Inclusion and SEND Information
Inclusion at Brookvale
At Brookvale Primary School, we are proud to provide a safe, stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every member of our community is valued, respected and made to feel welcome within our mainstream setting.
It is our ethos that all children have an equal right to a full and rounded education and to enjoy high quality learning experiences through which they are able to achieve their full potential. We therefore have exceptionally high ambitions for all of our pupils and expect them to participate and achieve in every aspect of school life.
Our commitment to equal opportunities is a crucial aspect of our overall commitment to be a fully inclusive school. Details of our Accessibility Plan can be found here: https://brkvale.bham.sch.uk/files/2023/12/Accessibility-Plan-2023-2025-2.pdf
As a school we aim to
- set suitable learning challenges;
- respond to pupils’ diverse needs; and
- overcome potential barriers to learning for individuals and groups of pupils.
- create an environment in which pupils can develop their sense of self-respect, tolerance and courtesy for others.
We are exceptionally proud of the diversity found within our school and it is our policy that everyone is treated equally regardless of gender, religion, race, nationality, social background and disability.
We believe that successful inclusion should:
- Result in every pupil feeling safe, confident and happy at school.
- See every pupil making the best progress of which they are able and enjoying their time at school – be that in lessons, during their play or lunchtimes or when involved in any of our extended school activities.
- Promote every child’s belief in themselves as a learner and valued member of our school community.
Successful inclusive provision at Brookvale is seen as the responsibility of the whole school community, permeating all aspects of school life and applicable to all our pupils. We are therefore committed to offering an inclusive curriculum which focuses on the well-being or every child and ensures the best possible progress for all of our pupils whatever their needs or abilities. All our systems and procedures are designed to enable all children to be included fully in the life of the school and we engage a range of strategies to issue challenge at an appropriate level, and provide support to overcome barriers to learning.
It is our responsibility to ensure that pupils with special or additional educational needs have the maximum opportunity to attain and make progress in line with their peers. Accurate assessment of need and carefully planned programmes, which address the root causes of any learning difficulty, are essential ingredients of success for these pupils.
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations (2014) require Brookvale Primary School to publish certain information regarding our provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
At Brookvale Primary School, we hope parents and carers of current and prospective pupils find the following information helpful. We encourage all interested parties to contact the school for more information.
Our SEND Co-ordinator (SENDCo) is: Mrs Marie Smith. We also use the services of the following specialists:
- Educational Psychology – Dr Anita Soni, Deborah Benjamin and Sam Samra
- Pupil and School Support – Vicky Cox
- Communication and Autism – Francesca Thompson
- Occupational Therapists – Katie Green, Janet Tighe
- School Health Support Service – North East SN Team
- Early Help Service – Erdington
- Family Support Service – Featherstone
At Brookvale Primary School, we make provision for pupils who have any of the following needs:
- Cognition and Learning Needs – Children who find learning, thinking and understanding harder than most other pupils.
- Communication and Interaction Needs – Children who find it difficult to interact with others and the world around them.
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs – Children who find it difficult to manage their emotions and behaviour in a way that affects their everyday life.
- Sensory and/or Physical Needs – Children who have a disability that may make it difficult for them to manage their everyday life without changes to the physical environment or support through a range of personalised resources.
Our SEND Characteristics at Autumn Census 2024 were:
We identify and assess pupils with SEND in a variety of ways. We know that children need additional help if:
- Concerns are raised by parents/carers, teachers, or the pupils previous school
- There is a lack of progress in the child’s learning
- There is a change in the pupil’s behaviour
- The pupil asks for help
We also use the following to inform our assessments:
- Observations
- School based test results/teacher assessments
- Information from parents/carers
- Information from the pupil
- Specialised assessments carried out by one of our external agencies
- Information from a previous school or Nursery setting
- Results from end of Key Stage assessments
- Discussions with the Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant
In line with the SEND Code of Practice, the school takes a graduated response in identifying children with additional needs, with a key focus on early identification where possible. We work together with parents/carers at all stages of the graduated response. Our pupils with SEND are set personal learning targets specific to their needs; these are derived from the four areas of the code of practice and informed by Birmingham’s Learning Continua for speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics. We evaluate the effectiveness of our SEND provision by regularly reviewing the personal learning targets through the individual continua. Our expectation is that all children make at least expected progress from their starting points by mastering criteria identified for them on their continua.
All children’s progress, including key groups such as pupils with SEND, is tracked through our internal tracking system and children’s progress in not only monitored against the continua but also against the year group curriculum objectives as outlined on their personal learning journeys. Within school, we also use a range of standardised assessment tests to inform classroom practice.
Pupil progress is shared with parents in a number of ways:
- During parent consultations
- Termly report cards
- Work sharing evening book looks
- End of year reports
- Single Page Profiles
- Continua
- Child-centred reviews
- Home/school books to inform parents of important information
- Home reading logs
- Annual reviews for children with an EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan)
- Dissemination of external agency reports
On-going training and support from the SENDCo and our external agencies, means that all school staff have the knowledge and confidence to support pupils with SEND through quality first teaching strategies, using a tailored and personalised approach to meet the individual needs of the pupils in their class. Where a pupil requires additional support to ensure that their needs are met, small group or individual support is used. This is often referred to as an intervention. The effectiveness of interventions are continuously evaluated and reviewed.
We adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND in the following ways:
- Providing additional resources (visual, practical and kinaesthetic)
- Using alternative methods of recording (ICT, recording devices, use of scribes etc.)
- Providing specialised equipment
- Using a language and literacy toolkit to assess the next smaller steps in learning
- Personalising learning
- Providing small group/1-1 pre-teaching or classroom support (where needed)
All staff have received training in emotional, mental and social support linked to attachment and emotion coaching. This has been led by our Educational Psychologist, Dr Anita Soni, who also supports staff and pupils with their emotional, mental and social well-being.
Our aim is to involve parents at every step of the SEND journey for their child. Parents will typically co-construct their child’s Single Page Profile together with the class teacher. Due to the current pandemic, and the inability to meet face-to-face, Single Page Profiles will be emailed to parents so that they can review and provide feedback to school. Where external agencies are involved, parents will have access to any reports produced and should contact the SENDCo if they have any questions.
We work with the following bodies to ensure the best possible provision for pupils with SEND:
- Health professionals for any pupils with SEND of a medical nature.
- Educational Psychology – Dr Anita Soni – for pupils with Social and emotional needs.
- Communication and Autism Team –Francesca Thompson– to support pupils with communication and interaction difficulties and those with a diagnosis of Autism.
- Pupil and School Support- Vicky Cox– for SEND pupils with difficulties around language and literacy
Parents of children with SEND may find the following additional services helpful:
- Birmingham Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) 0121 303 5004
- Parent Link Service 0121 303 8461 – Parentlinkservice@birmingham.gov.uk
- Autism West Midlands 0121 450 7582
- Bereavement Counselling – Winston’s Trust 0845 2030405
- Children’s Advice & Support Service (CASS – Safeguarding) 0121 308 1888
- Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service 0121 465 5400
- Educational Psychology Service 0121 303 1792
- Edward’s Trust 0121 456 4838
- Barnardo’s 0208 550 8822
Transition meetings happen on an annual basis with all pupils on the SEN register and those coming up from a Nursery provider. Transition forms are completed by parents, pupils and the school. Additional visits are arranged at receiver secondary schools for pupils with SEND. The transfer of pupil information happens at every stage of transition to support pupils in their next phase of learning.
For more information regarding the Brookvale Primary School’s SEND provision, please contact Mrs Marie Smith (SENDCo) or Mr Andy Mills, on 0121 356 9973
For further information about SEND services available in Birmingham please follow the link below which will take you to Birmingham’s local offer.
Birmingham’s Local Offer
