Inclusion and deaf provision

Selwyn Primary School is a fully inclusive academy in the London Borough of Newham and follows the inclusive policy of all Newham schools. We are also Newham's Deaf Provison; further information is available below.  At Selwyn all children are valued, respected and welcomed to the school whatever their additional educational need. We will support their learning and ensure they are fully included in all school activities, making full use of externally provided agencies where appropriate.

As a school in Newham, we work in partnership with the Borough to provide a Local Offer for children in need of such support. This is a guide to the services in Newham that are available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities aged from birth to 25. Further information is available here.

Our status as Newham's deaf provision:

We are proud of the fact that our school is Newham's deaf provision.  Deaf children have a high profile within our school, and are involved in all areas of school life.  Our vision for deaf children at our school can be summarised as follows:

• To provide all children with a safe, healthy and inclusive environment;
• To deliver enjoyable and challenging personalised learning opportunities;
• To provide high-level, individualised specialist support to empower all children to fully develop their language and communication skills, and
• To enable children to contribute positively to the school and wider community.

What does our deaf provision offer for children in Newham?

• A listening and spoken language approach to learning (Auditory-Verbal Therapy);
• A place alongside their peers in a language-rich mainstream classroom;
• A family-centred approach, where parents play in integral role in their child's education;
• Individualised support in order to support access the curriculum;
• Specialised support from a Teacher of the Deaf;
• Weekly, intensive support from a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) or Auditory-Verbal Therapist;
• In-class support from a Communication Support Worker (CSW);
• Bespoke family support from a Family Support Worker (FSW);
• Parent education and support workshops;
• Acoustically treated classrooms fitted with Soundfield Systems and access to an FM radio aid, and
• Regular opportunities for parents to meet with school personnel to discuss their child's needs.

How does our deaf provision compare with deaf provision at other schools in Newham?

• Our school promotes learning language through listening opportunities and eliminating the need for visual cues;
• A supportive, involved relationship with parents is integral to our offer, and
• Other provisions may provide alternative communication approaches, such as BSL, total communication.

What additional support do we provide to children with specific educational needs?

Our Whole School Provision Map (available as a document to download on this page) provides an overview of the various additional interventions we offer to support all learners, as and where appropriate. If you wish to discuss your child’s support interventions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Inclusion Leader or our SENCo. Details of all staff are available on the website.

Our School SEN Information Report provides detailed information about our school and our provision, and is available as a document to download on this page.

Additional needs are identified before, on entry or at any point during your child’s time at Selwyn. The appropriate intervention, referral or support is then put in place – as per our Whole School Provision Map, and our Deaf Provision Map (which is also available as a document to download on this page). You will find further information regarding our school offer here.

Learning Support teachers

Intervention teachers teach small groups of children who are not making the progress we expect/not attaining the levels we expect. These teachers liaise with the Inclusion Leader, SENCo and class teachers to devise a differentiated programme that is monitored and reviewed regularly.

Speech and language

Speech therapists are employed by the school, and work with the Inclusion Lead, the SENCo, class teachers and learning support staff to deliver appropriate plans and interventions across Early Years and Key Stage 1. These are for children who have been referred, by the school or by a medical professional. These programmes can include speech sound production, language development and social skills, depending on the child’s needs.

Literacy intervention

Individualised programmes submitted by our Complex Needs and Dyslexia Service colleagues assigned to assist our school are delivered by trained members of support staff. These are for children who have been referred, by the school or by a medical professional, to be assessed by the Complex Needs and Dyslexia Service. These programmes can include dyslexia assessments/programmes, literacy development programmes depending on the child’s needs.

Learning Mentors

We have two learning mentors that work with our children and families at Selwyn. They are available to meet with parents to discuss any issues that they may be having. This could be behaviour management, employment, benefits or housing. They are able to sign-post parents to other organisations that offer support to families.

School Counsellor

We employ a school counsellor through Place2Be who works with pupils on a termly basis, as identified by the Leadership Team.

Early Bird

We offer early bird sessions that currently focus on raising levels of attainment and progress within basic skills. These are led by trained members of support staff. These sessions start at 8.20 and children join their classes at 8.50. Children do need to be invited to these sessions.

Daily readers

We have allocated a number of our teaching assistants to daily reading with focus children. This develops a child’s love of reading as well as using and applying reading skills taught in class. We encourage all of our families to read at home with their children.

This page was last updated in January 2021