As a new pupil at Montacute, each child will have an individually devised introduction into the school, which will involve the following:

• An identified key member of staff will meet the child or young person and parents/carers.
• The class staff will gather a picture of the child or young person eg. likes and dislikes, equipment needed, routines, medical and care needs, to help them to prepare to welcome the new pupil and give them a good first experience of school. This often happens in a meeting which could take place at home or in school.
• The new pupil becomes familiar with school – e.g. through visiting or through a photo book to use at home.

 

A meeting linked to the pupil’s Education and Health Care Plan is held about six weeks after they have started school. This meeting looks at how settling in is progressing and identifies first learning goals with parents and carers. There will be a similar meeting every year after this, called an Annual Review to make sure that the pupil is continuing to flourish and have their needs met.

 

Montacute uses a Person Centred Planning approach for its reviews. This means importance is placed  on the contribution everyone makes at the meeting, not on written reports. Where possible the pupil themselves will attend all or part of their meeting and make their contribution to it. We would like everyone involved with that pupil to come to the meeting so that we can all think about what is working well and what we need to do next through one discussion rather than a number of separate meetings held by different agencies.