The pupil premium grant is funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. Please read the information below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding.

Thames Ditton Junior School use of Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low income families who are currently known to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months. This will also include pupils eligible for FSM at any point in the last six years (known as the Ever 6 FSM measure).

Schools are free to spend the Pupil Premium as they see fit. However we will be held accountable for how we have used the additional funding to support pupils from low income families.

Department for Education Publication Link

Service Pupil Premium

Service pupil premium is additional funding for schools with pupils who have parents serving in the armed forces. It has been combined into pupil premium payments to make it easier for schools to manage their spending.

 

Thames Ditton Junior School is a mainstream, inclusive school which is committed to equality of opportunity and access to all areas of school life for all pupils. We strive to meet the needs of all learners regardless of their Special Educational Need.

"Your behaviour and very positive attitude to learning make an excellent contribution to lessons, and you make outstanding progress, including those of you who have special education needs and/or disabilities."  Ofsted March 2014

The SEND team work collaboratively with our staff to ensure that all of our learners benefit from high quality teaching and respond to the individual needs of the children in the class.

All teachers have high expectations for all students and promote inclusion by ensuring all lessons are accessible to all children regardless of their needs.  The children at Thames Ditton Junior School are taught to help one another and respect each other's differences.

Adjustments to provision and support that is ‘in addition to and different from’ every day classroom practice will be implemented to respond to barriers to learning and areas of need outlined in the Code of Practice (2015):

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, Emotional and mental health
• Sensory/physical

At Thames Ditton Junior School, we will endeavour to:

• Ensure decisions are informed by the insights of parents and children
• Have high ambitions and set stretching targets for children
• Track progress towards these goals
• Review the additional or different provision that is made 
• Promote positive outcomes in the wider areas of personal and social development
• Ensure that the approaches used are based on the best possible evidence and are having the required impact on progress
   

We ensure that children and parents are appropriately involved in all discussions and decisions about individual support and provision. The children’s needs are always at the heart of our provision and decision making.

If you are worried about your child in any way, please speak in the first instance to your child's class teacher who can then arrange a meeting with other relevant staff as agreed.

Please contact the SEND team for more details: sendteam@tdjs.org

 

Specialist Centre

TDJS has a specialist LAN (learning and additional needs) provision within the school.  We have spaces for 16 children with special educational needs or disabilities within a mainstream setting.  Pupils who attend our provision generally have a primary need of moderate learning difficulties and or speech and language difficulties.  Children gain places by going through the annual Surrey panel which decides the best placement for a child.  All children in the Centre have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The children are first and fore most members of a mainstream class but attend the Centre for Specialist Teaching (the Specialist Centre) in areas of need.

The purpose of the centre is to ensure that children are given the chance to reach their potential at a level suitable for their needs, develop life skills as well as gain independence. 

During the morning sessions the centre operates on a three part carousel. The carousel comprises of Maths, English and Speech & language.  Sensory experiences as well as speech and language principles underpin all lessons in the Centre in order to engage pupils.  This helps to create memorable moments for the pupils thereby promoting speech and readiness to learn. 

We have huge focus on life skills; lessons are planned so that pupils are able to gain some valuable skills that can be transferred into their everyday life, e.g. Today is Thursday and I have an appointment in two days’ time, what day will my appointment be on?

All pupils work in small groups, led by a teacher and supported by adults.  The work is differentiated to support their need.  Pupils may not necessarily be grouped according to age or chronological year but maturity, speech and ability to learn. 

In the afternoons, the children join their mainstream classes to cover subjects such as Science, History and Geography, PE, Art, Drama and Music lessons.  The children have adult support at a ratio of 2:1 and sometimes 3:1.  Prior to entering the mainstream class the pupils engage in pre teaching to enable them to access the learning in the mainstream inclusion lesson.  Additionally the lessons are modified to meet individual learning needs.

We also provide opportunities for the pupils to learn in a wide range of environments with support from external agencies including sport, health and culture.  This is done either through visitors at school or days out.

If a child needs additional support, we have access to advice from outside agencies.  Some of the outside agencies that we work with include Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and the Physical and Sensory Support Service.  We also have a Speech and Language Therapist and assistant who work with us on a weekly basis.

There is also more information about Surrey's Local Offer, the online hub for 0-25 year olds with special educational needs or a disability, on their website.  Please click on the website link here www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk

 

Admissions Policy 

Applications for children seeking a place at our Specialist Centre Provision will be considered at the appropriate admissions forum and your case officer will notify you of the outcome.  The provision in the specialist centre is personalised and is not available to children experiencing difficulties in the mainstream setting, although resources and expertise are shared.

Admission Criteria for the LAN unit (Specialist Centre)

The Centre can admit 16 pupils aged between Year 3 and Year 6.  this equates to approximately 4 pupils in each year group and we generally take on 4 new pupils each September in Year 3.  Further assessments of each pupil's needs are conducted, therefore the admission criteria are broad rather than prescriptive.

Pupils already present with:

• Globally delayed development (usually around 2 years delayed at Year 3)
• Commensurate or greater delay in language development.
• Difficulties in self-help and motor skills.

The Centre does not specifically provide for pupils with autism, although it is recognised that pupils admitted may have an impairment of social or communication skills at the mild end of the autistic continuum.  The staff in the LAN unit at TDJS use strategies that are helpful to such pupils.

Some of the pupils present with medical difficulties such as epilepsy or more complex syndromes and training is accessed when appropriate to meet the medical needs of these pupils.

Prospective Parents                 

We are able to offer tours of our centre to prospective parents, periodically.   I hope the following information helps you make a decision about the best provision for your child.

Please refer to our Key Documents page for the latest SEND policies