Special Educational Needs

and Disabilities (SEND)

Policy

Approved by:                [Academy Community]

Approved in:                [November 2024 - Pending]

Review by:                [November 2025]

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

This policy has been written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 (2014, updated May 2015), part of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (which came into effect in September 2002). It also takes into account the guidance set out by Salford Local Authority (LA) for SEND practices and procedures, and additionally

• Equality Act 2010: advice for academies DfE 2013
• Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupil at school with medical conditions
• Teachers’ standards 2012

The policy was created collaboratively with our SENDCo - Sara King

Policy Links

• Safeguarding and child protection policy
• Accessibility Plan
• Trust Complaints Policy
• Looked after Children Policy

Definitions

Students may be said to have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A student has a learning difficulty if he/she

• has significantly greater difficulty in learning or in accessing education than the majority of students of the same age
• has a disability which either prevents or hinders him/her from making full use of

educational facilities available in the Academy of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in a mainstream school

• Students with a disability have special educational needs if they have any difficulty accessing education and if they need any special educational provision to be made for them.

Many children and young people who have SEND may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010, that is

‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities’.

This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise. ‘Long term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’.

This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epile[psy and cancer.Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEND, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEND.

Key responsibilities

The Principal holds overall responsibility for ensuring that the Academy complies with its statutory obligations for students with SEND.

Those responsible for for managing the Academy’s response and provision made are:

Sara King ( Assistant Principal for Inclusion and SENDCo)

Gemma Maguire (Deputy SENDCo and Head of The Hive)

Rachael Cutting (Lead Assistant SENDCo)

Courtney Glennie (Community Council Member)

General Principles behind the SEND Policy

Co-op Academy Walkden believes that every student in the Academy has an entitlement to personal, social and intellectual achievement and to access a broad and balanced curriculum. All students are entitled to the opportunity to achieve their potential in learning. Those children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities should have access to high quality and appropriate education. We are firm in the belief that all teachers are teachers of students with SEND, and we work together to share information, the vision and values to allow students to succeed.

The Objectives of our SEND Policy

• To ensure students with special needs and disabilities can achieve success and progress according to their potential and which closes the achievement gap with their non-SEND peers
• To ensure all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), are offered full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education covering the National Curriculum.
• To secure high levels of achievement and progress for all.
• To identify and provide for students who have special educational needs and additional needs, utilising a wide range of provision.
• To carefully map provision for all vulnerable learners to ensure that staffing deployment, resource allocation and choice of intervention improves outcomes.
• To work within the guidance provided in the SEN Code of Practice 2014 (Updated May 2015).
• To provide support and advice for all staff working with students with SEND, and ensure a high level of staff expertise to meet students' needs through well targeted continuing professional development.
• To work in collaboration with the parents and carers of students with SEND throughout the assessment of need and to develop the most effective support for their child.
• To work in cooperative and productive partnership with Salford Council and other outside agencies, to ensure there is a multi-professional approach to meeting the needs of all vulnerable learners.
• To value the views of children and young people in deciding the support to be offered to them.
• To tailor support to the specific needs of individuals. Vulnerable young people who are looked after may also be under the remit of the SEND department since their needs may require a range of strategies to enable effective learning. The SEND Leader is also the designated teacher for Looked After Children (LAC).

Evaluating the Success of the SEND policy

Student progress will provide evidence for the success of the SEND policy and this will be analysed carefully through:

• Evidence of “Diminishing differences” in performance between SEND and Non-SEND students
• Use of standardised tests
• Evidence generated from SEND reviews

Identification of SEND

The SEND Code of practice makes it clear that all teachers are responsible for identifying students with special educational needs and disabilities, in collaboration with the SENDCo.

Identification before joining Co-op Academy Walkden.

Prior to joining Co-op Academy Walkden, our pastoral teams work with primary schools to collate information on the specific needs of students with SEND. We collaborate with all of the relevant outside agencies and with parents, to ensure that a full picture of need is established. We work closely with the EHCP and admissions team within each Local Authority to allow a strategic approach to admission for students with SEND. All of this ensures that we have the right information so that the best possible provision, intervention and support can be put in place as early as possible.

Identification once at Co-op Academy Walkden

Teaching and pastoral staff, supported by the Senior Leadership Team, regularly assess the progress of all student/pupils, to identify those students that are not making the required level of progress in line with their ability. This can be academic progress which is quantifiable, or social and emotional progress which is measured qualitatively, primarily via the SEND team.

We have an online referral system that allows staff to highlight any specific concerns. The referrals are managed by the SEND team and appropriate investigations are completed.The academy also hosts regular solution focused meetings (Thrive) which enables staff to map any additional support.

SEND identification strategies include:

• Observation during transition visits
• Classroom observations
• Sensory checklists

• Teacher assessment
• Discussions between subject staff, SEND staff or external agencies
• Discussions with parents/carers
• Discussions with the student
• Dyslexia checklists and screeners
• Boxall Profiles
• Speech and language assessments (TALC)
• Results of standardised tests e.g. reading tests, spelling tests etc

Where there are concerns about SEND, parents/carers are informed by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo). Information is gathered about a student’s needs. This may include learning difficulties or emotional and behavioural difficulties, student strengths and weaknesses, and any possible medical issues. This information is then used by the SENDCo / Head of Year / subject teacher to target areas for development and plan appropriate strategies.

Four broad areas of need

There are 4 broad areas of need as identified in the SEN code of practice, all of which are provided for within Co-op Academy Walkden

Communication and interaction

Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives. Children and young people with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Cognition and learning

Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties

Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical needs

Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

Key Principles of Curriculum Access

All teachers are teachers of special educational needs. Our curriculum centres around high quality teaching and learning for all students.  We believe that all students should have access to an appropriate, broad and balanced curriculum and to extra-curricular activities.

All subject teachers have a responsibility to see that the SEND policy is put into practice. Their responsibilities include:

• Ensuring they are fully aware of students’ diverse learning needs and recommended strategies for responding to them
• Overcoming potential barriers to learning
• Identifying students who do not make expected progress
• Liaise closely with any assigned teaching assistant to ensure effective deployment

Transition from Primary to Secondary School

The Academy follows guidelines for the transfer of record systems and information between primary and secondary  schools.

The transition team will contact teachers of year 6 students in primary  schools to identify children who will need extra support. Visits to observe, talk to students and teachers and collect information are made.

A comprehensive programme of events at and visits to Co op Academy Walkden and visits to main feeder schools is well established for all students. Additional visits to  schools are made by the SENDCo or a representative. Additional visits to Co op Academy Walkden   with parents, teaching assistants and /or teachers from primary  schools are encouraged.

The SENDCo or a representative will attend year 6 reviews of students with EHCPs and where requested, any multi agency meetings regarding other students with SEND. They may, where requested, attend Year 5 reviews or occasionally, even earlier. Any student with an Education, Health and Care Plan is always referred to the Academy early in Year 6 to allow additional time for effective transition and to confirm that we are able to meet needs.

If a student is known to have special educational needs when they arrive at the Academy, the Academy will:

• Use information from the primary school to provide an appropriate curriculum for the student and focus attention on action to support the student within lessons
• Ensure that ongoing observation and assessment is used to inform future planning for the student’s learning
• Create a Individual Learning Plan to share with all members of staff on the INSET day at the start of the Autumn Term and always accessible, the student and parents, which is reviewed on a regular basis

When a student is identified as having SEN, the responsibility and accountability for this student’s progress remains with the subject teacher, who will seek support from the SEND Leader when appropriate. The SEND Leader will seek support and advice from outside agencies when necessary.

Additional Needs

Before a student is placed on the SEND register, it is expected that high quality teaching, targeted at the areas of weakness, will have been provided; progress will have still been slow or less than expected, and discussion between the SEND team, student and parents/carers will have occurred.

If a student continues to struggle to make expected progress, the Academy SENDCos will assess whether the student meets the definition of Special Educational Needs or Disability and whether they should be placed on the SEND register. For some instances, it could be simply that a student would benefit from a short term intervention so therefore, would not be added to the SEND register but instead would be monitored. It is also recognised that not all pupils with a diagnosis need to be on the SEND register as they may not require something different from / additional to their peers as their needs can be met through our universal offer.

Students who have a diagnosis but do not require anything different from / additional from their peers will be placed on a monitoring list along with any other students who are under investigation for SEND.

In order to ensure that pupils will SEND are appropriately supported by their teachers in lessons, we provide the following training opportunities for staff to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills required to differentiate appropriately;

• New staff SEND training on induction to the school
• SEND Inset sessions
• Bespoke training from outside agencies
• Further professional learning sessions on High Quality Teaching throughout the year
• SEND surgeries
• Autism awareness training.
• The use of Individual Learning Plans

The SENDCos work alongside the Assistant Principal responsible for Teaching and Learning  to quality assure SEND provision across the academy by

• Learning Walks and lesson observations to look at the standard of SEND provision in the classroom
• Audits of staff knowledge and skills in relation to SEND, in order to inform future training needs
• Analysis of the progress of each pupil with SEND
• Department SEND reviews

We employ a range of specialist staff to support the needs of our SEND pupils:

• Literacy Specialists
• Numeracy Specialists
• Social, Emotional and/or Mental Health Specialists
• Intervention & Inclusion Specialists
• School Counsellor

We use and monitor a range of interventions, in addition to in class support

• Lexia Plus
• Toe by toe
• Plus one and Power of two
• Precision teaching
• Resilience training
• Working memory interventions
• Real Love Rocks
• Social communication
• Lego Therapy
• Speech and Language therapy
• Zones of Regulation
• Lexonik
• Thrive

Dyslexia Support

At Co-op Academy Walkden we are working towards becoming a dyslexia friendly school. All presentations are on a light yellow, as this is the most user friendly colour for students with dyslexia or visual stress.

Overlays are available for students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia or Irlens.

We complete dyslexia checklists and screeners for students where there is a concern  related to dyslexia. The screeners are used to indicate whether further investigation is required and also provide recommendations of any adjustments that could be of benefit to the student..

We are unable to diagnose dyslexia or Irens in school as these have to be completed by qualified assessors. The links below provide details of private assessors in the area if you wish to seek a private diagnosis:

www.gmdyslexia.co.uk

www.dyslexianorthwest.com

Educational, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

For a few students the help given through SEND Support may not be sufficient to enable the student to make adequate progress. It will then be necessary for the Academy, in consultation with the parents/carers and any external agencies already involved, to consider whether to ask the LA to initiate an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment.

Where a request for a Statutory Assessment is made to a LA, the student will have demonstrated significant cause for concern and the Academy will provide written evidence to the LA detailing

• The Academy’s action/interventions
• The Provision Map identifying support and records of regular reviews and their outcomes
• The student’s health including the student’s medical history where relevant
• Assessment and progress information
• Educational and other assessments, for example from an advisory specialist support teacher or an educational psychologist
• Views of the parents/carers and of the student through a ‘My Story’ document
• Details of involvement of other professionals
• Any involvement by the social services or education welfare service.

When the LA receives a request for a statutory assessment, it must decide within six weeks whether to carry out such an assessment and the whole process must be completed within twenty weeks.

The LA may decide that the degree of the student’s learning difficulty and the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s special educational needs is such as to require the LA to determine the child’s special educational provision through an Educational Health Care Plan. An Educational Health Care Plan will include:

• The student’s name, address and date of birth
• Details of all of the student’s special needs
• Identify the special educational provision necessary to meet the student special educational needs
• Identify the type and name of the school where the provision is to be made
• Include relevant non-educational needs of the child
• Include information on non-educational provision
• Identify expected outcomes from the plan.

Student Individual Learning Plans

Every student on the SEND register has an ILP that is shared with teachers across the academy.

Each ILP consists of:

• A descriptive outline of the student’s needs
• A description of the student’s area of strength
• Targets set for or by the student
• The teaching strategies suggested to be used
• The provision to be put in place
• We use an online platform which enables us to review targets and make changes in real time which can be viewed and commented on by parents and students.
• Real time changes can be viewed by all teachers at any time

Where a student has an EHCP, this will be reviewed each year when parents’/carers’ views on their child’s progress will be sought. The student will also be invited to contribute to the student centred review process and be involved in setting the outcomes.

The Hive – Enhanced Resource Bases for students with Cognition and Learning Difficulties.

The Hive is an Enhanced Resource Provision for students with Cognition and Learning Difficulties. To be considered for a place in the Hive, students must have an Education, Health and Care Plan with a primary need of Cognition and Learning. Allocations are decided at panel via the Year 6 annual review process.

Students have the opportunity to access small teaching groups for Maths, English and Humanities at KS3 and Functional Skills Entry Level Maths, English, Science and History at KS4 as well as Btec Pre-Vocational Studies. For all the other subjects, students will join mainstream classes with the support from teaching assistants.

We have a suite of small, well equipped classrooms with a large and welcoming social space. Students’ social and emotional needs are supported in addition to their academic needs here, as supporting the whole child is of utmost importance to us.

We encourage students to access as many mainstream lessons as possible to maximise their inclusion and progress. We also provide intervention and enrichment programmes for these students. Close Monitoring and assessment with target setting is an integral part of the programme. Students in Years 9-11 are able to choose appropriate mainstream options and also follow additional alternative courses where appropriate.

The Responsibilities of the SENDCos

• Determining the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision with the Principal
• Day to day responsibility for the operation of the SEND policy
• Keeping the Principal informed of developments.
• Managing the SEND team of teachers and teaching assistants  
• Liaising with and advising fellow teachers
• Producing the SEN Information report on an annual basis
• Overseeing the records of students with SEND
• Liaising with parents/carers of students with SEND
• Establishing a Provision map for students with EHCPs
• Monitoring the quality of teaching and standards of student achievement
• Contributing to the in-service training of staff
• Liaising with external agencies.
• Linking with special schools and ensuring individual programmes of support and learning are discussed with the relevant pastoral and curriculum staff.
• Transferring all SEND records and relevant documentation between receiving mainstream schools
• Ensuring records for students with an EHCP will be transferred to post-16 establishments.
• Attendance and representation at reviews, case conferences and consultation
• Liaising with Traded Services, ie. Speech & Language, learning support service, ASC team, visually impaired and hearing impaired teams
• Maintaining close links with the LA through the caseworker appointed to the Academy

The role of the Academy Community Council (ACC)

The ACC will challenge the Academy to:

• Ensure that the necessary provision is made for any student who has special educational needs
• Ensure that, where the ‘responsible person’ – the Principal or the appropriate governor – has been informed by the LA that a student has special educational needs, those needs are made known to all who are likely to teach them.
• Ensure that teachers in the Academy are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for, those students who have special educational needs and disabilities.
• Ensure that a student with special educational needs joins in the activities of the Academy together with students who do not have special educational needs, so far as is reasonably practical and compatible with the child receiving the special educational provision their learning needs call for and the efficient education of the students with whom they are educated and the efficient use of resources.
• Have regard to this Code of Practice when carrying out its duties toward all students with special educational needs and disabilities.
• To support this the governors have access to the updated SEN information report.
• To achieve the above, designated SEND governors will meet the SENDCo and other key staff from the Inclusion Faculty where appropriate as required.  

Parent/Carer Involvement

Co-op Academy Walkden firmly believes in developing a strong partnership with parents/carers and that this will enable children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential. The Academy recognises that parents/carers have a unique overview of their child’s needs and how best to support them, and that this gives them a key role in the partnership. The Academy considers parents/carers of SEND students as valued partners in SEND processes.

We provide opportunities for further engagement through

• Online ‘Meet the SENDCo’ sessions.
• Open lines of communication with SENDCos and Lead Teaching Assistants.
• Parent sessions in school or online with a specific focus
• Opportunities to view and comment on ILPs, playing an important part in planning and reviewing plans
• Scheduled meetings where required in school or virtually
• Multi agency meetings with Educational Psychologists and other external professionals

We work closely with Salford Information Advice and Support Services (SIASS) to ensure that parents are supported and a collaborative approach is used in the best interests of their child. 0161 778 0343/0349 / siass@salford.gov.uk.

Parents/carers of students with SEND will be informed where there is a concern about their child and be invited to contribute to the assessment of their needs. They will be invited to reviews of their child.

Parents/carers/carers will be supported in understanding the roles of other professionals

who may need to be invited to assess their child.

Parents/carers and carers will have access to the SEND Policy and the SEN information report, both of which are available on the Academy website.

Further information regarding SEND services available can be found on our website in the SEN Information report and the Local Offer. For Salford services, a link to the Salford Local Offer is also on the website.

Further advice about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, parents’/carers’ rights and

responsibilities and the roles of professionals are available from Salford Information, Advice and Support Service. This is a service provided by the LA. Support to parents/carers, and may include:

• giving help and advice on individual circumstances.
• interpreting and discussing information.
• acting as a link to other agencies.
• participating in reviews and meetings to assist parents/carers.
• helping parents/carers in presenting their own opinions and wishes.
• providing a direct link with the Local Authority.

Student Participation

Depending on age and appropriateness, students with SEND will also be encouraged to participate in the decision making processes affecting them. Students will be progressively more involved in decision making, developing outcomes and target setting. This can be achieved by:

Completing ‘students' views’ sheets for review

Attending and contributing to their own reviews

We monitor inclusion in extra curricular activities aiming for over representation of SEND students

Inclusion for Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

As far as is practicable and advisable, all students, with and without SEND, should be fully included in all Academy activities. Where a physical or learning disability hinders inclusion in any activity, advice from appropriate professionals will be sought. Special equipment or support may be provided to enable access to the activity for the student.

Staff Training and Development

Training needs are established through the Appraisal System.

The Academy will provide training on a regular basis, and those staff working closely with students with SEN receive training on a wide range of targeted SEND issues.

All staff new to the Academy will receive appropriate training from a member of the SEN team.

The SENDCo will provide training for newly qualified teachers as part of their ongoing training scheme.

Arrangements for Considering Complaints about SEND Provision

Any complaint about SEND provision should be addressed in the first instance to the SENDCo who will be responsible for recording the complaint and the action taken. The complaint may be directed to the Principal. The complaint may be further directed to an SEND Governor. Should action need to be taken, the Trusts’s complaints procedure will be followed. Parents/carers may be advised of their right to refer matters to the Disagreements Resolution Service.

Arrangements for the Regular Review of the Academy’s SEND Policy

The SEND policy will be reviewed annually.

ACRONYMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT