At Lothersdale School we celebrate the individuality of all our pupils and aim to provide high quality education that meets the needs of every child.

The school's interim Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENCo) is Jo Robinson (YCAT) and Governor with responsibility is Raine Southern. Mrs Robinson can be contacted via the school email - lothersdale@ycatschools.co.uk 

How do we decide when a child needs to go on the Special Educational Needs Register?.

There are 4 areas of need according to the 2014 Code of Practice.

Communication and Interaction
Cognition & Learning
Social, Mental & Emotional Health
Sensory and/or Physical

Children are assessed regularly to ensure that they are making the expected progress. Some children can be identified as ‘stuck’ and will therefore receive some extra help and support. The class teacher is usually the first person to notice that the child needs extra help. If this is the case then they may ask for a meeting with the SENCO to discuss strategies. If these strategies are not working and the child is becoming significantly behind their peers in any area then a discussion with parents/carers will take place.
Assessments in class along with discussions with parents will seek to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances. This can be characterised by progress which:

• is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline;
• fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress;
• fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers;
• widens the attainment gap.

Once a discussion has taken place, a decision will be made by parents/carers, the class teacher and the SENCO regarding the next appropriate steps , which school will implement in order to help the child to close the gap with their peers. 
After a period of monitoring, If the child still does not make progress or there is continued developmental/social issues then the child will be identified as having SEN and they will then be recorded as being at ‘SEN Support’ within the school system.

If you have any concerns regarding your child then please raise your concerns with the class teacher and/or the SENCO.

Keeping parents & carers informed:

All classes differentiate the learning according to the ability and needs of the child. Separate activities that are related to the child’s IEP (individual education plan) or SEN Support Plan are also planned by the teacher. All interventions are extremely well planned by the Teacher, Higher level Teaching assistant or Teaching Assistant delivering the intervention and are also structured to ensure progression is made.

Parents should be kept informed about their child’s progress regularly. If any outside agencies are involved then they like to meet with parents to discuss the work they have been doing. This is arranged when convenient with the parent.

As a parent, you are entitled to an IEP (SEN Support Plan) review meeting at the end of each term - this may occur at parents' consultation events or at a separate time, by arrangment. If you would like a further meeting then please contact the class teacher and/or SENCO.

What provision do we make for children with Special Educational Needs & disabilities (SEND)

Lessons are differentiated for all learners, including those with SEND, in order for them to access the learning at their level and make progress.

The school has access to a wide range of professionals and outside agencies that we can contact for further support and advice. If we feel that outside agency input would benefit your child then we will have a meeting in school to discuss this with you.

We have access to:

Speech and language therapists
Educational Psychologists
Parent Support Advisers
Enhanced Mainstream schools for specific learning difficulties, communication and interaction and BESD
Specialist teachers for hearing and visually impaired children
Social care
Looked after children workers  

Transition:

Transition is very well planned for all children. We hold a meeting with the secondary schools in the area to discuss individual children and their needs.

We will document the interventions that have happened in primary school, detailing what has worked well, along with other information such as the child's interests, academic progress and their recent achievements.

Children with SEND can also have extra visits to their new setting in order for them to become familiar with the routines of the day.

Once the secondary school place has been confirmed then a meeting will be set up with parents, the current school SENCO and the SENCO from the secondary school to discuss how the transition for the child will take place to ensure a smooth and relaxed change occurs.

A summary of the Lothersdale School Local Offer is attached at the bottom of this page 

North Yorkshire Local Offer:

North Yorkshire County Council  have published their local offer for children and families from 0-25. This outlines what is available for children and young people with SEND in our Local Authority.

All schools are required to provide information to parents on how to seek additional support beyond that which is ‘normally available’ for their child.

The main aim of the local offer is to enable families to see readily the support they can expect locally without having to struggle to find the information. If there is any information that you would like to know that is not on the website then please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Grogan (SENCO) via the school office.

Please click here to access the North Yorkshire Local Offer

Our school 'Local Offer', SEND Information Report and Inclusion Policy can be found in the below: