Bromley Educational Trust SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES (SEND) POLICY AND PROCEDURES POLICY ADOPTED AND RATIFIED BY THE TRUST BOARD ON:- POLICY TO BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY ON:- Signature:- Date:- Name:- EXECUTIVE HEAD TEACHER Signature:- Date:- Name:- CHAIR OF TRUST Page 1 of 9
1. DUTIES OF THE TRUST BOARD... 3 2. DEFINITIONS... 4 3. POLICY STATEMENT... 4 4. CONTEXT... 5 5. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES... 5 6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 5 7. ADMISSIONS... 6 8. IDENTIFICATION, ASSESSMENT AND PROVISION... 6 9. RESOURCES... 8 10. RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMISSIONERS / PARENTS AND CARERS... 9 11. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION... 10 12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION... 12 Page 2 of 9
1. BROMLEY EDUCATIONAL TRUST (BET) BOARD Compliance BET Board will comply with all the duties imposed upon governing bodies of maintained schools and Academies. The policy complies with Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It is written with reference to inclusive education under : articles 7 and 24 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2013 SEND Code of Practice 0 25 (June 2014) School Admissions Code of Practice The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (linked to clause 64) Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014) Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (April 2014) The National Curriculum in England framework document (September 2013) Safeguarding Policy Accessibility Plan Teachers Standards 2012 Roles and Responsibilities of the Trust Board: To ensure that the teachers provide a learning environment where pupils can achieve their potential To ensure schools within the Trust identify pupils with SEND and ensure they provide support, assessment, and monitoring so that the pupils can gain maximum benefit from the school curriculum That the SENCO in each provision will co-ordinate the support given by outside agencies to individual pupils To work alongside parents/carers to ensure their inclusion in the process at all times To ensure the policy is reviewed on an annual basis This policy has been created by BTA SENCO with the SEN Trust Board member, in liaison with the Executive Head teacher/head of School, the SLG, all staff and parents of pupils with SEND. Bromley Trust Academy has two settings where there are pupils with statements/ EHCPs as well as pupils who are SEN Support. All pupils at Bromley Beacon Academy (BBA) have statements/ EHCPs and therefore some points of the policy are not applicable to BBA. The SENCOs in each academy have the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo) and they are members of Senior Leadership Group 2. DEFINITIONS Bromley Educational Trust has adopted the following definitions:- 2.1 A pupil will be registered as having Special Educational Needs if he/she has a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made for him/her. Pupils who need additional support for: Cognition and learning Speech, Language and communication Sensory needs Physical needs Page 3 of 9
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties Autistic Spectrum Disorder Are deemed to be pupils with special needs 2.2 A pupil has a learning difficulty if he/she:- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of pupils of the same age; or Has a disability which prevents or hinders him/her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for pupils of the same age in other local educational establishments. N.B. A pupil will NOT be registered as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which he/she will be taught. 2.3 A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal, dayto-day activities. A pupil with a disability has special educational needs if he/she has any difficulty in accessing education and if he/she needs any special educational provision to be made for him/her; that is anything additional to or different from what is normally available 3. POLICY STATEMENT Bromley Educational Trust is committed to helping all SEND pupils to reach their full potential, feel fully included within the Trust community and are able to make successful transfer between educational establishments. BET will endeavour to ensure that staff in the Academies are able to identify and provide for those pupils who have SEND needs to allow them to join in all the activities of the Academies. BET will ensure that the appropriate provision is made for any SEND pupil and their needs are made known to all staff who provide for them. CONTEXT It is likely that a majority of pupils referred to BET will meet the SEND definitions as set out above. This policy and procedure is therefore central to the successful fulfilment of the vision and aims of BET. BET will adopt detailed initial identification, assessment and review processes which will apply to all pupils and will allow for the seamless transition to the new statutory SEND requirements as contained in the SEND Code of Practice 0 25 (June 2014). 5. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES All staff are teachers of pupils on the SEND register. As such the teaching and support for SEND pupils is a whole Trust responsibility which requires all staff to adhere to a model of good practice. SEND pupils will have their needs met through a differentiated curriculum and provision mapping. The views of SEND pupils will be sought and taken into account at regular intervals. Page 4 of 9
The partnership with parents/careers will play a key role and their knowledge, views and experience will be used to support their children. SEND pupils will be offered full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education, including full access to all Academy activities. BET will work in partnership with statutory and other external agencies in order to best meet the needs of SEND pupils. All SEND pupils will receive regular monitoring and review of their needs. 6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Trust Board is ultimately responsible for BET meeting its statutory obligations in regard to SEND pupils. In order to do this, the Trust Board has delegated to the Executive Headteacher/ Head of Schools the overall responsibility for the management and monitoring of provision for SEND pupils and for the Performance Management of the SENCOs. The Trust Board will review this policy annually, receive annual regular reports on the effectiveness of the policy and appoint a specific named SEND linked Trust Board member. The named SEND link Trust Board member is TBC. The day-to-day responsibility for the operation and management of SEND provision is delegated to qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) at each Academy. The SENCO will be responsible for:- The day-to-day operation of the SEND policy and procedures. Liaising with and advising all staff on individual SEND pupil needs and provision. Coordinating all provision for SEND pupils. Maintaining the Academy SEND Provision Maps and overseeing the record of all SEND pupils. Liaising with all relevant statutory and external agencies. Organising the relevant training of the Trust Board and staff in regard to SEND duties and best practice. Identifying and assessing SEND and monitoring the progress of all SEND pupils. Coordinating and overseeing the preparation, monitoring and reviewing of Provision Maps. Meeting the Academy s obligations in regard to EHCP (previously) statemented SEND pupils and undertaking annual reviews. Support the effective teaching of SEND pupils. Develop and maintain resources for SEND pupils. 7. ADMISSIONS The Trust Board will ensure that SEND pupils are admitted on an equal basis with others in accordance with its admissions arrangements where applicable. 8. IDENTIFYING SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS We recognise the importance of early identification and aim to identify children s special needs as early as possible. The skills and levels of attainment of all pupils are assessed on entry, building on information from their previous setting. As part of this process the needs of the whole child will be considered, not just the special educational needs of the child/young person Page 5 of 9
The Trust also recognises that other factors may influence progress and attainment, but this does not necessarily mean that the pupil has a special educational need. This might be: Disability, where reasonable adjustment under the Disability Equality legislation can enable a child to make normal progress Attendance Health and Welfare English as an additional language Being in receipt of Pupil Premium grant Being a looked after child Being a child of service personnel A rigorous system of progress monitoring/tracking across the Trust takes place on a half termly basis. This identifies pupils who are not making expected progress and may include progress in areas other than attainment, such as social skills. Promoting social, emotional and mental well-being: Children need to feel valued, confident and secure to make maximum progress in their learning. BET is committed to promoting the social, emotional and mental well-being of all our pupils through a range of strategies to the individual Academy. Graduated Response to SEND Support: Class/Subject teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class. High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in meeting the needs of any pupil with special educational needs. Where applicable, before special educational provision is made, the SENCO and class teacher will consider all the information about the pupil s progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress and in consultation with parents. The Bromley Banded Funding Guide is used to aid identification of need within the four categories identified by the Code of Practice 2014 (cognition and learning, speech, language and communication, social and emotional and mental health and sensory difficulties) with additional guidance for autism and learning difficulties. This can also be used to identify appropriate strategies to meet need. The SENCO may offer advice about effective teaching and learning strategies and interventions that may help to narrow the gap or accelerate progress. General advice from outside specialists may also be sought. BET will adopt a graduated response to meeting SEND needs in line with the SEN Code of Practice. 8.1 As part of the pre-entry referral process to BTA settings and during a pupil s induction period, a full assessment of each pupil s educational and other needs will be carried out, using a portfolio of baseline testing. They will therefore have an Exit Plan which will be monitored and reviewed on an individual needs led basis. 8.2 Those pupils who on entry / referral have already been assessed and registered at an existing educational establishment as SEND Banded Funding Levels, will have that assessment and their existing provision re-assessed with a view to that SEND assessment / categorisation being confirmed or reviewed. Any alteration / amendments made will be subject to agreement of the referring agency, the pupil and the parents / carers of the pupil. Any existing IEP / PLP or an amended one will be incorporated into the Provision Mapping Page 6 of 9
for that pupil. This will ensure the efficient identification, assessment, provision, progress monitoring and review process which will facilitate speedy and smooth transition into the BTA provision and if appropriate to another provision. 8.3 Those pupils who on entry / referral are in receipt of a Statement of Special Educational Needs or EHCP will have their existing provision plan reassessed in conjunction with the statutory authority maintaining the Statement, the pupil and parents / carers and updated accordingly at both BTA and BBA provisions. 8.4 Some of the SEND pupils at Bromley Trust Academy will be dual registered. The responsibility for monitoring and maintaining plans for the needs and outcomes of SEND pupils will need to be a shared one. Whilst Bromley Trust Academy will be solely responsible for the appropriate provision of SEND pupils placed at the Academy, the referring authority will be expected to continue to be involved in the monitoring and review of such plans and to accept ownership of them. 8.5 Those pupils who on entry / referral have not been assessed as SEND by the referring agency will be assessed with a view to whether they meet the definitions for SEND as set out in this policy. The trigger for intervention will be concern, backed by evidence, about a pupil who despite receiving differentiated learning opportunities makes: Little or no progress even when teaching approaches are targeted particularly on a pupil s identified area of weakness; Shows signs of need in developing literacy or mathematics skills which result in low attainment; Presents persistent social, emotional or mental health needs which are not ameliorated by the SEN support or behaviour management techniques, employed by the Academy; Has sensory or physical problems and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of specialist equipment; Has communication and / or interaction difficulties and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of a differentiated curriculum. The triggers for further intervention could be that despite receiving support as outlined above, the pupil: Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period; Continues working at academic levels substantially below that expected of young people of a similar age; Continues to have difficulty developing literacy and mathematics skills; Has emotional, social or mental health needs which substantially and regularly interfere with the pupil s own learning or that of others, despite having intervention via multi agency teams Has SEND or physical needs that require additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service; Has communication and / or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause a substantial barrier to learning. In practice, BTA expects that a majority of pupils will on entry have already been assessed at Mainstream SEN Banded Funding Levels prior to entry and will continue to be provided for as such. Where applicable, pupils identified as SEND will have a Provision Map which will be reviewed informally on a monthly basis and formally on a termly basis along with the parents/carers and referring authority. At the formal review meeting a decision will be made whether to continue the pupil at Mainstream SEN Banded Funding Levels or for the pupil to be put forward for a Page 7 of 9
request for consideration of the initiation of statutory assessment if everything tried so far does not seem to be making sufficient difference to the pupil s situation and development. BET will establish a strong working partnership with The London Borough of Bromley Special Education Needs Department (SEN), (as the majority of pupils are likely to be Bromley Borough residents). Where pupils are referred to BTA or BBA with Statements/EHCPs or have EHCPs agreed and issued while under the provision of BTA or BBA, the Academies will undertake to fulfil all the needs and provision contained in the EHCP including carrying out the Annual Review in liaison with the appropriate authorities. 9. RESOURCES BET will allocate resources to ensure that the needs of all SEND pupils are met and will include appropriate levels of access to specialist and support staffing, specialist equipment and access to specialist services such as Educational Psychology, Mental Health, Speech and Language etc. BET s site and buildings comply with the Disability Discrimination Act and will ensure equal access to all pupils. All pupils at BTA will be assessed on entry and an Exit Report/ Plan will be provided for each pupil, including those identified and registered as SEND. Pupils on Academy SEN Support and in receipt of Statements or EHCPs are likely to receive a greater allocation of support assistant time in class and may receive other additional appropriate staffing support to meet their needs. Support Assistants will report regularly to theclass teacher and SENCO in regard to all SEND registered pupils. The SENCO is responsible for ensuring regular communication with parents / carers and referring authorities. All pupils within BET will have access to support assistants and appropriate interventions will be provided to meet the individual pupil s need. In addition, pupils with SEMH will be referred to in-school counselling service or Bromley Wellbeing service where necessary. Other outside agencies will be commissioned to assess or support pupils as required. The training needs of staff, including support staff, are planned and regularly reviewed, so that all staff are well equipped to meet the needs of the most common barriers to learning. Where pupils present more complex difficulties, staff will be able to access training and support from outside agencies. SENCOs regularly attend the Bromley SENCO Forums in order to keep up- to- date with local and national initiatives. 10. RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMISSIONERS (Fair Accces/Core/SEN Panel) PARENTS AND CARERS Since the vision of BET is to enable all referred pupils to return successfully to mainstream or achieve at an appropriate specialist provision, ongoing strong relationships with commissioners of provision, are vital. This will be achieved via regular communication on monitoring progress and outcome data to commissioners and their involvement in both the informal and formal review procedures. Page 8 of 9
Equally the input and involvement of parents / carers of all pupils will be central in supporting and enabling our Academies to meet the needs of all its pupils. Parents / carers will be invited to be involved in all the informal and formal review procedures and provided with the relevant monitoring, progress and outcome data. The role played by the parents of pupils with special educational needs: Recognise and fulfil their responsibilities as parents and play an active and valued role in their child s education Have knowledge of their child s entitlement within the SEN Framework Make their views known about how their child is educated Have access to information, advice and support during assessment and any related decision-making processes about special educational provision. To make communications effective, staff will: Acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their child Focus on the pupils strengths as well as areas of additional need Recognise the personal and emotional investment of parents and be aware of their feelings Ensure that parents understand procedures, are aware of how to access support in preparing their contributions, and are given documents to be discussed well before meetings Respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints Respect the differing needs parents themselves may have, such as a disability, or communication and linguistic barriers Recognize the need for flexibility in the timing and structure of meetings Preparing for Adulthood (transition): Our aim is to support our pupils to go on to achieve the best possible outcomes in employment, independent living and participating in society. This could include, for example: Ensuring that career advice and information provides high aspirations and a wide range of options for pupils with SEN; and Helping pupils and parents understand and explore how the support they receive in school will change as they move into different settings, and what support they are likely to need to achieve their ambitions Planning will build on action that has already been agreed with the pupil and will inform decisions about the next stage of education specifically choices about GCSEs or other relevant qualifications the child will be studying, the range of post 16 options which may be available and the longer term outcomes that the child wants to achieve in their adult life. 11. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION All BET Academy websites will include details of the arrangements for SEND pupils, the admission of SEND pupils; the steps taken to prevent SEND pupils from being treated less favorably than other pupils; and the facilities provided to assist access to BET by SEND pupils. This information will be updated annually. The same information will be made available in hard copy, and on request in a range of languages and in large format for the visually impaired. 12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION The Trust Board will require the Executive Headteacher and SENCOs to evaluate the success of this policy and procedures to produce an annual SEN report. Page 9 of 9
The report will include: The number of pupils with SEND at the different bands and different areas of need and monitor the number of pupils who have ASD, SEMH, Cognition and Learning, SpLD and Speech, Language and Communication needs. The pattern of resource allocation to them. Data on pupil progress, assessments and outcomes and comparative narrowing the gap data. Pupils, parent / carer and commissioners views. Success rate of re-integration to mainstream education or transition to other provision as appropriate. 13. THE MAIN DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEN POLICY ARE: Bullying Physical restraint Child protection / safeguarding policy and procedures Teaching and Learning 14. DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS Please use formal Complaints Policy. 15. BULLYING There is a direct link to the Trust s Anti-Bullying and Safeguarding policies to ensure and mitigate the risk of bullying of vulnerable learners as we recognise that SEND pupils are more at risk. Page 10 of 9
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