Learning and Support Policy

Aims

Our Learning and Support Policy aims to:

• set out how our school will support and make provision for students with special educational needs (SEN);

• explain other support services the school provides for students with socio-emotional concerns;

• ensure all students with identified SEN have full access to a broad and balanced curriculum;

• include all students with SEN in all aspects of school life alongside their peers;

• explain the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in providing for students with SEN;

As a school, our vision is to provide an excellent and enjoyable education for every student. Each individual is valued, encouraged and inspired to develop their resilience and love of learning.

Legislation and Guidance

This policy and information report is based on the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and the following legislation:

• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which sets out schools’ responsibilities for students with SEN and disabilities.

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, which set out schools’ responsibilities for education, health and care (EHC) plans, SEN coordinators (SENCOs) and the SEN information report.

Definitions

A student has SEN if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age, or

• A difficulty which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other students of the same age by mainstream schools. Counselling services are provided in a professional, ethical, and confidential manner, in order to enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of students.

Roles and Responsibilities

The SENCo

The SENCo in Preschool is Rachel Rosa, in Primary is Fernando Toscano and in Secondary is Sean Thomas.

They will:

• work with the Headteacher and the SLT to determine the strategic development of the Learning and Support policy and provision in the school;

• have day-to-day responsibility for the operation of this Learning and Support policy and the co-ordination of specific provision made to support individual students with SEN;

• provide professional guidance to colleagues and work with staff, parents, and other agencies to ensure that students with SEN receive appropriate support and high-quality teaching;

• advise on the approach to providing SEN support;

• advise on the deployment of the school’s resources to meet students’ needs effectively;

• be the point of contact for external agencies;

• liaise with the School Counsellor, Key Stage Coordinators and other teaching staff to ensure a smooth transition is planned as a student moves through the school;

• work with the Exams Officer and Headteacher regarding reasonable adjustments and access arrangements;

• ensure the school keeps the records of all students with SEN up to date.

The School Counsellor (Part time)

The School Counsellor is Johana Bernárdez.

She will:

• respect the dignity of students and their right to privacy;

• provide a safe, non-judgmental, supportive environment for students to express their feelings and concerns;

• respect and adhere to the school's policies and procedures, and ethical guidelines of the Code of Ethics in accordance with the profession;

• respect the student's right to self-determination;

• foster a supportive and professional working relationship with all members of the school community;

• ensure that information disclosed by a student remains confidential, unless there is a risk of harm to the student or to others, in which case information will be shared with relevant parties (eg. parents/guardians, social services, Heads of Department).

• ensure that appropriate referrals are made and that the student's parents/carers are informed of any referrals;

• ensure that all records are kept in a secure and confidential manner.

The Headteacher

The Headteacher will:

• work with the SENCos and School Counsellor to determine the strategic development of the Learning and Support policy and provision in the school;

• have overall responsibility for the provision and progress of learners with SEN. Class Teachers Each Class Teacher is responsible for:

• the progress and development of every student in their class/subject;

• working with the SENCos and School Counsellor to review each student’s progress and development and decide on any changes to provision;

• working closely with support staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching;

• ensuring they follow this Learning and Support policy.

Identification, Assessment and Provision for Children with SEN

Initial concerns about the level of development or slow progress of an individual may come either from the parents or carers, outside agencies (such as a child’s previous setting, or a paediatrician) or following observations or assessments by the Class Teachers.

We are an inclusive school and endeavour to cater for all children with special needs. In the case of children with extreme difficulties, occasionally we may be unable to meet your child’s need, in which case we will offer you solutions for your consideration as soon as the need has been identified.

Identification of SEN in School

Where Class Teachers identify a possible need, they will initially complete a Learning and Support Referral Form and discuss this with their Key Stage Coordinator before involving the SENCo or School Counsellor.

The SENCo will then work in conjunction with Class Teachers to make changes to planned learning experiences, either by differentiating the level of questioning or instructions given, the support offered to the student during a lesson, the range of resources provided, or tailoring the expected outcomes to the individual’s strengths or abilities. Adaptations may also be made to the learning environment to support all students and in particular those with SEN.

Students identified with SEN will be issued with a Student Passport, which is an individual support plan. This is developed through discussions between the class teacher, SENCo, parents and the students. The Student Passport outlines the strategies being employed at school and at home to support the student to meet specific targets.

For students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties counselling sessions will be offered for approximately 6-12 weeks, though this can vary according to need and circumstances. The actual session will last for approximately 30 minutes. Students are seen in the counsellor’s room so as to provide continuity and facilitate a safe containing therapeutic space in which individual difficulties can be explored.

Some students may have needs that are not appropriate for counselling and require alternative intervention: psychiatric or psychotherapy services, to whom students and their families can be referred to from school. The counsellor can assist in signposting to other relevant services.

Partnership with Parents and Carers

At Sunny View School the views and experiences of parents and carers are valued highly. They are kept informed at all times of their child’s progress and are invited to participate in the development of strategies to support their child in school and at home. We recognise the personal and emotional investment in students by their parents and are aware of their feelings. We respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints.

In discussion about a student’s SEN, Class Teachers and the SENCo, together with parents and carers will draw on the family’s knowledge and expertise in relation to the child. Areas of strength, as well as areas of need are focused on.

Parents and carers also have a responsibility to communicate effectively with the school to support their child’s education. We ask that they communicate regularly with us to alert us of any referral to outside agencies. Similarly, we ask that any SEN be communicated prior to enrolment, in order to offer the necessary support.

Student participation

All students have the right to be involved in making decisions about their learning and exercising choice.

Ascertaining student’s views may not always be easy, however, we will seek to ensure that the student is as involved as possible in discussions about their work and next steps in learning.

Our Approach to Teaching Students with SEN

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the students in their class.

High quality teaching is our first step in responding to students who have SEN. This will be differentiated for individual students.

We will also provide the following interventions:

• differentiated activities;

• small groups intervention;

• 1:1 interventions.

Adaptations to the Curriculum and Learning Environment

We make the following adaptations to ensure all students’ needs are met:

• differentiating our curriculum to ensure all students can access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson;

• adapting our resources and staffing;

• using recommended aids, such as laptops, visual timetables, larger font, communication cards, word banks;

• differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of SEN provision

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for students with SEN by:

• reviewing a student’s individual progress towards their goals or targets each term, including the impact of interventions.

• monitoring by the SENCo and School Counsellor.

Enabling Students with SEN to Engage in Activities

• All our extra-curricular activities and school visits are available to all our students, including our before-and after-school clubs.

• All students are encouraged to go on our residential trips.

• All students are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/special workshops, etc.

• No student is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN.

Working with Support Services and External Agencies

We work with several external educational psychologists and we can provide contact details on request. We request that parents inform us of any reports completed by external agencies so that we can liaise with them in order to best meet the needs of their child. We provide part-time specialist support for our Early Years students. The team of therapists work with children who have difficulties in developing in specific areas, focusing on speech and language, gross and fine motor skills and social skills.

Appendix I - Learning and Support Referral Form_template

Appendix II - SEN Student Passport template (below)