Commonly Asked Questions

Children may be identified as having SEN through a variety of ways including the following:

Liaison with previous schools.

Child performing below age expected levels.

Concerns raised by Parent.

Through termly Pupil Progress Meetings or SEN review meetings between Teachers, SENCO and Headteacher.

Concerns raised by teacher.

Liaison with external agencies e.g. physical

Health diagnosis through Paediatrician / Doctor.

As a school we measure children’s progress in learning against National Expectations and age related expectations.

The Class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas where they are improving and where further support is needed. As a school, we track children’s progress from entry at Nursery or Reception through to Year 6, using a variety of different methods including National Curriculum levels and the Foundation Stage Profiles. Children who are not making expected progress are picked up through our termly Review meetings with class teacher, SENCO and or Headteacher. In this meeting a discussion takes place concerning why individual children are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to aid their progression.

If a child has been identified as having additional needs, the school will assess, set targets addressing barriers to learning, work on addressing the barriers and then reassess to look at the progress. This reassessment will then inform the next stage of the plan, do and review cycle. Parents and children will be involved in this process, through self evaluation and meetings with Teachers.

Talk to us – your first point of contact is always your child’s class teacher. If you require more information contact our SENCO or Headteacher. We believe good communication links with parents are vital and aim to be open and honest with parents at all times.

Our SENCO will closely monitor all provision and progress of any child requiring additional support across the school. The class teacher will oversee, plan and work with each child with SEND in their class to ensure that progress in every area is made. There may be a Teaching Assistant (TA) working with your child either individually or as part of a group, if this is seen as necessary by the class teacher. The regularity of these sessions will be explained to parents when the support starts.

All work within class is pitched at an appropriate level so that all children are able to access according to their specific needs. Typically this might mean that in a lesson there would be three different levels of work set for the class, however on occasions this can be individually differentiated. The benefit of this type of differentiation is that all children can access a lesson and learn at their own level.

In school we will often use SEN Support Plans or IBP’s (Individual Behaviour Plan) to set targets and review progress. We can use these targets to monitor pupils progress academically against national/age expected levels and update or adjust the SENSupport Plan. This may involve updating into smaller steps or using a different approach to ensure progress is made. Intervention progress is recorded at the end of each programme to ensure there has been progress.

Children may move off the SEN register when they have ‘caught up’ or made sufficient progress

We believe that your child’s education should be a partnership between parents and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has complex needs. We will do this through:

Discussions with class teacher

Parents evening - The class teacher will meet parents at least twice a year to discuss your child’s needs, support and progress. The SENCO will also be available to book a meeting with.

Open door policy – you are welcome any time to book an appointment to meet with the class teacher, SENCO, Head or Deputy Headteacher to discuss how your child is getting. We can offer advice and practical ways that you can help your child at home.

Your child may have an SEN Support Plan / IBP in place and therefore the targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time scaled) targets. These will be sent home to keep you informed of your child’s progress and how you can support them.

If your child has complex SEND they may have an EHC Plan (Education Health Care Plan) which means that a formal Annual Review will take place to discuss your child’s progress and a report will be written. This can also be done at a six monthly interim review if changes to circumstances occur or concerns arise.

We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through the School Council which has an open forum for any issues or viewpoints to be raised.

Children who have SEN Support Plan discuss and set their targets with their class teacher. There is an annual pupil questionnaire where we actively seek the viewpoints of children especially concerning being able to speak to an adult if they have a worry. If your child has an EHC plan or an Annual Review of their EHC plan their views will be obtained before any meetings

We are an inclusive school, we welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff appreciate the importance of children having high self-esteem in order to achieve positive well-being. Here at The Victory Primary School we commit to our own ‘high 5 values’ (Respect, Determination, Kindness, Teamwork, Excellence) and ensure pupils are able to develop in a caring, fair and understanding environment.

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 can liaise with the SENCO for further advice and support. This may involve working alongside outside agencies such as Health and Social Services, and / or the Behaviour Support Team.

The school has a team of learning mentors who work under the direction of the Lead Learning Mentor, supporting vulnerable children during the school day.

The school has a policy regarding the administration and managing of medicines on the school site. Parents need to contact the schools medical manager to discuss this and if agreed complete a form: ‘Parental Agreement for School to Administer Medicines’. In some cases a ‘care plan’ may be put in place according to the directions of the school nurse.

School will generally not take responsibility for other medicines such as cough medicines, however we may be able to administer prescribed medicines following discussions with parents.

Our SENCO is fully qualified and accredited. Learning Mentors have a variety of training including ELSA , emotional first aide and Loss and bereavement . In addition school we have staffed trained by Elklan, Makaton, Team Teach, Paaths, THOMAS, PACE and Nurture.

As a school we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school including:

MABs (Multi Agency Behaviour Support)
•Health, including School Nurse team, General Practitioners, CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Heath), Paediatricians, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language therapy.
•Learning, including Educational Psychologist and Specialist Teacher Advisors.
•We also work very closely with social care and MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub)
Should your child require any form of involvement with an outside agency then the school would immediately inform you and obtain permission from parents to pursue any kind of professional intervention.

Our safeguarding team work to keep children safe and support the needs of families. Early Help assessments can be completed to request extra help and advice from Early Help Hubs or Social care services. Outside agencies such as SDAS or debt relief counselling can be accessed through the Safeguarding Team.

As a staff we have regular training and updates about SEN issues.

Most of our TAs have had training in delivering the range of interventions we use as a school, and we hold regular training meetings / opportunities throughout the year.

We have a team of trained learning mentors with some members of the team with specialist training in loss and bereavement, attachment disorders and nurture provision.

As a school we are continuing to develop our governing body. The SEN Governor meets regularly with the SENCO in order to update on changes, needs in the school, current concerns and budgets.

All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.

A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities which cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school.

The Victory Primary School is situated on one floor and can be accessed by wheelchair. We also have a disabled toilet and shower. Any other resources needed for access may be assessed by OT (Occupational Therapy) and Physiotherapy in order for us to ensure ease of access and safety for all.

See schools accessibility policy which is reviewed annually.

The school is able to liaise with EMAS (Ethnic Minority Achievement Service) who can at times assist us in supporting our families with English as an additional language

We encourage all new children to visit the school prior to starting when they will be shown around the school and any concerns can be addressed. For children with SEND we would encourage further visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings.

We may need to write a social stories to ease the transition for pupils with high anxiety and communication difficulties.

School or parents may also feel the need to arrange several transition meetings / sessions between the schools in order to alleviate pupil concerns

We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood. If your child has complex needs then an Education Health Care Plan review may be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend.

Many of our ‘feeder’ secondary schools run a programme specifically tailored to aid transition for our more vulnerable pupils.

We ensure that all children who have Special Educational needs are met to the best of the school’s ability with the funds available. We will often allocate teaching assistants who are funded by the SEN budget to deliver programmes designed to meet groups of children’s needs. The budget is allocated on a needs basis.

The class teacher alongside the SENCO will discuss the child’s needs and what support would be appropriate. Different children will require different levels of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age expected levels. This will be through on-going discussions with parents.

As a school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils. Behaviour incidents are dealt with according to the behaviour policy. If a child has behavioural difficulties an IBP (Individual Behaviour Plan) is written which visually represents the triggers, how the child may react and strategies to use to de-escalate. In some cases the school will engage support and outreach services in order to best meet the needs of the children.

At The Victory Primary School we take any allegation of bullying seriously. Allegations are investigated and all parties involved are informed of the outcome. The staff take a proactive approach to anti bullying, with work in class embedded into the curriculum.

Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis . Lateness and absence are recorded. Good attendance is actively encouraged throughout the school and rewarded on a termly basis as is improving attendance. Parents are contacted regarding attendance and or lateness if necessary. Families who struggle with attendance and lateness will be asked to meet with the Head Teacher a plan a way to improve attendance and lateness.

Your main point of contact would always be the class teacher and then following this you may need to speak to the SENCO or Headteacher. Send email to vgidney@thevictory.portsmouth.sch.uk

First point of contact would be your child’s class teacher to share your concerns. You could also arrange a meeting with the SENCO or Headteacher.

For further information:

Look at the SEN policy on our website.

Contact Parent partnership or the SEN team at Portsmouth City Council.

Portsmouth Local Offer: http://www.portsmouthlocaloffer.org

Parents who have concerns or complaints about SEN provision for their child should, in the first instance, speak to the child’s class teacher and SENCO. Failing a satisfactory outcome, parents should then contact the Head teacher and request that he investigate. Finally, requests can be made to a parent governor or named SEN governor.  For children who are being statutorily assessed by the LA, independent advice and support is available from PIASS (Portsmouth Information and Advice Support) or Portsmouth IS (Portsmouth IndependentSupport

In this instance you can contact the school admin office to arrange a meeting with either the Headteacher or our SENCO to discuss how the school could meet your child’s needs. Following this you would contact the Admissions Team at Portsmouth City Council.

This local offer will be reviewed annually to reflect the changing needs of the children who join and are developing in our school. Part of this review process will involve contributions from parents.

Consulted with parents September 2017 and coffee morning 16th October 2019

Last updated October 2019

Review due October 2020

The Victory Primary School prides itself with how inclusive the school is. The recent OFSTED report highlighted the "Unflinching commitment to the pupils and wider community has resulted in the school having inclusivity at the very heart of all it does" We believe in inclusive classrooms, both with the physical layout, use of visual timetables and with the learning - use of scaffolds, supports and differentiated work. Work and the environment can be adapted to suit the needs of the current cohort.