SEND

Crofton School SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Information Report  - Overview

 

Crofton School is an over-subscribed and successful, 11-16 mixed comprehensive school, with a reputation for high quality education. The school is situated in a pleasant village, a short distance from the sea, yet within easy reach of the city centres of both Portsmouth and Southampton. The school enjoys enthusiastic staff, governor and parental involvement and has an active commitment to staff development.

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Crofton is a mainstream secondary school with a resource provision for students on the ASD spectrum; this provision is called The Croft. The Croft is for high functioning Autistic students who are able to access mainstream lessons with some support from a Learning Support Assistant. Admission to The Croft is solely through Hampshire County Council.

 

Crofton is an inclusive school. We cater for students in the main school who have physical and learning disabilities. The school SEND policy can be found here.

How accessible is the school both indoors and outdoors?

  • The school site has wheelchair access to all ground floor areas
  • There is an accessible toilet
  • The school has disabled parking bays



Resources

 

Crofton has a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator), Mr Paul Williams, who can be contacted at Crofton School on 01329 664251.

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There is a large team of LSA’s (Learning Support Assistants) who support students in the classroom.

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The Maths, Science and English faculties are also supported by SPSAs (Student Progress Support Assistants) who support progress within the classroom.

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Students are seen twice daily by their tutor. Tutors are supported by a Head of Year and a member of SLT (Senior Leadership Team).

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The school has a designated DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and a strong Care, Support and Guidance team including a Parent Support Worker, ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants), a Student Welfare Assistant, a trained school nurse, an Attendance Officer and Inclusion mentors.

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We have a number of staff who are CAL (Communication and Language) trained.

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We liaise with EMTAS (Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service) who assist us in supporting our families with English as an additional language.

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Crofton has a ‘time out’ room for students to access as required.

SEND

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

As a school, we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our school including the Communication and Language Team, Specialist Teacher Advisors and Educational Psychologists.

  • The Specialist Teacher Advisory service supply specialist equipment as necessary for individuals
  • Some of our students receive counselling from an external agency
  • The Autism Group
  • Footprints
  • The Local Authority
  • The Disability team
  • Additional language team
  • Impaired Vision team
  • Careers service
  • The school also employs a family support worker who will work with families who need support to help their sons/daughters engage with all aspects of education
  • Health Groups



What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are currently having?

  • Our SENCO is fully qualified
  • The school has Emotional Literacy Support Assistants who receive ongoing support from the Educational Psychology Service
  • Teachers with specialist qualifications for working with pupils who have specific learning and physical difficulties
  • All Teaching and Learning Assistants receive regular training appropriate to their role including input from Specialist Teacher Advisors who also advise teaching staff
  • All staff receive training appropriate to their needs and position
  • Staff belong to appropriate network groups and supervision support groups which offer ongoing training and advice



Monitoring Student Progress

How will the school prepare and support my child when joining the school or transfer to a new setting or to the next stage of education and life?

The Learning Support team attend statement reviews in Years 5 and 6 to help support the transition process. Students with SEND joining the school will have a Transition Plan tailored to their needs which will include a variety of strategies to aid the process. This could include additional visits, social stories, photo books and liaising with outside agencies. Students with ECHPs are supported by the Post 16 SEN Personal Advisor who helps with the transition to college. Pen portraits are shared with staff via the school’s intranet to advise staff of individual needs and strategies.



How does the school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child has special educational needs?

All students are formally assessed at a variety of points throughout the five years. At the start of Year 7, all students do a reading and spelling test. These results are used to set students in some subjects and help us to identify those students who are going to require withdrawal work for reading, spelling and numeracy. Teachers will also recommend students who they feel need support from the Learning Support department and we will assess their skills to see if we can provide support. The SENCO is responsible for leading the team of LSA’s, helping to assess the needs of young people and advise in appropriate screening tests and programmes to help improve learning. The SENCO is also responsible for tracking data both for work carried out in the Learning Support department and progress across all subjects for students who receive any support from the department. Students with a special educational needs also have their data tracked by SLT (Senior Leadership Team). The Learning Support team are responsible for supporting the students in lessons, delivering some wave 3 and 2 intervention (individual and small group work) and keeping a record of their progress. They will also report any concerns to the SENCO. Some students who work with the Learning Support team have a key worker who will attend statement reviews and liaise between home and school. Parents/carers can also contact the school through the Head of Year or the SENCO to express concerns regarding progress and learning needs.



How will the education staff support my child?

All teachers are aware of student levels and needs. Classroom teachers will differentiate work and set work at an appropriate but challenging level for all students in their classes. All education plans are made accessible to teaching staff by case conferences at the start of the year with regular updates being sent out from the Learning Support team



How is the decision made about the type and how much support my child will receive?

All students with an ECHP will receive support as indicated on their ECHP. All students with an IEP (Individual Education Plan) will receive support to help them reach their target. All students with a below expected reading or spelling age will receive extra support. The appropriate test and documentation will be completed to allow students who need exam concessions to have them. These amendments must be the students’ normal practice in school life to enable them to comply with exam board regulations. Students with communication and language needs will receive appropriate support. Students with physical needs will receive appropriate support and have their timetable adjusted as necessary.



How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

All students will follow the National Curriculum. Differentiation is an expectation within all lessons as appropriate to individual needs. Some subject areas are set according to students’ attainment. Differentiation will help students access the learning at a level appropriate to their needs and will encourage them to make progress. Some students may have extra support with literacy or numeracy throughout the week. Some students are disapplied from areas of the National Curriculum according to need.



Data

Every time a set of data is recorded, a member of SLT will meet with the Head of Year (HOY) to identify lack of progress. Another meeting will take place with core Faculty Leaders to identify any students who are not making the required levels of progress across the three core subjects. Termly, the HOY will meet with all SLT to discuss progress. Governors will receive regular anonymous updates on student progress.



Student Wellbeing

What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

All students in the school are expected to follow the School Behaviour Management policy. All major incidents are reported to the governors’ Discipline Committee and all parents have a right to appeal against any decision the School Leadership Team make with reference to this policy. The school has a Special Educational Needs policy. All students have a tutor who they see twice a day and tutors report to and meet with a HOY (Head of Year) on a weekly basis. Where necessary, students have Educational Care Plans often implemented by the HOY or the Care, Support and Guidance team. HOY meets with SLT weekly to discuss students of concern and vulnerable students. The school has a qualified school nurse who will administer medication and offer advice to parents and students with regard to personal care. The school has a Head Boy/Girl and a Deputy Head Boy/Girl. Each House has two House Captains and Sports Captains. These students along with year representatives from the school council. The school has an Inclusion and a Seclusion room to reduce exclusions. Attendance is monitored by an Attendance Officer, HOY and SLT.



Student Involvement

How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

All students have access to offsite activities. The school will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful if the risk assessment allows. A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health & safety will not be compromised. All students with specific needs will have a travel pack and this will be taken on any off site activity. The travel pack identifies specific needs and necessary courses of action. At least one appropriate member of staff will accompany these students on the activity. The arrangements for consulting young people with special educational needs about, and involving them in, their education. Each student who has a ECHP will have a key worker who meets with the students regularly and keeps in contact with their parents. Students are encouraged to contribute to all review meetings concerning their progress.



Parent Involvement

How will school support my child?

Parents receive a termly report, two data reports and a full written report. Parents are also invited to at least one parent’s consultation evening. For students who have an ECHP, parents will be invited to attend an annual statement review. Parents will also be invited in to discuss IEP’s where necessary; this is a minimum entitlement. Communication between parents and the school is very open. Parents are free to make contact with Subject teachers, tutors, Head of Year or the SENCO at any time. Students with IEP’s and ECHPs are always working towards their targets and these are regularly reviewed and discussed with the child.



How can I get involved?

The school has an open evening in October and any parents are welcome to come and have a tour the school. Small group tours can also be arranged with a member of SLT at around this time.

  • Parents can contact the school and arrange a tour with the SENCO at any time.
  • Parents are invited to attend a parents’ consultation evening once a year.
  • Parents are invited to care plan reviews, IPA’s and statement reviews.
  • There are regular parent/governor activities and opportunities for feedback.
  • On an individual basis, parents are asked to offer their views for all review meetings.
  • Parents are involved in conversations about transition.
  • Parents are actively encouraged to attend parents’ evenings and other information evenings as they occur throughout the school year.



Who can I contact for further information?

Parents can contact any member of staff through the school reception (01329) 664251. If a parent has any concerns about their child, they should contact the SENCO in the first instance. Other staff who may be able to help are Heads of Year, tutors, classroom teachers, key workers, link SLT or the Headteacher. All can be contacted via the school Reception (01329) 664251.

  • Students make a contribution to their statement reviews.
  • Students are asked to comment on their targets for IEP’s.
  • Students discuss issues with LSA’s and key workers as they arise.



What steps should I take if I have a concern about the school’s SEND provision?

If you have any concerns in the first instance, please contact the school office and they will pass on a message to the SENCO, a member of SLT or the Headteacher. Someone will contact you within 24 hours. The school has a complaints procedure if necessary and this can be obtained from the school reception.



Where can I get further information about services for my child?

Paul Williams (SENCO) - 01329 664251 Amanda Knight (Senior Assistant Headteacher) - 01329 664251 Contact Parent Partnership – http://www3.hants.gov.uk/parentpartnership Contact IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice) – www.ipsea.org.uk/ The local offer can be found on the Hampshire County Council website.