SEND Curriculum

How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children & young people with SEND

Most children and young people will have their special educational needs met in mainstream schools through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching (QFT). 

Interventions and their impact are reviewed to ensure that bespoke or targeted additional support delivered continues to be purposeful and positively impacting on progress and outcomes for pupils. You can find details of how we adapt the curriculum and make it more accessible for pupils with SEN below.

At Moorside Primary Academy, we are also working toward achieving ‘The Inclusion Quality Mark’. We are currently in the process of  participating towards achieving this and more information will be added throughout this process.

Engagement Model

The Engagement Model is the assessment replacing P Scales 1-4 for pupils working below the standard of NC assessment. The engagement model will be used by teachers to assess pupils working below the standard of the NC at KS1 & 2. This is not a bespoke curriculum  or planning tool but an assessment tool to be use alongside our current school systems.  

The engagement model is multi-dimensional and is broken down into 5 aspects of engagement;  

• Exploration 
• Realization 
• Anticipation
• Persistence
• Initiation 

At Moorside Primary, we have implemented the Engagement model so that children who are not engaged in subject specific study and who have severe or profound multiple learning difficulties and early developmental learners to allow a flexible and holistic assessment.  

Assessments

• The model will be implemented and focused around half termly assessments. These assessments will allow opportunities for staff to use an observational framework and reflective pedagogy to document small steps of progress linked to termly outcomes in pupils’ EHC Plans.  
• Assessments will take place in the form of a ‘reflections’ and ‘spotlights’ where the practitioner will observe the child within their provision and link this to the 5 aspects of engagement. The child’s provisions will be reflective of their provision listed in their individual learning plan which has been broken down from their longer term EHC SEN outcomes.  

Observational framework & reflective pedagogy to identify existing learning barriers

• ‘Spotlights’ will be completed every half term and are a written summary of the assessment that the practitioner is observing. 
• ‘Reflections’ will be added to every half term and will summarise the key points from the half-termly spotlight. The reflections are a working document and are added to after each assessment across the academic year.  
• Observational assessment will be completed by the class teacher, teaching assistant or the SENDCO.  
• Practitioner should focus of interacting, observing and assessing and should think closely in relation to the following;  
  • What can they already do?
  • How do they communicate?
  • What adjustments might they need? 

Small steps of progress linked to termly outcomes in pupils EHC Plans so longer term outcomes can be planned

• Small steps of progress will be identified through effective observation of the child.  
• Adjustments will be identified where small steps of progress have been made or where additional support is required to progress towards the outcome. 

Progress Meetings

• Held between the class teacher and SENDCO/SLT to discuss the child’s strengths and weaknesses. 
• Parent/carers will be updated of the progress of their child against the Engagement Model through SEN Review meetings every 3 months, at least 3 times per academic year. 

Support for Literacy/English

• Additional phonics interventions
• Match, Pair, Select
• Precision Teaching
• Spelling Shed(Online resource)
• Bug Club (Online resource)
• Additional 1:1 reading
• Nessie Phonics Programme
• Reading Plus reading fluency intervention
• Handwriting interventions (as well as fine and gross motor interventions to support this)
• Over-teaching of specific skills
• Bespoke reading and writing interventions on an individual child basis
• Differentiated curriculum based on individualised targets
• Use of technology
• Small group teaching
• Additional support in lessons
• Personalised and individualised visual aids to support learning or access to learning

Support with Numeracy/Mathematics

• Over-teaching of specific skills
• Bespoke maths interventions on an individual child basis
• Differentiated curriculum based on individualised targets
• 1:1 activities
• Small group teaching
• Additional support in lessons
• Power of 1 and Power of 2
• Precision teaching

Support for children with physical needs

• Information about the child or young person’s difficulties is shared with relevant staff, in partnership with parents.
• Individual targets agreed and monitored, following discussion with child/young person and parents, to share advice on successful strategies and set targets.
• Access to a portable writing aid or the use of ICT for recording.
• Access to assistive software.
• Adapted/modified equipment and teaching materials (e.g. spring-loaded scissors).
• Provide a range of communication methods (digital camera, voice recorder, symbol cards).
• Use of visual supports
• Development of organisational skills.
• Access to specific motor skills programme
• Classroom Teaching Assistance (TA) is targeted towards support for access for specific tasks/settings and is not necessarily needed for learning.

 Support for children with speech, language and communication needs

• Support/advice from SENDCO
• Makaton/ PECS/Communication boards
• Lego Therapy
• Colourful Semantics
• Blank level questioning 1-4
• Multi-sensory approaches to teaching new vocabulary and pre-teaching of new vocabulary.
• Additional appropriately skilled adults routinely used to support flexible groupings
• Access to targeted small group work with class teacher or TA.
• Access to intervention group work with class teacher or TA
• School staff access awareness, enhanced and specialist training including LA training regarding meeting the needs of pupils
• Additional appropriately skilled adult (e.g. TA) for focused support during unstructured times e.g. lunchtime supervision/ targeted extra- curriculum activities, supervision in the playground.
• Access to a quiet, distraction-free environment in which to deliver intervention groups
• TA and class teacher to liaise with SALT as appropriate
• Access to specific SALT sessions
• School may consult the teachers from the Enhanced Resource Provision for SLCN for advice on best practice
• Allocated time for professional meetings

Support for children with a hearing, visual or multi-sensory impairment

• Information about the child or young person’s difficulties is shared with relevant staff, in partnership with parents.
• Individual targets agreed and monitored, following discussion with child/young person and parents, to share advice on successful strategies and set targets.
• Sharing of advice on successful strategies and set targets e.g. use of visual supports, developing organisational skills.
• Classroom Teaching Assistance (TA) is targeted towards support for access for specific tasks/settings and is not necessarily needed for learning.
• Manage group dynamics enabling the pupil to have access to other pupils verbal/visual contributions
• Provide a wide range of reading materials around a subject to facilitate inclusion
• Provide opportunities for reading aloud at instructional level
• ICT used to support with adapting/ accessing specific content or materials

Support for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties

• We consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the pastoral, medical and social needs of SEND children are met. The class teacher has overall responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact. If further support is required the class teacher liaises with the SENDCO for further advice and support. This may involve working alongside outside agencies such as Health and Social Services, and/or the Behaviour Support Team.
• School accesses the services of a specialist counsellor (Next Steps Counselling Service) and children can be referred to the services for a range of needs. The SENDCO liaises with parents/carers in relation to emotional and self-esteem difficulties.
• Student School Counsellor (Advance Learning Partnership)
• Access to bespoke/recommended interventions from professionals.
• Comic Strip Conversations
• Social stories
• Bespoke/personalised curriculum
• Nurture Group Provision
• Staff have accessed Attachment Training delivered by Kate Cairns Associates
• Staff have accessed training in relation to Restorative Approaches and these are used consistently across school in conjunction with the Respectful relationships policy.
• Zones of Regulation
• ‘Investing in Children’ have also trained several KS2 children to become ‘peer mentors’ (buddies) to support other children with any issues or worries across more unstructured times such as break time and lunch times.

Support for children with medical needs

• The school has a policy regarding the administration and managing of medicines on the school site.
• Parents need to contact the class teacher if medication is recommended by Health Professionals to be taken during the school day and appropriate forms must be completed by parents/carers and staff all following the medical policy. Parents may be called to administer medicine if needed.
• On a day to day basis, First Aiders in liaison with class teachers (and SLT where appropriate) generally oversee the administration of any medicines and ensure that they are recorded appropriately, following the medical policy.
• As a staff, we have regular training and updates of conditions and medication affecting individual children so that all staff are able to manage medical situations.
• Advice/liaison with the school nursing service to support school and parents.

Support for children with English as an Additional Language

• In many ways, the task faced by EAL children is the same as all new children.
• They want to feel welcome, provided with support, begin to make friendships and building on their current levels of attainment and learning needs.
• Children will be provided with a range of visual support to develop understanding. Teachers will act as clear role models for language.
• Many children will come with a wealth of knowledge in their first language and this should be built upon and developed.
• The child’s first language will be valued.
• Where appropriate support will be sought from EMTAS.
• Support from EAL team

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

More details on how we adapt information, our environment and curriculum can be found in the Accessibility Plan which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.