Both our Mainstream School and MLD Provision are inclusive schools. We welcome everybody into our community. The staff, Governors, pupils and parents work together to make Parkway Primary School a happy, welcoming place where children and adults can achieve their full potential and develop as confident individuals. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for our children. We believe that every pupil has a right to equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We provide a learning environment that enables all pupils to be the best that they can be.
Achievement and Progress is at the heart of everything we do. We are an ACE school where pupils and staff focus on:
Aiming high with confidence
Co-operating and learning together
Enabling everybody to succeed
Additional and/or different provision is made in our school for children with a range of needs, including:
Our teachers and teaching assistants have extensive experience and continuous training in order to meet the needs of individual pupils. SEN training forms part of the continuing professional development of all staff.
Pupils with EHC Plans or Statements may be offered a place in our MLD Provision. We offer places to pupils who have Moderate Learning Difficulties. There are 4 classes in the Provision.
We employ a Speech and Language Therapist for one day a week to work with our pupils and staff. Our MLD Provision has a separate dining room. Each class has its own outdoor learning area. We also have a sensory room. Staff use a Picture Exchange Communication System and sign language to help pupils to develop their speech and language skills.
We use the Code of Practice (January 2015) definition of SEND to identify pupils who may have a special educational need.
“A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
We use a graduated approach to assessing, identifying and providing for pupils’ special educational needs.
Throughout EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, pupils are assessed against Nationally set criteria to check their progress across all areas of learning. It is through rigorous data analysis, termly tracking and termly pupil progress meetings that children, who are not making expected progress, are quickly identified.
We work closely with external professionals such as: Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, the ASD Service, Oxleas NHS Trust and CAMHS to quickly identify any needs or difficulties a child may have.
Pupils’ safety, wellbeing and academic achievement are our foci. We do this by constantly reviewing our provision and curriculum.
Class Teachers have responsibility for enabling all pupils to learn. They do this through:
Support Staff are expected to:
Pupils are expected to:
Intervention
Intervention is defined as provision which is ‘additional to or different from’ the usual differentiated curriculum. It can take the form of:
External Services
When a child’s need is more complex and persistent than can be met by the school interventions already put in place, the SENCO will engage with relevant external agencies/services. This may be triggered when:
Education, Health, Care Plans
When a child is demonstrating a significant cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent than can be met by the interventions already out in place, statutory assessment will be considered. The EHC Plan incorporates all information about the child from birth. All agencies involved with the child will contribute to the plan. If a Statutory Assessment is required, the school, in consultation with the child, parents and outside agencies, will submit detailed reports for consideration by the Local Authority’s provision Panel. The request is made to Bexley Local Authority.
Our curriculum is scaffolded and differentiated to meet the needs of our children. Differentiation may occur by grouping (small group, 1:1, ability, peer); lesson content; teaching style (taking into account visual, auditory and kinaesthetic styles of learning); lesson format (role play, thematic); pace; alternative recording methods (ICT, scribe, mind mapping, photographs) and the support level provided.
We endeavour to ensure that all classrooms and learning areas are speech and language friendly, promoting the acquisition of new vocabulary. Pupils have access to individual work stations, if required.
We make sure that all extra curricular activities are available for all pupils. Risk assessments are carried out for all educational visits. Health and safety audits are conducted as and when appropriate. A number of staff are trained in using PECS (Picture Exchange Information System) and sign language.
Staff always carry out home visits to new pupils to gather information about a child before they start school. The SENCo attends an annual transition meeting with pre-schools.
At the start of each academic year, we hold ‘Meet the Teacher’ meetings where parents and carers are encouraged to meet with their child’s new class teacher. This is an opportunity for parents and carers to discuss individual children’s needs.
We also hold two open evenings in the year to discuss children’s progress, attainment, attitudes to learning and behaviour. The children are given Reading, Writing and Maths Targets each term and these are also sent home to parents.
Parents of pupils with SEN are also invited to attend meetings each term with the SENCo to discuss their child’s progress towards the targets on their Individual Education Plan.
Additional meetings with parents and carers are held for pupils who are accessing support from external agencies such as Speech and Language Therapy, ASD Team and CAMHS.
Parents are invited to attend their child’s Annual Review of their Statement or EHCP with the SENCo.
We welcome information from parents about how their child learns best in order that it can be shared with the staff who work with the child.
We operate an ‘open door’ policy whereby the SENCo is easily contactable via the main School Office.
Yr6 transition meetings are held with receiving SENCos or a member of the Senior Leadership Team/Head of Department of the child’s Secondary School. These meetings take place in June.
Pupils are encouraged to review the progress towards their targets and discuss their achievement of their targets with the class teacher.
Pupil questionnaires are used throughout the year to gain information about pupil views, opinions and suggestions for improvement.
Pupils are encouraged to attend the open evenings with their parents/carers.
We understand that transition can be difficult for a child with SEN and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.
If your child is moving to another school:
When moving classes in school:
When moving into Parkway during the academic year:
Transition to Secondary School:
It is in everyone’s interests for complaints to be resolved as quickly as possible.
The complaint will be dealt with by the class teacher. It is important that the complainant feels listened to and that all points raised have been addressed. If the matter remains unresolved, the complaint is dealt with by the SENCo or by a Senior Leader. If there is still no resolution, the Headteacher will become involved.
If the matter is still not resolved, the complainant must write to the Chair of Governors. The Governing Body will deal with the matter through their agreed complaint resolution procedures.
In the unlikely event that the matter is still not resolved, the parent can take the complaint to the Local Authority.
Our school is fully accessible for wheelchair users. We have a disabled toilet. Our MLD Provision has four classrooms, a separate dining area, enclosed outdoor learning areas and sensory room.
Teachers adapt classroom layouts and learning areas to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All classrooms have direct access to outdoor areas. Alternative coloured paper is available for dyslexic pupils. Writing slopes, writing grips and sensory seat pads are available.
Bexley LA have provided information for parents which can be found on their website:
Below are links to websites that may be of interest to you as a parent or carer of a child with special educational needs.
Special Educational Needs - A guide for parents and carers
Special Educational Needs - SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years
Bexley Voice for special needs children
GOV.UK - Children with special educational needs
GOV.UK - Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
National Deaf Children's Society
HM Courts & Tribunal Services - Special educational needs and disability
Bexley Voice
Bexley’s Local Offer can be found on the following website:
Our SENCo is Mrs Cross. She can be contacted via email:
senco@parkway.bexley.sch.uk or via the main school office: 0208 310 0176