Special Educational Needs & Disability

Introduction:

At Abbeywood Community School, we believe passionately that each student has personal and unique needs. We work hard to ensure that all students with additional needs are identified quickly and support put in place so that they make the very best progress that they can.

The SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) is Kate Williams.

Kate.Williams@olympustrust.co.uk

SEND provision at Abbeywood Community School

SEND Annual Report 2024/25

“Our whole school approach to SEND reflects our dedication to creating a diverse, inclusive, and supportive educational environment where everyone succeeds. By fostering collaboration, personalised support, and continuous improvement, we aim to empower every student to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.”

Introduction

We strive to support all children to be successful and to thrive at school. Many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey. For some children there are occasions where further additional support may be needed to help them make the best possible progress at school. This report should be read in conjunction with the ACS SEND Policy and the Accessibility plan which are included on the Abbeywood website.

The South Gloucestershire Local Offer

Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’ which is known as the South Glos Way.
The intention of the South Glos Way is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area

The South Glos Way Inclusion Toolkit | Safeguarding/South Gloucestershire Safeguarding

This information report utilises the South Glos Way to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy and the provision that the school is able to meet. The 2015 Code of Practice defines four broad ‘areas of need’:

Communication and Interaction
Cognition and Learning
Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
Sensory and Physical needs

SEND vision for ACS:

Who are the best people in school to talk to about my child's Special Educational Needs or Disability?

If your child is struggling with a particular area of learning or their wellbeing in that subject, in the first instance we would ask you to speak either to the child’s class teacher or tutor. Teachers are responsible for:

Delivering quality-first teaching and targeted teaching to the whole class
Providing in-class interventions where appropriate, contributing to a relevant provision map outlining support and impact
Checking on progress and identifying, planning and delivering any additional support your child might need and letting the Inclusion team know as necessary
Ensuring the school SEND policy and student passports are followed in the classroom for all students with SEND

The Inclusion team is made up of several teaching and non-teaching staff:

The named strategic SENDCo: Mrs Kate Williams

Responsible for:

Developing and reviewing the school SEND Policy
The quality assurance of SEND provision across the school
Safeguarding children with SEND
Monitoring records of concern
Ensuring appropriate training is in place for teachers in the school, to ensure everyone succeeds through supported quality for teaching strategies
Keeping up to date on SEND legislation and disseminating this to the wider school
Updating and reviewing the SEND register and making sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are being met
Leading on working with parents to ensure they are:
- Involved in supporting learning at home and in school
- Informed about support being received
- Consulted when reviewing progress alongside class teachers, tutors and key workers
Consulting with the LA on existing and new EHCP students
Collaborating and consulting with feeder schools
Lead on referrals to other professionals and outside agencies
Managing and overseeing the local offer
Ensuring appropriate training is in place for teaching assistants in the school, to ensure everyone succeeds through supported quality first teaching strategies and that there is specific training in place for more specialist needs
Liaising with all external agencies who might be involved in supporting a child’s learning, such as: Educational Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists
Distributing learning passports so that teaching and support staff are aware of the key strategies that will help support the needs of the child.

The Assistant SENDCo’s: Ms Liz Jones, Mrs Jane Harding, Mrs Sam Milkins

Responsible for:

The timetabling and day-to-day deployment of teaching assistants
Support the SENDCo in the line management of TAs
Co-ordinate the Annual Review process for EHCP students
Support with Key Stage transitions
Meet with parents / carers
Oversee and review interventions outside of the classroom

Teaching Assistants:

Lead TA for Access arrangements and exams

Lead TA KS4/5

There is a team of Teaching Assistants who support students to access the learning in the classroom and also run planned small group interventions.

Teaching Assistants main role is to support Resource Base students to access the mainstream school.

They will then prioritise:

Mainstream EHCP students
SEND Support
any student in need of support

What training will the staff have received in relation to SEND?

There is a comprehensive training programme (CPD) for all staff, to include:

New staff training in SEND students, our procedures and strategies
Support with understanding and implementing student passports
Whole staff SEND training and department time to work on planning
Emotions coaching training for all staff
Programmes of observations, supporting staff with SEND students
Refresher training on the 4 areas of SEND needs
Opportunities for training events from guest speakers with various specialisms
SEND circles, where TAs meet with all relevant staff to discuss specific students

How does Abbeywood School know if my child needs extra help?

We know when pupils need help if:

Concerns are raised by parents, previous schools, teachers or the child
There is a diagnosis made by medical or specialist groups
There is a concern around progress

We also gather data regularly from class teachers; in KS3 we screen students in reading and we work with Year 6 teachers and May SATs data. Other external agencies may also pass information to the school directly.

How will I know Abbeywood School will support my child?

Each student with a SEND need has a student passport, which is used to help the teacher in understanding their need and effective support strategies. These are reviewed by the Inclusion team, through discussion and observation of the class teacher. Student voice will also be undertaken with the student, to see if there are gaps or inconsistencies.

The school has access to external agencies, such as the Speech and Language Team, Educational psychologists, a school nurse and school counsellor. Students are referred to these services if their needs suggest they require them. Access to these agencies are limited and not all students will qualify for their support. If your child is identified as needing one of these external supports, you will be contacted for permission prior to a referral being made.

Once support is accessed, the specialist will work with your child to understand their needs; based on this they will make recommendations on how the school or other key workers can support your child.

Specified Individual Support:

This type of support is available for children whose needs are severe, complex and lifelong. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group support. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and / or intervention groups.

For an EHCP to be granted for your child:

The school (or you) can request that Local Authority Service carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.

After the request has been made, a panel of professionals (with information about your child which has been provided by yourselves, the school and other professionals) will decide whether they think your child’s needs seem complex enough for a statutory assessment. If this is the case, they will ask you and all professionals involved to write a report outlining your child’s needs.

After the reports have been sent in, the panel of professionals will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong. If this is the case, they will write an EHCP. If not, they will ask the school to continue with their level of support.

The EHCP plan will outline the support your child will need and what strategies need to be put in place. It will also have short and long-term outcomes for your child.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's needs?

In class:

Teachers have the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class
Teachers access student passports and understand the needs and strategies used to support your child in class
Teachers are aware of the 4 areas of needs and have planned lessons in order to support your child

The curriculum outside of lessons also supports all students, with varied enrichment programmes being offered and adjustments made to support engagement where necessary.

How will my child's progress be measured?

Progress is measured by the class teacher, tutor, SENDCo, Heads of Year and Key Stage Leads. In addition, there are key points throughout a child’s time in school where they are assessed against National criteria and the attainment of the whole cohort is published Nationally. Throughout Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), students are assessed for their reading scores and against Trust agreed Age-Related Expectations in all subjects. In KS4 students study an appropriate pathway to GCSE examinations and are then supported either for work, college or through Post16 qualifications.

The progress of students with EHCPs will be formally reviewed at what is called an Annual Review Meeting, with all adults involved in your child’s education. The school holds interim reviews in between these, at the request of parents or staff. Staff in the Inclusion team will check your child is making good progress as part of the school’s assessment procedures. This is reviewed against attendance and behaviour data as well.

How will I know how my child is doing?

You will be able to discuss your child’s progress at different points throughout the year:

At our tutor evenings in term 1, where you can discuss settling in / any initial concerns or questions
At Annual Reviews, if an EHCP is in place
With your child’s key worker, if one has been assigned
At subject evenings, where you can discuss progress with all subject teachers
There are three data points each year, where teachers report on progress and effort

You are also welcome to contact the school, SENDCo or subject teachers if you have specific concerns.

How are school resources allocated and matched to a child's special needs?

School budgets include money for supporting children with SEND. The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for SEND, on the basis of needs in the school. The SEND budget is allocated for SEND each year; the money is used to provide support and / or resources depending on the child’s needs.

Element 2 funding is used to provide smaller teaching groups, hire additional support staff and provide specialist training opportunities for staff CPD which equips staff to meet students’ needs in the classroom.

Element 3 funding (top-up) for Mainstream EHCP and Resource Base students funding is ring fenced to meet the section F requirements outlined on the students EHC plan.

The school is part of a local cluster of 22 schools in the local area who can access additional funding or training to meet the needs of children requiring SEND support.

How will my child be included in activities outside of the classroom?

Enrichment activities after school, our enrichment week and school trips are available to all. The trip leaders liaise with inclusion staff and the trip providers to ensure we can make all reasonable adjustments and adaptations to meet a child’s neds. Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all children to participate. We also run trips and clubs specifically for students with SEND throughout the year.

What support will there be in terms of my child's wellbeing?

Pastoral and emotional support is initially provided through class teachers, who all have up-to- date Child Protection training. It is also provided through:

Tutors and Heads of Year
Key Stage Leads
Your child’s key worker
PSHE lessons on wellbeing and mental health

Some students will be able to access short term, planned interventions such as THRIVE and other SEMH sessions. This will be agreed by the SENCo team.

Staff are able to refer and sign post to mental health services for any student in need of support from an external agency.

Has the SENDCO undertaken the necessary training?

The SENDCO is new to post and will take the statutory qualification later in the year. There is support for the SEDNCO both in school and with support from 2 SENDCO leads in the Academy Trust and through the Local Authority.

What communication strategies are in place for parents/carers of children with SEND?

Parents and carers of SEND students have the same access to school staff as parents of other students. Those on an EHCP and on the SEND register have an allocated key worker who will make contact (through annual reviews or through meetings) three times a year. Information is available on the school website and the school keeps parents involved through texts, social media platforms and a termly newsletter.

When was the SEND policy last reviewed?

The policy was last approved in January 2024 and reflects the current needs of the students. It provides comprehensive information on all aspects of SEND provision within the school and should be read in conjunction with the school’s Equalities policy, Accessibility policy and Medical needs policy.