Parklands High School

Special Educational Needs Policy

LEARN RESPECT ASPIRE ACHIEVE

Part A: Basic Information about Learning Support Provision at Parklands

1. Policy Statement

2. Aims

3. Principles on which the organisation of learning support provision at Parklands High

School is based.

4. Departments involved in making provision for pupils with additional educational needs

5. Arrangements made for co-ordinating the provision for pupils with additional educational

needs.

6. Admission arrangements for pupils with additional educational needs who do not have a

statement.

Part B: Information about Policies for the identification, assessment and provision for all

pupils with additional educational needs

1. Allocation of resources for pupils with additional educational needs.

2. Identification, assessment and review of pupils with additional educational needs.

3. Access to the curriculum for pupils with additional educational needs.

4. Integration of pupils with additional educational needs throughout school activities.

5. Evaluation of the success of education of pupils with additional educational needs by the

governing body.

6. Arrangements made by the governing body for dealing with complaints made by parents/ca

of pupils with additional educational needs concerning provision made at Parklands High

School.

Part C: Information about staffing policies and partnership with bodies beyond school.

1. Arrangements made for in-service training for staff in relation to additional educational

needs.

2. Use made of LEA support services and facilities.

3. The role of parents of pupils with additional educational needs.

4. Links with other schools and institutions.

5. Links with other outside agencies.

Part D: Other Information

Documents published by the Department of Education which may be of further interest:

1. Special Educational Needs – a guide for parents.

2. Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs 2001.

3. Special Educational Needs Tribunal – How to Appeal.

4. Disabilities Discrimination Act 2001.

5. Every Child Matters (2004).

6. Removing Barriers to achievement (2004).

A1 Policy Statement

The whole school recognises that each child is unique; an individual with particular learning

needs. All staff, with the assistance of the Learning Support Team, aim to support individual

children from the least able to the gifted, whether these needs are of a permanent or a

temporary nature.

The school is committed to all pupils following the National Curriculum. Only in exceptional

circumstances will pupils be disapplied from any part of it. Ideally support will be provided in all

subject areas and where necessary will seek to enhance the self-esteem of the child.

It is hoped that within a caring atmosphere pupils will feel comfortable about approaching staff

with their own specific requirements and self referral will be encouraged.

At all stages the paramount importance of the partnership between pupils, parents and staff is

acknowledged, together with the role of the LEA and other external agencies and the need for

full consultation is recognised as a vital link with this process.

Learning Support policies at Parklands will support the enrichment of all pupils and will help

them to take their place in tomorrow's society.

A2 Aims

Our basic aims are in line with those stated in the Code of Practice 2001 i.e. "to enlarge a child's

knowledge, experience and imaginative understanding and thus his or her awareness of moral

values and capacity for enjoyment, and to enable him or her to enter the world, after formal

education is over, as an active participant in society and a responsible contributor to it, capable

of achieving as much independence as possible." As stated in ‘Every Child Matters’ “All children

have the right to a good education and the opportunity to fulfill their potential”.

Additionally, all pupils must be valued by all staff for the individual contribution they make to

school, to experience success and to feel positive about themselves.

A3 The principles on which the organisation of additional educational needs provision at

Parklands High School is base

There is a commitment from senior management to ensure that additional needs are afforded

status within school and that the designated teacher with overall responsibility for additional

needs shall be the Headteacher.

There is a flexible organisation in school which attempts to meet the varied needs of different

pupils and which allocates resources to meet those needs as effectively as possible.

The school will strive to give all pupils access to the whole curriculum, including all work areas

and facilities, in an attempt to ensure breadth, balance, relevance, differentiation, continuity

and progression.

The school will strive to deliver the curriculum in the most integrated way practicable.

All departments will address their provision for pupils with additional needs, including their

provision for gifted pupils, outlining their policy within their schemes of work.

Every member of staff takes responsibility for all pupils they teach regardless of the academic

ability of the pupils.

All departments will be supported by the learning support department via the SEN

representative meetings and when requested support in curriculum departmental meetings.

There will be a rolling programme of in-service training for staff, to raise awareness and to

provide guidance on suitable teaching techniques and the provision of appropriate resources.

Such training will continuously promote issues relevant to the needs of such pupils, and ensure

that all teachers recognise their responsibility for identifying and meeting those needs.

There will be a degree of flexibility in timetable planning to enable specialists to work across

the full range of departments in a variety of ways whenever possible.

There will be a determination to implement policies to ensure that all pupils with additional

needs are valued within the school community and are welcomed into a warm environment

and an atmosphere of caring and concern.

At Parklands we liaise appropriately with primary schools at transition and use early

intervention to ensure pupils receive the help as soon as possible. We aim to remove the

barriers to learning by embedding inclusive practices within the school. Our expectations of

pupils with additional educational needs are always high as we help all pupils to fulfill their

potential. We always work in partnership with parents and carers so that they are confident

that their children’s needs will be met effectively.

A4 Departments involved in making provision for pupils with additional educational needs

Assistant Headteacher

Learning Support Department:

Learning Support and Inclusion Leader

Teaching Assistants

SEN representatives

Outside agencies

Pastoral Team

Progress Leaders and Managers

Vocational Curriculum coordinator

Reintegration and Intervention Officer

Pupil Support Worker

SEN Governor

A5 Arrangements made for coordinating provision for pupils with additional educational needs.

The Leader of Learning Support and Inclusion is responsible for:

• the day-to-day operation of the school's additional needs policy

• liaising with and advising fellow teachers/teaching assistants

• co-ordinating provision for pupils with additional educational needs

• liaising with parents of pupils with additional educational needs

• liaising with external agencies.

The Leader of Learning Support and Inclusion is also responsible for maintaining the

school's Special Educational Needs Register and overseeing the records of all pupils with

additional educational needs.

The Pastoral Team is responsible for dealing with pupils who have largely social, emotional and

behavioural difficulties in the initial stages. This will be done through monitoring, reporting and

ultimately PSPs.

A6 Admission arrangements for pupils with additional educational needs who do not have a

statement.

The school adheres to the admissions policy of the Local Education Authority and has no special

provision under admission arrangements for limiting or promoting access for pupils without

Statements.

B1 Allocation of resources for pupils with additional educational needs

The provision made for pupils with additional educational needs is based upon that

suggested in the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Pupils with

Special Educational Needs.

Each pupil is placed at one of four levels according to their needs. The provision available at

each stage is as follows:

School Action (A)

Pupils will receive support from the learning support department and could be withdrawn for

additional literacy and numeracy programmes. They may be taught in small groups within other

departments. This also includes pupils whose behaviour is monitored by

Progress Leaders and who will have a Pastoral Support Plan in place.

School Action Plus (P)

These are pupils for whom extra advice and support from outside agencies is obtained, for

instance Educational Psychologist, LEIS, Youngaddaction, PAYP, GRIP, Young Carers etc. All

pupils at this stage will have Individual Education Plans and or Pastoral Support Plans.

Enhanced School Action Plus (E)

Although extra advice and support from outside agencies is obtained the pupil requires further

specialist intervention and support. These students will no longer be given a statement but an

application can be done to obtain individual funding. All pupils at this stage will have Individual

Education Plans and or Pastoral Support Plans. Tailored provision will be put into place.

Statement (S)

This stage is for pupils who have been given a Statement of SEN. This can include BESD, Physical

Disabilities or Sensory Difficulties. Some existing Statements could also be for Specific Learning

Difficulties and Moderate Learning Difficulties. Students with a statement will receive extra

funding that is written into their statement. This may be support from a Teaching Assistant or

Specialist Teacher.

Other Available Resources

A vocational qualification or reduced timetable is made available to selected pupils with

additional educational needs in Years 10/11 who are unable to cope with the full number of

GCSE courses. Extra resources will be given to these pupils to support their exam subjects.

Other curriculum options are explored.

Gifted pupils are catered for by the subject departments as appropriate and via a range of

extra curricular activities.

B2 Identification, assessment and review of pupils with additional educational needs

Pupils with additional educational needs are identified upon entry via information from feeder

primary schools and by standardized tests. Pupils with below average reading, spelling and/or

arithmetic ages are catered for. All pupils have an Individual Education Plan that is reviewed

throughout the year when support is reassessed. Additional help ceases when pupils have

reached a functional reading, spelling and arithmetic age.

Teaching staff who are concerned about any pupil's progress may refer them to the learning

support department at any time during the course of the school year. Concerns regarding

behaviour are referred to Progress Leaders. The Pastoral team may become involved. The

Reintegration and Intervention Officer is included at various stages during the assessment

process.

Parents who are concerned about their child's progress may also refer their child at any time.

Learning Support is available at all parents’ evenings for parents to discuss any concerns.

Pupils who receive help from the learning support department will have their progress

reviewed regularly. Parents are consulted if there is any change in provision at any point in the

year. Learning support staff will also be available to discuss pupils' progress at the appropriate

parents' evenings.

Pupils who have a statement of SEN will have their progress reviewed yearly via the Annual

Review, or earlier if necessary.

B3 Access to the curriculum for pupils with additional educational needs

All pupils have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. Teaching staff differentiate

work according to the ability of pupils. The school policy is not to disapply pupils from parts of

the National Curriculum. Only in very exceptional circumstances are pupils withdrawn from any

one subject, and then this is only possible where human resources are available.

Some pupils with statements of SEN may be partially withdrawn from selected subjects in order

to receive the specialist tuition they require. In-class support is available to selected pupils. The

learning support department offers an after school club to help SEN students with homework

or any additional educational need.

B4 Inclusion of pupils with additional educational needs throughout school activities.

All pupils with additional educational needs are fully included into the normal running and

functioning of the school. All pupils are placed in mixed ability tutor groups on arrival at

Parklands. All pupils follow National Curriculum requirements and are encouraged to

participate in any extra curricular activities which they are interested in.

B5 Evaluation of the success of education of pupils with additional educational needs by the

governing body.

Pupils on the Register have many varying degrees of progress according to staff records.

The governing body will evaluate the success of the education of pupils with additional

educational needs by:

• Annual reading and spelling and diagnostic assessments demonstrating individual progress.

• Feedback from regular meetings between the SEN Governor and the Learning

Support and Inclusion Leader to discuss various aspects of the school's Learning

Support Policy.

• Determining whether examination results match up with teacher expectations and

particularly the results of public examinations with estimated grades.

• Monitoring that money allocated to the school by the LEA as the Special Needs

Factor is spent on Learning Support provision.

• Annual SEN effectiveness monitoring by the LEA.

• The Learning Support policy document will be reviewed annually.

B6 Arrangements made by the governing body for dealing with complaints made by parents of

pupils with additional educational needs concerning provision made at Parklands High School.

Complaints may be made to the Leader of Learning Support and Inclusion, the

Headteacher or the SEN Governor.

C1 Arrangements made for in-service training for staff in relation to additional educational

needs

All Staff

All staff will, where necessary, be involved with in-service training on additional needs through

whole school training. All staff are informed of in-service training opportunities relating to

additional educational needs via the Learning Support Team, the staff bulletin, and the

Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for professional development. All staff may apply to

attend such courses, finances permitting.

The Learning Support and Inclusion Department

Members of the Learning Support and Inclusion Department attend in-service training

regularly. They not only attend professionally run courses, but also attend meetings run by

special needs organisations. They also provide in-service training for staff e.g. specific training

for spelling and reading software. Teaching Assistants receive formal in-service training via the

LEA.

C2 Use made of LEA support services and facilities

Parklands High School regularly makes use of a number of LEA Support Services. The

Educational Psychologist visits the school for the recommended allocation by the Local

Education Authority. This time is used to see referred pupils, their parents and to meet with the

Learning Support and Inclusion Leader. Pupils referred to the Educational

Psychologist may be referred on to other agencies (e.g. Occupational Therapy).

Support Services the school could draw on include:

• PAYP

• Young Carers

• Youngaddaction

• CAMHS

• GRIP

• LEIS

• Speech and Language Service (SENIAS)

• YPS (Careers)

• LEMS

• PPS

• Physio Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Children Services

• School Nurse

• And other linked services.

These support services are accessed by completing the appropriate referral forms. Pupils

referred to these services are usually already known to the school Educational

Psychologist, and must have significant problems/difficulties to warrant referral.

C3 The role of parents of pupils with additional educational needs

Parklands High School welcomes working in partnership with parents in the best interests of

the pupils concerned.

Learning Support and Inclusion staff are available to discuss pupils' progress at Parents'

Evenings and at other times as requested by concerned parents. Advice and guidance may be

given on how best to further help pupils at home.

Parents' views are sought at Annual Review meetings, when pupils are undergoing formal

assessment and before any referral is made to the Educational Psychologist.

C4 Links with other schools and institutions

The Learning Support and Inclusion Department has links with feeder primary schools and visit

these schools prior to transfer in order to gather information regarding pupils with additional

educational needs. Staff visit all pupils at these schools prior to their move to Parklands. The

Learning Support and Inclusion Leader also attends Annual Review

Meetings as requested.

Information is passed on to the Young Peoples’ Service (YPS) regarding any additional needs a

pupil may have and, where requested, information is passed on to colleges of further

education. The CAF process is well embedded and used as a useful tool to pass on additional

information.

C5 Links with other outside agencies

Parklands High School has links with a number of outside agencies and refers pupils to these as

appropriate.

Outside agencies with which the Learning Support and Inclusion Leader has contact with all the

agencies as mentioned in C2. The school also has links with a number of voluntary

organisations.

D Other Information

Documents published by the Department of Education may be of further interest.

Copies of these documents may be obtained free of charge by

Free downloads: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk

Email: online.publications@teachernet.gov.uk

Telephone: 0845 600 9506