Mayfield Chestnut

SEN Information

What special education provision is available at our setting?

At Mayfield Chestnut Centre we look at children as a whole, this means we look at all of the strengths and all of the barriers to learning. As the children here often have barriers relating to their social, emotional and mental health needs we will focus on this first. We will create a tailored positive behaviour for learning plan which looks at all the things adults need to do to keep the child calm and regulated. It also looks at what we can do if children begin to escalate or arrive at school dysregulated. This plan will focus on de-escalation at all times.

We provide a curriculum that aims to engage. We have a lot of sensory and physical breaks and spend meal times as learning experiences. We aim to maximise basic skills such as reading, writing and math whilst also maintaining a focus on learning social skills and emotional regulation. We will tailor learning in basic skills to individual needs. Our topics are engaging and fun and our collaborative group work utilises outdoor learning, physical activity, cooking and tech.

All of our children have Individual learning Plans (ILPS) that are flexible to the individual needs of the children, the aim of this is to ensure that that the barriers to learning are overcome quickly and effectively. These ILPs are facilitated by a range of support services such as Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language therapists and Occupational therapists. Where the child has a statement or EHC plan this will be used to inform the learning plan.

What criteria must be satisfied before children and young people can access this provision/service?

Admission to Mayfield Chestnut is via a referral from mainstream school which is scrutinised by a panel at the Local Authority level. Children who attend must have an EHCP.

We take children who have significant emotional needs that make it difficult for them to learn successfully in a mainstream school.

At the annexe we take children who have been permanently excluded for an assessment period. These children may or may not have an EHCP

How do we identify the particular special educational needs of a child or young person?

All of our children have additional needs as outlined on their EHCP. This outlines the provision that is needed for the child. This will then form the basis of how much support that child will receive. We also complete our own assessment profiles which look at areas such as sensory, communication, dyslexia screening, conduct, family circumstance and academic barriers. Occasionally, the child’s needs change and therefore the school will make decisions, in partnership with families, the LA and linked agencies to amend provision. The school will take into account the following mechanisms when deciding on how much support your child will receive.

• Provision identified in the statement or EHC plan
• Additional funding and premiums provided by the government
• Day to day presentation
• Progress over time both academic and social, emotional

How do we consult with parents and/or children and young people about their needs?

Each family will receive an invitation to an annual review and other informal catch ups throughout the year.

The progress that children make will be shared with families, this will include the monitoring of their readiness for returning to mainstream school or their most appropriate destination after Chestnut.

As a school we welcome the positive and supportive involvement of families:

• Parent consultation meetings
• Parent helpers and volunteers
• Governors
• Devising targets
• Fundraising events
• Face to face contact / phone calls / home school dairies
• Performances and special events

What is our approach to teaching children and young people with special educational needs?

The importance of the individual interests and motivations of children is at the centre of what we do at Chestnut. We tailor learning to the strengths of individuals whilst focusing on key skills both for learning and life.

Each class team will identify an Individual learning Plan (ILP) based on the previous learning and achievement of the child, as well as their personal interests and ambitions. This ILP will be based on a series of learning objectives linked to the child’s EHCP. This will include a heavy emphasis on developing children’s confidence, self-esteem, resilience and readiness for learning. There will always be a large proportion of practical hands on learning and outdoor education.

How can we adapt our curriculum for children and young people with special educational needs?

Chestnut Centre places emphasis on the individual child ensuring that all have provision based on them and their individual needs. These are demonstrated by their ILP and ITP. Our main focus and aim will be to build the child’s resilience and ability to cope with their emotional difficulties. Where possible we will be planning for children to return to mainstream school with a support package as soon as is possible. We work with a PACE approach taking objectives from the National Curriculum and our own bespoke curriculum of collaborative groups.

How will we ensure we get the services, provision and equipment that children and young people need?

We will work closely with other agencies to ensure we know what equipment children need to be able to access their learning. We provide a range of sensory equipment for children where needed and will assess this for each individual child.

How is this provision funded?

The allocation of resources is used to create the whole school environment. Additional needs are allocated in bespoke manner to each child depending on their needs. All of our children hold budgets that have been delegated to the school from the local authority that aims to ensure that their needs are met effectively.

The way that the school uses these resources will be demonstrated through:

• Directed staffing to meet individual needs
• Resources linked to planning in ILPS and assessment profiles
• Out of school community activities and educational visits

What additional learning support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how do they access it?

Teaching staff will have specialist training in:

• PACE approach
• Attachment difficulty
• Team Teach
• Speech and Language including Makaton
• Sensory Dysfunction
• Physical Development
• Specific Learning Difficulties

We can refer to a range of specialist services including:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Educational Psychology
• School Nurses
• Primary Mental Health Worker
• Social Workers

Our focus on the child’s individual needs, education aspirations and overall wellbeing. Our day to day informal and formal communication places a high focus on awareness and development of the whole child.

In many cases for children at Chestnut, the need to support the overall emotional and personal wellbeing of the child is the focus of provision. School uses the principles of Thrive and Nurture group as a whole school PACE approach and has a clear focus on well-being for all members of the community.

How do we support and improve the emotional and social development of children and young people with special educational needs?

A main focus of Mayfield-Chestnut is to prepare children for their next step either to mainstream school or another specialist provision. We use some of the following strategies to support effective transitions

• Multi-disciplinary liaison and hand over
• Individual bespoke transitions with detailed preparation and training for receiving schools
• School to school support
• Throughout and after transition continued support for families
• Individual learning plans drawn up in collaboration with agencies, schools and families
• identification of specialist placements
• Partnership working with other colleagues
• Transitional annual reviews

How do we support children and young people with special educational needs moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood?

We can refer children and families to services such as CAMHS, paediatrician, occupational or speech therapies or social care. We have a family support worker available.
Other professionals may also be involved as previously described.

What extra-curricular activities are available for children and young people with special educational needs?

There are many opportunities for your child to have a wide and varied educational opportunity. We believe that children can learn very effectively outside of their classroom as well as inside it. Some of these opportunities might be:

• Forest School, Beach School, martial arts, sensory rooms, soft play, specialist music projects and visiting animals.
• Virtual reality and You tubing experiences
• Cooking
• Science, engineering and maths projects
• Enterprise projects
• General outdoor learning
• Gardening
• Play area
• Sports trip, country parks, swimming at local leisure centre
• Residential visits

How do we assess and review progress towards agreed outcomes, and how are parents, children and young people involved in this process?

All children will be assessed on a regular basis in terms of their academic progress and their readiness for reintegration to mainstream school. This assessment will be through observation, work produced and the improvement in confidence, self-esteem and behaviour
Parents receive regular feedback as previously described

How do we assess the effectiveness of our special needs provision and how are parents, children and young people involved in this assessment?

We will look at how well children are engaging in their learning and will talk to them about how they feel in school. Parents will be offered regular communication and a chance to give us feedback through parental questionnaires.

The overall effectiveness of the centre will be judged upon how well the children make progress both academically and in terms of their transition out of Chestnut

How do we ensure that teaching staff and other staff have the expertise needed to support children and young people with special educational needs?

Teaching and learning staff will have specialist training in:

• Attachment and associated behaviour
• De escalation
• Team Teach
• TEACHH
• Speech and Language including Makaton
• Sensory Dysfunction
• Physical Development
• First Aid
• Specific Learning Difficulties

How can parents, children and young people make a complaint about our provision?

If you have any concerns or are unhappy about something you should first speak to your child’s class teacher. Most difficulties can be resolved in this way. If you are still not happy you can speak to either the Assistant or Deputy Head and raise your concerns, we will always attempt to work with families to resolve any issues. If there is still a difficulty you can speak to the overarching Head or make a complaint via our complaints procedure (available from the school office)

How can parents, children and young people get more information about the setting?

• By visiting our website
• By telephoning the school
• By visiting the school
• By reading our prospectus