Inclusion Policy

Rationale

Inclusion is the process of increasing the participation of children and young people into their communities. As far as education is concerned, the process of inclusion aims to ensure that all pupils should have a full and equal access to a mainstream curriculum.

Great Barr Primary School aims to consider all the needs of every individual pupil and respond to those needs in order to form a coherent programme of opportunities.

The school develops and maintains links with special schools and the relevant support services.

Pupils of all abilities, and disabilities, have so much in common
and benefit from shared educational experiences.

Aims

To give every pupil the opportunity to experience success and achieve as high a standard as possible.

To overcome the potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

To facilitate the transfer, where appropriate, of pupils from special schools to mainstream education.

To enhance the opportunities for pupils to develop their social and academic skills alongside mainstream peers.

To promote inclusion within the local community.

Setting Suitable Challenges

Differentiation is achieved through tasks set for differing ability groups. It is supported by careful assessment and pupil tracking procedures, which will allow realistic targets to be set for individuals and/or groups of pupils.

Where appropriate learning objectives for individuals and/or groups will be taken from the years above or below.

Wherever possible we aim to fully include Pupils with Special Educational Needs in all lessons. When planning, teachers will address the pupil’s needs through simplified or modified tasks, with appropriate resources, adapted where necessary, including the effective use of support staff.

Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs

As a staff we endeavour to maintain an awareness of, and to provide for equal opportunities for all pupils.

Teachers should take specific action to respond to pupils’ diverse needs by:

• Creating effective learning environments
• Securing their motivation and concentration
• Providing equality of opportunity through teaching approaches
• Using appropriate assessment procedures
• Setting targets for learning.

Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils

A minority of pupils have particular learning and assessment requirements.

The school accommodates provision for pupils who experience difficulties in:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Behaviour, emotional and social development
• Sensory and/or physical
• Medical conditions.

The school has a “facility” for children with physical disabilities. The policy of inclusion is practised with the pupils’ education taking place within the mainstream classes.

The environment and facilities are fully accessible by ramped access to include people with a diverse range of abilities. Disabled toilets are strategically placed around the school. In addition, there is a specialised Personal Care facility, physiotherapy room and Conductive Education Centre. The school assembly hall has a stage with an electric hoist to enable the pupils with physical disabilities to participate fully in school productions, assemblies and concerts.

It is the school policy to include all pupils in all activities and in order to support this aim, two minibuses, fully adapted, are maintained.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs are monitored regularly to ensure full access to the curriculum by classroom observations, in class support, assessments, pupil tracking, target setting (including use ofIEP and/or IBP), and the collecting of pupil and parental views. All pupils with significant difficulties are offered regular review meetings involving the relevant people.

Shared Provision

The school also has positive links with other schools and offers integration programmes to give pupils at special schools an opportunity to experience mainstream education.