Learning support
Contact: Ms Nicola Clarke SENDCO
N.clarke@northlondongrammar.com
Mission Statement.
NLGS’s vision is of a community which provides an outstanding education for every individual attending it. Our mission in Learning support is to work together to reduce any barriers that prevent our children from becoming confident, high achieving and independent individuals. We are committed to ensure that NLGS will be a place of aspiration, where individuals, including all children with a special educational need and/or disability, matter and confidence flourishes so that achievement for all is outstanding.
Our guiding principle is one of Inclusion. Quality First Teaching remains our first response in relation to SEND issues, but we also ensure that the child receives high-quality additional support and interventions carefully matched to their needs where concerns are raised about a student’s level of progress despite the application of a variety of teaching strategies that have been put in place. We recognise that, in practice, individual children often have needs that cut across more than one area and that their needs may change over time. Our purpose is not to ‘label’ a child, but to work out what action the school needs to take. We consider the needs of the whole child and ensure that support is focused on individual need and personal outcomes rather than classification/label.
Types of Additional Support:
- Literacy Intervention
- 1-1 support Personalised/Individualised teaching based on need.
- Group support/study skills
- Mentoring/Counselling
- In-class Support
- Use of laptop
Screening
All students are assessed for reading and spelling attainment on entry to NLGS. This gives us an initial indication of which students may need additional reading and spelling support. This may then be followed up with a subsequent, more diagnostic assessment. This gives us supplementary information about where the student’s specific needs lie. These results, plus KS2 SATS results and other information, are used by the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) to identify students who may have learning difficulties. The decision to put a pupil on the SEND register is made as a result of consultation with as many teachers, professionals and parents as possible.
Review
The SEND register at NLGS is reviewed regularly. If progress is adequate, consideration will be given to removal from the SEND register. If progress is inadequate after several interventions have been put in place, we will consider extra interventions in consultation with parents and the pupil. Teachers and relevant professionals contribute to an IEP which is then collated by the SENDCo. If there are continuing concerns, NLGS can consider requesting a statutory assessment. This will be carried out by the Local Authority and an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) may be issued.
Parents
Our Learning Support department enjoys good working relationships with pupils and their families. We expect that relationship to start before a pupil joins the school. NLGS requires any SEND need to be shared and discussed with the school before a pupil is offered a place, so that we can determine the level of support that is required. The school cannot guarantee providing appropriate support for any special educational need that is not disclosed to the school before the offer of a place is made,
The department has an open-door policy where pupils and parents can raise any concerns. Pupils’ progress will be reported to parents through reports, and regular parents’ meetings and consultations. We also work collaboratively with external agencies, which help to guide and inform our support, when required.
Access Arrangements
At KS4 some students on the Learning Support Register are formally assessed by an external Specialist Teacher or Educational Psychologist in order to determine their eligibility for access arrangements for GCSE examinations. Students may need to be tested again in Year 12 to determine whether or not they still qualify for access arrangements for AS and A2 examinations. The criteria for these arrangements are set out clearly in the Joint Council for Qualifications booklet which is published and updated every year. The school is subsequently inspected and required to present evidence in order to confirm our adherence to the regulations. These arrangements may include any or all of the following: up to 25% extra time, a reader, a scribe, the use of a laptop or rest breaks. Access arrangements for Years 7-8 will be determined by our initial testing of students on entry to the school in Year 7 (please see Screening above). At this stage, however, access arrangements are put in place in a less formal capacity. Despite access arrangements being put in place in key stage 3, there is no guarantee that this will lead on to access arrangements in key stage 4.
Useful Links
Dyslexia Action (formerly the Dyslexia Institute): www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk
The British Dyslexia Association: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
Dyscalculia information: www.dyscaculia.me.uk
Dyspraxia Foundation: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
National Autistic Society: www.actionasd.org.uk
Speech and Language: www.afasicengland.org.uk
ADHD: www.addiss.co.uk