SEND

At Tenbury High Ormiston Academy we are dedicated to inclusive provision for all and provide a wealth of individual support and specialist programmes to support the needs of our individual learners. Inclusive practice in all lessons, from all staff, across the school is key to the successful outcomes of all learners that we have achieved in recent years, and in particular for learners with additional needs such as Special Educational Needs and Social, Emotional and Mental health difficulties.

Under the new code of practice, the school is legally required to publish the following information.

SEND Information Report (pdf)
SEND Policy (pdf)

Overview

SEN provision

As a fully inclusive school, all kinds of SEN are provided for within mainstream provision at Tenbury High. It has close contacts with support agencies for students with multi-sensory impairments, sensory processing difficulties and Autism. The SEN team provide interventions and extraction courses to support various learning difficulties associated with Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties, and Specific Learning Difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Behavioural, Emotional and Social difficulties.

Identification of Needs, Assessment and Review

The school conducts a range of assessments to identify and assess the Special Educational Needs of each and every student.

  • All students on arrival at Tenbury High Ormiston Academy take part in Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT) andNGRT learning assessments which evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of every individual in a range of skills and abilities essential for learning.
  • More thorough personalized diagnostic testing is completed in-house or by external agencies if necessary. These tests include: Dyslexia screening, Exact Screening and more.
  • All interventions within the SEN team are monitored closely and progress checked. Students and parents are invited to provide feedback on interventions they have received.
  • We continue to use EduKey Provision Map to help us track the impact of the interventions we lead.

Consulting Parents

All parents of students with an Education, Health and Care Plan will be invited to attend and provide feedback at their child’s annual review. Regular contact will be kept with parents throughout the school year and as three times per year.

The SENCO is available at all parents’ evenings throughout the year, on request.

Parents are contacted throughout the year as and when required, to discuss the outcomes of learning assessments.

All parents are invited and encouraged to contact the SEN team if they feel that their child has any additional needs that require support.

Consulting Pupils

All students on the SEN register have a Pupil Passport of educational needs to assist teachers in individualised programmes of education within every lesson. Students have termly reviews of these profiles and have an opportunity to add ideas and tips on how to support them most.

Students with an Education, Health and Care Plan are invited to attend their annual reviews and provide written and verbal feedback related to their education.

The SEN team offers an open door policy inviting students to come and speak to staff about their difficulties at any time.

Transition

The school offers a comprehensive transition package from Primary school to High School. This includes regular days at the high school as part of our transition programme and a number of small-group taster sessions for a variety of different needs and subject areas. Parents are invited to attend transition meetings with the SENCo for those who are equally as nervous as their child. Support for Transition to Post-16 education is also provided. The academy helps students to complete application forms, teaches interview technique, attend interviews for support and liaise with post-16 providers to transfer key information about learning needs to enable students to succeed in whichever pathway they choose. The SEN team is on hand to offer additional support with this. The school also works in collaboration with Worcestershire County Council and our external careers advisers to ensure that the most vulnerable students succeed with transition to future education.

For further details, see our Transition page

Expertise and Training

All staff within the school attend regular CPD training sessions on key aspects of Special Educational Needs teaching. These are carried out by the SENCO or other members of the SEN team, each with specialist knowledge and expertise in this area. Staff also have bi-weekly updates on key changes and issues within the area of inclusion. All staff are expected to provide individualised support for all students within their class groups and have personalised information to assist them in this through the SEN Pupil Passport system and the academy expectations of ‘Quality First Teaching’.

External Support Agencies

THOA regularly liaises with a number of external support agencies. These include:

  • CAMHS
  • Chadsgrove School Support Services
  • Integrated Specialist Support Service
  • Medical Education Team
  • Early Intervention Family Support – Family support Worker
  • Early Help and Partnerships
  • Hearing Impairment and Visual Impairment Teams
  • Speech and Language Therapy Team
  • Occupational Therapy Team
  • Mentorlink
  • Counselling Services
  • Autism Outreach
  • Local Policing Team
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Regency Outreach Support Team (disability services)
  • Virtual School (LAC mentoring)
  • RDA – Riding for the Disabled
  • TOP Barn
  • Aspire Centre

If you would like to speak to anyone in the team about your child’s provision, support, assessment, transition or complaint please contact:

Harry Watts (SENCo)
[email protected]