Beckstone Primary School Logo Beckstone Primary School

Beckstone Primary School is a large 3-11 Primary School with a Nursery in Harrington, Workington.

The School was established in September 2005 following a merger of 3 local schools. The new school is a result of a remodelling of the existing Victorian Junior School and a modern extension. The school is uniquely placed on top of a hill overlooking Harrington (in 1897 when it was built, there was a railway line and station behind it which have since long gone making the school’s geographical position somewhat unusual). Harrington was originally a village but is now a rapidly expanding part of the town of Workington, marking its southern boundary.

The school has 381 pupils on roll. The school also offers many extended services such as a Breakfast Club, an After School Club and many other extended activities.

Beckstone Primary School is a wonderful school and one which we are very proud of. Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you can make that affects your child’s future. We can offer you and your child a broad, balanced and enriched curriculum which not only aims at enabling your child to reach the highest standards they can, but also is aimed at educating your child in life skills, raising their self-esteem and confidence and inspiring them to make a success of their educational career. 

Who to contact

Contact Name
David Warbrick
Contact Position
Headteacher
Telephone
01946 830423 01946 830423
E-mail
admin@beckstone.cumbria.sch.uk
Website
Beckstone Primary School
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Where to go

Name
Beckstone Primary School
Address
Eadie Street
Harrington
Workington
Cumbria
Postcode

CA14 5PX

View CA14 5PX on a map

Costs

Costs
£3.50  Before School
£3.50 per hour  After School
Details
Costs cover food and staff costs and are competitively priced.

Availability

Referral Details

Extended services only available to pupils on role. 

We also run holiday playschemes.

Local Offer

Description

Beckstone Primary School recognises that many children at some point, or throughout their education have Special Educational Needs (SEN). Accordingly the school’s SEN policy ensures that curriculum planning, delivery and assessment take account of the type and extent of the difficulties faced by the children.

The effective deployment of Senior Teaching Assistants has contributed well to teaching and learning throughout the school with many skills to offer as well as supporting Literacy, Reading Partnership, Progression in Phonics , PE lessons and After School Clubs.

Contact Name
Mrs Alison Needham (SENCO)
Contact Telephone
01946 830423
Contact Email
wb@beckstone.cumbria.sch.uk
Links
SEN Information
Local Offer Age Bands
0-4
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?

Parental Referrals
Every new child has a home visit from trained staff.

Health Information Prior to Starting School
The expertise of a highly trained and informed staff with expertise in identifying additional / special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
Excellent tracking systems where lack of progress is quickly acted upon.
Approachable staff that are easily contactable to discuss concerns.
If you have a concern about your child’s development please raise this with the class teacher in the first instance.

Should you have further concerns or wish further advice then please make an appointment to see our Educational Support Manager, Mrs Debbie Cook or our SENCO, Mrs Alison Needham. It is highly likely the class teacher will have already discussed your child’s needs with them.  If you have further concerns then please speak to the Deputy/Headteacher and if then unresolved they will inform you about the school’s complaints procedure. 

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

Class teachers are responsible for the education of all the children in their class. They plan the education programme for children who have or may have SEN with support from the school’s SENCO.

Your child’s class teacher will work directly with your child as will other school staff, every class has at least one Senior Teaching Assistant. They may be supported in class; in a small group outside the class or one-to-one as appropriate.

The SENCO will liaise closely with any adult working with your child to develop targets and seek external support/advice when necessary.

Depending on need your child may also have access to external specialists.

Each adult will strive to ensure that an appropriate curriculum is delivered to your child at a differentiated level.

Exact roles will vary for each child and be dependent on identified need.

Specialists will provide reports to help the school meet your child’s needs. Copies of the reports will be sent to you. Generally small targets for development are identified and these are then incorporated into the support plan for your child and reviewed at parents’ evenings.

The school has a nominated governor for Special Educational Needs who is responsible for developing policy and procedures. They receive reports from the school’s SENCO and report to the Governing Body.

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

High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN.

All children’s development is carefully planned and tailored to need as all children have different needs from SEND to children who are gifted and talented.

All lessons are planned and appropriately differentiated with an emphasis on personalised learning.

Differentiating lessons may involve using specialist resources or equipment, alterations to the timetable, additional adult support, group or individual work. Learning objectives within the lesson are set appropriate to need but with a challenge.

Your child will be working at an appropriate level and have targets for improvement. They may be working within the National Curriculum but not necessarily at average age expected levels.

You will be regularly informed of your child’s progress towards their targets via the school’s  report system and you will also be set targets to support your child’s learning at home.

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?

All parents are welcome to make appointments with their child’s class teacher outside normal parents’ evenings.

Often parents will receive verbal updates before or after school as appropriate and when necessary, indeed we have an “open door” policy to enable more informal and frequent conversations with you and your child.

The Annual Review process also allows additional opportunities to discuss your child’s individual progress.

In addition parents are welcome to make appointments to discuss progress with the school’s Education Support Manager or SENCO.

The progress of each child is carefully monitored and tracked on a regular basis and summative assessments are recorded on a half termly basis. This, along with other information gathered, informs staff on the next steps for your child.

Assessments made by specialists will also be shared with you.

Targets for progress are published in the termly report and there is an ‘on track’ RAG rating to let you know how your child is doing.  Expectations of progress will be set by the class teacher following guidance from other specialists.

In some cases, your child may require an individual support plan or behaviour management plan which will be drawn up in consultation with you and your child and reviewed regularly. For some children with profound and lifelong needs an Education, Health and Care Assessment may be requested with advice and support from external agencies. And progress against this will be closely monitored.

In addition to the ‘open door’ and daily informal opportunities described above all children have a home/school book where a written dialogue can take place. Indeed  a daily support book may be part of the plan for your child.  Where there is a need for ongoing dialogue the Education Support Manager may set up regular ‘Team Around the Child’ (TAC) meetings.

The school hosts a curriculum evening at the start of the year to explain the curriculum studied.

  • Curriculum plans are shared with parents via our web site.
  • IEP’s and work planned are shared with parents as appropriate.
  • Homework is sent home regularly relating to work in school.
  • Additional support guidance for parents is available through our newsletters and in the ‘Parenting and Information Zone’ of our web site.
  • The termly reports include a section for parental support targets.
  • You will be consulted at all the various meeting points as described above.
  • Parental input is part of the IEP process.
  • Parental input is also part of the termly report process for all children.
  • Parents are welcome to come into school and work alongside their child.
  • There are curriculum events at the start of the school year to which all parents are expected to attend.
  • There is an extensive ‘Parenting Information and Guidance’ zone on our web site.
  • The school issues booklets to support parents in helping their child to learn in phonics, reading and maths and these are issued regularly or are signposted in the school newsletter.
  • The monthly newsletter has regular sections on parental support.
    The school works closely with Workington Children’s Centre and offers a wide range of parent/child courses over the school year.
  • Specific training requests are managed by our Education Support Manager who would be happy to broker bespoke training according to need. 
What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

The school was graded excellent for its pastoral support at its last Ofsted.
The staff are highly trained and all have a minimum of Safeguarding Level 1 training and have first aid certificates and strategic people have other qualifications such as ‘Team Teach’ or Speech.
The Education Support Manager provides a range of services for children and families to support them pastorally and medically and she liaises closely with a wide range of external agencies to ensure needs are met.
A wide range of small group interventions are used to support the well-being of children with SEN and to promote positive behaviour. For example, nurture groups, family groups, circle  time, peer reading  and playtime buddying.

The school follows statutory guidance in the administration of medicines and provision of personal care.
The school regularly reviews its medicine and intimate care policies.
The school has facilities for changing such as an hydraulic changing bed.
Where there are distinct medical needs your child will be subject to a ‘Health and Care Plan’ drawn up by school, health and parents.
The Education Support Manager and the business manager have had recent training on administration of medicines and the law.
If your child has asthma you will be required to complete an ‘asthma card’ and undertake to ensure they are in date and not empty.

The school has an agreed and effective behaviour management policy that was developed by our ‘Behaviour Intervention Group’ consisting of staff, pupils and relevant outside agencies.
The school was the first in the North West England to receive a National Award for its behaviour management. Ofsted described behaviour as ‘exemplary’ and the behaviour of the pupils at the school is often praised by visitors.
Where there are concerns the school intervenes early and action plans/behaviour management plans are drawn up, parents are informed and involved and the Education Support Manager becomes involved.
In extreme cases the school operates an internal exclusion policy prior to school exclusion, you will be informed if this affects your child.
Attendance is closely monitored and reported on termly. Where attendance is becoming a concern the school intervenes early and you will be called to a meeting to agree actions for improvement.
The school celebrates all pupils with good behaviour and good attendance and pupils receive rewards, stickers and certificates and parents also  receive certificates in the post termly.

The school readily seeks the views of its pupils through:

  • An active School Council
  • Pupil Questionnaires
  • Family Groups
  • Kidsafe sessions
  • Circle Times
  • ‘Debbie’s drop ins’ or ‘post box’ where the Education Support Manager listens to the children’s views.
  • A well planned and coherent PSHE Curriculum.
  • The school has an ethos of listening to children and lives up to its tag line of ‘Where Children Come First’.
  • All pupils attend parent’s meetings with their parent.
  • By providing the opportunities described above.
  • By providing adult or peer support to ensure access to these where necessary.
What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?
  • There is a wealth of experience and expertise in the school staff including those trained in Counselling, Kidsafe, CAF, SEN, the Eklan Speech and Language course, Makaton, Autism, Downs, Team Teach , Paediatric First Aid and in specific medical needs e.g. Epipen, Diabetes, Epilepsy & Asthma. This is not an exhaustive list of expertise and staff are trained and developed continually.
  • The school has very close links with health with the school nurse and speech therapists visiting regularly and the Education Support Manager in regular contact with GP’s, health visitors and paediatric consultants. 
  • There is access to counselling and family support services through referral to the Minto Centre, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), the Educational Psychologist and the Specialist Advisory Teacher Service.
  • The school also liaises closely with Social Care and hosts TAC meetings, Core Group meetings and also refers into Triage wherever and whenever there is a concern.
What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?
  • Staff share expertise through collaborative training opportunities organised by the school as well as local and national training. Individual staff development needs are identified and met as part of the formal appraisal process at least annually.
  • There is a wealth of experience and training held by staff and this is continually updated. Furthermore our SENCO receives regularly updated training. Please refer to the third bullet point in this column on the previous page.
  • Under the effective management of our Education Support Manager (ESM) the school acts as a multi-agency hub to ensure children and their families receive the most appropriate and effective support. To do this requires the ESM to work closely with agencies representing health, police, social care, mental health, welfare, children’s centre (where she is a Board member) and many others. Again this is not an exhaustive list and links with other agencies are continually being developed dependent on need.
How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?
  • We strive to be an all inclusive school and offer extra curricular activities to all. Where there is a specific need however the school may ask home to support e.g.. if accessing out of school activities where additional adults or medically trained people are needed to allow the child to safely access the activity.
How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?
  • Being a ‘new build’ in 2005 it is fully compliant with the DDA act and wheelchairs can access on the level to the rear of the building or alternatively the small internal chairs can be managed with our wheelchair lift.
  • Extra sound proofing between the Hall and Nursery. The school has not had a specific need to alter the environment for a special need yet.
  • The school has 2 disabled toilets and one is equipped with an hydraulic changing bed. 
  • The school has completed an access audit and has put into place all affordable recommendations.
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?
  • The school will organise a ‘home visit’ prior to your child starting this school.  
  • You will receive a pack of useful information, a prospectus and an invitation to ‘taster’ sessions and a parents’ meeting.  
  • The learning environment will be planned to ensure your child’s needs are met.  
  • When necessary a multi-agency meeting may be called to ensure your child’s needs will be met prior to starting the school.  
  • We also have strong links with the local nurseries and will also liaise closely with them when applicable. 
  • The school works closely with the Secondary sector, particularly the catchment school.  
  • A range of transition strategies are put in place to support children at the end of the Primary phase e.g. transition plans, extra visits, holiday activities.  
  • In addition the Education Support Manager in conjunction with the local Secondary runs a ‘PACT’ group where weekly visits and activities take place once a week across Year 6 to ease transition for pupils that have been identified as vulnerable.  
  • Where possible new schools are invited to attend transition meetings to share information about your child and to ensure a positive transition. In all cases there will be liaison and communication between the schools.  
  • All reports, assessments, targets and needs are shared at transition.  

There is full parental involvement in transition process

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?
  • We aim to allocate resources appropriately to meet the needs of all children with special educational needs.
  • Expenditure is driven by need with resources being earmarked by the head teacher, class teacher, subject leader or SENCO for additional staffing, resources, specific items or ICT equipment.  
  • The budget is discussed and agreed by the Governing Body and the SEN Governor.
  • The school is reliant, where additional support above what school can meet from its own budget, on appropriate additional funding being secured from the County.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?
  • The decisions about the type of support your child needs will be based on discussions between all interested parties including you as a parent.
  • All relevant parties e.g. yourselves (& your child), school staff and the SENCO and any relevant outside agencies.
  • The ultimate decision on the level of funding and thus support allocated to your child is dependent on the Area Assessment Officer following an Education Health Care Plan meeting.
  • The support will be reviewed consistently to ensure it is appropriate and effective. Your input will be valued at the wide range of meetings detailed above to ensure your child is receiving the best support possible.
  • The school evaluates the impact of all its actions on a regular basis. Impact will be measured against progress to targets be they academic &/or social, health or pastoral ones.
How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?
  • The school wishes to work closely with parents and parents are welcome in school to discuss their child's provision.
  • In addition parents are encouraged to join our thriving PTA, accompany trips etc
  • There are many meetings with parents scheduled over the year from formal parents' meetings to curriculum events to class assemblies and social events.
  • The monthly school newsletter is designed to give parents as much information as possible to support their child as well as get involved in the life of the school.

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