The latest SEND Code of Practice is full of high hopes and good intentions. Some of these have been translated into good practice within our schools, but others have proven to be more problematic. This is how we, as a school, have attempted to fulfil these ideals. But first, a little about our context.
There are 46 languages spoken at Aldermoor Farm Primary School, with 54 per cent of our children speaking English as an additional language (EAL). The school incorporates an Enhanced Resource Provision for eight children with autism, and caters for an additional 137 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These include children with communication issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), gross developmental delay, anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Pupil premium allocation is high, with over 54 per cent of our pupils eligible for this funding. The local community is predominantly social housing and, as a result, transience within the school is high. This academic year, the percentage has been 27 per cent.
Engaging parents from the very start
There are numerous mentions of parents and carers throughout the Code of Practice, and we have endeavoured to embed our work with all parents, so that they feel they can add value to their child’s education, rather than merely drop off and collect at either end of the school day.
This work starts when we distribute flyers throughout the local area and in key venues, outlining the work we do with children and families. We arrange open mornings for parents and their children to visit our setting and to see the school in action. These open mornings are coordinated by our pastoral manager who line manages a team of five—a family support worker and a team of four learning mentors.
When children have been allocated to our school, the pastoral manager and the early years leader undertake home visits. These have been crucial in determining what support is needed for each child and family. We see the child in an environment where they feel secure and can see how they interact with siblings and or parents/carers. Parents feel more comfortable because they are ‘leading’ the discussion and it is not in a more formal office. The visits allow us to plan the induction so the child has a calm start to the term with the necessary resources in place. We are also able to determine if there are any agencies already working with the family or if there is a need for a multi-agency meeting.
As these home visits usually occur four to five months prior to the child starting at school, it allows the support to be in place from day one, rather than delaying it by half a term. Good relationships have been developed with Health Visitors, pre-school settings, housing and so on, so that any issues identified at the visit can attract support from the most appropriate agency.