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Belvidere School

SEND Information Report

At Belvidere School we believe that every student has the right to belong, believe and succeed. We are an inclusive mainstream secondary school that provides a stable and caring environment where all students are known and valued. All our students come from a localised and small catchment area and as such we are committed to working together with all members of our school and local community to ensure that the needs of our SEND learners are met. At Belvidere all students will be supported to succeed and meet their potential through high quality teaching and, where necessary, specialist support.

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) defines special educational provision for a child or young person as being additional to or different from the high quality, differentiated and personalised teaching that meets the individual needs of most children.

A child is classified with SEND, and placed on the SEN register or SEN Monitoring register if they:

  • have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most other students of the same age
  • have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

The school endeavours to assess, identify and monitor the SEN of the students we support, ensuring that they make progress. We work closely with parents/carers and listen to their views when planning and reviewing intervention and support linked to the main presenting difficulties in school.

How we consult with parents and carers with Special Educational Needs

Who can I contact in school about my child’s needs?

  • The first point of contact in school should be your child’s form tutor, who may advise whether you should speak with the Head of Year.
  • For those students where the school has allocated a named contact as part of the Trusted Team, they should be the first point of contact.
  • If the contact is around attendance or appointments, please contact attendance in the first instance.
  • If the contact is around a specific subject area, please contact reception so that they can inform the subject teacher and/or subject leader.
  • If the contact is specifically related to an area of SEND, please contact SEND administration in the first instance.

Email: SEND@belvidereschool.co.uk

Call: 01743 235073 and request SEND administration

The designated SENDCo for Belvidere School is Mr T Ward.

If you wish to contact the SENDCo, please do this via SEND administration. Direct calls and emails to individual staff, including the SENDCo are not monitored throughout the school day.

The SEND@belvidereschool.co.uk email address will be monitored from 9.00am to 10.00 am and 2.00pm to 3.00pm Monday to Friday.

Our SEND administrators are Mr Jordan Brookes and Ms Hannah Giles.

We will endeavour to answer SEND queries within 10 working days, as these may require liaison with staff in school and/or external professionals.

SENDCo working hours are between 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

Appointments for in-person meetings with the SENDCo, Assistant SENDCo or Operational Lead (SEND) are generally booked 4 weeks in advance.

How we consult with parents and carers with Special Educational Needs

At Belvidere School we believe that parent/carer communication and engagement is fundamental to supporting the progress of our SEND learners. Some of the ways that the school communicates with parents and carers are listed below:

  • Progress evenings
  • Parents of students with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) are invited to attend the annual review meeting
  • The "School SEND Policy" and "School Information Report" which are published on the school website
  • Annual student progress reports and progress updates
  • SENDCo available at ‘Year 6 induction evening’, 'progress evenings' and 'parent information evenings’
  • Parental questionnaires seek the views of all parents of all students
  • Regular contact via telephone, e-mail or letter
  • Meetings arranged with parents of students in Year 5 and 6 prior to school placement as necessary
  • Attending Year 6 annual reviews for students with EHCPs
  • Arranging bespoke transition support for students with SEND as necessary
  • Learning Support Department open during the annual Open Evening for Year 6 students, parents and carers

How we consult with our students with Special Educational Needs

In order for our SEND students to thrive we believe that it is essential that our provision in school is student-centred and that student voice helps to shape our curriculum offer. As an inclusive school very often this student feedback is informal and forms part of our day-to-day practice. However, there are instances where we would collect our pupil voice more formally. Examples of this would include:

  • Student feedback at Annual Reviews
  • Feedback following meetings for all students who have EHCPs and GSPs
  • Review and feedback following intervention support sessions
  • Conversations between a student and support staff
  • Personalised Education Plans – completed and updated for students on the SEN register.

How we support our students at times of transition

For many students including those with SEND, transition can be a particularly challenging time. Within years 7 to 11 there are three key transition points for students.

In order to support transitions from Key Stage 2-3:

  • Organise bespoke transition opportunities for SEND students as required.
  • Careful matching of students to tutor and tutor group.
  • The SENCo attends Year 6 Annual Reviews where possible to ensure that we have up to date information and to ensure that targets can be transferred between key stages.
  • Induction evening for parents and carers of all Year 6 students.
  • Baseline testing conducted with all students on entry in Year 7.
  • All students who are identified as SEND in Y6 by their primary school will remain on the SEND register for the first term to support transition.

In order to support transitions from Key Stage 3-4:

  • Parents and carers invited to attend a Year 9 Options Evening
  • Key Stage 4 options booklet provided to all students
  • Completion of the Preparing for Adulthood document as part of the EHCP annual review
  • Outcomes are updated in recognition of the transition from key stage 3 to 4 as part of the EHCP annual review process

In order to support transitions from Key Stage 4-5:

  • Representatives from appropriate Post-16 establishments are invited to Year 11 Annual EHCP reviews
  • Careers adviser works with focus groups and individuals on transition activities offering impartial IAG
  • Careers adviser is invited to all Year 11 Annual EHCP reviews and where appropriate to Year 10 annual reviews
  • Students have regular contact with external FE provider through the Personal Development curriculum

How do we support our students with Special Educational Needs?

All students at Belvidere School have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. As an inclusive, mainstream school, our students with SEND follow the National Curriculum with minor adjustments being made, where appropriate, to accommodate individual learning needs. Lessons are planned to address the learning needs of all students and tasks are adapted to reduce barriers to learning for specific students or groups of students. To support the learning needs of students with SEND some of the following strategies may be used:

  • All pupils, including those with SEND are supported by a team of key adults in school, which includes their form tutor, Head of Year and their subject teachers. Students are also supported via the school pastoral team. Pupils with the highest level of SEND may be supported by teaching assistants. For some children with higher level of need the school will identify and name a small number of staff who make up their 'Trusted Team’ of adults. For a very small number of children where an enhanced level of SEND support is required, they may have a designated named contact in school from their Trusted Team.
  • Students may be set according to ability in some subjects.
  • The school has a diverse team of Teaching Assistants who support the delivery of additional support and intervention for pupils with special educational needs.
  • Teaching assistants will be deployed according to the learning needs of individual students or groups of students, primarily to support those with learning difficulties that mean they cannot access the curriculum without a high level of additional adult support.
  • The Key Stage 4 curriculum may be modified to meet the needs of students with high levels of special educational need and for a minority could include studying a reduced number of options.
  • Teaching staff are aware of students needs via their personalised learning plan. Through adaptive teaching, staff ensure that strategies are in place to support progress of all learners, including those with special educational needs.
  • Students are assessed for examination access arrangements during years 9, 10 and 11 and once sufficient evidence is gathered, formal applications are made during Year 11 for those students who meet the specified criteria.

 

Examples of provision and support we can offer at Belvidere.

Our team of visiting professionals, tutors, teaching assistants and pastoral support workers offer a range of intervention programmes, co-ordinated and monitored by the SENDCO throughout the year, such as:

  • Literacy and numeracy tuition from our qualified tutors.
  • Support for cognitive development around processing and working memory.
  • Support for the development of reading fluency.
  • Support for communication and interaction skills.
  • Support for social, emotional and mental health.
  • Support around wellbeing and self-regulation.
  • Support for motor skills development and handwriting.
  • Support for sensory difficulties, including hearing and visual difficulties.
  • Before school preparation, after school support with homework and quiet spaces at break and lunch.

How do we make the school accessible for all students?

Belvidere School endeavours to make reasonable adjustments, both to the learning and physical environment, to ensure access to our facilities for all students. We have an Accessibility Policy, which is reviewed and updated, providing a strategic overview of the development of the school environment to facilitate access for all students.

What training have our staff had to enable them to support students with SEND?

Our SEND CPD is a rolling programme throughout the year which takes into consideration our school context and any particularly pressing SEND needs. In addition to this, within school, we have colleagues specifically trained in the following areas:

  • Hearing Impairment
  • Visual Impairment
  • Autism Spectrum Condition
  • ADHD
  • Attachment Theory
  • Specific Learning Difficulties – Dyslexia and Dyspraxia
  • Speech & Language
  • SEMH interventions
  • Specific health related training
  • Adaptive teaching for students with SEND

 

How does an EHCP differ from SEN Support?

Pupils who have significant special educational needs that require an extensive level of long-term, high modified and individualised additional support and enhanced funding may be awarded an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) by Shropshire Local Authority. Nationally, 2.4% of pupils in secondary schools have an EHCP. Pupils with an EHCP might be awarded enhanced funding by the local authority if they believe that funding is required by the school to meet the specific provision needs written within their EHC plan.

The majority of pupils with a recognised special educational need or disability are recognised as SEN Support. Nationally, this is 12.4% of pupils. Every school receives an allocation of funding (known as ‘notional funding’) that they can use to support pupils identified as SEN Support in a variety of different ways, which can include appointing additional teachers and reducing class sizes. This funding is not specifically linked to the number of pupils on the SEN register, or to any specific pupil.

 

I think my child should have an EHCP. How can I check, and what needs to happen?

All schools have a duty of care to make their best endeavours to allocate the support and intervention for a pupil with special educational needs. School–based support is not directly linked to a diagnosis or funding. Support falls across 5 categories:

 

When determining whether an Education, Health and Care Plan is needed, the local authority have to determine, by law:

  • Whether the child or young person has a special educational need
  • Whether the child requires support that can only be put in place via an education, Health and Care Plan.

In most cases, a school is able to offer a sufficient level of support, and so an EHCP is not required.

 

An external professional has said that my child should have an EHCP, what should I do?

The Local Authority will determine whether an EHC plan may be needed based how well that child can manage with their education within the school setting. While external professionals may have knowledge and understanding of the child’s needs, unless this assessment includes direct assessment of the child or young person in school, combined with detailed discussions about the child or young person’s day to day life in school, the assessment will not be a sufficient determining factor. The external professional should put their recommendations into a report and provide a copy of this to the school, so that they can use it as part of the evidence.

 

My child has a diagnosis now, so do they need an EHCP?

For most children and young people, the answer is no. The majority of pupils with a specific diagnosis will not require an EHCP.

How do we assess and review pupil’s progress towards outcomes?

At Belvidere we follow the graduated response cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR). The class or subject teacher will work with the SENCO to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

  • The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
  • Their previous progress and attainment or behaviour
  • The student’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
  • The views and experience of parents
  • The pupil’s own views
  • Advice from external support services, if relevant

The assessment will be reviewed regularly in line with whole school assessment and reporting.

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs through their Personalised Learning Plan. All staff will work towards the same outcomes using a variety of teaching strategies or specialist approaches. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions, and their impact on the pupil’s progress.

 Timescales for assessment, referral and review

For all assessments and referrals, the school uses the Graduated Response cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR). It is recommended that the APDR cycle is carried out at least twice, usually over two academic terms to establish a picture of need, identify and action targets and review progress towards these before looking at onward referral. In some cases, evidence from previous settings is used to inform the APDR cycle.

  • Application to the Local Authority to request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment – well documented and evidence history of need over time, along with a minimum of 2 cycles of APDR; 15 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Application to the Local Authority to request Graduated Support Pathway (GSP) - minimum of 2 cycles of APDR; 5 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Referral to BeeU/CAMHS for intervention support - 3 cycles of APDR; 5 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Referral to BeeU/CAMHS for assessment - 3 cycles of APDR; 5 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Referral to external assessment or support services (e.g. Educational Psychology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Spectra etc) - 2 cycles of APDR; 3 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Referral for Alternate Provision – 2 cycles of APDR; 2 hours of allocated SENDCO time to write the application.
  • Referral to SENDCO for initial assessment (previously unknown SEND needs) – 2 hours SENDCO time for information gathering; 2 cycles of APDR.
  • Annual review of EHCP – appointment made at least 2 weeks ahead of allocated review meeting*; 5 hours of allocated SENDCO time to prepare, conduct and follow up the review.

* Parents are able to share their views at least 2 weeks prior to the review and are invited attend the annual review meeting in person. The annual review will be held on the day/time stipulated. Parents should contact the school at their earliest opportunity if they would like the date and/or time of the review meeting changed; this may not always be possible due to the availability of the SENDCO, other school staff or external professionals.

 

Further information - The Shropshire SEND Local Offer - http://shropshire.gov.uk/the-send-local-offer/ 

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