Welcome to the The West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy’s SEN Information Report for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). All governing bodies of academy schools have a legal duty under the revised Code of Practice (2015) to publish information on their website about the implementation of their policy for students with SEND.

The West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy recognises and celebrates the individuality and diversity of our students. It is a Church of England voluntary aided secondary school, committed to working together with all members of our school community. There are no restrictions on entry. Every student has an entitlement to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum. The academy is committed to giving all students every opportunity to achieve the highest standards. We have an inclusive ethos with high expectations where everyone can achieve their full potential. We seek to engender a sense of belonging to the academy and to boost self-esteem, self-confidence and motivation.

Our information has been seen and discussed with students, parents/carers, governors and members of staff. The provision that we describe below is consistent with recommended good practice within Lincolnshire County Council’s Local Offer. We would welcome your feedback and future involvement in its review, so please do contact us.

To view our SEN Policy, please click here.

The West Grantham Church of England Academy supports a wise range of needs, including:

  • VI, HI, MSI – visual, hearing, multi-sensory impairment
  • MLD – moderate learning difficulties
  • SpLD – dyslexia, developmental co-ordination disorder, dyscalulia
  • SLCN – speech, language, communication needs
  • SEMH – social, emotional and mental health difficulties, ADHD
  • ASD – autistic spectrum disorder
  • PD – physical disability
1.      What kinds of special educational needs does the school/setting make provision for?

 

West Grantham Secondary Academy is able to effectively meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs across all 4 broad areas of need including: autistic spectrum conditions; emotional and social needs; specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia); and moderate learning difficulties).

The needs of pupils with physical disabilities, including visual and auditory impairments can also be met in the majority of cases.

Some areas of the academy are accessible for students with mobility difficulties.

 

2.      How does the academy know is students need extra help and what should I do if I think that my child may have special educational needs?

 

Students reading tests on entry to assess starting points in reading.  This is used alongside other data, including SATs results, and information passed on from each student’s previous school.

Students are also regularly assessed by subject teachers and undertake regular formative and summative assessments.  All data is closely monitored by subject teachers, curriculum team leaders and senior staff – including the academy’s SENCO.

Teachers contact the SENDCO if a student is struggling with any area of their learning and/or are falling behind and not making satisfactory progress.  The SENDCO will then investigate individual needs further and speak to parents/carers.  All information will be used to make judgements on the level of support required – including student views, parent views, teacher information, data and engagement with learning.

If you think that your child may have special educational needs or are concerned about your child’s progress then you should contact the academy and ask to speak to the SENDCO or Assistant SENCO.

SENCO- Mrs Teresa Pendleton.

Email:  tpendleton@wgacademy.org.uk

Assistant SENCO – Mrs Emma Dobbs

Email: edobbs@wgacademy.org.uk

 

3.      a) How does the school/setting evaluate the effectiveness of its provision for pupils with special educational needs?

 

b) How will both the school/setting and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will the school/setting help me to support their learning?

 

c) What is the school’s approach to teaching pupils with special educational needs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

d) How will the curriculum and learning be matched to my child/young person’s needs?

 

 

 

e) How are decisions made about the type and amount of support my child/young person will receive?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

f) How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

g) What support will there be for my child/young person’s overall well-being?

 

a)       The progress of all pupils is updated and monitored throughout the year by the classroom teacher.  In addition, the academy’s SENDCO is responsible for monitoring the progress of support in place for students on the SEND register and arranging additional support / advising on effective strategies where necessary.  The academy evaluate provision using data, pupil and parent voice, teacher observations and work scrutiny.

b)     Students with an EHCP will be invited to attend an annual review meeting to discuss their child’s progress towards outcomes in detail.       All students on the SEND register will be monitored throughout the year and parents/guardians contacted if concerns are raised and/or changes to provision are to be made.  Subject teachers will regularly review progress made and will seek advice from the academy’s SENCO/Assistant SENCO as necessary.

c)      At West Grantham Church of England Secondary Academy, there is a whole school approach to SEND.  Our SEND strategy is purposely designed to be clear and simple: we always see the child before the label, high-expectations extend to children with SEND and high-quality teaching for all students takes precedence over intervention.  Our Approach:

·        We use the term: student with SEND, not a SEND student – we recognise that students identified as having SEND also have strengths.

·        Every teacher is a teacher of SEND: We support students through adaptive teaching and individualised support.

·        Teaching Assistants and teachers work together.  Interventions and support complement classroom teaching and never replaces it.

·        We believe that all children can be helped to overcome barriers to learning and experience success.

d)     The needs of students with special educational needs are met within the classroom and the classroom teacher is responsible for effectively adapting teaching and/or making reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of all pupils.  Some pupils will be allocated additional TA support to ensure that they make adequate progress and a small number will receive additional interventions – including reading support. Interventions may be delivered as part of a group or 1:1 depending on individual needs.

e)     All teachers are teachers of SEND and plan support to ensure all students can access a full curriculum. Classroom teachers are updated regularly on the needs of pupils by the school’s SENDCO and supported as necessary. For students with complex SEND needs, a bespoke package of support may be put in place to meet individual needs.  Where this is the case, outside agency support will be sought and parents/carers will be fully involved.  All support will be closely monitored and adapted as necessary.     Decisions about support are usually made by the school’s SENDCO in conjunction with the views / wishes of parents and students and using information from subject teachers and other staff who know the student well.  Decisions are based on a variety of information taken from the student’s primary school, initial ability test scores, history of need provided by parents, teacher feedback and any other information that is relevant to meeting each individual need.  The SENCO works closely with the feeder primary schools so that the needs of most students are known to the SENDCO before they arrive.

f)       All out of school activities/school trips will be fully supported by the SEND team as necessary.  Teaching assistants will be allocated according to need to accompany pupils on such activities as necessary.  This will be to include students with SEND or medical needs as appropriate.

g)      We have a dedicated SEND team enabling the school to provide a ‘safe haven’ during break and lunchtimes; a clear anti-bullying and behaviour policy; a pastoral team to provide mentoring and behaviour support where necessary; a robust child protection and safeguarding system and access to outside support as necessary.  Our SEND and pastoral teams work together to ensure that each individual need is met and students requiring further support are discussed at a weekly inclusion meeting.  All decisions made for support will be shared with parents/carers.

 

4.      Who is the school/setting’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and what are their contact details.

 

Inclusion Lead and Special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) – Mrs Teresa Pendleton

Email:  tpendleton@wgacademy.org.uk

Assistant SENCO – Mrs Emma Dobbs

Email:  edobbs@wgacdemy.org.uk

 

5.      a) What training have staff supporting special educational needs had and what is planned?

 

 

 

 

 

 

b) What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the setting/school?

 

a.      The Academy support department is led by an experienced SENDCO who is also Vice Principal for inclusion.  There is also an assistant SENCO who is a qualified teacher and SENCO.   There is a team of experienced and dedicated teaching assistants to support students across all areas of the curriculum – including a higher-level teaching assistant who is experienced and skilled in delivering literacy interventions.   All support staff working in the academy support department are trained in all aspects of SEN needs including how to adapt teaching in lessons.

The Assistant SENCO is a qualified to administer a variety of tests to assess processing, reading and spelling.  These tests also form a picture of need to inform decisions about support in final exams.

b.      We use expertise provided from experienced leaders within the trust to help develop provision for reading and have a teaching assistant trained to deliver early reading interventions – including phonics for students who join the academy with reading difficulties.                                                                Where appropriate, we work with the local authority specialist SEN team for advice on how best to meet the needs of students with more complex SEN needs – including SEMH.

We also have a trained member of staff in delivering EBSA (emotional based school avoidance) and work with the local authority to deliver the pathway.

Emotional based school avoidance (EBSA) – What is emotional based school avoidance? – Lincolnshire County Council    (Link updated October 2023)

6.      How is equipment and facilities to support students with special educational needs secured? How accessible is the school/setting?

 

 

There are designated learning areas for students with SEND to access for support throughout the day and to complete homework.  These areas are staffed by the SEND team who are fully aware of student individual needs.

Equipment for particular or complex needs and / or medical needs are considered and catered for on an individual basis.

We have designated disabled parking areas, and some parts of the school are accessible for wheelchair users.  There are disabled toilet facilities.

 

7.      What are the arrangements for consulting parents of students with special educational needs? How will be I involved in the education of my child/young person?

 

If your child is identified as not making adequate or expected progress, the school will contact parents to discuss any support that may be necessary.

All students placed on the SEN register have a detailed profile of need to inform teachers of their needs and outline support strategies.  All profiles include a section for parent views.

Progress and support are reviewed termly and parents will be informed of any changes being made.

The school’s SENDCO is available to:

  • Listen to any concerns you may have.
  • Plan any additional support your child may need.
  • Discuss with you any referral to outside professionals to support your child’s learning.

Students with an EHCP will have a detailed annual review meeting to enable parents and pupils to express their views about the nature and level of support given, progress made and to set targets for future progress.  EHCP review meetings are in addition to the termly updates provided for all students on the academy’s SEND register.

 

8.      What are the arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education?

 

 

All students on the SEND register will have access to the school SENDCO/assistant SENCO as required throughout the day and will be known to the SEN team.  The SENDCO will be available at parents’ evening to listen to concerns, offer advice and update individual profiles which outline student needs / strengths and weaknesses.  Student and parent views are included on all SEND profiles.

In addition to this, we have a thorough pastoral system to support students with all aspects of their education.  All students are allocated a tutor – for some students with SEN needs, a teaching assistant will be available during form-time to ensure that they have allocated time to discuss any concerns.

9.      What do I do if I have a concern or complaint about the SEN provision made by the school/setting? The school’s SENCO, tutors and class teachers are regularly available to discuss any concerns.

We are committed to working together with parents/carers and students and value parental feedback and/or guidance to help students’ progress and wellbeing.

If necessary, a meeting with the SENCo can be arranged to discuss any concerns or to raise a complaint.  Please contact the school office and ask to speak to Mrs Teresa Pendleton or email:  tpendleton@wgacademy.org.uk

 

10.   How does the school/setting seek to signpost organisations, services etc who can provide additional support to parents/carers/young people? At West Grantham Secondary Academy, we strive to find ways to support parents/guardians in and out of school and investigate local organisations and seek support and guidance from outside support where appropriate.  The school is supported by a wide range of services, including: an educational psychologist; specialist SEN teams and Camhs and Lincolnshire social services.

For additional support and advice – see the SEND Local Offer for useful information about services and support for young people with SEND and their families.  Click the link below for Lincolnshire’s SEND Local Offer.

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/send-local-offer

 

 

11.   How will the school/setting prepare my child/young person to:

i)                 Join the school/setting?

ii)                Transfer between phases of education

iii)              Prepare for adulthood and independent living?

 

We have a comprehensive and extended transition process which involves staff from West Grantham Secondary Academy visiting our feeder primary schools to gather and share information and all year 7 students having the opportunity to spend a week at the academy prior to starting with us in September.

For students with SEND, the SENCO and assistant SENCO speak with the SENCOs in each primary school to ensure we have a detailed an up-to-date picture of need for all students who may require additional support.  Some students with SEND will be invited into the academy for an extra visit to work more directly with the academy’s SEND team and to meet individual needs more closely.  Extra-time is also put aside to ensure parents/carers are able to speak with the SENCO / assistant SENCO to discuss parents discuss any individual needs and concerns in detail.  All information from primary school will be passed to the school’s SENCO in good time so that arrangements are put in place – this information will be shared with teaching staff at the beginning of the school year.

Preparing for adulthood is a key priority in our approach to supporting students with SEND and we strive to foster independence, resilience and self-esteem across all areas of the curriculum and all year groups to ensure students are equipped with the skills to become successful adults.

Students with SEND are offered additional support with applying for college of other post 16 provision, including support during college interviews.  Parents are always informed before any support/advice is given to students.

 

12.   Where can I access further information?

 

 

Our SEND policy can be found on the school’s website.

Any further information can be obtained by contacting the school to discuss individual circumstances/needs and to arrange a meeting or visit if required.

Please contact the SENCO or Assistant SENCO in the first instance for further information.

tpendleton@wgacademy.org.uk

edobbs@wgacademy.org.uk