Revoe Learning Academy-
Special Educational Needs
Who is the SENDCO at RLA and how can we contact them?
Our SENDCO is Sue Haley. Please phone 01253 763414 to make an appointment if you want to see Sue, or any other member of the SEND team. Thank you.
Where can I find information about the Local Authority’s Offer?
Blackpool Council’s Local Offer can be found on: https://www.fyidirectory.co.uk/blackpool-local-offer
What kinds of SEND do we provide for at RLA?
At RLA, all children are welcome and valued. Our staff is fully committed to providing the best inclusive learning experiences for all children, regardless of additional need or disability. We want, and expect, every child to make good progress and fulfil their potential. Some of our children may have special needs that fall into one or more of the four broad areas of need. They are:
• Cognition and Learning
• Sensory and / or Physical
• Communication and Interaction
• Social, Emotional and Mental HealthThe Learning Garden
RLA is proud to have a specialist SEND unit in the heart of RLA – The Learning Garden – for Blackpool children with significant learning needs. This unit accommodates up to 12 pupils who have an Educational Health Care Plan with admission managed through the SEND team at Blackpool Council.
In this unit, the pupils have access to a bespoke curriculum to meet their individual needs; but, importantly, with the opportunity to mix with their peers in areas of the curriculum which they can access.
What should I do if I have a concern or complaint about the support my child receives?
If you are unhappy about the provision provided for your child at RLA, you should contact the class teacher in the first instance to discuss your concerns.
• If you still feel unhappy after this meeting, please contact the RLA office to make an appointment to see the Key Stage Assistant Headteacher and / or SENDCO.
• If this does not resolve the issue, request a meeting with the Deputy Headteacher.
• If your concern or complaint remains, request a meeting with the Headteacher to review and decide next steps, which may include liaison with the Local Authority’s SEND Inclusion Team.How do we identify a child with SEND and how do we assess their needs?
• We hold transition meetings, home visits and non-routine admission meetings with the parent and child to find out more about her or his qualities, strengths and needs
• Teacher observations
• Conversations with the child and their family
• Regular monitoring and tracking of progress following good quality first teaching
• Tests and assessments
• Monitoring and review of set targets
• Advice from specialist outside agencies, including medical professionals
• Multi agency meetings with professionals, parents and everyone involved with the child.
• Assess, Plan, Do, Review meetings, where concerns and targets are discussed with all involvedHow do we Include the Child in their Education?
• Feedforward, regular self–assessment and surveys.
• Each child knows their current targets and the steps needed to achieve them.
• Through pupil voice, the child has the chance to comment on the progress they have made against targets.
• In child centred, annual reviews for children with EHC plans, the child’s contributions are incorporated. Interviews and discussions.
•Consultation surveys.If you, or school, have concerns about the progress that your child is making, we will arrange to meet you as soon as possible so that we work together to make sure that your child makes expected progress and that we continue to meet your child’s needs.
How We Involve Parents and Carers and Consult with them about their Child’s Education?
There are many opportunities for parents & carers to discuss their child’s education, including:
• Operating an open door policy at R.L.A.
• Conducting home visits and induction sessions for Nursery and Reception aged children.
• Holding multi agency transition meetings for children with SEND from Nursery / Early Years SEND team.
• Hosting parent’s consultation events.
• Providing daily end of day contact when teachers take their class to meet their parents and carers, where appointments to discuss issues can be arranged.
• Providing regular pupil progress reports that are sent home to each parent and carer.
• Consultation surveys including Parent View.
• SEND Coffee mornings – drop in sessions for parents to meet specialist professionals.What Arrangements do we Make for Supporting Looked After Children who have SEND?
At RLA, we follow set procedures for Our Children ie children who are looked after, making sure that the process considers and incorporates steps to ensure the additional SEND needs of the child are met.
How We Assess and Review Progress that Children Make? How We Involve Children and Parents and Carers?
• Classroom observations
• Regular monitoring of interventions and measuring the impact they have
• Evaluation of plan, do and review cycles
• Child centred annual reviews - including parents, carers and the child’s voice
• Multi agency meetings where parents are encouraged to attend and contribute
• Through the use and reporting of assessment tools such as Tapestry and STAR assessments from Year 1 – 6
• The use of STEPS – an assessment tool that shows small steps progress
• Pupil progress meetings which inform regular reporting to parents and carers
• Our children are involved in reviewing their own progress through self and peer assessment
• Parent and child contributions to mid-year and annual reportsHow do we Adapt the Curriculum and the Learning Environment for Children with SEND?
Where possible, we bring the resource to the child and not the child to the resource. How the curriculum and learning environment are adapted will depend on the child’s particular need(s) but may include one or some of the following:
• Differentiated work
• Visual support/ resources such as colourful semantics
• Writing frames that help children structure their work
• Key words / high frequency word lists to support spelling given to children where necessary
• Thinking/ quiet area
• Adapted learning environment
• Learning walls – with prompts to assist learning in each class
• Specialist equipment
• Pre teaching to prepare and inform future learning
• Multi – sensory room and specialist resourcesHow are our Staff Trained and Kept up to Date?
Training is vital to ensure that all staff are able to meet the needs of every child including children with SEND. In addition, specific training and guidance to meet individual needs is provided by expert practitioners. Regular training is also provided to ensure that staff are able to implement and interpret report and test results. Examples of training include:
•Epilepsy
, Epipen, Asthma and Diabetes training and other NHS led training where necessary
• Speech and Language including Colourful Semantics and ELKLAN
• Social Emotional and Mental Health
• Attachment and Trauma Informed Learning
• Child Protection
• Behaviour Management
• CAMHS
• Regular SENCO training through cluster and specialist meetingsHow We Support Children with THEIR Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
Support is offered through:
• Our culture of nurture and trust – following the 6 principles set out by Nurture UK
• Our in-house Engagement Offer including therapeutic interventions.
• Local Authority support from specialist teams, eg behaviour and emotional well-being teams.
• NHS support from the CAHMS/ CWP service.
• Our Values and child – centred ethos.
• Our rewards and consequence system that operates across RLA.
• Our ‘Always Children’ awards which reward all children who demonstrate RLA’s expectations.
• Specialist support programmes including Headstart Resilience support.How We Resolve Conflicts, ensuring a Child with SEND can Tell us if they have any Worries?
RLA is a telling school. We support and co-produce the resolution of conflicts with child(ren); all incidents are fully investigated by staff and recorded on CPOMs. We:
• Teach children that it is right to tell a member of staff if they feel they are in conflict with peers or if they are being bullied.
• Ensure children have access to familiar staff, ‘Poppy boxes’ and other bespoke means of reporting concerns.
• Use GEMS conflict resolution techniques to collaboratively resolve conflicts.
• Involve parents and carers of all children in resolving conflicts.
• May involve Police and other agency involvement to support positive resolutions.
• May consider and action periods of Exclusions for repeat perpetrators.
• Believe that victims also require support to understand and modify their behaviours and choices.Support may be offered through our Engagement Team or other professionals.
How We Work Collaboratively with Specialist Professionals to Meet Our Children’s Needs?
To make sure every child is appropriately supported, we use a variety of outside agencies. We:
• Fund support from specialist agencies that include: Educational Psychology Service; Speech Therapy; and Counselling services.
• Receive support from advisory services such as: CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), the SEND Inclusion Team (including Physical, Hearing, Visual, Sensory, Learning and Communication and Emotional and Behavioural difficulties) and Headstart Resilience Coaching.
• Work closely with professionals to ensure that we implement recommendations and strategies so that all children, regardless of need, have the best chance to thrive.
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