Related Pages
- Vision and Aims
- Meet Our Staff
- School Improvement Plan
- Performance Data
- Our Ofsted Report
- Admissions
- Safeguarding
- Our Behaviour Values
- Our Curriculum
- British Values
- Inclusion
- Policies
- Pupil Premium
- Sports Premium
- COVID Catch-Up Premium
- Meet the Governors
- Covid-19 Information
- Opening Hours
- Tidbury Green Pre-school
- Data Protection
- Equality
Inclusion
Welcome to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion area of our website. Below you will find some useful information about our SEND provision, including information about Admissions and our School Offer and Information Report.
Miss Morgan is the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) at Tidbury Green School. If you have any concerns about your child's needs, please get in touch and a convenient time to meet to discuss this can be arranged
If you cannot find the information you are looking for here, please don’t hesitate to contact her:
- By phone at Tidbury Green on 01564 823189
- By email at office@tidbury-green.solihull.sch.uk
Our Offer
Under the Children and Families Bill, which became law in 2014, Local Authorities are required to publish, and keep under review, information about services that they expect to be available for children and young people with disabilities and Special Educational Needs aged 0-25. This is called the Information Report or Local Offer. Solihull Local Authority's offer can be found here.
'The intention of this, is to improve choice and transparency for families...'
The intention of this, is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for professionals in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
Tidbury Green is a fully inclusive school that is wholly committed to providing the best possible education for all of its children regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, sexual identity, physical ability or educational needs. This document is intended to give you information regarding the many ways in which we support all of our children, including those with SEND. It is important to note that it may not include every skill, resource and technique that we employ as these are continually being developed and modified to meet the changing requirements of individual children.
We are a mainstream school for 3-11 year olds and we are able to deliver this offer consistently across all Key Stages and areas of our school. Tidbury Green School is fully wheel chair accessible and we have an appropriately sized disabled toilet on site, and toilets and sinks have been adapted in all year groups.
Admissions
Applying for or choosing schools if your child has SEND
Most children with special educational needs can be taught in mainstream schools. If your child has more severe or complex needs they may need to go to a special school or school with a specialist unit.
If your child doesn't have a statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) you apply for a primary school place in the same way as other parents.
If your child has a statement of Special Educational Needs or EHCP, the school named in it must offer them a place.
If your child is being assessed for Special Educational Needs you should follow the standard process. If you don't apply for a place and your child doesn't get an EHCP, you may miss out on a place at one of your preferred schools.
Choosing a mainstream school
You should find out:
- whether the school has experience of children with similar needs and what strategies have been effective
- what the school's Special Educational Needs and Disability policy is
- how the SENCO passes information about children to teaching staff
- how your child would be supported in class
- how you'd be involved in your child's progress and development.
If your child has an EHCP and you're unsure if a school is suitable for them, you can talk to your named officer.
Choosing a special school or school with special unit
Special schools only take children who have a particular type of educational need such as Visual Impairment or Physical Disability. Some mainstream schools have special units to support children with particular needs.
Our special schools and specialist units within mainstream schools only admit children with and EHCP whose needs are very severe and complex.
How are children with SEND supported at Tidbury Green?
With the Code of Practice emphasising that the majority of children should be educated together, this will always be the first level of support. We strive to meet the needs of all our pupils through high-quality teaching and a personalised approach. Some children however, will still need further support to achieve.
- Wave 1 - Most children: The delivery of high-quality and inclusive teaching, that takes the learning needs of all pupils into account, and strives for all children achieving within the classroom.
- Wave 2 - Some children: Some children may need further support to reach their targets. This may still be provided within the classroom as part of lessons, but more specifically tailored to their needs.
- Wave 3 - Few Children: A minority of pupils may need individualised and highly-tailored interventions.
The support given to each child at Tidbury Green is different, according to their own personal needs. Every child we teach is unique, so dependent on the needs of your child, a range of strategies and approaches may be put in place to support their progress. These may include, but are not limited to:
- Social skills groups or mentoring with our Learning Mentors or Teaching Assistants.
- Structured Phonics Programs.
- Additional one to one reading support.
- Small group support in English or maths.
- Reward charts or report cards to support positive behaviour within school.
- The use of resources or equipment to support a child’s physical or organisational needs, for example.
All staff take into account the needs of the pupils they are teaching when planning lessons, and differentiate the curriculum accordingly. This ensures that children of all abilities are challenged and supported suitably at their own level. At Tidbury Green, we pride ourselves on building good relationships with all of our pupils and ensuring they are happy and safe.
In some cases where a child's needs are severe and of a high-level, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may need to be applied for. This will always be discussed with the child's parents/carers in the first instance, and consent gained. If you or the school feel this may be appropriate for your child, then we will follow the guidance from the Local Authority. This process includes using a document called the 'My Support Plan'. This would be completed, monitored and reviewed over a period of at least two school terms in order to gather evidence and information about a child's needs. Your involvement in this process will be encouraged. At the end of the two school terms, the information collected within the 'My Support Plan' document, will be compared with 'Solihull's SEN Banding' document to ascertain whether or not your child's needs meet Solihull's criteria for an EHCP, and therefore whether one can be applied for.
More information on this process, including the 'My Support Plan' document and the 'Solihull SEN Banding' Document mentioned above, is available here on the Local Authority's Local Offer website.
What specialist facilities/equipment are available to support children with SEND at Tidbury Green?
- Sensory/weighed cushions
- Pencil grips
- Coloured overlays
- Task management boards
- Key word banks
- High frequency bookmarks
- Sloping boards
- Fiddle toys
- Number lines/number beads
- Numicon
- Timers
- Sensory activity diet
What input do Tidbury Green receive from external support services?
Currently, we receive additional support from Specialist Teachers from Solihull's Specialist Inclusion Support Service in several areas. This includes teachers from the following teams:
- Sensory and Physical
- Communication and Learning Difficulties
- Social, Emotional, Mental Health
- Autism
- Early Years Support and Assessment
- Speech, Language and Communication
Where appropriate, we also refer children to Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Educational Psychology and the Specialist Assessment Service. Parental permission will always be gained before a referral to any of the above teams is made.
Where needed we may also refer a child to SOLAR for mental health support.
All external visitors (coming in to work with, assess, monitor or review children) will need to be agreed by the head-teacher. When they are in school, they may be accompanied by a member of our staff to support their work.
How do we promote inclusion within school?
Ensuring that we follow statutory guidance from the Code of Practice, where possible we want all children to be included in everything that takes place at Tidbury Green so that they are able to reach their full potential. To make sure that all children have the chance to be involved, we work closely with our parents/carers, the SEND Governor, the Local Authority and other relevant experts, to ensure that any pupil's additional needs are catered for and any barriers to their attainment are overcome.
Teachers plan to meet the needs of individuals and to ensure that they are able to be involved fully in every lesson, when appropriate, and to ensure that their curriculum is inclusive of all children regardless of their needs. We can also make special arrangements, when necessary, to allow all children to be part of day and residential trips as these often support the curriculum and are a valuable part of any child's education.
What proportion of our pupils currently have SEND?
How do children with SEND perform compared to their peers?
Children with SEND at Tidbury Green perform well and are in line with their peers, usually making expected or better progress each year.
How do we involve/support parents of children with SEND regarding identifying and meeting their needs?
The views of parents/carers are very important to us at Tidbury Green. If you ever have any concerns about your child's progress (academically, emotionally or socially), please do not hesitate to contact me or, if you feel more comfortable, the class teacher who can then pass on your concerns.
Parents/carers have termly opportunities, either through Parent's Consultation Meetings or Open Afternoons, to discuss their child's progress, targets or any other concerns with the class teacher. Also, Review Meetings are held for children with SEND termly, which parents/carers are invited to, as well as the class teacher and SENDCo. Where appropriate, the child’s view is gained either through discussion or by them attending the meeting. In these meetings, the child's learning is discussed, prior targets are reviewed and new targets are set. Also, parents/carers have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the needs of their child or to raise any concerns, and to receive advice about how they can also support their child in reaching their targets.
How do we communicate children's progress and areas of difficulty?
As a result of our review meetings for the children with SEND, we update their SEND Profile which includes information about the child's strengths, what support they need and their aspirations for the future. The class teacher, parent and SENDCo all have a copy of this, which ensures that progress can be monitored by everyone involved with the child. Class teachers and the SENDCo are always available to talk either face to face or on the telephone and appointments can be made if there are any further concerns.
How do we ensure that the views of the child are heard?
How does Tidbury Green prepare children with an SEND to join their next stage of education or life?
All children at Tidbury Green are supported in their transitions between years, Key Stages and schools. Before children move into their new classes, the previous and next class teacher meet to discuss the class and the individual needs of the children within it. The class teachers specifically discuss the needs of children with SEND and look at what works well for that child as well as areas in which they may need more support. All children spend the last week of the Summer Term with their new teacher which reduces anxiety about moving classes for all children, but is particularly effective for children with SEND. For those children who find change difficult to manage, it allows them to build a relationship with their new teacher before the new school year starts.
We also support our Year 6 pupils in their transition to Secondary School, they have days out at their new schools and we pass on relevant information to their next school to help in the transition process.
Where can I go for more support with my child at home?
Although we hope to be able to offer you and your child all of the support that you may need, we understand that sometimes having an independent service, which provides specifically for parents of children with SEND, will be important to you. Below is some information and the contact details for such a service.
Solihull SENDIAS
Solihull SENDIAS offer a free confidential and impartial service for children and young people with Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) and their parents and carers. We are legally trained to offer information advice and support to children, young people & their parents, to help them make informed decisions and play an active role in their own or their child’s education. We explain SEND processes and procedures in straight-forward language so everyone knows what to expect and what part they play. Contact us via:
Telephone: 0121 516 5173
Email: Solihullsendias@family-action.org.uk
Website: www.family-action.org.uk/solihullsendias
What are the arrangements for making a complaint?
Do you need more information?
If you wish to read any School Policies please click here.
This page is completed by:
Emma Morgan (SENDCO).
Date completed:
September 2022
Date to be reviewed:
September 2023