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Rushy Meadow Primary Academy Statement of Provision

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Rushy Meadow Primary Academy Statement of Provision

Date: September 2021

A. School/base Expertise and Capacity

Student numbers:

  • Students in the Hearing Impaired Resource Base (HIRB) are part of the school’s PAN and integrated in mainstream classes.

  • We have funding for up to 8 children in the HIRB.

  • Children in the HIRB must have an EHCP where hearing impairment is their main area of need.

  • There are also some children that attend Rushy Meadow who are not part of the Hearing Impaired Resource Base as they have a mild to moderate hearing loss and therefore are supported by half-termly / termly visits by Cognus Sensory Impairment Service.

Aims and Outcomes:

  • To access and be included in all mainstream curriculum in order to make good progress from their starting points in all areas.  

  • To develop listening and speaking skills so that they can interact socially within school and in the wider community

Curriculum adaptations:

  • Pupils follow the NC programme in line with their chronological age, unless access to learning indicates they need a revised curriculum offer.

  • The learning content and resources are adapted as needed for the language ability of the children in relation to their hearing impairment – these are bespoke adaptations for specific children.  The curriculum, including specific content and resources, is differentiated according to need and based on regular and accurate assessment for learning and individual EHCP needs.

  • HI TAs support access for learning by adapting the teachers’ vocab etc. to ensure pupils have understanding and access to all learning opportunities.

B. Provision

What is provided:

  • Support for the children to access the mainstream classroom learning through HI TAs – at least one HI TA per year group containing HI students

  • Sound field systems in some classrooms

  • Radio aids where the transmitter is worn by the class teacher and the HI TA and the students wear receivers that connect to their processors or hearing aids. 

  • Highly specialised adult support from teaching assistants with a good ability to sign using BSL or SSE

  • Deaf awareness throughout the school

  • Daily teacher of the Deaf support – individual work with the students and support for the TAs and teachers working with them

  • Equipment checks on their hearing aids or cochlear implants (or other hearing equipment)

  • Interventions with ToD and TAs in curriculum areas as needed dependent on individual student’s need, e.g. phonics intervention.

  • Pre- and post- teaching by TAs and ToD dependent on the needs of the students.

  • Trips and activities to foster a sense of deaf community and to support independence in life (e.g. train travel supporting danger awareness, involvement in drama performances with deaf peers and adults)

  • ELSA input as and when required – dependent on SEMH needs, social care requirements and the student’s family situation

  • Speech and Language therapy – provided by Cognus and then continued by TAs during the week.  (See therapy section below)

  • Occupational therapy if required – provided by Cognus and continued by TAs in between.  (See therapy section below)

  • Training for staff who work with the HI pupils on an ongoing basis from the ToD.  

Therapies Provision:

Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy is provided by Cognus as specified in the provision section of each student’s individual EHCP, aiming for the outcomes as specified in the EHCPs.

Speech and Language Therapy – The therapist is highly specialised and uses BSL signs as well as spoken voice.  Her work focuses on individual targets for the student’s needs as detailed in EHCP and is broken into termly targets.  The work focuses on receptive language, expressive language and speech sound production as well as life skills (e.g. using language to problem solve a scenario) and social skills (e.g. taking turns with a peer).  This is then continued by school staff throughout the time between therapist sessions.  Depending on the skill, this may be incorporated into the student’s daily routine in the classroom or it may involve discrete intervention time with the TA.

All children receive SALT input as per their EHCP.

Some children receive Occupational Therapy with the number of sessions and input dictated by the EHCP.  These may focus on gross motor skills, fine motor skills, sensory or physical needs or other such aspects.  OT support usually follows a request made by school following an annual review leading to an OT assessment.

Preparation for Adult Life:

At RMPA HIRB, we prepare students for adult life through the following:

  • Improve access to mainstream education

  • Develop communication skills

  • Increased independence through supporting attention and listening skills

  • Develop sense of self as a deaf person and as part of the community

  • Increase independence in understanding when their own equipment (hearing aid, cochlear implant, radio aid etc.) is functioning correctly.

Enrichment / social activities:

  • Time spent with deaf peers from across school weekly

  • Involvement in artistic performances in the community with other deaf children and adults

  • Family activity time

  • Lunchtime BSL club for the wider school 

Support staffing:

  • The HIRB has at least one HI TA per year group with a group of HI students.  This member of staff uses BSL or SSE or spoken voice as is appropriate for each particular learner.

  • The Teacher of the Deaf is employed by Cognus and is in school each morning to support the HI students as well as the TAs and teachers that work with them.  She will observe the student, work with them in the classroom and withdraw them for intervention work as is felt appropriate for their individual needs.

  • The Assistant Headteacher (SENCo) at Rushy Meadow manages the HIRB.  She monitors provision, is the main contact for parents, line manages the HI TAs and conducts annual reviews.

C. Admission Process

Rushy Meadow Primary Academy is a member of Cirrus Primary Trust who are their own admission authority. However, under the PAN London Agreement all admissions are coordinated by the Local Authority.

Criteria for Admission:

  • In order to receive a place in the HIRB, the students must have an EHCP stating hearing impairment as their primary need and that they cannot access mainstream education without support.  

  • The hearing impairment is generally of a moderate/severe/profound nature.  

  • These students therefore need access to a Teacher of the Deaf, and support with following the classroom learning either through BSL, SSE or focused listening support.  

  • Their ability levels allow them to access the mainstream curriculum offer when supported.

Any SEMH difficulties of the students should not prevent them from consistently working in the mainstream classroom environment.  They could have another diagnosis (e.g. ASD) but this should not impact on their ability to access the mainstream environment.

D. Review of student provision

  • Provision is reviewed regularly by both the SENCo who manages the HIRB and also by the Teacher of the Deaf.  Any necessary changes are put into place to meet the needs of individual students.

  • Assess-Plan-Do-Review process takes place at least termly through SALT, OT and SEN provision plans where targets are set and then reviewed before new targets are set.  Provision is based on these targets and therefore reviewed termly.

  • Every student will have an Annual Review meeting where the EHCP is discussed by school, the professionals involved and parents/carers.  Any recommendations for changes to the EHCP are then sent to the Local Authority.

E. Outreach Commissioned

None commissioned.

F. Funding and moderation processes

The funding process will remain on a per pupil basis, as a whole school methodology would not be appropriate for those settings with very low numbers of commissioned places.

G. Funding and moderation processes

At the end of Y5 or during the annual review process during Y5, parents/carers are invited to specify which secondary schools they would like consulting on placement for their child.  These schools are sent the EHCP paperwork and invited to contact school to speak to the SENCo and observe the student to decide whether their provision is suitable at meeting the needs of that particular student.

Some of our students in the HIRB move onto mainstream secondary schools, others move onto Overton Grange School’s Opportunity Base for Hearing Impaired students or more specialist provision.