The Outreach - PDF

THEHatton School

& Special Needs Centre

PROUD of the Hatton Way; Learning, Growing,
Achieving Together

OUTREACH
A termly magazine from the Hatton Outreach Support Service

TRANSFERRING
FROM PRIMARY
TO SECONDARY
SCHOOL

Pupils at Loxford School for Science and Technology receiving Is your child
additional support from Learning Support Assistants. ready? Every

parent is concerned
about how their child
will cope when they
transfer from primary
school to secondary
education - even
more so if your child
has special
educational needs.

“BETTER LIAISON
BETWEEN
PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY
SCHOOL STAFF
WILL BETTER
PREPARE PUPILS
FOR THE NEXT
STAGE OF THEIR
EDUCATION”

At the Year 6 Annual
Review Meeting, the
Head of Year 7 and
the Head of Special
Educational Needs
will be invited to
attend.

1.

LEARNING HAPPENS EVERYWHERE

Every subject department offers An Outreach Support Teacher may
support. work with an individual pupil or a
small group of pupils. This could be
Support for children with special specific support using a
educational needs works differently differentiated/personalised
in secondary schools. Whereas in curriculum, or to raise levels of basic
mainstream primary schools the literacy and numeracy. The Outreach
Learning Support Assistant is there to Support Teacher can also be
support the individual child, in involved in training staff, providing
secondary schools they are attached resources and materials, and
to subject departments and will planning with subject teachers.
usually support a group of pupils.
In this lesson, the Learning Support
As well as being included in subject Assistant is giving support to a pupil
lessons, your child may also be who has got to a point with his work
withdrawn for some 1:1 support in where he cannot continue without
literacy and numeracy. some help.

2.

BOOKS AND BOOKLETS ABOUT
THE TRANSITION TO SECONDARY
SCHOOL EDUCATION

‘Moving On!’ is a teacher/parent guide and resource Transition - the
pack for supporting children who are moving to process
secondary school.
It can be bought on the 'I CAN’ website for £7.99. If your child has an
Education, Health and
‘Making the Move’: Care Plan -

a guide for schools and
parents on the transfer At the review meeting
of pupils with Autistic in the Summer Term
Spectrum Disorders of Year 4, you will be
(ASD) from Primary to encouraged to start
Secondary School. visiting secondary
schools in your area by
Amazon £19.99 attending Open
3. Evenings or making a
personal arrangement
to visit.


You will be invited to
attend the Annual
Review Meeting in the
Spring Term of Year
5. At this meeting, your
child’s transition to
secondary education
will be discussed. You
will have the
opportunity to think
about what kind of
secondary school your
child should go to and
what support they will
need.

CASE STUDIES TO SUPPORT INCLUSIVE
EDUCATION

RESEARCH - Saved from TES.co.uk

The transition from primary to Information for teachers and
secondary school in mainstream learning support assistants
education for children with autistic about successful inclusion for
spectrum disorder (Mandy, Murin, children with Down's syndrome
Baykaner, Staunton, Hellriegel, in mainstream secondary
Anderson and Skuse; Published by schools. This booklet is a good
SAGE, Jan 2016; 20(1) 5 - 13) starting point for SENCos
looking to deliver staff training
……… or pass on useful information to
In conclusion ………. while many others. Available from:
children and parents approaching
the school transition do so with a DOWN’S SYNDROME
sense of dread (Tobin et al., 2012),
our findings give cause for some ASSOCIATION

cautious optimism. In particular, National Office:
the commonly held notion that a 158 - 160, Balgreen Road,
move to secondary school will Edinburgh EH11 3AU.
inevitably lead to higher risk of peer Tel: 0131 313 4225

victimisation is not supported by our
data.

4.

HANDLING THE TRANSFER TO SECONDARY
EDUCATION

an exert from an article by Bull E., Handling the Transfer to Secondary School
(Downs Syndrome Research and Practise, 2008; 12 (2);112 - 117)

"The transfer to secondary Make an initial visit to all the
education can be an anxious time. schools in your area armed with
Starting to plan early can help." your list of questions. Visit the
special school, even though this
Make an initial visit to all the may not be the type of
schools in your area armed education which you feel
with your list of questions. Visit appropriate. After your initial
the special school, even visit discuss your findings with
though this may not be the the primary head if they are
type of education which you willing. You may find it
feel appropriate. necessary to make more than
one visit to several schools.
Elaine Bull is a teacher, mother
and a grandmother of a child with "Do you want your child to be
a SEN (Special Educational included in the school, working with
Needs). Her article offers peers or do you want appropriate
practical advice about what to withdrawal for teaching to meet
consider, when to start planning specific needs? Would you be happy
and discussion about the many with your child being educated in a
issues involved in the transition to unit attached to a school?"
later schooling.

5.

HANDLING THE TRANSFER TO SECONDARY
EDUCATION (continued)

Make sure that you visit again
when the school is in session.
The schools which you are
considering should make you
feel welcome to visit as many
times as is necessary for you to
be as sure as possible that you
are making the correct choice.

"How does the school use its support
staff? Your child may be used to
individual support from one Teaching
Assistant this may not be the practice
in a secondary school."

"Do you want an academic Take someone with you, perhaps
education or a good, well-rounded the parent of a child who has
social education? Has your child any similar problems, perhaps a
special abilities or interests?" friend who works in special
needs, anyone who you can
think of who may be willing and
able to help. A second person
may bring a new perspective to
what you are seeing and being
told and it is always good to
have someone to 'bounce your
ideas off'.
You will be able to register your
preferred school with the LEA in
Y5 but this is not binding, you
are free to change your mind
later.

6.

MUM’S TOUGH DECISION

As a mum of a daughter with Down’s
Syndrome, I understand at first hand how
hard it is to make the decision over whether
to choose a mainstream or a special school
for your child. Georgia (now in Year 5) had
gone from being a happy-go-lucky little girl
to being somewhat withdrawn.

Georgia, aged 9yrs

Transition -

Mainstream or
special school for
her daughter with
Down’s Syndrome?


While her classmates were being coached on A mother’s tough
SATs papers, she was working with her decision to transfer
teaching assistant on letter formation. She her child at the age
obviously found this frustrating. I arranged to of 9yrs from a
go and visit a local special school for mainstream
children with moderate learning difficulties. primary school to a
My initial sense of dread was quickly special school
replaced by the infectious sense of positivity where she could
within the school. stay until she was
16.
7.

MUM’S TOUGH DECISION (continued)

The children were engaged, well again. Seeing my children happy
mannered and seemed happy. really is the be all and end all.
The first class- room I visited saw Being inclusive and ensuring our
a group of seven children of children are part of the
Georgia’s age learning about community is so important, but
insects. The thing that struck me that doesn’t mean every one of
was that they had little plastic our children will stay in
versions of the bugs they were mainstream education. To be
discussing in front of them, to inclusive means to treat all
touch and hold and see. I felt for children as individuals, and
sure that this was how Georgia ensure we meet their needs to
needed to learn and that she enable them to thrive and fulfill
would blossom in this their amazing potential.
environment.
an abridged version of this story
If Georgia attended this school, by Hayley, September 5, 2014.
she would be there until she was
16. Having also got a daughter
who attends the local
comprehensive school, I was
aware of the fast pace of the
school day and the maturity
level of the pupils. I began to

refer to the new school as ‘a

school for children with

learning differences’ rather
than difficulties.
……….

Six months later and Georgia is
settled in her new school. She
has new friends and is back to
being a happy - go - lucky girl

8.

A CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS TO USE WHEN
VISITING SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Sample checklist (to be used for ideas)

* How is SEN provision organised in the school?
(ask to see the school’s SEN policy and the governor’s annual
report of SEN).

* Has the school got experience of children with the same/similar
needs as your son or daughter and how did they work with
them?

* What kind of help would your child receive? Depending on
your child’s needs ask about:

- additional adult support (eg learning support assistant, what the

class teacher and SENCo do)

- equipment/adaptations/materials

- the way teaching would be organised eg whole class, small

groups, 1:1

- SEN support services available to the school – e.g. therapists,

educational psychologist, literacy support, support from other
schools

- medical/personal hygiene support

* What is the school’s behaviour policy? How does it apply it to
children with SEN? If your child has behaviour difficulties, how
would the school respond to this?

9.

A CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS TO USE WHEN
VISITING SECONDARY SCHOOLS (continued)

* How does the school deal with bullying?

* How does the school involve parents in school life? How will the
school communicate with you about your child and his/her
progress?

* How does the SENCo communicate information about individual
pupils to teachers? This is especially important at secondary
school where a pupil might be taught by 13-14 different teachers
in a week.

* Are there any after school activities/trips/holidays and how
would your child with SEN access these?

* If your child will need transport to school, ask for information on
this.

Other things to look at:

- Do you feel welcome?
- Do the children look comfortable?

- If your child has any particular religious needs, would they be

met?
- Do the classrooms look like places where children can learn?
- Does the school look under control?
- Does the school celebrate different cultures/religions?

- Are the displays current and interesting and do they seem to

include pupils of all abilities?
- Do the staff seem interested in you and you child?

10.

THE OUTREACH

NEWSDESK

TUESDAY TASTERS - still to come

TUESDAY TASTER * in September 2017, we
SESSIONS FOR 2018 welcomed two new members of
the outreach team - Sam and
at Hatton School and Special Needs Centre
Hayley

Free sessions for staff in mainstream primary * all the conversions of Statements
schools in Redbridge
to Education Health Care Plans
should now be completed
PLEASE NOTE: Registration and tea/coffee is from
3.15pm and to start at 3.30pm and finish at 4.45pm
* we have a new termly magazine
on the Hatton School website
Spring Term 2018
called ‘THE OUTREACH’ - let us
know what you think about it
23rd January - Workstations

20th February - Creating a Personalised Curriculum
DAVID GARDNER is now one of the
Assistant Headteachers at Hatton School
20th March - 5P Approach to Behaviour
with responsibility for the Hatton
Outreach Support Service.
Summer Term 2018

If you have any queries regarding
24th April - Language Interventions and Strategies
outreach support or training needs for
22nd May - Social Stories and Comic-Strip your school please contact David at:
Conversations

27th June - Healthy Hands
Tel: 020 8551 4131
Email:
To book, please email: [email protected]
[email protected]

Please note that parking will NOT be available within
the school grounds, so please park on Roding Lane
South.

11.

THE OUTREACH

NEWSDESK (continued)

ICT DEVELOPMENTS -

Hatton School and Special
Needs Centre now has a new-

look website and an app.

You can browse what’s new here * since September, the Outreach
on your PC, laptop, iPad or Support Teachers have being
iPhone. The ICT staff at Hatton using a new way of working -
are constantly updating the
information, and adding new * every two weeks we meet with
interactive activities for children. the Learning Support Assistants
(LSAs) to discuss the Individual
The Outreach Support Staff work Education Plan targets. We use
in mainstream primary schools, a School Summary Sheet which
so we will be adding our own incorporates the Assess, Plan,
‘touch’ to the website to Do, Review cycle to check how
encourage our mainstream the pupils are learning. We look
colleagues to use it too. at the current methods,
strategies, resources and
Hatton School materials to check whether they
continue to be useful, or
& Special Needs Centre whether new ones are required

PROUD of the Hatton Way; Learning, Growing, * the notes of this meeting are
Achieving Together signed by the Hatton Outreach
Support Teacher and the LSA. A
copy of the School Summary
Sheet is given to the LSA, the
class teacher, and the SENCo for
the school

* the alternate weeks are spent
with the child in class, 1:1, or in
a small group

12.

‘Moving on Up!’ is a board game for The focus for our next magazine will
supporting children who are moving be:
to secondary school. It can be
bought on the ‘Incentive Plus’ ‘What parents can do to
website for £49.50. have a great time with
their children during the
The four sets of question cards cover: summer holidays.’

• Motivation If you have any ideas for the focus of
• Solution future magazines, please email them
• School to us and we will try to incorporate
• Responsibility them into the next year’s editions.

Moving on to

Secondary
School. What
It’s Like For
Me, can be
downloaded

for free from
the TES
Resources
website

The Outreach Support Service,
Hatton Special School,
Roding Lane South,
Woodford Green,
Essex IG8 8EU.

www.hattonspecialschool.co.uk
Tel: 0208 551 4131

13.