Special Education Needs

SEN information report for Christ Church Academy

At Christ Church Academy children excel, achieve and enjoy learning. We are ambitious in our aims, driven by our Vision of excellence for all, so that all may flourish. All pupils have the opportunity to grow personally, emotionally and intellectually within a caring, nurturing and happy environment. The individual is also very much valued. We encourage independent thought and learning throughout the four years pupils spend with us, so at the end of Year 8 they leave as happy and confident young adults.

As a Church of England Academy we enjoy strong formal and informal links with our local church. The ethos of our school gives children a lively understanding and experience of the Christian faith and an awareness and tolerance of the religion of others. Christian values such as trust, friendship and thankfulness help our children learn and grow in an atmosphere of support and acceptance.

At Christ Church Academy 10.6% of our current cohort are identified as having an SEN need with 1.2% of these having an education, health care plan (EHCP). This figure is slightly below the national average of 12.2% (although this includes pupils in specialist school settings) and in line with the average for Staffordshire mainstream schools (10.4%).

We have provision to meet the needs of students with moderate and specific Cognition and Learning Difficulties, children with Communication and Interaction Difficulties (including students with Autism Spectrum Conditions), young people experiencing Emotional, Social and Mental Health difficulties and children with Sensory and/or Physical difficulties.

1. How does the academy know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

At Christ Church Academy we believe that children’s needs should be identified and met as early as possible. This is done through:

• Transition meetings which are arranged with all feeder schools to ensure that we are fully aware of any issues that have already been identified and strategies being used to support this. We aim to continue with strategies that have been shown to enable the student to progress.

• The analysis of data including entry profiles, Key Stage 1 SAT results, reading ages and other whole-school progress data.

• Classroom-based assessment and monitoring arrangements.

 If we have any concerns parents will be contacted and a plan of further specialist assessment and intervention will be put in place.

We encourage parents/carers and teaching staff to indicate any concerns that they have about a child throughout the year so that we can make timely assessments and/or engage additional agencies as required. 

We work with a wide range of agencies including Autism Outreach Team, Hearing Impaired Team, Educational Psychology, School nurse, a range of specialist health support services for specific conditions and Parent partnership to ensure that children’s needs are met.

2. How will school staff support my child?

Where it is deemed to be necessary, additional provision will be planned by the SENCO following consultation with parents/carers, pupils and teaching staff. Each intervention programme runs for 6 weeks and after this a decision is made as to whether additional sessions are required.

This provision could include in class support, 1:1/small group intervention and/or mentoring and will be delivered by highly trained Teacher Assistants. The type of intervention and frequency of delivery will be matched to the individual student’s needs.         

All students will have been assessed before starting an intervention and this will be repeated at frequent intervals to ensure that the programme is appropriate and progress is being made.

3. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

It is an expectation of Teachers’ standards that staff:

• know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively

• have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these

• demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development

• have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.

Regular monitoring of an individual’s progress through the school assessment systems ensures that they are making progress as a result of this. Data reports are sent to parents termly.

4. How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Parents are regularly informed of their child’s progress through the reporting system which is supported by scheduled meetings with tutors and class teachers. All pupils are issued with a ‘Day Book’ which includes timetable, homework and teacher comments and a space for parents to sign each week and to write comments.

In addition to this parents of children with an SEND need (K or E on the SEN register) are contacted 3 times a year to monitor the progress that has been made and plan any additional needs for the following term.

5. What support will there be for my child’s/young person’s overall well-being?

The first point of contact for all students and parents is the form tutor. If additional advice is required then this is can be gained from the head of year, head of department or SENCO as appropriate.

Communication is encouraged between form tutor, subject teacher and parents. Attending parents evening and additional phone calls/meetings will ensure that any issues that occur are address in a timely manner.

Prescription medications that are required during the school day can be administered in accordance with the care plan produced by parents. Additional personal care required will be arranged on a case by case basis.

6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the academy?

Additional support including in class support in the lowest Maths and English sets, small group intervention and/or mentoring and will be delivered by highly trained Teacher Assistants. Where appropriate we follow programmes designed for the individual by one of the wide range of outside agencies that we work with.

The agencies include Educational Psychology, SENSS advisors for learning and cognition, Hearing Impaired and ASD, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Behaviour Support Team (KS2), Specialist Health Agencies, The Virtual School for looked after children, The Education Welfare Service, The Local Support Team and Social Care where appropriate for an individual’s needs.            

7. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?

All members of the SEND department take part in regular CPD training sessions to ensure that their knowledge of all needs is up to date for the needs of the current cohort of students. This training is provided by specialist employed by the academy as well as outside agencies where appropriate. Training over the last 12 months has included speech and language strategies, supporting students with ASD and dyslexia awareness.

8. How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom include during school trips?

Christ Church Academy is a fully inclusive establishment and all staff strive to make reasonable adjustments to the taught curriculum and school based activities to ensure that all students can participate where possible. The adjustments made are tailored to meet the individual’s specific needs and are discussed with parents as part of the planning.

9. How accessible is the academy environment?

Whilst some areas of the main building are accessible by wheelchair the construction of the original building precludes modification of the entry to some classrooms to admit wheelchairs due to Health and Safety concerns.

Where additional equipment and facilities are required to support children and young people with a Special Educational Need then the Governors will determine a course of action on a case by case basis.

10. How will the academy prepare and support my child to join the setting or transfer to a new setting / school / college?

Transition meetings are arranged with all feeder schools to ensure that we are fully aware of any issues that have already been identified and strategies being used to support this.

On entry in year 5 all students are assessed using the Maths and English GL assessments and these are repeated annually to ensure that progress is made from this starting point. If we have any concerns following these assessments parents will be contacted and a plan of further specialist assessment and where appropriate intervention will be put in place.

We replicate this level of support for transition into high schools ensuring that we include all agencies that are working with the young person at that time.

11. How are the academy’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

The SEN department is well resourced with specialist teaching and diagnostic resources (including WRAT 4, WRIT, PhAB and BPVS). The Academy maintains a higher number of support staff than would be indicated through the number of students in receipt of EHCP’s to ensure that interventions for other students can take place. At present there are 9 TA’s on staff.

Where required Christ Church Academy will fund SEN support up to £6,000 per annum for each individual learner.  Thereafter, if the cost is higher and the provision of these facilities is likely to be prolonged, the academy will apply to the Local Authority for Additional Educational Needs Funding.

Resources are also allocated to staff development needs as identified.

12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

Additional provision will be planned by the SENCO following consultation with parents/carers, pupils and teaching staff.

This provision could include in class support, 1:1/small group intervention and/or mentoring and will be delivered by highly trained Teacher Assistants. The type of intervention and frequency of delivery will be matched to the individual student’s needs and advice given by selected additional agencies. Unfortunately, we are not able guarantee to action strategies/interventions made by privately sourced agencies.

All students will have been assessed before starting an intervention and this will be repeated at frequent intervals to ensure that the programme is appropriate and progress is being made. Interventions last for 6 weeks and at the end of this period a decision will be made about whether this should continue for a further period of time.

13. How are parents involved in the academy? How can I be involved?

Parental involvement is essential in ensuing that the child reaches their true potential. Communication is encouraged between form tutor, subject teacher and parents. Attending parents evening and additional phone calls/meetings will ensure that any issues that occur are address in a timely manner.

14. What do I do if I have a concern about the provision made for my child?

If there are any complaints relating to the provision for children with Special Educational Needs these will be dealt with in the first instance by the SENCO, then, if unresolved, by the Headteacher. 

The governor with specific responsibility for SEN/inclusion may be involved if necessary.

In the case of an unresolved complaint the issue should be taken through the general Governors’ complaints procedure (see separate Complaints Policy)

15.    Who can I contact for further information?

The first point of contact for all parents would be the form tutor. In addition to this if you require specialist SEN support please contact Mrs Holdcroft (SENCO) will be happy to help.

Contact can be made via the school office.

Staffordshire SEND Family Partnership : 01785 356921

The Staffordshire Local Offer can be found at: www.staffordshireconnects.info/kb5/staffordshire/directory/home.page