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Our SEND Coordinator is Miss S Lockett
slockett@ipmat.co.uk
01924 302865
I have been the SENDCo at the school for the last 19 years and I am passionate that ALL children have access to quality first teaching. All children have the potential to be the best they can and at Towngate we believe in providing children with the mindset that encourages them to have a ‘can do’ attitude towrads their learning. We believe in promoting happiness and fun in school so ALL children develop a healthy appetite for learning and for seeking new adventures and opportunities.
If you have any questions, queries or concerns you can email me or contact the school office to arrange an appointment.
What is the Local Offer?
It provides information and support available for families with children and young people ages 0-25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Wakefield Early Support, Advice,Information and Liaison (WESAIL) provides a free, confidential and impartial service – which means we do not take sides and try to ensure everyone is given opporunities to express their views and feel listened to.
WESAIL
The aim of the WESAIL service is to support children, young people, their parents, carers and families by providing information to navigate systems and processes so that they can play an active role in decision making about matters relating to their or their children’s health, education, social care to support and empower them in meeting their child’s needs and promoting self-advocacy.
WESAIL is also responsible for updating the Local Offer and engaging with children, young people, families and stakeholders in its ongoing development and review. The aim of the local Offer is to help people easily find information about the services, activities and supportavailable in the local area for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and /or Disabilities and their families.
Telephone: 07961 897036
Email: WESAIL@barnardos.org.uk
Website: Apologies but due to some national changes, our website is currently unavailable or limited in it’s information. We are working on this and hope to have it rectified as soon as possible.
Like our Facebook page: Wesail Wakefield
Address: Barnardo’s Wakefield Services, Room 249, Castleford Civic Centre, Ferrybridge Road, Castleford, WF10 4JH
At Towngate Primary Academy we provide teaching and learning which enables all children to gain access to a broad, balanced and appropriately differentiated curriculum. We strongly believe in the role of Quality First Teaching and Curriculum Entitlement for all children.
Our aim is to ensure all children are supported in order that they may work confidently towards reaching their full potential. The Principles of the SEND Code of Practice 2014 set out the following guidance:
At Towngate we pay close regard to the three key principles of inclusive education:
We encourage children to follow a ‘3 before me’ attitude to their learning; a ‘can do’ approach before seeking help from the adult. We encourage all children in school to be an independent learners. To achieve this we work closely with Kings Church in Ossett who support school leading an intervention to support children called ‘Unique Identity’. We also have close links with CAMHS and our advisory teacher supports school with well being sessions, mindfulness activities and as a school we continue to promote this in our day to day school life.
We provide a language rich environmet throughout our school and actively aim to close ‘the word gap’ for all children through our quality first teaching. We use new and interesting words in natural conversations. We value talk with children and encourage children to talk with one another. We read to children daily, taking time to go over new words. and look for books with illustrations that provide clues to word meanings. We actively think about new vocabulary and give children ample time to learn the meaning and uses of new words before moving onto other words.
If a pupil requires additional support we will refer children and support children to the Speech and Language service and work with the professionals to follow programmes adapted for the child.
We use Makaton signing to support communication when appropriate.
We would support any referrals to these services and work with the professionals to provide resources as required or implement programmes as needed.
We deliver a Fit to Learn programme that focuses on the development of fine and gross motor skill coordination. A trained Educational Support Assistant delivers the programme assessed by the SENCO.
We are felxible if parents need to speak to staff; appointments can be made or staff are free at the end of the afternoon sessions. Staff will also contact parents by telpehone if this is more convenient for parent/carers.
During the transition of children from Primary to Secondary School we visit the school with the children and where appropriate create Transition Plans so that the child can meet their new teacher, setting and understand the changes to their school life. We also do this during the year if a child in any cohort is moving schools to ensure that the transition is smooth and that the new school is fully supported with meeting the needs of the child.
We hold an Open Mornings, Open Afternoons and INSPIRE Mornings for parents. This gives you an opportunity to come and work with your child and see how well they are working at school.
We have a Learning Mentor who will support children to reduce anxieties and develop their self-esteem through well planned support.
Regular newsletters and planning overviews are provided to parents so that they are aware of what is happening in school and providing them with knowledge organisers each half term to support home learning.
The environment (inside and outside) is set out to provide plentiful opportunities to support early literacy in our Foundation Stage Setting.
We teach the Read Write Ink programme for children from Nursery to Year 2. We also use the Read Write Ink programme as a bespoke interevention for children needing additional literacy support.
We involve parents by providing you with your child’s weekly spelling for every half term to support them with.
We use Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction; presenting new material in small steps to allow children to practsie and embed before moving on too quickly in the learning process. The modelling by adults and scaffolding of more difficlt tasks supports children in their development of writing longer and shorter texts based around book led curriculum and topics that we deliver.
For children who may require more support with writing we offer booster writing clubs or small group provison in the classroom provision to build confidence to become a positive young writer.
We encourage children to read regularly at home and in school to support their phonic and de-coding skills as well as teaching them strategies to understand what they have read. We have a ‘reading for pleasure’ time in KS 1 and 2 and book share mornings in EYFS and KS 1 to promote the school’s ethos of the love of reading.
We provide group support in class with the teacher and teaching assistant to develop and strengthen skills across the curriculum.
We provide a handwriting intervention called Speed Up. It focuses in on the fine motor skill coordination of handwriting and ‘speeds up’ the child’s pace of writing.
The environment (inside and outside) is set out to provide plentiful opportunities to support in our Foundation Stage Setting.
We believe the use of Numicon provides a firm grounding in their understanding of number and quantity.
We offer an opportunity for parents to attend maths workshops so that they understand how we teach calculations to a specific age group and ability.
We have a range of resources that support children in accessing the mathematical curriculum.
To support children if they need it we have an intervention called 1st Class Number. This programme is a light touch mathematical intervention that supports children to make accelerated progress.
We provide group support in class with the teacher and teaching assistant to develop and strengthen skills across the curriculum.
We provide after school maths clubs thorought each year group from Year 1 to Year 6 to support. enhance and promote the love of maths for children if they need it.
We have one school rule:
Ready Respect Safe
We plan a personalised curriculum as appropriate. We adapt resources and the environment as required with the support of appropriate professionals. The school provides a teaching assistant for each year group in order to further support the children’s learning and access to the curriculum.
Children are supported in their journey to independence through carefully planned activities and support from the appropriate professionals.
Additional lunchtime supervisors are employed as required in accordance to needs.
Additional educational teaching assistants can be employed to support the 1:1 programmes that may be required for children.
Staff plan in accordance with the National Curriculum and Early Years Framework to ensure all children’s needs are met through the curriculum delivery.
Differentiated tasks allow children to achieve their own potential.
Assessments are completed by teaching staff during regular intervals to measure the rate of progress and identifies the key areas that require further support.
Assessments by teaching staff are moderated in school and externally.
Our tracking systems enable us to monitor the progress of children accurately.
Our Headteacher and SENCO have overall responsibility for liaison with all necessary parties so that lines of communication are maintained.
Thank you for taking the time to read the information provided.
Miss Lockett