Waterloo Primary School has six commissioned specialist provision classes:

• five classes for pupils whose primary area of need is autism; and
• one class for pupils with cognition and learning needs.

Our specialist provision is an integral part of Waterloo—not a separate school within the school. Pupils are members of the Waterloo community and share the same entitlement to feel safe, be known, develop friendships and achieve ambitious outcomes.

Everyone belongs, everyone is known and everyone gets what they need.

A personalised and ambitious education

Every pupil in our specialist provision has an Education, Health and Care Plan. This sets out the child’s strengths, needs, intended outcomes and the provision required to support them.

We use each child’s EHCP alongside assessment information, professional advice and the views of the child and their family to build a personalised programme.

Our curriculum is designed to:

• build secure communication and interaction;
• develop reading, writing and mathematical understanding;
• teach knowledge across a broad range of subjects;
• support emotional regulation and readiness to learn;
• develop independence and practical life skills;
• strengthen physical, sensory and self-care skills;
• support positive relationships and participation; and
• prepare pupils for their next stage of education and life.

We remain ambitious about what every pupil can learn and achieve. Personalisation means finding the most effective route to success—not placing a limit on it.

Our curriculum

Pupils access an adapted and carefully sequenced curriculum which reflects their individual starting points, developmental needs and EHCP outcomes.

Communication and interaction

Communication is central to our provision. Pupils are supported to understand and express themselves using the approaches most appropriate to them.

This may include:

• spoken language;
• visual timetables and visual prompts;
• objects, photographs or symbols;
• signing or gesture;
• communication aids or technology;
• structured interaction; and
• opportunities to communicate in meaningful everyday situations.

We work with families and relevant professionals so that communication approaches are understood and used consistently.

English and early reading

Pupils access Read Write Inc. phonics and other structured approaches to early reading and writing where these are appropriate to their stage of development.

Teaching may include:

• listening and attention;
• communication and vocabulary;
• phonological awareness;
• systematic synthetic phonics;
• reading fluency and comprehension;
• mark-making and handwriting;
• spelling and sentence construction; and
• functional reading and writing.

Books, stories, rhymes and shared reading remain important parts of daily provision.

Mathematics

Pupils access the principles and resources of our bespoke Maths curriculum, alongside personalised teaching matched to their developmental and mathematical understanding.

Learning includes number, pattern, shape, measure, space and mathematical problem-solving. Pupils are also supported to apply their mathematical knowledge in practical contexts such as time, money, cooking and everyday routines.

Science and the wider curriculum

Science and the wider foundation subjects are taught principally through adapted Cornerstones projects.

Projects are selected and adapted so that pupils encounter a broad range of knowledge and experiences while working at an appropriate level of complexity. Important concepts and vocabulary are revisited over time so that pupils can build upon previous learning.

Practical activity, real objects, visits, sensory experiences, photographs, stories and purposeful repetition help make learning meaningful and memorable.

Personal development and independence

Our curriculum also gives explicit attention to:

• personal, social and emotional development;
• relationships and health education;
• emotional awareness and regulation;
• personal safety;
• self-care;
• preparing food and eating safely;
• using money and managing everyday tasks;
• accessing the local community;
• making choices and expressing preferences; and
• developing increasing independence.

These areas are taught with the same care and ambition as academic knowledge.

Teaching and the learning environment

Pupils benefit from calm, clear and consistent approaches, predictable routines and environments adapted to their individual needs.

Provision may include:

• carefully structured teaching;
• visual support;
• learning broken into manageable steps;
• regular opportunities for practice and retrieval;
• individual, small-group and whole-class learning;
• sensory or movement breaks;
• adapted resources and specialist equipment;
• support with transitions between activities; and
• spaces in which pupils can regulate safely.

Approaches are personalised. What helps one child may not be appropriate for another, so staff continually observe, assess and adjust provision.

Part of the whole school

Inclusion means much more than sharing a building.

Pupils in our specialist provision have planned opportunities to learn, play, eat, perform, visit, lead and celebrate alongside pupils from mainstream classes.

Depending upon each pupil’s strengths, needs and intended outcomes, this may include:

• joining selected lessons;
• learning alongside a mainstream class;
• shared projects and themed activities;
• assemblies and celebrations;
• playtimes and lunchtimes;
• performances and sporting events;
• clubs and enrichment;
• educational visits and residential experiences; and
• pupil leadership responsibilities.

Integration is individually planned and regularly reviewed. It is not used as a reward and it is not an all-or-nothing arrangement. Opportunities may be increased, adapted or reduced according to what is purposeful and successful for the child.

For some pupils, greater participation within a mainstream class may be an appropriate long-term aim. For others, the specialist class will remain their principal place of learning. Success looks different for every child.

Visits, clubs and residential experiences

Pupils in specialist provision are included in Waterloo’s educational visits, clubs, enrichment activities and residential offer.

We plan early with families and make reasonable adjustments wherever possible. This may include:

• additional staffing;
• adapted transport;
• visual preparation;
• familiarisation visits;
• changes to timing or activities;
• accessible accommodation or facilities;
• individual healthcare arrangements; and
• personalised risk assessments.

A child’s additional needs should not lead to their automatic exclusion from an experience available to their peers.

Knowing every child well

Progress is assessed in relation to:

• the child’s individual starting points;
• the curriculum knowledge and skills being taught;
• personalised learning priorities;
• communication, engagement and independence;
• social and emotional development; and
• the outcomes within the child’s EHCP.

We use the Assess–Plan–Do–Review cycle to consider what is working and what needs to change. EHCP outcomes and provision are also considered through the statutory annual review process.

Progress may be demonstrated in different ways. It can include greater independence, more confident communication, applying learning in a new context or completing a task with less support.

Working with families and professionals

Families know their children best and are essential partners in their education.

We aim to maintain regular, honest and respectful communication with parents and carers. Families are involved in reviewing progress, shaping priorities and planning important transitions.

Where appropriate, we also work with professionals and services such as:

• speech and language therapists;
• occupational therapists;
• educational psychologists;
• specialist teachers;
• health professionals;
• social care professionals; and
• Sefton SEND services.

Advice from professionals is incorporated into the child’s day-to-day provision and reviewed to ensure it is making a difference.

Transitions

Transitions are carefully planned around the individual child. This includes:

• joining Waterloo from an early years setting or another school;
• moving between classes or key stages;
• increasing participation within mainstream provision;
• changes to staff, rooms or routines; and
• preparing for secondary education.

Support may include visits, photographs, visual transition materials, information-sharing, meetings with families and professionals, and a phased transition where appropriate.

How are places allocated?

Places within Waterloo’s specialist provision are commissioned and allocated through Sefton Council’s statutory SEND arrangements. They are not offered through direct application to the school.

Children require an Education, Health and Care Plan identifying the specialist provision needed. Sefton Council considers the child’s needs and proposed placement and consults with the school before making the statutory placement decision.

If you believe your child may require specialist provision, you should speak to:

• your child’s current school or early years setting;
• the SENCO involved with your child;
• your Sefton SEND caseworker, if one has been allocated; or
• Sefton Council’s SEND team.

Further information is available through the Sefton Local Offer.

Visiting the provision

Where Waterloo is being considered as a possible placement, we will work with Sefton Council, the child’s current setting and their family to share relevant information and support an informed transition.

Visits will be arranged at an appropriate stage of the consultation or placement process. A visit to Waterloo does not constitute an offer of a specialist place, as the final placement decision rests with the local authority.

Our specialist provision team

Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion
Mrs R. Jones

Special Educational Needs Coordinator
Mrs G. Wainwright

Specialist Provision Lead
Mrs J. Escott-Shaw

Email: sen@wps.mvlt.co.uk
Telephone: 0151 928 4274

For further information about Waterloo’s wider approach to identifying and supporting additional needs, please visit our SEND page.