Maes-y-Llan is devoted to help each individual child reach their full potential. We recognise that every child is unique and will have areas of strength and may also have areas where extra support is needed. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive school for all learners. Through quality first teaching, robust differentiation, creating one-page profiles to include the pupil in their learning process, regular assessment and monitoring procedures, involving appropriate outside agencies when needed, appropriate support is put in place to work towards agreed targets. We work hard to maintain good home/school links and parents are always welcome to speak to their child’s class teacher if they have concerns about their needs..
Our offering for Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and Inclusion is a wide and diverse one. As part of the graduated response, we implement support at a universal and targeted universal level of provision and through additional learning needs provision. The support that we provide for pupils relating to cognition and learning, social and communication needs, emotional, social and behavioural needs and physical and medical needs are all part of this offering. In addition, the support we provide for Looked After Children (LAC) and for pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) in also included within this portfolio.
School can often meet the needs of a pupil at Maes Y Llan using our extensive range of universal and targeted universal interventions. However, sometimes support from an external agency may be needed to further advice on interventions or areas of support. These outside or specialist agencies include:
- Speech and Language therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Educational Psychologist
- Hearing-impaired service
- Visually Impaired Service
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
- Neurodevelopmental Paediatric Team
- Behaviour Support Service ANEW
- Social services
- TAC- Team Around the Child
- Police Community support
- ITas- Inclusion Team around the School
Who do I contact if I have a concern?
Initially contact your child’s class teacher. They will be able to discuss your concern with you before sharing it with our School ALNCo. This can then be reviewed at regular intervals and a plan can be made for moving forward.
If you feel your concern needs escalating, you can request a meeting with the school’s Additional Learning Needs Coordinator, Whilst Mrs Jackson is on Maternity Leave this is Miss Postle.
If you still feel there is a need to greater escalate your concern please discuss this with the head teacher. Our acting Head teacher is Mrs Lewis.
Alternatively, you can contact a member of the school’s Governing body who has interest and responsibility for additional learning needs.
The Graduated Response
In order to best support pupils who have Additional Learning Needs (ALN), the school adopts a ‘graduated response’ that encompasses an array of strategies. It is part of the continuous and systematic cycle of planning, action and review within the school to enable all pupils to learn and progress.
In the first instance school makes full use of all available classroom and school resources; Quality First Teaching, where good quality teaching and differentiation means that every pupil is included. The needs of all pupils are taken into account, with high expectations for them to help pupils towards independent learning. All pupils have access to this Universal Provision (School Action) and targeted Universal provision with small group or one to one identified interventions and small group work, where progress is assessed and reviewed regularly. Pupils may continue to receive the interventions, have made progress so do no longer need to, or may need to receive different or enhanced support.
If pupil’s progress continues to cause concern additional action is taken and advice and support is sought from outside agencies such as the Educational Psychology Service, Speech and Language Therapy Service, Literacy Service, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, School Nurse etc. (School Action Plus) who might suggest specific strategies to use with the pupil.
Where a pupil has not progressed as well as expected with the additional support provided as outlined above, the next stage of the graduated response would be that the school considers whether the pupil has Additional Learning Needs and in turn requires Additional Learning Provision. As part of this process, the school may engage with Local Authority services such as the Educational Psychology Service to further understand the needs of the pupil. Should it be determined that a pupil has Additional Learning Needs, an Individual Development Plan (IDP) would be developed in a person-centred manner through a Person Centred Review meeting. These IDPs would then be reviewed at least annually to ensure they remain relevant and are used as working documents.
Additional Learning Needs in Wales – what’s happening?
The Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal Act and Code will begin to replace the current Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Wales from September 2021.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the ALNCo, (Mrs Jackson is on Maternity Leave, so Miss Postle).
A Note From County