And Disabilities (SEND) Information Report

Respect Engage Achieve

Special Educational Needs

and Disabilities (SEND) Information Report

Co-ordinators: Martin Hall (Head Teacher)

Sue Walker (Link Governor)

Startdate:April 2015

Reviewdate:April 2017

Woodlands Education Centre is a mixed pupil referral unit catering for up to 80 students, from 11 to 16 years of age. We are part of Hampshire’s Education Inclusion Service (EIS) and work with students from the Havant Federation of Secondary Schools. Federation schools can refer students to Woodlands for a short-term placement, to help them to refocus on their learning and/or to prevent a permanent exclusion. In addition to this, students that are emotionally or medically unwell are referred by their home school to EIS, students would then attend Woodlands for appropriate support until they are able to return to a mainstream school.

The majority of our students are ‘dual registered’, meaning that they remain on their home school’s register as well as Woodlands’ register. This is to ensure that students have the best possible chance of returning to a mainstream school, if this is the most appropriate place for them. EIS expect that, unless there are clear reasons why this is not appropriate, students will return to their mainstream school after spending two terms at Woodlands. In increasingly rare cases, despite the best efforts of Federation schools and Woodlands, students are permanently excluded. These students are ‘single registered’ at Woodlands.

At Woodlands, all staff are teachers of SEND and have responsibility for recognising and supporting students’ needs. We seek to provide a secure, yet challenging environment where all young people will achieve their full potential, regardless of any SEND they may be working with.

The following SEND Information report are regulations that come into force on the 1st September 2014. In these regulations “the Act” means the Children and Families Act 2014. This SEND report will address the questions asked in clause 65 of the Act.

• Liaison with the home school
• New admissions are tested in reading comprehension and spelling. This will allow us to set appropriate, challenging learning and various interventions to support students to make progress.
• Concerns raised through parents
• Liaison with external agencies
• Diagnosis through Health Professional.

• Talk to us; your first point of contact is your child’s Tutor.
• If required the Tutor will refer your concerns to the SENCo.

• In liaison with the Home School, the WEC SENCo oversees all support and progress of any child requiring additional support across the Education Centre.
• Subject teachers oversee, plan and work with each child with SEND in their class to ensure that progress in every area is made.
• In some situations a Teaching and Learning Assistant (TLA) may work with your child either individually or as part of a group.
• Interventions are provided outside the classroom as required. This may involve your child being removed from lessons or tutor time in order to boost attainment during an intense intervention.

• In liaison with the Home School, the WEC SENCo will meet with parents as part of the pupil’s initial meeting to discuss the pupil’s needs, support and progress.

• The SENCo and Head Teacher will hold review meetings with the parents and home school in order to provide informal support and updates on the students and their progress.
• The SENCo is available to discuss support in more detail as required.

• At Woodlands Education Centre, Julie Oldroyd is the Governoris responsible for SEND.
• The SENCo and Governor monitor the progress of all students in the Education Centre as part of the centres Teaching and Learning Policy. This involves auditing books, planning, marking and observing teachers, ensuring the needs of all students, including those with SEND are met and progress by the students is being made.
• The SENCo reports to the Governors every half term to inform them about the progress of children with SEND; this report does not refer to individual students and confidentiality is maintained at all times.

• Class sizes remain small to ensure a personalised curriculum.
• All work within the subject classes are pitched at an appropriate level so that all children are able to access the curriculum according to their specific need.
• Teachers plan their lessons according to the data and needs of the child and all students benefit from personalised learning, meaning that their learning is suitable for their level of understanding, encouraging challenge and risk, without feeling unable to complete tasks.
• Students will have set targets and support that they need in order to make progress.

• We believe that your child's education should be a partnership between students, parents and teachers. Therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has a complex need.
• If your child has a complex SEND they may be part of an IPA (Inclusion Partnership Agreement) or have a Statement of Special Educational Need or an Education and Health Care Plan, a yearly review will be held, in cooperation with the home school.
• We offer an open door policy where you are welcome any time to make an appointment to meet with either your child’s tutor or the SENCo to discuss your child’s progress.

• As part of the centre’s Teaching and Learning Policy all students progress is measured by national standards and age related expectations.
• Each child is issued with an Individual Learning Plan on entry to the centre. These targets are used by the tutor and teachers to support the student’s development, and where appropriate, return to mainstream education.
• Subject teachers continually assess each child, through questioning in lessons, book marking and progress assessments.
• Teachers regularly communicate with students what is need to do in order to improve progress and ensure that this is written into their lesson plans and delivery.
• As an Education Centre we track students’ progress from entry, using a variety of different methods.
• Students who are not making expected progress are picked up through subject review and data analysis. Discussion takes place concerning why the individual students are experiencing difficulty and what intervention can be put in place.
• Specific progress tracking will be made by the SENCo and additional support offered as needed.
• When a child’s ILP is reviewed comments are made against each target to demonstrate what progress has been made. If the child has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed with the students and parents/carers, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be tried to ensure the child does make progress.

• We are an inclusive education centre; we welcome and celebrate diversity. All staff believe that children having high self-esteem is crucial to a child’s well-being. We have a caring, understanding team looking after our children.

• The school’s Student Engagement and Progress Lead and our tutors have day to day responsibility for the pastoral, medical and social care of every child in their group, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact
• Woodlands works closely with the relevant external agencies to ensure that all areas of need are supported appropriately.

• Parents need to contact the Administration Assistants if medication is recommended by Health Professionals to be taken during the school day.
• On a day to day basis the Administration Assistant oversee the administration of any medicines
• All staff are regularly trained and updated with regards to conditions and medication affecting individual students.
• A child or young person presenting with an unfamiliar medical condition would result in the centre carrying out a risk assessment and training staff as necessary.

• We have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour with a clear reward system that is followed by all staff and students (See the schools Rewards and Sanctions document for more information).
• All staff work closely with the SENCo and Student and Progress Lead to ensure that any well-being issues are dealt with immediately and that the progress of the students in unhindered.
• After any behaviour incident we expect the child to reflect on their behaviour with an adult. This helps to identify why the incident happened and what the child needs to do differently next time to change and improve their behaviour.
• Attendance of every child is monitored on a daily basis by the Administration Assistant. Lateness and absence are recorded and reported upon to the Student and Progress Lead. Support is given through an incentive scheme where good attendance is actively encouraged throughout the education centre.

• We value and celebrate each child being able to express their views on all aspects of school life. This is usually carried out through the suggestion box, which is outside the Head Teachers office. We also undertake pupil voice sessions, allowing students to express their concerns in a respectful way.
• All students have IEPs (Individual Education Plans) and discuss and set their targets with their Tutor, SENCo or Head Teacher.
• The staff are readily available for students and they are encouraged to discuss any concerns, worries or suggestions with their tutors.
• If your child has an IPA (Inclusion Partnership Agreement) or Statement of Special Educational Needs their views will be sought before any review meetings.

• The Education Centre has highly qualified staff, who have the expertise to support pupils who are at risk of permanent exclusion and those who are emotional and vulnerable and therefore unable to attend a mainstream school.
• As an education centre we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school including: - Behaviour Intervention; Hampshire’s Specialist Teacher Advisers, Hampshire Personal Advisor (Moving on Plans/transition) Health including – GPs, school nurse, clinical psychologist, paediatricians, speech & language therapists; occupational therapists; social services including - Locality Teams, social workers and Educational Psychologists.

• The school has an on-going programme of continued Professional Development (CPD) for all staff, which included guidance on SEND and other specific needs. The school also draws on the expertise of our partner schools as required.

• All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all children to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.
• A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health & safety will not be compromised. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school.

• The centre is easily accessible; it is all on one level and has ramps for wheelchair access.
• The centre has a disabled toilet.
• The centre has a disabled parking space.
• We liaise with EMAS (Ethnic minority Achievement Service) who assist us in supporting our families with English as an additional language.

• We arrange for all new children to visit the centre prior to starting when they will meet the Head Teacher and SENCo, they will be shown around the centre.
• The SENCo and Head Teacher meet with the Home school in order to discuss the pupil and ensure that strategies are transferred / adapted allowing success for all students.
• When children are preparing to leave us for further education, typically to go to college, we arrange additional visits to college and meet with the personal advisors, who complete a moving on plan for the SEND students.
• We liaise closely with staff when receiving and transferring children to different schools ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.
• If your child has complex needs then an IPA (Inclusion Partnership Agreement) or Statement review will be used as a transition meeting during which we will invite staff from both schools to attend.

• We ensure that all children who have Special Educational needs are met to the best of the centre’s ability with the funds available.
• We have a team of TLAs who deliver programmes designed to meet groups of children’s needs.

• The SENCo will discuss the child’s needs and what support would be appropriate.
• Meetings will have an allocated time in order to discuss Pupil Premium and SEND students and the progress these students are making.
• The Subject Teachers along with the SENCo will discuss what interventions may be put in place in order to support the pupil.
• Different children will require different levels of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age expected levels.
• Woodlands Education Centre track and monitor all teaching and learning, it is essential that teachers deliver quality first lessons to all students, ensuring that they make good progress in every lesson and that teacher’s use assessment for learning to plan interventions and differentiation for their lessons and the students.
• We also ensure that you are kept up to date at all times about your child’s progress through review meetings.

• By reviewing the pupil’s targets on ILPs and ensuring they are being met.
• The pupil is making progress academically against national/age expected levels and the gap is narrowing – they are catching up to their peers or expected age levels.
• Regular Pupil Progress meetings with Subject Teachers, SENCo and the Head Teacher, where progress of the students are discussed and interventions monitored.
• Verbal feedback from the teacher, parent and pupil.

• The first point of contact should be your child’s tutor.
• You could also contact the SENCo to share your concerns.
• Contact Parent Partnership – www3.hants.gov.uk/parentpartnership.

1