The Dean Academy is an inclusive school and offers a range of provision to support students with communication and interaction needs; cognition and learning difficulties; social, emotional and mental health needs; or sensory and physical needs.

Any SEN will first be addressed through Quality First Teaching in the mainstream classroom and then a range of support and intervention is put in place. This support is tailored to individual need following thorough assessment by internal staff or external agencies and it can either be short or long-term in nature.

We are an inclusive community school with a diverse range of learners therefore our aim is to support students towards becoming independent and resilient within the mainstream environment.

Information and Guidance:

Who should I contact to discuss the needs of my child?

What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of students with SEND about provision made at the school?

Any parent or carer dissatisfied with any aspect of our SEND provision should, in the first instance, contact our SENDCo by letter, email, telephone or in person:

Name: Declan Mooney

Email Address: Declan.Mooney@thedeanacademy.org

If concerns remain, the parent/carer should contact the Headteacher, Richard Brand. If it is felt that the school is not addressing concerns then the Chair of Governors should be contacted via a letter sent to the school. The Chair will bring the matter to the attention of the Governors if necessary. The Local Authority may also be contacted.

Identification of SEN, Assessment, Planning and Review

How can I find out how my child is doing?

On-going monitoring takes place by students’ teachers and faculty heads to identify students who are not making progress or have needs which are affecting their ability to engage in learning activities. This is through monitoring classroom activities and homework. The Learning Support Department also monitors the academic progress of all students on the SEN register.

The Communications Faculty will assess Reading and Spelling ages across the school on entry in year 7 and then annually throughout their school career. The Learning Support Department will then conduct additional testing using the Suffolk suite to identify students in need of bespoke literacy intervention. Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) are also carried out before October half term with Year 7 students and are used as baseline data alongside KS2 standardised scores to assist with progress monitoring and target setting.

Where necessary, some individual students may be more regularly tested for spelling ages and reading ages and others, may be screened for dyslexia or dyscalculia using an informal screening tool. The information from these additional tests and screeners is then disseminated to teaching staff via the student’s learning profile should adaptions to their way of learning be required. Formal diagnosis of specific learning difficulties may be sought by parents outside school.

If an SEN is identified ,then after discussions with key staff, parents and students, additional support may be put in place where appropriate. This support could include enhanced resources, access to in class support, targeted small group and /or individual support to help overcome any difficulties. This will be based on individual need.

Additional provisions will be coordinated and monitored by the SENCo and the Learning Support Department in conjunction with classroom teachers, Directors of Faculties and Heads of Year.

For students with high needs, plans with long term and short term targets will be set up which prioritise key areas/needs to be addressed and by which progress can be measured. These will be developed and shared with students and parents. In cases where external agencies are involved, their advice and recommendations will be included in support programmes. All plans are shared with teaching staff.

In some cases, teaching assistant support may be allocated. This support is deployed to ensure your child can engage in lessons and wider school activities as well as facilitating the move towards independent learning and transition to adulthood.

Formal Review meetings are held for students with EHC Plans. Parents, relevant external agencies and students will be invited to these reviews. At these meetings, the impact of interventions is considered along with progress towards targets set. Additional provision arrangements will be updated and revised accordingly. The outcomes of these meeting are formally recorded and sent to SEN Casework Officers at Gloucestershire County Council who will decide on the level of funding required to support provision.

For some students, further external expertise may be requested. This can be accessed through the school or the Local Authority. This could include services such as the Advisory Teaching Service, Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy.

Assessments, tests and examinations:

For some students additional arrangements and adjustments can be made to enable them to fully access tests and exams. This might include additional time, rest breaks, use of a scribe, prompt or reader, or a laptop. Students will be assessed by the Assistant Director of Faculty, Anna McCoy and an external access specialist, Mandi Broadfield. Parents will be informed of your child’s eligibility for these arrangements where appropriate.

Curriculum and Teaching Methods (including grouping and interventions)

How will teaching be adapted to meet the needs of my child?

Wave 1 intervention is about Inclusive Quality First teaching.   Students are mainly placed in mixed ability sets and teachers adapt their teaching to meet the diverse range of needs in each class.   Curriculum and class planning takes into account individual student’s needs and requirements.   Adapted practice is approached in a range of ways to support access to the curriculum and to ensure that all students can experience success and challenge in their learning.

Teaching assistants and/or small group teaching can be used to help individual students to progress and with a long-term goal of developing independent learning skills.

All teachers refer to the Class Charts SEN tab and to the SEND toolkit:

• The Class Charts SEN tab provides any relevant plans, profiles and provisions attached to the individual student.
• The SEND Toolkit lists a wide range of strategies for every type of SEND.   Teachers are able to clearly see which strategies will help students with organisation, written work, verbal interaction and homework.
• All teachers are encouraged to contribute strategies to the SEND Toolkit in order to promote inclusion across the curriculum and also ensure that all staff continue to be fully aware that they are responsible for the progress of all students, including those with SEND.
• Teachers also have access to SEN Teaching and Learning updates via a termly bulletin, a Teaching and Learning library, access to a bi-weekly drop-in clinic with the school’s Educational Psychologist and support from The Athelstan Trust’s Advisory Teacher for SEND, Mrs Debbie Riall.

Wave 2 and 3 Intervention

(provided according to level of need)

Access to Teaching Assistant support:

• In core subjects
• In practical subjects
• For group work
• For mentoring
• For small group intervention
• For 1:1 support

Strategies to support/develop literacy:

• Small group literacy intervention
• 1:1 withdrawal
• Access to/support from a literacy training teaching assistant
• Screening for dyslexia and development of individualised support strategies
• Coloured overlays or rulers
• Spelling and handwriting clubs

Strategies to support/develop numeracy:

• Small group numeracy intervention
• 1:1 withdrawal
• Screening for dyscalculia and development of individualised support strategies

Strategies to develop independent learning across the curriculum:

• Mentoring by peers or support staff
• Home/School Communication books where required
• Homework clubs — lunch time and after school (late bus available)
• Visual timetables
• Alternative accredited KS4 courses(ASDAN)
• Key Skills option group
• Laptops available on the basis of individual need
• Learning Profile and the Graduated Pathway

Communication and Interaction Needs:

• Access to specialist enhanced provision (EPIC) and EPIC services/programmes based on individual need:Social skills programmes
• Life Skills programmes
• Curriculum and homework support
• Sensory room and garden
• Safe haven — ‘The Nook’
• Specialist ASD Teaching Assistant
• Access to Advisory Teaching Service and SaLT where required.
• For those with a diagnosis of ASD on their EHC Plan and on roll with the EPIC: 1:1 Lead TA support where required

Speech and Language Needs:

• Students referred to the Speech and Language service, have access to termly visits and assessment from a speech and language therapist and regular in school sessions with a specialist Teaching Assistant
• Speech and Language therapist advice disseminated to and followed by teaching staff via Learning Profiles
• Specific adaption or modification/use of resources e.g. Use of mind maps or symbols

Pastoral Support:

• Students Services offer individual emotional and behavioural support / mentoring
• Pastoral mentoring by Teaching Assistants or other staff such as a Trusted Adult based on individual need
• Students may have specific support cards to use out in class e.g. time in cards
• Social Skills/friendship groups may be offered — small group work designed to help students gain self-esteem and confidence in social situations.
• Multi-agency meetings may be held for all external agencies to pool ideas and provide strategies to enable students to move forward.
• A school counselling service is available for students
• The Families First Family Support worker may offer family/individual support in or out of school
• School nurse available

External Agencies

What external support services could the school use to support my child?

A number of external agencies can be accessed to seek advice and support to ensure the needs of all students are fully understood and met.   These include:

Transition

How will the school help my child settle in or move on to post 16 education?

Children and young people with SEN can become particularly anxious about ‘moving on’, so we seek to support successful transition by:

Primary School:

• SENCo, Deputy or Assistant attends Year 5 and 6 Annual Reviews
• SENCo, Deputy or Assistant visits primary schools from January before the students start, to gather information and records on SEN students during the summer term before their secondary school start date.
• The Dean Academy holds a Year 5 taster day
• The Dean Academy provides a transition week for Year 6s.
• The Learning Support Faculty offer extra taster mornings where appropriate
• There is also a Year 5 and 6 BBQ/fair evening for future students and their families.
• Additional visits may be organised for individual students including an auditory walk around the school site for students with C&I needs

Post 16:

• The Dean Academy has strong relationships with Gloucestershire College and a member of the transition team attends all Year 11 Annual Reviews
• The Youth Support Team attends Annual Reviews, where relevant, to support transition to post-16
• SEN students attend link days and taster days at local colleges
• There is an annual careers fair at the Dean Academy
• Additional visits may be organised for individual students including ‘dummy’ travel runs

SEND Key Staffing

• SENCo: Joanne Rosbrook
• Deputy SENCo with responsibility for EPIC: Hannah Deans
• Assistant Director of Learning Support: Anna McCoy
• The Athelstan Trust SEND Advisory Teacher: Debbie Riall
• Access Arrangements — Specialist external assessor: Mandi Broadfield
• Specialist Speech and Language Teaching Assistant: Claire Lavender
• Accredited Dyslexia Teaching Assistant: Anna McCoy
• Lead Teaching Assistant for C&I: Sheila Hankinson
• Interventions Team Leader: Anna Edwards
• HLTA with responsibility for ASDAN and Key Skills: Keren McCormick

Deputy Head, Declan Mooney, is also a trained and accredited SENCo.

The SENCo actively engages with local opportunities to share best practice and keep abreast of current local and national initiatives and policy to support students with SEN. She is currently studying for the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination via the University of Gloucestershire.

The EPIC has been part of the Gloucestershire hub in a national Ambitious about Autism project aimed at developing and improving transition for Autistic Students into post 16 education and adult life and continue to implement this within school.

The school has links with local schools, special schools and post 16 colleges to review, evaluate and develop provision for students who have SEN and complex needs.

FURTHER INFORMATION about support services for students and their families can be found in:

• The Local Authority Local Offer – http://www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/gloucs/glosfamilies/family.page?familychannel=2
• The Dean Academy SEN Policy
• The DfE Code of Practice

To be read in conjunction with the SEND Policy