Welcome to our SEND Information Report which is part of the school’s commitment to the Bristol Local Offer for all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). All three schools across the Waycroft Multi Academy Trust work hard to ensure that our schools are as inclusive as possible, meeting the needs of all pupils in a mainstream setting wherever possible using the SEND Code of Practice and the Bristol Ordinarily Available Provision documents as our guiding principles.
We hope that this report will help you to understand how we support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and the key part that parental involvement has within this process.
As a MAT, we endeavour to ensure that our provision for pupils engages them in all activities as well as providing support that is ‘additional to and different from’ that provided within the differentiated curriculum; to better respond to the four broad ‘areas of need’ as set out in the SEND Code of Practice.
Woodlands Academy uses a range of indicators to help identify children with special educational needs/ disability. The Children and Families Act (2014) states that:
‘A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.’
As a result of this, Woodlands uses:
On starting at Woodlands Academy we will talk with parents and carers about their child in order to plan effectively to meet their needs. As parents are the first educators of their child their knowledge is essential. Woodlands Academy liaise thoroughly with any previous setting so that we can use the information already gained to plan effective transition and ongoing support.
The progress of all pupils is assessed and monitored regularly so that when a pupil is not making expected progress, the need for additional support can quickly be identified. School will monitor the progress of all children receiving additional support to ensure that the provision we have put in place is having impact.
We take great care to establish whether progress is affected because a pupil has attendance issues, has English as an additional language (EAL) or a hearing or visual difficulty.
We also work with specialist services who provide further expertise in finding out the type and range of a pupil’s needs.
If you are concerned about your child having a SEND, contact your child’s class teacher or Mr Rylands via the school office to share your concerns.
Woodlands Academy will support your child using their best endeavours and according to the child’s individual needs. This could be through personalised targets, intervention programmes, emotional support, additional adult support, acting on advice from external agencies or making the curriculum and setting more accessible.
All of our staff are experienced, reflective practitioners who are open to advice and are keen to develop their practice in order to ensure the best possible provision for all of our children including those with SEND.
The class teacher is responsible for:
The SENDCo is responsible for:
The SEND Trustee is responsible for:
At Woodlands Academy all lessons are differentiated through our success criteria and expectations of the staff working with your child. Where needed, we provide scaffolded work or personalised planning to enable your child to succeed and progress in their learning.
If a child is identified as having a SEND need, we will provide support that is ‘additional to and different from’ that already in place to overcome barriers to their learning, adopting the graduated approach of Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
Assess – this involves taking into consideration all the information from discussions with parents/carers, the child, the class teacher and any assessments or observations that have taken place.
Plan – this stage identifies the barriers for learning, intended outcomes and details additional support that will be provided to help overcome the barriers. Decisions will be recorded on the child’s Learning Support Plan and will be used for continual monitoring and review purposes.
Do – providing the support, extra assistance for learning – as set out in the plan and agreed with the child, parent and school.
Review – measuring impact of support provided and consideration as to whether changes to that support need to be made. All of those involved – child, parent/carer, teacher, SENDCo and external agencies contribute to this review. This stage then informs the next cycle of support and provision.
In addition to normal reporting arrangements, there will be the opportunity for parents to meet their child’s class teacher to review the short term targets and to discuss the progress their child has made each long term (3 times a year). The SENDCo can also be invited to these meetings by either the class teacher or the parents if they feel their knowledge and expertise would be useful. Parents are also encouraged to share any concerns or questions as they arise with the class teacher or SENDCo rather than waiting for a scheduled meeting if they wish.
Meetings may also be held at different times throughout the year if an external agency has been involved and a report needs to be shared, the family wish to apply for an Education, Health, Care Plan (EHCP) or an Annual Review takes place.
We recognise that some children have extra emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. All classes follow a structured PSHE curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find it difficult we may also offer:
Once the school has identified the needs of SEND pupils, the SENDCo and Head of School decide what resources/training and support is needed.
Woodlands Academy Provision
Woodlands Academy has a strong, collaborative relationship with many outside agencies. Where needed, Woodlands will make referrals to:
Mike Rylands (SENDCo) has completed The National Award for SENCO’s at Bath Spa University. Staff are trained to meet the specific needs of the children they are working with. Our school staff undertake regular training in the area of SEND at least 6 times a year as part of staff meetings but this is also supplemented with additional training as part of INSET days and when specific needs are identified. Training is tailored to meet the needs of individuals, groups of children or cohort needs. This helps to maintain and develop the quality of teaching and provision to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils.
All teachers and support staff undertake induction on taking up a post and this includes a meeting with the SENDCo to explain the systems and structures in place around the school’s SEND provision and practice and to discuss the needs of individual children.
The SENDCo regularly attends SENDCo network meetings, works collaboratively with the other SENDCo’s across the MAT and annually attends the SENDCo Conference delivered by Bristol City Council SEND Team.
Woodlands Academy is committed to ensuring that staff have the training needed to support children with SEND effectively. Collectively we have staff trained in:
At Woodlands Academy we believe all learners are entitled to the same access to extra-curricular activities, and are committed to make reasonable adjustments to ensure participation for all. Any additional support or necessary adjustments are recorded on the risk assessment for that activity.
We encourage the use of specialist equipment to improve independence and provide adult assistance where required. All day trips are completely accessible to everyone and have been chosen with this in mind. Sometimes during residential trips alternative activities are provided or shorter stays to meet the needs of the children. Transport for trips for wheelchair users is arranged on an individual basis.
Our school building is set over two floors. There are disabled toilet facilities on the ground floor as well as changing facilities for younger children in the Nursery. The first floor is accessed by stairs. Should a wheelchair user or somebody with limited mobility join the school we would allocate classrooms on the ground floor. An evac-chair is available in case of fire and there is accessible parking in the car park. We regularly review our setting to ensure that it is as accessible as it can be.
Woodlands Academy has an up-to-date accessibility plan which is considered each year and whenever there is building work. Any necessary amendments are made and approved by the Head of School as well as the Health and Safety Trustee.
Transition is a part of life for all learners, whether that involves moving to a new class or moving to a new school. We recognise that transition is an important time for all children, but especially so for a child with SEND. Consequently, we work closely with parents, pupils and staff to ensure these run as smoothly as possible.
Woodlands Academy staff attend all transition meetings when a child needs to change educational setting. Usually this will be the SENDCo but sometimes the class teacher or a known teaching assistant is more appropriate. We encourage additional visits, transition books, observations and multi-agency communications. Parental involvement in this process is incredibly useful, therefore we are happy to liaise more frequently at this time.
Woodlands Academy’s resources are allocated each year, very careful consideration is made about the needs of each child and provision that would be best placed to be delivered as a year group, class, small group or individually. Due to the overview the SENDCo has of all of the children across the school, our interventions are well matched to meet all of the children’s needs. Allocated resources are evaluated continuously for impact and changes are made when needed.
As above and where children have more complex needs, external agency advice is sought and acted upon. Every term the school SENDCo meets with the Head of School to discuss provision in place for SEND children across the whole school and evidence presented for the choices that have been made. This is also reflected in the regular monitoring of assessment data to check that impact of interventions is being made. Our SEND Trustee may also review and/or challenge the level of support an individual or group of learners may receive at their termly meetings with the SENDCo.
At Woodlands Academy, we value the importance of building positive relationships with parents and families within our school community. Where a pupil is identified as having a SEND, parents are encouraged and welcomed to be part of the assessment and review process. Parents are also encouraged to liaise with teachers and teaching assistants as much as they feel is necessary to ensure high quality support for their child.
The SENDCo and Family Link Worker arrange regular coffee mornings, we want parents to feel a part of the school community, providing an informal opportunity to ask questions and speak to key adults. The school also host regular class workalongs and parent information sessions about key events such as transition and trips.
Mike Rylands is our SENDCo and can be contacted through the school office on 0117 3533506 or directly using the extension 1003.
