Special Educational Needs & Disability Policy

Policy details

• Date created - June 2023
• Date reviewed - June 2023
• Date approved - June 2023
• Next review date -June 2024
• Policy owner -Rob Cameron

This policy has been written with guidance and reference to the

following documents:

The Children and Families Act 2014

Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child

The Equality Act 2010

Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years (June 2014, updated April 2020)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf

To ensure the SEND Code of Practice, the Equality Act and the guidance in Removing Barriers to Achievement are implemented effectively across the schools.

Introduction

This policy links with the SEND Code of Practice by recognising the:

• SEND Code of Practice now covers 0-25 years
• Single school SEND categories
• Graduated approaches to provision
• Local Authorities will have a Local Offer and schools will contribute to that offer
• There will be Joint Commissioning roles between Education, Health and Social Care.

Co-op Academy Delius recognises that there is a significant overlap between children and young people with Special Educational Needs and those with Disabilities, and that many such children and young people are covered by both SEND Code of Practice and equality legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. We will make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children and those with medical conditions, to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage.

Objectives

• To ensure equality of opportunity and to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against young people with special educational needs.
• To continually monitor the progress of all students, to anticipate and identify needs as they arise and to provide support as early as possible.
• To provide access to a relevant and exciting curriculum through planning and provision by Class Teachers, SENCO, Lead Teachers and Senior Leaders.
• To make effective arrangements to support and care for our students so that their complex individual needs do not become a barrier to learning and progress.
• To enable young people to move on to their secondary school with the skills they need to become successful in their secondary provision, whichever pathway they follow.
• To involve parents, and young people themselves wherever possible, in planning for any decisions that inform the young person’s preparation for continued learning. .

Definitions of Special Educational Needs

For the purposes of its policy the schools adopt the legal definition provided by the 1996 Education Act:

“A child has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.”

The SEND Code of Practice states that a child has a learning difficulty if he or she;

1. Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of young people of the same age

2. Has a disability which either prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for young people of the same age in schools within the area.

3. Under the SEN Code of Practice 2014, the categories of need were redefined and are now:

We believe that young people may have special educational needs in some areas of their learning but that they can also be identified as gifted and talented in others

Context

The 'Aims of the Academy', which underpin Co-op Academy Delius’s SEND Policy are:

• To enable optimal social experiences for each student by using the full facilities of the Academy for the benefit of all students;
• To operate a 'Gradient of Inclusion', yet giving equal consideration to each member of the Academy community;
• To establish a model community, recognising that all members have equal value, but with different needs and future paths.

Principles

Our schools aim to be centres of expertise.

Co-op Academy Delius is committed to providing an appropriate and high-quality education to all the young people that we serve. We believe that all young people, including those identified as having special educational needs and disabilities, have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, which enables all relevant aspects of school life to be accessible to them. We aim to provide an environment in which all individuals are respected and encouraged to reach their full potential.

The Academy, as a learning community, is committed to ensuring success for all, in line with our Equal Opportunities policy. This means that in all work with young people we will aim to ensure that:

• Students feel safe
• Students are happy
• Students co-operate
• Students communicate
• Students engage in learning
• Students aspire to achieve
• Students show respect for others
• Students have pride in their school
• Students show an understanding of what equality means in practice.

We believe that all young people should be equally valued at the Academy. We will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all young people can flourish and feel safe. We aim to engender a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous barriers. This does not mean that we will treat all learners in the same way, but that we will respond to learners in ways which take account of their varied life experiences, strengths and needs. We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, difficulty, sexuality, disability, attainment levels and background.

We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement of different groups of learners;

• Students who demonstrate some independence as learners because they have some understanding of abstract concepts and can access learning through spoken word and text.
• Supported learners who need a more concrete experience and often have an additional communication need.
• Students with more complex needs who rely on adult mediation to enable them to have a meaningful learning experience.
• Girls and boys when they need different types of curriculum or provision, for example through Sex and Relationships Education.
• Minority faith groups.
• Recently arrived communities such as economic migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
• Students who need support to learn English.
• Students who are gifted and talented in a particular skill or area of interest.
• Students who are looked after by the local authority.
• Any students who are at risk of exclusion.
• Any students who are at risk of radicalisation or exploitation.

We recognise that students learn at different rates and that there are many factors affecting achievement, including ability, emotional state, age and maturity.

We are particularly aware that the needs of our students change as they develop between 2.5 and 11 years, and we try to ensure that we respect and reflect their changing age and maturity.

Co-op Academy Delius sees the inclusion of young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the full life of the Academy as critical to the success of our Academy, and to ensure their journey into secondary education is planned for meeting parental and pupil choice.

Responsibilities

The Senior Leadership Team of Co-op Academy Delius will ensure high quality education and support for all, when deciding how to allocate resources and to prioritise access to services and accommodation within the Academy.

The Academy Governing Council (AGC’s) fulfil their responsibility to scrutinise the work of the SENCO and SEND team(s) by having a named Governor for each Pathway..

All teaching and learning support staff have a responsibility to ensure that each student is given every opportunity to fulfil their potential within the normal classroom situation. All staff should be aware of the learning support needs of all pupils they teach, and should ensure that the needs of each pupil are addressed in accordance with the Teaching and Learning policy.

Students working in inclusive partner schools.

When students spend some of their time in other settings accessing inclusive learning opportunities, the SLT will ensure the key information with regards to their SEND and Disabilities is passed to the appropriate people so that the planning for their care and learning support is consistent and appropriate. The SLT will also ensure there is liaison with any external support services again to ensure there is consistency of approach and expectations are managed.

Partnership with Parents/Carers

The best results are achieved where parents / carers, schools and LA services work in partnership. In working towards this principle, the school will do the following;

• Assist parents/carers in their understanding of SEND procedures, school- based provision, and other support available for their child and additional sources of help and information, for example, voluntary organisations and childcare information services.
• Provide opportunities for mediation and discussion where necessary.
• Meet parental/carer preference for school placement subject to the requirement that the individual child’s special educational needs can be met; that the education of other young people will not be adversely affected and that resources are efficiently used.
• Ensure that assessment and review processes seek and take account of the views of parents/carers and the young persons (wherever possible). Provide clear and informative written advice for parents/carers about all aspects of the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of young people with special educational needs and the range of different disabilities
• Provide clear sign-posting of the support services available for young people with special educational needs within the school and the local area. Recognise that families have valuable knowledge of their child which service providers should encourage them to share.
• Encourage families to be actively involved in relevant training/planning appropriate to their child’s needs.

This information is contained in the SEND information report, found on the website.

Promoting High Expectations

Co-op Academy Delius will set high standards for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, with an expectation that they will achieve their full potential. In working towards this principle, the schools will ensure that;

• Young people with SEND have equal access to extra-curricular and extended school activities provided by Co-op Academy Delius.
• The use of assessments provides effective measures for our young people with special educational needs to achieve their personal goals. We will moderate our evidence for learning to ensure our pupils are able to meet the challenges set to ensure that our students' academic outcomes are good.

The intended outcomes at Co-op Academy Delius are for students to:

• To create a happy, safe and secure learning environment where all pupils'/students' needs are met, where progress, achievements and success are recognised and praised
• To deliver a broad and balanced curriculum which offers a range of rich learning experiences which are functional and prepares pupils for the next phase in their education and life.
• To ensure our pupils have maximum opportunity to have a voice and means to communicate in all areas of their lives.
• To ensure pupils have opportunities to build upon their learning, making certain that their skills are transferable and that they are given opportunities to demonstrate that they remember what they have learned.
• To promote the pupils' spiritual, physical and emotional well-being so that they are secure, confident and well-motivated to learn.
• To help pupils acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence, which enable them to lead as full, interesting and independent lives as possible.
• To develop relationships with parents and carers and external agencies to maximise pupils’ learning opportunities both in school and at home
• To be a forward-thinking school which embraces research and opportunities for new initiatives which will impact on pupil learning.

Expert staff

Young people with SEND and their families have a right to be supported by high quality, skilled professionals. Co-op Academy Delius have identified a priority for developing an 'expert culture', which will support this principle through ensuring staff have access to a professional development programme which directly addresses the development of expertise in the different fields of special educational needs and disability.

This programme will be a comprehensive and appropriate staff development programme, which addresses the skills and knowledge staff will need to fully support and teach all learners who attend the schools. This will be available not only to teaching staff, but also to support staff and all those involved in delivering the experience of students in the Academy.

As a member of the District Achievement Partnership (DAP) of Bradford Special Schools, Co-op Academy Delius will work to promote and support the development of an expert culture across all of Bradford's specialist providers, including a commitment of one training day per year to the DAP programme.

Clear and effective procedures

Procedures for identifying young people with SEND and for monitoring their progress will be clear, effective and straightforward. Any such procedures will take account of the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs. In working towards this principle, the schools will;

• Focus on preventative work with young people.
• Ensure Education Health and Care Plans and Personalised Learning Goals, are reviewed regularly and the appropriate action taken where required.
• Ensure procedures are in place to ensure the views of parents/carers and

young people are sought during the statutory review process, as well as those of the professionals involved.

• Offer a person-centred approach to review procedures with the most effective mode of contribution identified for each individual student.
• Monitor and evaluate the schools’ performance in relation to young people with special needs using feedback and surveys to gather their views and those of their parents/carers in addition to assessment data.
• Recognise that effective action for learners with SEND will often depend on

close co-operation between the schools, families, health/therapy services and social care services. We are committed to implementing such co- operative arrangements so that services for individual young people and their families can be as seamless as possible.

Planning, review and evaluation

Individual teachers have day-to-day responsibilities with regard to planning and managing the care and learning for students with SEND in their group.

The SEND governors will report to the AGC’ss annually about the scope and findings of the scrutiny work undertaken.

Reviewed Jan 2024.