SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Report

SEND Summer Snapshot from Wirral Council:

One of the greatest challenges facing schools is the provision for appropriate learning opportunities for all pupils. Within schools there are pupils who experience barriers to learning as a result of their disability, additional needs and social grouping.

We, as a school, are responsible for ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to succeed, whatever their individual needs and the potential barriers to their learning may be.

Information and Guidance

Who should I contact to discuss the concerns and needs of my child?

SENCO:
Mrs E Price
schooloffice@psf.wirral.sch.uk

If you have any concerns about your child, then the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) will:

• listen to any concerns you may have
• plan any additional support your child may receive
• discuss with you any referrals to outside professionals to support your child’s learning

Form Tutor, Class teacher, Pastoral Support Team

Speak to your child’s Form Tutor, Class teacher or their Head of Year via the school office email: schooloffice@psf.wirral.sch.uk. They will pass on any concerns to the SENCO.

Assessment, Planning and Review

How can I find out how well my child is doing?

On-going monitoring takes place by students’ teachers to identify students who are not making progress and/or who have behaviour needs which are affecting their ability to engage in learning activities.

After discussions with key staff and parents, additional support may be provided. This could be in a targeted small group and/or individual support to help overcome any difficulties.

The views of the student or young person about their support will be given consideration at this stage. This additional support is documented in a Person-Centred Plan, a Learning Plan or a School Support Plan.

Where external agencies are involved, their advice and recommendations are included in these support programmes. Actions agreed take into account each student’s strengths as well as their difficulties.
In some cases, progress mentor support may be allocated.

This support is deployed to ensure your child can engage in lessons and wider school activities and to facilitate independent learning to support transition to adulthood.

Formal review meetings are held as required. Parents, relevant external agencies and when appropriate, students are invited to this review and their contribution is valued. The impact of support offered is considered along with the progress towards targets set. Support arrangements will be updated and revised accordingly.

If not involved already, this might include referrals to external agencies. The outcomes of these meetings will be formally recorded. If your child is continuing to have significant difficulties, further external expertise may be requested.

Tests and Examinations: Access Arrangements

For some students, additional arrangements and adjustments can be made to enable them to fully access a range of tests. This might include additional time, rest breaks or the use of a scribe or laptop.

The SENDCO will inform you about eligibility and applications for these arrangements. Only tests and assessors authorised by the school and recognised by the examinations authority JCQ can be accepted for access arrangements for public examinations.

Curriculum and Teaching Methods

How will teaching be adapted to meet the needs of my child?

Teachers are skilled at adapting teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class. Daily planning takes into account a student’s needs and requirements.

Differentiation is approached in a range of ways to support access and ensure that all students can experience success and challenge in their learning.

Grouping arrangements are organised flexibly with opportunities for both ability and mixed setting to maximise learning opportunities for all.

Progress Mentors are used flexibly to help groups and individual students with a long-term goal of developing independent learning skills.

Monitoring takes place to avoid students becoming over-reliant and dependent on this adult support.

Intervention

What support could my child receive to help them access learning and the curriculum?

Access to learning support staff

• In core subjects
• In practical subjects
• For group work
• Before school, during break, lunchtime and after school
• Rolling programme of literacy and numeracy intervention

Strategies to support and develop literacy

• Focused reading lessons, with paired or 1:1 reading
• Small group intervention programmes
• Ability setting throughout all years starting in Year 7

Strategies to support/develop numeracy

• 1:1 and small group intervention programmes
• Ability setting throughout all years starting in Year 7

Provision to facilitate and support access to the curriculum

• Short-term withdrawal from class depending on need
• Staff provided with suitable strategies to support differing needs within the classroom

Strategies/support to develop independent learning

• Mentoring by Progress Mentors/Key Workers
• Individual and/or small group programmes working on study skills
• Homework club
• Planners for all year groups
• Visual timetables for class and/or individual students where necessary.

Intervention

What pastoral support could be provided to meet the needs of my child?

Strategies to support the development of students’ social skills and enhance self-esteem

• Lunchtime clubs
• After-school clubs
• Mentoring
• Quiet room available lunch/break time
• Social skills work

Mentoring activities

• Nurture chats by Progress Mentors
• Pastoral support mentoring
• School reward system
• Form Tutors

Strategies to reduce anxiety/promote emotional wellbeing

• Transition support, visits and events
• Individual support from Pastoral Staff
• Regular contact and liaison with parents as necessary
• Open door policy

Strategies to support/modify behaviour

• School sanctions and reward system as set out in School Behaviour Policy
• Pastoral Support Plans report process
• Behaviour Support Services: Outreach Facilities
• Mentoring
• Individual Behaviour Plans

Support/supervision at unstructured times of the day

• Break time – safe haven
• Lunch clubs – safe haven
• Trained staff supervising during break period
• Personal and medical care
• Individual Health Care plans for students with medical needs which impact their daily education
• Children looked after (CLA) with additional needs
• Termly Pupil Education Plans (PEP) meetings and regular care planning meetings are held with social workers and foster carers to review, plan and implement appropriate support in education.

Accessibility

How will the school ensure that my child has equal access?

Access to strategies/programmes to support occupational/physiotherapy needs

• Advice of professionals disseminated and followed
• Use of any recommended equipment

Access to modified equipment and ICT

• Specialist equipment as required on an individual basis to access the curriculum
• Modified equipment as recommended by specialists

Access to the school building

• Adaptations to the school site as required to increase accessibility

Access to activities outside the classroom/school trips

• Provisions will be made as required to meet individual needs

Partnerships with External Agencies

What support from outside does the school use to support my child?

The school works with a number of external agencies to seek advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met. These include:

• Liaison and Communication with Professionals and Parents
• Regular meetings as required
• SENCO available at all parents evenings
• Referrals to outside agencies as required
• Speech and Language Therapist Support and advice for specific individual students
• Sensory Support
• Special Educational Needs Assessment and Advisory Team (SENAAT)
• Relevant professionals attend at regular intervals to see specific students and to liaise with the SENCO/Assistant SENCO.

Access to Medical Interventions

• Use of individualised Health Care Plans
• Referral to CAMHS
• Liaison with the School Nursing Team

Transition

How will the school help my child move to a new group/year group or to a different school?

Children and young people with SEND can become particularly anxious about “moving on” so we seek to support successful transition by:

• When moving to another school: We will contact the school SENDCO and share information about special arrangements and support that has been made to help your child achieve their learning goals.
• We will ensure that all records are passed on as soon as possible.
• When moving groups/forms in school: Information is shared with the new teacher.
• In year 6 – 7 transition: The SENDCO will attend the Primary/Secondary Transition Day meeting to discuss specific needs of your child and the nature and level of support that has had the most impact.
• In some cases, additional multi-agency meetings may be arranged to create a more detailed transition plan which may include more visits to the new school and/or additional visits from the new school.

Staffing Expertise

How skilled are staff in meeting the needs of my child?

An ongoing programme of training is in place to ensure that teachers and support staff have appropriate skills and knowledge in areas that will improve their teaching and support of children with SEND.

Our SENDCO actively engages with local opportunities to share best practice and keep abreast of current local and national initiatives and policy to support students with SEND.

The school also seeks advice and guidance from local special schools to review, evaluate and develop provision for students who have the most complex needs.

Pensby High School regularly take part in research reviews via the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Currently we are part of a national review into Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) practice within schools. This is in conjunction with NASEN (National Association for Special Needs), to review our whole school SEND provision. The process will include self-evaluation, reflection on our current practice, and the use of peer reviews, which will help to drive forward and improve provision for all learners with SEND. We will also take part in reviews of provision within other secondary schools. Our main focus is to continually improve the SEND provision and outcomes for our students at Pensby High School.

Our SENDCO has the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination.

FURTHER INFORMATION about support and services for students and their families can be found in: