SEND School Local Offer

The Local Offer is a new way of giving children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers information about what activities and support is available in the area where you live.

Click here to visit Bradford's Local Offer Homepage

Blakehill Primary School - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) ‘Local Offer’ and SEND Information Report

Blakehill Primary School is committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure that all children achieve their potential personally, socially, emotionally and academically, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, sexual identity, physical ability or educational needs. At Blakehill Primary School we recognise that all children are different and unique, therefore their individual needs are individual and unique. This document is intended to give you information regarding the ways in which we ensure we support all of our pupils, including those with SEND, in order that they can realise their full potential. It may not list every skill, technique and resource we employ in order to achieve this as these are continually developed and used to modify our provision to meet the changing requirements for individual pupils. We are committed to early identification of SEND through a range of assessment tools, and to collaboration with all agencies and stakeholders.

What is a Special Educational Need or Disability?

Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty that calls for additional and different provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

• Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age.
• Have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age.
• Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definitions above or would do if special educational provision was not made for them.
• (2014 SEN Code of Practice)

At Blakehill we make provision for children with a range of difficulties including:

• Cognition and Learning
• Speech, language and Communication
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Physical, Sensory and Medical.
• Autistic spectrum

How are Special Educational Needs or Disabilities identified and assessed at Blakehill Primary School?

Initial concerns about a child’s progress or development may come from:

• Your child’s class teacher expressing concerns that their progress has slowed or stopped or that they are finding learning, or any other area, especially difficult.
• Our rigorous assessment cycle highlighting that a child has not made the progress expected or that they are falling behind other children of their age.
• A health professional such as a GP or Health Visitor following a medical concern or diagnosis.
• Previous Educational settings such as Nurseries or Children’s Centres.
• You, speaking to the class teacher or SENCo about anything that you have noticed at home.
• Your child, expressing concerns about their own development or progress.
• Once it has been identified that there may be a Special Educational Need or Disability the class teacher, in consultation with the SENCo, will identify where the need lies and what gaps in learning need to be addressed. From here we will consider what your child’s short term targets should be and what ‘additional provision’ should be put into place to help them to meet their targets. The provision will be recorded on a Pupil Passport which will be reviewed to monitor progress. The school will invite you and your child to contribute to this process and will ensure that your views are fully taken into account when considering what provision may be appropriate.  

 Who should I speak to about my child’s difficulties with learning/ Special Educational Needs or Disabilities? 

Your child’s class teacher

Is responsible for:

• Monitoring the progress of all children.
• Providing Quality First Teaching that is carefully adapted to the needs of pupils to ensure that all children reach their full potential.
• Identifying, planning and delivering any additional support that may be needed. This might include targeted learning, small group work or a personalised curriculum.
• Discussing any initial concerns with you and highlighting these concerns to the school’s SENCo.
• Writing and evaluating Pupil Passports where appropriate and sharing these with you. Ensuring that they follow the school’s SEND policy.
• Ensuring that any other adults who work with your child in school are aware of their strengths and difficulties.  Helping other adults to deliver the planned program to help your child to meet their targets.

The SENCos- Mrs R Gould (Assistant Headteacher) and Miss S Dickinson

Are responsible for:

• Writing the school’s policy for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
• Coordinating all of the provision for pupils with Special Educational needs or Disabilities.
• Making you aware of any concerns regarding your child’s progress.
• Involving you in supporting your child’s development.
• Involving you in evaluating and reviewing their progress towards set targets.
• Liaising with any other people or agencies who may be coming into school to support your child’s development.
• Updating the schools SEND register (a system for ensuring that the needs of pupils with SEND are known.)
• Ensuring that there are in-depth records of your child’s needs, targets and progress.
• Providing support to teachers and teaching assistants so that they can help all children to reach their potential.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by regularly monitoring the progress of children.
• Tracking your child’s progress against the Bradford Matrix of Need.

The Headteacher – Mrs L Keighley

Is responsible for:

• The day to day management of all areas of the school’s work including provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.
• Working closely with the SENCo and class teachers to delegate responsibilities and to ensure that the needs of all children are met.
• Keeping the Governing Body informed of any issues related to SEND.

The SEN Governor

Is responsible for:

• Supporting school to evaluate and develop quality and impact of provision for students with SEND across the school.
• Working closely with the SENCo to involve outside agencies as appropriate, including health and social services, Local Authority support services and volunteer organisations.

What expertise and training do staff have in relation to children with SEND?

We have staff in school with specialised expertise.  Both Mrs Gould and Miss Dickinson have attained the National SENCo Award.

Mrs Bottomley, our Learning Mentor, works with children who have barriers to learning, particularly regarding their social and emotional development.

Staff regularly undergo training and the school is supportive of the training needs of staff. We hold the Communication Friendly School award and staff are fully trained in ELKAN strategies.

What should I do if I have concerns about my child?

• If you have any concerns about your child’s learning or development you should speak to your child’s class teacher initially. This can be done at parents evening or by telephoning the office on 01274 414355 to make an appointment.
• If you continue to have concerns please ring to make an appointment with the SENCo’s, Mrs Gould or Miss Dickinson. Appointments are available after school on Wednesdays. Appointments can be made by calling or emailing the school office.
• If you feel that your child’s needs continue to be unmet please contact the Headteacher.

How will the school let me know if they have any concerns about my child?

• Initially your child’s teacher will speak with you either at parents evening or at an arranged meeting to discuss their concerns. They will listen to your views on your child’s learning and will discuss with you any additional support that they feel would benefit your child and discuss short term targets.
• Where further support is needed the SENCo will contact you to review the provision that has been put in place and to gain your views on your child’s progress. This may involve the implementation of further in-school interventions or referral to an outside agency.

What support is available for my child to support their Special Educational Needs or Disabilities? 

Quality First Teaching

• Teachers have high expectations for all learners.
• Teaching is based on in-depth knowledge of a child’s strengths and difficulties and builds on what they can already do or understand.
• Teaching is carefully planned to help a child to meet their personalised targets or to fill an identified gap in knowledge or understanding.
• Teaching takes into account a child’s preferred way of learning and may include the use of additional equipment.
• The use of specific strategies (possibly identified by the SENCo or outside agencies) to meet your child’s needs.

Specific small group work

• An intervention run by a teacher or Teaching Assistant which is specially focussed on helping a small group of children to meet their individualised targets.
• May take place in or out of the classroom.
• The adult leading this group will be trained to do so and will have a clear understanding of children’s strengths and difficulties.
• Carefully planned to fill an identified gap in knowledge or understanding.
• May include the use of additional equipment and will take into account pupil’s preferred learning styles.

Support from ‘Outside Agencies’

Where it is felt that a child has additional needs or barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and Specific small group interventions advice may be sought from professional agencies outside of the school.

This might include

• Local Authority Services such as Learning Support Services, Educational Psychologist etc.
• Bradford’s Communication Interaction & Learning (SCIL) team which has specialist teachers for Communication & Interaction (Autism), Cognition & Learning, Early Years, SEMH
• Agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy Service (SALT).
• Medical professionals such as the School Nurse.

What would this mean for you and your child?

• Your child will have been identified as having additional needs which the school feels requires more specialist input.
• You will be contacted to discuss your child’s needs and will be asked to give your permission for a referral to a specialist professional to go ahead.
• The specialist professional will work with your child to more fully understand their needs and may make recommendations for strategies to meet their needs.
• The school will discuss with you the conclusions and recommendations of the professional and what support/ strategies will be put in place to support your child.
• The school will write a Pupil Passport which will form part of the review cycle.

Specified Individual Support

Where your child is identified as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group support which cannot be provided from the budget available in school an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC plan) may be applied for if the level of support meets the criteria highlighted in the Bradford Matrix of Need.

What would this mean for you and your child?

• Your child has been identified as needing a high level of individual support.
• Specialist professionals will have been involved in trying to meet your child’s needs.
• The school (or you) can apply to the Local Authority for a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal assessment in which your views and those of professionals who have worked with your child will be considered.
• If the Local Authority agrees that your child’s needs are severe and complex enough to need a Statutory Assessment additional information will be gathered and will be used in the writing of an EHC plan. You and your child will be asked to contribute to this.
• An EHC plan will have long and short term goals for your child. It will set out the specific targets, how support should be used and what strategies will be used to help your child to meet their goals.
• The EHC plan will be reviewed at an annual meeting in which you and the professionals involved with your child’s provision will discuss their progress and set new short term targets.
• If the Local Authority do not agree that your child’s needs are severe and complex enough to require a Statutory Assessment then the school will be asked to continue to provide personalised support.

What ‘additional provision’ may be offered?

We implement a graduated approach based on the guidance from Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s Children’s Services for SEN. This is based on an Assess-Plan-Do-Review 3 range structure.

If a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, then we provide the support detailed in the plan.

Our offer for each area of SEN need is in line with the Bradford Matrix of Need which can be viewed at Bradford Schools Online and on our school website.

The SEND Department at Bradford Children’s Services can be contacted on 01274 435750 or by post at:

 City of Bradford MDC

Dept of Children’s Services

Margaret McMillan Towers

 Princes Way

 Bradford

 BD1 1NN

The Local Authority’s local offer can be found at localoffer.bradford.gov.uk

How is additional provision recorded?

The school uses a Pupil Passport to show the additional support that is given to all children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. This allows us to clearly see what additional provision has been put in place for each child and to identify any gaps that there may be in the provision offered.

How will my child’s progress be assessed and reviewed?

Children’s progress will be assessed each half term and reviewed against their personalised targets. In addition, children with a Pupil Passport or an IEP will have their targets reviewed regularly. This will be done in consultation with parents.

How will Blakehill Primary School help my child in transition between phases?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is a smooth as possible.

• When moving to another school – we will contact the school SENCo and share information about special arrangements and support that has been put in place to help your child achieve their learning goals. We will ensure that all records are passed on as soon as possible.
• When moving year groups – information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and a planning meeting will take place to share information. All IEPs, Pupil Passports and relevant documentation will be discussed at the meeting and passed up to the next class teacher.
• Children will meet their new teacher and visit their new classroom.
• Year 6 – 7 transition – The SENCo or Learning Mentor will meet with the secondary SENCo to discuss the specific needs of your child. A Transition Review will be held if appropriate. Additional transition sessions will be arranged as necessary. Some children will be offered extra small group or individual visits to their new school. Staff from the secondary school will visit children in their current setting if necessary.

How will Blakehill Primary School ensure that my child has access to facilities and extra-curricular activities?

We make provision for all children to attend any of the after school clubs we offer.

These include a wide range of sporting activities, maths clubs and music /arts activities.

We are very experienced at including children with additional needs in our extra-curricular activities; please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have with our extra-curricular activities coordinator, Mr Sugden, or our Sports Coach – Mr Lumb.  We do not offer targeted extra-curricular activities for children with SEND, but instead actively try to ensure that all our extra-curricular activities, including our three residential visits, are adapted for children’s specific needs. We are delighted by the number of pupils with Special Educational Needs who participate fully in school trips, residential visits, extra-curricular clubs and sports activities. Blakehill Early Birds and Night Owls also offers inclusive and high quality provision before and after school. They too are very experienced at including children with additional needs in all activities.

How does Blakehill Primary School consult and work with parents and pupils?

• If you have any concerns or questions about your child you can speak to their class teacher at the end of the day or at any other convenient time by making an appointment. 
• In addition to this, you will have an opportunity to speak to your child’s class teacher at Parent Consultation Evening twice a year. 
• The SENCo’s, Mrs Gould and Miss Dickinson are available to meet with parents after school on a Wednesday.
• If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) you will be invited to an annual review meeting where all professionals working with your child will contribute their views and make decisions about future provision.  Your views form an important part of this meeting.  Your child’s views will also be sought and will form an important part of this process. 
• Throughout the year your child’s class teacher and the SENCo may invite you to meetings to discuss your child’s progress and provision or to meet with other professionals.  It is very important that you attend these meetings. 
• If any changes are being considered to your child’s provision or any concerns arise we will always seek your views and consult with you before any changes are made.
• Other professionals will also seek your views e.g. the School Nurse, Educational Psychologist or Speech and Language Therapist. 
• There are a number of parent support groups such as Parent Partnership and Bradford Families Information Service.
• We also work with other parent support groups such as Early Help or AWARE for children with Autism.

Reviewed by Rachel Gould and Sarah Dickinson

Next review – March 2025