Inclusion Policy

Author: Georgina Langdon – Inclusion Lead Policy Last Reviewed: November 2023 

Introduction 

At JCP, we embrace the belief that every child is unique and possesses individual strengths, abilities and characteristics which contribute invaluably to our diverse school community. As part of our commitment to providing inclusive education, we are devoted to promoting individuality, fostering positive relationships and creating a supportive learning environment where every student can thrive and realise their potential. This Inclusion Policy outlines our dedication to providing outstanding provision for all students, ensuring they receive the support and opportunities they need to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.

Our commitment to inclusivity is grounded in the understanding that diversity enriches our school community. This policy serves as a guiding framework that underscores our pledge to create an educational environment that is accessible, supportive and continuously evolving to respond to the diverse needs of all our students. Through collaboration with parents, carers, teachers and external agencies, we aim to create a culture of respect, understanding and empowerment for every member of our school community.  

 By adhering to the principles outlined in the policy, we strive to not only meet statutory requirements but to exceed expectations in providing an inclusive, nurturing and high-quality education for every child at JCP. This policy is designed to be read in conjunction with the school’s Safeguarding Policy, Wellbeing Policy and Positive Relationships and Behaviour Policy. 

Aims and Vision

At JCP, all that we do is underpinned by our four core school values, Aspire, Inquire, Excel and Belong. These values play a crucial role in the overall culture, policies and practices of the school.   

We actively seek to remove barriers to learning and engagement in school life that may hinder or exclude individual pupils or groups of pupils. Equitable access to opportunities is not only a reality for students at JCP, but an expectation. Within our JCP community, we recognise and celebrate the many individuals and groups that contribute to our unique identity as a school, including the following: 

• Girls, boys and non-binary individuals 
• Students with Special Education Needs or Disabilities 
• Multilingual learners Economically under-resourced pupils 
• Looked after children (LAC) Students with medical conditions or mental health challenges 
• Minority ethnic and faith groups 
• Travellers 
• Refugee or asylum seeking children 
• Students with LGBTQ+ identities 
• Children experiencing bereavement or family instability

As a fully inclusive school, we aim to achieve the following: 

• Ensure equal opportunity to access and participate in school life regardless of background, ability or difference.
• Cultivate a school culture that values diversity, promotes understanding and celebrates the unique strengths and contributions of each student.
• Support the diverse learning needs of students by implementing teaching strategies and support system that accommodate various learning styles.
• Encourage positive relationships among students, staff, parents and carers and external professionals in order to foster an environment of respect, empathy and cooperation.
• Establish a comprehensive framework for identifying, assessing and supporting students with Special Educational Needs.
• Adapt physical spaces, resources and curriculum content to respond to the needs of all students.
• Involve parents and cares in decision-making processes, ensuring they are informed about their child’s progress and actively engaged in their education.
• Adopt measures to prevent and address discrimination and exclusion, creating a safe and welcoming atmosphere for students. 
• Celebrate diversity through the organisaton of activities, events and curriculum themes that celebrate the diverse backgrounds, cultures and abilities of the school community.
• Provide emotional and wellbeing support services to address the mental health and emotional needs of students, ensuring a positive and nurturing atmosphere.
• Equip students with necessary life skills and promote independence to prepare them for future challenges and opportunities.
• Continuously monitor the effectiveness of inclusion practices, seeking feedback from students, staff and parents, and making adjustments as needed.

Responsibility for Inclusion

We believe that all members of our school community have a responsibility for supporting and ensuring inclusion. However, this is the team that leads on inclusion in our school. 

Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

As a school, we make use of rigorous and ongoing assessment including teacher observations, standardised assessments, and input from external professionals to facilitate the early identification of students with SEND. An overview of the assessments used to identify need at JCP, additional to those used for routine whole-school assessment, can be seen in Appendix 1.  

At JCP, a child is identified as receiving ‘SEND Support’ when they require access to provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ the educational provision usually available to pupils of the same age. If it is believed that a child meets this criteria, drawing on information from families, children, teaching staff and other professionals, the child’s needs will be assessed and identified following a clear pathway of procedures, outlined in Appendix 2. Of those children who are identified as receiving SEND Support, their needs are categorised according to one or more of the following broad areas of need.

The majority of students will have their needs met through SEND provision, however some students may require an Exceptional Action assessment in order for the Education Department to decide whether it is necessary for additional provision and resources to be made available in the form of a Record of Need. A Record of Need aims at amalgamating the advice and recommendations of a variety of external professionals into one document which sets out specific and evidence-based recommendations and specific targets, subject to Annual Review.

Child-Centred Approach  

At JCP, our Special Educational Needs and Disabilites (SEND) provision is meticulously crafted to go beyond academic support, aiming to holistically develop each child in our care. We believe in nurturing not just academic achievement, but also the social, emotional, and physical well-being of every student. Our commitment to developing the whole child within our SEND provision is guided by the following principles.   

• Individualised Learning Plans: ILPs are collaboratively developed with input from teachers, parents, and external specialists, ensuring a holistic and person-centered approach. They provide details of the specific targets that the student is working towards as well as the provision in place to ensure that they achieve these targets. ILPs are tailored not only to address academic needs but also to foster personal growth and self-confidence.
• Inclusive Learning Environments: Our classrooms are designed to be inclusive spaces that accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities. We promote collaboration and understanding, ensuring that every child feels valued and supported.
• Social and Emotional Development: Our SEND provision emphasizes the importance of social and emotional development. We incorporate a variety of strategies and interventions that help students build positive relationships, develop empathy, recognise and regulate their emotions and navigate social interactions.  
• Life Skills and Independence: Beyond academic achievement, we focus on equipping students with practical life skills and fostering independence. Our aim is to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter beyond the school environment.
• Wellbeing support: We prioritize the well-being of our students by offering dedicated support services. This includes access to ELSA support, wellbeing programs, and resources that promote mental health awareness. 
• Physical development: Physical wellbeing is an integral part of our approach. We offer a broad range of opportunities and extra-curricular clubs which encourage physical activities, sports, and exercises that contribute to the overall health and development of our students.
• Parent and Carer Involvement: We recognize the essential role that parents and carers play in a child's development. As a school, we regularly communicate with parents and carers and actively involve them in the decision-making process, ensuring a collaborative approach to the child's holistic development. 
• Celebrating Progress and Achievements: Progress is not only measured academically but also in personal achievements and milestones. We value the importance of celebrating the unique strengths and successes of each child.

By embracing these principles within our school environment and our SEND provision, we aspire to develop resilient, confident, and well-rounded individuals who are prepared to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. 

Quality Teaching for All  

JCP’s commitment to inclusive education is reflected in our belief that high quality teaching is the foundation for the success of all students, including those with SEND. Our curriculum is inclusive by design, with class teachers paying particular attention in the planning process to curriculum intent, pedagogical choices and methods of assessing understanding. When JCP’s teaching staff plan learning opportunities that are inclusive by design, it is with the understanding that high quality teaching reduces the need for children to access provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ their peers.  

We have a broad range of intervention support available for students, to compliment the high quality teaching that is happening in the classroom. The impact of these interventions is regularly monitored with entry and exit assessments being carried out to measure effectiveness. An overview of JCP’s intervention support can be seen in Appendix 3.  

Monitoring and Evaluation

The monitoring and evaluation of JCP’s inclusive education offer and SEND provision is integral to continuous improvement and ensuring the highest quality support for all students. We utilise a variety of processes and practices to systematically assess the effectiveness of our Inclusion Policy.

• Regular progress reviews: The SENCO, Phase Leaders and Teaching Staff conduct regular reviews of students' progress through termly Pupil Progress Meetings to assess the impact of the implemented interventions and support strategies.
• Data analysis: Ongoing analysis of relevant data, including academic assessments, intervention health checks, behaviour records, and attendance, to identify trends and patterns that inform decision-making and adjustments to support strategies.  
• Parental feedback: At JCP, we regularly survey parents regarding their satisfaction with the education that we offer and how well they feel their child is being supported through parent surveys as well as report feedback. This feedback is then used to ensure that their perspectives are considered in evaluation of current procedures.
• Review of external services: Termly Progress and Review (PARM) Meetings allow the SENCo to keep up to date with the Education and Health Departments’ current service offers, allowing for regular review of the impact this may have on our school and students.  
• Learning environment audits: Inclusion Lead and Phase Leaders regularly conduct learning walks around the school, making informal observations and recording these on Nautilus. This evidence is then used to inform school development.
• Reporting and communication: Key findings from the monitoring and evaluation processes will be communicated annually to all stakeholders, including staff, parents, governing bodies, and external partners through the publication of a SEND Information Report on the school’s website. This transparent approach aims to foster a collaborative environment that encourages feedback and promotes continuous improvement in our provision and educational offer.  
• Action planning: Based on the evaluation outcomes, action plans will be developed to address areas requiring improvement, adjust support strategies, and enhance the overall effectiveness of our SEND provision and inclusive practices. These action plans will be shared with the school community, outlining specific steps, timelines, and responsible parties for implementation.
• Policy review: Annual review of the Inclusion Policy to ensure alignment with best practices, up-to-date academic research, statutory and legislative requirements and the evolving needs of the school.  

Transition Support 

JCP is committed to ensuring that parents and carers have confidence in the arrangements for students on entry to our school, in the year-to-year progression and at the point of exit and transition to the next school. In our setting, these main points of exit are at Year 2 for boys and Year 6 for girls. The SENCo and teaching staff meet with a variety of educational settings to discuss transition arrangements and agree the information that should be passed to the next phase of education and any additional transition arrangements that may be needed in order to support individual students during this time of change.

Effective Partnerships 

JCP have strong working partnerships with many external agencies and services across the island in order to provide expert advice and specialised support. Details of some of the external professionals that we work with can be found in Appendix 4.    

Some families may decide to pursue private practitioner support. As a school, we are fully supportive of this option and are able to offer advice and support on how to do this. 

Multilingual Learners 

• Admissions: For entry in Reception, class teachers meet with each child’s nursery keyworker to discuss the child’s development and background. As children transition through the school, the class teacher will meet with the child’s previous teacher to discuss the child’s progress that Year, as well as sharing any key documentation surrounding SEND, MLL or Jersey Premium. Teachers also discuss each child’s background, home language and family circumstances.  
• English as an Additional Language: As a school, we have high expectations of English learning for all children, including our multilingual learners. Class teachers are responsible for setting high expectations for all of the children in their class, as well as providing high-quality teaching which may involve modelling of language use, guided practice and scaffolding, as well as exposing children to higher level vocabulary. The ‘Continuous Provision’ approach to learning is extended from Reception into Year 1 to broaden the children’s access to learning experiences and provide a wide variety of opportunities to learn through play as well as narrating play, talking with their peers and having adults model their use of language. The school’s Senior Leadership Team work with class teachers to make decisions about students’ needs on a termly basis, following pupil progress meetings that have been held with class teachers. Support may be redirected and will be allocated across the school based on need. Additional interventions may be offered to specific children depending their progress and attainment. 
• Home Language Development: When a child first arrives at the school, they will be paired up with a child as talk partners. As a school we may initially try to pair up children of the same language, but this is not always possible. We are currently in the process of putting together a multilingual area of our school library. This will contain dual language books for children to read in school and take home with them. We are also hoping to purchase a number of dual language books with PenPals that can read each book aloud in a selected language. World Language Development: We have a number of language clubs that run during lunchtimes and after school which are available to Key Stages 1 and 2. These include French, Jèrriais and Chinese. French is a curriculum expectation. Jèrriais is taught in Year 4, then children can elect to continue as an extra-curricular club in Years 5 and 6. 
• School-Home Community Relationship: We share information about what the children are going to be doing with termly curriculum letters, as well as weekly newsletters where parents can see what will be happening around the school in the upcoming week. Parents receive a written report from their child’s class teacher each term which can be translated if required, and have at least two parent-teacher meetings each year. We also use the Seesaw app as a home learning tool, where the parents are able to access photos and videos of their child’s learning in class. Parents also have access to their child’s class teacher every day at pick up. As well as their email addresses going out to parents at the beginning of each year. In September each year, there is a school curriculum evening where parents are invited in to meet the teacher, hear about the curriculum that will be covered in the following year, as well as get to know some of the class systems and layout. For children who enter the school in Reception, there is a new parents meeting where the parents get together at school and can meet one another as well as their child’s teacher and support staff. A booklet also goes out to parents with information on their child’s teacher, the school environment and ethos as well as the kinds of activities that they will be doing and details of the school day.

Appendix 1: Overview of assessments used to identify SEND  

Appendix 2: Pathway to SEND identification

Appendix 3: Overview of interventions

Appendix 4: External Professional Partnerships