This policy sets out the procedures for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the education and learning setting of International School.
Education and Learning Setting Vision & Values
The Directors, Principal and staff of International School are committed to providing an appropriate and high-quality education to all our students. We believe that all children, including those identified as having special educational needs or disabilities, have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum. This curriculum should be accessible, and all students should be fully included in all aspects of school life.
We believe that:
- All children are entitled to relevant and worthwhile education designed to enable individual students to participate fully in society and to contribute to and benefit from it;
- Every child at International School has the opportunity to be a successful learner, confident individual and responsible citizen;
- Students who have special needs and/or disabilities should be supported wherever reasonable to achieve full access to the whole school curriculum. This will need to be facilitated through a range of access technologies including skilled staff, specialist equipment and resources;
- Students should have individual programmes created for them to ensure that appropriate support, resources, and opportunities are available to them whilst following a GCSE curriculum.
This framework outlines how International School endeavours to meet its duty and obligation to provide a high-quality education to all its students, including students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and to make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of students with SEND.
Through successful implementation, the school aims to use our best endeavours to make sure that every child with SEND gets the support they need to:
- Promote equal opportunities.
- Appropriately identify children’s and young people’s needs;
- Have high aspirations and set challenging but realistic targets for them
- Track and monitor their progress towards identified individual goals
- Keep under review the different or additional provision that is made for them
- Promote positive outcomes in the wider areas of personal and social development
- Collaborate between Education, Health and Social Care services to provide support where reasonably possible;
- High quality provision to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND;
Definition of SEND
In England, under the law, a child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her (Children and Families Act, 2014, Part 3, 20 (1) and the educational provision that is required to meet the needs is ‘special’. According to the Children and Families Act, 2014, Part 3, 20 (2), a child or young person may be seen as having such a difficulty if s/he experiences
- significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of same-age peers, or
- s/he has a disability which prevents him (or her) from making use of (educational) facilities ‘of a kind generally provided for’ same-age peers in mainstream educational institutions.
Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010. This is defined as’…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. ‘Long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’. ‘Substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’ SEND Code of Practice (2015). This may include children and young people with long-term medical conditions for whom adjustments will be made as required by the Equality Act, 2010.
Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas. The SEND Code of Practice 2015 (section 6.25-6.32) identifies four areas of need:
- Communication and Interaction(C&I): Students with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to (expressive), understanding what is being said to them (receptive) or they do not understand what is being said to them (cognition). They may not understand or use social rules of communication. Children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) including Autism can have more prevalent difficulties with social interaction due to deficits in their understanding and connections between language, communication, and imagination, which then impacts on how they relate to others.
- Cognition and Learning(C&L):
A broad ranging group of learning difficulties including Dyslexia and Dyspraxia as Specific learning Difficulties (SPLD), Moderate learning Difficulties (MLD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) where children and young people will need support in the curriculum and may have associated mobility and communication difficulties, to those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) where children and young people have severe and complex learning difficulties with physical disability and/or sensory impairment.
- Social Emotional and Mental Health(SEMH):
Children and Young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attachment Disorder may need additional support in the curriculum. Those with Mental Health Difficulties such as anxiety, depression, self-harming, substance abuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained may also need additional or different support to access education.
- Sensory and or Physical Needs(SI/PD): Children and Young people with Hearing (HI) or Visual (VI) Impairment, or Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) may need additional specialist support or equipment to access the curriculum, or rehabilitation support. Some with physical disability (PD) may need additional and ongoing support to enable them to access opportunities available to their peers. SEND provision may be required as they have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making full use of educational facilities generally provided.
It may not be uncommon for a child or young person to have needs from a combination of these areas and so there will be overlaps in the provisions put in place to support these. Factors such as undiagnosed learning difficulties, difficulties with communication or mental health issues may also emerge and develop over time and sometimes this may manifest through challenging behaviour. In these cases, a special educational need may be identified. Support will be put in place to ensure that these difficulties do not have a negative impact on the learning of the individual or other students.
To ensure the best possible outcomes for all students, International School has created a “waves” system reflecting the recognised areas of SEND to balance the level and number of SEND needs with the provision and adjustment available at the school (See Appendix).
Note: English requires particular care. It is essential to establish whether lack of progress is due to limitations in their command of English or if it arises from SEN or a disability. Difficulties related solely to limitations in English as an additional language are not SEND and must be referred to EAL.
Roles and Responsibilities
The SENDCo has day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the SEND policy and coordination of the specific provision made to support individual children with SEND, including those who have Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
The SENDCo, in conjunction with the Head of the LDC, provides professional guidance to colleagues and will work closely with staff, parents and carers, and other agencies. The SENDCo should be able to work with professionals providing a support role to the family to ensure that children with additional needs receive appropriate support and high-quality teaching.
The key responsibilities of the SENDCo along with the Head of the LDC include:
- overseeing the day-to-day operation of the School’s SEND policy;
- coordinating provision for children with additional educational needs or disabilities including the application for Access Arrangements;
- liaising with the relevant designated teacher where a looked after student has additional needs or disabilities;
- advising on a graduated approach to providing SEND Support;
- liaising with parents of children on the SEND register;
- liaising with other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies;
- being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the LA and LA support services;
- liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a young person and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned;
- working with the Principal and school Directors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements;
- ensuring that the school keeps the records of all children with additional needs or disabilities up to date.
Principal: The Principal will work with the SENCO to determine the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school.
All staff should be:
- be fully aware of the school’s procedures for identifying, assessing and making provision for students with SEND;
- responsible for the differentiation of resources and lesson materials to suit the needs of SEND students;
- responsible for completing any documentation requested in support of the SENCo’s roles and duties, in a professional and timely way
- attend SENDCo and Head of the LDC led Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to enhance their understanding of students’ needs and strategies that can be used to support individuals.
- communicate progress to SENDCo and complete Cause for Concern forms when identifying any new student concerns.
The Directors, Principal and staff will endeavour to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made in order for those students with SEND to engage in the activities of International School alongside their peers without SEND. This should include:
- All International School students to access a broad and balanced curriculum, personalized in terms of their learning, progress, outcomes, character development and onward journey to future pathways.
- All International School teachers will set high expectations through ambitious target setting, differentiating to enable curriculum access for every student.
- Promote the belief that in preparing students for future life, developing a student’s individual character, and building skills from their individual starting points for successful adult life are an important aspect of the school’s remit.
- Students at International School will be encouraged to undertake wider enrichment activities including trips and visits through reasonable adjustments as part of this broad and balanced curriculum.
Admissions Arrangements
The school adheres to the admissions policy and has no special provision under admissions arrangements for limiting or promoting access for students with special educational needs who are without Education Health Care Plans. It does, however, endeavour to provide appropriate support for students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities.
The SENDCo is available to speak to students and parents about any concerns they may have about transition to this school and the provision the school can put in place to support the needs of individual students. Should the school believe that they are unable to meet the needs of a student with an EHCP, for example unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or SEN of the child, or ‘others’ meaning the children or young people they will directly come into contact with on a regular day to day basis, they will need to send across a comprehensive report to the LA, outlining the reasons for this. The SENDCo will ensure that all information is gathered to inform this decision, including discussions with parents/carers, the student’s current school and the LA.
Identification of Special Educational Needs
The identification of students who may have additional learning needs or disabilities is built into the overall approach of monitoring the progress and development of all students as specified in the Code of Practice 2015. International School has recently begun to assess the skills and attainment levels of all students on entry. This may result in children who have previously had SEND support no longer requiring it and vice versa.
Where children are considered to be falling behind their peers, given their age and starting point, it should not be assumed that there may be need for SEND Support. However, additional teaching support should be provided. If students fail to make adequate progress, despite this focused support, specific needs may be identified.
The Code of Practice 2015 defines adequate progress to include progress which:
- is similar to that of peers starting from the same baseline.
- matches or betters the child’s previous rate of progress.
- closes the attainment gap between the child and their peers.
- prevents the attainment gap growing wider.
All children within our care will have access to quality first teaching provided by each and every member of staff. All teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the students in their class/classes, including where students access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff. High quality teaching, differentiated for individuals and groups of students, is the first step in responding to students who have or may have special educational needs. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching.
High quality teaching is promoted in our school through appraisal procedures, these may include:
- Learning walks
- Lesson observations
- Work scrutiny.
- Structured conversations with staff
- Training
- Student progress meetings.
The school has systems for regularly observing, assessing and recording the progress of all children; this system is then used to identify children who may have additional needs. This system includes reference to information provided by:
- Regular and frequent data analysis
- Baseline assessment results
- Observations of behavioral, emotional and social development
- An existing Education Health Care plan
- Assessments by a specialist service, such as educational psychology, identifying additional needs.
- Information provided by parents, carers and the student.
- Information provided by teachers and departments.
Based on the School’s observations and assessment data and, following a discussion between the class teachers, SLT, SENDCo and parent, children may be recorded as needing either additional support or learning opportunities.
These children and young people are recorded as having SEND Support on the school information system (iSAMS) located under SEN Manager on the SEND database. In addition, International School is introducing Provision Map a software programme that map out interventions and keeps track of SEND students, SEND needs and staff involved with in each intervention.
If SEND support has not had the appropriate impact, all members of staff and parents can raise their concerns to the SENDCo and/or appropriate member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), who will then decide how to proceed.
Provision
Special educational provision is defined in the Code of Practice 2015 as educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for others of the same age. This means provision that goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, personalized teaching.
This may take the form of additional support from within the setting or require the involvement of specialist staff or support services provided by external agencies. Key links are in place with relevant services and established professional relationships.
Specialist teaching staff and learning support staff are deployed according to individual need as directed by SENDCo in conjunction with the Head of the LDC. A variety of approaches are used:
- class support!
- Individual support / tuition
- Small group support and intervention
- Some resources may be acquired through identification of need within a child’s EHCP.
Transition and Careers Education
International School addresses the needs of each student by providing them with enriching career and educational related experiences and guidance, to ensure they are fully equipped with the knowledge to which they are entitled, to enable them to make informed decisions about important life and school choices with the necessary support. Key information relating to SEND strategies as well as Access Arrangement entitlements are communicated quickly and confidentially with new settings to ensure a smooth transition for students.
Role of parents
The school recognizes the importance of the role of parents and aims to work in partnership with students and parents/carers. In working with parents, the school aims to:
- acknowledge and draw on parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their child.
- foster good lines of communication, including enabling parents to feel confident in raising concerns they may have about their child’s learning or provision.
- focus on the child’s strengths as well as areas of additional need.
- recognize the personal and emotional investment of parents and be aware of their feelings.
- ensure that parents understand procedures, are aware of how to access support in preparing their contributions, and are given documents to be discussed well before meetings.
- respect the validity of differing perspectives and seek constructive ways of reconciling different viewpoints.
- respect the differing needs parents themselves may have, for example a disability or communication or linguistic barriers.
- recognize the need for flexibility in the timing and structure of meetings.
Policies associated with SEND
- Curriculum
- Assessment and Reporting
- Equality Policy
- Admissions
- Safeguarding
- Behavior
