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EDUCATION
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
At Ercall Wood Academy, and across the Learning Community Trust, we strive to meet the needs of all our students.
SEND Broad Areas of Need
The needs of students are the driving force behind education, its route purpose. Education enables young people to become successful, fulfilled, healthy and happy members of our society. However, a student’s needs may exceed those of their peers and so should be met differently. The 2015 Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice states that if a young person, ‘has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age’ they qualify as having Special Educational Need (SEN) (DfE and DoH, 2015 p.16).
SEN has four broad areas of need, as outlined in the Code of Practice: communication and interaction (C&I), cognition and learning (C&L), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and sensory and/or physical needs (S/P) (DfE and DoH, 2015 p.85). A summary of the four broad areas follows however it is also worth noting that young people may have needs that are found within more than one area, humans are unique and as such we often refer to a student ‘primary’ area of need as being the category that best fits their current needs.
Communication and interaction (CI)
This area encompasses speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN). This could be in the form of difficulties with one of the following aspects: speech production, the expression of language, the understanding of language, or a combination of these aspects. Students with a communication and interaction need may also present with challenges around the social use of language and can also have a learning difficulty.
Cognition and learning (CL)
This area is comprised of general learning difficulties. Difficulties can be categorised as specific learning difficulties (SpLD), moderate learning difficulties (MLD) or profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH)
Students who have needs relating to their mental health, their social interactions and/or emotional regulation. All behaviours are communications. For some pupils with SEMH difficulties, the nature of these difficulties could impact their learning and as such can present with additional learning difficulties.
Sensory and/or Physical need (S/P)
This area includes physical disabilities as well as, sensory impairments, such as hearing impairment (HI) and visual impairment (VI). A range of professionals from a variety of services may well be involved in the provision planning for these students. The additional challenges faced with these disabilities can lead to students have associated learning difficulties however for others functioning may be average or above average.
Ercall Wood Stages of SEND Support:
The first stage
The first stage supports the subject specialist teachers delivers quality teaching direct to all students during lessons with small adaptations made to ensure all students can access the curriculum with sufficient support and challenge. Strategies include:
- Consistent application of the ‘10 High Level Strategies for Vulnerable Learners’ with the classroom by all teaching staff.
- SEND Key worker allocated to student and met with at least once a term to review provision and progress.
- Pupil Passport co-produced with the key worker, the student and with parental input – to support Quality First Teaching within the classrooms.
- Teaching staff actively implementing strategies and adaptations that have been agreed as part of the pupil passport production process.
Review of pupil passport once a term with parental input, or more regularly if required.
The second stage
commences if the strategies tried at stage 1 have not reduced concerns or begun to close the gaps in learning. Families and the SEND team will review progress and agree on next steps. The aim of the second stage is to upskill and empower the young person beyond the constraints of the classroom. This may then include accessing additional intervention provided by the SEND team, in addition to the traditional curriculum offer. It may also include some in class additional adult support when and if needed. Interventions could include, but are not limited to the following:
| Student Leadership Team | Prefects | Peer Mentors | For Social, Emotional, Mental Health needs: |
|---|---|---|---|
| SALT targeted interventions | Pre-teach intervention | Speed up Handwriting course. | Social Stories group work. |
| ‘Talk boost’ program for KS3 | Reading interventions – Phonics, Lexia and Direct instruction. | Nessy Fingers | Build to express. |
| ‘Talk for Work’ program KS4 | The percentage of our pupils which have evidence of a good level of writing development this year. | Intervention time dedicated to work on task set by professionals such as occupational therapy, or the Sensory Inclusion Service. | ELSA sessions. |
| Lego lunches | Exam skills, learning workshops. | SEMH Group work e.g. anxiety gremlins workshops. | |
| Nurture sessions. | |||
| Land base sessions. |
Most students will have their needs met at stage 1 or 2 and will continue to receive support at this level as they move through school and gaps in learning continue to shrink.
A very small proportion of pupils will need to access some additional professional support from an external specialist. The family and SENDCo will meet to discuss if this is considered appropriate and will put together a referral to the appropriate specialist or setting.
The third stage
The third stage for students who are considered to need long-term support in the academy owing to a high level of SEND need. Families are consulted and the SEND team work to access external professional support, which could include, but is not limited to:
- Trust Councillor or Trust Mentor
- The Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
- Sensory Inclusion Service (SIS)
- Speech and Language Therapists (SALT)
- Educational Psychologists (EP)
- Learning Support Advisory teachers (LSAT)
- Behaviour Support and Advisory teachers (BSAT)
- The school nursing team.
- Occupational Therapist (OT)
- Additional Medical professionals.
Special educational needs and disabilities coordinator
Contact form
The SENDCo is listed on the leadership team page – click here
Contact our SENDCo using the form below, or contact the academy on 01952 388088.
