SEND Information and Local Offer

Cherry Oak School

Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) Report

Information & Local Offer: September 2023

The Birmingham City Council "Local Offer" sets out a wealth of information about support services available to support children and young people with special education needs. You can find the Birmingham Local Offer here: www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk 

The 'Local Offer', helps families understand what services they and their child can expect from a range of local agencies.

Cherry Oak School is a primary special school for children with severe learning difficulties, speech, language and communications difficulties, and autism spectrum disorder.  All pupils admitted to Cherry Oak have a range of learning difficulties, which means they have been assessed in accordance with current legislation, the SEN Code of Practice and LA guidelines and have an Education, Health and Care plan in place

1) What is the special needs provision at Cherry Oak School?

2) How does the School identify and assess Special Educational Needs?

 All our pupils have SEND and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Occasionally we are asked to admit pupils who are still in the process of receiving an EHCP assessment.

3) How does the School know how much progress is being made with pupils with Special Educational Needs?

We have robust systems of baseline assessments, recording data, target setting and tracking of progress in place. Targeted intervention is in place for all pupils who we feel are making less than expected progress. Our targets are set in discussion with families and other external professionals and based on our knowledge of the whole child. Regular parents evenings/review meetings take place and parents are able to arrange meetings at other times to discuss progress.

4) What extra-curricular activities can a pupil with Special Educational Needs access at School?

We run a variety of extra-curricular/enrichment activities for our pupils, some of these are held at lunch time, for example signing choir and dance club. We also have after School Clubs, which offers a programme of activities across the school year. In the summer term we offer "stay and play" sessions for families to join their child and use our exciting outdoor facilities. 

In addition, we also offer a year 6 residential visit for pupils as a conclusion to their time with us.

5) Does the School have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)? If so, who are they and how can someone get in touch with them?

Responsible person at Cherry Oak is Ross Ashcroft (Headteacher). Initial contact for further information should be made via phone or email (see below for details). All class teachers are available to speak to families throughout the year, should class specific information be required.

6) What training do the staff in school have in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs?

Many of our teachers and support staff have a great deal of experience working with children with SEND. For staff who are new to the school, we offer induction and training including autism awareness, communication, and curriculum delivery. We have a schedule of training across the year for all staff to complete. Some teachers have trained as SEN specialists and some TAs have qualifications in supporting special educational needs.

7) How does school get more specialist help for pupils if they need it?

Within school we have access to a team of professionals who can offer specialist advice. These include NHS physiotherapists, orthotics, speech and language therapists, hearing impairment teachers and visual impairment teachers. We work very closely with all professionals, as well as families, to ensure we offer the best provision. When necessary, we also work with other agencies such as Forward Thinking Birmingham, Social Care and Health, Educational Psychologists and the Communication and Autism Team.

8) How are parents of children and young people with SEND involved in the education of their child?

We are happy to meet with parents as often as necessary to ensure that they are happy with the education their child is receiving.

There are a range of opportunities, both formal and informal, for families to come into school. These range from parents' evenings, Annual Review meetings and special assemblies. Class teachers are happy to speak to parents regularly on the phone and pupils have a home school book to assist in communication. We are also happy to arrange meetings with parents at any time of the year. Our website and the associated App and email messaging services are also primary means of communication.

9) How are pupils with Special Educational Needs involved in their own education?

Wherever possible we will include our pupils in their education by encouraging then to participate in review meetings, whether that is by talking with them outside of the meeting to ascertain their views or by them taking part in the meeting itself.

We also have a student council. Pupils are voted onto this each year in the autumn term by their peers. They meet regularly and have the opportunity to influence decisions.

10) If a parent or a child with SEND has a complaint about the school, how does the Governing Body deal with the complaint?

We have a complaints policy that we will follow in any instance of a complaint being raised. You will find this within the Policies tab (top of page). In the first instance, we would encourage parents to contact the School Office, who will put you in touch with the most appropriate person to help to resolve your complaint.

11) How does the Governing body involve other people in meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs including support for their families?

A Family Worker is employed to support and signpost families to other agencies for support. A team within Cherry Oak School facilitates a programme of support for parents and carers to attend throughout the year.

12) What support services can help families with pupils who have special educational needs?

Birmingham SENDIASS is available to help parents through the assessment process and can also help facilitate school visits and offer advice. SENAR is the department within the LA who manage the EHCP assessment process and school placements.

13) How does the school support pupils with SEND through Transition?

The arrangements for transition vary depending on the stage of each pupil's education. On entry to school, the transition is planned on an individual basis with you and your child. Often a pupil will start at Cherry Oak with one or more visits to the school. This is usually into a full time placement, however we are happy to plan a detailed and longer transition, if necessary.

If a pupil is coming to us from a different school, we will always try to visit them in their current setting and if possible attend their final review.

Secondary Transfer – when our pupils reach year 5 we begin formal discussions about child’s future and plan visits to secondary schools and well as secondary schools attending parents evening to showcase their provision.

14) Linked documents include:

• Complaints Policy

• Anti-Bullying & Harassment Policy

• Supporting Children with Medical Conditions Policy

• Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

• Special Educational Needs & Disability Policy

• Equality Policy

15) Monitoring and updates

This report will be monitored throughout the year and ratified by the Governing Body every September. Amendments will be made as appropriate to changes in local provision, or statutory guidance.