Inclusion Policy Statement:
Rationale:
Fishponds Church of ~England Academy Strives to be a fully inclusive school.
In order to achieve this we aim to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to
achieve their potential and to feel happy safe and motivated by their learning irrespective of
their ability.
If a child is falling behind his or her peers or is struggling with aspects of the curriculum it is
the class teacher’s responsibility to provide work that is matched to their needs and abilities.
They can do this in a range of different ways. For instance: through the use of visual aids,
cues, differentiated work and clear timescales and expectations.
Structure:
The school is divided into 3 phases: Early, Middle and Later. Within each phase there
are between 4 and 5 support staff team members with clearly defined roles and
responsibilities.
The support staff is divided into 3 tiers or waves depending upon the level and type
of support being provided.
Wave 1: Wave 1 is quality first teaching. It is providing access arrangements for all
pupils to be able to learn and make progress. It involves using a range of different
teaching styles to meet the needs of different learners. Children at wave 1 may be
monitored if progress is not at expected rates with a view to them receiving a wave
2 intervention to help catch up or boost progress. All pupils at wave 1 will have
personal learning targets and will be clear of the next steps in their learning. They
will be working at or above MARE.
Teaching and learning assistants:
Each phase will have a teaching and learning assistant who work alongside the class
teacher to teach whole class or ability grouped children across a year group. They
may do first class cover or teach a subject area like DT or phonics depending upon
their phase or area of expertise. They will also have responsibility for leading the
support staff team in that phase and reporting directly to the inclusion leader. All 3
Teaching and learning assistants will attend inclusion team meetings and phase
meetings and will line manage other support staff.
Wave 2: At wave 2 children who are not making expected levels of progress are
given additional support through a programmed intervention or a tailored guided
group session. Wave 2 children need some additional input to plug gaps in their
learning or understanding in maths or literacy. They are being closely monitored to
ensure they make the necessary levels of progress. The class teacher may seek the
support of other members of the school team to help meet the needs of a group of
children. All children working at wave 2 will have personalised learning targets and
will have differentiated tasks and outcomes to ensure they can achieve and see
themselves as successful learners at all times.
Additional needs assistants:
Additional needs assistants will work in a year group providing wave 2 booster level
support. This may involve running a programme like Springboard or leading a guided
group for maths or writing. The additional needs assistants will work closely with the
class teachers in their year groups and report directly to the teaching and learning
assistant in their phase. Planning will be done by the class teacher but the ANA will
be expected to differentiate resources and expectations to their group and to take
responsibility for the learning and progress of a group of children.
Wave 3: At wave 3 the children will be on the Special Needs Register at school
action plus /enhanced or will have a statement of special educational needs. The
children are monitored closely and receive personalised learning approaches either
on a 1-1 or small group basis. The children will have individual education plans
(IEP’s) and their progress against specific targets will be reviewed a minimum of 2x
per year with parents and other agencies involved. Children at wave 3 will often
have outside agency involvement in their learning and specialist advice and
support will be sought from the school to ensure their needs are being met.
Special needs assistants: will work in each phase to provide wave 3 interventions
such as Better Move On and Letters and Sounds (1-1 or very small group). They will
usually work across a phase with children in more than 1 year group. Timetables for
the SNA’s will be arranged by the inclusion leader and phase leaders and managed
by the teaching and learning assistants in each phase. SNA’s will be responsible for
tracking progress of the pupils they are working with and providing data to the
inclusion leader (2x per year) in order to measure the impact of the intervention.
1-1 support:
In some cases children may require 1-1 support to provide a personalised
curriculum. Support will be provided by a trained SNA who will work closely with the
class teacher and inclusion leader to provide a suitable curriculum to best meet the
child’s special needs. Annual reviews will be held a minimum of 1x per year involving
other agencies as appropriate. Parents and carers are closely involved in setting
targets and reviewing provision and are seen as an important partner in the child’s
learning.
The school provides a range of different interventions at wave 2 and wave 3. (Please
see attached list)
The SEN process:
o Children who are working at one level or more below their peers and who
have not made progress despite intervention will be added to our special
needs register.
o They will be monitored closely on the School action stage (SA) and
appropriate interventions put in place to help them access the learning and
make progress.
o They will be formally assessed to identify their learning needs and provision
will be targeted to meet these identified needs.
o The inclusion leader will monitor their progress through an intervention and
liaise with the class teacher through pupil progress meetings 3 x a year.
o Children at the SA stage of the register may move back to wave 2 or wave 1
if the support has been successful and they have developed the appropriate
strategies to meet their needs.
o Or if they may need more specialised support and move to the School Action
plus (SA+) stage of the register.
o At SA+ the children will have an IEP which is shared with the parents and
child a minimum of 2x a year. These are reviewed by the teacher or SNA and
provision adapted to meet their needs.
o A formal review meeting will be held with parents and carers once a year and
future provision discussed.
o The help of outside agencies is sought where possible and strategies put in
place to meet the identified needs.
o A child on SA+ may need additional assessment from an educational
psychologist or community paediatrician to establish specific needs.
o If the child is still not responding to intervention or their needs are complex
they will be placed on School Action Plus enhanced (SAPE.)
o Children on SAPE will be receiving outside agency support and additional 1-1
support to enable them to access the curriculum.
o They may be in receipt of top up funding to enable them to have
personalised learning support for 70% of the curriculum or more.
o Children on SAPE will be operating at least 2 levels below their peers despite
intervention and close monitoring.
o Children with severe and complex needs may at the request of the parents
need a statutory assessment leading to a statement of special needs. This is
a legal process with a strict timescale for information gathering and
consultation. Children with a statement will have an annual review of their
needs and may be in receipt of additional funding.