SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that means they need additional support to access education and make progress

Yes. We are a mainstream secondary school that supports students with a wide range of needs, alongside their peers, wherever possible. We do not have a resource base or any small group teaching provision across the school. We have no nursing care on site.

We support students with needs across the four areas of SEND:

• Communication and Interaction (e.g. Autism, speech and language needs)
• Cognition and Learning (e.g. dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs
   

Support is tailored to each individual student within the whole school context through the Graduated Response model. Our priority is to get students learning in class with their teachers to access our Powerful Knowledge curriculum. 

We work closely with:

• Parents/carers
• Primary schools
• External professionals
• Screeners like Speech Link, Talimo, NGRTs 
• Observations from SEND Leads 
• Flagged by teaching and pastoral staff on SEND Referral Form 
• Reviews of Behaviour and Attendance from the Pastoral Team 
• Reviews of progress / attainment data by Heads of Subject and Pastoral Leads from end of topic assessment 

Support may include:

• Differentiated / adapted teaching in lessons
• Small group or individual interventions before or after school
• In-class support where appropriate
• Access to the Heads of SEND Area and pastoral team
• Exam access arrangements (where eligible)
• Access to The Hive: Our dedicated SEND centre. 

Support is reviewed regularly

No. Most students with SEND receive support through targeted SEN Support without an EHCP. An EHCP is for students with more complex needs requiring a higher level of support. Students on the Monitoring list are provided with a Pupil Passport to highlight Universal Provision that will support their learning and to flag disabilities. 

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) oversees SEND provision and works with staff, families, and external agencies to ensure students receive appropriate support. 

SEND is everyone's responsibility and operates in a school through distributed leadership. All staff at every level have a responsibility for SEND. This is documented in the school's distributed SEND leadership documentation and clearly set out in the SEND Code Of Practice. The SENDCo ensures everyone is meeting their role and responsibility for SEND within the school setting and works with the council and other agencies to support meeting needs. 

Progress is monitored through:

• Regular assessments
• Teacher feedback
• SEND reviews (X3 a year, one integrated through parents evening)) 
• Meetings with parents/carers

Parents are kept informed through reports, parents’ evenings, and direct communication.

We offer pastoral support through:

• Form tutors and Heads of Year
• Pastoral and wellbeing teams
• Access to mentoring or counselling services (where appropriate)

We provide:

• Enhanced transition arrangements for students with SEND
• Liaison with primary schools
• Additional visits or transition activities
• Individual transition plans where needed

We value strong partnerships with parents/carers and encourage regular communication. Parents are invited to coffee mornings, parent evening SEND meetings, reviews, and events and are encouraged to share any concerns or updates. There is an open parent voice on the website to encourage parental engagement and communication. 

In the first instance, please contact:

• Your child’s Form Tutor or Head of Year
• Head of Area SEND for direct SEND-related queries
• SENDCo if the issue has escalated and needs higher level support