Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)
We have an inclusive SEND policy. Our SEND specialists and classroom teachers ensure that every child’s needs are understood and met; we work so that every child may reach their full potential.
Our Values
We believe that:
- Every child can learn and achieve
- Every teacher is responsible for the learning of our pupils with SEND
- Every teacher must have high expectations of a child with SEN
- Children with SEN are best taught as far as possible within an inclusive classroom where the teacher the practice for SEN
- Parents of a child with SEN need to be active participants in the assessment, planning and reviewing process
- Pupils with SEN need to have a voice in how they learn
- Frequent training on SEN is necessary for all teaching staff
- Language matters and must be positive and strengths-based (not deficit-led)
- Pupils with SEN need close monitoring and frequent adjustments to our adaptive practice.
Our Senco’s (Special Education Coordinators)
Audrey Reeder
Headteacher
B.A. Hons. French & Span, Oxford Univ.; PGCE French, Oxford Univ.
Audrey founded The Olive Tree School in 2010 and still teaches in secondary school.
Joshua Rutledge
Head of Secondary, Head of Saplings
Special Education Lead, Secondary & Saplings
Designated Safeguarding Lead
BA Hons in Geography, Northumbria Univ.; PGCE, Sunderland Univ.
Anna Johnson
Head of Primary
Special Education Lead, Primary
BA Hons in Drama, York Univ.; PGCE Primary Education, York Univ.
SENCos undergo external professional training in SEND.
They are responsible for:
- The day-to-day implementation of the school’s SEN policy.
- Identifying SEN in a pupil.
- Liaising with and advising class teachers on the graduated approach of assess- plan- do- review.
- Coordinating provision for pupils with SEN: assessing if Universal Provision is proving sufficient, whether Targeted Intervention is also needed; or, if not, if Specialist Teaching should be provided.
- Maintaining the school’s SEN register and overseeing the records on all pupils with SEN.
- Reviewing the effectiveness of provision constantly.
- Liaising with families of pupils with SEN at least once a half-term.
- Giving pupils with SEN a voice in their provision.
- Monitoring the writing of PPPs for all pupils on SEN register.
- Ensuring that SEN staff training is regular and effective i.e. class teacher and TA training.
Our class teachers & teaching assistants
- Adaptation of lesson plans for pupils with SEN (Wave 1)- universal provision.
- Development of their own professional skills in special education.
- Regular liaison with SENCO to ensure that all pupils’ needs are being met.
Aims of this policy
- To ensure there is a named SENCo in both primary and in secondary who are also senior leaders, thus ensuring SEND matters are foregrounded and SEND policy is a whole school priority.
- To ensure there is early and accurate identification and assessment of SEND.
- To ensure there is a range of effective SEND provision available.
- To ensure appropriately challenging targets are set, monitored and assessed for each pupil with SEND.
- To ensure a commitment to inclusive practices, to remove barriers to learning and to uphold high expectations for pupils with a SEND.
Our SEND specialist teachers
Shama Arif Azmi
MSc Psychology
Helen McKetty
Speech and Language Therapist
- To ensure learning support staff (TAs) have a high quality support programme across each school year, enabling them to provide excellent support with pupils with SEND.
- To ensure there is clear, regular engagement with families, and that there is full understanding and involvement in their child’s Personalised Provision Plan (PPP).
- To ensure all pupils with a SEND are given a voice so they are involved in their own growth and targets.
- To foster a positive attitude, respectful language and a strengths- based approach that is shared by the entire community, supporting the self-esteem and growth of pupils with SEND.
Identifying need
- None of these necessarily indicate a SEND: social or emotional difficulties, EAL, low attainment.
- Close tracking of every OT pupil is carried out and progress recorded. Where progress is significantly slower than that of a child’s peers, or slower than it had been previously, or does not close the attainment gap between a child and their peers, the class teacher advises a SENCo.
- The four broad areas of need and provision all staff should all be alert to:
Cognition and learning
Communication and interaction
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Sensory and/or physical needs - Once the SENCo is advised, they carry out close observations of the pupil, meet the family, and in some cases, may request a formal assessment by an ed psych.
- Provision by Wave will be defined by the SENCo and delivered by the appropriate teacher.
