S.E.N.D

Home » S.E.N.D

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” – Ignacio Estrada

“Don’t let the mind limit what an able heart can do.” – Robert M. Hensel

At Holy Trinity, all children are entitled to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum. As a Catholic school, we acknowledge the unique creation of every person and endeavour to meet the individual educational needs of all pupils. We are committed to providing the right support in order to meet the needs of every pupil so that they can reach their full potential. Every teacher is a teacher of every pupil including those with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Every student at Holy Trinity has the opportunity to follow all National Curriculum subjects as well as GCSE and/or appropriate vocational subjects.  As a school, we are committed to narrowing the attainment gap between SEND and non-SEND students through a combination of quality first teaching and appropriate interventions where necessary.

Staff

SENCo – Ms R Sian (trained Youth Mental Health First Aider)

Inclusion Manager – Miss S Ormsby (trained Youth Mental Health First Aider)

Access Curriculum Teacher –Mr A Jambor

Access Curriculum TA/ASC Specialist – Miss N Ross

HLTA for students with EAL- Miss S Dhir

TA for SEN/EAL- Mrs N Ilahi

Identifying pupils with SEND

Information from primary schools is the starting point for us in identifying those pupils with learning needs for which additional help may be required.  All of our feeder schools are visited by a member of staff and wherever possible we aim to meet with pupils, Year 6 teaching staff and the school’s SENCo where appropriate.  Our Year 6 Data Capture Form includes information relevant to a pupil’s special educational need or disability.  We always look to provide additional transition time for those vulnerable pupils who are anxious about the move to secondary school.

In addition, at the start of Year 7 all pupils will have their reading and spelling assessed, and the information will be used to establish who might need additional support. As the term progresses the SENCO will liaise with subject teachers and support staff to identify any pupils who are not making the expected levels of progress.

Whenever the need for additional support is identified, the SENCO will make contact with the pupil’s parent/carer who will be invited into school to discuss support options and strategies. The school undertakes to involve outside specialists when necessary to assist with the identification of special educational needs and to advise on effective support and interventions.

Reporting and Feedback

All pupils receive written reports once a year plus termly progress reports, which show the progress that students are making towards their target grades.  Parents/carers with concerns about their child should contact:

  • the subject teacher if they are concerned about their child’s progress in a particular subject, as they are accountable for the development of all pupils in their class
  • the SENCo if they have worries about their child’s learning in general
  • the Head of Year if they are concerned about behavioural issues

Pupils with an Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have it reviewed on an annual basis and detailed feedback will be obtained from subject teachers and support staff.  In addition there will be a further two opportunities for the parents/carers of pupils with EHCPs to meet with the SENCo to discuss their child’s progress – one of which will be Parents’ Evening.  All parents/carers of these pupils will be invited to attend these meetings by either phone and/or letter.  Details of Statements and EHCP’s will be circulated to all staff.

Where a child has been identified as having a special educational need or disability (other than an EHCP) the SENCo or a member of the support team will meet with the child in order to complete a One Page Profile which will then be shared with all relevant staff. This will include:

  • a photograph of the child
  • what the pupils wants staff to know about them
  • what helps the pupil to learn best and what they may struggle with in school
  • information about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future

Provision

Provision is based on the graduated approach as specified in the 2015 SEN Code of Practice, with subject teachers responsible and accountable for the progress and development of pupils in their class, including pupils who may be receiving additional support from teaching assistants.

At Holy Trinity we:

  • recognise that high quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who may or may not have SEND
  • believe strongly in the benefits of early intervention and therefore target a lot of support at Key Stage 3

Our provision includes the following:

  • Person centred reviews, where appropriate
  • Smaller classes in lower sets, where subjects are ability grouped – particularly in English, Maths and Science
  • In class support targeted at those pupils with the greatest need
  • Accelerated Reader to target literacy skills
  • Weekly mentoring support for students with a diagnosis (or pending) of ASC
  • Reasonable adjustments policy, where necessary for pupils with Autism and/or ADHD
  • Parent support group for parents/carers of pupils with Autism/ADHD
  • Nurture provision through Don Bosco House
  • Lunch time provision for vulnerable pupils
  • Access arrangements for examinations, as appropriate
  • Careers advice from an in-house careers expert
  • Access to mentoring/counselling through a referral system
  • Access to family support service workers through the Early Help Assessment process
  • EAL language support for students who have recently arrived in the country

As a school, we recognise the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of the provision we make for pupils with special educational needs.  This will involve:

  • measuring impact on the pupils progress by an agreed date
  • obtaining the views of parents/carers and the pupils concerning the provisions put in place
  • adjusting provision in the light of pupil progress
  • Links with other agencies
  • Pupils at Holy Trinity receive support from the following agencies:
  • Pupil and School Support Service (PSS)
  • Communication and Autism Team (CAT)
  • Forward Thinking Birmingham (formerly CAMHS)
  • Community Paediatric Service
  • Visiting Schools Support Service (Physical and Sensory Impairment)
  • Educational Psychologists
  • Support for ‘Looked-After Children’ via LACES
  • Medical Service – the school nurse visits the school regularly
Making Contact

If you are concerned that your child may have a special educational need or if your child has already been identified as having a special educational need or disability and you wish to discuss their progress you should contact the SENCo on 0121 772 0184.

In addition as a department, we are always striving to improve our performance and welcome feedback from parents/carers.

The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of publication but we reserve the right to amend SEND provision.

Please visit this link for more information regarding the Birmingham Local Offer:

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50034/birminghams_local_offer_send