Identifying pupils with SEND and assessing their needs

At The Judd School, we evaluate the provision of all students throughout the year depending on their level of need. We use a range of assessments with the pupils at various points, for example sensory audits, 1:1 meetings and provision evaluations.

Where progress is not sufficient, even if special educational needs have not been identified, we consider additional, targeted and monitored support. Some examples of extra support are; Study Skills Programme, specific strategies and well-being and behaviour mentors.

Some pupils may continue to make progress which is not in line with their academic potential, despite high-quality teaching, targeted at their areas of difficulty.  For these pupils, and in consultation with parents, we will use a range assessment tools to determine the cause of the learning difficulty. We work alongside external professionals in order to identify and support a range of needs. The purpose of this more detailed assessment is to understand what additional resources and different approaches are required to enable the pupil to make better progress. When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed. 

Progress is not limited to academic areas. Within The Judd School, we also monitor areas of learning such as social needs and development. Similarly to the areas listed above, we will follow the same process of assessing development, monitoring progress and planning for targeted support when necessary. When this is not successful we will utilise outside expertise, as shown on our Provision Pathway.

If the pupil is able to make good progress using these additional and different resources (but would not be able to maintain this good progress without it) we will continue to identify the pupil as having a special educational need.  If the pupil is able to maintain good progress without the additional and different resources he or she will not be identified with special educational needs. We will ensure that all teachers and support staff who work with the pupil are aware of the support to be provided and the teaching approaches to be used.

The person responsible for monitoring all of this is our SENDCo. 

Contact can be made via email: sendco@judd.kent.sch.uk

Assessing and reviewing pupils' progress towards outcomes

Every pupil in the school has their progress formally tracked throughout the year. Following data analysis, pupils making progress that is not inline with their potential are identified, barriers to learning are discussed and targeted/specialist support and interventions are planned for.  If these do not show that adequate progress is being made towards agreed outcomes, the SEND support plan will be reviewed and adjusted. To do this we will follow the graduated approach of assess, plan, do, review. 

The class or subject teacher will work with the SENDCo to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:

• The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
• Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour
• Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant
• The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
• The views and experience of parents
• The pupil’s own views
• Advice from external support services, if relevant

The assessment will be reviewed regularly.

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support or interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress.

Consulting and Involving Pupils and Parents

All parents and caregivers at The Judd School are invited to discuss the progress of their children at Parents Evening annually and will obtain information through a written report and additionally, a grade sheet. Pupils in receipt of a provision plan, due to having an Educational Health Care Plan, will have this shared with them three-times a year. Parents are welcome to come and discuss this provision with the SENDCo by appointment at parents evenings. Alternatively, they may be directed towards the most appropriate member of staff for example; a class teacher, subject lead, Head of House or a member of the pastoral team. 

Where concerns are raised regarding progress in any aspect relating to the student, we will have an early discussion with the pupil and following this, their parents, when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:

• Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
• We take into account the parents’ concerns
• Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the student
• Everyone is clear on what the next steps are

Parents will be actively supported to contribute to assessment, planning and review throughout the year, through verbal and written discussions. In addition to this, parents of pupils 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 pupil.

Securing equipment and facilities

Where external advisors recommend the use of equipment or facilities which the school does not have, we will purchase it using the notional SEN funding, or seek it by loan.  For highly specialist communication equipment the school will seek the advice of the KCC Communication and Assistive Technology team.

In addition we have engaged with the following agencies:-

• Local Inclusion Forum Teams (LIFT) for access to the specialist teaching and learning service (STLS)
• Access to the local authority’s service level agreement with Speech and Language Therapy Services / Occupational Therapy Services / Physiotherapy Services for pupils with requirements for direct therapy or advice
• Professional networks for SENCOs e.g. NAS, SENCO forum, NASEN etc

Support for improving emotional and social development

The school's approach is pre-emptive, recognising that there is rising concern about the mental health of young people in the wider society. We have sought to address this need through continued focus on student's emotional well-being. Support can be offered at a number of different levels but high importance is placed on early recognition, a high level of awareness and simple but effective low level strategies as a first line of response.

Select staff have completed Mental Health First Aid training in order to raise awareness of a wide range of emotional and social issues and to gain practical advice in supporting the mental health and well-being of all pupils as a first line of support as well as those who may have identified needs in this area.

Parents are encouraged to liaise closely with school staff over their children's emotional well-being. It is important for parents to recognise that when there are changes in children's circumstances outside of school, even when these are minor and temporary, that this can result in differences in children's ability to concentrate and learn in school. Parents are encouraged to notify the school as soon as possible about any changes and this information will be treated with appropriate discretion by school staff.

Pupils are also supported through direct teaching for instance, through our ‘Learn,Grow, Belong’ curriculum and through specific initiatives such as peer mentors and prefects. Pupils are supported indirectly with every conversation they have with adults throughout the day.

Support staff are also trained to provide specific intervention training to support Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH); such as Lego Therapy or social communication groups. For some pupils with the most need for help we can also access external agency support through Early Help; Early Help intervention workers can offer 1:1 support to children and their families and children can also be referred to Young Healthy Minds (through Early Help) who offer focused counselling support for a specific number of sessions. Where children's emotional needs are such that they are in significant danger of hurting themselves or others, then a referral to the Children and Young Peoples service (CHYPs)- formerly CAMHS, can be made.

Our approach to teaching pupils with SEND

High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEND.  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 pupils, including those at risk of underachievement.  This includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving, teachers’ understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and their knowledge of the SEN most frequently encountered SEN Code of Practice (2014, 6.37)

We follow the Mainstream Core Standards advice developed by Kent County Council to ensure that our teaching conforms to best practice.

The Mainstream Core Standards for Kent can be found here

Parental version of the Mainstream Core Standards: here

In meeting the Mainstream Core Standards the school employs some additional teaching approaches, as advised by internal and external assessments e.g. one to one tutoring / precision teaching / mentoring, pre-teaching, small group teaching, use of ICT software learning packages.  These are delivered by additional staff employed through the funding provided to the school as ‘notional SEND funding’

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class.

Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment

We make the following adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:

• Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson, etc.
• Adapting our resources and staffing
• Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, etc.
• Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, reading instructions aloud, etc.

At Judd, as well as following the Mainstream Core Standards provided by Kent, 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. Teaching is differentiated and personalised to enable children to access learning. 

Additional support for learning

As part of our budget we receive ‘notional SEN funding’.  This funding is used to ensure that the quality of teaching is good in the school and that there are sufficient resources to deploy additional and different teaching for pupils requiring SEN support.  The amount of support required for each pupil to make good progress will be different in each case. In very few cases a very high level of resource is required.   The funding arrangements require schools to provide up to £6000 per year of resource for pupils with high needs, and above that amount the Local Authority should provide top up to the school.

Teachers and LSAs have undergone a variety of training. Training expertise includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Dyslexia, De-escalation, Adapted Teaching, Supporting Writing and Effective Questioning. 

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 Valence School, Educational Psychologist, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, specialist teachers etc.

Enabling pupils with SEN to engage in activities available to those in the school who do not have SEN

All clubs, trips and activities offered to students at The Judd School are available to pupils with special educational needs either with or without a statement of special educational needs / Education, Health and Care Plan.  Where it is necessary, the school will use the resources available to it to provide additional adult support to enable the safe participation of the pupil in the activity. All pupils are encouraged to go on our residential trip(s). All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/special workshops, etc. No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability. However, adaptations can be made should it not be beneficial for a student’s well–being to attend. 

Please see our school Disability Policy and Accessibility Plan for more specific information.

Evaluating the effectiveness of SEN provision

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by:

• Reviewing pupils’ individual progress towards their goals each term
• Reviewing the impact of interventions after each term
• Using pupil questionnaires
• Monitoring by the SENDCo
• Using provision maps to measure progress
• Holding annual reviews for pupils with statements of SEN or EHC plans
• Leaders of Learning Evaluations
• Governor Days

Review of progress is a collaborative process which includes support staff, class teachers, parents and the student. Reviews may also involve any external professionals involved in setting targets and delivering or offering advice on support, such as a speech and language therapist or specialist teacher. Provision will be set out in a range of different templates, depending on the needs of the individual pupil. This may be through them being listed on the SEND Register, an Individual Education Plan, a Provision Map or Educational Health Care Plan.  At each review, we aim to see that children are making steps towards their next steps targets and are making good progress within national curriculum expectations in relation to their starting points. A range of formal and informal assessments can be used to evidence and evaluate progress alongside teacher judgments and observations.

The SEN Code of Practice (2014, 6.17) describes inadequate progress thus:

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• Fails to close the attainment gap between rate of progress
• Widens the attainment gap

For pupils with an EHCP, there will be an annual review of the provision made for the child, which will enable further evaluation of the effectiveness of the special provision. The evaluations of effectiveness of interventions and SEND provision will be reported to the governing body.

Supporting pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood

At The Judd School, we work closely with the educational settings used by the pupils before they transfer to us, in order to seek the information that will make the transfer as seamless as possible. We offer differentiated transition opportunities, depending on the level of need and information we have gathered from the previous school.

Transitions between year groups are carefully planned and considered. The SENDCo and SEND Department work closely with involved staff, to ensure specific students and cohorts are carefully considered, when choosing who will be teaching them. For some students, transitions can pose specific problems in themselves and personalised arrangements can be made to support children to ensure smooth and successful transitions both within and between schools.

We also contribute information to a pupils’ onward destination by providing information to the next setting. We will share information with the university, school or other setting the pupil is moving to. We will agree with parents and pupils which information will be shared as part of this. In addition to sharing information, we encourage other settings to provide additional transitional support, when appropriate. We involve the students in all transition plans that are formulated. Often this includes additional visit days and the opportunity to take photos of the new environment and staff.