Current school overview

Total number of SEND:  21 %

Total number of EHCP: 17 children    3%

50% of SEN are Pupil Premium

Currently 17% of the Birmingham Pupil Population have a SEN, compared to 15% nationally and 3.2% have an EHCP compared to 3.3% nationally. 

What type of SEN do we provide for?

At Billesley Primary School we support children with a variety of differing special educational needs and we pride ourselves on being a highly inclusive school with an ethos which encourages and celebrates diversity and difference.

SEND is categorised into the following areas in the SEN code of practise 2014:

• Cognition and learning

• Communication and Interaction

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties

• Sensory and Physical needs.

At Billesley Primary School we have two ‘Resource Bases’ to meet the needs of children who have a diagnosis of Autism and an Educational and Health Care Plan. Please click on the link to find out more.

How do we identify and assess pupils with SEN?

• When pupils have an identified special educational need or disability, before they join our school, we work very closely with the people who already know them. We use the information already available to identify what the possible barriers to learning may be within our school and to help us plan appropriate strategies to support them.

• If you tell us you think your child has a special educational need we will discuss this with you and assess your child accordingly.  Often these assessments will be carried out by the school. Sometimes the school seeks advice from more specialised services such as Educational Psychology, Pupil and School Support or Speech Therapy – we always share our findings with you and the next steps we need to take.

• If teachers feel that your child has a special educational need this may be because they are not making the same progress as other pupils. By looking at the progress that the children make on a termly basis we can identify children more quickly. The earlier we take action and modify our provision, the sooner we can resolve concerns and help children towards success. We will observe your child’s learning characteristics and how they cope within our learning environments, we will assess their understanding of what we are doing in school and where appropriate use tests to pinpoint what is causing difficulty. This will help us to decide what is happening and why.  If school becomes concerned about your child, you will be contacted immediately by their class teacher or the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

• In the Foundation Stage we track progress against the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.

• We use a school assessment tracker system to track pupil attainment and progress against targets. This is updated every term and children’s attainment and progress is discussed  at each parent consultation meeting and in staff progress meetings..

• Children with SEN are identified and interventions may be put in place to support your child.

• We set individual targets on provision maps for children who require interventions and we monitor progression on the software Provision Map.

• We gather views of parents and carers at our regular parent consultation meetings and make notes of important points so that they can be revisited at each successive meeting to review progress.

• The SENCo is always present at our parent consultation evenings. Parents have an opportunity to chat with the SENCo at this meeting or make an appointment to discuss provision for their child.

• Our assessment coordinator analyses the progress of every child each term, and these results are discussed with class teachers. Each teacher plans targeted interventions for all children whose progress is causing concern. We adapt our teaching to suit the needs of individuals wherever possible.

• We check how well a pupil makes progress in each lesson using ‘Success Criteria’.  The Success Criteria helps the children to understand what is expected of them if they are to succeed.

Who is our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and how can she be contacted?

Sarah Butler

Please call at the school office

Or contact on 0121 675 2800

Or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What is our approach to teaching pupils with SEN and how do we adapt the curriculum and learning environment?

• We are an inclusive school.  Wherever possible children are taught alongside their peers in mixed attainment groups.  Teachers adapt their high quality teaching constantly in order to cater for their pupils’ needs, and plan individual timetables where necessary. When appropriate, staff are deployed to give children additional interventions in small groups outside the classroom, or to provide one-to-one support.

• Teaching is based on clear objectives, shared with the children and returned to at the end of the lesson.

• Lively, interactive teaching styles are used - visual and kinaesthetic as well as auditory/verbal learning.  All our staff are trained in a variety of approaches which means that we are able to adapt to a range of SEN: - specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia); Autistic Spectrum Disorder; speech, language and communication needs; and behavioural, social and emotional difficulties, Visual impaired, Hearing impaired.

• Strategies will include : Visual Timetables, task boards, peer mentoring, grouping for support, positive behaviour system, writing frames, word banks, differentiated groupings and activities, ICT,  talk partners, A4L, self assessment strategies, peer marking.

• Staff are trained in a range of interventions for reading, writing, maths and speech and language.

• Specialised support is provided from external specialists e.g. Educational Psychologist, Communication and Autism Team.

• Wide range of ICT is used, including varied software packages

• Opportunities to work with the Learning Mentor to support behaviour and social, emotional and mental health issues.

• Medical support and medical training to support specific children is arranged.

• After school clubs are fully inclusive.

• If a pupil’s education, health and care plan identifies something that is significantly different to what is usually available, there will be additional funding allocated. Parents will have a say in how this is used. This must be used to fund any agreed plan formulated by professional advisors, parents and school.

How do we consult parents of pupils with SEN and involve them in their child’s education?

• At Billesley Primary School we work closely with parents and carers, and recognise that they have much to contribute to our support for children with SEND.

• When we assess special educational needs, we will discuss with you if your child’s understanding and behaviour are the same at school and home; we take this into account and work with you so that we are all helping your child in the same way.

• Where appropriate, we will write and review targets for interventions or pupil portraits with pupils and parents/carers, a copy will always be available for you.

• We hold a regular meeting that allows all school staff, other professionals and family or carers involved with a child, to share information, celebrate progress and achievement and plan next steps.

• We use homework to repeat and practice activities that are new and presenting a challenge to a pupil.  If you have any concerns about homework please see your child’s class teacher.

• Our school is able to support parents to access a wide range of support services for parents, pupils and families. These are available through services provided by Birmingham City Council or agencies that Billesley Primary School subscribes to.

• Our staff are available at the end of every school session to discuss any concerns you may have about your child, or to share information that either party feels would be useful to the other.

How do we consult pupils with SEN, involve them in their education and improve their emotional and social development?

Pupil’s views are very important; they have a right to be involved in decisions about their education and they are made aware of the support that surrounds them in school. They will be fully involved and their views will feed directly into all policies, procedures and daily teaching of children with SEND.  Pupil’s are given regular opportunities to:

• Self assess

• Take part in Pupil Conferences

• Contribute to and, if appropriate, attend review meetings with their parents/carers to:

• Decide specific outcomes they wish to achieve

• Decide the help and support they need to achieve these outcomes

• Reviewing progress towards these targets

• Have a range of equipment available for children to use.

• Create pupil profiles 

• Personalise work stations

• Create visual timetables and cues.

How do we support pupils moving between different phases of education?

• Children who join our school in Nursery/ Reception are welcomed into our school community with a personal home visit by their key worker, followed by a meeting in school. Parent and child ‘taster’ sessions follow in the second half of the summer term in preparation for their September start.

• Transition to Reception, and then into each successive year-group, is supported by meetings, information leaflets and taster sessions in each new class.

• We liaise very closely with our partner schools in the cluster to ensure that the transition from primary school to the secondary school is as smooth as possible.

• Parents and children who are joining our school mid-term are encouraged to visit the school before they start.

• When we are aware that pupils joining us from other settings have identified special educational needs, we may arrange a visit to observe them in their familiar environment. If the children’s needs are unknown to us before they start, we will conduct early assessments to ascertain if  the child needs additional support.

How will we secure specialists, equipment and facilities to support pupils with SEN?

• Our SEN team make bespoke, individual resources for pupils with special educational needs that support their specific learning targets and needs, and reflects the learning undertaken by their peers.

• We assess all our new arrival children on entry to school and use a range of resources to help them develop their communication skills if required.

• We have a wide range of reading materials (books, digital stories, newspapers) to appeal to both aural and visual learners.

• We have a wide range of ICT equipment available to help motivate pupils and access learning.

• We use workstations, picture and symbol timetables and equipment such as countdown timers for pupils who need it.

• We seek advice and equipment from outside agencies as and when the need arises.

• We use a range of software on our school learning platform to help pupils engage with subjects they find difficult, to practice basic skills and work towards becoming independent learners.

Who can young people and parents contact if they have concerns or a complaint?

• Our school operates an open door policy. Your first point of contact is your child’s class teacher, who is always available at the end of every school day. In addition, our SENCo and learning mentors are here to listen to your concerns. If you are not satisfied that your concern has been addressed then you may speak to the Executive Principal, Principal or Vice Principal at any time. If your  issues are not resolved, then you may speak to any of our school governors. We have a governor responsible for SEND who may be contacted through the school office. 

• The local authority has a multi-agency panel who consider unresolved issues. You are entitled to appeal against any decision made about your child that you are not in agreement with. They may offer you an independent mediator if you are still not satisfied. The mediator may try to help you to agree a resolution with the local authority that you are happy with. The Birmingham Parent Partnership Service (0121 303 5004) are able to provide this independent information and advice.

Where can the LA’s local offer be found?

The Birmingham Local Authority Local Offer can be found at https://www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk/