SEND Information Report 2021-22

At The Halley Academy we support and value the abilities of all our students. We strongly believe that it is our duty to provide equal opportunities for every young person in our care and a safe and fully equipped learning environment, which caters to the needs of every student as an individual. We are committed to inclusion within the Academy curriculum and participation in all aspects of Academy life.

The Halley Academy adopts a ‘holistic approach’ to special educational needs. All staff work to ensure inclusion of all students. We are committed to ensuring that students with special educational needs can fulfil their potential and achieve optimal educational outcomes.

The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools, and the proprietors of academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s or the proprietor’s policy for pupils with SEND. The information published must be updated annually and any changes to the information occurring during the year must be updated as soon as possible. The information required is set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and must include the following:

The kinds of special educational needs that are provided for:

At The Halley Academy we provide for the following main categories of Special Educational Needs:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Mental and Emotional Health Difficulties
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs

Policies for identifying children and young people with SEND and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the SENCo

The Halley Academy follows the guidance contained in the Code of Practice 2014. This recommends a single assessment for students under the description of Additional Needs based on one or more of the four main areas of need as outlined in the Code of Practice 2014.

Identification of students with special educational needs will be determined in the following ways:

• Recommendation from primary and/or previous secondary school attended before joining The Halley Academy
• Key Stage 2 data and results
• Teacher/parental/carer referral
• Reports and recommendations from professional agencies
• Regular assessment of progress by subject leaders
• Use of the ‘Graduated Approach’ as stated in the SEN Code of Practice (2014)
• Where appropriate, The Halley Academy will make applications for High Needs Funding and/or EHCPs to support students with SEND.

Contact details for SENCo: Susan Wilson (SENCo), tel: 020 8856 2828.

Arrangements for consulting parents/carers of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education

The Halley Academy will make regular reviews of students’ progress both academically, emotionally and socially will take place through:

• Academy reporting systems;
• Parents’/Carers’ Evenings;
• SEND Consultation Day (27/05/22);
• Students with an Educational Health and Care Plan, as per the statutory requirements in the SEND Code of Practice 2014 will have an Annual Review every 12 months;
• Parent/Carer Forums.

 

Arrangements for consulting young people with SEND and involving them in their education

The Halley Academy will make regular reviews of students’ progress both academically, emotionally and socially will take place through: 

• Academy reporting systems;
• Parents’/Carers’ Evenings;
• SEND Consultation Day (27/05/22);
• Students with an Educational Health and Care Plan, as per the statutory requirements in the SEND Code of Practice 2014 will have an Annual Review every 12 months.

 

Arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes, including the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review

The Halley Academy will follow the guidelines contained in the Code of Practice 2014 regarding the assessment and review procedures of students with special educational needs and disabilities.

Students will be assessed and reviewed in the following ways:

a) We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review;

b) All students identified as having special educational needs will be tested at the beginning and end of each academic year using tests that provide standardised score for reading, comprehension, spelling and writing. This will enable The Halley Academy to establish areas of need and provide the necessary intervention programmes, and enable The Halley Academy to monitor progress; 

c) All students identified as having special educational needs will have an individual learning plan as part of the Provision Mapping System that clearly outlines their area of need, suggested strategies to address these needs, targets and objectives, current levels and reading and spelling ages. Students will be part of creating this plan and it will be available to staff, parents/carers and students; 

d) Students identified as having special educational needs will have regular reviews of the individual profile at least three times per year through SEND consultation days; 

e) Students with an Educational Health and Care Plan will have an annual review as per the statutory requirement contained in the SEND Code of Practice 2014; 

f) Regular reviews of intervention programmes will be carried out to monitor progress of students against their starting points, and assess the impact of programmes, enabling interventions to be adapted where appropriate;

g) All staff will have access to individual learning plans via the provision mapping system in order to inform planning, monitoring of progress and strategic differentiation of work for students with special educational needs;

h) Students and parents/carers will receive regular feedback on progress through assessment reports, formative and summative marking, SEND consultation days, parents’/carers’ evenings and annual reviews of Educational Health and Care Plans; 

i) Staff will have access to inclusion websites providing strategies and information on meeting the needs of students with additional needs;

j)  Staff will have access to The Halley Academy Teaching and Learning Tracker, CPD/SEND specific insets, SEND information booklets, The High Quality Teaching and SEND Support Toolkit, inclusive teaching strategies booklets, regular SEND specific updates and access to research and evidence based SEND articles.  

 

Arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood. As young people prepare for adulthood outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society

In accordance with the SEND Code of Practice 2014, The Halley Academy has clear procedures to ensure the smooth transition of students between Key Stages and Post 16.

Key Stage 2 to 4

a) The SENCo will attend Year 6 annual reviews for students with an Educational Health and Care Plan; 

b) The SENCo will attend the borough KS2-KS3 SEND transition day and ASD transition meetings to identify and discuss students with special educational needs; 

c) The SENCo will make additional visits to primary schools for identified students and visits from the primary school to The Halley Academy will be arranged;

d) Meetings with parents/carers as requested will take place with the SENCo; 

e) The SENCo will feedback to all staff on identified students; 

f) A full induction day and transition workshops will take place for all students

g) Regular Values/CEIAG sessions to explore career pathways.

Post 16

a) The SENCo arranges for a representative from the Career Learning Development team at Leigh Academies Trust, and RBG to meet with identified students to discuss next steps; 

b) Transition plan is completed on a regular basis; 

c) Options evenings and booklets are made available to parents/carers and students; 

d) University visits/taster days are arranged for identified students; 

e) Information is shared with FE establishments etc, as requested;

f) Interviews with LAT mentors.

Change of School Procedures

a) Parents/carers contact admissions at The Halley Academy;

b) Information is forwarded to the new school; 

c) The SENCo meets with parents/carers and appropriate staff from the new school as requested.

 

The approach to teaching children and young people with SEND

The Halley Academy is an inclusive establishment that offers a broad and balanced curriculum which is specific to the needs and future opportunities of all students. It ensures this by:

a) Quality first teaching will be delivered in all areas of the curriculum. Staff are expected to be aware of the needs of all students in their classes, and differentiate work accordingly through adaptive teaching, to meet these needs. This will be monitored via regular lesson reviews, learning walks and pupil work reviews by the SENCo, Assistant SENCo, Academy Leadership Team and Directors of Learning; 

b)Offering a range of intervention programmes designed to improve the outcomes of students with special educational needs, ensuring they can fully access all areas of the curriculum; 

c) Providing a range of co-curricular and extended learning activities that offers enrichment opportunities for all students, including those with special educational needs; 

d) Providing a clear reporting system three times a year that outlines targets and current achievements; 

e) Carrying out regular lesson reviews to ensure that all students, including those with special educational needs, are receiving high quality teaching and learning experiences in all areas of the curriculum; 

f) Adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of individual students if necessary; 

g) Ensuring that identified students receive the necessary in class support and exam dispensation; 

h) Ensuring that all staff receive regular training on all areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 

i) A provision mapping system will be accessible to all staff providing details of all students with special educational needs, students in receipt of pupil premium, higher attaining pupils, looked after students and students with English as an additional language. Staff will use this system to inform their planning to ensure they are addressing the needs of students. It will also be used to track, monitor and review students on intervention programmes and provide governors and, where appropriate, provide parents/carers with a clear report in terms of cost, hours and interventions provided; 

j) All students with special educational needs will be tested twice a year using tests that provide standardised scores for reading, spelling and comprehension. The results from these tests will be used to identify areas of need and to inform the SENCo when planning for interventions and exam dispensation;

k) A range of numeracy, literacy, social, emotional and mental health interventions will be offered to all students who have been identified as having special educational needs in the relevant areas. These will be reviewed regularly; 

l) Regular and timely communication with parents/carers via assessment reports, SEND consultation days, annual reviews, parents’/carers’ events, telephone and emails; 

m) Access to outside agencies via the local authority, health authority and Leigh Academies Trust; 

n) Parents/carers will be informed of any additional provision that their child is receiving via the SENCo/Assistant SENCo or Director of Progress;

o) The local authority local offer and academy offer will be available on The Halley Academy website so that parents/carers, students, staff and the wider community can access its contents.

 

How adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEND

• Learning Support Assistants will be available to provide in class support on an individual or small group basis in order to support the learning of identified students;
• Learning Support Assistants will develop, deliver and monitor literacy, numeracy, social, emotional and mental health intervention programmes in order to address the special educational needs of identified students. This will be delivered on an individual, or small group basis;
• Learning Support Assistants will administer and mark tests that indicate students’ skills in spelling, reading and comprehension in order to establish areas of need, and monitor attendance on intervention programmes;
• Learning Support Assistants will maintain records and monitor progress of students on intervention programmes, and liaise with parents/carers regularly;
• Learning Support Assistants will support the transition of identified students from primary school to secondary school, and from secondary school to further education establishments;
• Learning Support Assistants will accompany identified students on trips etc where necessary.

 

The expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN, including how specialist expertise will be secured

The Halley Academy is committed to the professional development of its staff in all areas including Special Educational Needs and Disability. The following provision is in place to ensure that all staff are aware of and can meet the needs of students with special educational needs:

a) The SENCo/Assistant SENCo delivers continuous professional development sessions to all staff on identified areas of Special Educational Needs and Disability; 

b) Staff attend training on identified areas of Special Educational Needs and Disability organised by the Local Authority, Health Authority and Leigh Academies Trust;

c) Staff have access to inclusion websites providing links and information on Special Educational Needs and Disability, and inclusive teaching and learning strategies; 

d) Through commissioning, experts (EP, CAMHs, SaLT etc) are invited to The Halley Academy to deliver training sessions on identified areas of Special Educational Needs and Disability to all staff.

 

Information on how equipment and facilities to support children and young people with SEN will be secured

All students have access to a 1:1 device which they can use adaptive strategies independently whether this be through the support of an app, or another learning platform to suit their needs.

Where external advisors recommend the use of equipment or facilities which the academy does not have, they will purchase it using the notional SEN funding, or secure it on loan. For highly specialist communication equipment, the Academy will seek the advice of the CENMAC communication and assistive technology team.

 

Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEND

The Halley Academy is dedicated to ensuring the highest level of provision to students and parents/carers. It is constantly striving to improve this provision including the SEND practices within the Academy. In order to ensure the best possible provision, the following evaluation processes are implemented:

a) Regular meetings with the SEND Link Governor and SENCo where reviews of practice and policies are discussed and fed back to the Governors as a body; 

b) Regular meetings with the Principal and Heads of School to discuss and review SEND practices and policies; 

c) Parents/carers/student/staff questionnaires on SEND practices within the Academy; 

d) Completion of self evaluation to inform SEND action plans, following regular meetings with the Principal; 

e) Attendance of SENCo/Assistant SENCo at Cluster meetings (Leigh Academies Trust TLC), Leigh Academies Trust SENCo Forum, Leigh Academies Trust Inclusion Drive Team meetings, and local authority SENCo meetings to share best practice and discuss current innovations; 

f) Regular and robust reviews of intervention programmes; 

g) Data analysis, including comparisons to national benchmark data and student progress.

 

How children and young people with SEND are enabled to engage in available activities together with children and young people in the school who do not have SEND

The Halley Academy offers a wide range of co-curricular and enrichment activities for all students, including those students with special educational needs. It achieves this by:

a) Ensuring that all staff involved in co-curricular and enrichment activities are fully trained in relevant areas of Special Educational Needs and Disability; 

b) Offering a range of activities to accommodate all interests, abilities and physical needs.

 

Support for improving emotional, social and mental health development. This should include extra pastoral support arrangements for listening to the views of children and young people with SEND and measures to prevent bullying.

a) A range of social, emotional and mental health interventions will be offered to all students who have been identified as having special educational needs in these areas. These will be reviewed regularly;

b) Access to outside agencies via the Local Authority, Health Authority, Leigh Academies Trust and other agencies (CAMHs Tier 2 and support with referral to Tier 3, SaLT, EPs, School Nurse, Early Help); 

c) The SENCo will liaise with Health and Social Care teams as dictated by the Code of Practice and Education and Health Care Plans; 

d) Learning Support Assistants will develop, deliver and monitor social, emotional and mental health intervention programmes in order to address the special educational needs of identified students. This will be delivered on an individual, or small group basis;

e) Identified students will have access to counselling and mentoring. Small school teams and Learning Support Assistants are trained in ELSA;

f) Student Leadership and Student Voice opportunities;

g) Peer-mentoring and peer-tutoring by the Halley’s Heroes;

h) Supervised and planned breakfast, break, lunch and homework clubs;

i) Full time academy counsellor.

 

How the school involves other bodies, including Health and Social Care bodies, Local Authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEND and supporting their families.

According to the Code of Practice 2014, the following must be adhered to:

Children and young people with SEND may need integrated support from education, health and/or social care to help them achieve their ambitions. Working together, these agencies can achieve far more for these children and young people than they can separately, more efficiently and often at a reduced cost. The local offer must set out the range of services available locally to children with SEND and the support that children, young people and families may access outside the local area.

The Academy Board and The Halley Academy will liaise and consult with the above mentioned agencies to create an effective local and academy offer that jointly commissions all agencies. It will then adhere to the local and academy offer to ensure that parents/carers and students receive a cohesive, supportive and transparent service. It is currently able to provide services through the Local Authority, Health Authorities and Leigh Academies Trust though the specified referral routes.

 

Support services for parents/carers of pupils with SEND

Arrangements relating to the treatment of complaints from parents of students with SEND concerning the provision made by the academy

The normal arrangements for the treatment of complaints within the Trust are used for complaints about provision made for SEN. Parents are encouraged to discuss their concerns with the class or subject teacher, SENCO or Head of Pastoral Care. Principals should resolve the issue before a formal complaint is made to the Trust.

If the complaint is not resolved after it has been considered by the Trust, then a disagreement-resolution service or mediation service can be contracted. If it remains unresolved after this, the complainant can appeal to the First–Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), if the case refers to disability discrimination, or to the Secretary of State for all other cases.

There are some circumstances, usually for children who have a Statement of SEN or EHCP, in which there is a statutory right for parents to appeal against a decision of the local authority. Complaints which fall within this category cannot be investigated by the Academy.