Southend High School for Girls Local Offer The Local Offer

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1 The Local Offer All mainstream schools (which includes maintained schools and academies) have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with SEND and are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. All schools are supported to be inclusive, with the needs of pupils with SEND being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible, where families want this to happen. Additionally schools have to provide details of the school specific offer this should reflect Southend Borough Council s Local Offer which can be found at Included as part of these changes to the Code of Practice the main areas of SEN will be slightly altered and will encompass the following four broad areas: 1. Communication and Interaction 2. Cognition and Learning 3. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties 4. Sensory and/or physical needs In recognition of these changes we at Southend High School for Girls are updating our Local Offer of support provided to reflect this. However, this support is currently already in place and is available now. Our School Offer provides details of the resources, interventions etc. that we provide at Southend High School for Girls to support children with SEND. Due to the ever changing needs of our children there may be additional support available that has not been covered here in this document. If you would like further information about what we offer at Southend High School for Girls then please do not hesitate to contact our SENCo Ms V Casson directly. 1

2 Admissions: Pupils with SEN are allocated places in two separate and distinct ways. Those pupils with statements or Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have a separate admissions procedure overseen by the SEN team at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. Those pupils who have SEND but do not have a statement or EHCP are admitted via the normal school admission criteria. Provision Available Needs Support Criteria Communication and Interaction Needs Autistic Spectrum Disorders Access specialist teaching advice from The St Christopher School Teacher/parent concerns Transition information Social stories Individual Visual timetable Calm and safe environment for calming down Key mentor Educational Psychology Service Pupil being identified as having a social communication difficulty and is on the SEND register. 2

3 Speech, Language and Communication Needs Support in referral to specialist agencies, including observation and interim strategies. Cognition and Learning Needs Mild and moderate Learning Needs Screening programme (MIDYIS) to identify those who need targeted support Baseline assessments in Year 7 in all subjects Interventions small group and individual led within departments. Educational Psychology Service Results of screening programme. Termly Assessment levels Teacher/parent concerns. Specific Learning Needs In class differentiation guided by ISPs. Exam Access Arrangements Education Psychology Service Pupil identified by health specialists outside school. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties Social Needs Emotional and Mental Health Form tutor. Learning Manager team. Learning Manager team Access to Counsellors Teacher/parent/self referral Lack of progression/achievement. Pupil premium Teacher/parent/self referral Lack of 3

4 Difficulties Mentors Educational Psychology Service progression/achievement. Pupil premium Sensory and Physical Needs Hearing Impairment Access to Sensory Advisory Hearing Impairment Teacher of the Deaf at Kingsdown School Specialist report Visual Impairment Access to Kingsdown Special School Physical environment audit Specialist report Multi-Sensory Impairment Risk assessment and individualised support Specialist report Medical Needs Care plan Medical room Secure storage for medication Health Care Plans Specialist report Frequently asked questions How will I know how my child is doing? Two teacher assessments and one full school report every academic year for Years 7 to 11. Teacher assessments every half term in sixth form. Any other information will be communicated with you on an individual basis via your child s Learning Manager, SENCO and/or teaching staff. 4

5 There is a parent consultation evening once each year (two in Year 7) where you will have an opportunity to speak to your child s teaching staff. Student progress/ learning is monitored and reviewed regularly. All students have a one to one meeting for 15 minutes once a term with their form tutor. Students with ISP s have a termly meeting with the SENCO to discuss targets and support strategies. A range of ways will be used to keep you informed which may include: Home/school planner Letters/certificates home Contact from school by the Learning Manager or Pastoral Support Coordinator Additional meetings as required How well does the school know how well my child is doing? All students with SEND have their needs and differentiation strategies centrally held on SIMs. Regular checks on all students are made by their Learning Manager in addition to formal termly assessments. Heads of Department and Faculty Heads have their own curriculum specific monitoring systems in place. At every Faculty meeting students who are presenting as a cause for concern are identified. The SENCo monitors the progress of identified SEND students termly via data held on SIMS. How will I know what progress my child should You will have access to the SIMS Learning Gateway. From this you can 5

6 be making? compare your child s progress with their target grade and the mean grade in their year group. You can also check on your child s attendance. How will the curriculum be matched to my child s needs? What are the school s approaches to differentiation? All subject teachers deliver their lessons with an emphasis on Quality First Teaching and as such differentiation is embedded in their schemes of work and lesson plans. All students ILPs are held centrally on SIMs that every teacher accesses each lesson to take the register. All subject teachers deliver their lessons with an emphasis on Quality First Teaching and as such differentiation is embedded in their schemes of work and lesson plans. What support is there for behaviour? Behaviour management systems in school are based upon encouraging pupils to make a positive decision about behavioural issues. School provides effective pastoral support. The school uses systems that try to their best to ensure peer friendships are maintained and no pupils feels isolated. Merits and commendation system in place to praise/reward effort in class, good work and contribution to the school community. How will my child/young person contribute her/his views and how will the school support my child/young person to achieve this? Pupil Voice is heard explicitly via the Student Council. It is embedded into the pastoral and PHSCE programme that is delivered via assemblies and fortnightly form sessions. What training are the staff supporting pupils with SEND had or having? The SENCo has established a SEND working party. The participants are drawn from all faculties. The members are expected to communicate their knowledge to their faculty colleagues. SHSG holds whole school INSET to keep staff abreast of new legislation and support strategies. 6

7 What specialist Services are available within or accessible to the school? How will I be involved in discussions about planning for my child s education? How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips? Within School SENCo Pastoral team Outside Agencies Educational Psychologist CAMHS Counsellors Parents are consulted before any impactful decisions or changes are made for their child. The first point of contact will be with the Learning Manager. In some cases the Assistant Head in charge of their key stage will be in consultation along with the SENCo. Wherever possible all students will have access to activities including school trips. How accessible is the school environment? The school site at SHSG is equipped with ramps and lifts. Access is available to students with physical disabilities in most areas of the site. Where it is not we can ensure that the rooming allocation is decided with their needs in mind. How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school, transfer to college or the next stage of education and life? A letter from the head goes to all primaries inviting them to pass relevant information on to us. All prospective students in Year 6 within catchment have a visit from a teacher. At this point we can speak to their current teachers/senco to assess their needs as necessary. All girls are invited for a transition day before they begin. The learning manager reads all information passed to us from the primaries and will inform the SENCo immediately if there are any special needs. If your child moves to another school we will liase with the SENCo there and ensure all relevant information is passed on. We can arrange connexion/careers interviews for your child. We offer extensive support for all our students preparing to apply for 7

8 university. We can also advise them on possible allowances that may be made, practical and financial for their needs. How are the school s resources allocated and matched to pupils special educational needs? How does the decision made about how much support my child will receive? How does the school communicate with parent/carers whose first language is not English? The SENCo, Learning Managers and SLT work together to ensure that support is in place. If students require specialist equipment or assistance we use our technicians to support them with this. If a student s needs require them to have altered Access Arrangements for examinations we ensure that staff are aware; that their normal way of working is monitored and the correct arrangements are in place. After collating all available evidence; from meetings with the students, their parents, reports from their teachers and assessments from outside specialists, the SENCo makes the initial assessment. In the case of exam arrangements the SENCo s initial assessment is ratified by a member of the senior leadership team and the exams officer adhering to the regulations of the JCQ. Upon parental request we will work with local authority services and buy in this support Who should be my first point of contact if I want to discuss something about my child? The learning manager of their year group in the first instance. Please telephone V Casson September