Beaumont Hill Academy SEN Information Report 2016

Beaumont Hill Academy SEN Information Report 2016

Updated Spring 2016

This SEN Information Report complies with Section 69 of the Children & Families Act 2014, Regulation 5, Schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and Section 6 of the Special Education Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25.

What are the kinds of special educational needs for which provision is made at Beaumont Hill School?

This is a maintained day special school for children from Early Years and Foundation Stage to post 16 provision for young people aged 16 – 19.

In Beaumont Hill the pupil’s identified needs are varied and often highly complex. Pupilsmay have significant needs in the area of cognition and learning (Severe Learning Difficulties or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties),or moderate learning difficulties (MLD). Some of our pupils are on the Autistic spectrum (ASC) and others have significantsocial, emotional and mentalhealth issues, (SEMH).Some pupils have needs in more than one area or may have additional sensory or physical difficulties.

Admissions to the academy are described within the admissions policies on the website.The first point of contact for parents in Beaumont Hill is Caroline Green, Deputy Head teacher.

What are the school's policies for the identification and assessment of pupils/students attending the school?

All pupils who attend the academy will be under assessment or have a statement of special educational needs or an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).We continue to work along the national guidelines of transferring all our pupils' statements of special educational needs to Education, Health and Care Plans.

The EHC Plans are written with information from parents, educational staff, Educational Psychologist and other related medical staff such as the physiotherapist or Speech and LanguageTherapist.

From the outset of writing a plan parents are involved and their views are sought and recorded on the plan. Every year that the child remains in Beaumont Hill there will be a formal review with the parents and professionals to assess the progress made by the child and whether the plan is still appropriate. Any amendments or changes will be made in liaison with the Local Authority.

What are the arrangements for consulting young people in Beaumont Hill and involving them in their education?

All children and young people in our school are treated with dignity and respect. There is a differentiated curriculum and individual pathways throughout their school career.

Children and young people are involved in describing their views and what is important to them. Each year they will be invited to attend and participate in the annual review of the statement or plan.

In Beaumont Hill we have three student councils; one in primary, one in Secondary and one in the Stephenson Centre which encourages students to contribute and decide on aspects of school life relating to their needs.

How will I know how my child/young person is doing? How will you help me to support my child’s learning?

We believe that a pupil’s education is a partnership between parents, professionals and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if a child has complex needs.

Pupils in Beaumont Academy all have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which will have individual targets. This is discussed on a termly basis and parents are sent a copy of the IEP.

Pupil’s progress is measured on a termly basis using a range of assessment tools relevant to the child’s age and ability. Pupils are set targets annually which are reviewed on a term by term basis. Interventions are put in place for pupils at risk of underachieving.

Every child has a class teacher who co-ordinates the plan and oversees the implementation of the plan or statement.

The class teacher has regular contact with pupils throughout the dayand will act as the first point of contact for parents liaising with parents through direct meetings, and telephone contact and/or home- school books.

Staff in school are always willing to offer advice and practical ways that you can help pupils at home.

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

We work closely with the local authority to ensure that children are offered provision that meets their needs. Parents are invited to visit the school prior to applying for a place and at any time through the application process. Children are encouraged to access transition opportunities, such as visiting the class, or joining our year 7 summer school.

Transition planning is a vital part of the annual review process from year 9 onwards. Pupils have a chance to meet a Personal Adviser to discuss options for the future and many have the opportunity through year 11 to visit their chosen college

Most pupils undertake a period of work experience in order to gain an understanding of the world of work and they access a curriculum that offers opportunities to develop independence and work skills.

Where pupils move on to another placement, their school records and examples of their work will be offered in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

How will the curriculum and teaching be matched to my child’s needs?

Pupils in Beaumont Hill Academy follow a curriculum which is personalised to their needs.Within lessons work and support is differentiated to allow all pupils to make good progress.

Throughout primary and KS3 pupils are grouped according to their needs and abilities. Levels of support are differentiated to meet the need of all pupils. Higher levels of support are given to more complex pupils. All work within lessons is pitched at an appropriate level so that all children are able to access teaching according to their specific needs. Typically this might mean that in a lesson there would be several levels of work set for the class; on occasions this may also be individually differentiated.

In KS4 and KS5 pupils follow an accreditation pathway which is appropriate for their ability. This allows learners to engage at the level of their interest and ability and give them the opportunity to secure nationally recognised qualifications.

Any additional support or intervention will be tailored to the child or young person’s needs anddtarget the areas identified. This support may be provided in class or in a small group or 1:1. The support may be delivered by a teacher or Teaching assistant or members of the multi-disciplinary team.

See the website for a list of the accreditations on offer to KS4 students.

Parents are informed of progression routes for their child during consultation evenings or annual review meetings in school.

During KS5 pupils follow a national recognised qualification which is based around independent living, live skills or personal health and social care.

Further details of all areas of our school curriculum and assessment processes can be seen on our website.

How accessible is the school environment?

Beaumont Hill Academy is situated within the Education Village alongside a Primary mainstream and a secondary mainstream school. The whole environment has been designed to be accessible to primary and secondary children, to disabled and non-disabled children.

The building is fully wheelchair accessible with wide corridors, ramps and lifts for student use. There are a full range of toilet and changing facilities and there are specialist areas available such as sensory theatres, soft play and ball pools. In addition to a full size swimming pool there is a hydro therapy pool as well as age related outdoor areas.

Within each classroom there will be relevant resources and equipment designed to enable all children to access the curriculum. Staffing levels are enhanced with younger and more complex pupils.

How does the school know whether it is effective?

We have a number of systems to enable us to make judgments about how well we are doing. Every term we measure the progress of pupils and observe teachers in lessons to assess the quality of teaching. All staff has a formal appraisal in which they are set targets for development.

On a whole school basis we write a school evaluation in which we assess each area of the school. We are held to account by the governing body who challenge our judgments and scrutinse the evidence we present.

Every year we ask the parents and pupils to tell us what they think of our provision

And the results from November 2015 are shown in the tables below.

Parental Responses in %
Primary / Secondary
Academy/Ethos / 92 / 91
Wellbeing / 98 / 92
Teaching & learning / 98 / 91
Overall satisfaction / 99 / 93
Pupil Responses in %
Primary / Secondary / Carlbury
Academy/Ethos / 94 / 84 / 89
Teaching / 100 / 95 / 100
Quality / 100 / 90 / 98

We also have inspections conducted by external consultants to assess the quality of our provision. To date we have been assessed in Leadership and Management, Teaching and Learning, Behavior and Wellbeing, and Pupil outcomes. All judgements were at least good and moving towards outstanding. We have also been assessed by another local Headteacher with regard to working with pupils with complex needs, and we have been inspected by the National Autistic Society.

The Chief Executive of the Multi-Academy Trust carries out termly learning walks.

What level of expertise and training do the staff have?

All staff have clear job descriptions which detail the required qualifications for each post in school. All staff have a core training programme related to their work as a teaching assistant, or teacher. Training is specifically related to the needs of children in our school and also as required by statutory guidance.

Both teachers and Teaching Assistants are highly trained in the practices and methods related to working with children with special educational needs. All staff receive at least six days of CPD per year.

All staff receive Team Teach training in order to develop their behaviour management skills. Staff who provide personal care receive moving and handling, eating and drinking, and medical training as appropriate. In addition, all staff can access the Education Village CPD programme, which includes a range of specialist training, such as sensory integration, the use of PECS, deaf awareness and any other needs that are raised through our performance management systems.

Staff also access training relevant to their roles and career stage, so for example there is a programme of training for Teaching Assistants, a management programme for HLTA’s, middle leadership training, subject based training etc.

How can my child join inwith activities with children who do not have special educational needs?

Because this school shares a site with two mainstream schools there are a number of opportunities for our children to join in with other children. Children can be integrated into mainstream lessons or classes such as nursery or subject based lessons. Children from all schools share the social spaces at break and lunchtimes.

There is a range of after school clubs some of which are open to both groups of pupils, such as Duke of Edinburgh or canoeing club.

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

Beaumont Hill is committed to multi-agency working to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met.

Pupils have a care plan which identifies their personal care needs and the administration of medication when required. It also identifies emergency procedures to be followed, where appropriate.

Professionals from other agencies including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, health and CAMHS visit the school on a regular basis. As well as supporting individual pupils these professionals advise staff around strategies and offer training.

Two local paediatricians hold regular clinics in school allowing input from school as well as from parents/ carers.

Twice monthly complex needs clinics are held in which professionalsreview the pupil and in consultation with parents, to agree short and longer term goals for that child.

The pastoral team meets regularly and ensures that the pastoral needs of pupils from across the school are met.

Pupil voice is encouraged in all areas of the school through regular meetings of the student council. Pupils, where appropriate, contribute to the annual review of their SEN statement/ EHC plan through a person centred review process. Some pupils know their targets and can describe their next steps of learning to achieve those targets.

Staff know individual pupils very well and any pupil requiring additional support will be offered it from a staff member with who they have a good relationship.

All children are informed about what bullying is and the ways it which it can be dealt with. As a school we log all bullying incidents and although this is relatively rare when it does occur there is an option for restorative justice sessions.

How does the school meet the needs of Looked After Children?

LAC children have access to all of the resources available to other children; in addition there are regular review and monitoring meetings held regularly to review the provision. When we collect data on progress and attendance we interrogate the statistics for LAC children to ensure that their school performance is in line with their peers.

There is further detail on our website about Beaumont Hill however if you have any queries or requests for policies or information relating to this report please contact the Deputy Head Teacher –Caroline Green on 01325 254000

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