SEND
The Sittingbourne School SEND Offer
Our Commitment to Inclusive Education
At The Sittingbourne School, we are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of their individual needs. We believe that every child has the right to access a high-quality education that meets their unique requirements. Our approach to Special Educational Needs (SEN) is based on the principles of early identification, effective intervention, and personalised support.
Understanding SEN
A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age. Making higher quality teaching normally available to the whole class is likely to mean that fewer pupils will require such support. This is known as the ‘core offer’. This means that a child with ADHD, ASD, etc may not necessarily be recorded as having SEN if their needs are being met in the classroom. Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has SEN and should not automatically lead to a pupil being recorded as having SEN.
Our Core Offer
We believe that high-quality teaching is essential for all students, including those with SEN. Our core offer includes:
- High-quality teaching: We regularly review and improve the quality of teaching for all pupils, focusing on strategies to identify and support vulnerable learners.
- Differentiation and adaptations: We differentiate our teaching to meet the individual needs of all students, ensuring that they have access to appropriate resources and support.
- Early identification and intervention: We implement early identification and intervention strategies to address potential difficulties before they become more significant.
Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching. At TSS, we regularly and carefully review the quality of teaching for all pupils, including those at risk of underachievement. This includes reviewing and, where necessary, improving teachers' understanding of strategies to identify and support vulnerable pupils and their knowledge of the SEN most frequently encountered.
Consideration of whether special educational provision (support that is more than the core offer) is required should start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment and the views and wishes of the pupil and their parents. This should then help determine the support that is needed and whether it can be provided by adapting the school’s core offer or whether something different or additional is required. At times, parents, teachers and others may have differing expectations of how a child’s needs are best met. Sometimes these discussions can be challenging but it is in the child’s best interests for a positive dialogue between parents, teachers and others to be maintained, to work through points of difference and establish what action is to be taken.
Meeting the needs of pupils with EHCPs
We are committed to meeting the needs of students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Many of the needs outlined in EHCPs can be met through our core offer. However, we recognise that there may be specific support requirements that are not available within our school. In these cases, we will work closely with parents and external agencies to explore alternative options. However, at times, there may be support outlined on plans that we are unable to provide at TSS. So that you can be clear what support we are able to provide, please arrange to discuss any concerns with a member of the SEND team.
Communication and Interaction (including ASD)
Support and intervention offered:
A multisensory approach • Visual support • Now and Next boards and sequence strips • Comic strip conversations/story boards • social skills and the explicit teaching of social rules, the reasons and benefits of their use • Lego-based interventions • Lunch/ break time support • Modelling and role play • Grouping learners with social communication difficulties with socially competent peers • Use of prompting to support generalisation of what has been learnt • Use of the learner’s name to gain their attention before giving instructions • Simple instructions • Avoiding use of sarcasm, idioms and figures of speech • Use of visual supports, pictures, symbols • awareness of use of body language to communicate - this can be missed or misinterpreted • awareness that learners may not be able to read facial expression as a form of communication • Awareness of tone of voice (calm and not too loud) • Awareness of the impact of language and social communication difficulties on peer relationships and potential vulnerability; careful consideration of grouping and vigilance to misunderstandings leading to conflict or ridicule • Social rules displayed visually and referred to explicitly. Small group or individual language sessions. • Where needed, language programme devised by a SALT – awareness and implementation of any recommendations made • Allowing time to respond • Opportunities for learners to feed back or answer questions ‘privately’ • Provision of alternative methods for communication of ideas – visual aids, whiteboards, signals or symbols • Modelling back corrected errors e.g. “It’s dunny today” - response: “yes, you’re right, it’s sunny today” • Consideration - how many information-carrying words are used when giving instructions • Tailoring delivery style, incorporating language modification techniques • Visual support (e.g. task boards, check lists, pictorial glossaries, pictures, demonstrations, story boards) • Allowing extra time to process what has been said • Getting the learner’s attention before speaking – use of name • Checking back that any input has been understood • Pre-teaching of topic vocabulary • Whole school approach to the introduction of new vocabulary/key words/ topic words using multisensory approaches e.g. real objects, photos and pictures • Cueing in by initial sound, syllable clapping, cloze procedure for written tasks or verbally, ‘sounds like’ questions and forced alternatives (choice of two).
Cognition and learning
Support and intervention offered:
Assessment through teaching to identify the areas of need in consultation with the learner • Clear and simple instructions, breaking down longer instructions and giving one at a time • Visual timetable • Visual cues and prompts • Social StoriesTM • Giving time before response is needed • Pre-teaching – e.g. provision of a teacher or TA (overseen by a teacher) to help prepare the learner for the new topic • Sharing next steps – so they know what to expect • Differentiation of resources – teach the curriculum appropriate to the child, not their chronological age • Small group and individual support. • Planned opportunities for success and celebration of successes • Giving the ‘big picture’ and context at the start of a new topic and revisiting throughout • Note-taking • Provision of working walls, word maps, lists, checklists, task boards, templates and storyboards • Visual support/reminders – multisensory approach • Provision of opportunities for repetition and overlearning. • Memory activities and games • Acknowledge and encourage good oral contributions whenever possible • Metacognition approaches – learning to learn by trying to understand the learner’s difficulty and asking them what helps • Use of strategies and approaches recommended in advice from assessments and consultations • Evidence-based interventions to develop skills • Make simple adaptations e.g. font, line spacing, coloured paper, lighting etc. • Encourage the learner to celebrate their strengths and achievements in all areas of life • Allowing extra time to read and absorb information. • Avoiding asking the child to read in front of others unless they want to • Teaching strategies to help track words on the pag • Marking of written work on content rather than spelling • Use of colour to highlight spelling patterns • Chunking of instructions one step at a time and checking understanding throughout task • Allowing extra time for the pupil to write down written instructions • Teaching how to use working walls, word maps, lists, checklists, task boards templates and story boards as appropriate • Support pupils to copy from the board allowing extra time or provide a personal copy to have on their desk.
Use manipulatives such as Numicon • Talk through number concepts out loud, communicating thinking in a verbal, diagrammatic and written form • Use number games • Use of visual programmes such as Number Shark to target gaps in learning • Follow a structured approach to build understanding of concepts • Acknowledge and encourage good oral contributions whenever possible • Metacognition approaches – learning to learn by trying to understand the learner’s difficulty and asking them what helps • Use strategies and approaches recommended in advice from assessments and consultations • Evidence-based interventions to develop skills • Make simple adaptations e.g. font, line spacing, coloured paper, lighting etc. • Encourage the learner to celebrate their strengths and achievements in all areas of life.
Social Emotional and mental Health
Support and intervention offered:
Providing a secure base • Consideration of the reason/purpose of behaviour – what is the context/history? Careful consideration of seating position • Use of strategies and approaches to develop understanding of presenting behaviours, e.g. ABC charts and the Iceberg approach • Use of Boxall Profiling • Consideration of movement breaks • co-regulation. • Key Person approach • Unstructured time safe, supported space • Exit card • Risk assessment • Consistent rules and boundaries • Friendship and social skills • Buddying/Peer Mentoring • Unpicking the behaviours – negative and positive behaviours – what lies behind them? • Identifying what is not right through engagement with the learner • Looking back, when did the behaviour start to change? Provision of activities that are stress reducing, e.g.colouring • identification of triggers • Understanding the reasons - is there a pattern? • Clear expectations regarding behaviours with a clear and consistent response • Consideration of discipline procedures/ behaviour policies and any reasonable adjustments that need to be made in line with Equalities legislation • Differentiated use of voice, gesture and body language • Focus on reducing anxiety and thereby behaviours • Flexible and creative use of rewards and consequences. e.g. ‘catch them being good’ • Positive reinforcement of expectations through verbal scripts and visual prompts • Time out Restorative approaches.
Sensory and physical
Support and intervention offered:
Completion of school accessibility plan • Personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) • Building resilience approaches • Ensuring that learners have easy access to the equipment they require • Ensure that differentiation of tasks and adaptation of resources is undertaken with close collaboration between the learner, teacher and any support staff. • Check in with the learner regularly • Take account of activities that the learner cannot participate in during planning to avoid exclusion • Curriculum delivery is pitched at appropriate language level and uses a range of communication strategies • Visual and written support is provided and used to aid understanding • Key vocabulary is provided in advance • Subtitles are used with DVD and online video materials, if appropriate • School staff have awareness of the effect of hearing loss on language development • Peer support and sensitive grouping/ pairing for a range of activities • Staff repeat verbal contributions from other learners to ensure clarity • Modified or adapted materials to provide immediate access to learning activities.
Good reinforcement of learner’s verbal contributions • Learners are directed to task by using their first name • Appropriate regular checks on amplification equipment • Checks are undertaken to ensure the information has been correctly understood by learners with HI • Good voice levels and clear speech are always used • Teachers remain in a favourable position in the classroom that optimises access to lipreading cues • Positive language is used to promote self esteem.
Collaboration and Partnership
We believe that strong partnerships between the school, parents, and other professionals are essential for meeting the needs of students with SEN. We encourage open communication and collaboration to ensure that students receive the best possible support.
Please contact the school if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding our SEND offer.
Linked Sittingbourne School policies and reports:
Accessibility Plan: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=352&type=pdf
Children with health needs who cannot attend school Policy: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=326&type=pdf
Equality Policy, Statement and Objectives: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=308&type=pdf
Supporting students with a medical condition policy: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=331&type=pdf
SEND Policy: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=309&type=pdf
Special Educational Needs/Disability Information Report: https://www.thesittingbourneschool.org.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=328&type=pdf
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