Special Education Needs and Disability Information

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for additional educational provision/support to be made for him or her.
A child may have a learning difficulty if they have
a) a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
b) 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.
SEND Code of Practice (2014, p 4)

A student will go onto the SEND Register when they have a medical, and/or physical disability and/or learning difficulty and have support outside of the classroom. This may also include students with mental health difficulties attending mindfulness support or counselling sessions. Students with diagnoses are not automatically added to the Register. Students come off the Register when the support is no longer deemed necessary.

The SEND Register includes those students who have a recognised need and:
• who have extra support in school outside lessons, e.g., small group or individual support.
• OR who receive support from external agencies.

It is separated from other vulnerable students:
• who have differentiated support in lessons following strategies implemented by their class teachers.
• who are a cause for concern for other reasons.

• High quality teaching
• • Excellent standards of behaviour from all students
• • A wide range of exceptional opportunities for all students
• • Personalized Information, Advice and Guidance for all students at every stage of their school career
• • Outstanding professional development opportunities for staff

• Identify all students needing additional support at the earliest opportunity.
• • Ensure that appropriate support is given to allow every child full and inclusive access to the curriculum and achieve their potential.
• • Involve parents, students, and others in developing a partnership of support.
• • To ensure that pupils with SEND are supported by the Mainstream Core Standards in accordance with Kent’s Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 2021-2024. These standards are underpinned by (Section 66 of the Children and Families Act 2014) and The Equalities Act 2010.
• We strive to be an inclusive school, fostering a sense of community and belonging through our
• • Inclusive ethos
• • Systems for early identification of barriers to learning and participation
• • High expectations and appropriate targets for all students.
• • Intervention via one-to-one/small group support, software programmes and specialised resources
• • Counselling, anxiety support and mentoring services

Ms J Bevan: Deputy Headteacher
Ms H. Worrall: SENCo. SDS Lead.
Mrs A. Harries: SDS Assistant.
Mr R Beadle: SDS Intern.
Email: office@opgs.org – please mark emails for the attention of SDS or SENCo.
Phone: 01622 726683

a. Communication and interaction
e.g., speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)

b. Cognition and learning
e.g., Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), moderate learning difficulties (MLD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, and developmental coordination disorder

c. Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH)
e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), depression, eating disorders, attachment disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD], anxiety.

d. Sensory and/or physical needs
e.g., vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Epilepsy.

e. Medical needs
We will follow the statutory guidance on supporting students at school with specific medical conditions. We will plan and deliver education provision in accordance with the student's healthcare plan, if they have one.

We are aware that there are other factors which are not SEND but which may impact on progress & attainment including:
• Disability (the CoP outlines "reasonable adjustment" duty under Disability Equality legislation – these alone are not SEN)
• Health & Welfare
• EAL
• Being in receipt of Pupil Premium grant
• Being a Child in Care or Looked after Child.
• Being a child of service personnel
The admission arrangements for students without a statement or EHCP do not discriminate against or disadvantage disabled students or those with SEND.

a. Identification of Need
• Visits to and discussions with students’ primary schools prior to transition ensure any additional needs are identified early on. Discussions with SENCos from previous schools also take place for students joining us in Year 12.
• Staff may raise concern with the SENCo when a student is not making progress despite working hard.
• All students are screened on entry in Year 7 for speed of working in handwriting, reading, comprehension. Some students are identified here as requiring some additional support.
• Directors of Study may raise concern with the SENCo when a student’s monitoring grades show a decline or no improvement in progress.
• Parents may raise concern with the SENCo if they feel that their child is struggling with their learning.
• The SDS team may recognise a need when conducting lesson observations and learning walks.
• Consolidation of feedback and data from teachers, parents, students and the SDS Team ensures that all views are heard when considering whether a student requires additional support.

b. Assessment of Need
The SENCo uses a variety of standardised assessments which can highlight specific areas of difficulty including:
• Receptive and expressive language difficulties
• Reading speed
• Decoding
• Memory
• Processing speed
• Handwriting speed
• Dyslexia screeners

We will also work with parents to submit and support referrals for assessments for Autism and ADHD.

a. Our students with SEND have most of their needs met in the classroom, through high quality teaching. Staff use the Mainstream Core Standards to support. These can be found by clicking here.
b. Teachers have access to live information which outlines specific provision requirements for students with SEND as well as other vulnerable students. This may include Pupil Passports and Learning Plans. This information is updated as required by SDS and staff are informed.
c. Teachers are regularly updated on the best strategies to use with individuals with specific learning needs and they adapt their approach according to the recommendations.
d. Where provision for SEND is required, we work alongside students, families and teachers to plan personalised support strategies and setting targets to facilitate progress. These are formalised in Pupil Passports and personalised Learning Plans. Learning Plans are reviewed with all parties three times per year.
e. Students with SEND may meet criteria for an examination access arrangement. Please refer to our comprehensive Access Arrangements Policy for detailed information. Click here to view.

Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

Where the school has done everything it can to identify, assess and meet the needs of the student, and they are still not making the expected progress, the school or parents may consider requesting an Education, Health and Care assessment.
EHCPs are issued by the Local Authority where necessary and are used by the school to plan SEND provision for students with more complex needs. The EHCP includes:
• A detailed profile of the student, their strengths, and aspirations for the future
• Any education, health and care needs they have
• The goals or outcomes for the student, agreed by the family and professionals for the next phase of their education
• Any education, health, and social care provision in place to meet their needs
• A detailed annual support plan/action plan which sets out the goals for the student for the next year, and the strategies that everyone supporting the student will put in place to support them.

The process for requesting an EHCP in Kent can be found by clicking here.

Ongoing training opportunities are provided throughout the year as part of the school's CPD programme, led by the SENCo, in response to the changing needs of our students e.g.
•Whole school dyslexia training
•Whole School ASC training
•Whole School ADHD training
•Whole school training for processing needs
•Staff given personalized training on student specific needs e.g. Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, EDA
•SENCo, FLO and Directors of Study trained on Anxiety Based School Avoidance support.
•Annual child protection training for all staff and governors
•ECTs, trainees and new teachers to the school access specific SEND training as part of theinduction process
•SDS staff receive additional training according to student need throughout the year.

SDS Expertise:

SENCO

•NASENCO
•Postgraduate Award of Proficiency in Access Arrangements
•Autism Level 2
•Certificate in Counselling Skills [NHS]

SDS Asst
BDA Dyslexia Level 5 [pending]

• •Equipment and facilities for students with SEN are considered as part of the whole school budget.
• •Specific individual requests are judged on a case-by-case basis, and we make every effortto provide all students with the resources required to succeed.
• •High Needs Funding provision is by application to County in exceptional circumstances
• •Room changes are made to tailor for individual needs, where necessary e.g. to enable ground floor access for wheelchair users.

We aim to promote a culture of collaboration with parents, schools, the LEA, and others through:
• Ensuring all parents are made aware of the school's arrangements for SEND including the opportunities for meetings between parents and SENCo.
• Involving parents as soon as a concern has been raised. This may be done at a parent consultation or by personal appointment/ telephone call/ Teams meeting with the Director of Study and/or SENCo.
• Providing access to the SENCo to discuss the students’ needs and approaches to address them.
• Supporting parents' understanding of external agency advice and support.
• Adhering to the code of confidentiality by ensuring information concerning the student with SEND is shared with relevant persons on a need-to-know basis, via secure e-mail.
• Undertaking annual, and mid-year, reviews for students with Learning Plans and Education Health Care Plans

• Students are involved in target setting and identifying teaching and learning strategies that work for them as part of a review of Learning Plans and EHCP reviews.
• Students and their families are consulted for input into the Pupil Passports.
• Students' views are listened to and considered with regards every aspect of their education.
• Self-advocacy and independence are encouraged through the Pastoral system and SDS interventions.
• Student Voice is strong within the school.
• The SDS Team discuss all arrangements for support, including examination arrangements with each student individually.

Any complaints regarding the provision made for students with special educational needs should be addressed in the first instance to the Director of Study who may refer your concerns to the SENCo or Deputy Headteacher.
The school's complaints procedure can be found on the school's website by clicking here.

The school has arrangements for securing access to external support services for students with special educational needs. This may include liaison with special schools and other specialists.
There is regular liaison and exchange of information between the SENCo and these services, particularly at LIFT and meetings with the Specialist Teaching & Learning Service [STLS].

The main agencies are listed below:
• Educational Psychologists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Specialist Nurses and School Nurse Services
• Speech and Language therapists
• Specialist Teaching & Learning Services [STLS]
• KCC Complex Care Team
• Inclusion Support Services Kent (ISSK)
• Social Services
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Children's and Young Peoples Mental Health
Services (CYPMHS)
• Maidstone Mediation
• Porchlight mentoring
• Early Help
• Project Salus

Information about local support is located via the links below:

KCC SEND
Mainstream Core Standards
Kent SEND Strategy
Kent Autistic Trust

All children and young people with SEND and their families may be particularly anxious about changing classes or "moving on" from school to school. We work closely with families and our partner organisations to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

Year 7 Transition

• Primary school visits to all feeder schools by a senior member of staff, which includes the school SENCo
• Consultation with Year 6 teacher & primary school SENCo
• Dedicated transition day in July
• Extra support on an individual basis as required e.g. familiarisation visits to OPGS
• Pupil Passports written for all students with additional needs, circulated to staff.

Year 8 and 9 to GCSE Transition

• Dedicated careers and options lessons integrated into the KS3 curriculum
• IAG appointments for all year 8 students before options choices made
• Options information evening for parents and students
• Enrichment tasters for 'new' GCSE subjects
• Subject specific mentoring (all subjects)
• Extra support on an individual basis as required

GCSE to A Level Transition

• Application process for Sixth form/college fully supported
• Taster day for A-Level/Pre-U subjects available at Oakwood Park
• Individual subject mentoring
• IAG appointment for all with careers specialist
• Form tutor support
• Dedicated careers and options lessons integrated into the extended learning curriculum
• Careers Evening

A Level to Post Compulsory (University/College/Apprenticeships etc.)

• Careers appointments for all with Careers advisor
• IAG coordinator open door policy for extra support
• UCAS application support.
• Enrichment programme (adulthood/independent living skills)

Mid-Year Transfers

Personalised transition arrangements as required

This policy is written in line with the requirements of:-
• SEND review: right support, right place, right time. 2022
• Children and Families Act 2014
• SEND Code of Practice 2014
    § SI 2014 1530 Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
    § Part 3 Duties on Schools – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators
    § Schedule 1 regulation 51– Information to be included in the SEND information report
    § Schedule 2 regulation 53 – Information to be published by a local authority in its local offer
• Equality Act 2010
• Schools Admissions Code, DfE 2021
• SI 2012 1124 The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012
• SI 2013 758 The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• Kent’s Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 2021-2024

This policy needs to be read in conjunction with the following school policies:
• Access Arrangements Policy
• Accessibility Plan
• Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy
• Complaints Procedure
• Education of Children in Care Policy
• E-Safety Policy
• Safeguarding Policy
• Single Equalities Policy
• Supporting Students with Medical Conditions
• Therapy Policy
• Wellbeing Policy