Date Adopted Autumn 2015 Committee Education Review Date Autumn 2016 Special Educational Needs Statutory Policy Ref - Special Educational Needs & Disability: The Gordano School SEND Policy has been written with the Guidance of the SEN Code of Practice (2014) and in consultation with the Headteacher, SEN Governor, Senior Leadership Team, teaching and support staff, parents and students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This policy should be read in conjunction with other school policies, particularly the Disability Equality Equality and Accessibility policy, Equal Opportunities policy, Safeguarding policy and Teaching & Learning policy. This policy should also be considered along with the school SEND Information Report (2017), Gordano School Dyslexia Statement & Gordano School Exam Access Statement. This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (1.09.2014), section 3.65, and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents: Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2013 Children & Families Act (2014), with particular reference to: SEND Code of Practice 0 25 (1.09.2014) Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014) Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (April 2014) The National Curriculum in England Key Stage 1 and 2 framework document (Sept 2013) Teachers Standards (2012) Joint Council for Qualifications (2016 2017) Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) The SENCO is the person responsible or person responsible for managing your settings response to the provision you make for children and young people with Special Educational Needs. The name and contact details of Gordano School s SENCO: Deborah Mc Mullin: dmcmullin@gordanoschool.org.uk Miss Mc Mullin completed her SEN Award in December 2016. Miss Mc Mullin is not a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the advocate for the SEN on the SLT is Adam Snow: adamsnow@gordanoschool.org.uk 1
Gordano School Values & Context of the School Gordano School is a popular and highly successful comprehensive school. We are proud of our comprehensive status and committed to the needs of all our learners, from the most academically gifted, to those young people that need help and support with their learning. Our pastoral care is based upon a strong House System, both the welfare and academic progress of students being monitored by one of six Heads of House together with a form tutor. Year 7 students are closely monitored by a Transition Learning Team who is dedicated to providing the best introduction to our learning community. From this close monitoring comes a regular flow of information to parents and many opportunities for discussion, identification of need and goal-setting. Our belief is that every single child is gifted and unique. Our aim is to work with individuals to allow them to realise their potential and to help them find avenues to personal success and self-esteem. Our underpinning aims, as a school dedicated to best practice in inclusive education are: To provide a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum for every individual child and promote an enthusiasm for lifelong learning; To promote the highest standards of personal achievement and learning within a structured self-disciplined environment; To foster a sense of belonging in a caring and supportive atmosphere; To provide quality learning and quality teaching opportunities for all students; To work in partnership with parents and to forge good working links with the local and wider community and with employers. Special Educational Needs Provision at Gordano School Children are identified as having SEND when they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children the same age or have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of education facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the Local Authority (SEND Code of Practice 2014). A child has a special educational need if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. This may mean that a child has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age, or a disability that makes it difficult to access facilities within the school. A disability is defined as an impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect upon their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Special educational provision means educational provision which is additional to, or different from the education provision made generally for learners of their own age, within their own learning environment. Learners must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught. 2
The provision of support is managed as a graduated response to needs. In the first instance, the SENCO identifies and manages information and training which will empower teaching staff to understand the needs of their learners and apply appropriate differentiation strategies. This information is provided to teaching staff as an Inclusion Register. Provision is managed in the following ways: Heads of faculty manage the appropriate differentiation of subject areas to fully include the needs of all learners, taking into account that students learn in different ways and at different rates; Quality First Teaching/The Gordano Experience will meet the needs of students with additional learning needs for the majority of the time; Student Support will provide focussed in-class support to those students whose needs are greatest those who hold an EHCP, in the first instance; Students whose needs are not being met within quality first teaching will be referred to the Learning Support Team, where their needs will be considered and linked with appropriate intervention and/or support; There are a range of interventions and resources in place to support the needs of learners at Gordano School. SEND interventions are detailed in the SEND Information Report as our local offer of support; Students entering Year 9 are provided with options that meet their needs and are part of their transition plan. There are a range of options for students including vocational, academic and core skills programmes; Students who have a range of social, emotional and mental health difficulties are supported in a joined-up way through the Learning Support team and The Student Centre staff. Students with special educational needs which are significant and persistent and who meet the criteria of JCQ and exam boards may be eligible for support in public examinations. There are strict criteria in managing this process and this is outlined in the School Exam Access Arrangement Guidelines. Able Students have their needs met through a range of additional interventions and support. Please read Gordano School s Information Report for further specific guidance on the identification of needs and provision of SEND support at Gordano School. Continuing Professional Development, Training & Resources The Senior Leadership Team are committed to providing support, resources and training which is required to meet the needs of teaching staff and support staff. SEND is a key feature of the first INSET day of the academic calendar and training is planned between the Head of Learning Support and the Senior Leadership, in relation to the changing needs of learners at the school. Opportunities are arranged at individual, faculty, pastoral and whole-school level. All teachers and support staff undertake induction on taking up a post and this includes a meeting with the SENCO to explain the systems and structures in place around the school s SEND provision and practice and to discuss the needs of individual pupils; 3
The school s SENCOs regularly attend the LAs SENCO network meetings in order to keep up to date with local and national updates in SEND; Gordano s Student Support faculty regularly assesses training opportunities in order to establish and maintain best practice and understanding of key SEND issues; The Student Support faculty communicates with other schools and arranges school visits to plan best practice; The Student Support faculty work closely with pastoral and academic faculties to cascade specialist SEND training and support to our colleagues at Gordano School. Admission Arrangements Gordano School has a well established reputation in the Portishead and surrounding area. It is the school of choice for those in the local catchment, and the school has strong links with feeder primary schools. The school offers a rich community experience for all learners which is broad and balanced. The school makes every effort to support students with a broad range of SEND needs and works closely with the Local Authorities to ensure that we can maintain and continue to develop our provision for all learners. We also liaise with parents very closely, particularly throughout the admission process for students with significant and persistent SEND needs and those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). The Responsibilities of The Governing Body In close liaison with the Headteacher and the SENCO, the governing body is responsible for ensuring that appropriate provision is made for all students with SEND, in line with the Code of Practice (2014). The governing body ensures that all teachers are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for students with SEND. They ensure that students with SEND are integrated as fully as possible into all school activities and extra-curricular activities in line with The Gordano Experience. In addition, they monitor the effectiveness of the school s SEND policy and SEND Information Report and report on all aspects of SEND to parents. SEND Governor: Adele Haysom Complaints Procedure The first point of contact for any concerns relating to the provision or co-ordination of support for students with identified SEND is the SENCO, Miss Deborah Mc Mullin. The SENCO will undertake a thorough investigation of the concern and report directly to Senior Leadership through the SLT link, Mr Adam Snow. For the majority of instances, this is the best route to resolve a concern. In addition to this, the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body continually review the work of the Learning Support faculty and the support offered to students with SEND. Therefore, if a parent is still dissatisfied the Head Teacher, Mr Gary Lewis may be contacted via the PA to the Head Teacher, Mrs Shirley Boden: sboden@gordanoschool.org.uk Policy Adopted 4
.. Chair of Committee.. Headteacher 5