• How will the school prepare my child to transfer between phases of education?
When a child with additional needs joins the school every effort is made to ensure that they have a smooth transition and that training resources are in place to meet their individual needs.
The school administration assistant responsible for admissions and transition (Mrs D. Kirkland) and the SENDCO will liaise with the child’s previous school or setting to ensure that all of the relevant information has been shared.
We encourage visits from children and their families before starting our school.
For those children who have support in place from professionals, related to their area of need, we like to hold an informal meeting between ourselves, parents, the professionals, and the child (where appropriate) before they start school, or within the first few weeks of them joining us. This helps us get to know each other, share information and ensure appropriate provision and support are in place, to achieve the best outcomes for the child and their family.
The SENDCO will co-ordinate and oversee transition into different educational settings and ensure that the provision is appropriate to children’s individual needs. This will ensure liaison between staff members and SEND teams within school to ensure that the provision is individualised where needed.
As pupils move to a new class, plans are put into place to support both the pupil and new staff to enable them to successfully transfer alongside their peers. This may include the organisation of additional visits, sharing of information, creating photo books, meeting new staff and facilitating any appropriate staff training, or a graduated timetable.
The school closely liaises with our local school Leas Park to enable an effective transition to take place. Parents are actively involved and kept fully informed throughout this transition process. The SENDCO is able to accompany parents on visits to a potential Junior, Primary and Special school upon request.
We encourage children to be as independent as possible, in preparation for adulthood. The teaching of life-skills is embedded in our everyday practice, particularly in the early years. We understand that for pupils with significant special educational needs, learning life skills is equally as important as acquiring new skills in reading, writing and maths.