Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
All children may experience some difficulties in learning from time to time during their school life. We aim to provide equal access to the whole curriculum for all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All teaching staff are involved in the learning and development of pupils with SEND. Parents and carers are involved at all stages.
We place great emphasis on identifying pupils with additional needs as early as possible, therefore ensuring a supportive curriculum to accommodate individual needs and allow maximum access to the curriculum. Where a child has a particular individual need, we will make reasonable adjustments to help them overcome their difficulties which may include additional support.
The four broad ‘areas of need’ are Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.
Depending on the identified need this support may take place in class, in a small group or on an individual basis. On occasion, additional support is sought from an external agency such as School Health, the Behaviour Support service, or the Educational Psychology Service.
The Local Offer
Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. This is known as the ‘Local Offer’.
The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area. Information is published as part of the SEND reforms under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Intervention
Listed below is a brief overview of the various additional programmes we currently deliver to support all learners, where appropriate.
If you wish to discuss your child’s support programmes please do not hesitate to get in touch with your child’s class teacher or one of the SEN&D team.
Speech and Language: individualised or group programmes devised by a Speech and Language Therapist from MPFT. These are for children who have been referred, by the school or a medical professional, to be assessed by the S&L Therapy Service. These programmes can include speech sound production, language development and social skills, depending on the child’s needs.
Fine motor skills: these skills are vital to the development of many competencies in young children. Activities focus on hand and finger strength, manipulation and eye-hand co-ordination in a variety of enjoyable ways. We also deliver personalised programmes from the Occupational Therapist teams.
Nessy: We use Nessy Dyslexia Quest to identify if a child has a low, moderate or high risk of dyslexia. Following this, if a child has a moderate or high risk they will then follow the Nessy Reading and Spelling programme which will be accessed in school and at home.
Educational Psychologist Recommended Literacy Approach: this programme targets children who are falling behind with their reading and aims to boost confidence and accelerate progress through 1:1 frequent sessions with a trained learning support assistant. Following the 1:1 sessions, children may be involved in further groups sessions to consolidate learning and ensure they maintain the expected rate of progress.
ELSA: We have a number of Emotional Literacy Support Assistants who provided 1:1 and small group sessions designed to help support the emotional needs of the pupils.
Precision Teaching: addresses specific gaps in a child’s knowledge by repeated, targeted teaching in short, frequent sessions. This can be used for a number of areas, including phonic sounds, reading and number facts.
External Professionals:We also have support in schools through various external professionals including; SALT (Speech and Language Therapists), OT (Occupational Therapists), AIT (Autism Inclusion Team), Educational Psychologists and Behavioural Therapists. We work alongside the professionals and implement individual plans for the children based on the recommendations.
EYFS and Year 1 SENDCo
Hi, my name is Zoe Russell, I have worked at this school as a teacher since January 2016, in a variety of year groups and I have been the Early Years SENCO at Littleton Green since 2021. However, my passion lies in early years.
Prior to working at Littleton Green, I worked in a generic special school for thirteen years and this gave me an insight into a variety of needs children face and the barriers they face when accessing the curriculum.
Working with a range of specialists has enabled me to develop as a professional and enhance the experiences children have in the classroom. I am able to work alongside the staff to identify needs as early as possible and to set the children on a successful route in their learning journey. I am an organised person, willing to support parents, children and staff members to become unique members in our PURPLE community.
Year 2-6 SENDCo
My name is Claire Whittaker, I qualified as a teacher in July 2005 and have taught in a range of schools across Staffordshire, Stoke and Birmingham. I have worked at Littleton Green since September 2013, and I have been lucky enough to work in all year groups from Reception to Year 6. I became the school SENDco in November 2019 and completed the NASENDco award in July 2020.
I am passionate about working with children and their families, especially with those who have SEND. I currently support those who are in year 2 to year 6 and also liaise with the Secondary schools during the transition to year 7.
I work closely with external professionals, making referrals for support when needed and liaising with them in multi-agency meetings to enable the best support for the children at our school.
Pastoral Learning Support Assistant
My name is Paula Kimberley and I started working at Littleton Green when it was Huntington Primary. I began working as a parent volunteer and a lunchtime supervisor. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and then began my teaching assistant training, completing both Level 2 and Level 3. I have been a teaching assistant in class and also worked as a 1:1 supporting children with SEND. I am a trained ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) and have previously had training for the Positive Play intervention.
I am passionate about working with children and their families to support them throughout their time at Littleton Green and my door is always open to support those who need it.
For more information, please contact the school office and one of the SEND team will be in contact.
Tel: 01543 227570
Email: office@littletongreen.staffs.sch.uk
