Special Educational Needs
Ethos
Wrotham School is very proud of the progress made by all student groups, including those with SEN. The success of SEN at Wrotham School is due to an inclusive approach where students are primarily taught in the classroom along with their peers through differentiated teacher support.
We do not follow the approach of a specialist SEN Unit and instead pride ourselves on providing a high quality of inclusive teaching with a flexible approach which is tailored to the individual needs of each child within the constraints of a mainstream educational establishment. Only where absolutely necessary do students receive intensive, small group or individual intervention, and then for short periods of time.
Here you can find comprehensive information about how we support learners to maximize their achievement and progress along with our philosophy and approach to meeting learners needs.
The following abbreviations are used throughout this section :
SEN – Special Educational Needs
SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
SENCO – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
TA – Teaching Assistant
EHCP – Education Health Care plan
Staffing
SENCO – Mrs S Hann
Assistant SENCO – Mrs A Sanders
Contact – href=”mailto:shann@wrotham.kent.sch.uk”>shann@wrotham.kent.sch.uk
The SEN department consists of the SENCO, Assistant SENCO and Teaching Assistants. This is supplemented by Local Authority services and specialist agencies. At present these include:
- Language and Learning Support Service
- Educational Psychology Service
- ASD Support Specialist
- Speech and Language Therapy Service
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS)
The SEN department also works closely with the school’s Pastoral team, Child Protection team and School Counsellor to provide pastoral support.
The SENCO also has responsibility for:
- Exam Access Arrangement testing
- Catch-up reading and numeracy
All teachers at Wrotham are teachers of SEN and thus all staff are involved in the identification and support of students with additional needs in their mainstream classroom. Staff are encouraged to register any concerns about students and develop links with member of the SEN department if there are serious concerns.
Teaching Assistants are allocated on an individual needs directed basis to support individuals or groups of learners as allowed by resources. Teachers work closely with them to ensure maximum effectiveness. Our Teaching Assistants have a wide range of skills to offer in supporting students directly and indirectly, assisting staff and working with parents/carers.
SEN Policy
Wrotham School SEN Policy is updated regularly to reflect the policies and practices required by the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and other appropriate legislation. The policy can be downloaded from the links below. The policy outlines the foundation from which Wrotham’s inclusive ethos has developed. It is important to note at that this time of great change in SEND provision the policy will continually evolve.
SEN Information Report April 2021 – Download
Internal Communication
The SEN register includes details of differing needs; stages of assessment under the Code of Practice; strategies to support individuals; and interventions and the involvement of outside services. Teaching staff familiarise themselves with the needs of the students they teach and will respond appropriately with the support of the SEN department.
The SEN Register is readily available internally as an electronic document and provides information from the Primary school, current teachers, the SEN department, parents and students regarding student’s individual needs. As the child’s needs are reviewed, parents are informed of any changes to their child’s SEN status if appropriate.
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) include recommended teaching strategies from the SEN department, student, teachers and parents. These documents provide a truly individualised approach. These, along with the Recommended Teaching Strategies documents, are hyperlinked to the SEN Register and assist staff in supporting SEN students.
Needs identification, monitoring and tracking
From September 2014 we have been working within the new SEN Code of Practice. This will mean one level of SEN need: SEN Support. Students who previously had a Statement of Need have been transferred onto Education Health Care plans.
Teacher assessment data enables the progress of SEN Support students to be tracked. Areas of strength and areas for further development are identified and appropriate intervention or other provision are utilised as appropriate to address specific needs or to provide additional support.
Education Health Care plans
Under the 2014 SEN Code of Practice, Statements of Need have been replaced by Education Health Care plans. Students with this level of support continue to receive:
- Annual reviews involving the student, parents/carers, TA mentor, subject staff and other professionals evaluate progress made in achieving targets and the impact of strategies.
- A Teaching Assistant mentor who will meet the student once per term to review the progress being made towards the Annual Review targets and pass on any specific concerns to the SENCO.
- A Teaching Assistant to support their learning in key lessons or other individualised provision as appropriate to their needs
SEN INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
- SEN DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE
- SEN IDENITIFICATION
- SEN FAQ
- Catch Up Report 2022-2023v2 (002)
- Covid-catch-up-summary-December-2020
