Trentham Academy

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Trentham Academy is an inclusive environment which values every individual and encourages high aspirations.

The Academy believes in developing the person as a whole so they can accomplish educational excellence. The diverse and ambitious community of staff and students work together to ensure everyone strives to achieve fulfilling lives.

The students are at the heart of everything at Trentham Academy with staff preparing each individual for ultimate success. High expectations are in place to encourage high achievements.

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

Trentham Academy accommodates all SEND in line with the Equality Act 2010 and provision is available for all 4 areas of need outlined in the SEND Code of Practice:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and or/physical

How does this setting know if their children/young person needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

Trentham Academy strives to be an inclusive school where achievements, views and attitude of all members of the school community are valued. All students have the same entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and the school seeks to include all students in all aspects of school life.

A young person has Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability, which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. If the impairment has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to day activities it may amount to a disability.

We have an excellent relationship with local primary schools and work closely with them to ensure that we are fully informed about individual student’s needs, prior to transition.

We offer a range of support during transition to help students become familiar with the school, staff and Inclusion Team before starting with us in September. An electronic transfer of student data occurs on 1st September, this includes a student’s SEND status. All students complete a range of diagnostic and baseline testing (literacy and numeracy) which allows us to identify students who require further interventions for literacy and numeracy or may have some learning needs in other areas.

We also identify students within the school through close liaison with subject departments and a process of screening and assessments. External support services play an important part in helping the school identify, assess and make provision for students with special educational needs. If your child is identified as having a SEND, we will inform you so we can work together to support your child and place them on the SEND register. This register is kept in school and enables our staff to access information regarding the implementation of strategies and recommended support for individual students, along with close monitoring of progress. Parents are encouraged to share information about their child’s needs with the Form Tutor, Progress Leader and/or SENDCO.

If you are still concerned about your child’s educational needs, in the first instance please raise your concerns with your child’s form tutor. If you still require further guidance, contact the school Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCO)

How will the setting support my child/young person?

For the majority of students, Quality Frist Teaching will fulfil their learning needs. Quality First Teaching is excellent classroom practice where the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all students in their class. The teacher may put in place specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCO, Inclusion Team or outside agencies) to support your child’s learning. Some students may require the curriculum to be slightly adapted or differentiated for the individual student to access the curriculum in order to make progress. These students would not typically be placed on the SEND register.

Other students may require small group intervention from specific members of staff, the SENDCO, a member of the Learning Support or Inclusion Team or may be run by or in partnership with outside agencies e.g., ASD Outreach Team, Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychologist etc. in order to address gaps in learning or to develop strategies to overcome a particular need. They may also access support from a Learning Support Practitioner in lesson. Teachers will differentiate the curriculum as a usual way of working. These students will be identified on the register as School Support.

You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward. You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g., Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs and be abler to support them better in school.

The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations. The school may suggest that your child needs some agreed individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place. For few students with more complex needs they may require more intensive and long-term support in order to make progress at school. These students will have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) which will set out clearly what the students need to achieve at school. We will discuss this in partnership with students and parents.

This specified individual support for your child of more than 15 hours in school is usually provided via the EHCP, this means that your child will have been identified by the SENDCO as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group teaching (more than 15 hours a week), which cannot be provided form the budget available to the school. Usually, your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. The school (or you) can request that the Local Authority carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process and you can find more detail about this in the Stoke-on-Trent Local Offer.

How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person’s needs?

Planning and teaching will be adapted on a daily basis if needed to meet your child’s learning needs and increase your child’s access to what is on offer. Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of children in their class, and will ensure that learning tasks are adjusted in order to enable your child to access their learning independently as possible. Specially trained support staff can implement the teachers’ modified/adapted planning to support the needs of your child when necessary. Specific resources, strategies and interventions will be used to support your child individually and in groups.

We will endeavour to provide identified students with assessment/examination support in years 7, 8 and 9. This might be someone to help with writing or reading or we may allow some students extra time to complete assessments, movement breaks or to word process their work.

At the end of Year 9 identified students will be assessed by the SEND Service using a range of tests stipulated by the examination boards. The results of these tests will determine the exam support the students require. Mrs Hopley the Assistant SENDCO oversees this area of practice, working closely with the SENDCO, Head of Academy and the School’s Examination Officer.

How will both you and I know my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support their learning?

At Trentham, we aim to work in co-operation with parents and students to create the best outcomes for individual students. We will invite you into school throughout the academic year to discuss your child’s progress. We encourage all parents to contact their child’s form tutor if you have any concerns in the first instance. The academy website provides contact emails for staff and the main office telephone number for enquiries. The website is regularly updated and provides general information on events, access to policies and procedures and help and advice for parents. Parents can contact the school via email/telephone calls.

The SENDCO is available at parents’ evening to discuss any concerns or worries that may arise at that time. If your child is placed on the SEND register at School Support level, we will invite you into school to meet with the SENCO/Assistant SENCO and sometimes Progress Leader, who will explore with you the strengths and difficulties of your child and together help identify and develop strategies to achieve the best possible outcomes for your child at school. These strategies will be discussed with your child and a Pupil Passport will be completed together. Once completed, will be reviews termly with students and parents. For a few students that have an EHCP, we also hold an Annual Review of the EHCP which is monitored by the Local Authority. We endeavour to keep parents informed of any changes and adjustments to support arrangements when necessary. We would like you to talk to your child’s teachers, Form Tutor and Progress Leader regularly so we know what they are doing at home and we can tell you about what we are doing in school and work in collaboration. Communication regarding information from professionals will be shared and any new assessments and ideas suggested will be discussed.

What support will there be for my child’s/young person’s overall wellbeing?

All staff take responsibility for the wellbeing of our students. Initially the Form Tutor develops a positive relationship with the students supported by their Progress Leader who oversees the wellbeing of a particular year group.

Progress Leaders are alerted if students voice a concern, need support or are not making expected progress. Every child is very much an individual and their needs are assessed as such. The Inclusion Team offers a comprehensive package of social, pastoral and medical support from specially trained members of staff. Inclusion staff will refer students to a number of supportive outside agencies. The Education Welfare Officer works closely with the Progress Leaders and the Attendance Officer, identifying attendance issues and working closely with parents and students. All safeguarding issues are referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

If there is a need to deal with a medical emergency, we have a number of staff who are trained first aiders, who would respond to any situation in the first instance, but we would always contact parents/carers and special medical support where necessary. All students with medical needs will have an agreed Care Plan. Care Plans are carried in the child’s bag, held in the school main office and in the SEND base and are managed by Mrs. A Hopley, Assistant SENDCO. They are reviewed by the school nurse at least annually or if circumstances change. A medical register is kept up to date and held electronically for all staff to access. Additional training for staff or first aiders is arranged via the school nurse, or specialist nurse practitioners. The Learning Support Department offers nurture clubs, homework clubs at lunchtime and after school. The team works very closely with the Careers Service to ensure a smooth transition post 16, arranging additional visits and days in college to familiarize those students with post 16 establishments. Progress Leaders can refer student to the Inclusion Leads for social, emotional and behavioural support. We believe in rewarding success and have a clear rewards system to celebrate achievement at all levels.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?

The Inclusion Team includes a range of highly qualified staff who have a wide range of experiences. The nine Learning Support Practitioners (LSPs) have specific areas of specialism and expertise including Literacy, Numeracy, Science, ASD, Nurture, Support for students with physical disabilities and Dyslexia. These LSPs work closely with all staff to support students. The team also includes a range of staff who have specific skills and expertise in behaviour management and social and emotional wellbeing. A wide range of outside agencies support our students including; Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, SENSS and Health Service, CAMHS, Dove, YOT, Careers, Hearing and Visual Impairment Service. It is very important to be fully informed when supporting students. We liaise with a range of external agencies and we will follow guidance given when possible. We will always seek your consent before referring your child to an outside agency. We do encourage parents to allow agencies to share information with a key member of staff at school.

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?

We hold regular training sessions in different area of SEND and all staff have access to information and strategies to best help students with SEND. If we feel that your child will benefit from additional interventions the SENDCO or members of the Learning Support Team will contact you to discuss this. You may be asked to support your child with the programme at home. Those students who tend to make the best progress are those where there is an effective home school partnership. The school has a training plan for all staff to improve the teaching and learning of all children, this includes whole school information and training on SEND.

The school has a close working relationship with Stoke-on-Trent SEND Service who provide a range of training and continued professional development related to Special Educational Needs and Disability delivered by qualified Specialist Advisors and Teachers.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

All students have access to enrichment activities and trips throughout the year. Reasonable adjustments will be made to accommodate students with Special Educational Needs, including where appropriate individual risk assessments. These adjustments will be discussed and agreed with parents. Learning Support Practitioners accompany identified students on trips to ensure they have full access to the activities.

How accessible is the environment?

The building has been adapted to ensure full wheelchair access including ramps and a lift. Art and Design Technology have specially adapted furniture to enable full access to the curriculum. The school works hard to ensure that parents have good communication with the school. Information is sent out via email and text which enables parents to use the text to speech facilities.

How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?

We recognise that ‘moving on’ can be difficult for a child with SEND and/or a disability and take steps to ensure this and transition is as smooth as possible. Staff visit all feeder primary schools and meet both the year 6 students and their class teachers. Information is gathered on every student’s academic level, their social and behavioural skills and friendship groups. We endeavour to ensure that students have one or two familiar peers form their existing school in the same Form Group. Information regarding the support the students may have accessed and any other relevant information, is then fed back to the Progress Leader and Inclusion Team.

The Academy holds Open Evenings in the Autumn term and parents of years 5 and 6 are encouraged to attend. The SENDCO, Assistant SENDCO and LSPs are available to talk to you about your child and the support the academy can provide. Extra transition visits can be arranged on a one-to-one basis and further discussions and contact with the SENDCO/Assistant SENDCO is encouraged. Direct contact details are made available so that parents can feel confident about contacting the Learning Support Team for any help. Y6 students will also attend taster days in school, meeting their new class-mates and prefects. They will also meet their form tutor, spend time familiarising themselves with the physical layout of the school and experience a range of lessons. This is followed up in the evening with an Open Evening for parents where any concerns can be addressed.

Transition visits start in the summer term for year 6 students needing additional support providing the opportunity to experience the noises and see what activities and safe places are available and what happens in lesson and to build confidence about moving around the academy. During the summer holiday, there is a two day ‘summer school’ provision to further support the transition and relationship building with staff and peers.

If you child is moving onto College/Apprenticeships (Post 16)

Throughout their time at Trentham, the students have a number of opportunities to engage with the careers curriculum including college presentations, work experience and one to one careers appointments with our advisor to support them in making their decision about post 16 education.

A Careers Fair is organised which includes local employers, colleges and training providers.

Transition visits are carried out for students to find out options available to them and to meet tutors from various providers.

Support will be given to complete Post 16 application forms.

If your child is moving to another school

We will contact the school SENDCO and ensure they know about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for your child.

How are the setting’s resources allocated and matched to children’s/young people’s special educational needs?

The school is allocated a budget for SEND which includes the funding for Learning Support Practitioners. The Headteacher allocates funding to the SEND and Inclusion Team to buy specialist resources and equipment for individual students and small groups.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

If your child has an EHCP the document will stipulate the area of need for support and suggested strategies/interventions to enable the student to access education successfully. Discussion will formally take place at least once a year with the SENDCO, parents and students to review the effectiveness of the support and the impact it is making on the students’ progress. Arranged meetings can be held throughout the year at school/parents’ request.

Students who are at School Support will receive support, if appropriate, following discussion with staff, parents and the student.

How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?

At Trentham we aim to work in collaboration with parents and students to create the best outcomes for individual students. We will invite you into the academy throughout the academic year to discuss your child’s progress. We encourage all parents to contact your child’s form tutor if you have any concerns in the first instance. The school’s website provides general information on events, access to policies and procedures and help and advice for parents. Parents can contact the school via the academy email address, directly via staff emails or telephone calls.

Many Subject Leaders and Progress Leaders/SENDCO/Assistant SENDCO and Inclusion Leads have direct lines so can be contacted directly by parents and/or outside agencies. Parents are invited to give feedback to the school each open/parents evening. If there is any information, advice or guidance we can provide to parents, we will do so, upon their request.