Special Educational Needs

At Headlands School we aim to enable students to reach their full potential in all areas. We help students overcome difficulties they may experience in accessing the curriculum, whether this is a specific learning difficulty, a medical problem or an emotional/behavioural need. We strive to provide the means whereby students are able to ‘catch-up’ with their peers. We include all students who have learning support needs in the whole school community.

Schools Admissions Arrangements for Students with SEND:

Decisions on the admission of students with a Statement of Special Educational Need/EHCP are made by the Local Authority.

The admission arrangements for students without a Statement of Special Educational Needs/EHCP do not discriminate against or disadvantage children with SEND – see Admissions Policy.

Accessibility Plan

Headlands School publishes an Accessibility Plan which considers the accessibility of the physical environment for all young people with SEND. The aim of the Accessibility Plan is to increase the accessibility within the school for all students. The Accessibility Plan is reviewed on an annual basis. The physical environment of the school is accessible to students with SEND and is reviewed in light of the identified needs of SEND students. Entry into the school buildings can be accessible via a wheelchair ramp where necessary; classrooms based on the upper-level of the school building are accessible through the use of a lift which is operated by the Support Services. Throughout the school site there are a number of toilets equipped with disabled-access and any appropriate tools necessary to support the physical needs of SEND students.

How do we at Headlands identify and assess children/young people with Special Educational Needs?

To identify and assess students with learning difficulties the following is used:

• Information from previous schools e.g. SATs results, teacher assessments.
• Information from parents, e.g. results of tests by medical staff.
• In year 7 all students are tested to find out their reading age.
• Students can be referred to Support for Learning by a member of staff that teach them, if they have concerns that an individual is not progressing as might be expected.
• Assessment of any learning needs is undertaken to try and identify any difficulties, either long or short term, that students may be experiencing.

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our provision for students with Special Educational Needs and how do we assess and review the progress of these students?

• The school ‘maps’ provision for students with Special Educational Needs.
• The effectiveness of each aspect of support given to a student is tracked against achievement, attendance, positive attitudes, self-esteem and confidence.
• Regular data collections track the progress of students. Where a student isn’t making expected progress further testing might be undertaken.
• If a student has small group or ‘one to one’ support for a set period of time, they will be tested at the beginning of the programme and then again at the end, to measure progress and identify where further support might be needed.
• If a student has an Education Health and Care Plan the targets are reviewed regularly to check support is effective and progress is being made. Targets may be changed to further support the student. Parents are always consulted on these targets.

How will the school staff support students with Special Educational Needs?

At Headlands School, the SENCO and the Support for Learning team are available to discuss special educational needs and support for your child. At Headlands School, our SENCO is Mr Ian Walton, Assistant Head.

He can be contacted by email at ian.walton@headlandsschool.co.uk or via the main office. The SEN governor is Fran Lee.

The role of the SENCO:

• Has an overview of students with special educational needs and makes sure records are kept of their progress and support.
• Keeps a list of students with special educational needs: this is called the SEND register.
• Makes sure you, the parent/carer, are kept informed.
• Advises, supports and trains teachers and support staff.
• Co-ordinates provision for students with special educational needs.
• Checks on the progress and well-being of students with special educational needs.
• Works with other professionals to plan support and check progress for students with special educational needs.
• Makes sure exam entries take into account a student’s Special Educational Need.
• Follows the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

How will the curriculum and learning environment be adapted for students with special educational needs and what additional support may be given?

• Help can be given in the classroom, to ensure each student makes progress, where the classroom teacher uses differentiated materials and tasks.
• Students may occasionally be withdrawn to do focused work on a particular area that they may find difficult. This will usually be as part of a small group with similar needs, for example, help with improving spelling or reading skills.
• Students may have on to one tuition with a teacher or Learning Tutor for specific areas.
• Time might be spent in the Learning Resource Centre where students can access programmes of study linked to literacy, numeracy and self-esteem and where they may work on strategies to help improve behaviour in the classroom.
• Students with a Statement/Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have a student passport. This will reflect the student’s needs and suggest ways for making further progress. Individual, small group or support in the whole class-teaching situation will be identified on this plan. The progress made will be assessed and new targets may be set. Parents are invited to comment on the targets set for their child during the annual review process.
• Students with a Statement/Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) have then reviewed every year (Annual Review). Parents are invited to the Annual Review where appropriate targets for the coming year are set.

Steps taken to prevent students with SEND being treated less favourably than other students:

All clubs, trips and activities offered to students at Headlands School are available with SEND. Where necessary, the school will use the resources available to it to provide additional support to enable the safe participation of the student in the activity.

Access to facilities for students with SEND:

All facilities are available for every student including those with SEND. Where external advisors recommend the use of equipment or facilities which the school does not have, this will either be purchased using the notional SEND funding or loaded. For highly specialist communication equipment and facilities the school will seek the advice of the East Riding SEND Team to support.

Students with SEND are offered a range of facilities to assist them with overcoming their individual barriers to learning.

• The Learning Resource Centre and Peer Mentoring room are open to SEND students at break and lunchtimes when students are encouraged to complete homework and socialise with other students and play games. Students in Year 7 and 8 are supported by Peer Mentors in the Peer Mentor room and in between lessons.
• The Learning Bridge also offers an alternative area for students to complete work when a barrier to learning is preventing them accessing the mainstream classroom or they are taking part in extra intervention lessons.
• Each cohort of students has a Head of Year who they can contact throughout the day, located in Student Services.
• Many curriculum areas run lunchtime and afterschool clubs which are all accessible for students with SEND.

How does the school ensure all staff are aware and understand students’ SEND needs?

• Information is shared with staff where a student has a special educational need.
• Strategies are suggested to support each individual student. There is an expectation that teachers use these strategies when planning lessons.
• Where a student has a medical issue or a disability, a medical plan is written and shared with teachers and relevant staff.
• Regular training sessions are organised to ensure teaching and associate staff are aware of different types of special educational need/disability and are given effective strategies to support individual students.

How is teaching adapted for students with special educational needs?

• Teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of students in their class and will ensure that students’ needs are met.
• Support staff support with students’ learning in the classroom or in small groups.
• Specific resources and strategies are used to support students individually and/or in groups.
• Planning and teaching is adapted on a daily basis, if needed, to meet students’ learning needs.

How does the school let parents/carers know if they have concerns about the progress of their child?

• Student progress is tracked regularly through data collections throughout the academic year. If a student isn’t making expected progress the this is investigated and further testing might be undertaken.
• Parents may be contacted by phone or invited into school to discuss how the school intends to support their child.
• Parents will be given the opportunity to ask questions/make suggestions about how their child will be supported.

Which other people provide support for students with special education needs and what specialist services and expertise does the school access?

• The SENCO’s job is to support the teachers in planning for students with special educational needs.
• Progress Leaders
• Learning Tutors (TA)
• Higher Level TAs (HLTAs)
• School Counsellor
• Educational Psychology Service
• Sensory Service for children with visual or hearing needs
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• ARC Aspire is an on-site Behavioural Unit for students run by Aspire Academy, Hull.

What training have staff received to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs?

• The SENCO has the National SENCO Qualification. This is a postgraduate certificate in Inclusion and Vulnerable Learners (Masters Level).
• The school has a training plan for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of children, including those with special educational needs. This includes whole school information and training on SEN issues such as ASD, dyslexia, etc.
• Individual teachers and support staff attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their classes.

What support is available from parents/carers of a young person with Special Educational Needs?

• Contact with classroom teachers, form tutors, Heads of Year, Director of Student Services, the SENCO and the Support for Learning team is always available.
• The SENCO and/or members of the Support for Learning team are available to meet with parents to discuss their child’s progress or any concerns/worries they may have.
• All information from outside professionals will be discussed with parents, with the person involved directly or where this is not possible in a report.
• The SENCO will also arrange to meet with parents to discuss any new assessments and ideas suggested by outside agencies for their child.

Arrangements for the treatment of complaints from parents/carers of a young person with Special Educational Needs

• The SENCO and the Support for Learning team are available to discuss special educational needs and support.
• At Headlands School our SENCO is Mr Ian Walton, Assistant Head. He can be contacted by email at ian.walton@headlandsschool.co.uk or via the main office.
• The SEN Governor is Fran Lee, she can be contacted by email at admin@headlandsschool.co.uk.

Support services in addition to school

• East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s ‘Family Information Service Hub’ (FISH)
• Parent partnership service (01482 392197)
• Independent Education Advisory Service (a parent support group) (01482 321411)
• County Education Service for the Visually Impaired
• County Education Service for Physical Disability
• County Education Hearing Impaired Services
• East Yorkshire Community Health Authority
• Education Welfare Service
• Social Services
• Youth Support Services

How does Headlands School support for child through transition?

• The school has effective transition arrangements for all students between primary and secondary (Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3)
• Extra transition arrangements are made for students with special educational needs. This might mean extra visits to the school, information sharing between SENCOs from the primary schools and our SENCO, and a meeting with parents and the school’s SENCO or member of the Support for Learning team.
• All records are passed to the school from the primary school.
• If a student has a Statement/EHCP the SENCO will attend the last annual review at Primary school to ensure the targets on the statement/EHCP are appropriate for transition to secondary.
• Careful consideration is made for the transition between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Students are given appropriate information, advice and guidance to ensure they follow the correct curriculum pathways, suited to their ability, and which allows them the success they deserve.
• In Year 11, plans are made for Post 16 transition. A student with special educational needs will be meet with a member of the Youth Services team to advice and support choices for Post 16.

You can read the Headlands School SEND Policy and Accessibility Plan, as well as all of the school’s other policies, by clicking here.