SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2014 states that a child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if they:

Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or

Have a disability which prevents or hinders then from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

High quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised will meet the individual needs of the majority of children and young people. Some children and young people need educational provision that is additional to or different from this. This is special educational provision under Section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014. We use their best endeavours to ensure that such provision is made for those who need it.

Special educational provision is underpinned by high quality teaching and is compromised by anything less. The kinds of special educational need for which provision is made at Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form:

At Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form we can make provision for frequently occurring special educational need without an Education, Health and Care Plan, for instance dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language needs, autism, learning difficulties and behaviour difficulties. There are other kinds of special educational need which do not occur as frequently and with which the school is less familiar, but we can access training and advice so that these kinds of needs can be met. Students with SEN will have been identified in primary school and their needs passed on to the SENCO. All students will complete a variety of assessments which are carried out on entry to TGS and any areas that may have additional needs will be identified, teaching staff may also refer a students to the SENCO for further assessments around learning and if parents are concerned they are encouraged to speak to the SENCO.

The school also currently meets the needs of students with and without an Education, Health and Care plan with the following kinds of special educational need:

• Autistic Spectrum Conditions

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs including ADHD, Anxiety and Attachment disorder

• Speech and Language Needs

• Specific Learning Difficulties relating to literacy or numeracy

• Moderate Learning Difficulties

• Visual/Hearing Impairments

• Sensory and Physical Needs

Within each of these categories are a range of special educational needs which will be addressed by SEN plan or EHCP as appropriate for individual students.

Decisions on the admission of an Education, Health and Care plan are made by the Local Authority.

The admission arrangements for students without an Education, Health and Care Plan do not discriminate against or disadvantage disabled children or those with special educational needs and will follow the usual school admissions procedures.

We also incorporate the advice provided as a result of assessments, both internal and external, and the strategies described in Education, Health and Care Plans.

Teachers at Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form monitor the progress of all students and regularly review their progress. The principle of early identification and intervention underpins our approach to identifying those students who need extra help. This is often put in place, even if a special educational need has not been identified. This extra support should enable the student to catch up and make progress.

Identification of students with special educational needs often happens at a primary school level, with many students’ special educational needs and strategies being shared before the student joins us in their first year of secondary school. Further identification can come from Cognitive Assessments Tests on admission to Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form, additional screening tools, conversations with parents and with the students.

Despite targeted quality first teaching, some students may continue to make insufficient progress. In many cases these underlying needs often explain inadequate progress or challenging behaviour. For these students, and in consultation with parents, strengths and weaknesses are identified and used to create a SEND Learning Plan. These Learning Plans will include the Targets and Outcomes a student is working towards and much of the support and intervention in place will work to allow a student to achieve their aspirations. At times, it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies, to receive more specialist support.

At this stage, more detailed assessments may be undertaken to understand what additional resources and different approaches are required to enable the student to make better progress. These assessments may be undertaken by a Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapist etc. Outcomes from these assessments will be shared with students and parent/carers through the Learning Plan, and refined / revised if necessary. Because students who are the subject of a Learning Plan may require additional and extra provision, these students will have been identified as having a special educational need.

If the student makes good progress using this additional and different intervention (but would not be able to maintain this good progress without it) we will continue to identify the student as having a special educational need. Some students will need specialist support and resources above and beyond those normally provided at school. In these cases, the school/parents/carers may request a Statutory Assessment for an EHCP.

If the student is able to maintain good progress without the additional and different resources, they will not be identified as having a special educational need. However, these students may still be identified at a school level as requiring differentiation through quality first teaching.

We will ensure that all teachers and support staff who work with the student implement the Graduated Approach, are aware of the support to be provided and the teaching approaches to be used. This information is included on a Provison Map software which is shared with all staff and updated termly. The school makes reference to the Assess, Plan, Do, Review model as outlined in the CoP (2014) as well as provision maps to ensure that support is impacting positively on learning. Our graduated approach to supporting students with additional needs is as follows:

Enhanced Quality Teaching First

• Students make insufficient progress and may have difficulty accessing parts of the curriculum. This may be a sign of an emerging learning need.

• Support/intervention is provided by the class-teacher or subject area.

SEN Support

• Additional support or intervention is coordinated by the SEND Department. Progress is reviewed on a termly basis.

• Students will be the subject of an individual Learning Plan.

Education, Health and Care Plan

• Students are subject of an Education, Health and Care Plan.

• Support is reviewed on an annual basis with Local Authority, SENCO, parents/carers and the young person.

Regular monitoring and review will focus on the extent to which planned outcomes have been achieved. The views of the student, parents and subject teachers will be taken into account. The assessment information from teachers will show whether adequate progress is being made.

The SEN Code of Practice (2014) describes adequate progress as:

‘Is similar to that of children of the same age who had the same starting point

matches or improves on the students' previous rate of progress which allows the attainment gap to close between the student and children of the same age’

For students with an Education, Health and Care Plan there will be an annual review of the provision made for the child, which will enable an evaluation of the effectiveness of the special provision to be made. The collation of all annual review evaluations of effectiveness will be reported to the governing body.

Every student in the school has their progress tracked termly. In addition to this, students with special educational needs may as appropriate have more frequent and detailed assessments to inform targets and to measure small steps of progress.

If these assessments do not show adequate progress is being made, the support plan and planned outcomes will be reviewed and adjusted.

At Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form we follow the advice in The National Curriculum Framework on how to adapt the curriculum and the learning environment for students with special educational needs. We also incorporate the advice provided as a result of assessments, both internal and external, and the strategies described in Education, Health and Care Plans.

The curriculum is regularly reviewed. Where appropriate student maybe offered alternative pathways in line with professional advice.

"All students should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. The National Curriculum Inclusion Statement states that teachers should set high expectations for every student, whatever their prior attainment. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset. Lessons should be planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to student achievement. In many cases, such planning will mean that students with SEN and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum". - (Code of Practice 6.11)

"Special educational provision is underpinned by high quality teaching and is compromised by anything less." - (SEN CoP, 2014)

"High quality teaching, differentiated for individual students, is the first step in responding to students who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching. Schools should regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all students, including those at risk of underachievement. This includes reviewing, and where necessary improving, teachers' understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable students and their knowledge of the SEN most frequently encountered." - (CoP 6.34)

We work to ensure that our approach to teaching and learning is of high quality and personalised to meet the individual needs of the majority of children/young people. Some children/young people need educational provision that is additional to or different from this..

In meeting the requirements of The National Curriculum Framework the school employs some additional teaching approaches, as advised by internal and external assessments e.g. one to one tutoring / precision teaching / mentoring, small group teaching, use of ICT, software learning packages as appropriate for the individual. These are often delivered by additional staff under the close direction of teachers employed through the funding provided to the school. This is known as 'notional SEN funding'. The subject teacher will remain responsible for working with the student on a daily basis.

All members of TGS and Sixth form community, including students, have a responsibility for the pastoral and social care towards each other. Tutors have the overview for the pastoral care of their tutor group and are the first point of contact for parents/carers and students. The school has a clear system that allows staff to work together, to share and identify any concerns regarding the wellbeing of individual students, including SEN students, that affects their learning .Individual students, may after discussion, be offered support from within the school or outside agencies to support their wellbeing as appropriate.

We have a duty to make arrangements to support students with medical conditions. Individual healthcare plans will normally specify the type and level of support required to meet the medical needs of such students. Where children and young people also have special educational needs, their provision will be planned and delivered in a co-ordinated way with the healthcare plan. We will have regard to the statutory guidance supporting students at school with medical conditions.

Medical support within TGS follows the procedure for all students as outlined in the school's medical conditions policy. This policy will be available on the school's website in the parent's section under school policies.

TGS works closely with students and parents to support their learning and successful engagement in the school community. At times students may exhibit challenging behaviours that disrupt their own learning or the learning of others. TGS has a number of strategies to support students experiencing behaviour difficulties as appropriate to individual student and circumstances

These could include;

• Tutor, Head of Year or Head of School report

• Individual or group mentoring via Student Support Worker or outside agency

• Access to small group workshops, such as anger management, exam anxiety sessions

• Peer mentoring

• Targeted Youth Work referral or appropriate agencies

• Motivational Questioning

• Modified timetable - short term measure

• Alternative provision/curriculum as agreed.

Satisfactory attendance to school to engage in learning is seen at TGS to be 95% or above. Quality first teaching and excellent pastoral care are the basis of promoting excellent attendance to school. A range of staff including tutors, subject teachers, Heads of Year and Attendance Officer Monitor students attendance and will contact parents as appropriate to discuss reasons for absence and strategies to support improved attendance to school. These actions will be appropriate to the individual student and will reflect the TGS attendance policy.

Students with SEN needs whose attendance or behaviour is of concern will be monitored in the same manner as the whole school and whole school policy applies. Meetings with parents/carers of SEN students will always review attendance and strategies and support that will promote access and engagement to learning. Attendance meetings will be held with parent/carers of SEN students in response to poor attendance.

Poor attendance or considerable behaviour difficulties of a student with a EHCP may trigger an emergency EHCP review meeting with the Local Authority SEND team as agreed with SENCO and parent/carer.

At Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form we work closely with the educational settings used by the students before they transfer to us in order to seek the information that will make the transfer as seamless as possible. The SENCOs at both the primary school and Tolworth Girls' School may meet to discuss the needs of the student. Parents and student may be present during this meeting. There is an SEN transfer meetings where SENCOs from primary schools and secondary schools meet to share information on students with special educational needs or those who may require support in the future. Files are also transferred to the secondary school during this time.

At every key transition stage such as year 7, 9 and 11 students are invited to an interview with a member of staff in order to support their decision making. SEN student in year 8 may meet with the SENCO in order to discuss a GSCE subject package that best meets the needs of the student. In year 11 SEN students will be supported with decision making regarding further educational placements.

We also contribute information to a students' onward destination by providing information to the next setting. When the next educational provider of the student is known, the file of that student will be sent to that establishment. SEN students are offered additional support from the SENCO and Career's Advisor in making decisions regarding future career progress and/or educational placements. Parents are invited to meetings in order to be part of the decision making process.

Schools receive funding for SEN students. This funding is used to support and enhance high quality of teaching in the school. It helps to ensure there are sufficient resources for students requiring special educational provision. The support offered is matched to the needs of individual students with SEN and is evidenced based. The amount of support required for each student to make good progress will be different in each case. In very few cases a very high level of resource is required. In this case the school will request 'top up funding' from the Local Authority where the child or young person lives.

The Headteacher has the final say in the use of the personal budget within the school.

All clubs, trips and activities offered to students at Tolworth Girls' School are available to students with special educational needs. For some students, ‘reasonable adjustments' may need to be made. This is always done in partnership with families and carers.

Tolworth Girls School and Sixth Form provide a range of extracurricular activities that all students, including SEN students, can access. These activities will change on a termly basis but have included previously:

• Badminton

• Care Club

• Homework Club

• TGS Choir

• TGS Band

• LAMDA

• Q Club

• History Mystery

• Ukulele Club

• Flying Drone Programming

• Wimbledon Ball Girls

As part of the curriculum offer students may undertake trips or residential activities outside of the school environment. Trips may require a risk assessment to be undertaken which would then identify any concerns regarding accessibility for students with SEN needs. As per the individual trip and SEN student an individual risk assessment may be undertaken in consultation with parent/carer and student.

The governing body have engaged with the following:

• A Service Level Agreement with Educational Psychology service

• Premium level membership to SPARK (the School Performance Alliance Richmond and Kingston)

• Specialist Services from RBK 'Achieving for Children' to support students engage in learning.

• Emotional Health Service and CAMHS

• Educational Welfare Officer - Service level agreement with LA to support and promote student attendance

• Access to local authority SLA with Speech and Language Therapy Services / Occupational Therapy Services / Physiotherapy Services for student with requirement for direct specialist intervention or advice

• Provision of additional Speech and Language Services

• Membership of professional networks for SENCO e.g. NASEN, SENCO forum, etc

• Access to School Nurse.

Students requiring specialist equipment will be considered on an individual basis.

At Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form we understand that an important feature of the school is to enable all students to develop emotional resilience and social skills, both through direct teaching for instance e.g. PSHE, tutor time, assemblies, etc. and indirectly with every conversation adults have with students throughout the day.

Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form have a Mental Health Lead and a dedicated team of Student Support workers who support students daily in school.

For some students with the most need for help in this area we can also provide as appropriate from the following list e.g.

• Access to Student Support Worker mentoring

• External referral to Emotional Health Service and CAMHS

• Time-out space for student to use when upset or agitated etc.

• Amended/alternative timetable where necessary

Students with emotional and social needs because of their special educational needs will be supported to enable them to develop and mature appropriately.

All teachers and teaching assistants have had the training listed below. School is committed to provide training for staff that will support their working with students with SEN.

Each year the SENCO works with SLT to ensure CPD and professional expertise will be reviewed and appropriate training put in place, for example previous academic year, as appropriate, staff received training on:

• Dyslexia Training

• Speech, Language and Communication Training ie identifying language difficulties

• Effective use of Teaching Assistants Training

• Self-Harm Training

• Friendship Issues and Bullying training

• Young Carers Training

• Numeracy Training

• Effective use of questioning training

• Restorative Justice

• Where a training need is identified beyond this we will find a provider who is able to deliver it. Training providers we can approach are, Educational Psychologist, Speech and language therapist, occupational therapists, physiotherapist, dyslexia specialists, Teaching and Learning Advisors etc.

Students are invited to attend meetings with parents to discuss their views on their needs and to explain what they feel works for them to support their learning. Where a student feels they cannot speak in a meeting they are given the opportunity to share their views with a representative at that meeting or can write down what they would like to share.

The school works hard to prevent bullying and every student is encouraged to talk to a member of staff should they feel they or a friend are a victim of bullying. School actively promotes students working together with tolerance, understanding and respect for all other members of the school community. Students are encouraged through a number of avenues within the school to develop resilience and understand their responsibility to promote and contribute to a safe and healthy environment for all. Concerns regarding bullying are reported to a member of staff and are treated seriously and responded to as appropriate to each individual concern. There is capacity within the school to facilitate restorative justice meetings to support relationships to move forward in a healthy and safe manner.

• Further information on this can be found in the Anti-Bullying Policy.

The same arrangements for the treatment of complaints at Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form are used for complaints about provision made for special educational needs and disabilities. We encourage parents to discuss their concerns with their child's form tutor, Head of Year, SENCO or Headteacher as appropriate to resolve the issue before making the complaint formal to the Chair of the GB.

All parents of students at Tolworth Girls' School & Sixth Form are invited to discuss the progress of their children at any time and as standard three times a year and receive a written report once per year. In addition we are happy to arrange meetings outside these times. As part of our normal teaching arrangements, all students will access some additional teaching to help them catch-up if the progress monitoring indicates that this is necessary; this will not imply that the student has a special educational need.

If following this normal provision improvements in progress are not seen, we will contact parents to discuss this and what we will be doing to help us to address these needs better. From this point onwards the student will be identified as having special educational needs because special educational provision is being made and the parent will be invited to all planning and reviews of this provision. Parents will be actively supported to contribute to assessment, planning and review.

In addition to this, parents of students with an Education, Health and Care Plan will be invited to contribute to and attend an annual review, which, wherever possible will also include other agencies involved with the student. Information will be made accessible for parents.

The arrangements for consulting young people with special educational needs about, and involving them in, their education when a student has been identified as having special educational needs because special educational provision is being made for him or her, the student will be consulted about and involved in the arrangements made for them as part of person-centred planning.

Person-centred approaches focus the effort and attention on the students' situation so that positive changes can happen. It ensures that the student is the centre of the planning with family members and sometimes friends being partners in planning. The plan then reflects what is important to the student, their capacities and the support they require. This means that actions are about life, reflect what is possible and not just what services are available.

Please use this link to see the Local Authority's local offer. Parents without internet access should make an appointment with the SENCO for support to gain the information they require.

https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Register

All local authorities must have a record or register of children with Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND) in their area. If you live in either Kingston or Richmond, we encourage anyone whose family includes a child or young person whose has a special educational need* or disability** to register.

Everyone on the register will benefit from:

• Information about support, services, activities and events

• Information aimed at young people with disabilities

• Opportunities to have your say about the services that are important to you

• The knowledge that your anonymous statistical data is helping us to plan and improve services

Find out more and register on the SEND Local Offer website

SENDIASS, a local voluntary sector organisation, delivers the Parent Partnership Service and provides free, impartial, confidential, advice, support and options around educational issues for parent/carers who have children with special educational needs or disabilities.

The Parent Partnership Service aims to ensure that parents and carers are empowered and can play an informed role in planning provision to meet their child's special educational needs. The Parent Partnership Service aims to build partnerships between parents and carers, the Local authority and schools. The service also encourages parents and carers to be involved in the development of local SEN policy and practice.

https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/information-advice-and-support-ias