SEND
Welcome to the Priory School SEND Information
This page describes what our school offers for children with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND).
The education we provide offers more than academic rigors and excellence. Our rates of progress are outstanding; these are enhanced and extended by the knowledge and expertise we use to support our students with a range of additional needs.
Department Information
Head of SENDCo – Miss J Roach – jrh@priorycofe.com
Deputy SENDCo – Mrs D Smith – dsh@priorycofe.com
Contact number 01306 887 337 ext 256
How we can help
This can include:
- Reading and spelling
- Learning new information and concepts
- Working with numbers
- Working memory
- Concentration
- Students may have conditions such as Specific Learning Difficulties, dyslexia, general learning difficulties, ADHD, ADD, Down Syndrome
- Students may present with difficulties that do not have a specific title
What can The Priory offer?
All students at The Priory can access:
- Quality First teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEND practice).
- Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and themes.
- Access to homework support clubs
- ERIC (everybody reads in class)
- KS2 to KS3 transition support via Transition programme
- Year 7, 8 and 10 students have access to spelling, reading and comprehension intervention sessions during tutor time
- Access to assessment for identification of significant needs.
Dedicated and caring staff who value all students regardless of ability.
Support for targeted groups of students may include:
As for all Priory students plus
- Blocks of small group lessons that focus on a range of needs such as literacy, maths and spelling in the Intervention Room
- Nurture group provision
- Where needed, help from an external agency (e.g. Educational Psychologist).
- Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- Targeted lunch time clubs for vulnerable students
Targeted individual support many include:
- On-going tailor made 1:1 tuition in the Intervention Room, led by a specialist teacher or Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
- Where needed, help from an external agency (e.g. Educational Psychologist).
- Termly testing for students to identify those with learning difficulties and to review and plan
- On-going monitoring and regular feedback to parents and students (at least termly and including the
- Annual Review if student has an EHCP)
- Exam Access Arrangements
- Post 16 Transition support
My child has sensory and/or physical needs
This section covers students who have difficulties with:
- Vision
- Hearing
- Gross motor co-ordination
- Fine motor co-ordination
- Self-organisation for daily living
- This may include conditions such as cerebral palsy, physical injury, dyspraxia and other medical conditions
NB: please see Speech, Language and Social Communication section for sensory issues relating to ASD/Asperger Syndrome.
What can The Priory offer?
All students at The Priory can access:
- Quality First teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEN practice).
- Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and themes.
- School adheres to guidelines on physical access.
- Access to homework support clubs
- KS2 to KS3 transition support via Transition programme
- Year 7, 8 and 10 students have access to spelling, reading and comprehension intervention sessions during tutor time.
- Access to assessment for identification of significant needs
- Dedicated and caring staff who value all students regardless of ability.
Support for targeted groups of students may include:
As for all Priory students plus…
- Medical Care Plans
- Handwriting /fine motor/keyboard skills training
- Group discussions and information giving from our qualified school nurse
- Access to assistive technology, laptops, software, audio digital books and apps.
- Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- Targeted lunch time clubs for vulnerable students.
Targeted individual support many include:
- Personalised support plans
- Individual handwriting /fine motor/keyboard skills training
- Outside Agency support from Advisory Teachers when needed
- Specialist equipment and materials, such as low vision aids and enlarged adapted resources
- Access to assistive technology, software, audio digital books and apps
- Targeted Learning Support Assistant provision for complex medical needs, including practical support
- Post 16 Transition support
- External agency advice where needed
- Exam Access Arrangements
This can include:
- Understanding language
- Using language
- Understanding how to communicate socially with other people
- Conditions include: Specific Language Disorder, ASD/ASC (Autism), Asperger Syndrome, speech sound disorders/delay.
- Please see separate section of the website for EAL (English as an Additional Language) services in the school.
- What can The Priory offer?
All students at The Priory can access:
- Quality First teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEN practice).
- Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and theme
- Access to homework support clubs
- Access to software packages such as Docs+
- Access to assessment for identification of significant needs.
Support for targeted groups of students may include:
- Assessment and identification of language need
- Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- Access to Speech, Language & Communication specialist HLTA.
Targeted individual support may include
As for all Priory students plus…
- 1:1 session with a speech and language therapist.
- 1:1 sessions with other specialist staff in the school, linked to other needs on ECHP (e.g. Nurture Group)
- Access to Speech, Language & Communication specialist HLTA for 1:1 withdrawal sessions
- Individual Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- On-going monitoring and regular feedback to parents and students (at least termly and including the Annual Review)
- Exam Access Arrangements.
- Post 16 transition support
This section includes all those young people who experience short but significant periods of high anxiety, stress, distress or anger that affect their education.
It also includes young people who have a range of longer-term recognised mental health conditions.
For both groups, issues can include difficulties with:
- Forming and maintaining relationships
- Bereavement
- Attitudes to attainment
- Attendance
- Self-esteem
What can the Priory offer?
All students at The Priory can access:
- Quality First teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEND practice).
- Homework support clubs
- Assessment for identification of significant needs.
- Whole school Reward System.
- Ready to Learn – the whole school policy for behaviour management
- Key Stage transition support
- Anti-bullying policy.
- School nurse
- ELSA
- Support groups for self-esteem, young carers and social interaction
Targeted support for small groups may include:
As for all Priory students plus…
- Breakfast club
- Transition Project – 4 evening sessions (with parents/carers) and a Transition Day.
- Be Me & Shine self-esteem groups for girls
- Chaplains lunchtime drop-in sessions
- Year 7 transition support groups
- Mentoring system (all years)- behaviour/social skills/self esteem/stress management
- In-class support in some lessons
- Peer Mentoring
- Year 11 support with college applications and career paths.
Support for individual students may include:
As for all Priory students plus…
- 1:1 mentoring
- Links to outside counselling services
- Outside agency input (eg. Educational Psychologist, Targeted Youth Support, Early Help, CAMHS, Education Welfare Officer (EWO) and Home School Link Worker (HSLW).
- Flexible timetables.
- In-class support for students at risk of exclusion.
- Personal Support Plan- support for students at risk of permanent exclusion.
- On-going monitoring and regular feedback to parents and students (at least termly and including the Annual Review if student has an EHCP)
- Exam Access Arrangements
- Post 16 Transition support
- Support from Health and Social Care team/ school nurse.
- Children looked after support.
The Ofsted definition of English as an additional language (EAL) refers to learners whose first language is not English. These definitions therefore cover the following:
- Pupils arriving from other countries and whose first language is not English
- Pupils who have lived in the UK for a long time and may appear to be fluent, but who also speak another language at home. These pupils are often not entirely fluent in terms of their literacy levels.
- Pupils who were born in the UK, but for whom the home language is not English (e.g. Bengali children who are born in the UK, but arrive at school with very little English due to having spoken only Bengali at home and within the community)
- Pupils who have a parent who speaks a language other than English and the child communicates with in that language (ie. bi-lingual children) It is important therefore to recognise that children who have British citizenship can still be EAL.
What can The Priory offer?
As a school we aim to:
- promote equality of opportunity for all learners for whom English is an additional language
- deliver a broad, balanced curriculum which reflects the needs of children for whom English is an additional language
- promote and encourage the development of the student’s first languages in order to encourage them to access appropriate qualifications (e.g.: a GCSE in their first language)
- ensure that EAL students are assessed in their first language where possible and where appropriate
- provide all staff with high-quality professional development to develop their knowledge and skills for teaching EAL learners
- participate in a bespoke timetable which best supports their needs
All EAL students at The Priory can access:
- Quality First teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEND practice).
- Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and theme
- Access to homework support clubs
- Access to Docs+ a computer software package
- Access to assessment for identification of significant needs.
Support for targeted groups of students may include:
- Assessment and identification of language need
- Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- Access to EAL Support Co-Ordinator
Targeted individual support may include
As for all Priory students plus…
- 1:1 session with EAL Support Co-Ordinator
- Individual Learning Support Assistant provision in some lessons
- On-going monitoring and regular feedback to parents and students
- Exam access arrangements
- Post 16 transition support
FAQ
Support is based on an assessment process. Each student is assessed depending upon their needs and appropriate intervention and support will be put in place accordingly.
Your child’s tutor will be your first point of call if you have any concerns. Subject leaders will also contact you if they have any concerns in their area. The school will communicate between departments and the Pastoral system to ensure that any concerns regarding a child’s learning. Any students that have an EHCP will have a named member of the Learning Support Department as a mentor.
The SENDCo is Miss J Roach who should be contacted in the first instance by emailing senco@priorycofe.com or calling 01306 887337.
Examples of support provided include:
Mentoring
1:1 tuition in Maths and English
Small group sessions
LSA support
Typing Club
Alternative Learning Provisions
Reading interventions
Nurture groups (including groups with outside agencies)
Extra curricular clubs
Examples of support provided as a whole school initiative:
Chaplaincy
ELSA
Young Carers Support Group
Be Me
In the first instance you should contact your child’s tutor who will then liaise with specific subject leaders.
All teaching staff are regularly updated on the SEND needs of individual students. Staff training covers topics relating to individual areas of need (dyslexia, behaviour, anxiety etc). LSAs that work with individual students also communicate frequently with the subject teachers.
The Learning Support Team will always be available to give advice when needed and they will signpost you to the relevant member of staff.
Every student in school is assessed in all subjects every half term. All data from this is then tracked by the relevant members of staff. Any concerns can then be addressed via their class teacher.
The school uses the support of many external agencies such as:
Ed Phsych
School Nurse
Physical & Sensory Support
Chaplaincy
Occupational Therapy
EWO
CAMHS
HSLW
Speech and Language
REMA
Outreach Services
All staff are regularly trained regarding differentiation and how to teach students of all abilities.
Wave One Provision (Quality First Teaching) means what should be on offer for all children: the effective inclusion of all pupils in high-quality everyday personalised teaching.
This type of teaching is based on clear objectives that are shared with the children and returned to at the end of the lesson; new vocabulary is carefully explained; we use lively, interactive teaching styles and make the maximum use of visual and kinaesthetic as well as auditory/verbal learning.
Approaches like these are the best way to reduce, from the start, the number of children who need extra help with their learning or behaviour. All teaching staff are aware of students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
The Pastoral & Academic Team oversee your child’s learning throughout their time at The Priory School. They will liaise with all relevant members of staff, especially if changes occur and information needs updating. If your child leaves our school for whatever reason the SENDCO will liaise with the appropriate member of staff at the new school to ensure that relevant information is shared.