The West Bridgford School

SEND

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At The West Bridgford School, we recognise that pupils have individual educational needs which should be taken into account. The school seeks to raise achievement, remove barriers to learning and to increase physical and curricular access for all. All pupils with SEND are valued, respected and equal members of the school.

As such, provision for pupils with SEND is a matter for the school as a whole. All teachers are teachers of pupils with SEND. However, we believe that pupils with special needs may, at time, require extra resources if they are to achieve their potential. 

Staff

The SEN team are housed alongside the Leaning Support team in the Learning Centre. Ms Martin is the Assistant Head and SEND co-ordinator, and Ms Sneyd is the SEND Manager at the West Bridgford School. 

Should you need to contact the SEND Department, please contact Reception, Student Services or email SEND@wbs.school.

FAQ's

My child had a TA in Primary School, will this continue in Year 7?

A decision will be made after consultation with their Primary School and the West Bridgford SEND Manager.

Do you test for dyslexia?

We do not diagnose or complete testing for dyslexia within school, but if your child has dyslexic traits highlighted from Primary or whilst they are at West Bridgford, strategies will be implemented by their class teachers to support their needs in their lessons. We use the GL test to assess reading ages for students and where there is a specific literacy need identified by classroom teachers, the GL, or the student, we do offer a literacy screener. This indicates where there might be traits of dyslexia but does not offer a formal diagnosis.

What do the different SEN codes (E, K, D) mean?

‘E’= The student has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP). This is the highest category of need and means that the student requires a number of adjustments above and beyond the standard school offer. This may include, where appropriate, TA Support, Literacy intervention, access to external support services, reduced timetables or access to alternative provisions. A student with an EHCP does not automatically receive additional funding; this is accessed via a different channel.

A student with an EHCP is entitled to three meetings or points of contact with the school per year, as well as the statutory annual review meeting to make any amendments to the EHCP.

 

‘K’= The student is classed as needing SEN Support. This means they need something different from, or additional to, the standard classroom offer. This may include, where appropriate, TA Support, Literacy intervention, access to external support services or social and emotional support. A student classified as being a ‘K’ does not automatically receive additional funding; this is accessed via a different channel.

A student coded as needing SEN Support is entitled to three points of contact with the school per year. This could take the form of a meeting, a phone call or a brief catch up at parents’ evening, depending on the needs and situation of the student.

 

‘D’= The student is classed as needing differentiation in the classroom. This may involve differentiated tasks in class, access arrangements, for example extra time or a word processor, or a differentiated approach to behaviour management. A student classed as ‘D’ does not receive any additional funding and would not normally have access to a TA as their needs can be met by the teacher in the classroom.

A student coded as ‘D’ is not entitled to a certain amount of SEN meetings and would usually have their concerns dealt with by the class teacher or pastoral team.

Is my child eligible for access arrangements

Access arrangements are for pupils who have specific needs such as special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment and show what they know and can do without changing the needs of the assessment. The needs of the pupil must meet the definition of disability according to The Equality Act 2010.

The process for access arrangements for SATs is different to access arrangement that can be granted under the JCQ GCSE and A Level regulations. If your child had access arrangements for 6, these may be continued into Year 7 and Year 8 based on level of need. Students access arrangements are continually reviewed to ensure that they are still appropriate for their needs.

If there are persistent and significant concerns regarding your child’s progress, and teacher evidence collaborates this, then your child will be assessed in school for access arrangements using nationally recognised test by an in-house Level 7 assessor. WBS does not accept private assessments as evidence for access arrangements, though if you child has one of these it can be used in conjunction with teacher evidence to consider whether your child should undertake testing for access arrangements within school.

How does my child qualify for access arrangements when sitting their formal examinations?

After trialling access arrangements, alongside it being their normal way of working and shown to be beneficial to them, an application will be made with the examination boards.

When would I be able to meet with the SENCo/SEND Manager and how do I contact them?

If your child is coded as ‘K’ or ’E’ you will have three formal meetings/contacts per academic year with the most appropriate member of the SEN team. However, all parents are of course encouraged to get in touch if they have concerns about their child’s SEN. Please email SEND@wbs.school who will direct your email to the most relevant member of the team.

What kinds of special educational needs does the school have provision for?

The West Bridgford School has inclusive provision available for a diverse number of SEND in order for them to reach their full potential in and around school.

How does the school evaluate the effectiveness of its provision for pupils with special educational needs?

We embrace the ethos that for the majority of student the majority of the time the best place for their learning needs to be met is within the classroom with a subject specialist. The majority of pupils have SEND that can be met within the classroom setting with reasonable adjustments with Quality First and adaptive teaching. Your child’s progress is monitored by their class teacher and Head of Department, however the SENCo and wider intervention team reviews the progress of all pupils with SEN regularly and will contact parents and teachers should concerns arise. Parents are also welcome to contact the SEN Team if they have any concerns which they feel relate directly to their child’s SEND.

Students accessing additional provision have this routinely evaluated by the Learning Centre manager in conjunction with the SENCo; this allows us to ascertain effectiveness of provision as part of the assess, plan, do, review cycle.

Learning Walks are routinely carried out in school to quality assure provision and formatively evaluate impact; this allows for any emerging training needs to be addressed through the Professional Growth programme.

What is the school’s approach to teaching pupils with special educational needs?

All teachers at The West Bridgford School embrace the understanding that all teachers of SEN and staff receive regular professional growth sessions on meeting the needs of different and individual learners. Information on your child’s needs in on ClassCharts and is easily accessible to all staff. All students with a K or E code have a one page profile which is a comprehensive document outlining provision and adaptations as well as students’ thoughts and how they may present in the classroom setting; students with a D code have a pupil passport which outlines areas of need and adaptations within the classroom. Furthermore, there are trained staff within the Inclusion team to work with pupils in lessons, on a 1:1 basis or small groups.

Where can I find further information on your Inclusion policies?

On the school website, you can read our EMET SEND policy and The West Bridgford School Inclusion Policy.

For more details, please see the files below or The East Midlands Education Trust SEND policy located on our Policies page, alternatively you can visit here.