At New Brancepeth Primary School we understand how important a successful transition is to all our children.
How we support children / young people with SEND starting at our school
If your child has already secured additional support from the Local Authority, we will allocate them a Teaching Assistant before they begin school. We can then arrange for your child to attend additional transition sessions before they begin school with the support of this staff member. If your child has not secured this additional support but you feel that they have a need that requires this extra support, then contact us and we will discuss the possibilities with you. Please ask us if you think your child would benefit from an extended transition period.
We are keen to involve parents/carers as much as possible in their child’s transition to school, after all you know your children best. We invite parents into school during the summer term, this opportunity involves looking around the school, being introduced to staff and having the chance to discuss any concerns again before the start of school. This meeting is followed up by another invitation in the autumn term, where the transition period is discussed, reviewed, and evaluated.
We provide extra visits for those who we feel will benefit from an enhanced transition. The period of transition depends on the individual needs of the pupil. If a pupil transfers to us from another school, we will endeavour to visit them in their current setting. This gives us an opportunity to see what is currently in place for the pupil and how we can support them at New Brancepeth Primary School. If the child has an EHCP in place, the SENCO will attend the Annual Review to meet the current class teacher, parents and most importantly the pupil. At this meeting we hope to ease any worries or concerns for the move to New Brancepeth Primary School.
How we support children / young people with SEND moving between classes in our school
In the summer term before children transfer to their new class, we organise transition visits within school. A member of staff will accompany the children on a visit to their new class and helps them to settle into the new environment and meet the staff. The organisation of transition for SEND children is an extension of this system. As we are a small school, there are a lot of familiar faces for children! We use transition booklets for children to move between classes with photographs and information to keep at home to try to lessen anxieties for both children and parents/carers. This way, transition can be discussed further at home to support the preparation of returning to school in September with visual prompts as a reminder.
School staff will work closely with parents and where appropriate provide additional support to ensure a smooth transition whether that being as a child starts school or nursery or as they move between year groups. This can be extra visits, social stories etc. For our youngest children in Nursery, we can provide an extended transition into Nursery to support children in feeling comfortable with attending. We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.
Alongside transition meetings between staff, staff also prepare one-page profiles which detail the child’s SEND and what works well for them. This is passed up to the new class teacher.
How we support children/young people with SEND who are leaving our school
Children with SEND are given an extensive level of support before they leave for a new school. Their class teacher and SENCO will discuss with parents how many transition visits can be arranged over and above those offered to children without SEND. These additional visits to the new school will be carried out with the child, a class teacher / TA and parent in the summer term. This ensures that bridges are built between schools, key information shared between staff, and the child is given the opportunity to settle into a new routine with the support of a familiar adult. Additional meetings may also be held involving professionals to discuss transition arrangements. SENCOs from our school and the new school will meet to discuss individual children’s needs and hand over documents. Children may be offered a place in summer school at their new school if transitioning across the summer break.
Children with SEND who have been issued with an Education, Health and Care Plan can attend New Brancepeth Primary School for their Nursery and Primary School education. When considering the move to Secondary School education, a child can then be assessed for Special School if parents / carers wish them to attend this type of setting.
