CUL Academy SEND Information Report CUL Academy is a Free School school that caters for young people from 13 -‐ 16 years. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-‐ordinator is: Charmaine Parry, Senior Leader As a school we believe that parents are an integral part of their child’s education and we will always involve you in the decision making process. We hold termly reviews for SEND and maintain an ‘open door’ approach. What is SEND? A child has Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability. Special educational needs and Disabilities are defined in the code of practice 2014 in this way: A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-‐16 institutions. How we identify children who may have SEND within our school As a school we monitor children’s progress through ongoing assessment and tracking to ensure we identify any needs as early as possible. Children may have difficulty with some or a combination of the following: Some or all of the work in school Understanding information Reading writing or maths Expressing themselves (a speech and/or language need) Understanding others Organising themselves Sensory perception (such as a visual, hearing or multisensory impairment) Physical mobility Managing their behaviour Making friends or relating to others If you feel your child is experiencing significant difficulties with any of the above please raise your concerns with the class teacher in the first instance. If you wish to make a complaint about the provision made at our school for your child, the normal complaints procedure, detailed on our website, will apply. If a child has a high level of need when joining the school or after additional support in the form of an intervention, they may be considered to have Special Educational Needs or Disability and placed on the Special Educational Needs and Disability action list. How Does our School Support Your Child? All children receive quality first provision; this means that a range of teaching styles and appropriate learning objectives are set for all children with a curriculum matched to their needs. We make sure your child’s progress is monitored by their class teacher on a regular basis. This can be in the form of: Observation Discussion Questioning Formal assessments Individualised programmes National tests at stated points in the child’s education Standardised tests at points in the child’s education To make sure our school meets each child’s needs, we differentiate appropriately. Age appropriate arrangements are made to consult children with SEND and involve them in their education. For example, this may include seeking children’s views during the review of their targets. In addition to parents’ evenings and written reports, appointments can be made to meet with teachers throughout the year. • Children with SEND may have additional meetings with a range of other professional agencies. • Some families may be supported by the Birmingham Common Assessment Framework. Our school takes the wellbeing and safeguarding of your child seriously, if concerns arise in relation to a child with Special Educational Needs or Disability, our normal safeguarding policy will apply. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Charmaine Parry, Senior Leader. In her absence, the following are also Designated Safeguarding Leads: Wayne Henry, Principal Daniel Edwards, Pastoral Manger Clare Dennis, Curriculum Leader – ICT We may also seek advice from a number of other specialists who may be working with your child. Appropriate plans will be made for the provision of personal care, dietary needs or medication. Emotional and social development is a fundamental principle at our school. All staff create a supportive ethos, are approachable and encourage children to share their ideas and concerns. We place great value on a close working partnership with families. We take matters of bullying seriously and have a specific policy for this. Class ‘Welfare Files’ are used to record instances of bullying, as defined in the document ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying (DfE 2013), and are monitored on a regular basis by the Senior Leadership Team to identify possible patterns of behaviour in school or by individuals. Specialist services that are accessed by our school include: EP – Educational Psychologist School nurse Behaviour Consultant CAMHs-‐ Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Autism Education Trust (AET) And any other that are felt appropriate to help to meet the needs of the child. Inclusion We endeavour to include all children in all activities making reasonable adjustments and adaptations so they can take part in school activities, visits and residentials. Teaching is adapted to cover all learning needs where possible. Wherever possible, reasonable adjustments will be made to accommodate Special Educational Needs and Disability. The school website can be translated. A translator/interpreter in mother tongue will be made available for meetings with parents of children with Special Educational Needs or Disability where appropriate. Training Staff access training appropriate for their needs in order to support the children with whom they are working. Evaluating Effectiveness of Provision The SENCo monitors the review process for children with IEPs. The progress of all children and groups (including those children identified as having SEND) is robustly tracked and compared with the progress made by all children as well as being compared with national norms. We works daily with selected children through the FFT Wave 3 programme; and track the progress closely and monitor the degree to which attainment gaps are being closed. Transition between Schools and Classes We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with Special Educational Needs or Disability and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. If your child is moving to another school: We contact the Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-‐ordinator and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-‐ordinator will attend meetings and where possible they will visit the new school in advance on a number of occasions and in some cases, staff from the new school may visit your child. When moving classes: Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and a transition/planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. Additional Resources/Specialist Provisions If a child continues to work well below national age related expectations or does not make the expected rate of progress, a number of professionals including an Educational Psychologist may be consulted by the school with yourself in order to reach a decision regarding future provision for your child. For More Advice Please Contact Ms Charmaine Parry Telephone: 0121 696 4800 or Email: [email protected]