Special Education Needs

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND INCLUSION

We are an inclusive school and our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) School Information Report is available from the school or the website. Central to the report is the principle that students with SEND are entitled to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which is taught in a way appropriate to their needs.

The Team

All teachers take responsibility for students with SEND but we also have a specialist SEND team that includes:

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
Specialist Teaching Assistants

The SENCO maintains regular links with the local authority and other outside agencies, such as:

The Educational Psychology Service
The Base 25 counselling service
The service for Physically Disabled
The Autism Outreach Team
The Hearing Impaired Service
The Visually Impaired Service
The Speech and Language Service

All members of the team receive regular training so that we maintain a range of specialisms designed to meet the needs of individual students. The school has been modified to enable young people with a disability to access all areas of the curriculum and we have supported students with different disabilities, providing adaptations according to individual requirements.

Meeting the needs of our students

Students with additional needs are identified early and a register is compiled using information from partner primary schools and from parents. Teachers are informed of students’ known difficulties and needs from their first days in school. Students with an Educational Healthcare Plan and some who are identified as SEN Support are assigned a Key Worker, Mentor, or named person to monitor progress, intervene when necessary and liaise with home.

Parents are encouraged to contact the SENCO over any concerns, large or small, and the opinions and contributions of parents and the involvement of students in the development of their learning are valued highly. Parents’ contributions to helping their child at home play a vital role in the success of our strategies at school.

Students with learning difficulties are offered a variety of programmes including in-class support from a Teaching Assistant. In Year 7, students with a reading difficulty may follow a reading programme and additional support is provided for some students through withdrawal from lessons for help with literacy and/ or numeracy. There is a homework club in the library each lunchtime. At Key Stage 4, some students may be offered a personalised programme with reduced number of GCSEs. Support is continued into the Sixth Form when appropriate.

The Hub, with the support of the pastoral and SEN team supports students with emotional, mental health and/or behavioural difficulties and offers a range of programmes including 1:1 mentoring, group mentoring, workshops and academic support. A tailor-made Transition Programme is available for year 6 students who may find the move from primary to secondary school difficult. Students can access this programme if any of the following applies: they are the only student transferring; they have a Special Educational Need; they have struggled with their behaviour at primary school; they are vulnerable or feeling anxious.

Those wanting to know more or to discuss their child’s needs should contact the SENCO – Mrs A Craciun (acraciun@wombournehighschool.co.uk).

🔗Please click here to access the schools SEN information report