Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Information Report

September 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

Here at Co-op Academy Belle Vue, we are committed to ensuring that all our students receive a high-quality education. We believe that the best way we can do this is to ensure that our SEND students have access to High Quality Teaching and are removed from lessons as infrequently as possible. The majority of our intervention takes place inside the classroom, such as through structured Turn and Talks or Brightening the Lines techniques, as we believe that there is no better way to ensure all of our students achieve the best possible outcomes.

We build our school with our most vulnerable students in mind; with silent corridors for calm transitions, explicit rules to reduce ambiguity and high expectations for behaviour, ensuring all of our students feel safe. Our inclusive ethos ensures that all our students are challenged to achieve the best possible outcomes for them, no matter what additional barriers may exist. We keep our expectations high whilst supporting all to meet them.

As a parent or carer of a student with Special Education Needs, you may have questions about how we identify and monitor students who may require additional support within school. You may also want to know what kind of resources we offer to help your child achieve their potential. This document was created to try to address some of the questions we are often asked.

If there are any additional comments, or questions that we have failed to answer, please do not hesitate to get into contact with myself at amy.clarke@coopacademies.co.uk.

Many thanks,

Ms A Clarke SENCO

Frequently asked questions

Q. What are Special Educational Needs?

A. A student has Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) where their specific learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to students of the same age. Having a generally low ability, or English as an additional language, does not mean that a student has SEN. Medical conditions which impact on education are also classed as a Special Educational Need.

Q. What Special Educational Needs are provided for by Co-op Academy Belle Vue?

A. All efforts are made to ensure that Co-op Academy Belle Vue provides the best quality education for all students on the SEND register. We currently educate students from across the 4 broad areas of need as set out by the Government.

These areas are:

• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Communication and Interaction
• Physical and Sensory Difficulties

Q. How does the school know if my child has additional needs?

A. There are a number of ways that we become aware of the additional needs of our students.

• Upon transition, information will be collected from primary schools, including any SEN information. We will then decide whether or not this meets the threshold for addition to our SEN register.
• Progress is monitored regularly by classroom teachers and any areas for concern are passed on to the SENCO who will work with the classroom teacher. Belle Vue follows the Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) cycle to ensure that we are correctly identifying SEND.
• Social and behavioural progress is monitored by Pastoral Leads. Any areas for concern are passed on to the SENCO who will work with the Pastoral Lead and the young person. If there are long-term concerns, we will follow the ADPR cycles to assess if there are specific needs. We will refer to external agencies if needed.
• Parental concerns are taken as seriously as any internal concern. The SENCO will then work with the parent and student to identify any potential additional needs using the ADPR cycle. If you believe your child has an additional need or disability, contact the SENCO at amy.clarke@coopacademies.co.uk.

Q. How will the school prepare and support my child when joining Co-op Academy Belle Vue?

A. Transition from Year 6 to Year 7 for students with SEND is coordinated by the SENCO in liaison with the Head of Year 7. Transition is designed on an individualised basis and may include early visits to the academy, visits by the support staff to the primary placement, extra transitional time or in the exceptional cases, a reduced timetable upon starting the secondary placement.

For within-year transfers, the SENCO will attend the admissions meeting of any child where additional needs are indicated on the application form. If the SENCO feels that our traditional transition process is not adequate, adjustments will be made to best suit the needs of the student.

Q. How will I know how the school supports my child?

A. It is important to us at Co-op Academy Belle Vue that parents and young people are involved in the planning and reviewing of provision put in place to support any additional needs. You will be invited to attend review meetings to discuss progress and next steps with the SENDCo and your child. The SENDCo is also available at parent’s evenings and by email.

Q. How will the curriculum be matched to the needs of my child?

A. All classroom staff have access to details of the needs of the students in the class through their Pupil Passports. This means that all our students have access to High Quality Teaching which is specifically designed to reduce their individual barriers to learning through our Teach Like a Belle Vue Champion techniques. It also allows our teaching staff to match academic interventions to the student.

We do stream our classes and the Low Prior Attainer sets are supported by Learning Coaches. Learning Coaches then provide drop-ins to monitor the progress and regulation of SEN learners within other classes.

Q. How will I know how my child is doing?

A. You will be kept informed through reports home and family evenings. If your child has a specific intervention you will be informed of progress by either a letter or a face to face meeting.

Q. How will you make sure that the support in place is the right support?

A. Any intervention, or support which is put in place, is only put there because evidence suggests that it will work. Half-term monitoring is in place to check the support is effective, by using evidence from either our internal data system or standardised testing. It is important to note that any intervention that withdraws a student from a classroom will only be put in place for a short period of time. Our interventions are designed to close an attainment gap and are not intended to replace the high quality teaching all students should be accessing within our building.

Q. What support will there be for my child’s emotional well-being?

A. The SENCO works alongside the Pastoral Lead to monitor the emotional well-being of the learners within Belle Vue If it is felt that your child needs more intensive, specialised support, we may ask your permission to refer to an outside agency such as CAHMS or MTHRIVE.

We recognise that national statistics suggest that students with SEND are often targeted by other students. Here at Belle Vue, we take incidents of bullying seriously. If bullying does occur, the Pastoral Lead will ensure that it is resolved and that you are kept informed of the resolution.

Q. What training on SEN is provided for staff?

A. All of our staff have regular training around Teach Like A Champion teaching strategies to ensure that our students receive the best possible lessons. All of these training sessions have case studies around specific SEND students and their barriers to ensure that staff know how to leverage all our learning routines for the best possible outcomes for our SEND students.

Furthermore, we have an inclusion portal where we highlight particular training which staff can access upon request through agencies like the National College. Alongside this, compulsory whole staff SEND training is also provided when required.

Our Learning Coaches from the SEND team receive regular training and several attend specialist training in order to develop particular areas of expertise.

Q. How will my child be included outside the classroom including school trips?

A. All school visits are offered to ALL students. Forward planning between the SENCO and the visit organiser ensures that visits are appropriately staffed and that transport arrangements are suitable.

Q. How accessible is the school environment?

A. Our school is a fully accessible site. The first floor and second floor are accessible by lift. In case of an emergency, we have sufficient EVAC trained staff to ensure that the students can exit safely.

All of our outside space is accessible.

We also have disabled access toilets on each floor with one room fitted with a hoist and changing table.

Q. How will the school prepare my child for transferring into further education?

A. Transition from Year 11 to Year 12 can be particularly distressing for some students. All college providers are invited to the Transition Reviews for students with Education, Health Revised and Care Plans (EHCP). These are held in the Autumn Term (between September and December). We also liaise with colleges for the students on the SEND register and arrange transition visits if we feel they will be of benefit.

Q. How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to student’s special educational needs?

A. The school receives two allocations of funding in order to meet its responsibilities for special educational needs provision:

1.  The first allocation is targeted at students with Statements of SEN/Education, Health and Care Plans. Each student receives funding according to their needs and provision as set out in their Statement/EHC Plan. This allocation is spent on interventions which best enable the student to meet the targets within the EHC Plan.
2. The second allocation of funding is based on the number of students receiving free school meals within the school and on the attainment levels of students transferring from primary schools. This funding is primarily used to provide specialist staff to manage student support across the school and run appropriate interventions

Q. What is the complaints procedure?

A. In the first instance, contact the SENCo via email at amy.clarke@coopacademies.co.uk. If you do not receive a satisfactory response within 10 working days, it is your right to contact the Head of Academy.