The Vineyard is an inclusive school that aims to meet the needs of learners with a range of special educational needs, both physical and cognitive. Currently, the school makes provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism spectrum condition (ASC), attention deficit disorder, attention hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia,  sensory impairment and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). Where we do not have experience of a child’s particular needs, we are proactive in seeking advice and or training from external professionals.

Class teacher support via excellent classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching.

This means that:

• all teachers at The Vineyard have high expectations for all children in their care
• a range of methods and approaches are used by all teachers to ensure that all children are involved and included with whole class learning
• specific strategies for a learner with SEND, which may be suggested by the SEND team or external specialist, are embedded in classroom practice
• all teachers have a clear understanding of individual children’s progress and attainment and will quickly identify gaps in understanding /learning when these occur
• all teachers will seek to narrow the attainment gaps through additional class-based support in the first instance

Small group support

This means that some children may access a small group or intervention that is run within or outside of the classroom.

• groups or interventions may be run by a teaching and learning support assistant or the class teacher
• groups or interventions are likely to focus on English, maths, speech and language, social skills and friendships or occupational therapy programmes
• inclusion within an intervention may mean that your child is identified as having some special educational needs but may also simply reflect the need to provide focused support at that moment in time
• the aim of groups or interventions is to narrow the understanding and attainment gap for learners

Individual support and provision

This means that a learner will be accessing individualised or personalised approaches, either within or outside of the classroom for some or all of their time at school (SEND support). This may involve working in a small group, a pair and sometimes 1:1.

• in some cases and for children with extremely high and complex levels of need, support may be funded via an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• where parents and or the school have significant concerns regarding a child’s special educational needs, a request will be made for the Local Authority (London Borough of Richmond) to carry out a statutory assessment of their needs
  • depending on the severity of need and the amount of support deemed necessary to support the complexity of these, an EHCP may be issued that will allow the school to provide support in addition to that which the child is already receiving
  • EHCPs are reviewed annually by the school and parents together, sometimes with involvement from the Local Authority. Pupils are encouraged to attend and always contribute their views of school life and their provision. Recommendations are then sent to the SEND department for consideration
• for the majority of pupils with SEND, identified special educational needs will be supported via a Learning Plan. This will form part of the monitoring of progress and attainment across the pupil’s needs. The Learning Plan is reviewed termly with parents, the pupil and the class teacher. Children with high needs will access some support and this will be determined through careful assessment and review of their progress and needs. Such support will be offered for a fixed period of time. This support may be delivered by either a teacher or teaching and learning support assistant (TLSA) and on occasion by the SEND team. Support is likely to form part of a process of assessing the learner’s level of special educational needs and their response to intervention.
• some children will access individual support from outside agencies such as;
  • educational psychology
  • speech and language therapy service
  • occupational therapy service
  • physiotherapy service
  • Educational Service for Sensory Impairment (ESSI)
  • emotional health service
  • child and adolescent mental health service
  • early years advice and intervention panel
  • Education Inclusion Support Service (EISS)

The type and intensity of such provision and interventions offered will vary according to need and the packages that each service offers and will also reflect whether or not such provision is included in an EHCP.

• all children with SEND will be supported to participate in trips, clubs and the school’s residential trip in Year 6
  • planned trips will be fully assessed for access arrangements, including transport, to ensure that all children can enjoy and benefit from these
  • where a proposed venue cannot accommodate a pupils’ needs, an alternative will be found
  • the SENCO, together with the school’s sports’ lead, and parents will ensure that club providers are aware of any reasonable adjustments that a pupil may need
  • where pupils’ needs may impact access to clubs or activities that they would like to join, every effort will be made to remove barriers and provide a solution through joint working between parents, school and the club

• if parents have concerns, they should speak to their child’s class teacher initially and this may involve a meeting with the Phase Leader
• if parents feel that concerns are persisting or feel that they would like more advice, they can email or make an appointment to see the SENCo.

• the class teacher will ask parents to attend a short meeting to discuss initial concerns; they may invite the Phase Leader or SENCo
• the school will seek parents’ input and feedback of any concerns that they may have regarding their child
• support that both school and home can give will be planned and a date to review the impact of this will be set
• the class teacher may decide to make an internal referral and an additional meeting with the SEND team may be arranged

where special educational needs are suspected as a barrier to progress and attainment, referrals to outside agencies for additional advice may be discussed and planned

• the school budget, received from The London Borough of Richmond, includes money for supporting children with SEND
• the Headteacher decides on the allocation of the budget for SEND, in consultation with the school business manager and school governors, on the basis of needs within the school
• the Headship Team and the SENCo regularly discuss the progress, attainment and pastoral needs of children with SEND within the school
• wider discussions are held at termly progress meetings where class teachers review children’s needs and progress with the SENCo and the Headteacher
• planning for support is made in response to the needs of individual learners and where progress and attainment is a cause for concern
• all provision and interventions are regularly reviewed
• staff training will be offered in response to children’s learning needs

Directly funded by the school:

• additional Educational Psychology input to allow a wider access to advice and assessment

Paid for by the Local Authority but delivered in school:

• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory service for children with visual or hearing needs
• Speech and Language consultation service and advice in addition to support funded under EHCPs (provided by health but delivered by the Local Authority)
• individual interventions, when required, from the Emotional Wellbeing Service

Provided and paid for by the health service (Richmond and Kingston NHS Trust):

• occupational therapy and physiotherapy, where this is included on a pupil’s EHCP
• assessment and intervention from the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) & emotional well-being service

• the SENCo is responsible for supporting the class teacher with planning for children with SEND. The school has a rigorous programme of continuous staff development aimed at improving teaching for all children, including those with SEND. This will include training on SEND issues
• teaching and learning support assistants (TLSAs) have regular access to professional learning within school. Training may relate to specific interventions or to wider SEND issues.
• individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class

• class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children within their class, and they will ensure that learners’ needs are met
• the SEND team will support class teachers and ensure that needs are met and specialist advice and recommendations are put in place
• teachers are trained and experienced in providing dyslexia and ASC friendly classrooms.
• specific resources, strategies and modifications to the environment, where possible, will be used to meet learners’ needs
• where appropriate, The Vineyard uses individually adapted TEACCH based systems which support environmental challenges to learning
• where appropriate, teaching groups may be organised to meet specific needs.
• teachers at The Vineyard are encouraged to make regular use of the outdoor environment to support the range of learning needs
• pupils have inclusive access to all events at school including sports days, performances, creative curriculum and activity days

• progress is continually monitored by class teachers
• progress is reviewed during progress meetings each term with the class teacher and a member of the Headship Team. Children needing further support are identified and referred to the SENCo
•  if your child is in Year One or above and not yet reaching National Curriculum levels, progress will be monitored through use of the pre-key stage standards. Children with SEND may be working with a learning plan that reflects their individual targets and may include targets set through EHCPs, or the goals of outside agencies
•  the progress of learners with an EHCP is formally reviewed at an Annual Review meeting which involves the child and their family as well as all relevant adults and professionals
• progress is also monitored by the SENCo through additional standardised assessments, monitoring of progress within groups or individual teaching sessions and by outside agencies where relevant
• formative, summative and dynamic assessments are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the provisions made for pupils with SEND

• pupils are involved with parents and teachers in setting and reviewing targets on their learning plans
• pupils meet with the class teacher, in order to set targets and contribute to the discussions about progress and outcomes. Meetings take place at least termly. Pupils also create 'all about me' documents to share with key adults
• pupils contribute to their Annual Review meetings through creating and sharing their ‘all about me’ document and a powerpoint presentation that celebrates their year and illustrates progress towards EHCP outcomes
• pupils are supported to create and share their pupil guidelines on their learning plans with key adults so that their needs, hopes and dreams and strengths are well-communicated

Regular monitoring, through learning walks, allows both observation of support and direct conversation with pupils to gain feedback on effectiveness and adjustments.

•  class teachers meet all parents to discuss progress at the two parent teacher consultations held each year. Where a child has identified special educational needs, parents/carers are allocated a longer meeting. Class teachers will contact parents/carers to arrange a third meeting in the summer term. Additional meetings can be arranged to discuss concerns and progress with the class teacher and parents can request these via the year group’s email
• the SENCo team can be available for meetings to discuss any aspect of support, progress or to advise on concerns or next steps. The SENCo is also available via email and telephone. Information from outside agencies will be shared with parents in person where possible or otherwise through a report
• parents can communicate via the SEND email address (sen@vineyard.richmond.sch.uk) in order to contact the SENCo.
• the year group’s email may be used to support home /school communication, when agreed that this is a useful tool for families.
• the SENDIASS worker can support parents through the statutory assessment process and with looking at and considering settings for their child.
  • Tel: 0808 164 55227
  • Email: info@RKsendiass.co.uk
  • Web: rksendiass.co.uk
• Updated details of support services are all detailed on the AFC Local Offer https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer
• should parents feel that concerns regarding their child’s SEND needs have not been statutorily addressed, they may want to follow the procedures outlined in the school Complaints Policy which can be found here.

• the school is single storey with ramped access to parts of the playground on different levels.
• The school has disability access toileting facilities such as a ceiling tracker hoist, high/low changing bed
• the school has a designated sensory space that all children can access when this can be a beneficial, calming or restorative experience.
• the school has a designated ELSA space for therapeutic work
• the school seeks access to specialist equipment for learners when required through the Local Authority and technology providers
• extra-curricular activities are available for children with SEND. The sports co-ordinator liaises closely with the class teacher, TLSAs and outside provision to ensure all children with SEN, including those with physical barriers, access all Physical Education lessons, onsite clubs and, when relevant, external competitions
• the school has a designated SEND teaching room which may be accessed by small groups and individuals. Resources for SEND teaching are stored here, ensuring that all teachers can access these
• view the school’s Accessibility Strategy Plan on The Vineyard School website: The Vineyard Accessibility Plan

• all pupils take part in a wellbeing survey. Teachers use the findings to enhance quality first teaching for the pupils in their class. If we are particularly concerned by an individual pupil, we will contact and signpost their parents/carers to external mental health services for support or suggest in-school provision where that is both available and appropriate
• The Vineyard School has two trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) who provide support to pupils to help them manage their emotions in school
• one of the school ELSAs also offers the Drawing and Talking programme
• one member of staff runs gardening sessions as part of a nurture programme
• pupils have access to the Educational Psychology service
• parents have access to the Child Wellbeing Practitioner who works 1:1 with parents using ‘Guided Self-Help’ to overcome their child’s worries or challenging behaviour
• The SENCo has an open door policy for pupils and staff
•  The Vineyard School has achieved the Attachment Friendly Schools Award. Through this award, we have developed the whole school’s understanding of attachment and how we can support pupils
• the school’s strategy for supporting mental health is led by the Designated Senior Mental Health Lead and links to the SEND policy

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

• when moving to another school:
  • we will contact the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and ensure that he or she knows about the child and how to meet their needs
  • we may invite the SENCo to come into school and meet the child and /or the parents within the familiar environment of The Vineyard
  • we will ensure that records are passed on quickly
• when moving to another class:
  • Class teachers are given specific time to handover information on all learners at the end of each school year
  • where a child receives one to one support and the TLSA may be changing, time is given to support this
  • TLSAs will take time to familiarise the child with new classrooms, adults and routines, both ahead of and after transition
  • all relevant agency reports relating to the child will be provided for the new class teacher ahead of transition. Training may be put in place to improve class teacher knowledge and skills relating to the learner’s SEND
  • where a child has an EHCP or recognised high needs, their learning plan and 'all about me' document will be updated and passed on to the receiving class teacher
  • to ensure that all adults are aware of key children and their needs, each child with SEND has an electronic pupil information file and each class has a SEND pupil information folder in their classroom
• In Year 6
  •  the SENCo will either attend the Primary Transition Day or liaise directly with receiving schools and complete early transfer records where necessary, in order to share information on children with SEND with the new SENCo.
  •  children with SEND will be offered additional visits to their new school as well as the borough wide transition day. The Vineyard may send an adult to accompany the child where this is viewed as beneficial
  • children are supported to be independent in their learning and development within school through the use of a “can do” and Growth Mindset approach
  • adults are encouraged to ensure that whilst all necessary scaffolding and access is provided, pupils are able to make choices, decisions and share their views on their provision and support. This is intended  to enable pupils to gain independence, both academically and socially.
  • where this is helpful, the SENCo will meet parents, ahead of transition, to provide personalised support and guidance