SEND Information Report 2020-21
Welcome to Saint Pius X School’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) School Information Report – the information included will be updated annually in line with guidance in the 2014 Code of Practice. (Last updated January 2018)
Our mission statement: Saint Pius x Catholic High school is a Catholic school in which the Gospel message of the Kingdom of God is revealed through our work and relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.’
This is encompassed in the statement: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ John 13
Our school reflects and celebrates the diversity of Christ’s Kingdom, where all are seen as gifted and can learn from one another. Our commitment is to meet the needs of every child as a unique individual.
At Saint Pius X Catholic High School we are dedicated to inclusive provision for all and provide a range of individual support and specialist programmes to support the needs of our individual learners. Inclusive practice in all lessons, from all staff, across the school is key to the successful outcomes for all learners, and under the new Code of Practice the school is legally required to publish the following information.
SEND provision:
As a fully inclusive school, a range of SEND are provided for within mainstream provision at Saint Pius, as part of the graduated response to meeting the needs of the young person. The range of needs includes communication and interaction difficulties, including Autistic Spectrum Condition, social, emotional and mental health difficulties, cognitive and learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyscalculia and physical and sensory difficulties. The experienced team of TAs support teaching and learning within the classroom, working alongside the teacher, but also through carefully planned additional interventions or provision which are reviewed regularly. The school respond to the needs of the individual student and plan, assess and review their needs on a regular basis.
Identification of Needs, Assessment and Review
The school conducts a comprehensive package of assessments to identify and assess the Special Educational Needs of each and every student.
· All students on arrival will have a number of baseline tests in literacy and numeracy to identify needs alongside information already gathered from feeder schools.
· Students may also undergo a dyslexia screener to highlight any specific learning difficulties that have been highlighted at their previous school.
· Students are assessed regularly in their subject lessons and interventions put in place if progress is not being made. The on- going assessment of students’ needs and progress is used as evidence to support applications for exam access arrangements at KS4.
· More thorough personalized diagnostic testing is completed in-house by our designated Level 7 qualified diagnostic assessors, Mrs Hall and Mr Roberts. More detailed assessments may be carried out by referral to external agencies.
· All interventions within the Learning Support Department are monitored closely and progress checked. Students and parents are invited to provide feedback on interventions they have received.
Consulting Parents
· All parents of students with a Statement of Educational Needs will be invited to attend and provide feedback at their child’s annual review. Regular contact will be kept with parents throughout the school year and as a minimum once per term.
· The SENCO and learning support teacher will be available for appointments at all parents’ evenings throughout the year.
· Parents are contacted throughout the year as and when required, to discuss the outcomes of learning assessments.
· All parents are invited and encouraged to contact the Learning Support department if they feel that their child has any additional needs that require support.
Consulting Pupils
· Students on the SEN register may have a Person Centred Plan to assist teachers in individualized programmes of education within every lesson. Students have termly reviews of these plans and have an opportunity to add ideas and tips on how to support them most.
· Students with a Statement of Educational Need or EHCP are invited to attend their annual reviews and provide written and verbal feedback related to their education.
· The Learning Support Department offers an open door policy inviting students to come and speak to staff about their difficulties at any time.
Transition
The school offers planned support to High School to ensure a smooth transition. This includes a 3 day transition programme for all Y6 students and a number of taster sessions/visits for a variety of different needs that can be arranged with the SENCO. The SEN additional transition days provide a full-day of additional sessions focusing on building friendships, meeting new teachers, increasing confidence and self-esteem and getting to know the general layout and day-to-day experiences of the school. Support for Transition to Post-16 education is also provided. This includes career guidance in Y11 and college taster sessions. The Learning Support Department helps students to complete application forms, teaches interview technique, attend interviews for support and liaise with post-16 providers to transfer key information about learning needs to enable students to succeed in whichever pathway they choose.
Expertise and Training
All staff within the school attend CPD training sessions on key aspects of Special Educational Needs teaching. These are carried out by the SENCO, teaching staff or by external agencies. All staff are
expected to provide individualized support for all students within their class groups and have personalized information to assist them in this through the SEN person centred plans and information available from the learning support department. In addition each department has an SEN link teacher and Teaching assistant who attend regular meetings to discuss students and feedback to their departments.
The student support centre
Everyone at some point needs additional support and guidance, particularly during teenage years. The student support centre provides students with emotional support when required through 1-1 mentoring and counselling. Skilled and experienced staff also deliver small group programmes to groups of students when a need has been identified. These may include social skills, relationships, anger management and support in class. The aim of the student support centre is to ensure that all students receive the personalised education that they deserve and require as and when barriers arise. A number of our students have a more personalised timetable that includes offsite provision.
External Support Agencies
The school liaises regularly with a number of external support agencies. These include:
· CAMHS
· Learning Support services
· Educational Psychology service
· Autism Communication Team
· Hearing Impairment & Visual Impairment Team
· Speech & Language Therapy Team
· Occupational Therapy Team
· SENDIASS: independent advice and support for parents
· Virtual school
· Early Help team
The Rotherham Local Offer for SEND has a range of advice and resources. This can be found at: http://www.rotherhamsendlocaloffer.org/
If you would like to speak to anyone in the team about your child’s provision, support, assessment, transition or complaint please contact:
Simon Roberts (SENCO)
Saint Pius X Catholic High School
01709 767900