Staff Training
At Birkby Junior School we hold weekly staff meetings. These are used to make sure that all staff have up-to-date knowledge to teach pupils of all abilities.
Sometimes the training is run by specialists who make sure that staff have expert knowledge. Recent training sessions have included:
- EPI Pen and medical needs training led by a School Nurse
- De-escalation techniques led by Kirklees Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team
- Phonics teaching led by a Literacy Consultant
- Understanding children's mental health
In addition to our weekly meetings, all support staff receive two ½ day training sessions each half-term. These are led by members of our Senior Leadership team and ensure that all support staff have up to date knowledge about the curriculum, teaching approaches and strategies to support learners with special educational needs. Recent support staff training sessions have included:
- Supporting learners with literacy difficulties
- Positive behaviour management
- Disability friendly games
Our SENCO and Additional Needs Team offer on-going support and advice for all staff and can provide up to date knowledge about teaching approaches and resources for pupils with special needs and disabilities.
In addition to school based training, staff also attend training events offered by the Local Authority and outside agencies. Examples of recent events attended by staff include:
- Supporting learners with a visual impairment
- Managing medical needs
- Delivering speech, language and communication programmes
Miss Jo Gallagher and Mr Matt Henshaw, SENCOs, both hold the Post Graduate Certificate for SEN Co-ordination.
Inclusive Classrooms
At Birkby Junior School every classroom is an inclusive classroom that can meet the needs of all pupils in the class. Each classroom provides a range of resources and teaching strategies designed to support pupils with a range of special needs. In some classes, there may be also specialist equipment such as enlarged text books or adapted chairs.
Our inclusive classrooms provide:
- Learning resources that are clearly displayed around the classroom to aid independent learning.
- Pictures alongside writing to aid understanding.
- Visual timetables so that pupils know what is going to happen next.
- Teaching resources that make good use of pictures, colour and are simple and clear.
- Talk and writing frames and talk partners to support language development.
- Well organised table boxes to aid independent learning.
- A bank of accessible literacy and numeracy resources to support independent learning, such as alphabet arcs, vocabulary cards, number lines and sentence starters.
- Well organised and appropriately stocked book corners with a comfortable place to sit.
- A range of inclusive images in books, displays and in teaching resources
- A range of languages displayed in books, labelling and display
- A range of strategies to support pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs .
Our Inclusive Classrooms Checklist is reviewed regularly and adapted to ensure we meet the needs of all learners in the classroom.
Inclusive Teaching
At Birkby Junior School we work hard to ensure that all pupils receive good teaching and make good progress, helping them to successfully achieve their learning outcomes.
Classteachers plan lessons to meet the needs of all pupils and differentiate each lesson to ensure that there is the right level of support and challenge for each child in their class. Class teachers also ensure that support staff are targeted to support the pupils who need additional help and guidance in each lesson. The role of support staff is central to development of independent learners.
Some children may part in small group teaching, led by a member of support staff or Intervention Teacher. These groups are carefully planned and monitored to ensure that they offer the best possible support.
We ensure that all children who have additional needs are provided for to the best of school’s ability, making best use of funds available. Please see the Pupil Premium section of the school website to find out more about how this funding is allocated and used across school.
We use a range of strategies to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in all of our classrooms. These include:
- Tracking your child’s progress and holding discussions with teachers in termly Pupil Progress Meetings with a member of our Senior Management Team.
- Regular monitoring of pupil’s work in books and teacher’s planning.
- Termly lesson observations in all classrooms.
- Regular learning walks around school focusing on particular areas, such as the quality of marking and feedback to pupils or opportunities for reading.
Children with special educational need may also have additional targets to support their development. These targets are recorded on their Additional Needs plan which teachers review every term in partnership with parents and pupils.
Inclusive Curriculum
Our teachers set high expectations for every pupil and aim to teach them the full curriculum, whatever their prior attainment.
We use appropriate assessments to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. Lessons are planned carefully to address potential areas of difficulty and to ensure that there are no barriers to every child in the class achieving. Any potential areas of difficulty identified and addressed on an on-going basis.
Inclusive Building
We are very proud of our accessible school building – it provides a clean, tidy and well resourced learning environment that meets the needs of all of our pupils.
We are fully accessible and have two disabled lifts and ramp access for most steps. In addition we have two disabled toilets, one with a walk in shower.
Our new extension will provide four additional classrooms and three group rooms which will be used for small group support and interventions.
Our Disablity Equality and Accessibility Plan helps us to continually develop the school environment and make any changes that are necessary.
Assessment and Review
We use a range of assessment strategies to ensure that pupils work is well matched to their needs and helps them to make good progress.
- All staff talk to pupils during lesson time to make sure that they understand the lesson and know what to do next.
- Pupils are given verbal feedback about their work during each lesson.
- Every piece of work is marked by a teacher or the member of support staff who has worked the pupil. Staff make a note of pupil’s achievements (what they have done well) and record a next step to help them make progress and improve their work.
- End of unit assessments are completed each half-term. These help classteachers assess learning outcomes and plan next steps in learning.
- All pupils complete more formal assessments in reading, writing, spelling and maths each term. These assessments are standardised to help teachers measure your child’s progress and attainment alongside children nationally.
Pupils with special needs may also take part in a range of other assessments to help staff gain a good understanding of their particular needs and plan effective support and interventions.
These assessments may include:
- Phonics, reading and spelling assessments
- Dyslexia screening
- Observations in class and at playtime
- Speaking and listening observations
- Fine and gross motor checklists
- Social and Emotional progress tools
Evaluating the provision for pupils with SEND
School regularly monitors the provision for all pupils with SEND. Good practice is shared across classrooms and Year Group and staff work collaboratively to personalise provision for individual children and their specific needs.
Provision is monitored in a number of ways, including:
- Observations of Teaching and Learning
- Pupil's work
- Discussions with pupils and staff
- Provision mapping
- Termly SEND reviews
- Learning walks