SEND

At Oaktree, we welcome each child into our school community as a valued member and acknowledge that every individual has particular qualities and needs.

A person has Special Educational Needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. At school age, this means he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or, has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

Pupils may have different types of SEND:

  • communication and interaction (eg. speech and language difficulties, ASD)
  • cognition and learning (general or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia)
  • social, emotional and mental health (eg. ADHD, attachment disorders)
  • physical and sensory.( eg. hearing , visual impairment, dyspraxia, hyper-sensitivity)

At Oaktree we aim to identify pupils with SEND and ensure that their needs are met so that that they make the best possible progress, achieve their full potential and join in with all the activities of the school. We aim to work in partnership with pupils and parents at all times.

Day to day support for all pupils is directed by the class teacher with additional support from Teaching Assistants.

Should you have any further queries please feel free to approach your child’s class teacher or Bronwyn Haffner (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) who can be contacted via email on senco@oaktree.bluekitetrust.org or by phoning the school office on 01793 521903.
 


What is the Local Offer?

The LA Local Offer

The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2014. From this date Local Authorities (LA) and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 0-25. The LA refer to this as the ‘Local Offer’. Swindon has published its local offer. It is available from the website: 
https://www.swindon.gov.uk/sendlocaloffer 
 
 
This is Oaktree’s part of Swindon’s Local Offer

Oaktree Nursery & Primary School

Address: Priory Road, Park South, Swindon, SN3 2HA

Website: www.oaktree.swindon.sch.uk

Opening hours: The school day is 8.40am- 3.10pm, but we offer breakfast club from 8.00am which can be booked on ParentPay

Key person to contact for further information: Mr John - Head teacher.
Email address: head@oaktree.bluekitetrust.org
Telephone number: 01793 521903

Age range of children/young people catered for: 2-11 years

Access criteria: School admissions, for children entering Reception to Year 6, are carried out by Swindon Borough Council. The admission of children with statements is managed by Swindon’s Special Educational Needs Assessment Team. For pre-school admissions, please contact the school office.

Cost of services: There is no charge for Nursery or school provision. Acorns sessions cost £15 for each 3 hour session, unless your child receives 2 year funding. Breakfast club costs £1 per day and after school club costs £3 per day.

Links with other organisations: The school works with a range of other agencies as appropriate to the needs of the child. This includes professionals from Education (eg. Educational Psychologist), Health (eg. speech and language therapists) and Social care (eg. Children & Families Services).

SEND INCLUSION AWARD

Over the last 18 months, Oaktree has been hard at work gathering evidence towards the SEND Inclusion Award. On Friday, 12th December we had a verifier from Optimus Education come in to inspect the level of SEND inclusion that we offer at Oaktree. She met with Mr John and Miss Haffner to discuss all that we offer and how the award has impacted the school. She also met with some of our pupils, parents, staff and governors.

I am very pleased to announce that Oaktree has achieved the award.

Some areas of strength that were identified:

  • A strong, inclusive ethos where SEND is a whole-school priority, led by experienced and committed leaders.
  • Well-resourced staffing and carefully planned, individualised interventions to meet pupils’ needs.
  • Highly inclusive practice ensuring all pupils access learning, trips and enrichment opportunities.
  • Distributed leadership of SEND, with all staff sharing responsibility for pupil wellbeing.
  • Effective early identification, assessment and monitoring of SEND, informing targeted support and staff CPD.
  • Strong pupil voice, effective SEMH support, excellent parental relationships, and an experienced SENDCo leading evidence-based practice.

 

The areas of impact that were identified:

  • A strong inclusive culture places pupils at the centre of decision-making, with parents feeling heard, valued and well supported through effective communication and partnership.
  • Staff know pupils exceptionally well, providing stability for families and ensuring no child is given up on.
  • Pupils confidently use strategies to support their learning, with the Rainbow Room enhancing emotional wellbeing and supporting academic progress.
  • Interventions are well monitored through the graduated approach, informing responsive practice and targeted staff training.
  • Ongoing professional development, reflective practice and strong community partnerships ensure SEND provision is effective and continually improving.

 

Some areas for development that were identified:

  • To continue to develop and embed pupil voice, by ensuring children know their targets alongside the development of their oracy skills
  • To continue to monitor the process of reviewing interventions, their impact and the progress pupils make
  • Closely monitor, develop and review provision and impact of the newly established Den as it opens fully
  • Further embed and develop the collaborative approach of the SEND ‘Working Party’ with membership of both parents and school staff.
We look forward to working with all stakeholders to continue our SEND Inclusion journey together.