Special Educational Needs Provision At South Dartmoor Community College Our vision at South Dartmoor Community College is that students, with SEND, are able to be architects of their own success, equipped for the challenges of confidently contributing to society now and in the future. We firmly believe that all students should have access to a broad, balanced and relevant education including an appropriate curriculum that is differentiated according to individual needs. We have a range of provisions available to support students and these are broadly organised into the four areas defined by the Code of Practice. 1. Cognition and Learning 2. Communication and Interaction 3. Social, Mental and Emotional Health 4. Sensory and/or Physical Needs Cognition and Learning needs are a strong focus in Key stage 3 (years 7 and 8) and these are mostly met through our Learning Enrichment Centre and in class provision. Communication and Interaction needs are supported by our CAIRB provision and the specialist team attached to this provision. Social, Mental and Emotional Health needs are supported by our strong pastoral team led by performance leaders and also through our Re-engage provision. Sensory and/or physical needs are again supported through the performance team and by the range of provisions already detailed as appropriate. Please see the diagram below for the organisation of the SEND team.
Assistant Principal SENCO Fiona Goodchild Curriculum Support Assistants In Departments English - Helen Siegieda Maths - Ian Karkeek Science - Linda Hamlin Technology Michelle Bristow Specialist TA Wendy Forwood Sensory and / or Physical Cognition and Learning Learning Enrichment Centre Heads of Department James Woodward Specialist Teachers LEC Susan Hills Kerrie Nichols Chris Turley SEND Provision at South Dartmoor Lead Practitioner LEC Teaching Assistant Team Sarah Clark Bill Looker Gail Hayek Amanda Gale Cathy Middleton Social, Mental, Emotional Re-engage Team Restorative Coordinators Carole Whelan Suzanne Mieczkowska Rachelle Hammond Re-engage Teaching Assistant Sara Aceto Communication and Interaction CAIRB Specialist Teacher Fiona Goodchild CAIRB Teaching Assistant Team Sue Nicholson Fergus Snow-Crockford Tracy Roberts Rebecca Purdy Beverley Fulford Monica Hannford Provision Support Services Administration support F/T Wendy Waters Exam access arrangements Michaela Edwards Lead Practitioner Rachael Mitchelmore
1. Admission Arrangements; The governing body has agreed with the LA admissions criteria which do not discriminate against students with SEND, and its admissions policy has due regard for the guidance in the Code of Practice which accompany the SEN and Disability Act 2001. Parents and carers seeking the admission of a student with mobility difficulties are advised to approach the school well in advance so that consultations can take place. 2. Identification and Assessment; The college is committed to the early identification of SEN and uses a graduated approach to achieve this, in line with the Code of Practice 2014. It is a cyclical approach as shown below with the child firmly in the middle of the process. Identify and assess the need Review the plan CHILD Plan to meet an identified need Deliver the plan The college also carries out the following for students transitioning at Year 6; All year 6 students are visited in their primary schools. Extra visits are made as necessary particularly for students with statements or vulnerable students. A transition week is held for all students prior to entry. The students get the opportunity to try out their Year 7 timetables, meet some of their teachers and experience many aspects of secondary school life Parents are invited to share any concerns with the Transition Coordinator or SENCo following these induction days. Additional visits to the college are organised, prior to transition week as necessary, for any students with statements or identified additional needs. Use of records from primary schools, KS 2 data, SAT s, IEP s, Statements of SEN and outside agency reports are vital in the identification and assessment of students. All year 7 students are tested for reading and spelling on entry and this information is shared with all staff. Data is made available to staff to aid groupings, short and long term planning, provision and target setting. SENCo will consult with parents regarding any additional or separate provision for SEN
students. For students arriving into college during the year or after Year 7 previous data is analysed and appropriate assessments and support organised. At all key transition phases students and parents are able to access additional support as necessary to ensure a smooth transition. Every effort will be made to ensure that all teaching and non-teaching staff are fully aware of the college SEN policy and the college s procedure for identifying, assessing and making provision for students with SEN. English as an Additional Language; Students will not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught. The identification and assessment of SEN of young people whose first language is not English requires particular care. Where there is uncertainty about an individual, SDCC will look carefully at all aspects of a student s performance in different subjects to establish whether the problems they have in the classroom are due to limitations in their command of the language that is used there or arise from SEN. 3. Support for Students with SEND; Provision for students with SEND is a matter for the school as a whole. In addition to the governing body, the head teacher, SENCo and learning support team, all other members of staff have important responsibilities. All teachers are teachers of students with special educational needs and disabilities. Teaching such students is a whole school responsibility, requiring a whole school response. Central to the work of every class and every subject is a continuous cycle of planning, teaching, assessment and evaluation that takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of the students. The majority of students will learn and progress within these arrangements. However, for students with SEND, there may be the need to provide an enhanced level of provision that supports and enhances their learning abilities. The staff of SDCC is committed to identifying and providing for the needs of all children in a wholly inclusive environment. Inclusion is regarded as crucial to the policy, in line with that of the Local Authority. A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum will be made available for all students. Where students have special educational needs, a graduated response will be adopted. The school will, in other than exceptional cases, make full use of classroom and school resources before drawing on external support. The school will make provision for students with special educational needs to match the nature of their individual needs and the class teacher and SENco will keep regular records of the students special educational needs, the action taken and the outcomes.
There will be flexible grouping of students so that learning needs may be met in individual, small group or whole class contexts. The curriculum will be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students. Teaching styles and flexible groups will reflect this approach. Schemes of work for students, within classes and year groups, will reflect whole school approaches to teaching and learning and will take account of special educational needs. Curriculum tasks and activities may be broken down into a series of small and achievable steps for students who have marked learning difficulties. The Individual Learning Plan s for Statemented students will set targets for the student and will detail; The short term targets set in consultation with the students The teaching and support strategies to be used The provision to be put in place. When the plan is to be reviewed. Success criteria. All staff have the responsibility of regularly setting student s targets and for building planning into their teaching to help students achieve their targets. 4. Stages of Support Provision SDCC will adopt a graduated response to meeting SEND that requires the initial use of classroom and school resources before bringing specialist expertise to bear on the difficulties that a student is experiencing. When a young person is identified as having SEND, the school will intervene as described below at SEN school support. Such interventions are a means of helping schools and parents match educational provision to individual student needs. SDCC will record the steps taken to meet the needs of individual children. Provision may include; Monitoring; To support year 7 students who have received additional help at their primary school. To support students who have been identified as causing concern by parents or teachers. (Parents and students are given the opportunity to be involved at all stages of a graduated approach to SEN) To monitor the transition of students who have achieved their success criteria. SEN School Support; In class support Differentiated curriculum Emphasis on differentiation of activities / materials for curriculum access. Some individual programming / small group work to support specific targets Access to specialist equipment and materials as necessary Access to specialist teaching support
Input from outside professionals. Statements, as School support plus Specialised teaching and or communication techniques, supported by appropriate equipment and materials 5. Review of ILP s for Statemented Students; The ILP will be reviewed at least twice a year and the outcomes will be recorded. Relevant professionals will be invited to contribute to the monitoring and review of progress. Students and parents will be fully involved and kept informed about the involvement of external agencies and proposed interventions. Students statements will be reviewed annually and a report provided for the LA. If sufficient progress is made a statement may be discontinued by the LA. The college will liaise with Careers South West and other agencies to arrange transition plans for students with statements in year 9, and will ensure these plans are reviewed annually as part of the review process. When students move to another school their records will be transferred to the next school within 15 days of the students ceasing to be registered, as required under the education regulations 2000. The SENCo is responsible for organising reviews of statements for SEN. 6. Access to the Curriculum All students have the entitlement to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. All students with SEND are taught with their peers by subject teachers and study the appropriate and relevant curriculum. All teaching and support staff are aware of the need to consider the National Curriculum Inclusion Statement in their planning and teaching and strive to: Provide suitable learning challenges Meet the students diverse learning needs Remove the barriers to learning and assessment With advice and the support of the SENCO, Teaching Assistants and other professionals, teachers will match the learning to the needs and abilities of the student. Teachers will use a range of strategies to develop the student s knowledge, understanding and skills. Where appropriate, materials will be modified or support provided to enable students with SEN to access the learning of the assessment processes. 7. Access to the wider curriculum In addition to the statutory curriculum the college provides a range of additional activities. These include: Sports activities and teams School productions and Theatre trips Choir, orchestra and instrument lessons
Field trips to enhance learning Geography, History and Science Curriculum Enhancement Week Extra Curriculum activities reflecting a diversity of needs Staff will strive to ensure equal access to these activities for all students. 8. Monitoring and evaluating the success of the education provided for students with SEN The college, including the governing body, is committed to regular and systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of its work. In this respect, the governing body report annually to the parents upon the quality of education provided for and the achievement of students with SEN. The college employs a series of methods to gather data for analysis including: Analysis of the attainment and achievement of different groups of students with SEN Success rates in respect of targets set at School Support and Statement Annual reviews GCSE and alternative accreditation outcomes Post 16 destinations of students with SEN The views of parents and the students. Maintenance of assessment records eg reading and spelling that illustrate progress over time Regular meeting between SENCO and Heads of Departments, Curriculum Managers and Teaching Assistants Whole college and curriculum evaluation on progress of College Improvement Plan Performance management observations 9. Dealing with SEN complaints from parents/ carers; All complaints will be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly according to the College complaints procedure. The college will provide information about the Parent Partnership service to all parents of students with special educational needs on request. Parents of students identified with SEN may contact the Parent Partnership independent support and advice service. The address can be obtained from the SENCO or PSA. The LA has made arrangements for the appointment of Independent persons with a view to resolving or avoiding disagreement between authorities and parents of students with SEN. Details of how to access this disagreement resolution service can be obtained from the LA and support will be given to parents accessing the information. 10. Arrangements for in house training; It is the college policy to provide appropriate professional development opportunities for the
SENCO, support teachers, curriculum SEN representatives, Learning Support team and other staff according to needs identified. Relevant local and national course / conferences including cluster meetings are attended by the SENCO. The college supports staff training for externally accredited courses e.g. diplomas, NVQs certificates, degrees etc. In college training sessions are held for individuals, groups of staff or whole staff by SMT, SENCO and external agencies. The school provides an ongoing programme of CPD for all staff Meetings for NQTs and staff new to the school are provided. 11. External Support Services External support services play an important part in helping the college identify, access and make provision for students with special educational needs. The college has an allocated Education Welfare Officer and regular contact from an Educational Psychology Team buying in additional support time to meet the needs of students. The college may seek advice from specialist advisory teaching services for students with sensory impairment, physical difficulties, and communication and interaction difficulties. Specialist outside agencies contribute to the reviews of students with significant speech and language difficulties, physical, visual and hearing impaired students. Multi agency liaison meetings, with representation from Social Care, Careers South West, Health and the Educational Psychology Service are held on a regular basis to ensure effective collaboration in identifying and making provision for vulnerable students. The Careers South West Personal Advisor is invited to attend all Annual Reviews in Year 8 in order to contribute to the first Transition Plan, and then to the subsequent reviews of the Transition Plan. 12. The role parents play of students with SEN In accordance with the SEN Code of Practice the college believes that all parents of students with SEN should be treated as equal partners. The college has positive attitudes to parents, provides user-friendly information and strives to ensure that they understand the procedures and are aware of how to access advice Parents will be supported and empowered to: Recognise and fulfil their responsibilities as parents and play an active and valued role in their son or daughter s education Have knowledge of their son or daughters entitlement within the SEN framework Make their views known about how their son or daughter is educated
Have access to information, advice and support during assessment and any related decision making processes about special educational provision Contribute to review meetings. The college is committed to working with parents and keeping them fully informed of the Partnership with Parents Service and with the college s procedures Parent will be made welcome in the college and will be invited to attend such meetings as concern their son or daughter In order to make communications effective the college will: Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their son and daughter Focus on the students strengths as well as areas of need Recognise the personal investment of parents and be aware of their feelings Ensure that parents understand procedures, are aware of how to access support in preparing their contributions to be discussed well before meetings Respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints Respect the differing needs parents themselves may have such as a disability or communication and linguistic barriers Recognise the need for flexibility in the timing and structure of meetings.