SEN Information Report

March 2017 1

Greensward Academy is a mixed 11-18 AET academy. In 2015 the academy was graded as ‘good’ by OFSTED.1 The SENDCo at Greensward Academy is Mr Samuel Mothersole and he can be contacted on 01702 202571 ext 1239 or alternatively by email [email protected]. The kinds of special educational needs that are provided for Greensward Academy is an inclusive academy and all staff make reasonable adjustments to their practice to ensure that all our students make progress and are able to access the curriculum. The academy supports students with various difficulties, including Cognition and Learning; Communication and Interaction; Social, Emotional and Mental Health and also sensory and/or physical difficulties. The academy has completed its final phase of building works and the buildings are fully wheelchair accessible, with a lift in the new Aristotle Block and also a lift that services Columbus Block and Einstein Block. There are disabled toilet facilities throughout the academy, on every floor. There are also designated disabled parking bays. Policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs Teacher assessments are recorded three times over the academic year. Parents receive reports following the academy reporting structure. Parents can contact class teachers or Directors of Learning at any point during the year to discuss their child’s progress. Students who are not making progress are given interventions through the subject faculty. In the first instance, classroom teachers will contact parents to discuss progress in their subject area. When a child working below expected level is not making expected progress despite faculty support, the interventions faculty will step in to offer support. There are a number of screening tools, as well as CATs scores, which the academy uses to assess what type of support may benefit a student. A period of monitoring will take place to assess progress a student makes in an intervention before any conversations are held about referral to outside agencies. Strategies are also shared with classroom teachers and an initial monitoring period allows the academy to decide whether further agencies need to be involved. The academy has extremely strong links with external agencies to provide additional support, including specialist teachers and local SENCOs. The academy also promotes high incidence SEN friendly classrooms. Staff have consistent routines to ensure that students feel safe and secure in their learning environment.

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The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and the proprietors of academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published must be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year must be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

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Arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEN and involving them in their child’s education Greensward Academy monitors progress of individual students through raising attainment meetings and from class teacher monitoring. Individual students who are not making good progress will be identified and supportive measures will be placed around the student. If a young person still is not making progress, contact will be made with the parent to discuss what strategies can be used. In Year 11, mentoring by staff and additional booster lessons can be offered. Students with Statements or Educational, Health and Care Plans will have regular meetings with the SENDCo to monitor progress and ensure that appropriate progress is being made. Provision Maps for these students are shared with staff to ensure that their needs are catered for in the mainstream classroom. Provision Maps and Care Plans are also written for students who have medical needs which affect their ability to access the curriculum. These plans are also monitored by the SENDCo. Greensward Academy provides ‘One-Planning’ as a means of target setting and monitoring for students in line with the Code of Practice 2014. We understand the importance of parent voice at Greensward Academy and involving parents in planning for their young person’s needs. We have access to translators for parents with hearing impairment. The forums that parents are able to access in order to be involved with decision making are:       

Parent evenings Review meetings Pastoral Support Plan meetings Governor meetings Education Psychologist meetings SENDCo meetings Director of Learning meetings

External agencies are also used to provide support for the student and their family. Referrals can be made to various services through the ‘Hub’ system.

Arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education Students who have, or may have, underlying SEN needs are consulted through conversation with Directors of Learning and the SENDCo. Any screening that may be used to assess difficulty is explained to them. Students with EHCs or Statements meet with their parent and the SENDCo and there is opportunity here for students to air their opinions and influence choices made about their support programme. Students currently at ‘Additional Needs’ level complete ‘One Plans’ to enable their voice and targets to be discussed. Student Services staff are supported by the SENDCo to manage the administration of medicines and personal care. There is a medical room that can be used by learners with medical needs. Care plans are updated in collaboration with parents and the School Nurse annually.

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Sixth Form students are able to apply for roles of responsibility as trained Peer Mentors and students in Year 10 are able to apply for the position of Prefect in Year 11. In Year 8, a buddy system is in place to support Year 6 students during transition. Arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes The Senior Leadership Team use teacher assessment data to identify key cohorts of students not making progress, looking at faculty area and class groups where there are concerns. These raising attainment meetings are held weekly. Teacher assessments are shared with students and parents at parents’ evenings and are sent home through the reporting process in line with the academy’s reporting policy. Directors of Learning will contact home if there are any concerns and meetings will be held with the parent and the young person around progress. Where students do not make progress despite reasonable adjustment and quality first teaching, the SENDCo or Director of Learning will contact the parent and meet with the young person to consider further screening. Any assessments undertaken will be fed back to parents and next steps will be discussed to ensure that the best provision for the young person is secured. This may be in the form of a Statement of Education, Health and Care plan, or advice from a professional. Any intervention which is put in place by the academy or support given from outside agencies is assessed by the SENDCo and Learning Support Team, currently three times a year. Arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood As young people prepare for adulthood outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society. The SEN team, in conjunction with Heads of Year and the pastoral team, have a step by step transition procedure from primary right up to Key Stage 5. 1. Parents are invited to attend the academy’s Open Evening in autumn. There is also a Year 6 Parents Information evening following the Open Evening. The SENDCo encourages SEN parents to make individual appointments to discuss the SEN needs of the young person in detail. 2. In the spring and summer terms, the SENDCo will attend reviews and annual reviews at the primary school. 3. Students, where needed, will have extra and structured visits during the summer term to ensure a smooth transition to Greensward Academy. 4. The SENDCo and members of the Learning Support Team will visit local primary schools to observe and gain further information on individual needs. 5. Young people embarking on KS5 study are encouraged to visit local colleges and provision around the borough to ensure they have the choice and opportunity to allow them to make a well-rounded choice for their studies. 6. Students with SEN meet with the SENDCo and the careers advisor from the local borough to explore KS5 choices open to them. 7. The SENDCo arranges appointments and interviews to support young people and parents to make the transition to KS5. The academy uses the Connexions Service that supports our students in their transition to their next stage in their education life.

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The approach to teaching children and young people with SEN Mainstream teachers are well informed regarding the needs of students in their classes. The Provision Map for individual students is available to all staff. Key information regarding individual needs and any exam dispensation is also available within the registration programme used across the academy. The SENDCo will also liaise with classroom teachers to support and develop practice to ensure access to the curriculum. Further, the academy has an extensive Professional Development Programme which includes training around SEND needs and ensuring that all students are able to access subject areas. Once students have been assessed they may be given extra provision. The academy has trained staff running a variety of interventions across the four areas of SEND need alongside in-class support. There is also break and lunch supervised provision for SEND students. We also have a well-established and well regarded nurture provision for Year 7 students which is specifically to support students who may find the transition from primary to secondary difficult. Students who enter the academy in Year 7 below Level 4 (NC Level) or otherwise need a more holistic and nurturing curriculum can join the Integrated Studies Programme. This group is taught by the SENDCo alongside other staff providing support and increased literacy interventions. Students within this programme attend Integrated Studies lessons rather than Humanities and English lessons. As students progress throughout the year, they can leave the group and re-join the mainstream curriculum. How adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEN The academy promotes Quality First Teaching and regular CPD to provide up-to-date training and information for staff regarding high incidence SEND. Students regularly have access to ICT facilities which are used to tackle barriers to learning. Display boards are updated. Through the recent New Building work, accessibility for Physically Disabled students has been increased. The Integrated Studies Programme has small class sizes to provide a higher level of intervention. This group of students have both their English and Humanities lesson in their IS classroom. Students who have had quality first teaching and support from interventions but still do not make expected progress will be referred to outside agencies. This will be in conjunction with parents and carers who will meet and discuss concerns with the SENDCo and meet any professionals who may be working with their young person. The expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN Our staff are offered a range of continued professional development to support their planning, understanding and relationships with learners. This includes:    

High Incidence SEND information Behaviour for Learning Differentiation Safeguarding

Support staff are trained to support students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, to use strategies with young people who are on the Autistic Spectrum and to run speech, language and communication provision. Interventions are updated and revised to enable the most up-to-date support and provision for our students. 5

The academy is also linked to Cambridge University to support students who have an Acquired Brain Injury. All staff received training from the University and this is set to develop further. Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEN Any provision made for a young person is used looking at teacher assessments, attendance figures and Provision Mapping. Teacher assessments are entered three times a year and the SENDCo will evaluate this data considering the provisions a young person has received. Young people will remain on the provision unless they are not making progress or they have reached a level which should allow them to continue to make progress with less support in mainstream lessons. The academy utilises a range of data tracking tools to monitor the effectiveness of provision provided for students with SEN. Where it is clear that students are not making progress, the parent and the young person are involved in involving outside agencies to further support staff and the young person. We currently have four students undertaking the process to apply for and attain an EHC Plan. How children and young people with SEN are enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEN We have an inclusive policy at Greensward Academy and all areas of the academy are accessibly for all students, including before school and after school activities. Students can be supported fully on extra-curricular trips and specialist advice can be sought to enable full access. Students in the sixth form with additional needs are also supported in line with their particular needs. We also understand that a partnership with parents is vital for the health, wellbeing and learning for our learners. As an academy, we value the three-way partnership between school, parents and the student. Support for improving emotional and social development We have a strong pastoral system in place at Greensward Academy, with form tutors being the first port of call for students. Tutors are supported by the Head of Year and they, in turn, are supported by either the Director of Lower School (Years 7-9) or the Director of Upper School (Years 10-11). In the Sixth Form, the pastoral support is provided by the Director and Assistant Director of Sixth Form. Directors of Learning use the academy’s information system to track behaviour, attendance and learning. Raising attainment meetings are held weekly whereby progress is monitored. The Pastoral Team use this data in conjunction with their own behaviour support information to ensure individual students are supported. The academy has an in-school counsellor who can provide additional SEMH support to students. There is a clear anti-bullying policy throughout the academy and students receive specific training and support regarding different forms of bullying through the academy PSHE programme and external providers. All staff receive safeguarding training and the academy has a named Designated Safeguarding Lead (Mrs F Hill-David) and four deputy safeguarding officers. 6

Involving other bodies, in meeting children and young people’s SEN and supporting their families Students who have had quality first teaching and support from interventions but still do not make expected progress will be referred to outside agencies. This will be in conjunction with parents and carers who will meet and discuss concerns with the SENDCo and meet any professionals who may be working with their young person. There is a range of external services that Greensward Academy draws on to support learners:         

Support projects run by the YMCA Family Support Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service In-school Counselling Behaviour Support Service Educational Psychologist for assessment and intervention Specialist Teacher School Nurse Education Welfare Officer

The academy uses the Hub to secure outside agencies for students.

S Mothersole

March 2017

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