Some students will, permanently or from time to time, have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children their age. Some may have disabilities, which prevent or hinder them making the use of the facilities provided for our students. We will give these students individual consideration and make special provision for them, working in partnership with others as necessary. The Governors’ intention is that the needs of all students are identified and met as soon as possible. All students whether they have special educational needs or not, must have an equal opportunity to participate in the full curriculum of the academy (including the National Curriculum) and all activities. Students with special educational needs will be encouraged to become independent and take responsibility within the college.
Everyone in the academy community – governors, staff, students and parents – has a positive and active part to play in achieving this aim.
SEND Team and Support
Our SEND team consists of following staff members who lead on the SEND provision at MCA:
- Miss McGahan (SENCO)
- Miss Woods (Assistant SENCO)
- Miss Hosier (Assistant SENCO)
We are well supported by a team of HLTAs and Teaching Assistants who have a wide range of experience and expertise. As a team, we deliver a range of additional provisions and interventions based on assessment of the needs of a student on an individual basis.
Our SEND team supports with:
- Assessing students to make sure that the need for provision is based on good evidence.
- Programmes of intervention and support that have evidence of being effective and are tailored to an individual’s needs.
- A team of staff who work across the school to support children’s learning and the identification of a student’s needs.
- Advice, strategies, and training to staff in supporting students with SEND in the classroom.
Within the academy, we run programmes of support for students to help them overcome a number of difficulties, for example difficulties, including dyslexia; numeracy difficulties; working memory; emotional regulation difficulties and communication and interaction difficulties.
Our SEND information report, available at the bottom of this page, shares more information our SEND provision and the interventions offered at MCA.
Identification of SEND
A young person is considered to have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
A young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
- has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions (SEND Code of Practice, 2015).
At the transition from primary school at Year 7, we will review a student’s information and liaise with our feeder primary schools to identify those who are already indicated as having SEND needs. This will be reviewed against evidence in the student’s file and against their attainment. We will also complete our own assessments with students joining us in year 7.
If a student had been identified as having SEND at their previous school it does not necessarily mean that this will continue. It will be dependent on the difficulties continuing and whether they require further intervention or support which is additional to or different from others of a similar age.
Where students transfer to the academy at other times, we will carry out assessments as required and review previous school records. We appreciate parents making us aware of any previously identified medical or SEND need when a student joins our academy.
Whilst at the school, students may also be identified as requiring SEND support and intervention. This may be a result of assessments, monitoring of progress measures or concerns raised by staff working with them. Parents may also raise concerns at any stage during their child’s time at the school. This may be at parents’ evenings, contact with your child’s house team or you may also contact one of the SEND team.
Students are encouraged to inform staff if they are having any difficulties in accessing learning and are then involved in any discussions and assessments when identifying possible difficulties. Pupil voice is at the centre of the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle which is used to investigate any developing concerns for a young person.
Teachers are also very aware of the needs of students in their classes and will raise concerns where they observe patterns of learning that suggest the student may be experiencing a difficulty in some area.
Screening assessments are available within the school which are completed by trained staff. Advice and guidance can be provided to support parents in seeking full diagnostic assessments if they wish. When it is clear that the student requires further investigation, external advice and appropriate referrals will be discussed with parents.
Pupils who may require additional support during their exams will be assessed at the beginning of KS4 and the necessary access arrangements applied for and implemented on an individual basis.
Parent Communication and Partnership
Parents involvement is vital for supporting any young person with special needs and disabilities. Parents are encouraged to be in contact with the school and involved at all stages in your child’s education. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with the school if you have any issues or concerns about your child.
If you child is on our school SEND register, they will have a one page profile and learning plan in place. These can be viewed via Edukey which you will have received an individual log in for. The link to access this information for your child is below. If you are unable to access Edukey, please contact Miss Hosier (Assistant SENCO) for support.
https://edukeyapp.com/parent/login
Suffolk SENDIASS are also able to offer parents independent information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities.