| Oxted School Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Information Report September 2022 |
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Questions
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School Response
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How does the school know if young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
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- The school has a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) policy in place which can be found on our website here. This policy details our belief that all students, regardless of their particular needs, are provided with inclusive and high-quality teaching which will enable them to make the best possible progress and feel that they are a valued member of the wider school community
- We have rigorous monitoring in place that tracks the progress our learners make in all areas of the curriculum. This monitoring identifies when students need additional support that is additional to or different from their peers. This may include small group withdrawal lessons focusing on developing numeracy and literacy skills and other evidence informed interventions such as small group reciprocal reading and inference interventions
- Our staff are vigilant at supporting and raising any concerns identified through this monitoring or through classroom observations. Staff can refer learners to our Inclusion team if they are concerned about their progress or feel that they may have special educational needs that require additional support. The Inclusion team meet with year team weekly. As a result of these meetings and termly tracking, decisions are made regarding the most appropriate steps to take in supporting learners and these decisions tie in with the school’s ‘ordinarily available’ approach to meeting needs (see our SEND policy for further information)
- We use data and other forms of assessment to identify additional needs and celebrate achievement
- We will assess each student’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate
- We have regular monitoring in place that tracks the progress our learners make in all areas of the curriculum. Subject teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all students and identify those whose progress: Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline, fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress, fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
- Parents/carers are encouraged to speak to the subject teacher/tutor about any concerns they have. They are also able to contact the SENCo in school or by email to raise any concerns they may have about how their child’s additional needs are being met in school. The SENCo at Oxted School is Mrs Waller who can be contacted at inclusionhelpdesk@oxted.thpt.org.uk
We have in-house specialist expertise in several areas of special educational needs, including ASD, dyslexia, and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) and this is recorded on our provision map.
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How will school staff support my child?
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- We are a mainstream, inclusive school that fully complies with the requirements outlined in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2015). Staff have been trained so that they are able to cater for learners who may have difficulties in the areas of Cognition and Learning, Communication, and Interaction, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and/or Sensory and/or Physical Needs. We make reasonable adjustments to our practices in line with the Equality Act (2010)
- Our Governors/Trustees play an active role in monitoring the quality of our special educational needs provision. Mr Patrick is the Governor Inclusion portfolio holder, and he works closely with the Vice Principal Inclusion Lead and SENCo throughout the year, with meetings on at least a termly basis. The principal, senior leadership team and SENCo also play an important role in this area
- All staff have a responsibility to support students with SEND in the classroom. This is done as standard practice by classroom teachers through adaptive teaching to cater for individual students’ needs through Quality First Teaching (QFT)
- Staff receive regular training so that they can support students in the classroom effectively
- All interventions we put in place are research and evidence based and are measured to monitor impact against expected rates of progress for your child
- Where we feel something is not working, we are quick to respond and find alternatives through talking with your child and you. All our additional support programmes are overseen by the SENCo, and all our teachers are teachers of inclusion and special educational needs
- Our focus is delivering Quality First Teaching in every lesson, every day in the classroom which includes adaptive teaching, high quality teaching, active learning, and effective feedback, ensuring that the majority of children’s needs are met within the classroom environment. For those children identified as needing some extra support, we run time-bonded interventions which are closely matched to their needs. These programmes could range from working memory groups to social skills groups and will depend on the child’s need and resources available
- We will assess each student’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate
Subject teachers and subject leads working alongside the Inclusion team will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review.
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How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
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- Quality First Teaching and adaptive teaching are embedded in our curriculum and practice. We ensure that we tailor our teaching to the needs of the young people. We regularly assess the quality of our teaching to ensure that all students are receiving a high standard of teaching and learning
- We have a tailored curriculum to ensure that we have the right courses available for the individual child. In some cases, it will not be possible to run these courses as it is necessary to have a minimum number of students on the course to make it viable. Within KS3, all students participate in a broad and balanced curriculum to ensure that they are able to use their skills of literacy and numeracy in a wide variety of subjects. Quality First Teaching and adaptive teaching ensures that students can access this curriculum
- Through termly tracking and identification, we identify students who would benefit from time-bonded sessions to support them in areas such as working memory and literacy skills. All these programmes have been proven to increase the students’ reading ages to give them more confidence in the classroom. Students are identified for these programmes through early testing using Lucid, which is a computer-based literacy assessment. We test all students using this assessment in Year 7 and Year 9 as a minimum
- We hold meetings with parents/carers before options at KS4 are chosen so that parents/carers and young people are fully aware of the options and challenges each route will pose for them
- Our SEND Policy promotes involvement of all our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside the classroom. All students can participate in educational visits
- We will also provide the following interventions: Drawing and Talking, Social Skills/ Nurture Group, Lego Therapy, ELSA, Literacy intervention, Numeracy intervention, Mindfulness
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How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
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- We regularly share progress feedback with all our students and their families. All year groups have one progress evening a year in addition to other information evenings. At these meetings, you will have the opportunity to share your child’s progress and discuss ways in which you and the teacher can further support your child’s learning. The SENCo is also available to meet you at these progress evenings via bookable appointments
- You will also receive a termly report on your child which will show what grade they are currently working at if there is an issue with the completion of independent learning and what their attitude to learning is. This enables parents/carers to have a clear idea about the progress that their child is making
- All students have a login for Microsoft Office 365. This provides them with access to Microsoft Teams where resources can be accessed, and independent learning assignments viewed. When logged into Office 365, students also have access to a SharePoint site with lots of useful links and information for them
- Through the SIMS and Class Charts apps (available to all parents/carers and students), achievement/behaviour marks, reports, attendance information and timetables can be viewed
- We host parent/carer forums once a half term. This is your opportunity to share your ideas and views with the school
- The first point of contact should you have concerns about your child’s progress is their form tutor or subject teacher. They can be contacted by telephone or email, and you will receive a response within 48 hours
- All students with an EHCP will have a keyworker from the Inclusion department to strengthen the link between home and school. We have a home school link worker who works with families and other agencies to provide access to other relevant courses for parents/carers
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What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
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- At Oxted School, we value the students’ well-being above all. We have a strong pastoral system where each student has access to the support of either their Tutor or Year Team. Staff are regularly trained to provide a high standard of pastoral support
- Relevant staff are trained to support medical needs and, in some cases, such as the use of Epi Pens, all staff receive training. We have a Medical Policy in place which ensures that students with medical needs are fully supported and can access their learning
- Our Behaviour Policy, which includes guidance on expectations, rewards, and sanctions, is fully understood by all staff and students. Our Oxted approach includes meeting and greeting students at the door, using questioning to develop metacognitive talk in the classroom, ensure presentation of students’ work is of a consistently high standard, developing reading opportunities to help support literacy, giving high quality feedback and reinforcing high expectations and standards of behaviour
- We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying at Oxted School which addresses the causes of bullying (including cyber-bullying) as well as dealing with negative behaviours
- We regularly monitor attendance and take the necessary actions to prevent prolonged unauthorised absence. We focus on supportive actions to work with the student and their family
- Student voice is central to our ethos, and this is encouraged regularly in a variety of ways. School Council meets once a term with representatives from every year group. Students are involved in our anti-bullying work, identifying areas of best practice and areas for further development. All students have the opportunity to become members of these groups and suggest other groups that they think would improve the running of the school
- The Inclusion department run homework clubs after school every day in G11. Whilst this is an opportunity for students to complete their homework, it is also a time for them to share their worries and concerns as this is a much smaller learning environment
- We run a variety of support groups and 1:1 sessions that are tailored to the students’ needs; these include emotional regulation, social skills, and self-esteem.We have an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) who works with young people to support their emotional well-being
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What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
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- Our staff receive regular training to support students with additional needs in the classroom
- We work with professionals across the Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) which includes primary and secondary schools. We share information and expertise so that we can ensure we have the best provision in place for our students
- We have a number of established relationships with professionals in education, health and social care and these are recorded on our provision map
- All external partners we work with are vetted in terms of safeguarding and when buying in additional services we monitor the impact of any intervention against cost, to ensure a value for money service
- We work with a number of external partners depending on the needs of our students. These include the Educational Psychology Service, the Inclusion Service (previously the Education Welfare Service), Specialist Teachers for Inclusive Practice (STIP), Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Services, Early Help Services, Children’s Services, CAMHS, Physical and Sensory Support (PSS) Service, and the school nurse. Parents/carers and young people will be consulted, where appropriate, and consent sought so that external partners are able to work in supporting the overall development of the young person
- We have access to the THPT Psychology Service which is led by a clinical psychologist
We have a particular duty in ensuring that Looked After Children are given the appropriate support and care to help support their progress and engagement within the learning environment. Our designated teacher, Mrs Waller (paula.waller@oxted.thpt.org.uk) meets with children’s services and the virtual school to ensure the child’s wider needs are being met. A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is written with the child and professionals to help support them and this is reviewed on a termly basis.
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What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?
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We regularly invest time and money in training our staff to improve Quality First Teaching and develop enhanced skills and knowledge delivery of additional interventions.
- All staff receive a weekly Inclusion bulletin that includes advice and guidance on working with students with additional needs and information about how to meet the needs of individual students
- At staff meetings, our staff are regularly updated on matters regarding special educational needs and disability. This has included training on Quality First Teaching, additional provisions, dyslexia, and ASD
- We identify areas where staff require additional training, and we work with our qualified staff and external partners to provide this. We also focus on effective provision in the classroom, including adaptive teaching strategies
- We aim to ensure that all staff working with learners who have SEND possess a working knowledge of the difficulty to help them in supporting their access to the curriculum
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How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?
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- We have a whole school approach to inclusion which supports all learners engaging in activities together
- Our SEND Policy promotes involvement of all our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside the classroom. All students have the opportunity to participate in educational visits
Where there are concerns of safety and access, further thought and consideration is put in place to ensure needs are met; where applicable parents/carers are consulted and involved in planning.
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How accessible is the school environment?
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- We have an Accessibility Plan in place which shows how adaptations are made to the built environment, the curriculum and how information is accessed by learners and their parents
- All our staff are fully aware of the requirements of the Equality Act (2010), ensuring that policy and practice follow these requirements
- We make use of the Read Aloud and Dictate Functions within Word to improve accessibility to the written word
- We are vigilant about making reasonable adjustments where possible. Our policy and practice follow the Equality Act (2010)
- Accessible changing and toilet facilities are available on site
- We have a number of staff who speak a range of languages and are able to assist parents with communication between home and school
We value and respect diversity in our school.
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How will the school prepare and support my child to join the school / transfer to a new setting or the next stage of education and life?
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We have an Induction programme in place for welcoming new learners to our setting. This involves an Induction Day for all young people and additional days, as required, for young people to become comfortable with their new school. We also communicate with our feeder schools to ensure that we have the correct provision in place before your child starts at Oxted . We provide an additional transition package for those that require further support moving from Year 6 to Year 7.
- We have good relationships with our feeder schools, and we meet with them prior to transition to ensure that we have information about new students, what their needs are and the best ways that they can be supported
- Our Provision Management systems records what aspects of our environment help young people learn and this information is passed on in transition. We have very good relationships with any feeder settings as well as settings our young people move onto
- Careers talks and guidance are given to young people to help them to make informed choices about what they would like to do in the future
- All students with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) have additional support regarding future pathways
- When a child with SEN transitions from Oxted to a new school, we work closely with the new provider to ensure that they understand the needs of your child and the support that is required for them
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How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to young people’s special educational needs?
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- We review the needs of our learners within the school and endeavour to put in place provisions which cater for these needs
- Some of the funding that the school receives may go towards funding training so that in-house provision is targeted at identified need
- The Leadership Team carry out regular learning walks to review how provision is given and ensure that high standards are maintained
- Our finances are monitored regularly, and we utilise resources to support the strategic aims of our setting as well as individual learner needs
We seek to ensure a value for money service, so all interventions are costed and evaluated. Our budget is allocated according to our Provision Management system.
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How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
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- Quality First Teaching is clearly defined in our setting, and we expect all staff to deliver this
- The SENCo liaises with key staff in the school where there are concerns about progress and engagement of individual students
- Should additional support be required, this is undertaken after consultation with the relevant staff, the learner, and their families
- The decision about what type of support and how much support a student receives is made on an individual basis based primarily on the student’s individual needs
- All additional interventions are monitored for impact and outcomes are defined at the start of any intervention
- The SENCo oversees all additional support and regularly shares updates with the Governor Inclusion Portfolio Holder.Student Profiles are produced in consultation with learners and parents/carers so that staff have a clear overview of the whole child including their areas of strength, needs and strategies that work well for them
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How are parents involved in the school?
How can I be involved?
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- We believe it is vital to work with you to support your child’s learning, needs and aspirations. It is important that you feel able to talk to the school if you have any concerns or would like to share positive news
- We take every opportunity to strengthen this dialogue and we welcome you contacting the Inclusion Team inclusionhelpdesk@oxtd.thpt.org.uk
- Parents/Carers are invited to contribute though a number of means including the Parent/Carer Forum which is held once a half term
- Our Governing Body includes Parent Governors/representatives
- Parents can join the Friends of Oxted School (FOXS) who run events to support the school
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Who can I contact for further information?
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- In the first instance, parents/carers are encouraged to talk to their child’s form tutor or subject teacher. Further information and support can be obtained from the school’s Mrs Waller, Assistant Principal, Inclusion who is contactable at inclusionhelpdesk@oxted.thpt.org.uk
- The majority of concerns can be dealt with without resorting to the complaints procedure (see the Responding to Concerns Policy on our website). Where you have a concern, please raise this with the relevant member of staff. They may be able to address your concern straight away or arrange a meeting with you to discuss the issue. If you are dissatisfied with the outcomes of discussions with staff, you are able to raise a formal complaint. At Oxted School, we take concerns seriously and seek to address them as quickly as possible
- Surrey SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SIASS) offer impartial, confidential and free support to empower parents/carers, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 0-25 years. Further information can be found here
- Contact a Family offer advice and guidance for families with disabled children and can be found here
- The Surrey Family Information Service offer a free, impartial information and signposting service on all aspects of family life for parents and can be accessed here
- Surrey’s Family Help Hub is a new service that is currently focusing on support with children’s behaviour. They can be found here
- The following organisations offer information and support for students with specific SEN:
The British Dyslexia Association
The National Autistic Society
- To view the Surrey Local Offer, please click here. The Local Offer provides comprehensive information about the range of services and provisions available to children and young peoples in Surrey with special educational needs and disabilities
- The Surrey Ordinarily Available Provision offer can be viewed here
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