something challenging. These will include a range of in class strategies as well as some targeted intervention groups if necessary. Children are selected for targeted intervention based on need and set criteria and not all interventions are available to all children. Please see this document for a range of ways that we ordinarily support children.

What levels of support are available?

Needs of individual children are very varied, as is the range of support available. This includes:

• Differentiation and scaffolding of learning activities and other adaptations within class
• Small group interventions for core subjects (English / Maths) or for key skills such as speaking and listening and turn taking.
• Use of specific resources or adaptations to the equipment used
• Support from teaching assistants within class
• Extra, personalised support from staff (1:1)
• Individualised targets and support plans
• Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)

What programmes/interventions do you use with children who are finding core subjects hard?

We run a number of school-wide learning programmes. For maths we use Times Tables Rockstars, Numbots which children can use on their own as well the intervention Number Stacks. For those with specific difficulties in literacy we use Nessy, Read Theory and a Precision Teaching approach. See this document for more information.

Which other specialists might support my child?

We work with a range of professionals who may support your child and can refer them following discussion with your child’s teacher and / or the SENCO. This includes an Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, and CAMHS (Child Adolescent Mental Health Services) professionals as well as other services.

What can I do at home to help my child?

Ensure sure you read with your child every day and support them in learning their times tables. Your child’s teacher will be able to explain more specific support depending on your child’s needs.

How do I stay informed about the extra support my child is getting?

We hold two parents’ evenings a year where your child’s class teacher can update you on general interventions, and a final report at the end of the academic year. All form teachers are also available to speak to parents informally and privately at an allotted time each week, to be booked through the office. You can also request a meeting with the SENCO at any point during the year. Parents of children with individual targets or support plans can meet with the school each term to discuss their child’s progress.

Some children who have an EHCP or 1:1 support may have a home-school book, which their TA and parents write in daily to record the day at school, progress and concerns.

What training are the staff supporting children with SEN having/had?
All staff in school have had general training and awareness-raising sessions in specific areas of SEN as part of their Continuous Professional Development (CPD). This can take place during staff training (INSET) days and in weekly staff meetings.

What is an EHCP?
An Education Health Care Plan is a detailed, document outlining a child’s special educational, health, and social care needs and the provision they require, issued by the local authority. EHCPs are for those children with complex needs who require support beyond that which the school can usually provide without additional funding and support from the local authority.

How are funding and resources distributed between children with SEN?
All schools are expected to find the first £6,000 from within the school’s SEN budget to support children and young people with SEN who are on the school’s SEN register. The school can apply for a ‘top-up’, based on strict criteria, if it is felt that a child’s needs are above that which can be provided through the £6,000. The school uses the funds to put appropriate support in place to meet the specific needs of a child.

Where else can I go for more support? Who can I contact for further information?

School Senco (via admin@yerbury.islington.sch.uk)
SEN Ambassador Network at school (via admin@yerbury.islington.sch.uk)
SEN Governors (via admin@yerbury.islington.sch.uk)

SENDIASS
https://directory.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/service.page?id=W3osEWwjFGk

CAMHS
https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/default.asp?c=27127

Islington Council Local Offer
https://www.islington.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer

Northern Health Centre Occupational Therapy Clinic
https://directory.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/service.page?id=fZiPcGFRY70