How will teaching be adapted to meet the needs of my child?
Quality First Teaching and differentiation
Teaching and Learning Policy January 2015
All children are entitled to excellent classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching. Teachers will have the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class. Teachers will ensure that teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand. Teachers are skilled at adapting teaching to ensure it is multi-sensory and meets the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning takes into account individual pupil’s needs and requirements.
Differentiation: this is when a lesson is adapted to meet the needs of different children. At Rotherhithe this is approached in a range of ways, but the aim is to support access and ensure that all pupils can experience success and challenge in their learning.
This may include providing:
- Careful consideration of questioning
- Providing additional materials or resources
- Use of alternative communication methods such as: visual timetables, Makaton signs
- Allowing children to use alternative recording methods
- It may involve careful use of grouping or pairing of peers.
- It could be an adapted activity that is linked to the class teaching.
- It may be consideration of where the child is going to complete work.
- It may involve use of additional adult support possibly within a group or at an individual level.
External specialist and the Inclusion Leader provide teachers with advice regarding strategies to help adapt teaching and learning for pupils with additional needs.
Homework is differentiated to ensure that it is at an appropriate level. Children in Key Stage 2 have access to homework clubs enabling them to receive help where necessary.
Monitoring takes place termly to ensure that the quality of teaching is of a good or better standard. The Inclusion leader completes additional monitoring of teaching provided for SEND children.
What if my child needs something different from the rest of the class?
At times a child may need a targeted intervention that is different from what the rest of the class are doing. The SENCO in consultation with Class Teachers, Deputy Head Teacher and Assistant Head Teachers may organise a variety of specific interventions. Most of these happen within school time, but many also occur after school or sometimes at lunch time. Children are specifically timetabled to take part in these interventions which are usually run by a Specialist TA, Specialist Teacher, Learning Mentor or Speech and Language Therapist. These people have the appropriate training to enable them to deliver the interventions to a high standard.
Examples of some of the interventions that we run are as follows:
- In the Early Years and Year 1 – Forest School.
- Programmes to support speech and language therapy delivered by a therapist.
- Speech and language therapy programmes delivered by support staff of Sue (Specialist SALT TA)
- Read Write Inc. phonics intervention delivered individually, in groups, or in after school clubs for Years 1-4.
- Fresh Start Reading Programme a phonics intervention delivered in year 6
- Beanstalk Readers who provide volunteer 1:1 reading support
- 1:1 writing or reading tuition with a tutor delivered during or after school time
- Small group numeracy intervention in school and also as booster clubs after school.
- Small group literacy intervention delivered in school.
- Additional reading comprehension
- Learning mentoring
- Other intensive withdrawal programmes for key skills includes: Catch-up reading, Cued Spelling, Stairway to spelling, Alpha to Omega, Numbers Counts, Number Box amongst others.
Progress within the interventions is carefully monitored.
Behaviour
Some children may require additional support to manage their behaviour and emotions. School sanctions and reward system are set out in the School’s Behaviour policy
- Children may need an individualised positive behaviour system to help manage their needs.
- This may include a reward system.
- Some require1:1 support from a Learning Mentor
- Or access counselling support from the Learning Mentors through the ‘Listening Ear’ service. A self-refer service when children feel that they need additional counselling.
- Others benefit from getting involved with lunch time clubs
- Sometimes additional advice is sought from the specialist schools like Summer House Pru
How skilled are staff in meeting the needs of my child?
An on-going programme of training is in place to ensure that teachers and support staff have appropriate skills and knowledge in areas that will improve their teaching and support of all children including those with SEND and medical needs.
Our Inclusion Leader actively engages with local opportunities, (e.g. she is currently seconded/working for a day each week with the SEND department of the Local Authority). This enables the sharing of best practice and helps keep the school abreast of current local, national initiatives and policy to support pupils with SEND.
The school also seeks advice and guidance from local special schools to review, evaluate and develop provision for pupils who have the most complex needs.
The Inclusion Leader is a dyslexia specialist teacher, who is able to assess children for dyslexia.
The training priorities are set out in the School’s Improvement Plan. This document is created and maintained by the Head Teacher.