Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Learning Support (LS) Policy

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1 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Learning Support (LS) Policy Introduction Even within the context of a carefully planned and appropriate curriculum, there will be individual pupils who require more specific help or support in order to fulfil their potential. The majority of pupils in the school with SEND have Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. For the purposes of this document, those pupils will be defined as pupils with SpLD. If they enter the Learning Support (LS) Centre, they are supported by the Head of Learning Support (HoLS) and the Learning Support teachers. The HoLS also co-ordinates the support of pupils with SpLD in mainstream lessons and oversees any pupil who has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHC). Pupils with SpLD can be identified from the SEN Register, and on the internal reporting system. Concerns about pupils on the SEN Register should be raised with the HoLS, while concerns about non-sen Register pupils who appear to be experiencing unexplained learning difficulties should be raised, in the first instance, with their Form Tutors. They will follow the new SEN Code of Practice 2014 to provide Quality First Teaching, after which further and formal assessment may be needed should the parents be happy to proceed. We strongly encourage parents to make a referral to an Educational Psychologist via the LS team. The HoLS updates the SEN Register on a regular basis. Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class; however, the HoLS liaises routinely with Form Tutors, Heads of Year and SMT to ensure that teachers are aware of the needs of their pupils and of the strategies that can be put in place to support each individual. All pupils on the LS register have Individual Education Plans (IEPs), comprising a summary of need, specific teaching strategies, areas of strength, details of any special provision, as well as other relevant information. The IEP is largely informed by the pupil s Educational Psychology (EP) report and by suggestions put forward by teachers and parents. The Form Tutor or relevant Head of Pastoral Care remains the primary channel of communication for formal reporting and home-school contact. Page 1

2 The HoLS coordinates the support delivered to each pupil through the work of the academic departments through weekly departmental meetings and weekly staff meetings, within which each department is able to raise and discuss pupils with potential or on-going difficulties. Specialist support for pupils with SpLD: The Brighton College LS Centre admits pupils who have above average intelligence, who have a SpLD, and who are judged to be able to cope in the mainstream classroom with support. External candidates are admitted on the basis of a recent EP report and an assessment in Mathematics and English. The HoLS or Headmaster will liaise with the parents to discuss the pupil s SpLD and how the pupil can be supported. The LS Centre aims to help its members to achieve academic success whilst recognising the importance of nurturing strengths in areas such as art, design, sport, music and drama. Developing and sustaining self-confidence is a crucial part of this support. The LS Centre aims to support pupils in the work presented in the mainstream classroom and to use, wherever possible, such material as a vehicle for the promotion of good study skills. In this sense, the LS Centre does not set out to deliver a remedial programme. However, the LS Centre uses the Alpha to Omega system, Toe By Toe and other recognized programmes to support pupils learning in spelling and reading. English and English Literature are taught to CE level in groups no larger than 9 in the LS Centre. Pupils are encouraged to make regular use of the ICT facilities available in both the Centre and the school as a whole, e.g. Touch Typing Club. Small group support in Mathematics may also be available from a member of the LS Dept, as well as use of an online Mathematics programme aimed at reinforcing topics being covered in class. For those pupils who do not require the full support of the LS Centre, weekly ad hoc assistance may be recommended and timetabled by the LS team. It is recognised that removing pupils from timetabled lessons for support can compound the original problem by disrupting learning and creating the added pressure to catch up with missed work. The LS Centre avoids this difficulty by removing one subject from the timetable completely and using this time to provide small group support. The subject lost is French, on the basis that learning any foreign language is likely to be very demanding for a pupil with SpLD. In addition, the subject may well not have been taught in the years running up to entry, as specialist feeder schools invariably adopt a similar policy. However, arrangements are made for LS Centre pupils to study conversational Spanish in Years 7 and 8, for which they have one lesson a week. The LS Centre offers the following opportunities and facilities to pupils: 1. Teaching of English and English Literature, following the Common Entrance syllabus, in groups no larger than 9 2. Access to dedicated computer labs 3. Access to small group support in Mathematics, where appropriate Page 2

3 4. Opportunities to learn subject-specific spellings as well as focussed work on phonics/spelling generally 5. Courses designed to promote study skills, i.e. help with learning how to learn 6. An environment in which they can build self-esteem, share concerns and feel successful 7. The opportunity to practise reading aloud and to develop reading fluency in a sympathetic environment 8. The help and support of one another Entry Criteria In order to ensure that a pupil will be able to cope with the demands of the curriculum at Brighton College, we require a minimum Verbal Scale of 115. This is because experience has shown that pupils with scores below that level usually have difficulty in sufficiently accessing the curriculum. We therefore ask for a copy of a recent EP report in order to be able to establish, with confidence, that we are able to meet a pupil s needs. The school would need to be confident that the pupil would be capable of attempting to gain 55% in English and Mathematics, as well as an average of 60% across other examined subjects, in the Common Entrance examinations SEND According to the SEN Code of Practice 2014: Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, even where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. The aim of the Graduated Approach to identification and support as outlined by SEN Code of Practice guidelines is to identify pupils needs as quickly and accurately as possible: To implement a monitoring programme in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice To work within the approved guidelines in the SEND Code of Practice To ensure high quality inclusive teaching by 1. Initial response, Waves 1 and 2 2. School Support for pupils identified with SEN-Wave 3 The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination against pupils (and potential pupils) on the grounds of their SEND unlawful. This places a duty on the school to take reasonable steps to ensure that SEND pupils have full access to all school services. Both the school and each individual member of staff can be held liable for contravening the Act. There are four main strands to be considered in attempting to meet the demands of the act: The curriculum The physical environment The organisation of teaching, marking and strategies Admissions Page 3

4 The Curriculum All students have access to the whole curriculum irrespective of gender, ability, creed, culture or ethnic background, with the exception of French for LS Centre pupils. Y7 and Y8 LS Centre pupils have a weekly conversational Spanish lesson. All LS Centre pupils study Mandarin. The school endeavours to establish natural, logical progression towards BCAS and CE examinations and to build on previous learning and attainment using the spiral delivery model, whilst also making use of available UK nationally standardised data such as NFER tests. Pupils on the SEN Register who have impaired hearing, visual problems or other disabilities are supported following recommendations in their EP report or other specialist report. SEN Register pupils in the Prep School may be given an additional time allowance and /or use of a computer in major internal and external examinations (where this is recommended by the pupil s EP report). All pupils have access to all school trips where possible. The physical environment Please refer to the Brighton College 3 year SEND plan. The teaching, marking and strategies Teaching The primary SEND experienced by most of the school population is SpLD. Pupils with SpLD often have problems with processing language efficiently. They can be slow writers and readers and may have difficulties with simultaneously writing and listening during lessons. Individuals with SpLD almost always have a poor working memory; one characteristic of this can be difficulty with recalling and organising their ideas in written tasks. Consequently, it is important that all pupils have unfettered and easy access to relevant information in a form which is appropriate to their needs. Some pupils with SpLD may excel in group and/or individual situations (especially in comparison to their written work) whilst others may have word-finding or verbal processing difficulties and may be poor at explaining their ideas aloud. Some pupils with SpLD are supported in the LS Centre in groups for specialist teaching, while some pupils receive weekly ad-hoc support. Staff are given guidance as to how best to support pupils who have a SpLD. Marking We have an anticipatory duty to ensure that SEND pupils are not less favourably treated. The marking systems in these guidelines should be seen not as leniency, but as a method for reducing the disadvantages that may arise from having a SpLD, and marking in a way which does not penalise pupils with SpLD unnecessarily, particularly where the spelling, punctuation and grammar do not interfere with the reader s ability to understand the content. Individuals with dyslexia who have poor short-term working memory and spelling problems often have a difficulty in writing fluently. When writing complex sentences they forget what Page 4

5 they have planned to say. This may result in grammatical inconsistencies or in losing the thread of an argument and including irrelevant information. They are likely to have difficulties with seeing visual details such as punctuation and spelling errors and may not notice when a visually similar word has been substituted for the intended word, even when proof reading. For marking coursework or general classwork of SEN Register pupils: The marker needs to look for a clear separation between the content of the work and the language errors. This will allow credit to be given for the content and establish whether the student has achieved the intended learning outcomes. It may be worth considering how a good copy editor would approach the text, and whether a weak candidate in terms of knowledge and understanding, whose spelling and sentences structures are good, should receive a higher mark than a knowledgeable and perceptive candidate who writes less accurately. Look for ideas, understanding and knowledge Be very clear about the marking criteria especially in terms of knowledge and understanding Make constructive comments and set appropriate targets Explain your comments in a straight-forward way Accentuate the positive Write legibly or word-process feedback Let the student know if you are marking for English If you are marking for spelling, grammar and punctuation, select a sample section rather than correcting the entire essay and inform the student that this is your approach General Strategies Ensure that knowledge of the main difficulties of each SEN Register pupil is current (see IEPs) Make lesson notes or outlines available in advance as targeted preparation can help the pupil more readily follow the content of the lesson; knowledge of the content improves the pupil s ability to write and listen at the same time and reduces the amount of writing needed Ensure that all material presented visually during a lesson is also explained orally Make sure all instructions and announcements are presented both orally and visually and also consider the use of for home/school working Leave any Notebook or PowerPoint slides up for long enough so that even the slowest individuals can transcribe or print out the slides Summarise complex information as bullet points Pause and sum up frequently Break lessons into chunks to allow time for reflection and review: remember pupils with SpLD can become overloaded with information if given too many instructions at the Page 5

6 same time. Above all, make sure the pupils with SpLD in your class really do understand what they are expected to do and be prepared to remind them if they forget. PowerPoint presentations should use fonts in at least 24 points Use dark lettering on light backgrounds e.g. navy blue text on cream. Be aware that a few pupils may tell you they find certain colours difficult to read. Allow the use of coloured overlays and reading rulers as required. Give a clear summary of the structure of the lesson at the beginning with headings, main points and important details Introduce the whole picture and then the parts Give an indication of the underlying aim of the lesson and relate it to the rest of the topic Make explicit links from the particular examples to the general overall idea Give concrete examples to build up a picture of more abstract ideas Support with specialist subject-specific vocabulary/terms. Short glossaries that are handed out in advance of lessons can be helpful for all Post large subject-specific words in classrooms Allow for discussions and collaborative group work Use interactive whiteboards and visual methods for conveying information Encourage every pupil to speak near the beginning of the term to break the maiden speech barrier and boost confidence If in class reading is absolutely necessary, make the text available in advance Be sensitive to the needs of all the pupils. Check with each pupil individually if you suspect any difficulty Always express expectations verbally and in writing Allow for appropriate devices such as laptops where appropriate Differentiate Pupils with SpLD often find it very difficult to develop their ideas on paper. Provide writing frames/a list of sentence starters/an essay example, so they can learn to sequence their ideas 3.2. Admissions Please refer to the Brighton College Prep School Admissions Policy. Page 6

7 3.3. Proposed Accessibility Action Plan (Also see SEND Master Plan ) What Review curriculum structure, (within given timetable constraints), each year to maximise access to curriculum (within agreed parameters) for all SEN Register pupils Discuss needs of SEN Register pupils and resources available at each department meeting and ensure that necessary provisions are being made Whole school awareness/refresher on strategies/learning styles each year led by specialists in SpLD and LS Dept where appropriate Who By Deputy Head Academic HoDs LS Centre/HoLS When What Who By When Regular feedback sessions between LS teachers and subject teachers Ensure that study skills form part of the PSHE programme for all year groups Ensure Access Arrangements for exams are followed as per an EP report Research latest developments in ICT hardware and software for network installation Subject teachers and LS Centre/ HoLS Head of PSHE/HoLS Deputy Head Academic/HoLS Director of ICT/ HoLS/LS Dept Weekly and termly as appropriate Adapt as necessary annually Each exam session Reviewed by Nicola Bevins, February 2017 Reviewed by Governor Phil Ward, April 2017 To be reviewed annually Page 7