Knelston Primary SchoolAdditional Needs Policy

At Knelston Primary School we recognise and celebrate the uniqueness of each child through a programme of learning that promotes challenge and personalised education at all levels. Through this, we encourage creative and critical thinking alongside stimulating and meaningful experiences. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is at the heart of our school’s ethos and practice. As a right’s respecting school we teach about children’s rights and model rights and respect in our relationships and practice. We continually aim to provide an inclusive, enabling environment which gives all children a voice and empowers them to achieve. Our curriculum celebrates the diversity within our school and equips our children with the skills and attributes required to fulfil the four core purposes of the Curriculum for Wales.Our school strives to create a nurturing environment with strong, open and positive partnerships between adults, children and the wider community, that ensures the well-being of all.

1. Introduction

At Knelston Primary School all pupils are considered of equal worth. It is the aim of the school and its staff to provide each individual with a broad, balanced, relevant and wherever possible, a differentiated curriculum. Emphasis is on gaining discovery, interpretative and learning skills through first-hand experiences within the school and its environment.

At the heart of the school and class work lies a cycle of planning, teaching and assessing. These arrangements take account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests that children bring to the school. The majority of children will learn and progress within these arrangements. Those who have difficulty in so doing may have additional learning needs, which we at Knelston School aim to identify at the earliest opportunity.

Appropriate support for children is provided. Teachers will have access to specialists (as appropriate) in support for learning via the special needs co-ordinator who will ensure a consistency of approach with all adults involved, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of staff.

We will involve parents or carers and children themselves, in discussions about any difficulties and plan appropriate action with them whether for the short of long term. The day to day responsibility for the children lies with the class teacher

It is also realised that a number of children have individual needs, which will require additional support. It is important that we as a school have a common understanding of what is meant by `ALN.` and Additional learning Provision.

We will ensure that the objectives laid out in this policy are implemented in the classroom by collaborative self-review by senior management and the ALN Governor

2. Aims and objectives

It is the aim of Knelston Primary School that all special needs children have full access to the curriculum in a meaningful and purposeful way, so that their potential is realised. With the development of self-help skills, learning strategies and the differentiation of work it is hoped that our aims will be met.

The responsibility for children with special needs at Knelston Primary School is a shared one. It involves a firm partnership between the Headteacher, Classteacher, Additional Needs Co-ordinator, Additional Needs Governor, the child and his/her parents. Mrs Kate Porter is responsible for co-ordinating the day to day provision of education for pupils with additional learning needs and is the ALNCO. It is the responsibility of the ALNCO to follow the guidance of the 1993 code of practice (see appendix four for roles of Headteacher, Class Teacher, Support Teacher, Learning support assistant and parents).

This partnership is very important when deciding through regular liaison, the best methods to be employed to help overcome any learning needs. It is also important that the child him/herself takes an active role in the planning of his/her objectives (if appropriate) in order to overcome the main difficulties and to be encouraged to take responsibility for his/her learning.

3. Responsibilities of the ALN Co-ordinator

The day to day operation of the school's ALN policy,

o Ensuring statutory requirements of 1993 Education Act are met.o The management of the staged referral process (currently under

review)o Liaising with and advising the school's ALN governor.

Liaising with and advising fellow teachers,Advising teachers on-:

o Appropriate materialso Appropriate teaching and learning strategies across the curriculumo Specific strategies to meet individual pupil's needso Appropriate support availableo Appropriate resources available in schools o Classroom based assessmento Classroom managemento Formulation of Individual Education Planso Modification of SATs.

Liaising with teachers about-:

o The ALN provisiono The staged referral processo The ALN listo The implementation of Individual Education Planso Monitoring progress.

Co-ordinating provision for children with ALN

o Establishing the need for ALN provision throughout the school utilising a provision map

o Deciding upon the pattern of provision including the allocation of supporto Monitoring the implementation of provision for ALN o Reviewing the effectiveness of the provision

Maintaining ALN register and overseeing records on all pupils with ALN

o Establishing the ALN list (deciding upon format)o Keeping the list up to dateo Decide upon a method of recording progress for pupils with ALN across the

curriculumo Monitor that records are kept.

Liaising with parents of children with ALN,

Making contact with parents

o When parents are contacted?o How parents are to be contacted?o Who is to contact parents? (class teacher, support teacher, Headteacher)o How parents should contact school?

Involving parents.

o How can they be involved?o Providing informationo Supporting learningo Active participation in programmes.

Keeping parents informed of:-

o Child’s progresso Statutory assessment

Supporting parents

Contributing to the in-service training of staff,

Working with whole staff, groups or individuals on: -

o Information on current legislation o Feedback from courseso Providing inset sessions on strategieso Providing inset sessions on appropriate materialo Providing inset sessions in Individual Education Planso Working with 'outside speakers' during inset sessions

o Providing inset sessions on classroom based assessmento Techniques e.g. observation etc.

Liaising with external agencies including EP's, medical and social services and voluntary bodies.

Establish procedures for contacting external agencies

o Who contact whom?o When contactedo Criteria for deciding upon appropriate agencyo To maintain file containing information and relevant forms applicable to the

referral procedure of each agencyo Monitor the deployment/use of external supporto Liaising on monitoring of progress.

Arrangements for co-ordinating Educational Provision for Pupils with ALN.

Support is allocated on the basis of need. This is carried out in a variety of ways-:

Support is provided by: -o Class Teachero Support Serviceso Support Teacherso Headteachero Nursery Nurseo Parentso Learning support assistantso Peer group

Overall co-ordination is performed by the ALNCO, who has the overall view of the needs of the school and who liaises closely with Class teachers, Support teacher and any other supporting agency teaching or non-teaching - to ensure the child’s needs are met. A provision map format is used which allows an ‘at a glance’ way of showing the range of provision the school makes for children with additional needs. It helps staff to plan systematically how best to use the school’s resources to meet identified needs.

The ALNCO monitors appropriateness of support and monitors this on a termly basis to ensure it is used most effectively.

Teaching support is organised using a variety of strategies, including withdrawal from class, within class support and also releasing class teachers to provide support and we recognise that liaison between teachers and assistants are essential to effective support.The Special Needs Governor liaises on a regular basis with the ALNCO together with spending time in the school with the class teachers and children in order to achieve an overview of how ALN children are supported.

Knelston has an inclusive whole school approach to ALN provision and sustains a range and continuum and range of provision to meet the needs of pupils who are in school at any one time. This provision is made by the ALNCO, Headteacher, Class teachers, Support teacher and LSA’s.

Liaising with external agencies including the Educational Psychology service and other support agencies, medial and Social Services and voluntary bodies.

Establish procedures for contacting external agencies

o Who contact whom?o When contactedo Criteria for deciding upon appropriate agencyo Monitor the deployment/use of external supporto Liaising on monitoring of progress.

To maintain file containing information and relevant forms applicable to the referral procedure of each agency

Arrangements for Co-ordinating Educational Provision for Pupils with ALN.

Support is allocated on the basis of need. This is carried out in a variety of ways-:

Support is provided by: -Class Teacher Support ServicesSupport Teachers HeadteacherNursery Nurse ParentsLearning support assistants Peer group Support

Overall co-ordination is performed by the ALNCO, who has the overall view of the needs of the school and who liaises closely with Class teachers, Support teacher and any other supporting agency teaching or non-teaching - to ensure the child’s needs are met.

The ALNCO monitors appropriateness of support and monitors this on a termly basis to ensure it is used most effectively.

Teaching support is organised using a variety of strategies, including withdrawal from class, within class support and also releasing class teachers to provide support and we recognise that liaison between teachers and assistants are essential to effective support.The "Special" Needs Governor liases on a regular basis with the ALNCO together with spending time in the school with the class teachers and children in order to achieve an overview of how ALN children are supported.

Knelston has an inclusive whole school approach to ALN provision and sustains a range and continuum and range of provision to meet the needs of pupils who are in school at any one time. This provision is made by the ALNCO, Headteacher, Class teachers, Support teacher and LSA’s.

4. Resources Available

Human Resources -:

All staff are a potential resource for support of ALN pupils -:

I.C.T. Co-ordinator in relation to specific software available to support learning needs.

Mathematics/Language Co-ordinator in suggesting particular strategies to use in learning situations

Parental help within the school is very much encouraged and again is utilised as and when it is felt will help in specific cases.

o Material Support.

All material resources within the school e.g. Interactive whiteboards/Computers/ microphones digital cameras etc. These are available for use with ALN pupil’s dependent again on their specific needs and will be utilised accordingly. A range of assessment materials are readily available and are allocated on a needs led basis.

o Software in Support of ALN.

There is a range of software for PC’s are available for use with children on the ALN list. These cover a variety of curriculum areas and are carefully selected by the ALNCO in conjunction with the ICT Co-ordinator as a strategy to assist the children in meeting their IEP targets.

o Teaching areas

There is currently one area, which is designated for use by the ALN Support staff. The spelling corner, which is situated to the right of the main entrance. It provides a stimulating and bright environment for the children to work in. It contains a wide range of equipment aimed to provide a multi-sensory approach to ALN support such as wooden letters, whiteboards, magnetic letters, word banks, reading and spelling games, spellcheckers etc.

5. Identification and Assessment Arrangements and Review Procedures.

o Initial Identification Procedures.

The importance of early identification, assessment and provision for any child who may have additional learning needs cannot be over- emphasised. The earlier the action is taken, the more responsive the child is likely to be. The ultimate responsibility for school based assessment rests with class teachers.

When a class teacher encounters a child who is experiencing learning difficulties, the assessment procedure starts within the classroom, using professional judgement as well as test results. The data compiled on the child should be as detailed as soon as possible and should reflect the child's strengths as well as the child's needs.

Classroom - based assessment of a child with ALN might well include some of the following:-

o Informed observation -for example taking note of their level of ability, behaviour and interaction with peers.

o Structured observation -for example teacher gives the child a specific task and observes the method and apparatus used to solve it.

o Diary records -for example a teacher may keep a diary in which notes are made about a child's progress or behaviour.

o Group or class observation -for example observing a child's behaviour within a group and how the child functions effectively on a personal level and as a group member.

o School records - checking school records from previous school phase.

o Tests - checking child's levels attained.

o Discussion with any agency already involved e.g. Health visitors, Social Services, E.W.O.

Working alongside the class teacher, the support teacher or ALNCO can also make use of other means of assessing a child's ability with the use of a variety of obtainable materials.

6. External support services can be contacted by the ALNCO or Headteacher to help assess children and advise teachers, when appropriate.

The L.E.A.`s Additional learning Needs Support Services comprises:-

o Access to Learning - Education Psychology and Statutory Assessment Teams.

o Behaviour and Learning Support Team.o Access to Learning – This includes Teacher advisors for ALN

Children with additional learning needs are identified in a number of ways within the school. Once identified and assessed each child has an individual educational

programme of work, which is usually worked upon over a half, or term period of time, at the end of which, it is reviewed and if needed, a new I.E.P is written. As well as an

I.E.P, some children receive out of class support from a member of staff.

7. Individual Education Plans

These include:o Short term targets for the childo Teaching strategies to be usedo Provision to be put in placeo When the plan is to be reviewedo Success criteriao Review sheet to record outcomes

The IEP will only record that which is additional to, or different from, the differentiated curriculum. IEP’s are under constant informal review and more formal reviews are

held at least twice a year. One of the reviews is timed to coincide with a Parents evening. Parents views are sought on the child’s progress as part of the review process and are provided with copies of the IEP’s and a copy of the corresponding review sheet onto which they are invited to comment on how they feel their child has progressed. Children are also encouraged to participate in the review process and their comments are recorded on the review sheet.

8. The Graduated Response

The Code of Practice for Wales (2002) recommends that a graduated response that encompasses an array of strategies be adopted. This graduate response recognises that there is a continuum of special needs and where necessary brings increasing specialist expertise to bear on the difficulties that a child may be experiencing.The Graduated Response can be described in two parts, School action and School Action Plus.

School Action - The child’s teacher in liaison with the ALNCO:o Consults with parentso Gathers informationo Co-ordinates appropriate support within the classo Prepares an individual education plan (IEP) which sets targetso Monitors progress

School Action Plus – The ALNCO with the support of the child’s teachers:o Consults with parentso Gathers further informationo Involves external support services within the classo Prepares an IEPo Monitors progress

The Graduated Response adopted is as follows:

School Action – is defined as identification of a child with ALN by the ALNCO or the class teacher who then provides interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of the schools usual differentiated curriculum offer and strategies.

The basis for intervention through school action could be the teacher’s or others’ concern, underpinned by evidence, about a child who despite receiving differentiated learning opportunities: Makes no or little progress, even when teaching approaches are targeted

particularly in a child’s identified area of weakness; Shows signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematical skills which result

in poor attainment in some curriculum areas; Presents persistent or emotional or behavioural difficulties which are not

ameliorated by the behaviour management techniques usually employed in school;

Has sensory or physical problems and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of specialist equipment;

Has communication and/or interaction difficulties and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of a differentiated curriculum;

Continues working at NC levels substantially below that expected of pupils of a similar age.

An Individual Education Plan would be written for a child on School Action

School Action Plus – The triggers for School Action Plus will be that despite receiving individualised support under School Action, the child:

Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period; Continues working at NC levels substantially below that expected of children of a

similar age; Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy an numeracy skills Has emotional or behavioural difficulties which substantially and regularly

interfere with the child’s own learning or that of the class group despite having an individualised behaviour management programme;

Has sensory or physical needs, and requires additional specialist; equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service;

Has ongoing communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning.

In some cases outside professionals from health or Social Services may already be involved with the child. Where these professionals have not already been working with the school staff, the ALNCO, may contact them if the parents agree.

The external specialist may act in an advisory capacity or provide additional specialist assessment or be involved in teaching the child directly. The strategies for supporting the child will be implemented, at least in part, in the normal classroom setting.

Statutory Assessment – If a child continues to demonstrate significant cause for concern a request for a statutory assessment is made by the school, from a parent or a referral by another agency, to the LEA.

Statutory assessments involves consideration by the LEA, working co-operatively with parents, the child’s school and as appropriate, other agencies as to whether a statutory assessment is necessary. The LEA may decide that the degree of the pupils learning difficulties and the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s additional learning need is such as to require the LEA to issue a statement outlining the ALN provision.

9. Procedures for Annual Review of Children with a Statement of ALN.

An LEA must review a statement within twelve months of making the statement or, as the case may be, of the previous review, and on making an assessment of a child who already has a statement.

The LEA must require the Headteacher of the child's school to submit a review report by a specified date. The LEA must give at least two months' notice of the date by which the report is required.

To prepare the review report, the head teacher seeks written advice from the parents, any people specified by the LEA, and from anyone else the Headteacher considers appropriate. That advice will relate to the child's progress towards meeting the objectives in the statement and towards meeting any targets established to help

meet the objectives specified in the statement; any amendments to the statement; or whether the statement should cease to be maintained.

Before producing the review report, the Headteacher must convene a meeting to assist in its preparation. The Headteacher must invite the parents and relevant staff members, any people specified by the LEA, and anyone else the Headteacher considers appropriate; and must circulate copies of the advice received before the meeting. Following the meeting the Headteacher submits the review report to the LEA by the specified date.

If the parents wish to discuss any aspect of the review process with the school or LEA, they are encouraged to do so. Every effort is made to inform parents of both their rights and their responsibilities and to encourage them to attend the review meeting. Where a parent does not respond to invitations to contribute in writing to the review, or to attend a review meeting, that information is recorded in the review report with any reasons given.

When a child with ALN or his/her family does not have English as a first language, the timescale for planning the annual review would take into account the need to:

Translate any relevant documentation into the family's mother tongue. Ensure that interpreters are available to the child and family. Ensure that any professionals from the child's community have similar

interpretation and translation facilities in order that they may contribute as fully as possible to the review process.

Ensure that, where possible, as bilingual support teacher and/or teacher of English as a second language are available to the child and family.

10. Conduct of the Review Meeting.

The review meeting takes place in the child's school and is chaired by the Headteacher or ALNCO

The review meeting should address the following questions:

o What are the parents' views of the past year's progress and their hopes for the future?

o What is the school's view of the child's progress over the past year?o What has been the child's progress towards meeting the overall objectives in the

statement?o What success has the child achieved in meeting the targets set?o Have there been any significant changes in the child's circumstances, which

affect his/her development and progress?o Is current provision, including the National Curriculum or arrangements

substituted for it, appropriate to the child’s needs o What educational targets should be adopted against which the child's educational

progress will be assessed during the coming year and at the next review?o Is any further action required and if so, by whom?o Does the statement remain appropriate?o Are any amendments to the statement required or should the LEA be

recommended to cease to maintain it?

The meeting should then make appropriate recommendations.

Involvement of the Child.

Teachers will, if appropriate, through discussion with the pupil collect information regarding how they feel about this work and problems experienced and to a certain degree will have some input into the programmes of work they will follow and at reviews of School Action and School Action Plus.

11. ALN Folders.

Once a child has been identified with ALN his/her record and Individual Educational Plans are kept in the school's ALN Folders (kept by ALNCO).

It comprises of a front-page list which gives the date of birth, year group and position in the Graduated Response system at which each child with ALN are presently at.

All relevant documents belonging to a particular child e.g. stage referral, IEP, requests to SENS, or statement, are kept together for easy access in year order to allow a Key Stage 1/ 2 divide.

Apart from the main ALN Folder, each class teacher has a ALN class file. In the file is a list of all children with ALN in the class as well as a copy of their stage referral, IEP and a record of the work covered from the IEP by the class teacher and support teachers. This file is referred to on a weekly basis so that the child's progress can be closely monitored.

12. Arrangements for providing access for pupils with ALN to a balanced and broadly based curriculum including N.C.

This school values the abilities and achievements of all its pupils. We are committed to discovering and providing the best learning conditions for each pupil, promoting development in understanding and social maturity alongside their peers wherever possible.

All children have the same entitlement to the full range of the school curriculum and we are committed to making this accessible to all our pupils through differentiation and varied teaching styles, according to individual needs. This covers the full range of continuum from those with most difficulties to those who are exceptionally able

Appropriate support for children is provided. Teachers have access to specialists in support for learning directly or via the ALNCO.

Our schemes of work can easily be adapted to meet specific needs of children with ALN (including gifted children).

Should disapplication result in modification of the N.C be needed, we will inform our LEA and our Governors forthwith.

13. Differentiation.

Planningo Assessment of child's strengths and needs.o Need to establish learning priorities, with short-term achievable targets.

o There will be collaboration between child/class teacher/ support staff, in devising, preparing and delivering an appropriate curriculum.

o Aim to match a teaching style to the child's needs e.g. If a hearing impaired child is part of a mainstream class, it is important that the class teacher makes changes to his/her teaching style in order to address the child's problem. Provide extension and enrichment work where appropriate

o Evaluate progress to inform further planningo Record keeping for ALN children will demonstrate small steps of progress o Plan for success.

Organisation o Classroom organisation - will reflect the meeting of the needs of the specific

problems of the child concerned - this will be reflected in the layout of the classroom together with groupings etc.

o Support Arrangements - support arrangements will again reflect the needs of the specific child, either by in-class support by class teacher or by withdrawal individually or in small groups to work with support teacher/Headteacher.

o Resources to be used - the types of resources used will reflect the nature of the specific needs of the child/children concerned. Material (readability) will be a factor that will be considered as a high priority.

Teaching and learning styleso Class teaching/whole group accesso Small group worko Paired/shared worko Individualised worko Reinforcement and revision of skillso Develop the ability to transfer skills learned to other areas of the curriculumo Encourage children to become independent learnerso Use of information technology.

In order to ensure access to the curriculum we endeavour to provide ALN children with either support on an individual basis or in a small group situation.

The ALNCO is responsible for ensuring smooth transition of information across phases by meeting with individual teachers on a regular basis in order to discuss children concerned.

14. How children with special needs are included within the school as a whole.

Children with ALN are taught within the mainstream situation of the school alongside their peers, they are encouraged to engage in activities of the whole school, alongside pupils who do not have ALN which enables us to value the diversity of each individual. All pupils are valued members of the school and are offered equal opportunities. We aim to recognise the strengths of all pupils and build on these to nurture respect and esteem for oneself and each other in all areas of the curriculum.

As a means of evaluating the success of our school's ALN policy the views of those concerned in the implementation of it (class teacher/support teacher/special needs governor representative) will be considered alongside a consideration of the pupils learning and achievement. Further consideration will be given to the success or otherwise of how effective the system for identifying and assessing pupils have been.

The finance committee of the governing body will maintain an audit of how ALN funding has been allocated - how effective it has been and how resources might be more effectively deployed in future.

Annual review procedures will help us ensure that the necessary provision is being made for our ALN pupils.

15.How the Governing Body evaluate the success of the Education which is provided for pupils with ALN.

The progress of pupils on the Special Needs Register is closely monitored from both academic and social perspectives.

o Monitoring the levels of inclusion of all pupils with ALNo Reviews of IEPso Comparison of Baseline and SATs resultso Regular reviews by ALNCO, Headteacher and ALN Governor of ALN listo Self reviews by pupils

16. Arrangements for considering complaints about special education provision within the school.

All new parents are issued with a School Prospectus, in which a section refers to Special Needs, informing them of what we will endeavour to do, should their child be identified as having ALN, together with how we would like parents to respond, should they have a concern that has not apparently been noticed in school.

The initial point of contact with the school from a parent with a complaint should be the Class Teacher who would then seek further intervention from the ALNCO/ Headteacher/Governing Body (Chair or ALN Governor) as appropriate. Any complaints received will be dealt with as soon as is possible and meeting arranged with parents accordingly. If however parents feel that a complaint has not been resolved, they should follow the Authority's complaint procedures, details of which are kept in school.

A concern from a parent regarding a child's statement of ALN should be addressed to the LEA via the Access to Learning Manager.

Parents will also be made aware of the ALN Tribunal, set up by the Education Act 1993, which considers parents appeals against decisions of the LEA about a child's additional learning needs where the parents cannot reach agreement with the LEA.

17. Arrangements for ALN in service training.(See Appendix 1)

Staff training needs are arrived at with the ultimate purpose being to raise the quality of professional knowledge, skills and attitudes and in consequence the quality of pupils learning together with helping staff work effectively with children with additional learning needs. It is essential we keep abreast of course literature and new developments.

Our planning will relate to initiatives available within the county and nation-wide, together with drawing on the vast skills and expertise available within our own staff. There is much to be learned from each other’s expertise, from the sharing of

personal reading and course attendance. If we lack expertise we must take steps to acquire it.

The ALN Co-ordinator will need in particular to keep abreast of all new possibilities for training in order to ensure he/she is able to carry out the requirements of the Code of Practice together with providing school based training for colleagues.

Where possible training will be offered to both teaching and non-teaching staff (NNEBS, Learning Support Assistants and Support Assistants etc.. This training can take a number of forms-:

Centre Based courses Whole Schools INSET in school Advice and support for individual members of staff Annual programme and records kept

The training needs of the Special Need Governor will be met by the courses offered by the L.E.A together with close consultation with the ALNCO.

We will monitor ALN Inset as we do with all arranged inset, to ensure all aspects are addressed and overall coverage of the range of ALN is achieved e.g. writing of I.E.P's Differentiation etc. As part of the School Development Plan In service training is reviewed on an annual basis which then prioritises training areas.

18. Use made of teachers and facilities from outside the school, including support services

Knelston School makes use of L.E.A support services.

Our school has a Service Level Agreement with the L.E.A for the provision of the above mentioned support services.

We use the Graduated Response as our criteria of when to contact the relevant support services.

Support services will generally, but not only be called upon at School Action Plus.

Classroom support for teachers is also available - with the ALNCO and Headteacher liaising with Access to Learning and School Improvement Service to provide-:

Support for behaviour (Learning and Advisory) Regular visits from the Educational Psychologist Visits from School improvement Service on a needs led basis

Support services are involved in -:

Working with individual children. Advising teachers on strategies to use with targeted children. Collaboration with class teacher, ALNCO in developing an I.E.P (Individual

Educational Plan) for a child. Access to Learning (Educational Psychological Service) may be involved

informally in giving early advice or formally in the formal assessment process. Monitoring delivery of programmes as set out in statements.

In the annual review of children who have a statement of ALN.

19. Partnership with Parents.

We recognise the involvement of parents as essential from a very early stage - from acquiring background information to active supporting of child at home (their opinions are very important).

How we make links?

Parents are supportive of the work of the school. Many come in on a voluntary basis to help with a range of activities.

There is an active Friends Association who has raised funds to support the school in its delivery of the curriculum.

The school actively involves staff, Governors, Advisory Colleagues, parents and the community to work together for the successful achievement of its aims.

Parents Meetings - These are organised on a bi-annual basis, Parents are encouraged to contact the school at anytime should the need arise.

When a class teacher depending on its nature notes a problem/concern, either the classteacher will invite the parents in for an informal discussion or it is initially discussed with ALNCO / Headteacher prior to discussion with parents. Communication can be by telephone or letter.

We endeavour to keep parents fully informed of the overall procedure, a different staged are approached in order to allay any concerns the parents might have.

20) Links with other mainstream schools.We are extremely fortunate to be able to maintain positive links, not only with the

other feeder schools to our local comprehensive school (Bishopston Comprehensive) but through visits to other schools on such occasions as inter-school athletics

tournaments, rugby tournaments and individual rugby games, netball, cross-country tournaments. Also during the Summer Term as the school is used as the base by

different West Glamorgan Schools each week for camping - links with these schools are developed. These links are very important for all the children of our school in as

much as they help the children to socialise on a wider scale etc.

We maintain close links with Bishopston Comprehensive when in particular our Y6 pupils and sometimes Y5 make visits for sports occasions, theatre productions and a large number of actual induction days prior to the transfer to the school.

Our Y6 teacher during the Autumn Term meets with the Y7 comprehensive staff to discuss how our children have settled in since their transfer and to pay particular attention to the standard of work they are producing. The Headteachers of the local feeder meet regularly with their counterpart at Bishopston Comprehensive for catchment area meetings.

The Head of Y7 at Bishopston, together with the Head of Special Needs visit the school each year prior to Y6 transfer to discuss the children involved - where

particular concerns can be discussed. In Knelston we have formulated a specialised transition pack for children who need addition support with the transition to Secondary school.

If it is apparent that children with special needs will benefit, extra familiarisation visits before hand, to help prepare for the transition, will be arranged.

Various strategies might be used to help familiarise the child with the transition. Extra visits. Preparation of core vocabulary e.g. words to help child cope at lunchtime with

menus etc. Using a plan of the new school to help the child. Any review meeting held in the last year prior to transition, the relevant

Comprehensive staff are invited to attend.

This policy has been discussed and agreed by the Knelston Primary School teaching staff and leadership teams for implementation.

Last review date: July 2018

Head teacher Chair of governors