Special Educational Needs Information Report Peacehaven Community School September 2017

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1 Special Educational Needs Information Report Peacehaven Community School September About this report The Children and Families Act 2014 says that all maintained schools must publish a Special Educational Needs (SEN) Information Report every year. This report explains how our school meets the needs of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). It will be shown on our school website. In the report, we explain how we meet our duties towards pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. This report is also our SEND policy. We will review this report every year and will involve pupils and parents. If you would like to discuss this report further, please contact the school office o Signed Chair of Governors Date. 2. Who do I contact? If you are thinking of applying for a place at PCS please contact Sarah Daniels on If your child is already at the school, please talk to your child s tutor in the first instance. School phone number The Assistant Head (Learning Support and Development), Mandy Lewis, is the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and is responsible for managing and coordinating the support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who have an Education Health and Care (EHCP) plan. Claire Grout is the Assistant SENCo. The SENCO also provides professional guidance to school staff and works closely with parents and other services that provide for children in the school. To contact the SEND team, please call Maria Budd or Barbara Billington on or mlewis@phcs.org.uk, cc to mbudd@phcs.org.uk 3. Which children does the school provide for? We are a Secondary, maintained, School and we admit pupils from age 11 to 16. Peacehaven is an inclusive school. This means we provide for children with all types of special educational needs and disabilities. If your child has an EHCP and you are interested in applying for a place at PCS, please contact your Assessment and Planning Officer at East Sussex County Council. If you are applying for a place for any other child with special educational needs, you should apply as normal and your application will be considered alongside applications from children without special educational needs. Peacehaven Community School admissions policy use hyperlink to website

2 school admissions - East Sussex.gov.uk contact Information for Families for admissions advice Summary of how the school meets the needs of children with SEN and disabilities. Peacehaven Community School is an inclusive school providing a range of support to ensure that we meet needs and achieve the best possible outcomes, both academic and pastoral, for all students. The Learning Support and Development Faculty works with all staff to develop an inclusive culture and ensure access to the curriculum and to extracurricular activities for all our students. Mandy Lewis (Assistant Head Learning, Support and Development) is a member of the strategic management team and is responsible for managing the school s response to the provision that we make for children with SEND. Claire Grout is the Assistant Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Equality pervades all our school policies, which comply with our duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, and the Equalities Act 2010, in particular: Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy (SEND Policy)/ Information Report Single Equalities Scheme Race Equality Policy Anti bullying Policy Sex and relationships policy In school, we work to ensure that there is equality of opportunity for all members of our community across a range of strands, which include: Race, Disability, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion and Age as well as any other factors which have the potential to cause discrimination, e.g. socio-economic factors. We see this commitment to equality as a key component in raising the aspirations of and expectations for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and as part of a wider commitment to inclusion for all individuals and groups. All policies, practices and procedures will be monitored and reviewed to ensure that they do not disadvantage any student. The inclusion of students with SEND should be seen within this context. We adopt a graduated response to meeting the special educational needs of all students on the SEND register as outlined in the revised Code of Practice (2014). This response involves 4 processes: Assess Plan Do Review

3 If the child is looked after by the local authority they will have a Personal Education Plan (PEP) and we will co-ordinate these plans with the SEND plans. How does the school identify and review children s special educational needs? We aim to identify children s special educational needs as early as possible, so that the student achieves the best possible outcomes A student has SEND where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision. That is provision which is different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Children may have one or more broad areas of special educational need: Communication and interaction including speech and language difficulties and autism. Cognition and learning including developmental delay and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Social, emotional and mental health difficulties including difficulties with behaviour, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, attachment disorder or anxiety. Sensory and/or physical needs- including visual and hearing impairment, dyspraxia, cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities or medical conditions which affect a child s learning. Students are identified as having a special educational need if they do not make progress with high quality differentiated teaching and a range of whole school interventions. SEND provision is different to or additional to that normally available to students of the same age. The identification of SEND is built into the overall monitoring of progress for all students. Progress is monitored by teachers, Heads of Faculty and Heads of Year, as well as the Head of Learning Support and Development, at each data point, and concerns about SEND are passed to the Learning Support and Development Faculty at any other point in the year.

4 We adopt a graduated response to meeting the special educational needs of all students on the SEND register as outlined in the revised Code of Practice (2014). This response involves 4 processes: Assess Plan Do Review Assessment and identification We use information from previous schools, ongoing observation, formal and informal assessment, feedback from staff, parents and students and review of student progress to identify needs. Specialist teachers use specialist assessments and for some students we may seek additional assessment from support services such as the East Sussex Educational Psychology service or the Children s Integrated Therapy Service. The purpose of identification is to work out what actions we need to take and to ensure that we are responding to the needs of the whole child. When a child is identified as having special educational needs, they are placed on the SEND register at SEN support level, and we will intervene as part of SEN support provision. This replaces the previous school action and school action plus categories. Plan Every teacher is required to adapt the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all students. Classroom teachers monitor the progress of their students on an ongoing basis and work with Learning Support Assistants to overcome barriers to learning and ensure that all students make at least good progress. Specialist teachers advise and support in matching teaching and learning to the needs of students with a special educational need and / or a disability. Staff from Local Authority specialist services will be involved in planning as appropriate. Do Specialist teachers and Learning Support Assistants support in class and provide both individual and group interventions. All students on the SEND register have SEND targets which are additional to, but inform, subject and pastoral targets which are set for all students. All staff have knowledge of these targets and are expected to help students to meet them. Staff are also given information about useful teaching strategies for identified groups of students e.g. students with an Autistic Spectrum Condition or ADHD as well as for individual students with high levels of need. A record of any provision that is additional to or different from that provided by the subject teacher is reported to parents/carers bi-annually for students with an EHCP and annually for all other students on the SEND register. Review and monitoring Progress of students on the SEND register is monitored by whole school systems of assessment. We review the impact and quality of support at each data point and at the end of each intervention programme. Review is both formative and, where appropriate, summative. In addition to this, students are: Discussed at Faculty meetings Discussed at Student Review meetings

5 Discussed within the Behaviour Emotional Social Support Team Assessed in relation to base-line assessment comprising both formal and informal assessment tools SEND targets are reviewed annually. Parents views on their child s progress are sought and students are involved in setting their own targets using a Student Voice interview or questionnaire. Parents and carers are invited to discuss their child s progress at least three times a year. Annual Review of an Education, Health Care Plan. All EHCPs are reviewed at least annually with the parents, the student, the LEA and the school. Contributors to the meeting consider whether any amendments need to be made to the description of the student s needs or to the special educational provision specified in the EHCP. The annual review focuses on what the child has achieved as well as the difficulties that need to be resolved. A specialist careers adviser contributes to Annual Reviews, where appropriate, in years 9, 10 and 11 to ensure effective information, advice and guidance is provided in relation to post 16 provisions. Requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. For a few students the help given by schools through SEN support may not be sufficient to enable the student to make adequate progress. These students will have an Additional Support Plan. If, despite having identified, assessed, planned, delivered and reviewed interventions, the student has not made expected progress, we will consider requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. This will be done in consultation with the parents and any external agencies already involved. English as an additional language The identification and assessment of the special educational needs of children whose first language is not English, requires particular care. Where there is uncertainty about an individual, the school will look carefully at all aspects of a student s performance in different subjects to establish whether the problems they have in the classroom are due to limitations in their command of the English language or whether they arise from special educational needs. 5. How does the school teach and support children with SEN? Teaching of students on the SEND register is a whole school responsibility. The majority of students will learn and progress with the general teaching and learning arrangements provided by the school. In planning and teaching the National Curriculum, teachers will adopt the principles of inclusion. They will: Set suitable learning challenges Respond to students diverse learning needs Overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment Some students, however, will need an enhanced level of provision. A range of additional support is available to meet the additional needs of students at PCS.

6 These include: In-class support Learning in small teaching groups. At Key Stage 3, English, Maths and Humanities are taught in a small teaching group of approximately 15 students with one or a small team of teachers, teaching all three subjects. Students are taught in this group for between 40 50% of the week. This reduces the number of teachers that students work with. This class also has additional support 100% of the time with, wherever possible, the same Learning Assistant. At Key Stage 4 students are taught in small groups in English and Maths The small group curriculum is differentiated to enable access for students who join PCS in year 7 working at below average levels in core subjects. A student with slightly higher academic levels but high levels of emotional need may, on occasion, also be offered a place in the small group. Individual or small group teaching in literacy, language and communication e.g. social skills Individual or small group teaching in numeracy. Individual or small group teaching of social and emotional skills Personalised curriculum at Key Stage 4 including Entry Level qualifications, a Life Skills course offered as an option choice and access to engagement programmes. Support with homework. Access to software that develops the use of specific skills eg Lexia, and Rapid Plus and Mastering Memory. Access to ICT in class and for independent working. A range of software is used to support the development of literacy and numeracy skills and access to the curriculum e.g. Read, Write; and Write On Line. Other technological aids will be made available where appropriate. Teachers and support staff are monitored and supported to ensure good teaching through the school s performance management procedures and a programme of Professional development. 6. How will the curriculum and learning environment be matched to the child s needs? All pupils will have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which is suitable for all our pupils. We will set high expectations for all pupils. We adjust the curriculum for each child with SEND to ensure that they can access the subjects at their own level and make progress. This is called differentiation.

7 All teachers are responsible for using a range of strategies and resources to make sure that students enjoy and achieve within their classrooms e.g. resources using symbols, ICT software to support writing or writing frames. The Learning Support and Development Team and staff from outside the school advise and support teachers to devise a range of tasks and methods of working to support all pupils. We work closely with the Educational Psychology Service, Language and Learning Support Services, Therapy Services and the Behaviour and Attendance Service to ensure that the curriculum is matched to each child s needs. PCS has gained I Can Secondary Talk Specialist status (Special Facility) and Enhanced status for the whole school. This means that good practice in supporting students with speech, language and communication difficulties occurs across the school. We are also a Dyslexia Friendly School (Level 1). If students are underachieving at any point a range of interventions will be put in place. The impact of interventions will be evaluated and further interventions put in place if needed. 7. How are parents, carers and students involved in reviewing children s progress and planning support? Partnership with parents and carers plays a key role in enabling children to achieve their potential. PCS recognizes that parents and carers hold knowledge and experience which is vital to understanding a child s needs and to finding the best ways of supporting them. All parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities will be treated as partners and supported to play an active and valued role in their children s education. Children with special educational needs and disabilities often have a unique knowledge of their own needs. They are encouraged to play an active role in setting and reviewing their own targets and in identifying useful forms of support. How will I know how my child is doing? At PCS we track your child s progress on an ongoing basis and take action when students are not making the expected progress. You will receive regular reports and be invited to attend meetings to discuss your child s progress at least 3 times a year. Learning Support and Development staff are available to meet you at each whole school Parents events and at additional SEN parent/carer meetings. Students with an EHCP will also have an Annual Review meeting to discuss provision and progress. Additional meetings are available by request ( or telephone). The support that a student on the SEND register receives will be outlined in a letter sent to parents once a year. Parents and carers will also be informed when any new arrangement is put in place. This letter will list support and show the targets each student is working towards. These targets will inform targets set by subject teachers and by tutors.

8 The focus of all meetings will be on outcomes and progress towards these outcomes. Children s involvement in assessment Students are given regular opportunities to be involved in reviewing their progress and planning support. These include: - Self-assessment in class. - Structured student voice. - SEN review meetings including Annual Reviews. 8. How does the school prepare and support children to transfer to a new school/ college or the next stage of education and life? The staff at PCS work closely with primary schools to support all children when transferring to our school. In addition we run a weekly transition programme in terms 5 and 6 for students with a high level of need. Parents and carers of Year 6 students are invited to meet with their child s tutor for an induction meeting and to attend an induction evening. Staff from the Learning Support and Development Team will, where possible, attend the Year 6 Annual Reviews of children with an Education Health Care Plan. A Personal Intensive Adviser will advise on suitable post 16 courses for your child, and PCS staff will accompany children with high levels of need on college taster days. The Education Health Care Plan will remain with the student when they move into post 16 education. 11. What training do school staff have? When we plan support for a child, we think about the knowledge and skills their teachers and support staff will need. If necessary, we plan training for staff members or arrange an INSET training day for all staff. PCS SEND staff have a wide range of knowledge and expertise including specific qualifications in SEND (general), Speech and Language needs, Specific Learning Difficulties and Autistic Spectrum Conditions. All staff have access to training in supporting students with a wide range of needs including those above and Attachment difficulties. Key staff are also Thrive trained. We access training from East Sussex County Council e.g. the Educational Psychology Service, the Inclusion Development Programme Inclusion Development Programmeidponline.org.uk and other external providers according to need. 12. How does the school measure how well it teaches and supports children with SEN? We regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils to make sure noone under achieves. We look at whether our teaching and programmes of support have

9 made a difference. We use data from our 6 data points and from specific assessments to monitor the progress and development of all students. This helps us to develop the use of interventions that are effective and to remove those that are less so. We complete an annual self-evaluation of our SEND provision and use this to develop an action plan to further improve our SEND provision. We collate feedback from parents and use this to inform our development plan. We also invite parents to provide feedback at meetings, through attending parent forums and through the Ofsted parent view website How accessible is the school and how does the school arrange equipment or facilities children need? PCS is a modern school building which is fully wheelchair accessible. It has disabled changing and toilet facilities and a lift. When your child first joins the school we will ask you to let us know of any access issues you or family members have. (Please see accessibility plan.) We are subject to the Equalities Act and make reasonable adjustments and provide auxiliary aids and services to prevent disabled students being disadvantaged. Students with complex medical conditions have a health and personal care plan which outlines the actions taken by school to ensure the health, safety and inclusion of these students. 14. How are children included in activities with other children, including school trips? We are committed to all students being included in all activities, including physical activities, extra-curricular activities and school trips. All students at PCS have access to all extra-curricular activities offered by the school and, where necessary, additional adult support will be available to assist your child at after school activities and on school trips. Parents will be asked to meet with school staff to plan appropriate support where necessary. Through careful planning and reasonable adjustments, pupils with SEND engage in the activities of the school and are encouraged to participate fully in the life of the school and in any wider community activity. We work with parents and pupils to listen to their views, feelings and wishes to ensure pupils with SEND engage fully in the life of the school and in any wider community activity.

10 15. What support is there for children s overall well-being and their emotional, mental and social development? Each student in the school has an adult tutor with whom they meet every day and who is responsible for their emotional wellbeing in school. The most vulnerable students on the SEND register also have a team of workers who monitor their progress on a regular basis. When students with an EHCP transfer to PCS they are paired up with a buddy from the student leadership team. These students have been trained to listen to the new students, to provide support directly and to help students access support from staff. In addition the Year teams, including Heads and Assistant Heads of Year and a team of key workers, provide social and emotional support for students. These teams provide a range of support including student reconciliation, individual and group work on a range of issues linked with emotional literacy and behaviour management, and work with families. We work closely with the Educational Psychology Service to develop this provision. Three members of staff are Thrive trained, enabling them to provide nurture based interventions. PCS has a Behaviour and Social, Emotional, Mental Health and Support Team who meet fortnightly to discuss the needs of students identified as causing a high level of concern in terms of behaviour and social and emotional health, and to plan and review interventions for these students. BESST includes an Early Help worker who is a trained social worker. BESST works with professionals from other agencies to ensure a multi-agency approach to school and community issues. A member of the Behaviour and Attendance Service works in school one morning a week to work with students and families to improve attendance.. Please see policies Behaviour and anti-bullying. Safeguarding. Supporting pupils with medical conditions. 16. What specialist services does the school use to support children and their families? The Learning Support and Development faculty has specialist staff in Speech Language and Community Needs, Literacy and Attachment. In addition we work with a range of other professionals to plan support for students on the SEND register. These include: School Nurse Educational Psychology Service Speech and Language Therapy Service

11 Communication, Language and Learning Support Service Behaviour and Attendance Support Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Children s Integrated Therapy Service English as an additional language ( EAL)Service Virtual College ( Looked After Children) Social Services External providers e.g. Dialogue Counselling Service and COPES 17. Where can I get information, advice and support? Please see the local offer at SEND information, advice and support service Impartial advice and help for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their parents and carers informationforfamilies@eastsussex.gov.uk What do I do if I am not happy or if I want to complain? Any concerns or difficulties should be discussed with the Assistant Head (Learning Support and Development) in the first instance. In the event that no agreement can be reached in informal meetings, parents may make a written complaint to the Chair of the IEB. The LEA complaints procedure will be followed.