Special Education Needs and Disability Information

• High quality teaching that engages and challenges all students to become more independent and successful in their learning.
• Excellent standards of behaviour from all our students to create a positive climate for learning based on respect for and tolerance of others.
• A wide range of exceptional opportunities for all our students to extend their learning beyond the
  Classroom.
• Personalised Information, Advice and Guidance for all our students at every stage of their school career and beyond, so they can develop their learning and contribute to the wider community.
• Outstanding professional development opportunities for all our staff; they too are learners.

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 if he or she:
a) Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
b) 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.
 

SEND Code of Practice (2014, p 4)

Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is "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". This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: "long-term" is defined as "a year or more" and "substantial" is defined as "more than minor or trivial"

SEND Code of Practice (2014, p5)

• To identify at the earliest opportunity all students who need special consideration to support their physical, sensory, social, emotional, communication or cognitive development.
• To ensure that these students are given appropriate support to allow every child full access to the curriculum in a positive framework.
• To ensure that these students are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
• To involve parents, students and others in developing a partnership of support, enabling them full confidence in the strategy as adopted by the school.
• To ensure that pupils with SEND have in accordance with Kent’s Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 2021-2024 as set out in its Mainstream Core Standards. These standards are underpinned by (Section 66 of the Children and Families Act 2014) and The Equalities Act 2010.

Ms J Bevan: Deputy Headteacher
Miss C. Beeney: Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo)
Ms H. Worrall: Acting SENDCo Student Development Support Lead. Academic Year 2021-22
Mrs C. Allen: SDS Assistant
Mr H Gillespie: SDS Assistant

Email: office@opgs.org – please mark emails as for the attention of the Learning Support Team, or for a named member of staff.

Phone: 01622 726683

• Communication and interaction
  e.g. speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) Autistic Spectrum Continuum (ASC)
• Cognition and learning
  e.g. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), moderate learning difficulties (MLD), dyslexia, dyscalculia and developmental coordination disorder
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH)
  e.g. attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), depression, eating disorders, attachment disorder
• Sensory and/or physical needs
  e.g. vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) or Cerebral Palsy (CP), epilepsy.
• 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 SEN but 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 PP grant
• Being a CIC
• 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 an SEN.

• All of our staff recognise the importance of identifying SEN early and making effective provision.
• The identification and assessment of SEN is built into the school's approach to monitoring the progress of ALL students.

How is the Provision Evaluated?

• Feedback is regularly sought from subject teachers and used to share good practice and refine advice to staff.
• Lesson drop-in checks are conducted by the Learning Support Team and SEND Governor.
• Monitoring data is reviewed three times a year for all students with SEND.

How are the Students with SEN Identified

• Consolidation of feedback and data from teachers, parents, students and the Learning Support
  Team ensures that all views are heard when considering whether a student requires additional support.
• The school uses a range of different assessment tools and systems to help identify and assess students with SEND and specialist, external expertise is sought where necessary
• Pastoral Support Planning Meetings take place fortnightly for all year groups – the Director of Study meets with the Learning Support Manager to discuss current issues and any concerns.
• Oakwood Park Grammar School has established strong links with feeder primary schools. All students making the transition to OPGS are visited in their primary school. The Year 6 teacher and school SENDCo are consulted to obtain a detailed profile for each student. This is used to help to identify where support and intervention may be required.
• Teachers of Year 7 and Year 12 students new to the school who are identified early on as being in need to additional support are referred to the Learning Support Team for further assessment.
• There is an ongoing process of monitoring and tracking of all students to establish if any students require additional support due to a special educational need.

• Our students with SEND have the majority of their needs met, in the classroom, through high quality teaching.
• Teachers have access to context sheets which outline specific provision requirements for students with SEND.
• 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.
• 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 personalised Learning Plans which are reviewed with all parties on a termly basis.

There is now a single category of support for SEND students who do not have a Statement of Special Educational Needs/Education and Health Care Plan, known as SEND Support. At Oakwood Park the Context Sheet contains strategies for supporting all students on the SEND register as well as other vulnerable students staff need to be aware of in lessons.

The SEND register includes:

• Students who have support in lessons beyond the usual differentiated strategies. (Wave 1).
• Those who have extra support in school outside lessons, e.g small group or individual support
  (Wave 2).
• Students who receive support from external agencies (Wave 3).

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.
• Who have medical needs.

The context sheet is a live document, updated as required. Staff are informed when changes are made, and every member of staff has a personalised context sheet for each of their classes. This will contain the overarching strategies recommended for each student as well as personalised, subject specific strategies detailing how each teacher will implement the support in their classroom.

Education Health and Care Plan (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.

The process for requesting an EHCP in Kent can be found on the Council's Local Offer website: http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

Education Health and Care Plans 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.

Ongoing training opportunities are provided throughout the year as part of the school's CPD programme, in response to the changing needs of our students e.g.

• Whole school dyslexia training
• Whole School ASC training
• Whole School ASC training
• EAL training
• Staff given personalised training on student specific needs e.g. diabetes support
• Annual child protection training for all staff and governors
• Individual bespoke training for staff as required
• NQTs, trainees and new teachers to the school access specific SEND training as part of the induction process

• Equipment and facilities for students with SEN are considered as part of whole school budget.
• Specific individual requests are judged on a case-by-case basis, and we make every effort to provide all students with the resources required to succeed.
• High Needs Funding provided 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.

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 SENDCo.
• Involving parents as soon as a concern has been raised. This may be done at a parent consultation or by personal appointment with the class teacher.
• Providing access to the SENDCo 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 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.
• Students' views listened to and taken into account with regards to every aspect of their education.
• Encouraging self-advocacy and independence.
• Student Voice.
• Discussions in mentoring sessions with the Learning Support Team.

Any complaints regarding the provision made for students with special educational needs should be addressed in the first instance to the subject teacher or form tutor who may refer your concerns to the SENCo or Assistant Headteacher.

The school's complaints procedure can be found on the school's website.

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 & GSF.

The main agencies are listed below:

• Educational Psychologists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Specialist Nurses and School Nurse Services
• Speech and Language therapists
• Specialist Teaching Services
• Communication and Interaction services
• Cognition and
  Learning services
• Hearing impairment services
• Visual impairment services
• Inclusion Support Services Kent (ISSK)
• Social Services
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Children's and Young Peoples
  Services (CHYPS)
• Maidstone Mediation
• Porchlight mentoring
• Early Help

Information about local support is located here: http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

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.

To find out more about the range of services on offer locally go to Kent Local Offer:

http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

KCC’s updated SEND strategy for 2021-24:

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs/send-strategy/strategy-for-
children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities

Mainstream Core Standards

https://www.kelsi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/117256/Special-educational-needs-mainstream-core-
standards.pdf

This policy is written in line with the requirements of:

• 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 1 Feb 2012
• 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:

• 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

Last reviewed: May 2021