School SEND Offer
Telephone: | 01707 276 504 |
Email: | admin@southfield.herts.sch.uk |
Website: | www.southfield.herts.sch.uk |
Needs catered for | Pupils will be attaining at a low academic level (whose cognitive ability is between 34 - 50% of their chronological age - Hertfordshire descriptors 2022), in most cases because of a global learning difficulty or because of the impact of autism and/or a speech and language disorder, on their functioning. Pupils will experience significant problems with a range of issues, such as communication, being aware of risks or managing everyday tasks. There may also be secondary needs, such as behavioural and emotional or physical and sensory difficulties. Some pupils will also have additional needs, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Dyspraxia. Medical issues may require daily supervision from an adult and potential intervention. Pupils’ ability to make progress will be limited across all areas of development. They will have a life-long learning disability which requires a multi-disciplinary service response. |
Age range | 4-11 |
How are children admitted? | Entry to the school is for Pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who meet the criteria described below (See Hertfordshire Descriptions of Need for more detail). Admission is coordinated by the SEN Assessment Team in Hertfordshire. Requests for a place cannot be made directly to the school. |
ENTRY CRITERIA | |
Communication and Interaction
| The pupil consistently needs modification of both content, pace and materials for the majority of the curriculum, including significant scaffolding and use of modified language. Pupils may have evidence of significant and prolonged difficulties in social communication and interaction and poor receptive and expressive language skills; The pupil may need communication aids to express themselves. |
Cognition and Learning
| 34% - 50% of their chronological age; particular difficulties acquiring and maintaining basic numeracy and literacy skills; the child will have a limited ability to reason, problem solve, acquire, store, and recall information; The sense of time is not developed (difficulty understanding past and future). The pupil relies on concrete information and experiences rather than abstract concepts. Knowledge is acquired through investment, engagement, exploration, and discovery. Pupils may have a variable or inconsistent (‘spiky’) cognitive ability profile. |
Social, emotional and mental health | Social and emotional difficulties generally associated with autism but also includes pupils with ADHD/ADD and attachment disorder as secondary presentations. Attention, memorisation, and impulse control are within early developmental levels. |
Sensory and/or physical needs | Sensory and emotional regulation difficulties generally associated with autism. Some pupils may also have hearing, visual or physical disabilities as secondary presentations. Pupils may need some support caring for themselves. |
Our Vision and Values, agreed by staff and governors, provides the context for our School SEND offer.
More information can be found on our school website: www.southfield.herts.sch.uk:
Below is an overview of our provision using the Graduated Response of Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
ASSESS (How we inform decisions about outcomes) | PLAN (How we plan to meet outcomes)
| DO (How we implement plans and provision) |
REVIEW (How we check progress against outcomes is made) |
Reception Baseline (Year R) | Work alongside parents | Evidence based interventions | EHCP annual review |
Play scale (All) | Work with other professionals | High Quality Teaching | Termly progress reports |
Daily Living Skills (All) | EHCPs/IEPs | Nurturing environment | Half termly data analysis |
NELI screening (R/Y1) | Risk Reduction Plans | Teaching for individual outcomes | Weekly parental contact |
EYFS profile / Early Learning Goals | Evidence based interventions | Every lesson to follow the APDR cycle | Pupil voice |
Phonics / Reading & Maths | High quality teaching and learning | Formative and summative assessment | Parent forums |
Adapted Early Years Objectives (AEYO) | Individualised and whole class provision | Staff work as teams to support each aspect of learning | Professional reports e.g school Improvement Partner |
Formative | Whole school cultural events | A holistic curriculum | Other agency progress measures e.g., Speech and language therapists |
Summative for end of terms/years/Statutory reporting | Environments that support sensory and dyslexic needs in particular | Monitoring and feedback | Internal reports from subject leads |
Pupil voice | Specialist provision e.g Occupational Therapy | Low arousal environment | Governor reports |
Attendance | School council | Outdoor learning spaces | Outcome Review |
Professional input | Visiting professionals | Break out areas | Annual review |
Parental input | Parent forum | Total communication strategies
| Parent feedback |
Observations | Leadership team, school improvement partner | Small group: high staff ratio | Professional reports, performance management |
Learning Walks | Leaders |
| Teacher meetings |
Hertfordshire STEPS framework | STEPs trainers | Termly training and updates | Regular meetings |
Baselines for specific interventions | Curriculum leaders | Implementation of intervention | Analysis of intervention outcomes |
EHCP outcomes |
| Implementation of provision | Annual review |
What training do your staff have?
Staff are provided with Professional Development twice each week, which includes:
Hertfordshire Steps (Behaviour Support)
Safeguarding
Teaching and Learning
Attachment and Trauma
Speech and Language development
Meeting sensory needs
Early Reading
Staff are also encouraged to attend other training to meet specific areas of need or to develop their knowledge and skills. We work with a range of other professionals for our program of Continual Professional Development.
What provision is there at your school for my child?
Small group teaching
High adult ratio
Access to SLT and OT Therapists
Play and Equine therapy
Behaviour support –Hertfordshire Steps
A wide range of facilities e.g. outdoor learning spaces, garden, trampolines, O.T and sensory room
Dyslexia supportive environment
Requirements of the Equality Act 2010 implemented (refer to accessibility plan)
How will you help my child transition into and out of your school?
From nursery/mainstream: staff visit setting, talk to staff, invite parents/carers to visit with child and offer a part-time timetable for the first 2 weeks. This is particularly helpful where a child has found it previously difficult to access school.
From Southfield to Secondary (Specialist): The transition program with secondary schools starts in the Spring term and intensifies in the final summer term.
What do you teach my child?
The curriculum is based on 3 Phases (Explained in more detail below):
Phase 1: Working within the early stages of the EYFS Framework (at any chronological age). The focus initially is on the 3 prime areas of:
Communication and language.
Physical development.
Personal, social and emotional development.
Phase 2: Cover all of the EYFS prime and foundation areas
Phase 3: Introduced to a more subject based curriculum to include R.E and science, as well as continuing with mathematics and Literacy. Other subject areas such as art are incorporated within topic themes.
Some children in this phase, in some areas of learning will be able to access the expected standards in the KS1 curriculum.
Our key drivers through all phases of are that of:
Communication
Self-regulation
Independence
Functional mathematics and Literacy
How will you monitor and review the impact of the provision and my child’s progress?
We use a range of assessments as referenced above. The AEYO Framework is a series of small learning steps that we use for Individual Education Plans (IEPS) and allow detailed tracking of progress so we can acknowledge each small step.
Assessments are internally and externally moderated and it is a statutory requirement to report on some of them. For example, Phonics assessment in Year 1 and 2.
How will pupils and parents contribute to the assessment and review of outcomes?
Formal parent/carer meeting e.g. termly Structured Conversations and Annual Reviews
Informal contact
Parent questionnaires
Pupil questionnaires
Pupil participation in meetings where appropriate
Pupil self-assessment
School Council
Parent Governors
How do you prepare children for adulthood?
Southfield’s vision is for all children to be prepared socially, emotionally and academically for their next steps in education and for life. This might be through the provision of cultural experiences or taking a leadership role as part of the school council. We also support independence through our Daily Living skills program.
How will you develop my child’s social skills?
Throughout the curriculum via class work and other programs such as:
Attention Learning
Assemblies/Presentations
Support from Speech and Language Therapists
Nurturing environment
School council
How will my child be part of the wider school?
Shared Playtimes
Assemblies
Shared lunches
Cultural events
Presentations
School council
Pupil voice
How do you communicate with parents?
Weekly telephone calls or comms
Work sharing via Earwig platform
Teacher-parent/carer meeting (formal and informal)
Parent/Carer forums
Monthly newsletters
Website
Facebook group (invitation only)
Class parent run groups
What support is available to parents?
Parent /carer workshops
School Family Support Worker
Referral support to other services
Class and Facebook group
Class teacher
Hertfordshire Local Offer https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/the-hertfordshire-local-offer.aspx
If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of SEND at Southfield, please follow our complaints policy, which is here'
complaints-policy-and-procedure-2023.pdf
