Mission Statement The mission statement of the Emmanuel College Individualised Learning Department accords with that of the Foundation: • To provide all students and staff with the opportunity to work hard and achieve their personal best. • To encourage personal, moral and spiritual development within a Christian framework. • To create a disciplined, sensitive environment where everyone is equally valued. Purpose We aim to provide all students with strategies for dealing with their needs in a supportive environment, and to give them meaningful access to the College curriculum. In particular, we aim to: • ensure that all students reach their full potential, allocating resources to this end; • give all students the opportunity to take part in all aspects of school life as far as possible; • enable each student to experience success, where success is defined as achievement of personal best in a wide range of spheres; • identify, assess and review pupils’ progress and needs; • work collaboratively with pupils, parents, colleagues and external agencies; • ensure that all students receive relevant and differentiated educational provision and show progression in learning. Role and Responsibilities Within Emmanuel College, Miss N Swan, the Individualised Learning Coordinator (SENCO) is responsible for overseeing the day to day provision of education for students with Special Educational Needs. Miss Swan leads a group of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). Mrs D McDonnell, Senior Teacher (Learning) is responsible for ensuring that the learning needs of all students are catered for within the classroom, including those with special educational needs (SEN). Inclusion, admissions and identification Emmanuel College’s SEN Policy reinforces the need for teaching that is fully inclusive. Teachers have a responsibility towards students with SEN and enable these students to overcome their barriers to learning, whether physical, emotional or academic, through differentiation. As a result of its admissions criteria (as detailed in our Intake Policy), Emmanuel College admits students from across the ability spectrum, and welcomes students with special educational needs. The special needs of present and former students within Emmanuel College include specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia), emotional and physical disabilities. Feeder schools routinely invite the Individualised Learning Coordinator to statutory review meetings for children who hold a Statement of Need to support their transition from primary school. Teaching staff at Emmanuel College have front line responsibility for meeting the special educational needs of each of their students, and for providing appropriate pastoral care. Teachers are also responsible for identifying students with SEN and this practice is supported by regular staff training and development. When
a student is identified as having a special educational need, the Individualised Learning Coordinator will oversee the provision put in place for the student. Provision It is the policy of College to set students by ability for all subjects from Year 7. This enables students working at a similar level and pace to be placed within the same class. All students are set according to their ability, not their disability, and a special educational need is not in itself a barrier to a place in a high set. Accordingly, the timetable is constructed to minimise constraints upon children’s setting; it is possible to be in a high set for mathematics and a low set for English, for example. Students with a special educational need are highlighted on the SEN Register. This central document allows all staff to identify students within their classes that may require additional support. There are currently three categorised levels of support: • School Action (SA) is appropriate for students who experience slight difficulties in the classroom and are failing to make the expected level of progress despite differentiated learning opportunities. Students at this level receive support from the IL Department, typically with Learning Support Assistant (LSA) assistance, equipment or resources; • Students failing to make progress at this level move on to School Action Plus (SAP). This level is categorised by a sustained level of College support, within and outside the classroom and, typically, by the additional involvement of external agencies. • A Statement of Need (S) is issued by the Local Authority (LA) to students whose needs are more profound. The provision deemed necessary to support children at this level will be detailed in their Statement. Students at the School Action Plus or Statement of Need level will be issued with a Personal Passport, drawn up by the Individualised Learning Coordinator in consultation with the student and his or her parents. In a similar way to an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the Personal Passport sets out the student’s specific learning needs alongside ways in which staff can provide support, and sets appropriate targets for the student to achieve throughout the course of the year. Outside agencies with which the Individualised Learning Department works closely include the Educational Psychological Services, Hearing and Visual Impairment Services, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Communication Difficulties and Autistic Team, as well as Social Services in Gateshead, Newcastle and Durham. The Pastoral and Individualised Learning Departments share information to support students. Accessibility College provides accessibility to all parts of the building through a central lift, designated disabled parking bay and ramps at both entrances. Plans, meetings and discussions occur prior to any educational visits with teachers, professionals and parents to ensure no student is disadvantaged. Alternate equally valuable educational provision is made if a school educational visit is unsuitable. College is mindful that periodically, when the school building is updated, accessible doors, handles, signage, acoustics and flooring for special needs are taken into account. The Facilities Manager is aware of and adheres to all government guidance on this issue.
APPENDIX A: SEN Examination Analysis 2012-‐13 GCSE Students with Special Educational Needs Sixteen Year 11 students were placed on the SEN register in 2011-‐12, and all of these students managed to achieve 5 A*-‐C grades, 50% including Maths and English:
Whole College 5 A*-C 99.5% 5 A*-C inc En and Ma 90.9% Ave total pts 582.62
SEN Students 100% 81.8% 554.86
When students join school in Year 7 they receive a percentage likelihood of 5 A*-‐C based on their CATs scores. Of the students on the SEN Register 9 were predicted less than a 20% chance of achieving 5 A*-‐C grades. Standout performances in the group were two students who, with CATs predictions of 2% and 4% respectively, gained 10.5 and 13 A*-‐C grades including Maths and English. Below is a summary of this information. Student
SEN Level
5 A*-‐C CHIME
Number A*-‐C
CAT 5A*-‐C prediction
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
P A A A S P P P A A A A A A A P A A A A A A
Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y N Y Y Y
10.5 12.5 12.5 12.5 8 13 12.5 12.5 6 10.5 14 11 12.5 8.5 7.5 13 12 12.5 8 7.5 12.5 12
2% 99% 95% 98% 4% 31% 86% 92% 16% 80% 7% 20% 98% 86% 53% 4% 8% 98% 11% 74% 84% 11%
ASDAN CoPE Award 7 students in the 2012-‐13 cohort completed the CoPE Award, all receiving the equivalent of a B grade at GCSE. This is the second last group who will be able to gain this grade from the CoPE Award. For 3 of these students, this grade was their highest result, though of these students, not one gained their Maths and English qualifications. Access Arrangements 8 students in Year 11 had some form of access arrangements during the GCSE examinations. These arrangements ranged from extra time, to use of a word processor or a scribe or reader. For some students these access arrangements were implemented at quite a late stage but made considerable difference to the way they performed in the examinations. SEN Level
Student A B C D E F
A S P A P A
G H
A A
Access Arrangements 5 A*-‐C CHIME
Number A*-‐C
CAT 5 A*-‐C Prediction
Y N Y Y Y N
12.5 8 13 11 13 12
99% 4% 31% 20% 4% 8%
Y Y
12.5 12
98% 11%
Scribe Reader, Scribe, Extra time Word Processor Scribe Scribe Scribe Word processor, rest breaks Scribe
Of these results, there are many positive outcomes, suggesting provisions put in place for students were largely effective. It is interesting to note that the students who required additional intervention in the exams were not all those at the lowest end of the scale in terms of CATs predictions as access arrangements are often needed for medical as well as learning difficulties.
A Level Students with Special Educational Needs In Year 13 there was only one student listed on the SEN Register. This student faced significant personal difficulties to achieve the grades she did and has now taken up a place at university. She outperformed her target grades by 40 points (Merit Merit to Distinction Merit).
Student
SEN Level
A
P
A*
A
B
C
D
Dist* Dist*
Dist* Dist Dist Dist
Dist Merit
140 300
120 270
100 240
80 210
60 180
280 660
260 600
240 540
200 480
1
1
QCA points
Pts
630
280
Access Arrangements 2 students in Year 13 had access arrangements for A Level examinations. One student achieved 3 passes and the other 2.5. Both students faced considerable difficulties over their time in Sixth Form and worked hard to achieve these results. Student
SEN Level
Access Arrangements
Number of Qualifications
Grades
A
N
Extra time
3.0
B B C
280
2.5
C D (B) (U)
190
B N Rest breaks [N.B. The grade in brackets denotes an AS level]
Points
AS Level Students with Special Educational Needs There are 5 students in Year 12 on the SEN Register. Of these five students, three have access arrangements. There are also three other students within the year group who have access arrangements in place.
Student
SEN Level
A
A
A* 140 300
A 120 270 1
B 100 240 1
C 80 210 1
D 60 180
E 40 150
720
300
B
A
1
1
1
690
280
C
P
3
810
360
D E
P P
3
1 2
1
1050 630
460 240
QCA points
Pts