how we support children/young people with special educational needs ...
HOW WE SUPPORT CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OR DISABILITIES At Heartlands High School we want to create a real commitment to learning. SEARCH=School Matters, Effort, Achievement, Citizenship and High Aspirations. Our ethos in the school places our young people at the centre. We have high expectations of our students and expect them to perform to their expected levels of progress and to develop themselves as competent and confident young people. Our house system ensures a healthy spirit of competition within the school as well as providing a support system for our students. Our ethos is captured in the word SEARCH. We encourage them to Succeed through Effort, Achievement Responsibility, Citizenship and High aspirations. We ask our students to SEARCH for SUCCESS and we take great pride in their achievements. Our school develops partnerships that work. We know that our students find it much harder to succeed without the support of parents and carers. Heartlands High School has an inclusive ethos in which all students are encouraged to succeed within the core values of SEARCH and SUCCESS. We are a Mainstream mixed secondary School with a Resourced Provision in ASD. Our Ofsted rating is good (see Heartlands High School Website for report). How we know if a child/young person has special educational needs Pupils at Heartlands High School are assessed in Year 7 both via Primary Schools and the baseline testing which includes a Reading Assessment and observations carried out within the first half term.
The transition process from Primary school is very thorough and the Learning support team make sure that all students who have been identified as having barriers to their learning are visited in their primary schools. This includes students who already with EHC plans as well as students who have worked with external agencies in the past and are SEN support. We monitor the progress and attainment of all our pupils via the AFA process four times per year. When there are concerns regarding progress and not following the ethos of SEARCH for SUCCESS we forward these concerns to the Inclusion Team who will consider possible solutions via referrals tothe external professionals, Heads of Houses , the Deputy Head of Inclusion and the SENCO. These concerns will always be communicated to parents via parents evenings or AFA days twice a year, or separate conversations by phone, email or letter. This is known as Multi Agency Planning (MAP) and these meetings take place half termly and are monitored by the Deputy Head of Inclusion. On the school Website. all parents have access to school contact numbers and staff and can contact the SENCO, or members of the Learning Support Team. The Inclusion Team will also invite parents and carers to specially designed sessions for numeracy and literacy as well as information sharing on SEN initiatives both nationally and in-‐school led, such as the Beyond Words and the SEND Code of Practice information evenings. Information is also shared on the Parent’s Newsletter at the end of every half term. What we do to help children/young people with special educational needs All pupils attending Heartlands High School have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) identifying Heartlands as the best provision for the student. Following the SEN Code of Practice changes from September2014. There will be a period of transition where the Statement will be replaced by EHC plans over the next 4 years. Statements will be transferred to the EHC plan at times of transition for students, such as Year 9 and Year 11.
The Educational Psychologist is in school each week and can review pupils where there may have been a change in their needs. External Agencies such as CAMHS , GOSH, The Speech and Language Service and any agency specific to the pupil’s needs are also available on consultation and where there are concerns. The Annual Review of the SEN statement/ EHC plans ensures that they reflect the pupil’s current needs and are amended accordingly and are focused at times of transition of Key Stage. In order to distribute the funding available to all our students with SEN and the students with EHCP/SSEN in the school, we are developing a detailed provision map where the provision available for our students is outlined and costed . Interventions can be provided from within school, outside school and are wholly dependent on the needs of the pupil and the skill set of the Inclusion Team within the school. We regularly monitor and evaluate the support programme available for all by linking the AFA results and other relevant data for that pupil over a period of time. How we adapt our teaching for children/young people with special educational needs Selected Pupils at Heartlands High School follow a curriculum, which is personalised to their needs. In years 7-‐9 the Learning Support Team provides a parallel curriculum of up to 16 hours in which a ‘Nurture’ Program is run that incorporates strands of Literacy , numeracy, speech and language and social communication. These established Nurture pathways including Stepping Stones, Enrich ,Towards Independence and Asdan programmes which complement and feed into the needs of individual students with specific learning needs. This enables all students to engage completely in the Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 Curriculum and to be flexible in their subject choices. . Throughout KS3 and KS4 pupils are grouped according to their needs or their ability. We invest heavily in providing small Maths and English groups in years 7-‐11. Levels of support are differentiated to meet the need of all pupils. Higher levels of support are given to pupils who have more complex needs.
All work within lessons is differentiated so that all children are able to access teaching according to their specific needs. Typically this might mean that in a lesson there would be several levels of work set for the class, on occasions this may also be individually differentiated. We offer pathways in Year 9 and 10 to enable students to play to their strengths. Year
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Every student has a two week timetable, totalling 50 hours and forty minutes. Periods are taught in periods of 40, 60 or 80 minutes.
Explore: 9 hours 40 minutes English: 5 Maths: 8 Science: 6 Creative Carousel: 6 Design Technology: 4 Languages: 4 PE: 4 Computing: 4
English: 8 hours 40 minutes Maths: 8 Science: 6 Computing: 4 History: 4 Geography: 4 Languages: 4 PE: 4 Creative Carousel: 4 DT: 4 Pathways: 3
English: 8 hours 40 minutes Maths: 8 Science: 6 Languages: 4 PE: 4 Geography: 4 History: 4
English: 8 hours 40 minutes Maths: 8 Science: 10 PE: 4
Pathways (3 options): 12
and then four options, each at 5 hours a fortnight
With regard to setting, we look carefully at the profile of each year group before making a decision. At present: English Mathematics Science Other subjects
Year 7 Small sets Small sets Learning groups Science, Explore, Computing and Languages are taught in learning groups Art, Music and Drama are taught in half-‐ term carousels in mixed groups DT is taught in carousels in smaller mixed groups
Year 8 Small sets Small sets In sets Languages, History, Geography and Computing are taught in learning groups Art, Music and Drama are taught in carousels in mixed groups DT is taught in specialist carousels in smaller mixed groups
Year 9 Small sets Small sets Small sets Languages, History and Geography are taught in main learning groups. Pathway option subjects are taught in choice groups
Year 10 Small sets Small sets Small sets All optional subjects taught by choices made by the students
in smaller mixed groups PE
Taught in gender groups across half a year group
Taught in gender groups across half a year group
Taught in gender groups across half a year group
Taught in gender groups across half a year group
In KS4 , pupils also follow an accreditation pathway, which is appropriate for their ability. This allows learners to engage and give them the opportunity to make outstanding progress. Parents are informed of progression routes for their child during parents evenings, AFA days and or Annual Review meetings in school The inclusive ethos throughout the school has ensured regular adaptations to curriculum, to staffing and to group sizes. At the core of all lessons is the Heartlands Lesson principles followed by all teachers. Additional support is provided by Higher Level Teaching Assistants and a large team of Learning Support Assistants. Key workers within Literacy and Numeracy have developed strategies to support the progress of all students and those with individual learning needs. How we decide what resources we can give to a child/young person with special educational needs When our students arrive at Heartlands with a Statement/EHC Plan we structure our support and interventions based on the funding made available to us, and the key recommendations from the Statement/EHC plan itself. This can be a relatively straightforward process and be provided within school, based on the expertise, range of interventions and expertise made available. Equally, we call on the expertise and input from professional bodies and external agencies to cater for more complex medical and emotional needs,
as outlined above. These interventions can be linked to the target setting and the Success Plan of the student, and are measured for their impact linked to both academic and social progress. Interventions may be short, medium or long term and are always dependent needs and developing needs of the student as they progress through Year 7 – 11. When our students arrive at Heartlands without a SSEN/EHC Plan and are performing below age expected levels and with marked learning difficulties that are preventing them with significant barriers to their learning, they are assessed and supported by the Inclusion Team via the mechanisms in place and described above. At all stages, there is full parental involvement, contact between school and home for consultation with professionals, support and information sharing. The aim of any intervention that is resourced with the school budget is to optimise the progress of our students at Heartlands. This also includes support costs of Learning Support Assistants, SEN teachers, and the Senco. How we check that a child/young person is making progress and how we keep parents informed Heartlands High School offers an open door policy. If you wish to discuss a pupil’s progress, an appointment can be made to meet with the subject teacher ,the Head of House , the SENCO or a member of Senior Leadership Team. Staff in school can offer advice and practical ways that you can help pupils at home. At Heartlands we believe that a pupil’s education is a partnership between parents / carers and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly Pupils at Heartlands who have EHCPlans or SEN Support will have a personalised Success Plan (IEP)which will have individual targets. This is
discussed on a termly basis and parents are sent a copy of the termly overview. Pupil’s progress is measured four times a year through the AFA report system at Heartlands. For students who are working towards National Curriculum Levels or are on P scales, alternative assessment tools are available to assist staff in accurately assessing pupil’s attainment and progress. Pupils are set targets following all AFA assessments and these are in in line with the high aspirational levels of progress of the national transition matrices. For those students who are falling below their targets , interventions will be put in place for them. The school places an increased emphasis on achievement and self-‐ evaluation and ensures that pupils demonstrate good progress. All pupils in KS4 have an ‘Achievement Tracker’ to support their understanding of progress and target setting. Support we offer for children’s/young people’s health and general wellbeing The school is committed to multi-‐agency working to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met. Certain Pupils have a care plan, which identifies their care needs including personal care needs and the administration of medication when required. It also identifies emergency procedures to be followed, where appropriate. Professionals from other agencies including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and health visit the school on a regular basis. As well as supporting individual pupils these professionals advise staff around strategies and offer training. The Educational Psychologist and HEWS hold regular clinics in school allowing input from school as well as from and for parents/ carers. The Multi Agency Panel meets once per half term and involves all Heads of House, the Senco, and External Agencies such as the Educational Psychologist and the CAMHS worker. Pupil voice is encouraged in all areas of the school through regular meetings of the student council. Pupils always contribute to the annual review of their SEN statement/ EHC plan through a person centred review
process. Pupils know their targets and can describe their next steps of learning to achieve those targets. Staff know individual pupils very well and any pupil requiring additional support will be heard and their requests considered with respect and understanding. There is Zero tolerance of bullying at Heartlands, and SEN bullying is no exception to this. There are clear guidelines within HHS for approaches and sanctions relating to any incident. Specialist external services we use when we think extra help is needed All educational staff working at Heartlands High have had training and development with regard to the Special Educational Needs of our Pupils . Both teachers and support staff have programme of CPD (Continual Professional Development ) which keeps them up to date with all of the specialist skills necessary for working with children with special educational needs. At Heartlands High School, we have dedicated time as applicable from the statement allocation from the following staff: Speech & Language Therapist Physiotherapist Occupational Therapist Educational Psychologist School Nursing Team Service and Educational Welfore Officer. In addition we liaise closely with other agencies who work collaboratively with school staff in meeting the wider range of students needs: Consultant Psychiatrists and Psychologists Social workers Key Workers CAMHS Parenting Team The training our staff have had or are getting At Heartlands High School all staff are involved in an in-‐house, rolling program of CPD relating to SEN .
The training our staff have had or are getting At Heartlands High School all staff are involved in an in-‐house, rolling program of CPD relating to SEN . SEN training has been regular and has measurable impact on the well being, welfare and progress of SEN students. . All staff who provide personal care receive moving and handling, eating and drinking, and medical training as appropriate. Learning support staff and other members of staff have regular updates to their First Aid Qualifications. How we include children/young people in activities and school trips Our off-‐site visits are designed to: enhance curricular and recreational opportunities for all our pupils; provide a wider range of experiences for our pupils than could be provided on the school site alone; promote the independence of our children as learners, and enable them to grow and develop in new learning environments. There are several opportunities to take part in SEARCH day visits into Central London, including Art Galleries, Museums and the Houses of Parliament. We also offer students the opportunity to take part in a range of residential activities appropriate to their individual SEN need. All day visits/activities are risk assessed and recorded appropriately. Parents /carers take an active part in discussions around residential visits and these are discussed both formally at parent meetings/annual review meetings. The school operates an inclusive agenda and makes every effort to make off site visits accessible for all our pupils. In Key Stage 4 2013/4 , there are alternative provision placements at colleges such as Southgate College and participation in off-‐site accredited courses such as the Land Course at a neighbouring school. Wherever possible and when suitable, pupils are allocated additional work placements and opportunities to attend off-‐site opportunities. Students in Years 9-‐11 are always accompanied on these visits by teaching staff and support staff.
Our school environment The building is fully wheelchair accessible with 2 lifts at either end of the building. There are a full range of toilet and changing facilities. There is a sensory room in the adjoining ASD Resourced Provision which can be accessed by students from the mainstream dependent on need. How we prepare for children/young people joining our school and leaving our school We work closely with the Local Authority and their Local Offer to ensure that children are offered provision that meets their needs. Parents are invited to visit the school prior to applying for a place and at any time through the application process. Children are encouraged to access transition opportunities, and Learning support staff ensure that they visit all pupils who will be transferring from Primary school. Transition planning to colleges is a vital part of the annual review process and for all students on the SEN register from year 9 onwards. All pupils undertake work experience during year 10. How parents are involved in school life From the point of transition into Heartlands High School, parents and carers are invited into school to discuss their children with relevant teachers and Key SEN workers. This relationship is fostered through regular contact with home, via School Planners, the Heartland’s Parent Bulletin and Parent’s Evenings. For EAL students whose parents do not speak English there are translators available for key meetings and AFA meetings and letters are translated into key languages.
Who to contact for more information or to discuss a concern For general enquiries about your child the first point of contact is your child's tutor or their Head of House. For initial SEN queries, advice or to arrange to meet regarding your child, you should contact the SENCO, Samantha Hall on 0208 826 1230, extension 221 . Deputy Senco, Cat McCluskey : 0208 826 1230 Ext: 219 SEN Manager, Lauren Skuse : 0208 826 1230 Ext : 222 HLTA Alternative Provision, Siobhan Hockley: 0208 826 1230 Ext: 222 The Deputy Head for Inclusion is Jonathan Nagle : 0208 826 1230 Ext.212. Our offer to children with Special Educational needs and Disabilities was prepared in May 2014 It was presented to Governors In July 2014 It will be reviewed in June 2015
