SEND Information

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

At Alexandra Primary School, we believe that an inclusive environment is one where all children are enabled to achieve their potential, and individual personalities and talents are respected and nurtured. We are committed to establishing lifelong learning: rooted in knowledge, enriched by experience for all children including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Our desire for meaningful inclusion is evident across all areas of our school life and embedded in our school values.

● Nurture: Our school rules, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, support the staff and children in creating an environment where all children can live out their right to learn, have a voice and be safe.

● Excellence: Our teaching principles have at their foundation excellent personalised classroom teaching, known as Quality First Teaching, which supports all children, including those with a special educational need or with English as an additional language, to learn and retain knowledge.

● Exploration: The sequential and progressive nature of the Alexandra curriculum sets out clear next steps for all children regardless of their starting point. Careful consideration has been given to representing our diverse community across all subjects.

● Community: We believe in the importance of acknowledging and accepting the difference in each child. Our entire community, including staff, parents and carers, and children, benefits from the positive culture of achievement, kindness, inclusivity and belonging.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress or would like to discuss whether your child may need additional support, please contact your child’s class teacher or the school SENCO on senco@alexandra.school.

Our SEN Information report details Alexandra Primary School’s approach to identifying and responding to SEN which is informed by the Special educational needs and disability code of practice 2014. You may also wish to refer to our school’s Accessibility policy and Equalities statement, which can be found on the Policies page.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress or would like to discuss whether your child may need additional support, please contact your child’s class teacher or the school SENCO.

Parents and Carers may also wish to consult the Achieving for Children Local Offer. This provides all of the information to support families in Kingston to find out what is available for them and their child.

Please click here or see below to learn more about the SEND offer at Alexandra Primary School.

Enhanced Special Teaching Arrangement (ESTA) and Specialist Resourced Provision (SRP)

Under the Local Offer, Alexandra Primary School is proud to provide an Enhanced Specialist Teaching Arrangement (ESTA), which supports a number of pupils with moderate learning needs, including physical disability and medical needs and occasionally those whose cognitive profile is uncertain. Children in the ESTA are based in their mainstream classroom benefitting from teaching from the class teacher alongside interventions as identified in their Education and Health Care plan (EHCP).

From Y3 to Y6 we have a Specialist Resourced Provision (SRP). The children in the SRP follow a differentiated curriculum in English, Maths, Science, History, Geography and PSHE. Planning runs on a four-year cycle with defined knowledge and skills that are taught in each subject. External visits are also planned to deepen and extend their learning. Each child in our SRP has an individual timetable with a balance of time in their mainstream classroom, for example attending Art, PE or music lessons, and time learning in a small group or 1:1 in our dedicated classroom, The Beehive. The children also receive targeted interventions such as Jump Ahead (for gross motor skills), Write Dance (for fine and gross motor skills) and the Little Wandle SEND programme (phonics).

Our ESTA and SRP are currently supporting children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Global Developmental Delay, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), hearing and vision impairments and various other conditions.

Natalie Mabelis, Beehive teacher

In the Beehive, we support children on their learning journey through Key Stage 2. The Beehive is a happy and positive environment where the children are provided with an engaging, knowledge rich curriculum and daily opportunities to practise key skills. Our staff work closely with the children and as a result, we get to know them really well and provide them with individualised support that builds on their strengths and meets their needs. Every day is different in the Beehive and that is why I love it!

Therapies

Children in the ESTA and SRP receive regular, onsite Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy. The level and frequency of support is dependent on the specific provision detailed in the child’s EHCP.

Occupational Therapy (OT) helps children to achieve or maintain their level of independence so that they can lead full and happy lives and reach chosen goals. They do this by looking at the activities a child finds difficult and seeing if there is another way they can do the activity or specialist equipment they could use to support them.

In the ESTA and SRP provision at Alexandra Primary School, OT supports school staff and families in helping pupils to reach their maximum potential in achieving everyday activities. This might include accessing learning, eating, dressing, playing and having fun.

We look at a child’s:

Fine Motor Skills e.g. handwriting
Gross Motor Skills e.g. accessing outdoor play equipment
Sensory Processing e.g. concentrating on learning activities
Self-Care Skills e.g. getting changed for PE.

Speech and Language Therapy works across two main areas: Speech, Language and Communication and Eating, Drinking and Swallowing.

Speech, Language and Communication

We aim to help pupils fulfil their communicative potential and promote language & communication skills within the classroom, wider school environment and home through promotion of:

Attention and listening skills e.g. their ability to focus on a task or activity
Understanding of language e.g. their ability to understand and follow instructions
Expressive language e.g. the words and sentences they say
Speech sound system e.g. the speech sounds they are using in their words and sentences
Social interaction e.g. how they are interacting and playing with others

Eating, Drinking and Swallowing

We aim to maximise pupils’ safe eating, drinking and swallowing skills by:

Looking at a child’s oral skills and safety of their swallow when eating and drinking
Providing the necessary advice and guidance on strategies to manage motor difficulties with eating, drinking and swallowing (biting, chewing and swallowing) e.g. position of the child or textures of food or drink.

Specialist Resourced Provision