SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS & DISABILITY (SEND) & LEARNING ENHANCEMENT POLICY

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1 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS & DISABILITY (SEND) & LEARNING ENHANCEMENT POLICY Senior School Reviewed: Governor Review: September 2017 (CH/CM) Aims The aims of this policy are to promote good practice in our identification and management of special educational needs and additional learning needs and to explain the support we can provide for children who have learning difficulties and the co-operation we will need from parents. This policy should be read in conjunction with the school s Equal Opportunities Policy and the school s Accessibility Plan. Definitions "Special educational needs" and "learning difficulty" The school aims to comply with the current legislative framework, including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, the Equality Act 2010 and the DfE advice for schools 2013 and the Children and Families Act As an ISI independent school, the School does not have a statutory obligation to comply with the Code of Practice, but chooses to be guided by it. In accordance with the SEND Code of Practice (2015), a pupil has a special educational need when their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Learning difficulties or disabilities (LDD) include issues categorised according to four areas of need: (i) (ii) (iii) Communication and interaction (including those with Asperger s Syndrome and Autism where difficulties may be experienced with social interaction). Cognition and learning (including those with a range of conditions such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia). Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (including those with attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder).

2 (iv) Sensory and/or physical needs (including those with vision impairment, hearing impairment or a multisensory impairment). Some students whose need requires support from the Local Authority may be issued with an Education Health and Care plan (EHC plan). EHC plans replace the Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulties Assessments for children and young people with special educational needs. Some young people with a special educational need may have a disability under the Equality Act (2010) which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. These may include medical conditions such as hearing and eyesight impairment, diabetes and epilepsy. The School Nurse will maintain records of individual s medical conditions. She will work with the Learning Enhancement Coordinator to advise on any support needed to assist the student s learning needs. The School Nurse will communicate to staff any information about the medical condition which they require to adjust their teaching so that it caters for the individual student, whilst maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the wishes of the parents and student. In line with the Equality Act (2010), reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that disabled children are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. Those students requiring specific intervention or with learning needs above and beyond what can be reasonably catered for in the course of a normal lesson will be issued with a Pen Portrait. This is a plan or programme which enables the student to make the most of their educational opportunities. The School celebrates its cultural and linguistic diversity. Whilst many students speak other languages with their families, most of the bilingual and multilingual students with English as an Additional language (EAL) are at an advanced level and require no language support to enable them to achieve at a level commensurate with their cognitive skills. (See EAL provision). Note that students with EAL are not considered to have a special educational need. A child who finds a particular subject difficult does not necessarily have a "learning difficulty" in the legal sense of that expression; there will often be disparities in the speed with which children learn, in their skill at solving problems and in their general acumen. We provide additional study sessions which children can choose to attend if they need particular help with one or another aspect of a subject. The expression "learning difficulty" covers a wide variety of conditions and may include those known as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, semantic processing difficulty and learning problems which result from emotional or behavioural disorders. The expression may also include those who have problems with their eyesight or hearing or who have an autistic condition. Learning difficulties may affect children who have a high IQ and academic ability as well as those of lower IQ and ability. Sometimes a child's learning difficulty becomes apparent for the first time at the age of 11+ or older, when the educational pressures tend to increase.

3 Some pupils may not have assessed special educational needs but may have additional learning needs, in so far as they have a relative difficulty or weakness with one or more aspect of learning and when compared to their peers in the school. The school aims to support these pupils in enabling them to make progress in all areas of the school curriculum. Provision Leadership and Management The Learning Enhancement Coordinator, Mrs Catherine Hill, is responsible for coordinating all SEN/EAL provision within the school. Her line manager is the Director of Studies, Mrs Catherine Millar. Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their classes, including where pupils access support from the Learning Enhancement Coordinator. Parents bear the overall responsibility for taking decisions about the management of their child's learning difficulties. Procedures Our whole approach to the teaching of all girls is to follow the assess, plan, do review approach. This is the same approach as outlined in the 2015 Code of Practice. This is known as the graduated approach. The aim of this support is to empower all pupils, specifically those with SEN, to become more responsible and independent (to whatever extent they are able) in their own learning. Assess The School s procedures for the identification of pupils with a SEN takes into account the entrance examination and external standardized testing (MidYis, YELLis and ALIS). In addition: Screening test: During a pupil's first year of joining the senior school we will carry out screening tests. We use a Reading and Spelling assessment and in addition use the Dyslexia Screener. All assessments are a snapshot of the pupil s performance on the day, and as such they are not infallible. The purpose of the tests is to detect circumstances which may need further investigation or a formal assessment, additional support within the classroom, or a programme of intervention. The cost of screening tests is included in the tuition fees. Formal assessment: If the test results indicate that a pupil may have a degree of learning difficulty which ought to be assessed without delay, the Learning Enhancement Coordinator will contact parents to advise formal assessment by an educational specialist. The cost must be borne by the parents. Teachers, parents and pupils may refer pupils cognitive concerns to the LEC and further assessment will be carried out / follow up action may include further assessment.

4 Plan Pen Portraits The LEC will meet with pupils who have been identified as having an assessed additional need and draw up their Pen Portrait. This will include reference to baseline data and target grades the views and wishes of the pupil and her parents, together with advice relating to strategies to help enable the pupil to achieve her potential. Such meetings will be recorded and the information agreed will be shared formally with parents. The Pen Portrait is then circulated between the pupil s teachers and remains relevant within an agreed time frame. Professional Reports In some situations, pupils will be diagnosed with a specific learning need by an educational psychologist or a medical professional. Students at this stage may require considerable support. The educational psychologist s report is a valuable document which provides a wide range of information about the student s individual profile and, with parental consent, relevant information from this report is refined and distributed to the student s subject teachers and pastoral team through the Pen Portrait. The Pen Portrait will record the student s strengths, weaknesses and targets together with recommended teaching strategies, cognitive test scores and diagnostic data. Any reports received from an Educational Psychologist or other external agency will be kept by the Learning Enhancement Co-ordinator and a further copy will be stored in the student s individual file. EHC Plan A pupil may enter AESG with an EHC plan. Furthermore, where, despite the School having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the needs of a pupil, the School / parents can consider requesting an EHC plan assessment. This is for pupils with very significant needs which cannot be met from the existing resources within school. The school is involved in the development and review of the EHC plan to determine what can be provided within the School s own resources and what will require additional external expertise or further funding from the Local Authority. The EHC is reviewed annually, focusing on the progress of the student towards achieving the outcomes specified in the EHC plan and considering whether these outcomes and supporting targets are appropriate. Reviews are held in school and are attended by the student, parent/s, the Learning Support Co-ordinator, a health service representative and a local authority health or education representative. Prior to the review, the Learning Enhancement Co-ordinator seeks advice and information about the student from all parties, sending any advice and information gathered to all those invited to the meeting at least two weeks before the meeting takes place. After the review, any amendments required to the EHC plan are finalised within two weeks of the meeting. The provision specified in an EHC Plan must be implemented. The school will record the progress of any Additional Needs Support of any pupils with significant learning

5 difficulties or disabilities and ensures that our admission, discipline and other procedures take into account pupils needs. When the student reaches Year 9, all reviews must include a focus on preparing the student for adulthood. When a student moves from senior school to a post-16 institution, a reviewed EHC plan is completed to ensure a smooth transition to the student s next educational establishment. Do Learning Enhancement Coordinator (LEC) Withdrawal from lessons: in some instances, pupils may be withdrawn from one lesson in order to attend a small learning support group which will concentrate on developing skills such as reading comprehension, spelling, numeracy or handwriting. Progress and needs will be monitored and, if necessary, the LEC will recommend a formal assessment if learning support does not appear to be meeting the pupil s needs. Other actions carried out by the LEC are: - Advice to staff - Observation in lesson(s) - A study skills/revision session - Visual stress advice, provision of resources - Monitoring Teaching Staff All students have access to a differentiated curriculum, designed to meet the learning styles and needs of a range of students through planning and delivery in the classroom. Subject specialists at AESG have a wealth of experience in meeting the requirements for a range of learning needs and the School recognises the importance of maintaining a consistently outstanding level of teaching and learning in all classrooms. As this is the primary basis for supporting pupils with SEN, the Learning Support Co-ordinator will provide regular training for staff in light of new information and legislation relating to SEN. Additional measures: Teaching staff have access to details of any assessed special educational need together with suggested strategies for good classroom practice on 3Sys and in the pupils individual pen portraits. In addition all staff have electronic access to the Learning Enhancement Additional Provision Record. Children with special educational needs and /or additional learning needs should be noted in the teacher s mark book and accounted for in daily lesson planning. Teachers are expected to positively reinforce the learning of pupils with additional learning needs or disabilities in the classroom, whilst having high expectations of all. Teachers also contribute valuable evidence as to the pupil s normal way of working for any examination access arrangements that may be required.

6 The School will aim to adapt lessons and teaching methods to match students different abilities and learning needs. Staff will offer planned approaches to differentiation by content, task, resources, questioning, pace and homework. Learning activities will include:- Mastery tasks that enable less able students to experience success knowledge, comprehension and application tasks Open-ended developmental tasks that challenge the most able, develop higher thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation and allow initiative to be displayed A variety of learning approaches from lesson to lesson to take into account auditory, visual and kinesthetic methods of learning Opportunities for enrichment and extension in specific areas of the curriculum Opportunities to develop empathy and understand different values and attitudes Same ability grouping Examinations: Children who have been assessed as having a learning difficulty may be eligible to apply for extra time to complete internal examinations and public examinations. The LEC works closely with the Examinations Officer to ensure the JCQ guidelines are met. In order that the provision of access arrangements in examinations should reflect the candidate s normal way of working, the staff strive, with the support of the Learning Enhancement Department, to provide extra time in assessments carried out in lesson time wherever this can be achieved with a reasonable adjustment to the timetable. Review The Learning Support Coordinator will meet with the student and her parents at least three times each year to review the success, strategies and targets set in the Pen Portrait. This will facilitate future planning. EAL provision The School gathers and records information about the languages used in students homes. If any students, including those for whom English is an additional language, experience language-based difficulties, this will be reported by subject teachers, the students or parents to the LEC. A list of those girls for whom English is an additional language is circulated to all teaching staff at the start of each academic year. Many of these girls, however, will need no extra specialist support. The majority of the School s language support will be provided in class in different ways. The Literacy Policy encourages each department to focus on improving the literacy of all students in the classroom (for example, key word displays etc.) Further literacy training to staff has provided staff with methodologies to support students experiencing language difficulties. The Learning Enhancement Coordinator will also continue to disseminate her specialist training to staff through whole staff meetings. Each EAL student who is

7 experiencing language-based difficulties, receives an initial support meeting with the LEC who will work with the pastoral team to offer support. Confidentiality Confidentiality of information will be respected. Selected information from external experts which is needed to make requests to Examination Boards for extra time in external examinations will be given to the Examinations Officer, to the student s Head of Year and Form Tutor and to the Deputy Headmistress (Pastoral). The Learning Support Co-ordinator will supervise this process, and will add the names of these students to the SEN Register. All teaching members of staff have access to the names and requirements of students who have specific educational needs. All members of staff understand the importance of confidentially in their support of these students. The School Nurse will store confidential medical information. Staff training The School will organise training so that staff expertise is developed in meeting the needs of students who encounter barriers to learning and the needs of the most able students, particularly in range of teaching methods, student grouping, techniques of differentiation, accelerated learning and understanding of learning styles. We are developing a library of resources to support subject teachers across the curriculum, these can be found in the school library. Guidance will be included in the induction for new staff and visiting trainee teachers.