Special educational needs

For a few students the help given by the school may not be sufficient to enable the pupil to make adequate progress. It may then be necessary for the school, in consultation with the parents/carers and any external agencies already involved, to consider whether to ask the Local Authority (LA) to initiate a statutory assessment for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).

Where a request for a statutory assessment is made, the school, parents/carers and any relevant outside agencies must provide written evidence of at least two terms worth of
‘Assess – Plan – Do – Review cycles’ to the LA. This must also include details of:

• Details of any relevant educational assessments.
• Details of the agreed plan for provision by the school, parent/carer, the student and any relevant outside agents
• Records of actions taken by the school, parents/carers, the student and any relevant outside agent
• Records of review of planned provision and their outcomes.
• Details of the pupil’s health including the pupil’s medical history where relevant.
• Attainments levels in all subject areas.
• Details of involvement and assessment from relevant outside professionals to develop provision, for example from a specialist advisory teacher or an Educational Psychologist.
• The views of the parents and of the pupil through the K1 and K2 forms.
• Involvement of any other professionals.
• Any involvement by the social care or education welfare service.

There must be clear evidence of at least 12 months of significant challenges with the student accessing mainstream education.

When the LA receives a request for a statutory assessment, it must decide within six weeks whether to carry out such an assessment.

School leaders, the SEND leaders and the Year Teams all oversee and monitor the progress of learners requiring additional support. All teachers are teachers of learners with SEND.

They plan lessons for all learners in their classes, to ensure that progress is made and they are supported by the SEND leaders to include appropriate access strategies for learners as required. Targeted interventions, including small group work and one to one programmes may be also offered to those with identified needs.

Parents and carers will learn about their child’s progress through both written progress reports and through face to face conversations at parents’ evenings. Tutors, Year Leaders and the SEND leaders are also available by appointment throughout the year. If your child has an Education Health and Care plan (EHCP) a formal meeting will take place annually to discuss your child’s progress and a report will be written.

We ensure that the needs of all learners who have SEND are met to the best of the school’s ability with the resources available. We have a team of LSAs who deliver intervention programmes designed to meet the needs of learners with SEND as well as supporting in class if appropriate. The resources are allocated on a needs basis where learners with the most complex needs are given the most support often involving regular support of an LSA or a bespoke programme. These decisions are made by the SEND leaders.

As a school we measure progress in learning against both national expectations and age related expectations. School, subject and school leaders do this regularly throughout the year and information is shared with parents with progress reports and parents’ evenings.

Progress in interventions for those with identified SEND needs, is monitored by the SEND leaders and helps to ensure that the learners are receiving the appropriate support. Teachers are made aware of any interventions a student with SEND is having and are asked to monitor the impact in the day to day classroom setting. If there has been impact

• The student will make progress academically against national/age expected levels/grades and will achieve to the best of their potential.
• Well being indicators will show that the student is safe, secure and happy.
• The verbal and written feedback from class teachers, LSAs, parents / carers and learners indicate that progress is being made.
• Review meetings confirm that needs have been met.

We are an inclusive school: we welcome and celebrate diversity and our aim is for all learners to be happy, equipped for adult life, and to achieve greater and further than they may have thought possible. We value and believe in every individual and we promote this through kindness, care and high challenge. This is achieved through a rich curriculum that is embedded with the ‘Foundations for Gosport Futures’, a set of skills that promote personal and character development.

The first layer of support for our learners comes through the pastoral system which consists of Year Teams and tutor groups. The tutor is the first person to contact for any pastoral or medical concerns. In addition the Year teams can offer further pastoral support and advice and will refer to other agencies as required.

Attendance of every student is monitored by the attendance team. Parents / carers are informed if a student has not arrived in school.

For those who need additional care, the school provides emotional support from trained ELSAs under the direction of the SEND leaders. Our emotional support provision includes emotional awareness, social skills and friendship skills, anger management, loss, bereavement and family break up and self-esteem. ELSAs receive regular support from the EP service. Where possible the school will access counselling provision from outside agencies.

The school has a Medical Conditions and First Aid Policy which includes procedures for the administration of medicines. Students with specific medical conditions will have an Individual Health Care Plan. Risk assessments are routinely used so that all staff are able to manage medical conditions. The school employs staff qualified in first aid.

Parents are asked to contact the school if medication is recommended by health professionals to be taken during the school day.

The school curriculum, including trips and activities off site, is available to all learners. A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off site activity to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised. A range of clubs and societies are also offered after school and learners with SEND are encouraged to take part.

During the school day, learners with SEND who may find break times difficult have access to a quiet space where staff are on hand to support them. Support for homework is also offered after school for those who need it.

The work of the SEND team is overseen by an Assistant Headteacher who is also an experienced and accredited SENCo. There are two further accredited SENDCos and two Assistant SENDCos.

We have three Specialist Assessors and one member of staff trained to support those with dyslexia. The school employs a primary specialist to support the teaching of reading. We work closely with County Advisors in areas such as Communication and Language, Visual and Hearing Impairment and Physical Disability. We also work closely with any external agencies that we feel may benefit your child including GPs, school nurse, CAMHS, Locality Team, Educational Psychologist (EPs) and voluntary organisations such as MOTIV8. We also access Outreach from special schools such as Baycroft, Lord Wilson and the Key, when the need arises.

Our ELSAs are trained by the Educational Psychology Service and we have other members of staff who are trained by the Communication and Language Team to deliver Language Interventions. The teaching staff are regularly updated on how to support learners with SEND.

The school site is not fully wheelchair accessible. There are ramps at specified fire exits and ground floor accommodation can be provided for a number of areas. There are two buildings with lift access.

All prospective learners are encouraged to visit the School with parents and carers.

We work closely with all the primary schools. We visit Year 6 learners in their School and for the learners with additional needs further visits to Bay House School and Sixth Form are arranged. We also aim to attend the Annual Reviews for Year 5/6/11 when invited. We liaise closely with colleagues when either receiving learners with SEND, or when transferring learners to different schools, to ensure that all paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.

Students who are moving onto college will be supported by the Year 11 Personal Development curriculum, the Year Team and their tutor. They will have access to careers advice and for learners with SEND, personalised transition plans may be created.

If the student has an EHCP, transition planning will be discussed at the annual review meeting. We discuss with learners their goals and support them in applying for college placements. We liaise with colleges to advise them of the individual needs, the support we have provided and any access arrangements for examinations.

If you would like your child to join this School, please contact the School admissions team to arrange a visit to the school. The SEND / School Leaders will willingly discuss how the school can meet your child’s needs.

Parents and carers are welcome any time to make an appointment to meet with either the Head of Year or the SEND leaders or the subject leaders to discuss their child’s progress.

The SEND leaders have different areas of responsibility Sam Smithbone is the SENDCo for KS4 and is supported by Gemma Patterson, Assistant SENDCo and specialist assessor with the oversight of exam access arrangements.

Daniel Beck is the SENDCo for KS3 and is supported by Rebecca Bryant, Assistant SENDCo with a specialist knowledge of autism, language and communication.

Paul Candy is a primary specialist with expertise in developing reading skills and vocabulary.

Deanne Coombs is the Assistant Head Teacher with responsibility for SEND across the secondary phase.

Kerry Payne is the GFM Executive Lead for Inclusion which includes SEND.

Jean Morgan is the secondary phase committee member linked to SEND.

If you have a concern about the school’s SEND provision, please contact either the SEND Leaders, Head of Year or Subject Leader who will investigate and endeavour to reach a satisfactory outcome. If you are not satisfied, we invite you to follow the School’s complaint procedure. This can be found on the school website – bayhouse.gfmat.org

First point of contact will be your child’s Tutor / Year Team.

• You can contact/meet the SEND leaders, Tutor and Year Leader throughout the academic year by appointment.
• For information and advice, contact SENDIAS – https://www.corechildrensservices.co.uk/
• For legal advice, contact IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice) – www.ipsea.org.uk/

This document forms part of the SEN information as outlined in the Local Offer. To access the Local Offer in its entirety, click on the link below. https://fish.hants.gov.uk/kb5/hampshire/directory/localoffer.page