A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

1. has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
2. has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers.

Highters Heath Community School is a fully inclusive mainstream school that provides additional support for pupils who present with a special educational need or disability.  The 2015 SEN code of practice categorises need into the following areas.

• 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. Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, 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 - Children and young people with learning difficulties learn at a slower pace than their peers in acquiring basic literacy or numeracy skills or in understanding concepts, even with appropriate differentiation. A child with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) may have difficulty with one or more aspects of learning.  This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia (difficulties with reading and/or spelling), dyscalculia (difficulties with maths) and dyspraxia (difficulties with co-ordination).
• Social, emotional and mental health – For some children, difficulties in their emotional and social development can mean that they require additional and different provision in order for them to achieve. Children who have difficulties with their emotional and social development may have immature social skills and find it difficult to make and sustain healthy relationships. These difficulties may be displayed through the child becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as through challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. Some children may have other recognised disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
• Sensory and/or physical needs - There is a wide range of sensory and physical difficulties that affect children across the ability range. Many children require minor adaptations to the curriculum or the physical environment. Many such adaptations may be required as reasonable adjustments. If children require special educational provision, then they are identified as having a special educational need. Children with a visual impairment (VI) or a hearing impairment (HI) may require specialist support and equipment to access their learning. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional on-going support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.

Pupils may have needs in more than one of these areas and provision is given to each area to ensure their needs and fully supported.

Class teachers make regular assessments of progress using teacher marking, observations and questioning, pupils progress meetings as well as more formal assessments such as standardised tests. 

If there are concerns around a child’s attainment and/or progress school follow the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process, as advised in the SEND Code of Practice 2015, and if deemed appropriate, pupils will be recognised as having a special educational need and specific provision will be identified.

For further information on how the school identifies SEND please see the Special Educational Needs policy. Microsoft Word - SEND_policy_Sept2020.docx (excelsiormat.org)

We will assess each pupil’s current levels of attainment on entry, as well as using information provided to us from any previous setting.  If a pupil joins our school with a previously identified special educational need or disability, we work closely with the parents, pupil and any previous setting to ensure we are fully aware of their difficulties.  This allows us to plan the best way to support them in our school and ensure a smooth transition.

Quality First Teaching is the most effective provision for all pupils.  Therefore, pupils with SEND are taught alongside their peers in the classroom with differentiated learning, scaffolded tasks and a range of resources to support their access to the curriculum.

However, there are some instances where pupils with the most complex needs require additional intervention to help them make progress. His may be in the form of a group or 1:1 intervention with either a teacher, a teaching assistant or the learning mentor.

Many pupils with SEND, particularly those with autism, may require reasonable adjustments to be made to their provision rather than individual targets.  These adjustments are detailed on an individual’s one-page profile and shared with all staff who work with the child, including lunchtime staff and supply staff.

Pupils with an identification of a special educational need will have individual targets, based on their areas of need, which the teachers will focus on in their teaching for those children.  These targets are reviewed at least 3 times a year. Their progress is also discussed at termly pupil progress meetings with the Headteacher.

Pupils with more complex SEND may have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or an SEN Support Provision Plan (SSPP).  These documents will give more detail about the strengths and difficulties of the child and give targeted outcomes for them to work towards.  These documents are reviewed annually with the support of outside agency staff, in addition to monitoring throughout the year.

We would encourage you to talk to your child’s class teacher about any concerns in the first instance.  However, you may also want to speak to the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, Mrs Lindsay, and she can be contacted on 0121 464 2459 or by email at office@hightersheath.co.uk

Lisa Andrews is the named governor for Highters Heath Community School and she can be contacted by email at office@hightersheath.co.uk 

Mrs Lindsay, the school SENDCo, has been in post for 9 years and holds the National award for SEN co-ordination.  She is available to offer support, advice and guidance to all school staff on any matter relating to provision for pupils with a special educational need.

School staff receive appropriate training from both the SENDCo and outside agencies so that they have the knowledge and confidence to support children’s needs as part of their quality first teaching or to deliver evidence based interventions.

There are a number of outside agencies who work with school, pupils and their families to offer additional support.

There are many pupils who require additional provision to help them manage their social and emotional development successfully.  Class teachers and teaching assistants who know their pupils best are the first line of support for individuals requiring support, but we also offer further support through the school’s Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) or SENDCo if required.

The school also uses Restorative Justice and Emotion Coaching techniques to help pupils manage their emotions and recognise the impact of their actions on themselves and others.

All children at Highters Heath Community School are fully included in all aspects of school life.  The school building is fully accessible to children with physical disabilities and there is a disabled toilet.  Pupils with a disability, sensory need or other need that challenges their ability to engage in activities are encouraged to join in with extra-curricular activities and additional adult support is provided when required.

Resources and equipment are adapted to support the specific needs of pupils with SEND.  Where additional resources are required these are funded through the school’s notional SEND budget, or for those pupils with more severe levels of need requiring specific resources or equipment, through higher level funding.  The school also uses part of its budget to buy agency support such as Educational Psychology.

The school actively welcomes parental involvement in their child’s provision and progress. Parents will be notified of any concerns about progress and/or attainment at the earliest opportunity, to ensure these are addressed quickly.  Mrs Lindsay, the school SENDCo, is available to discuss any concerns that parents may have about their child and is available for consultations at Parents Evening. In addition, meetings are offered to parents of pupils with SEND to meet with Mrs Lindsay and the class teacher half termly.

Pupil voice forms an important part of their provision.  Depending on their age they will be asked for their own views and opinions and we will use what they tell us to inform our decisions about their provision.  Ongoing conversations with pupils with SEND by Mrs Lindsay and other school staff provide regular pupil voice. Older pupils with and Education Health and Care Plan may be part of a person centred review.

Moving to a new class or school can be challenging, particularly for pupils with SEND.  We therefore aim to make the process as easy as possible for all children. 

When your child is moving to a new year group we:

• share key information between staff so that the new teacher has the appropriate knowledge about each child to support transition,
• ensure the one-page profile is updated and details the relevant information about the child,
• provide pupils who need it with a transition booklet, containing information about the new year group, new classroom and new teacher,
• provide pupils who need it with an opportunity to visit the new classroom and meet the class teacher ahead of the whole class transition session.

When your child is moving to a new school we:

• identify if your child would benefit from additional transition sessions and liaise with the new school to ensure these happen,
• talk to key staff at the new school about things that help your child to learn well and be happy at school.

Our school’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy can be found on our Polices and Documents page.

If you have a complaint about the school’s provision for your child which cannot be resolved by your child’s class teacher or the SENDCo, please contact the Headteacher, Mrs Aulton.  Our school and governing body take complaints seriously and will act upon these on an individual basis.

By law, Birmingham Local Authority has to provide information on a website detailing all services available in Birmingham for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  This information is called The Local Offer.

Visit: https://www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk/