In accordance with the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs the Headteacher, Governing Body and teaching staff ensure that the provision is regularly updated. Mrs. Martell retains overall responsibility for Special Educational Needs. Should you wish to know more about the Code of Practice, School Action and School Action Plus Support, the Statementing Process and parents' right of appeal, please contact Mrs. Martell and she will be pleased to explain the procedures to you. Parents are kept informed of their child's progress and Parental permission is always sought prior to referrals for additional help being made i.e. to the Educational Psychologist, Behavioural Support Team, Learning Support Team, etc. An Annual Special Needs Audit is carried out including all Year 2 pupils and any other pupils in the school from Y1 to Y6 who have been identified as having Special Educational Needs or who we feel may have Special Educational Needs. This system ensures that children who require additional support are identified quickly and given the best possible chance to succeed. When the results are received parents are informed by letter and are given a clear explanation of the support system. Assessment information provided from a wide range of sources is also used to assist the Teaching Staff in diagnosing areas where your child will require further support. All pupils with identified special needs are provided with differentiated work to meet their needs and ensure that they reach their full potential. The Governing Body, Headteacher and Staff at Grange believe that children with Special Educational Needs should benefit from inclusion in mainstream classes based on the needs of the individual and the availability of adequate support. A section in this prospectus for parents of pupils attending the Hearing Impaired classes at Grange has been provided containing specific information on our Specialist Teaching Facility. The School Governor with responsibility for Special Educational Needs is Mr. Ian Hill who Chairs the S.E.N. Sub-committee of our Governing Body working with the Headteacher to ensure that our provision meets legal requirements. Grange Primary School Specialist Teaching Facility For Hearing Impaired Children Grange Primary School is an Enhanced Resource School with a Specialist Teaching Facility (S.T.F.) for Hearing Impaired pupils. The children come from the catchment area of the City and County of Swansea and we occasionally provide places for children who live 'out of County'. Many pupils start at three years of age and stay until they are eleven years old. The placements are usually long term but admissions are made in any age group during the course of the year as the children are assigned placements by the Special Educational Needs Panel based at County Hall, Swansea. The children usually move to Secondary placements in Olchfa Comprehensive School Specialist Teaching Facility or obtain 'out of County placements' at Sandfields Comprehensive School (Port Talbot) Specialist Teaching Facility. Occasionally a mainstream Secondary placement is provided to meet the needs of the individual. Liaison is carried out between the schools at the time of transfer in order to prepare the pupils for this important transition. Our Specialist Teaching Facility Staff comprises three qualified Teachers of the Deaf and one in training, two full time N.N.E.B.'s. and one to one Learning Support Assistants working with some pupils who have 'additional special needs'. There are two classes each located in the most appropriate area of the school to enable inclusion to take place easily. We offer the support and expertise necessary to help children with hearing impairment to make full use of their residual hearing, to achieve their full potential in both speech and language development and access the National Curriculum at an appropriate level for their ability. Communication and Curriculum The whole school curriculum policies and schemes of work are used and adapted to form guidelines for both Individual Education Programmes of work (I.E.P.) and termly topic work. Each Hearing Impaired child receives an I.E.P. setting out the main targets to be achieved during the term. As an integral part of the school the S.T.F. is able to develop the children's social skills and their confidence to take their place in society. Children work according to age, hearing loss and ability, they can work as a whole class, in groups, in pairs or individually depending on the aims and objectives of the particular task set. Development of communication skills is a very important aspect of the work carried out in our S.T.F. Maximum use therefore is made of radio aids and speech training equipment. The children are taught in classrooms which are modified to provide good acoustic conditions. Every pupil wears either a body worn aid or post aural aids which are monitored daily. The L.E.A. specialist support staff also monitor the children's aids more thoroughly throughout the term. Speech Therapy is provided by two qualified Speech and Language Therapists working for the Area Health Authority who have extensive experience of working with Hearing Impaired children. The communication method used in the S.T.F. is 'Total Communication'. This stresses the equal importance of all communication methods in order to gain a complete understanding of language. 'Total Communication' uses as many systems of access to language information as possible: speech and finger spelling, gestures and written language. This approach is designed to give additional clues to understanding, as well as clarifying spoken words and introducing new vocabulary. Inclusion Inclusion is an important aspect of the children's education. All our Hearing Impaired pupils are included in mainstream classes according to their needs and are supported by S.T.F. staff when necessary. Inclusion is monitored and reviewed to ensure that the children are receiving maximum benefit from each session. It is also intended that inclusion gives the children a very positive experience which they will wish to repeat. The children are fully involved in all aspects of school life. We also practise reverse inclusion - when groups of mainstream children come into the S.T.F. to work with and alongside the hearing impaired pupils. Pupils with Cochlear Implants follow an additional programme supplied by the Cochlear Implant Team which is implemented by the S.T.F. Teachers. Liaison between the school and Cochlear Implant teams, Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists takes place on a regular basis. Home/School Links We appreciate the difficulty experienced by parents of our Hearing Impaired pupils as they are not in daily personal contact with the teacher. The school operates an 'open door' policy which means that parents are welcome to come and discuss their concerns with the staff at any time. Regular newsletters convey useful information on events at the school. Specific information relating to educational visits is also communicated by letter. In addition, communication with parents is carried out on a daily basis via the home/school book which travels with the child every day. Annual Review meetings are held to discuss the child's progress and future needs usually during the Summer Term. Parents are invited to the review along with other professionals who work with the pupil. At the time of transition from one Key Stage to another, i.e. age 7 and 11 years, the Review Meeting is held during the Autumn Term to enable the L.E.A. to make adequate preparations for provision should the child require a transfer from one S.T.F. to another in a different establishment. The time of transition is one where 'new issues' often need to be addressed and at Grange we are very aware that pupils need to be carefully prepared for the transfer to the new Key Stage. Liaison with other schools at such times is good and visits for parents to view the receiving S.T.F. or possible options for transfer are arranged or facilitated by the school. Admission to the Hearing Impaired Specialist Teaching Facility at Grange can only be granted by the City and County of Swansea L.E.A. via the Special Educational Needs Panel at County Hall. Recommendation for placement at Grange can only be obtained via the Statement of Special Educational Needs in accordance with the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs. Out of County Placements must be applied for through the correct channels, i.e. through your own L.E.A. Special Educational Needs Department. Similarly transport to the Specialist Teaching Facility is arranged and funded by the L.E.A. and must be written into the Statement of Special Educational Needs. School Policies on all aspects of curriculum and management areas including Racial Equality, Equal Opportunities and Freedom of Information can be viewed on request from the Headteacher. Useful telephone numbers for parents of pupils with Hearing Impairment: Director of Education for City and County of Swansea - Mr. Richard Parry Manager of S.E.N. Service for City and County of Swansea - Mrs. Sharon Davies Statementing Officer for City and County of Swansea – Mr. Christopher Seacombe County Hall - Tel. No. (01792) 636000

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