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Our offer to children with special educational needs

and disabilities (SEND)

At Headstart School, we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to

ensure the best possible progress for all of our students, whatever their needs

or abilities. All students are valued, given a sense of self-worth and are helped

to develop confidence in their abilities and strengths throughout their school

experience.

Support is provided for all students who require additional or personalised

provision to enable them to achieve success. These students will have special

educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and will currently have a Statement

of Special Educational Needs. In addition some of these students may also be

nationally recognised as vulnerable to under achievement, such as children

who are looked after by the Local Authority (LAC), students eligible for free

school meals (FSM), Gypsy, Roma Travellers (GRT) and those from ethnic

minority groups (EM).

All teachers are able to teach across a range of abilities and personalise

learning according to individual student need. We recognise that it is the

teacher’s responsibility to meet the needs of all young people in their class

through their classroom organisation, materials used, teaching style,

differentiation (planning tasks to take account of different learning styles) and

through partnership working with our highly specialist staff team, outstanding

communication with external professionals, parents/carers and active

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engagement in the local community. We firmly believe that this lies at the

heart of good inclusive practice.

This document sets out the offer we make to those children and their families.

Contents

Overview of provision Page 3

Frequently asked questions: How does the school know if students need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?

Page 6

How will the school support my child’s learning? Page 7 How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs? Page 7

How will both you and I know how my child is doing? Page 8 What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

Page 9

What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being? Page 9

What training have the staff had who support children and young people with SEND?

Page 10

How accessible is the school environment? Page 10 How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

Page 11

How will the school prepare and support my child to transfer to college or the next stage of education and life?

Page 12

What if I think my child may be dyslexic? Page 13

How can I be involved? Who can I contact for further information?

Page 13

‘Turn around, excellent progress’ – a recent carer comment on

progress.

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Partnership

In caring for and educating your children we recognise the need to work in

partnership with you and with other services that can support your child. The

Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), in conjunction with the staff

team, will suggest which services to refer to after discussing your child’s needs

with you, any current specialist involvement and with teaching staff.

We have close working relationships with:

East Sussex County Council Children’s Services (including SEN, Sensory Needs,

Educational Psychology teams)

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/childrenandfamilies/specialneeds/localoffer/default.htm

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

http://www.ourhealth.southeastcoast.nhs.uk/services/camhs-eastbourne-seaford-and-

hailsham.html

NHS speech and language therapists

http://www.esh.nhs.uk/childrens-integrated-therapy-service

Targeted Youth Support (TYS)

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/atoz/heading1464.aspx?forms=&acc=1&ae=1&ah=1&al=1&a

r=1&aw

Family Champions

Traveller and English as an Additional Language Service (TEALS)

https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/specialneeds/eal/Documents/TEALS%20Leaflet.pdf

Sussex Police

http://www.sussex.police.uk

A range of community and voluntary sector agencies

Education Support, Behaviour & Attendance Service (ESBAS)

Excellent communication, greatly improved – parent comment at

Annual Review

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Provision

Your child’s education at Headstart School falls broadly into five phases: Key

Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, Key stage 5 with highly targeted support in

each of these highly specialised areas. Additionally, all of these key stages can

receive support via the ASDCN facility. Support strategies and interventions

vary across these phases and are tailored to meet the needs of each student.

We offer a range of interventions co-ordinated by the SENCO and her specialist

team of staff that include:

full access to the national curriculum, suitably differentiated to take

account of each individual’s special educational needs and taught in

classes by specialist teachers;

support to ensure a smooth and successful transition to the school and

across all other transitions within the school;

all Key Stages have the luxury of small class sizes with a high level of

support worker intervention. Learning in Key Stage 3 is based upon a

primary model where subjects are all taught by the same teacher in the

same class groups in the same classrooms - this reinforces positive

relationships between their peers and staff;

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targeted literacy intervention by specialist staff incorporating the use of

Lexia across the school, where students are not meeting their age

related expected levels of progress;

in-class support from support workers with expertise in subjects and

individual needs;

social and emotional well-being work focussing on social skills, friendship

etc. for targeted individuals;

bespoke individual support and mentoring for students social and

emotional well-being across the school;

dyslexia-friendly teaching in all lessons, advice and support from our

SEN/dyslexia specialist Assistant SENCo;

small group and/or individual social communication skills intervention

through the Social Use of Language Programme (SULP);

access to a supervised and supported environment during break times;

access to key staff with whom trusting relationships can be developed

and students can share their concerns – SENCo, assistant SENCo’s,

tutors, support workers, vocational trainers;

access to a trained and qualified personal counsellor;

developing use of iPads for students and access to laptops to assist with

learning and recording work.

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I still have a question about the offer for my child …..

All students

We gather a huge amount of information from your child’s previous schools.

We also carry out cognitive ability tests and reading and spelling screening

assessments with all our incoming students. This, combined with information

about national curriculum levels, is used to plan tutor allocation and teaching

areas.

Students with SEND and/or targeted students

Information about individual needs and disabilities is made available to all of

our staff, who use it for their planning.

Students with Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health and

Care Plans (EHCP) will have the opportunity to build up a relationship with both

the SENCo and other key staff prior to joining the school. There are a number

of taster days held within the school for targeted students that we feel might

need further visits. Most importantly you need to talk to us about how you

feel – you know your child best. When parents/carers raise concerns about

their child’s educational needs the SENCo will gather all the relevant data and

information from all of the child’s teachers so that a full assessment can take

place before any necessary support strategies, referrals or interventions are

put in place.

If you are worried that your child may have additional special educational

needs to those already noted you should contact the SENCo to discuss the

matter further.

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Students with SEN and/or targeted students

Children’s needs are best met through high quality teaching by subject

specialist staff that takes account of the needs of each child. Dyslexia-friendly

teaching with appropriate resources and a range of teaching styles takes

place in all areas. Where necessary, an individual programme of support and

intervention for your child will be drawn up by the school and it’s important

that you take part in this process since you know your child best. The plan

can include any of the things listed under Provision (page 4-5) and may also

include input from external agencies and services. Some students with less

complex needs have a shorter Individual Provision Plan. Students with a

Statement will have an individual plan through their annual review process.

All students

Teaching groups are mixed ability with some areas set to suit the ability range

of the students. Lessons are set appropriately so that all students can learn

and progress. All teachers take account of the needs of the individual and

differentiate tasks and materials appropriately. At each assessment point

each class teacher analyses the progress of all students and targets those who

are underperforming - All teachers pay particular attention to students in

their class that are from groups that can be at a disadvantage. This is

monitored by the Senior Leadership Team.

Students with SEND and/or targeted students

At each assessment point students’ progress against their indicator levels

(targets) is checked; this may lead to your child being chosen to be withdrawn

from lessons for additional, targeted and focussed support. However,

research evidence shows that for children with special needs, teaching is most

effective when delivered in the classroom by subject specialist teachers.

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It is for this reason that we aim to withdraw children as little as possible.

The exception to this is where specialist literacy or numeracy intervention is

required to make progress. In this case students are withdrawn and taught

in very small groups to help boost their performance.

We are keen to address gaps in literacy skills and boost performance. We

consider this of great importance because literacy is a gateway skill that is

needed for so many aspects of the wider curriculum.

At Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 students follow a pathway of choices that is

matched to their ability so that every student has the best possible

opportunity for examination success. When Year 9 students are going

through the process of making their choices, you are invited to coffee

mornings so that you and your child can speak to leadership staff about each

of the courses on offer. The SENCo is available for meetings to discuss any of

your worries as you navigate through this process.

All students

You will receive a report twice a year that shows your child’s progress in each

subject area. There are also three open mornings during the year which

offers an opportunity for you to discuss progress with teachers and where

advice from the SENCo is also available.

Students with SEND and/or targeted students

Students with special needs, or other circumstances that make them

vulnerable to under achievement, are closely monitored by the SENCo and

senior staff and are seen by the most appropriate member of the staff team

on target setting and monitoring day in order to discuss provision - All

students with Statements will have an Individual Provision Plan that clearly

outlines the support that is in place. Children with Statements of Special

Needs will also have an annual review.

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We work in partnership with a wide range of specialist services, some of whom

are listed under the heading Partnership (page 3). Within the school team we

have specialists in dyslexia and speech and language as well as ASD,

behavioural emotional and social difficulties.

All students

Every area is led by a key stage leader who along with the child’s tutor will be

available to discuss your child’s well-being with you. The ASDCN facility day to

day management is led by Lorraine Colegate, with leadership through the

Head of School. It is tutors that have daily contact with your child so they will

be the first point of call for such matters.

Upon identification of an issue that presents a challenge to a young person’s

well-being, the tutor would ordinarily work with the Key Stage Leader and

SENCo and the parent/ carer, in order to find an appropriate course of action.

Students with SEND and/or targeted students

The SEND team offer an additional point of contact for parents/carers of

children with barriers to learning. Support workers in your child’s class can

offer a real insight into the overall experience that your child has during the

day.

We offer a range of support services to our students. A student may be

referred for mentoring, anti-bullying work or for a range of social intervention

group work programmes or academic study. In some cases it becomes

necessary to refer students to external professionals. Quiet areas can also

provide a calm environment for students when, on occasion, respite is needed.

The relationship that we build with students through our specialist team is an

important tool in wrapping support around some of our most vulnerable

learners.

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Whole school staff training regularly takes place with a focus on special

needs and vulnerable groups. Over time there has been training for staff

on managing challenging behaviour, ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, hearing and

visual impairments and moving students forward academically.

Our staff have access to a wide range of training and many of them have

developed specialisms across the range of special educational needs. This

includes our specialist assistant SENCo qualified in specific learning

difficulty (dyslexia) who supports the Exams Officer with access

arrangements for examinations.

There is easy access to all classrooms. Every effort is made to allocate

students with difficulties to appropriate classrooms, but due to the

constraints of timetabling, this is not always possible.

Further details can be obtained from our Accessibility Plan that is available

on our website, or a hard copy can be obtained from reception.

Please let us know if your child encounters any problems or you feel that

your child has needs that are not being catered for.

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At Headstart School we strive to ensure that all young people, regardless of

their individual needs, have access to the whole range of educational

opportunities and activities. We comply with all legislation in respect of

accessibility and make reasonable adjustments where necessary.

In line with the Equalities Act 2010, we carry out equality impact assessments

where necessary. This ensures that we can identify opportunities in our

practice for promoting our vision and our duties on equality legislation across

all aspects of school life, including school trips and experiences where

reasonable adjustment might need to be made.

As a parent/carer we encourage you to discuss your concerns with us so that

we can plan for full inclusion. Further details can be obtained from our

Equality Policy that is available on our website, or a hard copy can be

obtained from reception.

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All students

Throughout their time with us we work on improved communication skills

and there is a thorough careers programme that ensures that all students

have raised aspirations for the future and a confidence in their ability to

achieve their goals and ambitions. Parent information sessions at the start of

Year 10, 11 and 12 ensure that parents/carers are fully aware of routes of

progression through to college and apprenticeships.

In Key Stage 4/5, students are offered taster days at local colleges and sixth

forms.

Any student that has not secured a place at Headstart School, college or on

an apprenticeship by the closing stages of Year 11 is referred to Targeted

Youth Support (TYS) so that a mentor can continue to support them 1:1 to

obtain a place and start in September.

Students with SEND and/or targeted students

Some targeted students are given the opportunity to visit the University and

other institutions as part of the widening participation initiative to raise

aspirations. Lyn Parker provides impartial careers information, advice and

guidance through individual meetings targeted at those students that we fear

may fail to secure onward placements without extra support; this includes

students with particular special needs and those in other vulnerable groups.

Students are given greater 1:1 support with CVs, application forms and

personal statements as the need arises and we run an employability skills

programme for the particularly hard to reach through our inclusion team.

All students carrying a Statement or EHCP are provided with specialist careers

advice from the county SEND team.

Teaching at Headstart School is dyslexia-friendly and most problems are

avoided by following some simple guidelines in the classroom. If you (or a

teacher) think your child may be dyslexic we will start a process to investigate

further. Depending on what we find this could lead to a Dyslexia Screening

Test (DST). The DST can tell us how high the risk is of the child being dyslexic

and we can then look at appropriate strategies and support.