SEN & Vulnerable Students

What should I do if I think my child has special educational needs?

Discuss initial subject concerns with subject teacher. If you are concerned about a number of subjects, discuss with your child’s tutor or Head of Year. The Head of Year/your child’s tutor will discuss the concerns with Jasdeep Singh (SENCO)
The school works to the definition of special education needs outlined in the Code of Practice for SEN 2014:
A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.
We can provide support for the four main areas of need identified in the Code of Practice: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health difficulties and sensory and/or physical needs.

How will the school respond to my concern?

• A member of staff will listen to and investigate your concerns
• We will get back to you by phone or e-mail within three days
• If needed, we will set up a meeting in school to discuss your concerns.

How will the school decide if my child needs extra support?

• Within a single subject, the subject teacher and Head of Department will decide
• If the concern is across a number of subjects, the SENCO and Head of Year will decide
• Where possible, the decision will be based on data about your child’s attainment in comparison to other children and their progress, as outlined in the definition of special educational needs from the 2014 Code of Practice. This data will include subject based assessments of attainment and progress along with assessments carried out by the Support for Learning Department, such as baseline literacy tests.

What is your school’s approach to teaching and including young people with special educational needs and disabilities?

• The school believes that all learners should be included in all school activities as far as practicable, unless there are health and safety or safeguarding reasons not to do so
• Most support for learners with special educational needs takes place in the class room, alongside learners who do not have special educational needs
• Teachers will differentiate lesson materials and adapt their teaching approaches to meet the needs of children in their classes
• Staff within the Support for Learning department will work with you and your child to make reasonable adjustments to make sure that your child is included in extra-curricular activities and trips, where possible
• Displays in the Support for Learning department will promote a positive image of special educational needs and encourage high aspirations

What will the school do to support my child?

• If additional support is needed across a number of subjects, your child will be placed on the SEN register
• In most cases, your child will continue to be educated alongside other learners in their normal classes. In this way they will benefit from the expertise of the subject teacher. They may be supported in class by a teaching assistant or removed from some lessons to receive specific support, either one to one or in a small group.
• The support will be based on the cycle of: assess, plan, do and review
• All additional support will be recorded on the school’s provision map. This will indicate the nature of the support, how often it takes place and its effectiveness
• The SENCO may also work with you and your child to put together an Individual Education Plan, including some specific short term targets.

Who will support my child in school?

Where the school decides it is appropriate, your child may be supported by the following:

• Class teachers
• Form tutor
• Head of Year
• Teaching Assistants
• SENCO
• Attendance Officer

What training and experience do staff have for the additional support my child needs?

Within the Educational Support department there is a wide variety of training, experience and qualifications including:

• National Award in SEN Co-ordination
• Training from a number of outside agencies on specific needs, such as autism, attachment issues, dyslexia and dyspraxia
• If the Support for Learning department does not have the specialist expertise to deal with your child’s special educational needs, we will endeavour to use the expertise of an outside agency e.g the HI and VI team and the Learning Communication and Interaction Team.

Who else might be involved in supporting my child?

Depending on the needs of your child, the following agencies may be involved:

• Educational Psychologist
• CAMHS worker
• Specialist Teaching Team
• Child & Young Persons Nursing Team
• VI/HI/LCI Team
• Early Help Worker
• Youth Offending Team
• Occupational Therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Specialist Nurse Trainers

What support will be there for my child’s emotional and social well-being?

• Pastoral support will be provided by your child’s tutor, supported by the relevant Head of Year, who they will see on a daily basis
• The Support for Learning department has a number of interventions it can put in place to support your child’s emotional and social well-being, such as social and communication groups.
• The school’s behaviour management policy outlines how the school promotes positive behaviour
• The Support for Learning department plays a large role in promoting positive behaviour and avoiding exclusion

How will my child be involved in the process and be able to contribute their views?

• Your child will be invited to any review that takes place and will be asked to give their views on the support they receive in school

How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

• As far as possible, your child will study a broad and balanced curriculum
• In many subjects, learners are grouped according to ability, allowing teaching staff to gear their lessons at the appropriate level
• Teachers will try to prepare materials and teaching approaches to meet the individual needs of learners
• These approaches include using seating plans to encourage learning, clear objectives and differentiated success criteria for all lessons and the use of different ways of recording information
• To help with this, teachers will have access to baseline data for your child and a profile, outlining needs and strategies, for all students on the SEND register
• Baseline data includes Key Stage 2 SAT results, Key Stage 3 assessment scores, CAT test results and reading and spelling ages
• There might be a teaching assistant in some of your child’s lessons to help with their learning
• In some circumstances your child may be withdrawn from lessons in order to concentrate on the development of key skills, such as literacy and numeracy.

What opportunities will there be for me to be involved in supporting my child’s attainment and achievement? How will I know how well my child is progressing?

• In addition to the termly progress updates that all students receive, SEND reviews will provide the opportunity to discuss attainment and achievement
• Members of the Support for Learning department attend Parents’ Evenings to discuss progress
• Other forms of contact may be used

How does the school know how well my child is doing?

• Progress Updates are issued. These are used to report current attainment and progress towards aspirational targets. The overarching philosophy is the progression of skills, knowledge and understanding over time towards the target grade.
• Your child’s reading will be tested every year.
• Learners receiving additional literacy interventions have their reading comprehension ability tested every term
• Assessment for Learning strategies ensure that your child is involved in monitoring their own progress and setting targets
• Parents and children will be involved in assessing and reviewing progress at SEND review meetings and parents’ evenings.

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

• We will work with you and your child to ensure that, where possible, they are able to take part in activities outside of the classroom
• This may include preliminary visits, reasonable adjustments and the preparation of risk assessments
• If you are concerned about how your child will access an out of classroom activity or school trip, contact the trip organiser in the first instance.

How accessible is the school environment? How accessible is the curriculum?

• The school is fully wheelchair accessible, including disabled toilets
• Teachers differentiate their lessons in order to make sure that young people can access the learning.

How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school?

• A member of the Support for Learning department will attend SEND review meetings at your child’s primary school, as far as possible
• Your child will have the opportunity to attend one full day and 1 morning visit during Year 6 transition.
• If your child is transferring from another secondary school, a member of the Support for Learning department will either speak to your child’s previous school to gather information. In this situation, contact the Support for Learning department to arrange a visit for you and your child.

How will the school prepare and support my child to transfer to a new setting/school/college?

• Careers guidance takes place throughout Years 7-11
• When your child applies to another school or college in Year 11, we will liaise with their new setting to ensure that they are fully aware of your child’s needs. We will support them with visits to their new setting.

How can I be involved in supporting my child?

• You can check your child’s homework on a regular basis (at least weekly) to monitor homework
• You can provide your child with an appropriate place to do homework and encourage them to complete it at a regular time
• You can support your child with the organisation of their school equipment
• You can attend parents’ evening and review meetings
• You can reinforce and support the points outlined in the Home-School Agreement
• You can encourage your child to read on a regular basis. If your child finds reading difficult, we can provide ideas about how to work with them, for example paired reading.

How is the effectiveness of the provision made for learners with special educational needs evaluated?

• Data is used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and class teaching
• Quality assurance procedures are used to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching assistant support
• The procedures include lesson observations, teacher surveys, young people surveys and performance management interviews
• The overall provision is evaluated in meetings between the SENCO and the Line Manager of the Learning Support Department
• Further challenge and support is provided by the SEN Governor.

How can I access support for myself and my family?

• There are a number of organisations and agencies that can support you and your family. These can be found in the Local Offer section of the website.

Who can I contact for further information or if I have a complaint about the provision made for my child?

• In the first instance, contact Jasdeep Singh, SENCO

 

More information for parents/carers

Further information has been provided below for questions parents/carers have about learning support.

Sources of Further information

Documents
Provision Map
SEN Guide for Parents and Carers
Dyslexia Guide for Parents and Carers
Autism guide for Parents and Carers
Dyslexia Guide for Students

For further information about the provision for students with SEND throughout the city please click here to see the Leicester City Council Local Offer.

There is also a team of 11 teaching assistants (10.1 wholetime equivalent), many of whom have individual responsibilities, including:

• Delivering directed physiotherapy
• Adapting resources for students with visual impairment
• Organisational skills intervention
• Literacy programmes
• Behaviour support
• Individual coaching