The Neville Lovett Community School
LEARNING SUPPORT POLICY SCHOOL OBJECTIVES FOR PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS: To offer opportunities to all pupils to develop to the full, their own abilities and aptitudes, to avail them of the whole curriculum and integrate them into the school community as far and as fully as possible. 1.
Learning Support Provision:
(a)
Learning Support Co-ordinators Teacher of the Deaf/Head of Resourced Centre for Hearing Impairment
(b)
Admission Arrangements: (i)
The school follows an ‘open access’ policy for pupils of all abilities, including those with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, provided such placement is in the child’s best interest. (ii) The Head of Year 7, Pastoral Assistant and Assistant Headteacher KS3, visits the feeder schools to discuss the new intake with class teachers and Headteacher. (iii) Learning Support Co-ordinators liases with Child and Family Liaison Co-ordinator to devise transition plan and then visits feeder schools to discuss the needs of pupils on the Special Needs Register. (iv) The Teacher of the Deaf & Support Staff visit HI pupils in feeder schools. (v) Interviews are held with parents concerned about secondary transfer. (vi) Liaison with educational psychologists, advisory teachers and other agencies is arranged where appropriate. (vii) Pupils entering the school during the school year are tested on entry, using NFER Reading and spelling, Verbal Reasoning & Maths Attainment Tests so that appropriate setting can be recommended to subject departments. (viii) End of Key Stage 2 results are used to ensure Tutor Groups of balanced ability, and initial setting within some subjects. (c)
Identification: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)
By access to information provided through liaison with Primary Schools. By administering spelling and reading comprehension tests in the Autumn Term for each new entry and an in-house Mathematics Test based on the National Curriculum. By referral from Departments or through Subject Liaison teachers. By referral through a Head of Year. By parental request. By pupil request.
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(d)
Assessment: Where additional information is required, further tests may be administered, eg NFER NonVerbal Test, Neale Analysis of Reading and Reading Comprehension or a Dyslexia Test. It may be appropriate to seek assessment from an Educational Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Specialist Teacher Adviser for Hearing Impairment or Visual Impairment or other professional as necessary. This is only carried out when parental consent has been given.
(e)
Monitoring and Review: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii)
(f)
Approach to Identifying and Meeting Special Educational Needs: (i) (ii)
(iii) (iv) (v)
(g)
Learning Support Staff monitor the progress of pupils on a weekly basis. Support Staff monitor the progress of an identified group of pupils on a regular basis. Half Termly meetings are held between Learning Support Staff and Subject Liaison Staff to highlight any significant concerns or problems. Weekly meetings are held between Learning Support Assistants and termly meeting for whole of SEN department including HIRA. Subject Reviews. Annual Reports and Annual Reviews of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need. Termly updates of Individual Education Plans for statements. School Action + updated 2 times year and School Action once a year unless a new need is highlighted then IEP will be reviewed.
Identification by the subject teachers and Learning Support Staff and parents. Pupils referred to the Learning Support Co-ordinators are given support in the form of: • advice • in-class support • alternative and additional material/equipment provided • arranging opportunities for the pupil to improve area(s) of concern, or • organising further diagnostic testing using Departmental expertise. Where internal strategies have not proved successful, additional advice and support may be requested from outside agencies. In consultation with outside agencies and the parents a decision may be taken to request a Formal Assessment of the Special Educational Needs of a child. The County firstly make a decision whether or not to carry out a Formal Assessment. Upon completion of an Assessment of Need a Statement of Special Educational Need could be issued; a IPA statement could be issued; or no further action may be taken.
Access to the National Curriculum: All pupils at Neville Lovett School will have full access to the National Curriculum. ‘We seek to provide a curriculum, which is flexible, relevant and meaningful to our pupils at different ages and stages of development and which will be responsive to their needs and interests.’ It is within this context that pupils placed within the Hearing Impaired Resourced Area, may be disapplied from taking a Modern Foreign Language, to allow further consolidation of language development encountered throughout all areas of the curriculum. Maximum access to the National Curriculum will be facilitated through effective differentiation, withdrawal and workshops. (Refer to the School Statement on Differentiation)
(h)
Priorities for the Allocation of Resources:
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(i) (ii) (iv)
Respond to the needs of an individual pupil, as identified by subject teacher(s) and/or Learning Support staff. Provision of appropriate support to address the legal requirements of a Statement of Special Educational Need. Purchase of resources for individual programmes of work to develop skills, eg spelling, reading, comprehension and handwriting and numeracy.
(i)
Integration Arrangements under Section 161(4) of the 1993 Education Act:
(j)
Procedures for Monitoring the Learning Support Policy: Pupils: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)
Pupil progress in subject areas, including National Curriculum Levels. In-class tests (within sets and across the year). Reading and Spelling Test Results (also within framework of Literacy Targets). Pupil behaviour and self image. Pupil motivation. Attendance record.
Staff: (i) (ii) (iii)
Accuracy of placement and identification of difficulty(ies). Documentation completed satisfactorily and appropriate strategies used. Parental feedback (Parents’ Evenings / Subject Reviews / Report Replies / Annual Reviews)
2.
Partnership with Outside Agencies:
(a)
For Staff Training: Learning Support Staff are encouraged to attend Area, County and Nationally accredited courses where appropriate. In-house training is organised to ensure maximum benefit to our pupils. Needs are identified through Departmental and School Development Plans, within the context of the school’s in-service policy.
(b)
Arrangements for Partnership with Parents: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)
(c)
Use Made of External Support Services: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
(d)
Through the completion and sharing of Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Informal links as required encouraging open access. Year 7 Tutor/Parents’ Evening. Parents’ Evenings (subject based) for all Years. A Learning Support Evening for Year 7 parents in the Autumn Term. Formal involvement, where Outside Agency Support is being requested.
Regular liaison with our Educational Psychologists. Regular liaison with the Educational Welfare Officer. Regular visits by the Specialist Teacher Adviser for Hearing Impairment and Speech Therapist. Close contact also exists between the pastoral staff and the Child & Family Therapy Service.
Links with Special Schools and Resource Centres: Direct links exist with local Special Schools and Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges through the Learning Support Curriculum Development Group which meets termly. Close
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contact also exists with Post 16 establishments, as Transition documents are completed and pupils apply for Post 16 Courses. (e)
Links with Medical and Social Services and Voluntary Organisations: (i) (ii)
Referrals made to the Social Services via Heads of Year. Regular clinics held at the school by the Consultant Audiological Scientist for Queen Alexandra Hospital, for pupils with Hearing Impairment.
Signed: ………………………………………………………. Elizabeth Webb, Chairman of Governors Date: ………………………….
Revised April 2007
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