HODGSONSCHOOL

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

POLICY

A WHOLE - SCHOOL POLICY ON SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.

PHILOSOPHY AND ETHOS

The 1981 Education Act established the principle that children with Special Educational Needs should be educated in mainstream schools, wherever possible, subject to the agreement of parents, the efficient education of others and the efficient use of resources by the Local Education Authority. (L.E.A.)

The 1988 Education Act confirmed the fundamental rights of all children to equality of educational opportunity and it also confirms the right of all children to a curriculum which is broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated.

The 1993 Education Act amplifies these responsibilities. It required the Government to issue a Code of Practice, which came into force in September, 1994. This Code gives guidance about the education of all children with special educational needs to local authorities and the governing bodies of all schools.

The 1996 Act promotes inclusive education. In the Green Paper, “Excellence for All,” which followed in 1997, the DfEE issued a set of proposals. These were :-

  • To set high expectations for children with SEN.
  • To support parents.
  • To place an emphasis on practical support, not procedures.
  • To provide better opportunities for professional development for teachers and support assistants.
  • To increase the number of children with SEN in mainstream schools.
  • To promote partnership in SEN, locally, regionally and nationally.

In 1998, “Meeting Special Educational Needs – A programme of Action,” was issued to all schools and authorities. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 made two main sets of changes to the existing legislation. It amends Part 4 of the Education Act 1996 and changes the statutory framework for SEN. It also inserts a new Part 4 into the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and extends coverage of the DDA to Education. The New Code of Practice came into force in January 2002.

Lancashire Education Authority is committed to inclusive education and has produced an action plan of its intentions to meet the Government’s proposals. The overall aim of inclusion for students with SEN into the mainstream school to enable each child to be a part of the normal society of the school. If there is to be genuine inclusion of children with a variety of SEN, then this must be the concern of everyone in the school.

This document is a written statement of HodgsonHigh School's whole-school policy on SEN. It is not a standalone policy. It should be read in conjunction with other school policies, such as the Behaviour for Learning Policy, The Disability Equality Scheme, Department Policies, Multi-cultural Education, Child Protection and Safe to Learn Policies.

It will be made available to all staff, parents and governors.

AIMS OF THE LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT.

The aims of the department are summarised below:

  • To provide effective and appropriate support for all statemented and non-statemented students, irrespective of ability and circumstances.
  • To develop staff awareness and understanding of students' individual needs, thus leading to their acceptance of shared responsibility for the education of all students.
  • Ensure that the Learning Support Department has a high status and is valued by staff, parents and students.
  • To encourage the acknowledgement of all forms of achievement in an attempt to raise the self-esteem of the students who have previously experienced failure and disappointment.
  • To advise and assist staff in the preparation of differentiated materials and approaches, which enable students to become independent learners.
  • To work in close liaison with parents in the identification and implementation of strategies for support of students with difficulties.
  • To work in close liaison with external agencies to provide appropriate and effective support for all students with Special Educational Needs.

The Department constantly strives to achieve these aims through the Department Development Plan, which is regularly evaluated and amended to reflect current government, L.A. and School Policies.

Please refer to the Learning Support Department Development Plan in Appendix.

ADMISSIONS POLICY

The school's admissions policy for students with special educational needs is the same as for all students and is administered by the Local Education Authority.

(Please see HodgsonSchool's Prospectus.)

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We hope that informal discussion with the Learning Support Co-ordinator will resolve most issues of potential or actual concern.

Where, however, such concerns are not resolved, the Head Teacher and other senior staff are readily available to discuss any matter with parents.

We have a formal complaints procedure, which involves the school's Governing Body and/or the Local Education Authority. (L.E.A.) Details of the procedure may be obtained from the clerk to the Governing Body and from the L.E.A.

THE CURRICULUM

The Learning Support Department recognises that all children are entitled to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum, relevant and appropriate to their needs.

Access to all areas of the curriculum, for all students, will be sought in the following ways :-

  • By implementing an agreed strategy for the identification, diagnosis and monitoring of all students with SEN.
  • By implementing agreed strategies for supporting students with SEN and ensuring that individual and group needs are met.
  • By ensuring that all children have access to all of the buildings and facilities.
  • By careful expenditure of financial resources to allow access to all areas of the curriculum for all students.

At Key Stage 4, where appropriate, some students can be disapplied from one or more National Curriculum subjects.

THE SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

Following the 1993 Education Act, the Secretary of State issued the SEN Code of Practice, which came into force in September, 1994.

It gave practical guidance to LEAs and to the Governing Bodies of all maintained schools, on their responsibilities towards all children with SEN.

A new, revised Code of Practice came into effect on 1st. January 2002.

The Code recommends that schools adopt a graduated response to students' SEN.

STAGED INTERVENTION

SCHOOL ACTION: The school's SENCO takes lead responsibility for co-ordinating the child's special provision, in collaboration with the teachers.

SCHOOL ACTION PLUS: Teachers and the SENCO are supported by specialists from outside school.

Either aSTATEMENT of SEN or ENHANCED SCHOOL ACTION PLUS (ESAP) funding may be issued by the Local Authority when a mainstream school is unable to meet a child’s needs from its existing resources.

All students on School Action, School Action Plus, ESAP and Statement are issued with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which identifies their needs and outlines the provision required to meet those needs.

Each student on the Code should have their needs reviewed each term, to assess the effectiveness of the IEP and to identify future provision.

The Code emphasises the need for close liaison with parents of SEN students at each stage. It also stresses that students have a right to express their opinion concerning their SEN.

IDENTIFICATION, DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING OF STUDENTS' SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.

This involves the identification and targeting of students with SEN and the analysis of their difficulties. This process will involve the following approaches :-

  1. Obtaining information from Feeder Primary Schools.
  • Transfer documents
  • Liaison with Primary school Head Teacher, Class Teacher, SENCO.
  • Meeting with parents.
  • National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Levels (SATs)
  • Information from National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy.
  • Attendance at Year 6 Reviews.
  1. Screening of Year 7 Students.
  • During the first half-term, Year 7 students in the lowest English sets have tests for reading accuracy, reading comprehension and spelling.
  • Students who have below average scores are further assessed by the Learning Support Department.
  • The Mathematics Department place students in appropriate sets at the beginning of the first term.
  1. Screening Tests
  • NFER Group Reading Tests for Accuracy and Comprehension.
  • New MacMillan Reading Analysis.
  • Young's Parallel Spelling Test.
  • WRAT tests in spelling, reading and numeracy.
  • Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT)
  1. Results obtained from the tests.
  • Reading Accuracy.
  • Reading Comprehension.
  • Spelling Age
  • Verbal Ability
  • Non-verbal Ability
  • Quantitative Ability
  1. Teacher Observation
  • In-class observation by subject specialists to assess students' difficulties in coping with the curriculum.
  • In-class observation by members of the Learning Support Department to assess difficulties.
  • Referrals of students experiencing difficulties, to SENCO, by Student Progress Coordinator,Lead Teacher or Subject Teachers.

STUDENTS WITH STATEMENTS OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEED OR ESAP FUNDING

Copies of Statements and ESAP documentation are kept in the student files in the Learning Support Department. Information is distributed to Lead Teachers and Student Progress Coordinators.

Students have their Statements reviewed at least annually.

INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLANS

The identification of students with special educational needs should be followed by careful analysis of the strengths, weaknesses and problems of each individual, so that a programme of learning can be planned and implemented. The Individual Education Plan (IEP) records information which is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ the usual differentiated curriculum. It should closely match the needs which have been identified and should include the following :-

  • The nature of the child's learning difficulties.
  • Special educational provision - including staff involved and specific programmes, activities, materials and equipment.
  • Help from parents.
  • Targets set, to be achieved in a given time.
  • Pastoral and medical requirements.
  • Review arrangements and date.

The IEP should focus on three or four targets chosen from those relating to the Key areas of communication, literacy, numeracy, behaviour and social skills to match the student’s needs.

Copies of IEPs are distributed to Parents and Students. All Teaching Staff and Teaching Assistants access IEPs and the SEN Register on SIMS. Copies are also kept in student files in the Learning Support Department.

PROVISION OF SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The support provided should be as flexible as possible, in order to meet the needs of the individual student.

Curriculum
  • All students are entitled to follow the National Curriculum.
  • Schemes of work should be designed so that they are accessible to all abilities. All students should not be presented with identical tasks. Work set should be differentiated according to ability.
  • Sufficient extension work should be set in order to stretch the more able students.
  • All children should participate in target setting and evaluation of their work.
  • All children should have their achievements recognised and rewarded.
  • If necessary, each skill area can be broken down into smaller "chunks" for students experiencing difficulties.
  • All teachers should be responsible for assessing the difficulty of materials used in their lessons.
  • Other media, such as computers, audio and visual facilities should be explored, wherever appropriate, to aid students with SEN.
Organisation
  • Organisation of teaching groups should be such as to maximise the achievement of students.
  • As far as possible, each student should have access to the skills of specialist teachers.
  • The Learning Support Co-ordinator should have the flexibility to organise a timetable of support for students with SEN.
  • The support provided will take a variety of forms - in-class, group or individual withdrawal with the emphasis on in-class support.
  • The Learning Support Co-ordinator, Support Teachers and Teaching Assistants will liaise closely with subject teachers, to establish the most effective methods of support for individuals and groups of students with SEN.
  • External and ancillary support may be used, wherever appropriate. Eg.Specialist teachers for Hearing Impaired, Complex Learning Difficulties etc.
Teacher Awareness
  • The Learning Support Co-ordinator has the responsibility for informing staff about all students identified as having SEN.
  • It is the responsibility of Cluster Directors and Lead Teachers to establish a climate of support for SEN within their Clusters - to confirm and share good practice and to refer students who are experiencing difficulties in their subject to the Learning Support Co-ordinator.
  • Each department has a key person with responsibility for Special Educational Needs.
Cross-curricular and Pastoral Links
  • There are well established links between the School's Behaviour for Learning Policy and the Learning Support Department. Students with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties receive support from the Learning Support Department, as well as being placed on the School's Behaviour Management Plan (BMP). Staff responsible for monitoring students' BMPs are represented at student reviews.
  • The Learning Support Department and the English Department have an active role in establishing the National Literacy Strategy across the whole school curriculum.
  • The English Department runs a Paired Reading Scheme, utilising the support of Key Stage 4 students, who are paired with Year 7 students for Paired reading sessions.
  • The Learning Support Department will work closely with the Mathematics Department to implement the National Numeracy Strategy.
  • The Learning Support Co-ordinator and the Work-related Curriculum Co-ordinator work closely together to provide a suitable work-related curriculum and work/college placements for some Key Stage 4 students.
  • The school's INSET programme is structured to encourage flexibility in teaching approaches. SEN issues are an integral part of the programme.
The Literacy Programme

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 with spelling and reading ages below 10 years are withdrawn from one lesson a week for Literacy Catch-up Programmes.

Courses for Key Stage 4 students

Students with SEN now have the opportunity of selecting some alternative courses to GCSEs. Hodgson offers ASDAN COPE and BTEC Qualifications.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

In order for there to be access to all areas of the curriculum for all students, the allocated resources to support students with SEN must be reflected in an adequate proportion of curriculum expenditure.

The non-statemented budget allocation to the school (by the LEA) is calculated on the basis of the results of the Cognitive Achievement Tests, administered at the beginning of each academic year, to all Year 7 students.

The learning Support Department has a delegated budget each academic year. All school departments are provided with sufficient funds to allow a proportion of their budgets to be spent on students with SEN.

In 1997, the school was first awarded the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark. This resulted in additional funding to purchase books and I.T. resources for the Learning Support Department. The quality Mark was renewed in June 2000. In 1998, a successful bid to the Basic Skills Agency resulted in further funding to launch a Key Stage 4 Pilot Project for improving Basic Skills. The Quality Mark was awarded for the fourth time in July 2006.

On 1stApril, 2000, funding for social inclusion was delegated to schools from the Standards Fund and the Student Retention Grant. Funding for Statemented students is delegated to schools.

The LEA’band’ students with Statements according to their needs. The student ‘weighting’ determines the amount of funding delegated to the student’s school to meet their SEN requirements.

THE ROLE OF THE LEARNING SUPPORT CO-ORDINATOR

At HodgsonSchool, the role of the Learning Support Co-ordinator is undertaken by the Assistant Headteacher (Student Services). This is a strategic role in helping the school to develop quality provision for students with SEN across the curriculum. This will be done by contributing to new initiatives undertaken by the school. In addition, the Learning Support Co-ordinator is responsible for maintaining and developing the work of the department's structures and systems. In order to achieve this, the Learning Support Co-ordinator will :-

  • Promote the importance of the role of the Learning Support Department with all staff in school and ensure that its work is high profile and valued by staff, students and parents.
  • Ensure that all staff are confident in their ability to plan for and meet the needs of students with SEN.
  • Actively become involved in the induction programme of new staff, NQTs and students to ensure that they are familiar with SEN procedures and are confident in their ability to meet the needs of students with SEN.
  • Liaise with subject specialists and Student Progress Coordinators and Teaching Assistantswith regard to the identification, and assessment of students with SEN and the development of IEPs.
  • Regularly review the progress of students with Individual Education Plans.
  • Co-ordinate the work of Specialist SEN Teachers and the Lead Teaching Assistants.
  • Co-ordinate curriculum support across the full range of ages, attainment and subjects.
  • Efficiently manage the SEN Resource Base.
  • Support subject specialists in dealing with students with SEN.
  • Liaise with the Senior Management Team.
  • Provide information on students with SEN to all subject staff, Progress Tutors and Student Progress Coordinators.
  • Liaise with Partner Primary Schools, in conjunction with the Senior Management Team and the Student Progress Coordinator for Year 7.
  • Become involved with and, where appropriate, lead developments in whole school initiatives linked to student welfare and guidance, eg. Health and Safety Committee, Anti-bullying Campaign.
  • Liaise with Children’s Integrated Services, School's Psychological Service, Lancashire Education Inclusion Service, Social Services, Lancashire Education Medical Services (LEMS), Connexions and other external agencies.
  • Liaise with parents of students with SEN.
  • Contribute to the Statementing process for students with substantial special needs.
  • Initiate and carry through annual statement reviews and the reviews of students at School Action and School Action Plus.
  • Arrange Year 9 Transition Reviews and write Review Summaries and Transition Plans.
  • Liaise with the examinations officer in applying for access arrangements, where appropriate, in GCSEs and other external examinations and tests. Arrange access arrangements for school examinations.
  • RepresentHodgsonSchool on LEA Committees.

LIAISON WITH PARENTS

The Learning Support Department values the contribution that parents can make to the education of their children. To this end, close links have been established with the parents of students with SEN. In addition, all parents of the new Year 7 intake are invited to a presentation by the Head of Learning Support about SEN provision as part of the Key Stage 3 Forum evening.