Local Offer

Shirehampton Primary School is a two-form primary school and admits children from 2 years old until 11 years old. We can accommodate 60 children in each Year Group from year Reception up to Year 6.

Our Under 3’s provision provides free early education for eligible 2-year olds and admits 16 children on a part-time basis, where children attend for a total of 15 or 30 hours per week; either as 5 morning sessions from 8:45am until 11:45am or 5 afternoon sessions from 12:15pm until 3:15pm or 4 days a week for those eligible for 30 hours.

Our Nursery provision provides free education for children after their 3rd birthday until the end of the academic year in which they have their 4th birthday. There are 60 part-time places available in our Nursery. Parents have the option of 5 morning sessions from 8:45am until 11:45am, 5 afternoon sessions from 12:15pm until 3:15pm or 2.5 days which are either all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning (8:45am – 11:45am) or Wednesday afternoon (12:15pm – 3:15pm) and all-day Thursday and Friday.

Our ethos and philosophy are grounded in the belief that pupils’ social and emotional well-being is just as important as academic subjects. Our school uses the Thrive Approach which supports adults to help children and young people become more self-assured, capable and resilient, enabling them to thrive in their world. Many children and young people face challenges that can knock them off course and we provide the understanding and help to get them back on track. Every child needs to feel that they belong, that they matter, and that they are valued for their unique qualities. This will also ensure they make the best academic progress possible.

To support our philosophy in ensuring our provision is inclusive for pupils who have a wide range of special educational needs (SEN), the school uses the funding received from the Government, via the Local Authority. This provision includes:

A full time SENDCo (special Educational Needs coordinator) who is non-class based
An assistant SENDCo employed on a 0.2 basis
Two specialised SEN teaching assistants who provide 1 to 1 and small group support outside the classroom
A booster teacher in phase 1 (Nursery and Reception) Phase 2 (Year 1, 2 & 3) and Phase 3 (Year 4, 5 & 6)
A Pastoral Team made up of two full-time Learning Mentors, Pastoral Mentor, Pastoral TA, part-time Behaviour Specialist Teacher and trained Counsellor
Staff have additional training in speech and language, autistic spectrum disorders, dyslexia, managing challenging behaviour, reading interventions, social skills programmes and physical development interventions
A Nurture Room which offers an opportunity to learn the early nurturing experiences some children and young people lack, giving them the skills to do well at school, make friends and deal more confidently and calmly with the trials and tribulations of life
Offering parents, the opportunity to attend parenting workshops and family trips during the holidays
Targeted mentoring programmes during, including lunch times, and before and after the school day
A high ratio of Teaching Assistants (TA) across the school, including 1 dedicated Thrive TA
In class support for children who have English as an additional language (EAL) from a bilingual TA
A dedicated Speech and Language Therapist who works two days a week across the school and half a day in the Specialist Resource Base
A day every month of Educational Psychology time in school
Use of Restorative Justice, as a whole school approach, to create a harmonious learning environment where pupils are able to self-regulate their own behaviour and learning

As a Local Authority primary school there is no charge for any of these services if your child secures a place with us.

Questions from a Parent/Carer’s Point of View

How does the education setting know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

We receive information from pupils’ previous schools and educational settings.

The progress of all pupils is monitored regularly by class teachers and the senior leadership team, so that when a pupil is not making expected progress in a particular area of learning, including emotional development the school can quickly identify the need for additional support. This will then be discussed with parents and the pupil concerned.
If parents have concerns about the progress or attainment of their child, or think their child has SEND, they should in the first instance make an appointment to speak to the class teacher to discuss their concerns, who will then liaise with our Special Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) as appropriate. School will look into the concerns, share what is discovered and agree with parents what will happen next.

How will the education support my child?

Our school provision map shows the range of interventions in place in our school which may be used when we identify a need for additional support.

When the school identifies the need for additional intervention to enable a pupil to make expected progress, the parents will be informed of the planned support and may be invited to a meeting at the school to discuss this further. If the pupil meets the criteria for special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be created, detailing the exact support the pupil will receive at Wave 1, Wave 2 and Wave 3; a copy of this will be provided to parents.
We will monitor the progress of all children receiving additional support to ensure that the provision we have put in place is having the impact we are expecting.
Governors are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the provision in place for pupils identified with SEND and they will receive a report from the SENDCO on the progress of pupils with SEND.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

All teachers are provided with information on the needs of individual pupils so that they can plan the learning within our curriculum to ensure that all pupils are able to make progress.
Differentiation is planned for groups and individuals according to need: for example, for a child who has Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), teachers will use simplified language and/or pictures to support them to understand new vocabulary.

How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Annual reports and regular Parents’ Evenings, spread across the year give all parents regular feedback on their child’s up to date academic levels, individual reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation and maths targets and any behavioural, emotional or social difficulties.
When appropriate, parents may be contacted mid-term to discuss the support that the school are providing and how they can help their child at home: this may be a phone call or a meeting. Pupils’ views will be obtained and when appropriate, they may attend all or part of any meeting.
The school website details the end of year expectations for each year group and ideas for how parents can support learning at home.

What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

The well-being of all of our pupils is our primary concern at Shirehampton Primary. They are supported with their social and emotional development throughout the school day, through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), Thrive and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) Jigsaw (PSHE scheme of work) are integral to our curriculum and are also taught explicitly on a weekly basis.
Additional support from specialist staff is arranged as needed for individual pupils, both in and out of the classroom; a tailored personal plan may be put in place for pupils with the highest need; this could include an individual Thrive action plan or personalised positive handling plan.
Our Behaviour Policy is based upon Restorative Approaches in School (RAiS), placing the victim at the heart of the process; which includes guidance on expectations, rewards and sanctions is fully understood and in place by all staff.
We regularly monitor attendance, support pupils returning to school after absence and take the necessary actions to prevent prolonged unauthorised absence.
Relevant staff are trained to support medical needs and in some cases all staff receive training. We have a medical conditions policy in place. Where needed school liaise with medical staff to put care plans in place.
Pupils’ views are sought through school council, pupil conferencing and questionnaires.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the education setting?

All external partners we work with are vetted in terms of safeguarding and when buying in additional services we monitor the impact of any intervention against cost, to ensure a value for money service.
Educational outside agencies include: Educational Psychology (EPS); Specialist Behaviour and Learning Improvement services; Outreach Services, including BAT; EWS, The Hope and the disabled children’s team.
Specialist health services such as Speech and Language Therapy (SALT); Physical and Sensory Support Service (PSSS), which includes Hearing Impaired Service (HI) and Visually Impaired Service (VI); Occupational Therapy (OT); Physiotherapy (PT); Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS); Behaviour Clinic, other health professionals
We work with First Response, Early Help, Social Services and Community Police. • We also have a Pastoral Team to support families. The team is made up of 2 full time Learning Mentors, Family link Worker and access to an Art Therapist.
The school operates a Nurture Room where children can develop the necessary social, emotional and behavioural skills needed to successfully access our curriculum.
The Head teacher is a qualified teacher for dyslexic children.
Two highly trained TAs deliver individual evidenced based programmes of support for all children who benefit from having an IEP including a Polish and Turkish speaking TA.
Across our team of TAs, staff are trained in Better Move On, Better Reading Partners, precision teaching, talk boost, Letters and Sounds and have basic speech and language qualifications.
The school has a very active Young Carers group who meet weekly.

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?

We regularly invest time and money in training our staff to improve Wave 1 provision for all students, to develop enhanced skills and knowledge to deliver Wave 2 (short term support interventions) and Wave 3 (individualised support and interventions).

Our Special Educational Needs / Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) is a qualified and experienced teacher, who receives ongoing SEND training in specific areas and holds the National Award for SEN coordination.
All our teachers hold qualified teacher status and all staff members, including TAs, receive regular training to best support our pupils with SEND, for example in dyslexia, Autism, speech and language needs.

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

Our Equality/Inclusion Policy promotes involvement of all of our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside the classroom.

• Where there are concerns for safety and access, a personalised risk assessment is carried out to consider if reasonable adjustments can be made to meet any additional needs; if appropriate parents are consulted and involved in planning.

How accessible is the education setting?

Shirehampton Primary is fully wheelchair accessible and we have 2 hygiene rooms to support children with toileting needs.

We have an Accessibility Plan in place and where feasible, make reasonable adjustments to improve the accessibility of our environment to meet individual needs. Our policy and practice adhere to The Equality Act 2010.
We monitor the languages spoken by families in our settings and make use of translation sites via our website and endeavor to arrange for a translator to attend meetings when necessary.
All newsletters and relevant school documents are translated into Polish and Turkish.

How will the education setting prepare and support my child to join the setting, transfer to a new setting or the next stage of education and life?

We have an Induction programme in place for welcoming all new learners to our setting.
We have very good relationships with our feeder settings and the settings that most of our pupils move onto; we share information to support pupils’ learning and well-being at transition. Personalised transition programmes are developed for children that will benefit from this additional support which include transition photo albums, additional visits and multi professional meetings.
In year 6 all children visit their new secondary school at least once and the staff from their new school come and see them at Shirehampton Primary too.
Further support is provided as necessary for those with SEND including additional visits to the new setting, both individually and as part of an enhanced transition programme for identified pupils.

How are the education setting’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

Our finances are monitored and audited regularly, both internally by the School Business Manager and externally via the Local Authority Auditing team and we utilise resources to support the strategic aims of our setting as well as individual learner needs.
We seek to ensure a ‘value for money’ service, therefore all interventions are costed and evaluated.
Schools receive funding for all children including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and these needs are met from this, (including equipment).
If the assessment of a child’s needs identifies something that is significantly different to what is usually available the Local Authority may contribute more funding if the cost of meeting an individual child’s needs is more than £10,000 per year with school putting in the first £4000 and using the £6000 notional SEN funding provided by the LA.
Under the new Code of Practice an Education Health Care Plan may identify additional money is required. Parents will have a say in how this is used. You will be told if this means you are eligible for a personal budget. This must be used to fund the agreed plan.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

Quality First Teaching and Inclusive Practice (Wave 1) is clearly defined in our setting and we expect all staff to deliver this.
Should additional (Wave 2 or 3) support be required, this is undertaken after consultation with the relevant staff, the learner and their families as necessary. All interventions are monitored for impact and outcomes are defined at the start of any intervention. The SENDCo oversees all additional support and regularly shares updates with the SEND Governor.

How are parents involved in the education setting? How can I be involved?

We are a child and family centred school, so parents will be involved in all decision making about your child’s support.
We work in partnership with parents to support each child/young person’s well-being, learning needs, progress and aspirations.
We operate an open-door policy to allow parents to contact their child’s class teacher with ease.
Parents are invited to become involved in school-life through a number of means eg the parent council, becoming a governor, hearing children read and ongoing invitations to school events throughout the year.
We host regular opportunities (3 times a year) for parents to join in learning with their child through our Family Challenges, giving parents the confidence to support their child’s learning at home.

Further information?

In the first instance, parents are encouraged to talk to their child’s class teacher. For students with SEND, further information and support can be obtained from the SENDCo.
If you need information or advice about early support for your child's additional needs, phone FLORA (Families, Local Offer, Resources and Advice) on 0117 352 6020, or email flora@bristol.gov.uk.
If you need independent information and advice, phone SEND and You on 0117 989 7725

Questions from a Child’s Point of View

At Shirehampton Primary all the staff want to help every child enjoy school and find what they are really good at. If you find something difficult you can ask your class teacher and Learning Support Assistant and they will help you.

What you think is really important, and you know what you find easy and what you find more tricky. Your teacher will talk with you and help you find ways of making learning easier.

You will be good at lots of things at school and your teacher will guide you to improve things that you need some help with.

If you are worried about something at school we have lots of people to help you. Our Learning and Pastoral Mentors spend time with children who find school tricky and we have teaching assistants who can work with you in the classroom or by yourself to practice skills. All of these people can help you learn lots of things, be more confident about yourself, make friends and behave brilliantly – they love working with children too!

Shirehampton Primary is like having another family! If you have a question that we need help to answer then we have lots of professional people, like doctors, speech and language therapists, behaviour and learning specialists that we can ask to come and help us help you.

Questions for Preparing for Adulthood

Even though when you leave Shirehampton Primary you’ll be moving onto secondary school and not getting a job, you’ll have had lots of opportunities to talk about your future! You will have also developed many of the skills you will need to enjoy your next step in education and started to think about what job you might want when you are older.