SEND and Inclusion

“The equality of opportunities resonates in everything the school does.” OFSTED December 2023

We are a fully inclusive mainstream school and truly believe in our ethos of: Students First, It’s About the Learning and Overcoming Barriers. We endeavour to ensure that all students achieve their potential personally, socially, emotionally and academically whilst ensuring they have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Our aim is to equip pupils with the skills they need to reach their potential become a successful adult, so that they don’t just survive in the world, but thrive.

Quality teaching in the classroom is vital for the success of our students, particularly for those who have additional needs. The SEND and Inclusion team work closely with subject teachers and college teams to ensure that lessons are delivered to enable all students to make progress. Where students may be struggling, early identification is crucial to allow any necessary interventions to be put in place.

All SEND students have a Pupil Profile that is shared with staff to ensure that staff are able to meet their needs and students are happy and able to make the progress they are capable of. Pupil Profiles are a working document and are constantly updated by staff when working with students. Parents are also invited to be involved with the reviewing of the profiles x3 times a year.

Year 6 – 7 Transition

Moving to secondary school can be a daunting experience, particularly for our SEND learners. To help make this transition as smooth as possible, several members of our SEND Team work with our feeder primary schools to begin to build relationships with our new cohort. This work includes our SENDCO participating in the EHCP Annual Reviews during the Summer Term of Year 6 and our ASC specialist working with targeted ASC students to support them during their transition to secondary. In addition, at the start of Year 7, all ASC students complete a programme of work with our ASC specialist as part of a Social and Communication transition group, to help build relationships with The Hub and friendships with other students.

Referrals and Pathways

If you believe that your child may have a special educational need, please contact the SEND Team to discuss this further.

Diagnosing Autism and/or ADHD – this can be done in one of two ways. The first way, and often the quicker of the two, is to speak to your GP and ask them to make a referral via the ‘Right to Choose’ pathway. More information on this pathway can be found here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/before-diagnosis/how-to-request-an-autism-assessment

The second way is through the school making a referral. We fill out the referral paperwork, along with parents/carers, and submit it to the neurodevelopmental team at the University of Coventry and Warwickshire.

Diagnosing Dyslexia – if you are concerned that your child may have dyslexia, please speak to the SEND Team. To ascertain whether your child is dyslexic, they will undergo two Learning Assessments, 8 months apart, with our SEMHL practitioner. If during the second Learning Assessment, they deem that no progress has been made since the first assessment, the practitioner will then make a referral for a dyslexia assessment.

EHCPs – An education, health and care plan is given to students by the local authority when they are struggling to make progress in school. Applying for an EHCP can be a lengthy progress, but is something that we will support you through. An EHCP is a legally binding document, that sets out what the school needs to put in place to support a student and the extra funding that will be given to help ensure this support is put in place. For more information on EHCPs, please click on the following link: https://www.coventryfamilies.co.uk/

Staying in Touch

We believe working with parents and carers is vital in supporting our students. Throughout the year, we hold coffee mornings and specific SEND evenings to allow you to meet our SEND and Inclusion Team, as well as some of the external specialists that we work with. Upcoming dates for these mornings and evenings will be published on the school website, social media and school newsletter.

To contact a member of the SEND Team, please email: SEND@pks.coventry.sch.uk