Access & Inclusion (SEN) Policy

1. Introduction

1:1 It has been accepted that 20% of the school population (Warnock Report 1978) might have Special Educational Needs of some kind during their education. The needs of these students will be met from centrally maintained funding and the school’s delegated budget.

In the 1997 Green Paper Excellence For All Children Meeting Special Educational Needs, the Government gave support to the UN statement of Special Needs Educational 1994 which ‘calls on governments to adopt the principle of inclusive education’ and ‘implies a progressive extension of the capacity of mainstream schools to provide for children with a wide range of needs’. By doing so, it ‘aligned’ the English education system for the first time with the international movement towards inclusive education.

1:2 If children have significant problems (physical, emotional, psychological, medical etc) that hinder or prevent them from benefiting from the normal education provided for the majority of their peers who attend mainstream secondary schools, then those children have a ‘Learning Difficulty’. If the children need different or additional educational provisions to that generally provided for their peers, then that educational provision is deemed ‘Special Educational Provision’.

A child who has a ‘Learning Difficulty’ which requires ‘Special Educational Provision’ is said to have ‘Special Educational Needs’.

1:3 Rossett School has adopted a whole school approach to Special Educational Needs (SEN) based around the Every Child Matters framework. It is a priority that all students irrespective of need can access the curriculum. As a result it is the responsibility of each faculty to provide strategies to allow all students, regardless of ability, to allow them as individuals to achieve across the curriculum. Within the framework the faculty of Access & Inclusion liaises closely with faculties and pastoral staff to provide the support necessary for all children to fully access a curriculum appropriate to their needs.

1:4 The school’s SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO) is Mr Iain Scrimger.

2. Aims

2:1 To ensure full entitlement and access for SEN pupils to high quality education within a broad and balanced curriculum based around the Every Child Matters framework.

2:2 To allow all students to fulfil their potential and enhance their self-esteem.

2:3 To educate students with SEN, wherever possible, alongside their peers within the normal curriculum of mainstream schools after giving due consideration to the wishes of parents and the necessity of meeting their individual needs.

2:4 To identify and assess students with SEN as early and as thoroughly as possible and to initiate appropriate interventions as necessary.

2:5 To fully involve parents and students and to support the individual student.

2:6 To meet the needs of all students who have SEN by offering continual and appropriate forms of educational provision.

3. Objectives

These objectives relate directly to the aims of the faculty and are intended to show how the structure and systems that are in place actually put the aims into practice.

With regard to the Code of Practice and Every Child Matters framework:

3:1 The SENCO is responsible for placing students on the appropriate stage of the SEN Register and for informing staff and parents.

3:2 The SENCO will review procedures as outlined in the Code of Practice will then follow with a strong emphasis on enlisting the support of parents.

3:3 The SENCO is responsible for organising the Annual Review for statemented students to which students, parents and outside agencies are encouraged to contribute.

3:4 The SENCO will ensure that all relevant professionals are invited to attend and contribute to Transitional Reviews. Close links with Harrogate College and the Careers Advisory Service have been fostered accordingly.

3:5 Student profiles and Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) will be used as a vital part of any support strategy. The SENCO will provide these after consultation with appropriate staff and parents. These targets will be reviewed and will form the basis of the school report at review meetings.

3:6 Faculties will make provision for all students from within their own resources. The SENCO will advise faculties on the development of provision where appropriate.

3:7 All faculties will have their own strategies and support plans to enable students with SEN to fulfil their potential. Where appropriate, alternative ways of presenting information to students will be made available. These Support Plans will be reviewed and evaluated at faculty meetings. Teaching assistants will be faculty based where possible.

3:8 Teaching assistants will regularly discuss the progress of students with subject teachers to ensure that appropriate strategies are being employed. Where assessment of their needs indicates a change of provision, the SENCO will be informed.

3:9 Positive achievement of all students is recognised at Rossett. In particular, use of the merit system will enhance the self-confidence of students with SEN whose progress is measured in smaller steps.

3:10 Faculties will ensure that all students are taught in the correct teaching groupings and setting policies will not discriminate against students with specific difficulties. If appropriate, alternative methods of recording information would be made available to students.

3:11 The SEN Register will be regularly up-dated as the assessment of SEN provisions is regarded as an ongoing process. Teaching staff will be informed in a weekly bulletin of any changes in need/ approach.

3:12 Any complaints regarding SEN provision should be directed to the SENCO who will inform and involve the Headteacher.

3:13 The objectives of this policy will be regularly reviewed.

4. Identification, Assessment & Recording

4:1 Early identification, assessment and provision for any SEN child is very important for the following reasons:

• To minimise the difficulties that can be encountered when interventions and provision occur

• To maximise the likely positive response of the child
• To allow for a temporary learning difficulty to be overcome and for future learning to be unaffected
• If problems continue, external agencies can be brought in earlier with a greater likelihood of success
• To set appropriate challenges and levels of study for each individual student

4:2 The SENCO will be responsible for indentifying students with SEN in the first instance.

All students, on admission, will sit tests to determine reading age, spelling age and a maths percentile. These results will be made available to all staff and will be used as an integral element of providing baseline data to help in tracking the progress of students.

4:3 Students will also have been identified at primary schools. The SENCO will attend the final Annual Review of statemented students and if possible those on School Action Plus. The SENCO will liaise with relevant Primary School Key Workers to ensure that all students on the SEN Register have been identified and that suitable provision has been made for entry at Rossett.

4:4 Later identification from a variety of sources such as teachers, parents or the students themselves will lead to further investigation by the SENCO.

4:5 The SENCO will scrutinise the results of Initial Assessment Tests administered in the first half term of Year 7, paying particular attention to low scoring students and those whose results show an abnormal discrepancy between the tested areas of functioning. The latter category often highlights specific areas of need which require support strategies.

4:6 The main aim of the assessment process is to facilitate progress in the student’s ability to learn. Assessment is an integral part of the learning process and should be a continual process.

4:7 The faculty of Access & Inclusion uses assessment as a way of developing a positive self-image partly through self-assessment. Students who are identified as having poor standards of literacy skills will be supported in small withdrawal groups in Year 7 & 8.

4:8 The centrality of English in all curriculum areas requires that the attainment targets in speaking and listening, reading, writing, spelling, handwriting and presentation are likely to be the focus of assessment in withdrawal sessions.

4:9 Results of assessment are reported in a way useful for students, teachers, parents and other interested parties.

4:10 Assessment gradually builds up a profile for each student over their school career.

4:11 Success criteria will be determined on an individual basis, dependent on the needs of the student

• In general, progress will be determined by monitoring results at key stages, progress between key stages, improvement in reading age compared to chronological age and the successful completion of examination coursed
• Self-esteem will also be determined by a variety of criteria, in particular, monitoring effort grades and achieving student targets
• The inclusivity criteria will be determined by the flexibility of the support programmes to meet individual needs within a mainstream setting
• Students’ and parents’ contributions to review meetings will determine how successful inclusive strategies have been

4:12 Reporting is vital to the process and the faculty will report in the normal way for annual reports to parents.

4:13 Detailed reports will be prepared for all reviews at School Action, School Action Plus as well as the Annual Review and reflected in the student profile.

4:14 Results of all assessments will be reported to subject staff.

4:15 Teaching assistants will attend and contribute formally to all reviews.

4:16 Reports will be used to review IEPs and student profiles.

4:17 ‘The Bridge’ will be used for reintegration of students from exclusion or as a means of identification of need.

5. The dissemination of information

5:1 It is vital that information gathered on a student’s abilities is made available to all staff
to help to give a broad picture of problem areas which need to be addressed.

5:2 The SENCO will ensure that the SEN Register is prepared for return in September so that all staff are immediately aware of which students are on the register and for what reason. Each faculty will have access to the SEN register.

5:3 Student profiles will be available at the same time. Staff will be informed of changes as soon as possible. Student profiles will be up dated as appropriate in consultation with parents.

5:4 A pen portrait will be provided of all new students who are either statemented or have specific learning difficulties.

5:5 Any new information gathered from reviews will be immediately made known to staff subject to confidentially.

5:6 The SENCO will liaise closely with all staff and each faculty has an appointed teacher who will be responsible for SEN issues. The SENCO chairs twice termly meetings with the faculty representatives to discuss students, levels of support and other related issues with regard to levels of support and the deployment of teaching assistants.

5:7 The SENCO liaises closely with faculties to ensure that differentiation takes place, especially in Year 7, to enable all students to access the national curriculum.

5:8 The SENCO will organize in-service training for staff meeting students with specific difficulties. Expert help will be sought from advisors and other relevant professionals.

6. Removing barriers to learning

6:1 The faculty will support all subject areas in removing barriers to learning by organising appropriate INSET training and inviting LA experts to address staff on specific conditions as appropriate.

6:2 Teaching assistants will share all INSET courses and have received training in dyslexia, speech and communication difficulties and autism to fulfil their in class support duties to their full potential.

6:3 The SENCO has produced booklets related to the types of problems faced by certain students. These have been distributed to all faculties and cover the following:

Autism
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Asperger’s Syndrome
Visual Impairment
Hearing Impairment
Speech Impairment
Epilepsy
ME
Semantic and Pragmatic Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (AD/HD)
English as an Additional Language

7. Resources and support

7:1 It is essential that resources are used to benefit students with learning difficulties to the full. As a result the placement of teaching assistants needs to be discussed with all interested parties to ensure that the greatest number benefit from available resources.

7:2 All students, regardless of ability, will be given access to the national curriculum.

7:3 Teaching assistants are regarded as an integral part of the faculty and the SENCO chairs weekly meetings with Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) and General Teaching Assistants (TAs).

7:4 Support staff take a full part in all aspects of school life. They contribute fully to the review process for which they produce written reports as well as taking part in the review.

7:5 Support staff will liaise closely with subject teachers and pastoral staff and always work flexibly.

7:6 Support staff will liaise with faculties to provide user-friendly examination papers and to supply appropriate exam access arrangements.

7:7 Support staff will advise on the suitability of texts.

7:8 IT resources will be up-dated and developed when possible. In particular students will be encouraged to word process work and incorporate graphics. Computer programmes will be used to develop spelling, punctuation, comprehension and reading skills.

8. Liaison with outside agencies

The faculty follows a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting students and the SENCO liaises closely with the following services:

Educational Psychologist
Pupil Support Services
Careers Service
Speech Therapist
Advisory Service for Hearing Impairment
Advisory Service for Visual Impairment
College of Further Education
Social Services
Education Welfare
Consultant in Autism
Education Social Workers

9. Equal Opportunities

9:1 The faculty has a strong commitment to equal opportunities and observes the school’s guidelines.

9:2 It will ensure that resources:

• Reflect the interests of both boys and girls
• Value equally the contributions of both boys and girls
• Discourage gender or ethnic stereotyping
• Portray a world view as seen from male/female and different cultural perspectives and thereby to encourage feelings of empathy with different cultures and genders
• Celebrate the achievements of both genders and all cultures
• Accurately reflect the multi-cultural population of Britain today by a sensitive approach to the purchase of resources

10. Monitoring the policy

10:1 Effective monitoring and evaluation of SEN provisions is dependent on the maintenance of up-to-date records. The following criteria are used to monitor the policy:

• Parents
• Parental attendance and contributions to the review process
• The number of parents of SEN students who request their child be educated at Rossett
• Parental comments on the annual review form

• Students
• Student achievement in external examinations
• Meeting targets regarding improvement in reading and spelling ages
• Numbers of SEN students who pursue courses at 16+
• Number of SEN students gaining employment

• Staff
• SEN issues being discussed at Middle Management meetings
• Continued school support for the provisions of teaching assistants
• The success of the faculty in promoting effective support strategies in the classroom

11. Reporting to Governing Body

11:1 The SENCO will hold regular meetings with the SEN Governor and SEN issues will be discussed by the Governing Body.