Curriculum > Departments > Special Education Needs
Subject Outline
The School has a comprehensive policy for meeting the needs of those pupils who have a
special educational need of any kind. This broad term covers a wide range of need, from
those pupils who may require some temporary support with their spelling or handwriting
for example, to those pupils who have long term needs recognised in a statement issued
by the Local Education Authority.
Thomas Adams believes that:
all teachers are teachers of children with special education needs and have a
responsibility to meet those needs with the advice and support of the Special
Educational Needs team
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all children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum with full access to all
National Curriculum subjects
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pupils with special educational needs will be fully integrated into the life of the
School, enabling them to maximise their potential as learners and experience and
contribute to the social and cultural activities of the School.
The provision for pupils should:
In practice this means that we try to identify at an early stage any pupils who are
experiencing difficulty with their learning. We use information from the primary school,
listen to the concerns of pupils themselves and those of their parents, as well as our own
observations and assessments.
As required by the Government's Amended Code of Practice, all pupils who have special
needs are put on an Action List of Special Educational Needs. The special needs may refer
to learning problems, communication problems, emotional, social and behavioural
difficulties, or physical or sensory problems e.g. hearing impairment or visual impairment.
This confidential list is given to all staff, so that all teachers are aware of pupils' needs.
Pupils are placed on the action list with the agreement of parents. Children are noted as
needing school action if they need help that is additional or different from what the school
normally provides for pupils. Pupils are noted as School Action Plus, where they receive
support from agencies outside the school e.g. an Educational Psychologist or Sensory
Impairment Service. For pupils with complex needs the Local Educational Authority may
issue a statement which is a legal document outlining the provision which must be made
for the child.
For many pupils it will simply be a matter of registering a concern and letting their
teachers know that a little extra attention may be necessary. Some pupils, however, will
need more specific help either within lessons or in small groups withdrawn from agreed
subjects or at lunch and break times. In-class support may be provided in some lessons.
This additional support will be given to those pupils by members of the Special Needs
Department.
The Special Needs department monitors pupils' progress carefully and will keep parents
informed about the help their child is receiving. The Special Needs Co-ordinator is eager to
talk to parents about their child's special needs, so that new targets can be set, and the
help for the child can be changed to meet changing needs.
Pupils on the action list will be linked to a particular member of staff, who will be their
Keyworker. The Keyworker will discuss progress with the pupil and set targets for learning
or behaviour. These targets are written into the pupil's Individual Education Plan, which
will be reviewed regularly.
Parents, the pupil and the Keyworker write the Individual Education Plan, and it is given to
all the pupil's teachers. It informs them of the pupil's difficulties and suggests particular
strategies identified for each target. Teachers report on the progress pupils have made
towards meeting the targets and their views and suggestions are taken into account
during the review process.
Any request for subject disapplication must be directed to the Head.
Admission arrangements:
The admission arrangements for those pupils with special needs without a statement are
the same as those for all pupils.
Pupils with a statement are placed by the LEA, which makes every effort to comply with
parent and pupil preference in accordance with the Authority's own admission procedures.
ANNUAL REVIEWS
If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, it will need to be reviewed
every year. A member of the Special Needs Team will invite you to visit the School. Your
child will be invited to the meeting.
The Review Meeting will focus on what the pupil has achieved as well as on any difficulties
which need to be resolved. Together with the teacher, you will fill in a form to be sent to
Special Services Section at the Shirehall, Shrewsbury. This will include information about
your child's needs, current arrangements to meet those needs, the Individual Education
Plan, and the progress your child has made. A decision could be made to amend or stop
the Statement - but only if you agree to this. If we decide to keep the Statement, we will
set new objectives for your child's education for the next year.
There is a Special Annual Review Meeting after the student's fourteenth birthday. A
member of the Connexions Careers team attends this, to write a Transition Plan - this is a
plan of the student's possible career options, with suggestions for further training and
education. Sometimes other professionals, e.g. representatives of the Health Authority,
will be invited to the meeting, if this is thought appropriate.
After the meeting, copies of the forms are sent to Special Services Section at the L.E.A.,
who will issue a new Statement if the meeting has decided there have to be big changes
to the educational provision. You, and every other person attending the meeting, will be
given a copy of the Annual Review Forms.
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