The David Ross Education Trust

David Ross Education Trust schools create a rich and exciting learning environment that inspires students to become their confident, academic best.

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Charles Read Academy

We seek to broaden the horizons of each and everyone of our students encouraging academic excellence and transferable life skills enabling all to become effective members of our 21st century society.

SEND

Special educational needs and disability (SEND)

We are ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. We are very proud of our community and believe we offer something genuinely different and exciting for those who join us We have high expectations of our students and staff - and hold high aspirations and demonstrated complete belief in all our students.

What we do

We provide support for students who have additional learning needs relating to categories of SEND defined in the SEN Code of Practice document as:

Cognition and learning difficulties
Communication and Interaction difficulties
Sensory and physical difficulties
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

Students requiring additional learning support have access to a range of intervention groups before school and during the school day. Teaching Assistants are timetabled throughout the day to support students with EHCPs and also for targeted interventions where SEND students are not secondary ready or/and need support to realise their potential/remove barriers to learning.

Interventions include:

Reading comprehension
Spelling workshops
Memory development
Accelerated Reader
RWI/Fresh start
Bushcraft and gardening projects
Numeracy and Literacy interventions
Lexia
Handwriting and pre teach vocabulary focus
Cross curricular Interventions (whole school)
Speech and Language
ELSA Emotional Literacy Support
Social Skills Groups
Lego Therapy

We work closely with a range of external agencies who provide specialist support and advice for individual students depending on their needs. These agencies include:

SALT (Speech and Language Therapy)
Educational Psychologist
Paediatrician
G.P.
Occupational Therapist
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
Physiotherapist
Auditory and visual support services
Local Authority SEN/ Inclusion Team
CASY Counselling
Working Together Team

Assessment and monitoring

All students who enter the Academy are assessed for baseline reading, spelling and numeracy skills and this information is used alongside other data to identify students who may require additional support. Intervention sessions are provided to target specific development needs and the progress of each student is monitored closely.

The SEN register is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that students are moved through the SEN stages of the Code of Practice in an accurate and timely manner.

Inclusive education

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and predominately all students attend mainstream lessons with their peers, to ensure they gain the highest specialist subject knowledge from their teachers. Staff at the Academy are continually receiving CPD on how to support a variety of additional needs, therefore in line with the DfE Code of practice First Quality Teaching is at the heart of support for SEND students

There are a number of experienced professionals working to support students at Charles Read Academy.

Should you wish to contact any professional about the support available to your child please telephone 01476 550333 or email enquiries@charlesreadacademy.co.uk

Class Teacher, Form Tutor, Learning Support Assistant, Key Worker

Responsible for:

Ensuring that all students have access to good / outstanding teaching and that the curriculum is adapted to meet your child’s needs.
Ensuring that your child receives the correct guidance and pastoral support to make academic progress.

Our Transition Lead and TAs also ensure arrangements are in place for supporting students moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood. In conjunction with teaching and support staff our Careers' Lead aids students as they prepare for adulthood aiming to ensure their outcomes reflect their ambitions, which can include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society.

Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and Assistant SENCo

Responsible for:

The day to day management of all aspects of the SEND and the department
Ensuring that all members of staff working with your child are aware of their individual needs and that they understand what specific adjustments are required.
Ensuring that all staff working with your child in school are supported in delivering the planned work / programme.
Ensuring that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in the classroom.
Coordinating all the support for students with SEND and developing the school’s SEND policy.
Ensuring that the Governing Body is kept up to date about any issues in the school relating to SEND.
Delivery of focused interventions for KS3 & KS4, and access arrangements

Learning Support Assistants

Learning Support Assistants work with the class teacher to identify areas of support for students with SEND. Teaching assistants often work with small groups of students within a lesson to develop particular skills.

Responsible for:

Supporting students to access the curriculum.
Empower students to develop effective strategies that enable them to become independent learners.
Support the implementation of differentiation and specialist support strategies in the classroom and/or in small intervention groups.
Keep students on task during the lesson.
Monitor the progress and well being of SEN students.
Key workers to SEN students made clear on Student Passports.

Principal

Responsible for:

The day to day management of all aspects of the school, including the support for students with SEND.

SEND Governor

Responsible for:

Ensuring that the school has an up to date SEND policy.
Ensuring that the school has appropriate provision and has made necessary adaptations to meet the needs of all students.
Ensuring that the necessary support is made for any child who attends the school who has SEND.
Arranging visits to understand and monitor the support given to students with SEND and being part of the process to ensure your child achieves their full potential.

Resources:

The governors, through the work of the finance committee, will allocate funds to meet the needs of students with SEN.
The school fund the first £6000 of support for a student (currently) equivalent to a 14-hour EHCP provision.
The Local Authority will provide additional funding for any students with an EHC plan over 14 hours.

Continuing Professional Development:

The SENCo will work with the SLT to ensure that whole staff training on SEN is provided as required. Then SENCo will also co-ordinate the training needs within the learning Support department and participate in the whole school programme of professional development. Newly appointed staff must have induction and mentoring sessions on SEN, with either SENCo or Assistant SENCo.

Complaints:

The school has a clear complaints policy: any complaints regarding SEN should be referred in the first instance to the SENCo or Head of School Charlie King.

Policy Review: