At Dovecote Green School, we aim for each child to realise their full potential in a caring, supportive environment, which provides equal opportunities for all. We understand that all children have individual needs, many of which can be met within the normal environment of the classroom through a differentiated curriculum.

Aims

In providing for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities we aim to:

• Develop all children to their full potential and to value them equally; irrespective of ability, disability, race, gender or background and to give everyone access to the whole curriculum.
• Identify children, as early as possible, in order to support their physical, social, emotional or intellectual development.
• Ensure that there is a consistent, whole-school approach to the identification and provision for pupils with additional needs throughout the school.
• Involve Parents in a partnership of support.
• Monitor and evaluate the child’s progress, providing the appropriate information and

records as part of this process.

• Embrace inclusion for all pupils and ensure a policy of integration into all activities of the school.
• Comply with the 2014 Children and Families Act and the updated 2014 SEND Code of Practice, along with the following UAE laws and regulations;
  • Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework (2017)
  • Federal Law No. (29) of 2006 Concerning the Rights of People of Determination
  • Federal Law No. (2) of 2014 Concerning Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Emirate of Dubai
  • Executive Council Resolution No. (2) of 2017 Regulating Private Schools in the Emirate of Dubai.

Inclusion Statement

Through appropriate curricular provision, we respect the fact that children:

• have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations;
• require different strategies for learning;
• acquire, assimilate and communicate information at different rates;

• need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences.

It has links with the following policies:

• Behaviour
  • EAl and MAT
  • All Curriculum Policies

Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The Code of Practice states a Graduated Approach to the identification and assessment of SEND. The approach recognises that there is a continuum of special educational needs and that, where necessary, increasing specialist expertise should be sought to support the child, parent and the school.

A 4 stage Graduated Approach:

Assess   Inclusive, High quality first teaching and differentiated teaching.	The teacher plans for activities to be given to all pupils at the appropriate level of need for success and progress to be achieved. If a child is found to be below age-related expectations after 6-8 weeks, then they move to the next stage.
Plan   Targeted support – Increased differentiation/Personalised planning	The teacher plans specifically/individually for the pupils who cannot access initial teaching strategies, increasing the personalisation of teaching (TIP). They continue to monitor results using school assessment tools. If no progress is seen to be made over time (8 weeks approx.), they move to the next stage.
Do   Specific support – Action to achieve targets.	A child receives additional support in class and/or in intervention groups.SENCO screens for possible barriers to learning.An IEP may be written.
Review     Modify, challenge, communicate	Outside agencies are consulted and support the school in allocating resources. Half termly reviews with Teacher, parents and child to review progress towards targets.

Assess:

The benefits of early identification are widely recognised – identifying need at the earliest point and then making effective provision improves long-term outcomes for the child or young person.

• All children undergo baseline assessment within first 2-4 weeks of starting school.
• After 4-6 weeks (or sooner) of high quality, differentiated teaching the teacher identifies;

1. Children showing signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematical skills which result in poor attainment in some curriculum areas;

• Children who present persistent emotional or behavioural difficulties which are not alleviated by the behaviour management techniques usually employed by the class teacher and school;

• Children who have sensory or physical problems, and continue to make little or no progress despite the provision of specialist equipment;

• Children who have communication and/or interaction difficulties (not EAL), and who make little or no progress despite the provision of a differentiated curriculum.

• Children who have been identified as Gifted or Talented (See Gifted and Talented policy).

SEND cause for concern form can be used from this stage onwards, depending on the specific needs.

Plan:

Teacher identifies the needs of specific children. They then personalise planning for those children using a range of additional teaching strategies; i.e. by differentiating further, deploying support of TA/T more regularly etc. They complete a Teacher Intervention Plan (TIP) for these children. They then work with the children specifically on their needs for approximately 6 weeks. If there is no progress noted they notify SENCO and then move to the next stage.

Do:

Intervention groups are set up and delivered by SENCO/SEND teacher/LSA. These can be cross class/year group if the needs are the same. A brief record of each session is kept for teacher’s reference.

Individual targets are set by way of an IEP. These are worked towards either by 1:1 LSA or at various times throughout the week by the Teacher or class LSA.

Review:

The class teacher is responsible for monitoring targets set and assessing progress. Targets should be reviewed regularly as part of ongoing assessment and teaching must be modified accordingly.

For children that receive interventions, progress will be monitored and if intervention is still required this will continue until either progress is made or an IEP is needed.

IEP’s will be shared with parents from the beginning and reviewed half termly. Parents, Teacher, Specialists, 1:1 LSAs, class LSAs, child and SENCO will be invited to attend the meeting and discuss progress towards targets and agree on future targets.

Catch up interventions

If a child has made little/no progress despite receiving high quality, differentiated teaching, and then catch up teacher interventions, then they may move onto the next stage after discussions with SENCO.

Individual Education Plans

Strategies employed to enable the child to progress may be recorded within an IEP or a GEP (group education plan) which sets out targets and teaching strategies that will support the pupils making progress. These strategies and interventions are additional to those that children will receive through high quality, differentiated teaching.

IEPs should focus on up to three or four key individual targets and should include information about:

• Specific SEND
• Main barriers to learning
• the short term SMART targets set for or by the pupil (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed)
• the teaching strategies to be used
• the provision to be put in place
• when the plan is to be reviewed
• success and/or exit criteria

• outcomes (to be recorded when the IEP is reviewed)
• the views of the Parent and child

IEPs should be continually kept under review as a working document (annotated) and should be shared with all staff who will be working with the child.

They are reviewed every half-term with the child and Parents if possible. The new IEP is signed by the Parent then a copy given to them within a week. A copy of the amended and evaluated IEP or GEP is given to the SENCO along with a copy of the updated IEP within a week of the review taking place. An electronic copy of the IEP is stored in

‘Shared Document’ – SENCO – IEPs – in the child’s class and in their own file. For easier

access the file should include the IEP number and date written. E.g. IEP1 Jan 13

SEND Information

This is held centrally by the SENCO with some held on the school server.

The SEND information includes:

• SEND flowchart to map process of identification
• A list of children at each stage of the SEND graduated approach.
• A timetable for interventions including named children
• Checklists for initial assessments of potential barriers to learning
• Support information

Individual SEND information file

Each child has their own file which is kept by the class teacher. These files contain data concerning the child as well as TIPs, IEPs and records of interventions. The class teacher will be given a copy of reports as needed and these will be kept centrally by the SENCO. Some of these are also saved electronically.

Partnership with Parents

We aim to promote a culture of co-operation with Parents, schools and others. We will do this through:

• Ensuring all Parents are made aware of the school’s arrangements for SEND including the opportunities for meetings between Parents and Inclusion team.
• Involving Parents as soon as a concern has been raised. This may be done at a Parent consultation or by personal appointment with the class teacher.
• Providing access to the SENCO to discuss the child’s needs and approaches to

address them.

• Supporting Parents understanding of external agency advice and support.

• Undertaking reviews for children with identified SEND.

During Parent/Teacher meetings, teachers will explain any concerns there are and any targets that have been set.

When a child is at the ‘Do’ stage it is at the teacher’s discretion as to if/how the concern is passed on to the Parent but if the Parent is informed then there must be an explanation of what the school is going to do to support the child and what the Parent can do to help at home.

When a child is at the ‘Action’ stage, the Parents need to be informed that there is a concern. If the child has a personalised provision timetable then the Parent should be made aware of it and the type of provision being given explained. Targets should also be shared.

If the child has an IEP then the Parent must be invited to a regular IEP review meeting where the needs of the child are discussed and targets are drawn up together, so that the Parent knows what is expected of the child, school and Parent.

From this point Parent involvement becomes more formal with written invitations to meetings, including Annual Review Meetings.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENCO)

Whole school = Katherine Gilbert (From August 2016)

The key responsibilities of the SENCO include:

• Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy
• Monitoring data to identify SEND children and report back to the head teacher throughout the year during informal meeting every term and a written yearly report.
• Co-ordinating provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Liaising with and advising fellow teachers to ensure the SEND Policy is carried out.
• Overseeing the records of all children with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Liaising with Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Contributing to the in-service training of staff.
• Liaising with external agencies including educational psychology services, health and social services and voluntary bodies.
• Chairing review meetings, attend Planning Meetings and being available for IEP meetings as needed.
• Attending courses to keep skills and knowledge up to date.
• Planning interventions to be used in school.
• Writing and updating the SEND policy yearly.

The role of the governing body

SEND Governor = Raymi van der Spek

The SEND Governor ensures that all Governors are aware of the school’s SEND provision, including the deployment of funding, equipment and personnel.

In particular, the governing body has a legal duty to:

• Do its best to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs are appropriately catered for and that they have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in all aspects of school life;
  • Ensure that Parents are notified of a decision by the school that their child has special educational needs;
  • Establish an SEND policy which is publicly available and can be easily understood by Parents; and review that policy on a regular basis
  • Report on how the school’s SEND policy is being implemented and ensure that

the SEND Code of Practice is followed

• Meet the SENCO on a termly basis to gain information about the provision made for pupils with special educational needs and to monitor the implementation of the SEND policy and report back to the governing body on a regular basis.

• Observe at first-hand what happens in school both inside and outside the classroom to ensure that SEND pupils are actively involved in all aspects of school life;
  • Take opportunities to meet and talk with Parents of SEND children.
  • Keep informed about developments in the area of special educational needs, nationally, locally and within the school

The Role of the Head teacher

The responsibilities of the Head teacher include:

• Involvement with parents as partners in the learning process
  • Co-ordinating the work of the teaching assistants
  • Participating in LSA development programmes
  • Determining the pattern of work, timetable and role of the SEND Coordinator
  • Dealing with queries or complaints from parents
  • Liaising with the SENCO
  • Liaising with the KHDA with respect to policy and enactment
  • Ensuring that the SEND Policy is implemented as described
  • Involvement in how children with SEND are integrated within school as a whole
  • Working with LSAs on planning, teaching and recording pupils’ progress
  • Liaising with external agencies including the Educational Psychology Service and other
  • Ensuring that the legal requirements of current legislation are met within the school
  • Keep the Governing Body well informed about SEND within the school
  • Ensure that the school has clear and flexible strategies for working with Parents,

and that these strategies encourage involvement in their child’s education

• Ensure the SENCO receives training and induction in their roles, including training in managing other colleagues and working with support staff and keeping their skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Give the SENCO sufficient resources of money, time, space and administrative back up to fulfil the role to reflect the responsibilities included.
  • Give sufficient non-contact time appropriate to the numbers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities within the school.

Headmaster                                                  Coordinator                                               

Governor                                                    Date