SENCO

Mrs K Brown  

Learning Support Assistants

• Mrs E Banks
• Mrs J Grimmer
• Mrs M Simpson

Email Student Support

Kesteven and Sleaford High School prides itself on being an inclusive school and we are committed to encouraging and enabling all of our students to unlock their full potential. We recognise that a number of our students will, at different stages of their development, require tailored and targeted support over and above the usual academic and pastoral provision. The Student Support Team at KSHS also aims to tailor and target support for individual students who have been identified as having a specific learning need, so they can:

• Be an effective and successful learner who achieves their full potential
• Embrace the range of opportunities available to him or her as a valued member of our school community
• Move into adult life confident that he or she has the skills and independence to fulfil his or her ambitions

Supportive Environment

We have a dedicated Student Support centre that is based in the old School House which is staffed by our pastoral team. We have a central area with four adjacent rooms available for study or support interventions.

Graduated Approach to Intervention and Support: Assess Plan Do Review

We seek to be creative and proactive in our approach and have experience of successfully supporting students with the following needs:

• Autistic Spectrum Condition
• ADHD and ADD
• Communication difficulties including autism
• Slow Processing
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• SEMH
• Visual and hearing impairment
• Physical and mobility impairment
• Chronic Medical Conditions
• Mental health and emotional needs
• Attachment Difficulties

Learning Support Plans and Pupil Passports

Depending on the additional needs of a student a pupil passport or learning support plan may be written in order to document and share adaptive strategies and interventions that may help a student be successful. Their voice is key to providing effective support. A Learning Support Plan is formally reviewed along with parents and the pupil themselves throughout the year and remains a live document. A pupil passport is a more informal document than a learning support plan, but nevertheless aims to guide teachers to support a student with additional needs in the classroom.

Learning Support Plans are shared with staff and parents/carers via Edukey Provision Map.

Preparation for Adult Life

We seek not only to support a student through their education at KSHS but also to equip them with the means to assert and manage their support needs as a young adult and in their future working life. We therefore believe that it is crucial that their voice is central to our planning and review process.

Strategies and Interventions to Support Academic Progress and Engagement

Teaching staff receive regular updates and training with regard to the provision of effective support in the classroom. Electronic records of intervention programmes allow teachers to access successful strategies across different curriculum areas. Typical examples of support and intervention:

• Targeted short term support programmes for individual students / small groups
• Differentiated approaches to accessing class material
• Classroom resources provided for specific learning needs
• Use of interactive whiteboards
• Use of C-Pen exam readers
• Use of visual support to support understanding and facilitate access to the school environment and learning
• Individual access to computers and other ICT so word processing can be developed as a “normal way of working”
• Provision of specialist equipment, e.g. A tablet for a visually impaired child
• Adapted or modified resources e.g. enlarged text / coloured overlays & exercise books

Emotional Support & Mental Well-Being

Students who face a greater challenge with their learning and their ability to process the world around them can benefit from additional support. We have found the following effective in supporting such students:

• Self-esteem programmes
• Anger management programmes
• Access to professional counselling (CASY)
• Social Skills programmes
• Peer Support Groups led by a Student Support Officer
• Wellbeing Ambassador
• Supported Private Study /Homework in Student Support

Professional Referrals and Support

Referrals to other professionals and agencies are made when deemed necessary. We are always happy to facilitate sessions in school. The following services have been accessed:

• Educational Psychologist
• Community Paediatric Team
• Specialist Teacher Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS, NHS)
• Healthy Minds (NHS)
• Family Action
• Working Together Team (Supporting Students with Autism)
• Behaviour Outreach Service (BOSS)
• Individual Counselling (Bereavement, Anxiety, Emotional Well-Being)
• SEND Parent Forums

Parents/Carers in Partnership

We actively encourage parents/ carers to maintain regular contact with school so that our partnership can be effective and productive. Often a student referred to Student Support will have an allocated key worker, one of our Learning Support Assistants, who will be the main point of contact between parents/carers and Student Support. Parents/Carers are involved at every stage of the support process: from consent to an initial assessment to applying for an Education and Health Care Plan.

We recognise that modern parenting is a challenging responsibility, and this challenge can be even greater when supporting a child with additional needs. We therefore seek to be constructive in our support of parents, offering practical support from associated professionals such as the Parenting Skills Team, Early Help Team or The Working Together Team. Support services available do change from year to year depending on funding streams and service streamlining. However, the SENCo’s regular attendance at the Local Authority Briefings ensures we remain current as to the services we can access for our students. There is also increasing collaboration with regard to the in-house services we offer across the Robert Carre Trust in meeting the needs of our students with SEND.

Transition and Induction

Staff at KSHS will liaise closely with the 40 feeder primary schools of any prospective Year 7 student. Where there is a known additional need and/or disability a meeting will be arranged with the parents/carers and SENCo to agree a transition plan. Where appropriate, additional familiarisation visits will be arranged and preparation for independent travel training for home to school travel can be explored.

A similar process will be offered to students transferring to KSHS at different entry points. Students joining the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form are asked to complete an admission form to ensure that the school is aware of their needs and their usual way of working.

Transition to Post 16 Courses/ Apprenticeships in Colleges or University

Students seeking to transfer to other educational institutions to complete post-16 courses/apprenticeships are supported in those transitions. Students are supported in identifying suitable courses and the completion of the application form. The receiving institution is apprised of the student’s specific needs and where appropriate familiarisation visits can be arranged. If appropriate prospective employers will be made aware of the Access to Work service which provides assessment and advice to employers with regard to any specialist equipment that might be needed to make reasonable adjustments.

Students wishing to pursue Higher Education courses are encouraged to do so and are likewise supported in identifying suitable courses. Where necessary the key worker will liaise with the SEND Officer at the relevant institution to ensure that all necessary information is available with regard to any assessments that might need to be carried out to support their learning needs. The Enrichment Curriculum for 6th form students at KSHS also provides practical preparation with the offer of basic cookery lessons. Students should also be aware that they can apply for the Disabled Student’s Allowance via Student Finance to assist with the purchase of specialist equipment or support. 

Strategies to Support Literacy and Numeracy

On admission to the school in Year 7 students undergo a series of tests designed to provide the school with a current baseline assessment: This includes completing the Lexia programme, the school aims to identify any gaps at the earliest opportunity so that effective intervention strategies can be put in place. Mathematics also assess students within the first term to assess prior knowledge and gaps, this is a baseline assessment.

Strategies to Support Behaviour

The school operates a staged disciplinary system. Where behaviour does not meet with expectations school students face the “consequence” of their actions and are sanctioned.

However, for students with an identified learning need a reasonable adjustment is made and typically, this amounts to a student having additional stages of warning and/or remaining longer at a specific stage. However, our system has sufficient flexibility to allow us to tailor consequences to the needs of the individual student.

We also operate a classroom exit “time out” system which can provide students with access to relevant support as soon as the need arises.

Support during Unstructured Time

Learning Support Assistants can provide targeted support programmes that are designed to bolster or improve social skills. In addition to such support, we also have designated safe places at lunchtime available to all students and will also put in place peer support groups or a buddy system for children new to the school or requiring additional social support.

Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP)

Where individual need is determined to be complex or requires a greater level of provision beyond the capacity of the established team then the school will look to complete an application for an EHCP. If successful, this can release additional funding to support the identified needs. An application would normally require the support of the Educational Psychologist and substantial evidence that the school had reached a point where additional resources were needed to meet the identified needs.

Lincolnshire Local Offer

The Local Offer is part of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEN&D) reforms from the Children and Families Act 2014. There are two main purposes for the Local Offer

To improve information about services and provision available for families, children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and to make it easier for all families to find this information by making it available in one place.

To work directly with families, children and young people to improve provision.

Lincolnshire's Local Offer includes leisure and activity providers, health and care services, education providers and support groups. Access to the Lincs Family Services website and Local SEND offer can be found here.

SEN & Disability

Our current Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy which can be found on the RCT Policies Page

Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy have formed a strong partnership with a variety of agencies that support students with a range of Special Educational Needs. A list of the agencies and the procedures the school uses to ensure the appropriate care and support is in place for our students with additional needs, is outlined in the KSHS SEND Information Report. 

Nottinghamshire local offer Access to the Notts Help Yourself website where a Local Offer can be found.

External Agencies

Below is a list of external agencies that the school regularly engages with: