Special Educational Needs Information Report

Our SEND information report outlines details for parents/carers of children who have Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND) and all those who support children with additional needs. This information outlines the support and provision you can expect to receive at Whitby School.


Definition of Special Education Needs (SEN)

 The SEN Code of Practice (DfES, 2014) says pupils have a learning difficulty if they:

  1. have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age

  2. or have a disability, which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. A child/young person under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would so do if special educational provision was not made for them. (Clause 20 Children and Families Bill 2014).

The Code of Practice (2014) provides an overview of the range of needs divided into four broad areas, upon which our school focuses its efforts to provide for SEND:

  • Communication and Interaction

  • Cognition and Learning

  • Social and Emotional Difficulties

  • Sensory and Physical Needs.


Identification

For a child or young person to be entered onto Whitby School SEND Register we take account of what work has been done previously and by whom. Teachers are responsible for providing Quality First Teaching (QFT) within their daily teaching. If a child or young person is not making adequate progress they will only be considered as having a SEND if the class teacher has provided reasonable adjustments through high quality teaching in the first instance. As such, any child or young person on our SEND Register receives support that is additional to and different from that which is ordinarily provided for most of the other children/young people of the same age.

Children or a young person are identified as having a SEND through a variety and combination of ways including:

  • communication with previous settings

  • children/young people performing below ‘age related expectations’

  • concerns raised by parents/carers

  • concerns raised by a teacher

  • collaborative working with external agencies

  • use of standardised assessment such as, Sandwell, GLR (Dyslexia Screening Test)

  • children or a young person that already have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).

There is a graduated approach that enables the right level of intervention and support when needed.
This can also, be found on our school website.

The graduated response is outlined below:

  1. Assess. Assess CYPs needs – this happens at the start of each termly cycle to ensure we obtain a clear analysis of the CYP’s need. The SENCo will support if required. We will ensure that the assessment informs any adjustments, approaches, resources, intervention and/or support required.

  2. Plan. This will be undertaken at least termly with the parents and CYP. 
    The plan is written by the SEN team. The focus will be on how to overcome the barriers to learning identified in the assessment. The plan will be reviewed at least termly. Teachers are advised to refer to the SEND information on class charts to help plan any adjustments, approaches, resources or interventions required. If additional adult support is to be provided whether in-class or outside of class, it must be clear how this is deployed. The subject teacher is responsible for monitoring the impact, supported by the SENCo. The additional adult support is someone who must be suitably trained to undertake the intervention.
    Do not agree to any evidence based interventions being put into the plan without first consulting the SENDCo to ensure availability of the person delivering it.  The SENDCo will monitor the quality and appropriateness of the plans.
    Plans are written within the first 2 weeks of each term. They are uploaded to our schools information system. The review date for these will be at the end of that term.
    The SENDCo will monitor the quality of the plans.

  3. Do. The subject teacher remains responsible for the child. Where provision is provided by teaching assistants (TAs) or specialist teachers, the responsibility remains with the subject teacher. TAs must supplement and not replace teachers. Teachers are still required to work with the child in order to plan and assess the impact of any adjustments support or interventions. The SENDCo will support the subject teacher in the further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and needs, by problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support. The SENDCo will monitor this provision.

  4. Review. The SEN team will review these plans termly. The impact and quality of the support and interventions will be evaluated. This will feed back into the analysis of the pupil’s needs. Parents will be given clear information about the impact of the support and interventions provided, enabling them to be involved in planning next steps.

There is a process of constant review and therefore possible movement within the graduated approach. It is important the children are given specific and relevant input and this may be in the form of a short-term intervention. It does not mean that a child or young person will necessarily be placed on the SEND register. These targeted children or young people will be closely monitored and their progress tracked through the SEND team. If a specific educational need is highlighted, a ‘Plan Do Review’ may be put in place. These will be written termly. These identify clear SMART targets to be supported in class and through clearly defined interventions. These will be regularly reviewed as part of the ongoing Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, such that we are aware of the effectiveness of the provision made for our pupils/students with SEND and made alterations to best meet their needs and fulfil their potential accordingly.

Other agencies are involved when necessary, e.g. speech and language therapy. Any children or young people who then require an ‘EHCP’ will have annual and interim reviews. Parents, SENDCo, and LA representative - usually the appropriate caseworker, class teacher, supporting TAs and any other parties involved in the EHCP provision are invited to the annual reviews.


Plan Do Review Documents

Plan Do Review documents are created for all children or young people who are on the SEND register with a view that these are entirely working documents which are continually reviewed and follow the child or young person through their education, creating a holistic picture of the child and how best to support them. They are created in a joint process involving the parents/carers, the child or young person and the subject teachers with an outcome focused approach. When completing these documents, we strive for targets to not only look at the term or year ahead (in the short/medium term), but also further into the child’s/young person's future e.g. the next academic year This lends itself to the forward planning approach adopted by school to better meet the needs of all its SEND pupils/students. Parents/carers will be supported to understand how they can promote these targets at home. The learning plans are very child centred and monitored and reviewed half termly.


Special Educational Needs Policy Implementation

This SEND Information Report, along with our Special Educational Needs Policy, has been developed by the SENDCo - Mrs Kirk
Contact details: h.kirk@whitbyschool.co.uk
Telephone: 01947 601901 

It is the responsibility of all school staff to act within the policy and associated guidelines. All staff must follow the SEND Code of Practice 2014. With the SENCo, it is the role of the headteacher to implement the school’s SEND policy and to ensure that all staff are aware of the school policy and how-to best support children with SEND. The headteacher will report to the governing body about the effectiveness of the SEND policy on request. The school will work collaboratively with parents/carers to ensure they are able to support their child/young person. The governing body has the responsibility of reviewing and agreeing the policy. The governors support the headteacher in carrying out this policy.

The SEND Governors will support and challenge the school to ensure that no learner is treated less favourably, denied opportunity or left behind because they have additional needs.

The Headteacher, Mr Thornton will monitor the effectiveness of the policy on a regular basis and report to the governing body. The governing body will review the policy and information report annually.


Partnership with Parents/Carers

The school will have regard to the SEN Code of Practice (2014) when carrying out its duties toward all pupils with special educational needs and ensure that parents/carers are involved with any decision that SEN provision is necessary for their child’s or young person personal progression. Partnership with parents/carers plays a key role in enabling children and young people with SEN to achieve their potential. We recognise that parents/carers hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s/young person's needs and the best ways of supporting them. All parents/carers of children with special educational needs will be treated as partners, with due consideration given to our ‘Equality Policy’ (found in the Policies section on our school website), and supported to play an active and valued role in their child’s education.

Home-school communication around SEND are detailed below:

  • the subject teachers are available to discuss your child’s/young person's progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used

  • the SENDCo is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s/young person's progress or any concerns/worries you may have. All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you and with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report

  • homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s/young person's individual needs

  • ClassCharts system may be used to support communication with you, when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your son/daughter

  • there are a number of parent/carer support groups such as SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service).


pupil Voice

Teachers/SENDCo and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children/young person regularly discuss their progress and support with support staff. Pupil Voice is highly valued in our school and we feel their contributions to their own ‘Plan Do Review’ is key to the pupil’s success.


A Graduated Approach

When a potential special educational need has been identified, a graduated approach will be taken. This involves assessing, planning, implementing and reviewing the approach taken so that it is increasingly personalised to the child or young person. This cyclical process, as we build a deeper understanding of the child’s/young person's needs, enables school to continually reflect upon the approach taken and to gain ‘Pupil Voice’ and ‘Parental Input’ along the way which is intrinsic to getting the provision correct for each individual child.


Transition Arrangements

We recognised that transitions can be difficult for a child or young person with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. We are keen to involve parents/carers as much as possible with their transition to their next year group. For pupils/students transitioning from new school, a personalised enhanced transition plan may be offered in which pupils/parents can familiarise themselves with the area and key staff. The period of transition depends on the individual needs of your child or young person. When writing and reviewing EHC Plans there is always a focus on the longer term transition to the next Key Stage for that individual pupil and what smaller ‘SMART’ targets are needed to achieve the aspirations of the pupil, parents/carers, and the staff within school such that each pupil may achieve their full potential and so that we provide all children and young people with an education that will enable them to be resilient within adulthood and become lifelong learners. Staff have also taken opportunities to visit and work closely with our partner primary and secondary schools and local SEND schools to acquire a more in-depth knowledge of their routines, systems and ethos. This also gives staff an opportunity to see what provision the schools have in place and how best to support your child for the transition into Year 7. Where possible, a member of the SEND team will attend a Year 6 annual review to meet you and your child, where there is an EHC plan in place. At this meeting, we hope to ease any worries and concerns you may have during your child's transition to their new school.


Teaching, Learning and Assessment

We are strong advocates that all teachers are teachers for children with SEND. Our teaching, learning and planning procedures reflect this and are as follows:

  • Plan Do Reviews for all children and young people on our SEND Register - including reviewing of outcomes at the end of each cycle (termly)

  • individual SMART targets

  • adaptive learning

  • multi-sensory activities

  • data analysis through school tracking system

  • pupil/student progress meetings with class teacher, SENDCo and senior leadership team

  • sharing between teachers to ensure a smooth transition

  • targeted interventions delivered and reviewed regularly through book looks and evidenced progress within core subject areas

  • teachers and support staff working closely together.


How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children and young people with SEND

Whitby School has a range of approaches to supporting children and young people with SEND needs. All children and young people benefit from quality first teaching in the classroom, which caters for their individual needs and supports all children and young people to make good progress. Work is differentiated for different groups and individuals. Sometimes this is enough to ensure a child or young person is on track to reach their full potential, however sometimes a ‘Plan Do Review’ will be needed with individual ‘SMART’ targets and strategies to work towards achieving them. This will be put in place in discussion with parents/carers and where appropriate the child or young person. This would mean additional work with a child or young person on a small group or 1:1 basis to carry out specific interventions to support a child or young person to meet their individual targets. The SENDCo works alongside class teachers and support staff to oversee SEND provision and monitor the progress of any child or young person requiring additional support. Where appropriate other agencies will be asked to work alongside the school to assess a child and plan for their needs. At all stages parents/carers will be involved in the process.

To ensure all children and young people are able to access the curriculum at an appropriate level and fulfil their potential we take some of the following actions:

  • make adaptations to ensure that all pupils/students have access to the school curriculum and school activities

  • support pupils to achieve their full potential despite any difficulty or disability they may have

  • ensure that staff are aware of pupil’s/student's individual needs and teach in a way that is appropriate for them

  • provide opportunities for pupils/students to develop confidence, self-esteem and resilience

  • work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils/students and external agencies to cater for children’s special educational needs and disabilities

  • make provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and talents

  • identify special educational needs at the earliest opportunity to ensure early intervention and support

  • ensure all children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life and are able to develop their Cultural Literacy

  • regularly review policy and practice in order to achieve the best outcomes for all our pupils/students.


Teaching Provision

We aim to provide our pupils/students including those with SEND, with all the facilities necessary in order that they can realise their full potential. Listed below is the main body of our provision, however it may not list every skill, resource and technique we employ in order to achieve this as these are continually developed and modified in order to meet the changing requirements for individual pupils. Your child/young person will receive:

  • Quality First Teaching.

Your child/young person may receive:

  • specific small group work including targeted interventions

  • specific targeted work on an individual basis as part of a small group

  • specialist individual support or sessions from specialist teachers or other professionals

  • specified 1:1 support during lessons and or/playtimes

  • individual targets and aa Individual Learning Plan

  • writing aids

  • pre-teaching of new concepts to enhance learning

  • support manipulatives, e.g. Numicon, writing frames, vocabulary boards.

  • table top resources.

The school budget, received from North Yorkshire LA, includes money for supporting children or young people with SEND.

  • the Headteacher decides on the budget for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors on the basis of needs in the school

  • the Headteacher and the SENDCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:

    • the children/young people receiving extra support already

    • the children/young people needing extra support

    • the children/young people who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected

    • deciding what resources/training and support are needed.


Staff Expertise and Provided Training Opportunities

Staff training in relation to SEND is carried out on a regular basis depending on the needs of the children/young people within our school. Individual staff may attend the training and this may be on specific areas of need such as Dyslexia or Autism or more whole school issues such as Inclusive Classroom Practice. In-house training can also be offered to a number of staff where a specialist will come into school and provide training on a specific area of SEND, if needed i.e. Makaton training.


External Agency Support

Links with external agencies are vital to ensure that we provide the highest levels of support for our pupils with SEND. Any one of the support services can raise concerns about a pupil. This will be brought to the attention of the SENCo and the pupil’s parents/carers.

A request for support from external services is likely to follow a decision taken by the SENCo, colleagues, in consultation with parents/carers. External support services will usually see the child or young person, so that they can advise subject and pastoral staff on strategies and provide more specialist assessments that can inform planning and the measurement of a pupil’s progress, give advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials, and in some cases provide support for particular activities.

Below is a list of the services that the school most regularly work with:

  • SEN Hubs

  • Early Help

  • Educational psychology team

In order to find out about the local authority’s Local Offer of services and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities please use this link: SEND Local Offer | North Yorkshire Council


Interventions

The SENDCo and the subject teachers, in discussion with parents/carers, will decide on the action needed to help the pupil to progress in the light of their earlier assessment.

This might be:

  • to provide key learning targets appropriate to the child’s/young person’s current achievement

  • to provide different learning materials or specialist equipment

  • to introduce some group or individual support

  • to devote adult time to devising the nature of the planned intervention and to monitoring its effectiveness

  • to undertake staff development and training aimed at introducing more effective strategies

  • to provide effective intervention without the need for regular or ongoing input from external agencies.


Supporting pupils/students with their Emotional and Social Development

We recognise that pupils with SEND may well have an Emotional and Social Development needs that will require support in school. We have a robust Safeguarding Policy in place and we follow National and LA Guidelines. We believe that all children/young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Health and Well-being needs must have their needs recognised and assessed, through a whole-school approach, with appropriate and timely intervention put in place through an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

We believe that all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs and it is therefore a whole school responsibility to ensure that these children’s/young people’s needs are addressed. All staff have due regard to general duties to promote disability equality, including having a clear understanding of youth mental health issues and how to approach these with sensitivity and care. A range of support strategies are in place for pupils who need them including: 1:1 mentoring, friendship groups, Speech Language and Communication interventions, Lego Therapy, Multi-Sensory Interventions and tailored-bespoke interventions that are created on an individual needs-assessed basis


Arrangements for Dealing with Complaints from Parents/Carers

The school deals with any complaints from parents/carers by calling a meeting with the Headteacher, and all the concerned parties. (Please refer to our ‘Complaints Procedure’ which can be found on our website for further details).


Admission Arrangements (also see admissions policy)

The admissions arrangements for all pupils/students are in accordance with national legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 and SEN key information around this can be found in our ‘Equality Information and Objectives’ policy. This includes pupils with any level of SEND: those with an EHCP plan and those without.

Date: March 2024
Review Date: September 2024