Ashfield Junior School Logo Ashfield Junior School 

Headteacher's Welcome
Hello everyone and welcome to Ashfield Junior School. We take pride in everything we do here and work very hard to ensure that our school is a happy, safe and secure environment for all of our pupils. It is a place where everyone is valued, where learning is fun and where children are encouraged to make a positive contribution.  Ashfield Junior School sets out to challenge children to learn in the knowledge that 'Together We Achieve'.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Sue Frost
Contact Position
Headteacher
Telephone
01900 604 565 01900 604 565
E-mail
head@ashfield-jun.cumbria.sch.uk
Website
Ashfield Junior School - Home
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Where to go

Name
Ashfield Junior School
Address
High Street
Workington 
Cumbria
Postcode

CA14 4ES

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Local Offer

Description

Please click on the link to our school website for more details about our Local Offer. We are always happy to give additional information so please contact us by telephone or email if you have any further questions.

Contact Name
Jessica James
Contact Telephone
01900 604 565
Contact Email
jjames@ashfield-jun.cumbria.sch.uk
Links
SEN Information
Local Offer Age Bands
5-10

Schools Extended Local Offer Response

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

Children usually come to us from schools that we know and have worked with in the past. This means that we already know of any difficulties that a child may have and we also know the things that have been put in place to help them. Teachers and support staff begin to get to know children during pre-visits in the summer term and can put things in place from the start of year 3.

In some cases, we do not know a child starting with us and we will begin to assess and monitor from the start of their journey with us. Children's end of Key Stage 1 results play a part in this along with our own assessments and observations. If we identify any areas of concern, we immediately start a process of monitoring and support along with discussions with parents and carers. If you think your child may have special educational needs you can discuss these concerns with your child's class teacher or you can make an appointment with the SEND coordinator.

Children who are Looked After have their strengths and needs assessed in the same way as other children and we will make sure that we find out about a child's educational history in order to make sure that support is in place for them to succeed in our setting.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

Children are supported in many ways at Ashfield Junior School. Our first task is to identify the area of difficulty. If a child is having difficulty with reading, writing or spelling they may learn in a small group with specific targets, eg. to form all letters correctly, or they might have a 6 week block of reviewing phonic knowledge. Alternatively, a child's needs might be related to physical difficulties or a delay in speech and language development. As far as possible, support is tailored to the needs of individual children. Each block of support is directed towards specific targets and is assessed at the end. Children's viewpoint is an important part of the picture at Ashfield Juniors and your child's assessment of their own progress will always be taken into account.

We aim to ensure that ALL children feel positive about their learning and that they feel happy, safe and that they belong in our school community. Emotional health and well-being is paramount in this and is taken into account and monitored by all staff in every area of the wider curriculum.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

All teachers in school use adaptive teaching to match the abilities and needs of the children. This is achieved in many different ways from providing specialist equipment to working with a supporting adult or peer.

Some of our children require specialist provision outside the mainstream classroom for part of the school day or week. Where this is the case, provision will always be discussed with parents, will be regularly reviewed and will be tailored to the current needs of the pupil.

Teachers are mindful of the many different ways in which children learn as well as the need for a broad and balanced curriculum which will help them to thrive. Visits off site as well as visitors into school enable teachers to build variety and flexibility into the learning opportunities on offer.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

We have an 'open door' policy at Ashfield which means that parents and carers are welcome to make an appointment to see either the SEND coordinator or the class teacher at any time. There are regular termly meetings, where information about progress, support and any continuing concerns can be shared. Discussions at these meetings usually cover support that can be given at home but we also have school initiatives such as parent workshops which many parents and carers find useful in helping them to support their child's learning.

We know the immense value of the support that parents and carers give children in their learning, from reading together to completing more practical homework tasks. Working together is an integral part of our approach to supporting every child's learning.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

Children's emotional health and well-being is nurtured through the school's ethos of caring and supporting others. We focus on social and emotional issues in Personal Social and Health Education lessons and we have a regular focus on universal values in our whole school assemblies. For those children who have an identified need, we offer social skills support groups and nurture groups, where children can develop emotional resilience, self-regulation strategies and social awareness. We support children with individual sensory needs through adaptations to the environment, for example by providing ear defenders, and we adapt and supervise lunches to suit individual needs as far as possible.

Many of our staff have specialist training in supporting children's social, emotional and mental health needs. We offer Emotional Literacy Support (ELSA) sessions, as well as Drawing & Talking and Decider Skills, for children who are identified as requiring specific support.

All staff undergo regular safeguarding training and first aid training. The Board of Governors support the school in undertaking regular risk assessments and keeping up to date with health and safety regulations.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

We have access to a Local Authority team of specialist advisory teachers along with physical support advisers such as occupational and speech therapists. We are also able to call on the Local Authority's Educational Psychologist or the Children's Physical Health and Development team for advice and to signpost where they feel additional support is needed. We have links with CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) which help us to support  children where necessary. We also work closely with wider reaching organisations such as Family Action Support Services  and SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Independent Advisory Service).

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

Staff have had comprehensive training in delivering reading, writing and phonics support. There has been whole school training in supporting children with physical disabilities and in adapting the curriculum to suit children with severe learning and communication difficulties. 

Staff have engaged in a variety of distance learning courses including supporting children with autism, supporting children's mental health and wellbeing, supporting children with specific learning difficulties. Ongoing professional development includes training in supporting children's social development and understanding childhood trauma. Several members of staff have trained in counselling skills.

All teaching and learning support staff have extended their skills in supporting children with specific difficulties in reading and writing. Training for teaching staff by a Dyslexia specialist teacher has underpinned a greater awareness of the difficulties some children face as well as providing ideas and resources to make teaching and learning more effective and enjoyable for these children.

Recently, some of our teaching assistants have carried out training in ELSA, ELKLAN and Drawing & Talking.

 

 

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

Well-being, enjoyment and access to learning for children are at the heart of everything we do. All children are given access to school trips wherever possible and adaptations to arrangements are made when necessary to achieve these aims. School trips are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are accessible for all pupils.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

Our school buildings are on one floor giving good access for wheelchairs and specialist equipment. We also have several smaller rooms where children can access quiet learning in smaller groups or where the space can be personalised to meet the specific needs of children with SEND.

We have a sensory room which includes a sensory pod, where children are provided with a quiet, calm space to help regulate their emotions.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

We have a full induction programme to support children in moving on to their next setting. We work closely with Workington schools as well as Cockermouth secondary school. We also have good working relationships with specialist schools such as the Cumbria Academy for Autism and Mayfield. We maintain connections with staff and teachers there, both through the summer term before the children move on, and through the autumn term after they have progressed to their new setting.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

We use continuous assessment and observation to monitor the experience that children have at school. We allocate resources after full evaluation and discussion with staff, parents/carers and the children themselves.

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

Teachers monitor children's progress across all areas of the curriculum including their personal, social and emotional development. If they have concerns they will then talk to the SEND coordinator and to parents and the child about their observations. The SEND coordinator reviews SEND provision across the school each term after looking at assessment data and talking to class teachers. They will then initiate a support program or group for the identified child with clear targets and expected outcomes. Parents and children will contribute to this process through formal termly meetings and informal consultations where appropriate.

 

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

We value the partnership that develops between teaching staff and parents or carers through supporting children's learning together. Our home reading initiative aims to develop positive learning relationships between teachers, children and families. The regular use of Class Dojo means communication between school and home is very straightforward.

Parents are also a constant source of support at Ashfield in terms of fundraising and helping with events for children such as end of term parties. Please contact the school office for more information.

 

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