Oakbank School

• Discussions with primary schools and parents on transition
• Assessment of reading age and levels upon entry
• Assessment for any specific learning needs upon parental request
• Close monitoring of both academic and emotional capacity
• Parental/carer Request
• Notification from outside agency 

Make an appointment with the SENCO at Oakbank as quickly as possible to explain your concerns.  We can work together to make a plan of action. The SENCO is Mrs Emma Orchard and you can reach her on the telephone by calling 0118 988 3616 EXT 337 or via the email address eorchard@oakbank.education. 

• The SENCO will have overall responsibility for the progress of your child.
• Progress will be monitored regularly by subject teachers, tutor and Head of Year.
• Your child may have a Keyworker who will support them regularly.

• A letter will be sent out if your child has been identified for targeted support.
• You will receive a phone call if we are concerned about your child’s progress.
• We sometimes have a home/school liaison book if we want to let you know how school is going.
• You can make an appointment to come in and see us at any time.

We have skilled TAs and Teaching staff who are very aware of the fact that we need to support children with SEN whilst at the same time challenging  them and building independence.  We discuss this at Annual reviews and meetings so that we can support what you are doing at home to build independence.

• Some students have a strategy sheet given to all staff so that we can consistently use the most suitable teaching methods and content to meet your child’s individual needs.
• All staff are aware of the type and requirements of your child’s SEN and so can match differentiation to individuals.
• Training is given to all staff for most commonly found SEN on a regular basis.
• Staff have regular training on how best to support students with SEN delivered by the SENCO

The school uses a very wide range of teaching strategies for students with different SEN and many students have an individual strategy sheet to ensure teachers are aware of the most effective strategies to use. Through consultation with parents/carers, we are able to build a clear picture of each individual child and assess what might work well to support your child together. 

We currently employ on a fully time basis 4 Highly trained TAs. They bring a welth of knowledge and experience to the school, they enhance the school curriculum by offering support both in and out of lessons.

We buy in Speech and Language staff from the LEA.

• A fully resourced and large SEN area.
• Intervention rooms
• Nurture room
• Lunch & break club for SEN and vulnerable children
• ICT suite
• Dyslexia overlays and specialist exercise books
• Laptops for those SEN students who need them to use in class.

Additional Transition Afternoons for SEN and vulnerable children transferring from primary school to Oakbank.

Where appropriate, students with SEN will be tested for special arrangements for exams.  These arrangements can include extra time, scribes, readers and enlarged papers. You will be informed of the outcome of thee tests so you can support your child with their learning at home.  

Your child will be assessed in every subject termly. You will then receive a grade card termly and a full report once a year. You will also be invited to Parents Evenings during the year. As we operate an open door policy you are encouraged to contact subject teachers should you have any questions or concerns regarding progress. 

Targets will be based on all students making two National Curriculum levels of progress over Key Stage 3. The progress of SEN students will be reviewed termly by the SENCO. If there is an issue with academic progress your child may be targeted for intervention to support them and you will be notified if this is the case. Feel free to contact teaching staff or the SENCO at any time if you are concerned about progress in any subject.

There will be two Parents Evenings throughout the year.  Please feel free to make an appointment with the SENCO at any time should you wish to discuss progress. We have an open door policy and encourage you to contact the school if you have an questions.

Staff are happy to receive emails or phonecalls from parents and we encourage as much contact with school as possible.  Please feel free to make an appointment with the SENCO should you wish to discuss any matter relating to SEN or additional needs.

• Ensure regular reading sessions at home. Reading regularly is one of the key features of a successful student.
• Ensure students have a quiet place to do homework. Make sure homework is done.
• Check classcharts regularly and if you feel they are not recording homework then let us know.
• Ensure your child attends every day. Do not let them stay at home for minor reasons. Seek help from us if you feel your child is avoiding school for some reason.
• Support the school with our decisions. We must show a unified front.
• Stay in regular contact with tutors, subject teachers and the SENCO where appropriate.
• Use the schools online system of classcharts where you can see homework and behaviour points to help you support your child.

We will run information evenings for parents so that they are aware how to support students in each year group. We have information about help and assistance that is avaliable in your local community.

We regularly audit student views about school. Regular feedback in subject areas, that they are required to respond to, will ensure they know where they are and what they need to do to move forward. We ask that, where appropriate, if you meet with staff in school, students also attend, so that they can be involved in any conversations about progress.  For students with an Educational Health and Care Plan, views are sought in advance of the annual review and students and parents are now at the centre of the planning for progress process.

We offer a wide range of GCSE subjects to all students in KS4 regardless of their SEN status. We work to ensure that students can access the curriculum and achieve the grades, in subjects they need to persue their future career. Sometimes students follow a personalised GCSE curriculum and this will be discussed with you via the SENCO.

Oakbank is subject to OFSTED and Department of Education inspections.  The overall effectiveness of SEN provision is reported on by these bodies. A SEN Self-evaluation is done by the SENCO and reported to the Principal. This then feeds into a development plan which is regularly used to constantly improve services to students. Parents can comment on their experience to the Principal at any time and these can be used as a tool for self-improvement.  Parents can also comment on the OFSTED Parent view website as to the overall effectiveness of the school.

We run additional transition afternoons for students with SEN and anxiety about transition before the main transition day in July.  We also run various groups for students to promote emotional and social development.  These include Nurture Groups, Social Skills groups, Self-Management programmes as well as one to one sessions for students where emotional and social difficulties are a barrier to learning. Tutors and Heads of Year also lead strong pastoral care for students to promote social and emotional well-being.  Termly PHSE days are run and differentiated for students with SEN.  We encourage students with SEN to apply for positions of responsibility such as student council and prefects.  SEN students are encouraged to attend School residential and trips to build confidence.

At Oakbank, we have the same expectations for behaviour for students with SEN as those students who do not have SEN.  However, we do understand that sometimes students with SEN will need a more individual approach to “getting it right”.  Student behaviour is monitored closely.  If staff or parents are concerned that behaviour has become a barrier to learning then we have numerous small group and one to one programmes available to tackle these issues.  In some cases, we find that low literacy levels can sometimes affect behaviour.  We tackle the root causes of behaviour challenges as well as the behaviour itself.  If an SEN Child is at risk of exclusion we will call an emergency annual review or start a supportive pastoral programme to ensure we avoid exclusion at all costs.  

We will discuss any medical issues on a case by case basis and ensure that we have the expertise and training to support that child.  There is a first aid room should a child fall ill in the day and, if we feel it appropriate; we will call parents to advise them of any concerns.  

Medication is kept in a locked cupboard in pastoral and the following process is followed:

• The parent/carer will complete a form titled: Record of medication administered to child. This is available from the school office.
• This form is kept with the medication, in the student’s file, in a locked filing cabinet in the office.
• The student will then go to pastoral to take their medicine.
• Staff sign a register form to record the date and volume of medication taken.

The help required for personal care is assessed on a case-by-case basis after discussion with the student, their family and other professionals as necessary and support put in place where it is needed. 

We buy in the following expertise from the three local authorities our students come from:

• Educational Psychologist
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
• Social Care
• School Nurse
• Speech and Language Team
• ASD Mentors and advisory service
• Education Welfare Officer
• Visual Impairment Team
• Lexia Team (Dyslexia)

Please feel free to contact the SENCO if you feel your child needs support from one of these services.  The SENCO is always happy to discuss support packages for students with SEN.

If these services are required by students, we have to buy in this support as part of a package for the child. This is usually linked to the requirements of the child’ Statement of Educational Needs.  These professionals are sometimes involved in the diagnosis of special educational needs.  These professionals are not permanent members of staff at Oakbank and we have to book appointments and agree times for visits well in advance.

Please do feel free to discuss this with the SENCO at Oakbank.

Our Vice Principal is the designated member of staff in charge of Child Protection and will liaise with Social Care on a regular basis where appropriate.

There is a whole staff inset day on the first day of term where the SENCO delivers training about SEN needs to staff. There are regular twilight training sessions for staff on SEND. There is also regular morning INSET for staff aboout SEN needs. This training ranges from training on the individual needs of our students, to differentiation in the classroom, to the effective use of TAs in the classroom. TAs are subject to the same training as teaching staff alongside their specific TA training.

Teaching Assistants are invited to all whole staff trainings and regularly help to deliver training to staff. One TA currently runs classes for students and have ownership of leading learning, under regular support and guidance. Some TA's are looking at working towards achieving their Higher Level Teaching Assistant qualifications and will take formal qualifications. Training is a standing item agenda at SEN weekly team meetings.

 The SENCO has achieved the specialist SENCO award qualification as required by law. She is a highly qualified teacher with knowledge and expertise in supporting pupils with SEN.

Our Teaching Assisstants have accreditation in various strategies for teaching SEN students, including a Nurture Practitioner.

Our equality of opportunity policy ensures that all students have access to out of school activities and trips. In most cases, we will call parents if we feel that a slip has not been returned or if particular SEN student or their parents/carers are not aware that the trip is running. We support all of our SEN student to attend trips so they fully immerse themselves in school life. 

We ensure we run information evening for residential trips, inviting parents to attend. Where closer planning is required, please do feel free to make an appointment with the SENCO.  

Oakbank School is fully accessible to children with mobility difficulties/wheelchair users.

We make full adaptations to teaching and learning resources for students with visual or auditory impairments.

There are accessible changing and toilet facilities.

We rely on parents/carers to advise us of student requirements in advance. We meet with primary schools to address any needs prior to transition. We strive to meet these requirements before the students start with us. Our site is fully wheelchair accessible.

This will be decided based upon the individual needs of our parents/carers.  It can range from email, telephone, face to face meetings or letters.

We can provide communication in different languages.

We encourage potential parents and students to visit us as many times as they wish during a regular school day to get a feel for the amazing atmosphere present at Oakbank. This can be before the students are in Year 6.  We even get some Year 3 and 4 students visit us and encourage visits as much as possible.  We have two transition afternoons for students with SEN as we realise we may need more time to get to know them in advance and vice versa.  If parents want to set up additional visits, we are happy to accommodate this.  There is a main transition day for all students in July.  On this day, SEN students will be supported by our TA team in order that they can access the day to the fullest extent.  Feeder primary schools are visited in the summer term so we can start to get to know students and talk to your child’s current teacher.  Please feel free to meet with the SENCO in advance so that any and all SEN needs can be discussed and planned for in advance.

We do a range of small group and whole class sessions on the transition process. These sessions cover a range of topics from “Worries” to “Organisation” as well as celebrating the process of “moving on” We understand this is a big step for children and realise that there are different responses to this from excitement to anxiety.  Please feel free to discuss any concerns with your childs tutor or with the SENCO.

We will do a range of sessions on the transition process.  These will cover a range of topics from “Worries” to “Organisation” as well as celebrating the process of “moving on” We understand this is a big step for children and realise that there are different responses to this from excitement to anxiety.  Please feel free to discuss any concerns with a member of staff or with the SENCO.

Personalised transition programs will be put in place for students transferring to college or another school. We will speak to the relevant person/people at the new school/college and ensure all information is passed over.

The information provided to a new school will include full details of a child’s SEN, what actions have been taken to date and the effectivness of those actions. 

Personalised transition and preparation programs will be put in place to prepare a child for transition to further education or employment. We will discuss this at the Annual review and take everyones views into account.

Please contact the following members of staff to discuss any matter:

• Form Tutor
• Head of Phase
• SENCO: Mrs Orchard
• Vice Principal: Mrs Mead
• Headteacher: Ms Callaghan

Specific support is provided where this is highlighted as a need. The school currently works with Family Support Workers involved in a small number of families.

The SENCO and/or assistant SENCO can provide information to help support parents.

The school has an open door policy and parents are encouraged to communicate any concerns, to the form tutor in the first instance. Please contact the following members of staff to discuss any matter:

• Form Tutor
• Head of Phase
• SENCO: Mrs Orchard
• Vice Principal: Mrs Mead
• Headteacher: Ms Callaghan

11.1: School admission arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities

11.2: School Accessibility Plan

11.3: Special Education Needs Policy